Antonio Conte sends 'counter-attacking' dig at Pep Guardiola about Tottenham vs Man City tactics

Harry Kane on social media after the Tottenham Hotspur man took one of the worst set-pieces of his life against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Tuesday.Antonio Conte's side were dumped out of the competition in extra-time thanks to a late strike from Josh Coburn, but nothing encapsulated their evening like Kane's second-half free-kick.Over the past couple of seasons the England captain has transformed himself into a more dynamic, all-round player who can do a bit of pretty much everything.He's turned into Tottenham's best creator and has developed a passing range that few other strikers around the world can match.But he clearly needs to work on his free-kicks a bit more and Spurs fans will be hiding behind the sofa the next time he decides to one after witnessing his laughable effort at the Riverside Stadium.The away fans held their breath as Kane stepped up from 25-yards out, but the England man slipped over and saw his lifeless effort puff itself into the Middlesbrough wall."That's the worst Kane free kick yet, and that's saying something," one Tottenham fan tweeted.Where will Harry Kane be playing football next season? Let us know in the comments section below..."I love him but it should be illegal for Harry Kane to ever take a free kick outside of the training ground," said another."You're so good at everything at Harry, just not free-kicks.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa is closing in on a new club after agreeing a deal with Brazilian side Corinthians.The 33-year-old has been a free agent ever since his contract with Atletico Mineiro was terminated six weeks ago.Costa had only spent a few months with the club, netting seven goals in 26 games to guide them to their first league title for over 50 years.According to reports, he'd been holding out for a move back to Europe, where he had successful stints with both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, and had been shelving offers from various clubs while "waiting for one in particular that never came."But after considering his options, the Brazilian-born Spain international has opted to join Corinthians where he'll play under former Porto and Fenerbahce boss Vitor Pereira.It's understood that he's asking for wages of around £46,000-a-week and will sign an 18 month deal with the Sao Paulo-based side.Costa was linked with a move back to the Premier League in January, with Arsenal and Newcastle United among the interested clubs, but a transfer never materialised.Could Diego Costa do a better job up front for Chelsea than Romelu Lukaku? Let us know in the comments section...The bruiser spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge, winning two Premier League titles and a League Cup during his short but memorable stint in English football.He developed a reputation for being a 'master of the dark arts' and frequently clashed with opponents and got into scuffles - though curiously he was never sent off as a Chelsea player.Costa bagged 59 goals in 120 matches for the Blues and quickly endeared himself to fans, before being controversially exiled by Antonio Conte in 2017 and eventually sold back to Atletico Madrid.

Pep Guardiola has already confirmed Aleks Zinchenko will start in Tuesday's FA Cup tie with Peterborough United and there has now been a big hint as to who won't be involved - at least from the start.

Leeds United have parted ways with Marcelo Bielsa as the club continues to struggle in the lower half of the Premier League table. Leeds struggled throughout February as Bielsa's side suffered embarrassing defeats to Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham in quick succession.Tottenham proved to be the breaking point for the Argentine as Leeds shipped four to Antonio Conte's side on a dismal Saturday lunchtime.Three quick-fire goals inside the first 30 minutes pushed the game away from Leeds before Son Heung-min rounded off the clash for Spurs.However, Bielsa had been hoping to turn the season around, deflecting any suggestions he was ready to walk away from the Yorkshire side.Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani said: “This has been the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds United, taking into account all the success Marcelo has had at the club.“With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road.

Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster admitted he "didn't have a lot to do" during their goalless draw with Manchester United on Saturday.

Rio Ferdinand doesn't believe Antonio Conte will be in charge of Tottenham next season as Manchester United's search for a permanent manager goes on.

Antonio Conte has issued a warning to Manchester United and other top-four contenders days after he appeared to be on the brink at Tottenham.

Tottenham are desperate to beat Newcastle to the signature of Lille defender Sven Botman - in order to satisfy Antonio Conte. The Italian coach is still to be convinced that the club’s hierarchy will back him, as promised, in the transfer market after a mixed January window.And that makes the North Londoners’ pursuit of a left-footed, left-sided centre-half - as Conte is demanding they get him - an absolute priority this summer.Dutchman Botman, 22, fits the criteria perfectly - and the Tottenham boss has already given his seal of approval to targeting him.Which is cranking up the pressure on his chairman Daniel Levy to strike a £30million deal with the French club before Newcastle do.Most assume the Magpies, who narrowly failed to bring Botman to St James' Park last month, are favourites to succeed next time round - as long as they stay in the Premier League.Spurs, though, are in no mood to step aside as they fight to persuade Conte they do mean business when it comes to being an authentic top-four contender.The ex-Chelsea manager’s constant conflicting messages about the state of the Spurs squad is causing huge concern within the boardroom that they may lose one of the game’s elite coaches.Will Conte still be at Spurs next summer? Tell us your prediction in the comments section.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.

Manchester City supporters have been left puzzled after Pep Guardiola decided against handing Riyad Mahrez a start in their Premier League clash with Everton.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have now combined for more Premier League goals than any other duo in the competition's history following Tottenham's 4-0 demolition of Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.Kane and Son both got on the scoresheet, as did Matt Doherty and Dejan Kulusevski, as Antonio Conte's side rained more misery down on Marcelo Bielsa.For Tottenham's fourth and final goal, Son received a lofted pass from Kane before coolly finishing past Illan Meslier, which was the 37th time either man has assisted the other in the league.They've now pulled away from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba's total of 36 - a record which had stood for nearly a decade.Speaking to BT Sport about becoming the division's most prolific partnership, Son said:"It is a big honour. The record is important but the three points are too because the result in midweek was not the best."We take the record but most important thing is three points."It is always a tough place to come here and we needed to show character and responsibility.

Manchester United have emerged as the surprise favourite to snap Harry Kane up this summer. It comes as local rivals Manchester City divert their attention towards Erling Haaland, with the Borussia Dortmund star looking set to leave in the transfer window.

Manchester United have been touted as the favourites to sign Harry Kane this summer as Manchester City reportedly turn their attentions to Erling Haaland.

Should Chelsea sell Romelu Lukaku? Have your say in the comments section.Now he's out of the team and I can't see him getting back in against Liverpool at Wembley.At times the other day against Lille in the Champions League, when he was on the bench, some of Chelsea's football was outstanding.The movement from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech was absolutely outstanding. I haven't seen that from Chelsea for a while - and I don't think Thomas Tuchel will play Lukaku now against Liverpool. Virgil van Dijk had Lukaku in his pocket when they played at Anfield, and it was Havertz who scored in that game.Havertz brings a lot more to the party at the moment.

Tottenham fans have all made the same joke after the club tweeted about a jobs fair at their stadium.Spurs posted the well-intentioned tweet on Friday morning.But within minutes it had been inundated with messages about the uncertain position of Antonio Conte. In an extraordinary post-match press conference after their midweek defeat to Burnley, the emotional Italian suggested he may not be the right man for the job.He said the situation was "unacceptable" and that he would "have a conversation with the club to try and find the best solution to help the team not have this type of situation."Given those explosive words, Tottenham's tweet about a jobs fair at the club's stadium couldn't have come at a much worse time.

Manchester City have been handed a fitness boost ahead of their clash with Everton on Saturday as Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus returned to first-team training.

Antonio Conte needs to buck up his ideas and get on with it at Tottenham after he threatened to leave the club on Wednesday night.

Antonio Conte appears to be nearing the end as Tottenham manager in the wake of a disappointing defeat to struggling Burnley.The defeat left them seven points off fourth-place following a run of four Premier League defeats in five games, with Conte opening questioning his future after the game.“For me the situation is unacceptable. To lose four of five [games] for Tottenham has to be a disaster,” he said.“For sure we are to speak and have a conversation with the club to try and find the best solution to help the team not have this type of situation.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte says the club will need to "make an assessment" about his future in the coming days following his side's 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday night.A second-half goal from Ben Mee saw Tottenham lose in the Premier League for the third time this month, as hopes of finishing in the top four continue to diminish. "It was difficult tonight, but it's not only tonight.

Harry Kane has revealed why he rejected the no.9 shirt for Tottenham Hotspur in favour of his preferred current no.10 jersey.The striker is regarded among some of the greatest forwards on the planet, having scored over 200 goals for Spurs since bursting onto the scene in 2014.Over the years, Kane has combined classic centre-forward play in the mould of traditional no.9s with the playmaking ability of a no.10.But he gave an insightful explanation when asked on BT Sport’s What I Wore series as to why he selected the no.10 jersey for Spurs.Kane said: “I feel like ten for Spurs was just a bigger number.“You had Robbie Keane, Glenn Hoddle and Teddy Sheringham. So I just felt like I wanted to be no.10 for Tottenham.”He added: “To be fair growing up, youth team days, I wore no.10 a lot.

Scapegoats are a fact of football life when a team loses a game — even if that same team has just won 14 of the previous 15, and drawn the other one.

Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester City would "blitz everything" if they were to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane.