Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Thiago Alcantara is "like a world-class golfer", while insisting there is much more to come from the Spaniard at Anfield.

Thiago joined Liverpool from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich amid plenty of fanfare ahead of the 2020-21 campaign but the Spain international experienced a mixed start to life on Merseyside, where injuries hampered his maiden season.

The 30-year-old midfielder has featured in three of Liverpool's opening four Premier League matches, starting once, while he came off the bench in Wednesday's Champions League victory over Milan.

A year on from his arrival, Klopp hailed Thiago ahead of Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace.

"The start was not perfect," Klopp told reporters during his pre-game news conference. "He got Covid, got injured early which of course makes things much more difficult. But he showed what kind of player he will be for us. There is much more to come of course.

"It has been a year, but if you want it is only half a year because of all the things which happened. Coming to a new club, in the most difficult period in all our lives, he settled really well. His family is here, he loves it here, he was in the middle of the team very quickly. He's a really good character, really good personality and obviously a world-class player. It is all fine!"

Klopp added: "He played more often at Munich in a double-six role, but for us it's a complex position; you have to be offensive, you have to be defensive, you have to be between the lines, you can drop into the last line to receive the ball, but not always. 

"But he is such a natural footballer it is not like we have to give him 15 or 16 different things to do in the game. I don't ask him for constant runs beyond the last line. He is a playmaker, obviously, who can sometimes be a little deeper, but he must be there in the two ‘interesting’ lines of the opponent as well.

"He has great vision and can change things with his passing. In a closed area with his passing he is really good, and he can chip balls into each area like a golfer, actually. A good golfer. A world class golfer! He does that without even thinking. 

"I love the way he plays. It's a complex position to be the number eight for us. We have different skill sets and we use different skill sets from time to time when we think a particular skill set makes more sense against a particular opponent."

Liverpool are on the longest current league unbeaten run in the top four tiers of English football, going 14 league games without defeat since a 1-0 home loss against Fulham in March (W11 D3).

Klopp's Liverpool have had more shots than any other Premier League side this season (100). Their 30 attempts against Leeds United last time out brought up their 100, making them just the second side since 2003-04 to have 100-plus shots in their first four games of a season, after Chelsea in 2009-10 (109).

Brighton and Hove Albion star Yves Bissouma believes he is the best midfielder in the Premier League amid links with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Bissouma has flourished in England since joining Brighton from Ligue 1 outfit Lille in 2018, attracting interest from a host of Premier League teams.

As his future continues to make headlines, the 25-year-old Mali international highlighted his ability.

"I don't want to be arrogant, but it's me because in my head I am working to be the best," Bissouma told BBC Sport.

"So I cannot say another name, I know in the Premier League there are so many good midfielders, but for me, it's me because that gives me the confidence and the energy to work hard to show people I am here and I am Bissouma.

"I just want to be focused on football, to play in every game, every week to be good, to help my team win and the rest we will see."

Last season, Brighton's Bissouma topped the Premier League list for tackles won among midfielder with 68 in 36 appearances.

Bissouma won possession on 271 occasions – a number only bettered by Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (296), Southampton star James Ward-Prowse (288) and Manchester City's Rodri (285) among midfielders.

He also ranked fourth for duels won (227), behind West Ham's Tomas Soucek (364), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (264) and former Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish (231).

His 64 interceptions were only eclipsed by Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill (69) and Wolves star Ruben Neves (65) in 2020-21, while Bissouma had the fifth most recoveries (271).

Fikayo Tomori is not considering a Chelsea return as the Milan centre-back dreams of Champions League success with the Rossoneri.

Tomori has starred for Milan, who completed a permanent deal for the one-time England international in July following his initial loan move in 2020-21.

The 23-year-old emerged from Chelsea's academy in 2016 before eventually leaving his boyhood club, but he is not thinking about a Stamford Bridge comeback.

"I don't know, I love Milan, I love being here, Chelsea was a big part of my life, 15-16 years," Tomori told DAZN, with seven-time winners Milan back in the Champions League this season for the first time since 2014.

"I think I managed to have that dream. Play at Stamford Bridge, play in the Premier League and the Champions League. Right now I am really happy in Milan.

"We are back in the Champions League, everything is really positive, hopefully like Chelsea [who won the Champions League last season], we can win it."

In 2021-22, Tomori has tallied 15 recoveries, 11 duels won, 12 possessions won in the defensive third, eight clearances, six interceptions, three headed clearances and six aerials won, while boasting an 87.6 passing accuracy to help Milan win their opening three Serie A fixtures.

Tomori has formed a key partnership with Simon Kjaer at the heart of Milan's defence – the Italian giants have kept the most clean sheets in the top-five European leagues (seven in 8 matches) since May.

Milan have only conceded one goal in three games, keeping two clean sheets in the league this term.

Tomori and Milan travel to rivals Juventus on Sunday, aiming to make it four victories from four games to open the season.

In the era of three points per win, Milan have won each of their first four Serie A seasonal games only twice – in 1995-96 under Fabio Capello and in 2020-21 under Stefano Pioli.

Thomas Tuchel expected Harry Kane to sign for Manchester City before the transfer window closed but finds it "nice" that the striker ended up staying at Tottenham.  

Blues boss Tuchel stated late last season that he would relish the chance to work with Kane as speculation over the England captain's future rumbled on.  

Kane opted to remain at Spurs after it had appeared the prolific striker would be on his way to Premier League champions City at one stage, while Chelsea smashed their transfer record to bring back Romelu Lukaku. 

Chelsea travel to Tottenham for a London derby on Sunday and, ahead of the fixture, Tuchel made clear how he never pushed for Kane's arrival at Stamford Bridge. 

Asked how far down the line the European champions got in making a move for the player, the Chelsea boss replied: "I never had a list with his name and I never went to Marina [Granovskaia, Chelsea director] to tell her to buy him.  

"But I think the club sorted out the situations. There are many people around players; there are agents and advisors and people in between, so we had some information from these people, but it was never that close that we had to experience the rivalry.  

"We know about the rivalry, but I have a feeling it was never that far."

Tuchel says he would not have been worried if Kane had ended up joining City, as Chelsea do not fear any of their rivals in the Premier League. 

"I thought that it was going to happen [Kane joining City] and I was not scared, but if it would have happened, I would have been very interested how it would have maybe changed City's style of play," said the German. 

"We are not afraid of anybody; we accept any other team. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, they are the teams with strong, strong squads and these are the guys [such as Kane] you want to compete and it's normal they fight for the best players. 

"I thought this was going to happen. On one side, I was happy he stayed because it's nice it exists in football that players play for one club only. 

"I have absolutely nothing to do with Tottenham obviously, but if you think about Tottenham you think about Harry Kane, if you think about [Lionel] Messi you think straight away about Barcelona. 

"It's very hard that he plays for another club and that's the same with Harry Kane. From that side I like it and part of my personality is still a fan, so from that point I like it and I also think it's nice that Romelu is back at Chelsea. Some things are a good fit and should not be changed." 

Paul Pogba could yet make a return to Juventus, according to Mino Raiola, as the midfielder's long-term future at Manchester United remains unclear.  

Pogba is in the final year of his current deal at Old Trafford, having returned to Manchester in August 2016 after a hugely successful spell in Turin.  

The France international won the Serie A title in each of his four seasons with Juve, as well as the Coppa Italia twice. He was also part of the squad that reached the Champions League final in 2015, though the Bianconeri lost 3-1 to Barcelona.  

Speaking in Italy on Friday, Raiola, the 28-year-old's agent, admitted a move back to the Italian club Pogba joined on a free from United remains a possibility.

"Paul's contract expires next year. We will speak with Manchester United and we'll see," Raiola told Rai Sport.

"Turin has remained in his heart. There is a possibility that he will come back, but this will also depend on Juventus." 

Pogba has started the new campaign in outstanding form, providing seven assists in four Premier League games. He has created 10 chances in total in those contests, helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side claim three wins and a draw to sit top of the table on goal difference.

He has already surpassed last season's assists tally in the same competition, having set up three in the top flight during 2020-21.

Pogba also scored three times as United finished second behind champions Manchester City last term.

After a shock 2-1 loss to Young Boys in the Champions League in midweek, Pogba and his team-mates will hope to get back to winning ways when they travel to West Ham on Sunday. 

Nine men were arrested following clashes between Leicester City and Napoli fans ahead of Thursday's Europa League game at the King Power Stadium. 

Trouble flared both in and outside the ground, with eight of those arrested by Leicestershire Police identified as fans of Serie A club Napoli.  

It was also confirmed on Friday that a man from Leicester was detained on suspicion of violent disorder.

"Nine men were arrested yesterday evening (Thursday, September 16) following a report of football-related violence in Leicester," a Leicestershire Police statement said. 

"Shortly before 6pm, police received a report of a fight taking place in Millstone Lane involving fans of Napoli and Leicester City. 

"Eight men, identified as Napoli fans, were arrested at the scene in connection with the incident. Following further enquiries, a 27-year-old man from Leicester was later arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. 

"All men remain in custody at this time. 

"Prior to the match taking place, a report was received that a taxi driver had been racially abused. A 39-year-old man from Italy was subsequently arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. He has been dealt with by way of a community resolution." 

Leicester and Napoli fans also threw objects at each other towards the end of a game that finished 2-2. 

Ed Woodward is "more confident than ever" Manchester United are "on the right track" after one of the most challenging financial periods in the club's history.

United reported a revenue decrease to £494.1million, with an operating loss of £36.9m last season when they revealed their last financial results on Friday.

In the previous annual results, revenue had dropped from £627.1m to £509m.

The coronavirus pandemic and a lack of supporters at Old Trafford took a big toll on the club.

However, with they have invested significantly to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane and are now playing in front of a full capacity crowd.

Executive vice-chairman believes these are exciting times for United despite the losses.

"We said during the depths of the pandemic that the club would emerge in a stronger relative position, and I believe we are now seeing that borne out as we build towards recovery from a very solid foundation," Woodward said in a statement.

"We significantly strengthened the squad over the summer, with the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Tom Heaton.

"These signings have demonstrated our continued ability to attract some of the world’s best footballers to Old Trafford, and our firm commitment to helping Ole [boss Gunnar Solskjaer]deliver success on the pitch.

"We have been clear in our strategy to build a squad with a blend of top-class recruits and homegrown talent, comprising a balance of youth and experience, with the aim of winning trophies and playing attacking football the Manchester United way.

"While squad-building is a constant process, we are more confident than ever that we are on the right track."

Thomas Tuchel is "relaxed" over Antonio Rudiger's future amid reports the defender could leave Chelsea as a free agent at the end of the season.

Rudiger's contract expires next June and the centre-back has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

The Germany international has thrived under compatriot Tuchel, with standout performances including a commanding display in the Champions League final victory over Manchester City in May.

Blues head coach Tuchel is hopeful Rudiger will remain at Stamford Bridge, but knows there are no guarantees he will stay with the European champions.

He said in a press conference ahead of Sunday's London derby at Tottenham: "I hope they find solutions but it's not only between coaches and players. It's between the club, the players and the agent. We hope they find a solution.

"He plays excellent, he's been very consistent for a long time at a very high level. He's very calm, very focused and obviously it's not a distraction [his future] for him. Everything is in place, give the time needed, sometimes it takes a bit longer and sometimes fast.

"No news from my side, I think Antonio feels very, very good at Chelsea. He feels the respect he has from his team-mates and the importance in the team, in the squad.

"That's well deserved, because he delivers. He feels the love from the supporters, he plays in the strongest league in Europe, so not many reasons to change that.

"In the end it's between him and the club and that's in good hands. I'm calm and relaxed and whatever has to happen will happen."

Tuchel revealed that N'Golo Kante is available to return at Spurs, but Christian Pulisic remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Chelsea are second in the top flight and beat Zenit 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Tuchel says there is plenty more to come.

Asked if he feels his side had not been at their best, the German said: "Yeah but I didn't expect us to be at our top level early in September, especially after this pre-season and COVID.

"For me at the moment, it is more important that we are competitive, we play relentlessly and have belief to overcome difficult minutes and periods within games.

"Aston Villa played at their top level, this is what we have to accept and respect. Competition is high. It is a good thing that we are able to win."

Chelsea have won their past two Premier League away games against Tottenham, as many as in their previous 13 visits.

Pep Guardiola stood by the comments he made about Manchester City's support after the win over RB Leipzig, despite facing criticism from a fan group.

City beat Leipzig 6-3 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, yet the Etihad Stadium was far from full.

Guardiola said afterwards that he hoped fans would come and back the team in their next outing, against Southampton on Saturday.

This led to anger from City's official supporters' club, whose general secretary Kevin Parker told Sky Sports: "[What he said] did surprise me. I'm not sure what that's got to do with him.

"He's absolutely the best coach in the world but, in the nicest possible way, I think maybe he should stick to that."

The subject was broached again in Friday's pre-match news conference, and a spiky Guardiola said: "Did I say after the game against Leipzig that I was disappointed because the stadium was not full?

"An interpretation is an interpretation, I am not going to apologise for what I said. I am surprised. It is not the first time I have said it in my career. When you play a game like in the Champions League, so tough like it was, with three days with a lack of preparation, and Southampton have had a full week, we know how difficult it will be.

"So to make an approach to do something together again the next Saturday. What I said is we would love, we need the support, of 10,000 people, 40,000 people, 50,000 people, it doesn't matter how many people come. But I invite them to enjoy another game because we need their support.

"After five seasons, if people can't understand my behaviour about the fans, it's because they want to misunderstand what I said. I'm not going to apologise for a second.

"We would be incredibly happy for you to come against Southampton because I know how difficult it will be and I prefer it to be with the people than without the people. But if they don't come for whatever reason, it is perfect, I never say why you didn't come. If you don't come, don't come. So I will not apologise, absolutely not."

It was a subject Guardiola seemed unwilling to drop, even when asked how satisfied he was with so many different players getting on the scoresheet so far this term.

"When we lose a game, it will be said that we need a striker. What we have to do is to try to play better, to do it in another way," he said.

"We know we don't have a player who scores 25 goals, we don't have this player with this quality so we have to do it as a team. It is important that everyone is involved. We are going to try and do it again against a really tough opponent.

"[Southampton] played against [Manchester] United at home really well, United was lucky. And some of the toughest games we had last season. At home we won 5-2 in the end, but in the first 30 minutes they were the team that created more problems. They were so brilliant, incredible and I know Ralph [Hasenhuttl] from when he was in Germany and it will be a similar game as against Leipzig.

"They are clear with what they have to do. With a lack of rest, playing Champions League is so demanding. They have had a long week to prepare the game and that's why we need everyone to help us to do our best, and I know our fans will be there tomorrow to support us and hopefully Mr Parker will be there to watch us."

Southampton drew 1-1 with United last month but have yet to win a Premier League game this season, picking up three points in four games so far.

Guardiola went on to insist he is happy with the support his City team have received during his time at the club.

"We are who we are, we are proud about who we are," he said. "I know the history, I learned the history about how in the lower divisions and what it means to travel and support the team. I respect it a lot.

"I don't want to be like United, like Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern, Madrid, all the big clubs. We are who we are, I like it. Don't put words in my mouth, I don't like that. I never have a problem with the fans, I am one of them since day one. I like to play in the stadium with my fans.

"I was incredibly happy after Leipzig, I saw how exhausted my team were and I was thinking in that moment of Southampton, in three days, and I said, 'Come to join us guys, come to do it together', because I know how difficult it will be. This is my message.

"If guys want to misunderstand the situation or my comments, this is the problem, but I'm here to defend what I said. If I make mistakes, I will say, 'Sorry guys, I apologise'. In this case, I will not apologise for exactly what I said and my intentions. I know who we are, and the team and I like the fans that we have."

Jurgen Klopp warned Liverpool that they cannot waste any opportunity to pick up points if they are to compete for the Premier League title this season.

The Reds are on the longest current unbeaten league run in England's top four tiers (14), last losing in March at home to Fulham.

Liverpool have also won their last eight games against Saturday's opponents Crystal Palace, scoring 24 and conceding just five times.

However, Klopp insisted his side must not pass up any chance to collect three points if they are to set the pace with their title rivals.

"I am not too much in the other teams' situations, but it's a good start for us," Klopp told reporters at Friday's news conference.

"We have played some good football but if you want to be around the top spots you have to and you cannot waste points. That's how it is. We just have to keep going."

Klopp also provided injury updates on Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk, after the latter was rested for their 3-2 Champions League win over Milan on Wednesday.

"If you like we're still in extended pre-season for him [Virgil van Dijk]," he continued. "I don't want to talk about injuries, but Ibou [Konate], Joe [Gomez], Joel [Matip] all have had injuries. Now we just make sure we have a proper pair on the pitch

"I cannot help people who don't see the quality of Joel. He was unlucky with injuries. He's tall and it can look a bit edgy but he's always been incredible for us. We need his quality, we have four or five top-class centre-backs and that is good and necessary."

While having the defensive trio fit again to call upon, speculation persists over Mohamed Salah's future, with talks ongoing over a new contract for the Reds' talisman.

But Klopp is just focused on Salah's output on the pitch after he became the fifth-fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals with his opener against Leeds United last time out.

"There's nothing to say, especially from me, I am not involved," he said.

"Obviously I am interested in how sharp he [Mohamed Salah] looks. He's spot on, really good. Nothing else to say."

Nuno Espirito Santo insisted he was only interested in "amazing" Harry Kane when the Tottenham boss was asked to compare his star striker to Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku has made a flying start to life back at Chelsea, who Spurs face on Sunday, with the Belgium international scoring four goals in as many games.

Kane, meanwhile, had a stuttering start to the season after a move to Manchester City failed to materalise.

The England captain has managed just two shots in his first three Premier League appearances this season and his lean spell continued as he failed to score against Rennes in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

The last time Kane had two or fewer attempts across a three-match span in the Premier League was back in October 2014, but he did not start any of those outings against Sunderland, Southampton and Newcastle United, which produced a total of one effort at goal.

Lukaku, on the other hand, has scored three times from 12 shots for Chelsea in the top flight this term, registering an attempt every 8.5 touches and a goal every 34 touches.

Asked to compare the two forwards, and if he would swap Lukaku for Kane, Nuno told a news conference: "Harry's an amazing player.

"I only speak about Tottenham players. I don't even consider [swapping Kane and Lukaku] because it's something I don't think about, for me it doesn't make sense."

Asked what Kane needs to work on to get back to the form that saw him win the Premier League Golden Boot last season, Nuno added: "I think he has to improve, we are on this process to find the best levels of fitness, but his dedication has been huge."

Spurs will be hoping Kane's early season slump came to its nadir last Saturday, in the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

For the first time in his Premier League career, Kane went a full game without having an attempt on goal or a single touch in the opponent's area, while he had just 37 touches – fewer than any other Tottenham outfielder who played the full game – and lost possession 16 times without recovering it once.

Nuno may need Kane on top form against a Chelsea team who look well set to challenge on all fronts this season.

The European champions are unbeaten in five games across all competitions, taking 10 points in the league – one more than Spurs – and getting their Champions League title defence off to a winning start against Zenit, with Lukaku on target in that victory.

"Very good team, and Thomas [Tuchel] is doing an amazing job," said Nuno.

"They have an amazing squad, talented players, they play good football, they are organised, they are intense. They are European champions, so we must be wary of that. But on Sunday we will compete, that's a promise.

"Thomas already did an amazing job at Borussia Dortmund, a fantastic job at Paris Saint-Germain. He and his coaching staff have enormous quality so I'm not surprised by the work of Thomas. For me it is not a surprise because you can see how well they play."

Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United will propel Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side towards Champions League success, according to former Red Devil Louis Saha.

Ronaldo has arrived back at Old Trafford, ending a 12-year absence from United after spells with Juventus and Real Madrid, with whom he won the continental competition four times.

Saha was in his final bow with Alex Ferguson's side at the time of Ronaldo's first Champions League triumph, the Portugal forward scoring eight times en route to victory in the 2007-08 campaign.

Returning as a 36-year-old goal poacher, the former Madrid star equalled Iker Casillas' appearance record in Europe against Young Boys in his 177th match, and Saha believes Ronaldo can drive Solskjaer's side to success.

"I think so, yes, I think it [Ronaldo to United] is a game changer," Saha told Stats Perform when asked if United could win the Champions League.

"I do think that the Champions League is the hardest competition. Yes, the Premier League is a marathon and you have five to six clubs who can actually win it.

"But the Champions League in a way that it works when you have groups, you will definitely have to win [against] the bigger clubs or the biggest clubs that's for sure."

Saha, who was speaking after United's 2-1 defeat to Young Boys, is convinced Solskjaer has a squad that is built to achieve at the highest level.

"United has the balance that they didn't over the years to win the Champions League," he said. "We had maybe a less quality squad when we won the Champions League.

"We have seen it with Chelsea, I don't think they had a great squad but it's about the team and about the team spirit and how you want to win it more than others.

"The ability to not make any mistakes as they have done [against Young Boys], this is the type of challenge the Champions League will provide to any good side who wants to go win the Champions League.

"So that's the formula, game by game this team can improve and definitely challenge for the victory [Champions League trophy]."

Despite surrendering a one-goal lead against Young Boys on Tuesday, Ronaldo created another record with his opener – the longest gap between goals for the same club in the competition's history (12 years and 132 days).

The Swiss side also became the 36th different club the forward has scored against as he extended his goal count to 135 goals in 177 games, 15 ahead of second-placed Lionel Messi in the all-time scoring list.

With Ronaldo leading the line, Saha envisages continuous success for United for three reasons as they look to challenge domestically and in Europe.

"The first one is because the guy is very obsessed in front of the goal," he said.

"It will bring this kind of like obsession and demanding from his players around. The second one is his stats, he is a player who's going to score goals for fun.

"He's already on three goals in two games. Let's say that it's a guarantee. If he plays you will have 25 to 30 goals, maybe not in the Premier League, but combined it's almost kind of a guarantee.

"At the same time the actual impact mentally on other teams. You go there and you have [Raphael] Varane, [Jadon] Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo, combined with the already very talented squad.

"I think he gives a different aura to the squad, it does bring definitely United forward in those aspects so it's a huge change for the title [race]. [They are] definitely up there with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea I would say."

Alexandre Lacazette's future at Arsenal is uncertain and a move to Italy may beckon.

The French forward was said to have been a player Arsenal would have considered allowing to leave at the right price during the recent transfer window.

Lacazette has only managed two substitute appearances for the Gunners in the league this season.

TOP STORY - JUVENTUS PLOT MOVE FOR GUNNER

Juventus are considering a move to sign Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, claims Calciomercato.

Lacazette is due to become a free agent at the end of next June and it remains to be seen whether he renews, yet the Turin club may move for him in January.

Juventus' slow start to the new season may play a part in their decision-making on when to pursue his signature.

ROUND-UP

- Bruno Fernandes will be rewarded with a bumper new Manchester United contract worth £250,000 per week, claims The Sun. The deal could be announced in the next few days, representing a £100,000 pay raise on his current deal that runs until 2025.

- Chelsea will reportedly consider selling Antonio Rudiger, who has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Any Rudiger sale would raise funds to land Sevilla star Jules Kounde, according to Football365.

- Ansu Fati is committed to remaining with Barcelona despite the club's financial issues, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Jadon Sancho's arrival at Manchester United was initially heralded as something of a game changer for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their right-wing problems set to be a thing of the past with the England international seemingly guaranteeing goals and creativity. 

But, as it did with most other stories in football, Cristiano Ronaldo's signing took the spotlight away and it seems everyone has been focused on the Portugal talisman. 

That might actually be a helpful thing for Sancho, given his start to life at United has been about as explosive as a candle. He is there, in the background, but unless you look at him it is very easy to forget his existence. 

Sancho thus far appears to have largely escaped full-scale criticism, with Ronaldo's goalscoring return and then United's embarrassing loss to Young Boys somewhat eclipsing the winger's muted introduction. 

That is not to say his ineffectiveness has gone unnoticed, certainly not by supporters. But should they be concerned even this early in his United career? 

'Every player has slow periods'

Digging into Sancho's form after just four Premier League appearances probably seems a little premature. Maybe it is, but his slow start is certainly a talking point from United's perspective. 

There could be any number of reasons for Sancho taking a little longer to get up to speed than hoped, such as a shortened pre-season after Euro 2020, adapting to a new system and team-mates, or even a loss of confidence following his spot-kick woes in the European Championship final. 

But it is worth pointing out Sancho had a similarly tricky start to 2020-21, something his Borussia Dortmund coach at the time partly put down to United's interest. 

"Every player has slow periods. There was a lot of talk about Jadon during the summer – something like that can be a factor," Lucien Favre said in October last year. "No player is consistently in top form for an entire year, that's impossible. You have to accept that." 

Sancho's patchy form continued all the way up to Germany's mid-season break – at that point, he had not scored in 11 Bundesliga games and only laid on three assists. It was a far cry from his breakout season the previous campaign when he netted 17 and set up another 16 – that was the standard he set. 

Though that in itself should have been seen as unmatchable given how much he outperformed his expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA). In total, he was involved in 14.9 more goals than the average player would have ordinarily expected given the quality of the chances, which was the most across the top five European leagues (Ciro Immobile was second with 13.5). 

It was surely unsustainable form and that was what his struggles in the first half of 2020-21 lent further credence to. But how does his form back then compare to his first steps in the Premier League? 

Lacking cohesion in new surroundings

It must be highlighted again that Sancho's first four Premier League matches represent a small sample size, so you obviously have to be a little cautious when it comes to drawing conclusions – after all, he could potentially score a hat-trick against West Ham and his record of three goals from five games would look pretty handy. 

Nevertheless, Sancho's early-season numbers certainly reflect the idea he is not offering a great deal to United. In fact, in terms of productivity, he's significantly down even on that difficult first few months of 2020-21. 

For starters, he has managed just two shots in 184 minutes on the pitch, which is obviously poor for someone brought in to be an attacking threat, particularly given he averaged 2.4 every 90 minutes pre-Christmas last season. Though there is a positive spin – some players may take hopeful snapshots in an attempt to dig themselves out of a rut, but Sancho at least is not panicking in that sense. 

His stunted productivity does extend to creativity, however. Creating one chance from open play every 90 minutes, he's down on both the pre- (1.6) and post-Christmas (2.5) periods from 2020-21, and the combined quality of the openings he has crafted have not been especially threatening with an average xA of 0.11 per 90 minutes. 

Even when deemed to be struggling last season, Sancho's xA value per key pass was almost three times as high (0.32). Of course, Sancho was in surroundings that were familiar to him and linking with players whose habits and characteristics he was more comfortable with, and there's a lot to be said for the value of cohesion, especially when things aren't going your way. 

That is presumably something Sancho will have to work on even harder at United, given he has limited experience of playing with his new team-mates. 

Lacking confidence, playing it safe

Building a natural familiarity can only be even more of a challenge when you appear devoid of confidence. We can only speculate as to why that may be the case, but it is a reasonable assumption to make that he is lacking in self-belief. 

His ordeal at Euro 2020 – when he played just 96 minutes before being specifically sent on in the last seconds of extra time in the final and missed his spot-kick – and the subsequent racist abuse he suffered on social media must have had an impact on his mental state. It would be shocking if it had not, though who is to say if that is the sole cause? 

What we can say is that Sancho's apparent dip in confidence seems to have manifested in a greater reluctance to take players on. He almost looks sheepish when faced up by defenders – it should be the other way round – and as such he is attempting significantly fewer dribbles. 

He tried to beat his man 5.7 times per 90 minutes in the first part of 2020-21, and that rose to 6.9 after the mid-season break – he is attempting 3.9 dribbles and completing 1.5 each game in the Premier League for United. 

He is touching the ball far less often (64.1 touches per 90 minutes compared to 84.8 in the first half of last season), though 64 touches hardly suggests he is being ignored by team-mates. 

But there is always a chance that United players may end up looking to others if Sancho is not deemed enough of a threat – after all, his average of 4.9 shot-ending sequence involvements per game is 1.6 fewer than he managed across all of last season. 

This in itself is interesting because it suggests that, although Sancho was not as much of a creator or finisher in the first part of 2020-21, his influence in the build-up remained constant over the two periods of the campaign. 

Linked to that is the frequency with which he played passes (including crosses) into the box, averaging 9.4 each game pre-Christmas and 9.5 after the mid-season break. But during these early weeks with United, he is producing just 3.4 such passes every 90 minutes. 

Obviously, Sancho's reasoning for this could quite possibly be that he has not seen team-mates in enough space, given most teams United face will have fairly packed defences. But fans would argue he is the sort of player who should be unlocking deep backlines either through his creativity or ability on the ball, and so far he has largely been unable to. 

Nevertheless, it is still far too early for anyone to start suggesting Sancho is enduring something of a crisis. He should be afforded patience and time to build meaningful on-pitch relationships with others in the United squad. 

But when it comes to attaining some confidence, Sancho might just need to take the odd leap of faith – he is playing it safe and that is not what United bought him for. 

Slow starts are nothing new to Harry Kane. Not until 2018 did the England captain score a Premier League goal in the month of August, by which point he had twice won the Golden Boot.

But there is added focus on Kane this year in the aftermath of his failed move from Tottenham to Manchester City.

And through three appearances – including two starts – in the opening four games of the 2021-22 campaign, the striker has attempted just two shots without scoring.

The last time Kane had two or fewer attempts across a three-match span in the Premier League was back in October 2014, but he did not start any of those outings against Sunderland, Southampton and Newcastle United, which produced a sole effort combined.

Since establishing himself as one of Europe's elite forwards, Kane has not endured such a lean league spell.

Chelsea, against whom Kane has scored just once in his past eight Premier League encounters, are up next, with a more effective display clearly required from Tottenham's talisman.

Nuno not helping

Nuno Espirito Santo oversaw three straight wins to start the league season, but Kane is not alone in suffering from the new coach's safety-first approach.

Spurs are averaging 9.5 shots per game this term, their lowest rate in a season since at least 2003-04, while only Watford (2.3) and Leicester City (3.4) have a lower expected goals total (3.7).

Tottenham also now have the sixth-lowest average possession in the division at 43.1 per cent.

Although this more conservative set-up has been in place for a little while now – Spurs last season started their sequences 39.7 metres from their own goal and have this term jumped slightly forward to 41.4m – it has only become more entrenched under Nuno.

A far cry from Mauricio Pochettino's pressing team, in which Kane thrived, Tottenham have had just 41 pressed sequences (fourth fewest) and 24 high turnovers (joint-fifth fewest) in 2021-22 so far and prefer instead to play on the counter, moving the ball 1.72 metres upfield per second (joint-third fastest).

This suits speedy fellow forwards Steven Bergwijn, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura far better than it does Kane, who is neither notably quick nor regularly carrying the ball – 7.3 carries per 90 minutes this season rank him ninth among the 11 Spurs outfielders to feature in 100 or more minutes.

With Tottenham relying on these rapid attacks, rather than patiently playing through the thirds and allowing Kane to get into dangerous positions, the 28-year-old has made only eight touches in the opposition box.

Deeper and deeper

Of course, as shown previously for Spurs and England, Kane can be effective in dropping deeper and picking out the runs of those faster team-mates.

And it's not as if Kane has not still been involved in Tottenham's play, having a role in 31.4 open play sequences per 90 – just shy of last year's rate of 31.8, which had leapt up from 25.7.

But just 3.2 of these sequences per 90 are ending in a shot, while Kane has not been involved in any open play sequences leading to a goal this term – a metric he unsurprisingly led (36) in 2020-21 when he topped the charts for Premier League goals and assists.

Kane is still creating chances – his four so far this season arriving every 49.5 minutes or every 22.8 touches – but Spurs would surely sooner have their main man on the end of such opportunities.

Having peaked with a shot every 16.8 minutes or every 6.9 touches in 2017-18, Kane's early-season form has seen an attempt every 99 minutes or every 45.5 touches.

Given he attempted 61.3 per cent of his shots last season from inside the box, despite renowned ability from long range, this primitive decline should come as no surprise.

Just 8.8 per cent of Kane's touches have been taken in the opposition box. That career-low mark continues a downward trend into a fifth straight season, but it may now have reached a point where it is harmful to his chances of scoring.

Since Yaya Toure's sublime 2013-14 season from midfield, every Premier League player to notch 20 goals in a season has taken at least 10 per cent of their touches in the opposition box.

Few would write off Kane's chances of a sixth career 20-goal campaign at this stage, but he should expect competition for his Golden Boot from Sunday's opponent Romelu Lukaku.

A picture of efficiency, Lukaku has scored three times from 12 shots for Chelsea this term, registering an attempt every 8.5 touches and a goal every 34 touches.

If Tottenham are to be successful this season, they need Kane to be hitting similar marks.

Whether that means a tweak to his role or a change in the entire system, something has to shift, for Lukaku could very easily show Nuno just what he is missing.

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