You have to feel for Mark Williams. Having won the British Open earlier this season, there was a sense that the three-time world champion was beginning to find his best form again. However, a recurrence of gout, which has troubled the Welshman in recent years, along with the ill-effects of contracting COVID-19, have left Williams struggling to win matches.
The latest setback came in the second round of the UK Championship, where Williams fell asleep in his chair en route to losing 6-5 to veteran Anthony Hamilton. The 45-year-old, who has been suffering from severe fatigue since having covid, was understandably left embarrassed by the incident.
“Thirty years as a professional, that’s the first time I’ve ever fell asleep in the chair,” Williams said. “It was 3-2 and I was out. My head went down, and I woke up and I didn’t have a clue where I was for about five seconds. It was a bit embarrassing but I was just shattered.
“I need to be playing in the mornings really, or afternoons. The more the day goes on the more tired I get. It’s disappointing but there’s a lot worse people that have had Covid than I’ve had it, so I’m one of the lucky ones really.”
Through a combination of illness and fatigue, Williams is now pretty far off the pace as far as his game is concerned. While he was somewhat in the running in the Betfair snooker betting odds ahead of the UK Championship, the reality is that the Welshman has been considerably weakened by his various ailments of late.
As if things weren’t already going against the Welshman, the nature of Hamilton’s win saw the ‘Sheriff of Pottingham’ benefit from a huge slice of fortune. In the midst of the 70 break which won Hamilton the match, he outrageously fluked a red into the yellow pocket after it had wobbled in the jaws of the right middle. When your luck’s out, your luck’s out, and it seems like Williams just can’t catch a break at the moment.
There are plenty of tournaments still to come, and the fact that Williams earned £100,000 for winning the British Open means that he will in all likelihood be present for all three events in the Cazoo Series, which are based on the one-year ranking list — the World Grand Prix, the Players Championship and the Tour Championship. Those are the kind of tournaments that will motivate Williams to rediscover his best form.
It’s easy to forget that before the 2017-18 season, which saw Williams win three ranking events including the World Championship, he had been in the doldrums for some time and was considering quitting the game. His resurgence has been one of the most incredible stories in snooker over the last few years, and it’s only natural that he experiences another decline as he gets older.
One thing’s for sure, Williams will not be too bothered by a few early exits or tournaments missed. As far as the world’s top snooker players go, the Welshman is one of the most laid-back characters you could come across. Right now it might feel like things have been going against him, and he might not be highly fancied in the snooker betting tips today, but his calm and composed demeanour means a return to form could be just around the corner.
If you’re thinking about placing a bet on horse racing and are wondering if you can make money from horse racing, you’ve come to the right place. We will be answering the million-dollar question. While there’s no magic formula to success, it’s equally frustrating to find a reliable strategy for betting in horse racing that helps you generate a consistent profit.
What makes things worse is that when you find a good system that helps you win big in horse racing, you may find that it only works in specific races. That means you will be placing several bets and staking thousands of dollars, and we know that the more bets you place, you risk wiping out any profits you have made so far.
Is It Possible to Make Money from Horse Race Betting?
It doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that people and punters all want to know one thing “Can you make money from horse racing?” and the short answer is: Yes, you can. There’s a lot of money to be made from horse racing betting, but only if you’re willing to make efforts, which means knowing how to read bets or investing in a tipping service for horse racing like Neds that has a proven track record of success.
That would mean devoting most of your time to crafting and developing a horse racing betting strategy to beat the bookmakers and working with a horse racing betting service that does all the work for you. Whatever method you choose to employ, your end goal remains the same, to be successful in horse race betting and make a lot of money.
Even though it’s possible to create a winning strategy for betting in horse racing that is based around laying, backing, and matched betting, only 2% of punters have made a living from horse racing. Those numbers don’t fill you with confidence, but it is possible to make money from the sport.
The Secret to Making Money from Horse Racing
When you adopt a strategy for horse racing based around backing, trading, and laying, it’s vital to treat your funds like other financial investments. That means assessing how to minimise and spread your risk, like in the stock market, and find a way to consistently generate profits and achieve steady growth instead of aiming for get-rich-quick schemes.
Now that we have cleared most of your reservations about making money from horse racing, let’s reveal the secrets to helping you achieve your goals. Here’s what you must do:
Find a Winning System
The key to success in horse racing betting is finding a winning system that consistently provides you results. That’s easier said than done, but you won’t be doing most of the heavy lifting when you’re working with a tipping service.
They will do all the research, and their experts will have tried-and-trusted methods that will help guarantee results. You will be paying a monthly fee, but their advice will allow you to build a winning system for horse racing.
Backing to Win
You should try backing to win on based horses, whose form reflects that they should have shorter odds than those quoted in the market. It’s a good way to win large profits, especially if you are backing a favourite outsider with long odds to win, which is known as a ‘value’ bet.
When you subscribe for betting tips, you will also get expert analysis on various horses with the best chances of crossing the post in the first place. That exponentially increases your chances of winning big when placing your bets in horse racing.
Lay to Lose
There are other ways to make money in horse racing apart from backing the winners. You can even make money if you lay the odds for weak favourites on different betting sites and platforms. Several lay systems that are profitable tend to focus on jumps racing, turf racing, and all-weather events. They have a fixed-liability approach, which is designed to help them keep their profits at maximum levels.
Trading
The most dependable and consistent way to make money from horse racing involves trading on trading platforms. When you know the sport, you can learn how to effectively trade and enjoy profits, around $200 per day. That’s not a bad amount of money you can make in a day by betting on horse racing.
Conclusion
Not everyone who bets in horse racing will make money, and most people tend to lose entire fortunes when gambling on the sport. Always be careful when betting on horse racing, and ensure that you’re only betting with money you can afford to lose.
Signing up with a horse racing tipping service does improve your chances of winning as you can take advantage of a reliable gambling system that shares a strategy that helps you make profits and make money from horse racing.
The Leinster forwards have started this season off in fantastic fashion with their work evident in all areas of the pitch.
What’s most interesting about the provincial pack’s season so far is their attacking output – as it stands, they’re outscoring the club’s backs by two to one (21-9).
The reasons for this involve several factors – for example, where they are positioned and how they operate set-pieces.
Hooker Dan Sheehan’s latest effort against Connacht underlines how forwards have developed in today’s game – the number two received the ball out wide and stepped Mack Hansen to get a clear run to the try line. Anyone that used Sky Bet sign up offer to back Leinster -30 collected the 5/1.
The multi-faceted ability of their forwards has only made Leinster a more dangerous threat to their opponents and fullback Hugo Keenan is happy to see his teammates perform so well.
“It’s brilliant – sure they’re scoring our tries for us,” Keenan exclaimed. “Dan Sheehan will be taking our jobs soon out on the wing.
“It’s great to have that talent in the pack. There’s some serious athletes coming through now and it definitely adds a different dynamic to the team and we’re lucky to have it.”
“The list goes on of lads that are in that category as well – it doesn’t happen just for no reason – it’s the work they do in training, the work they do in the gym and, yeah, it’s great to see that it’s paying off now.”
Keenan has noted that the growth of forwards such as Sheehan and flanker Josh Van Der Flier has changed the way he approaches an attack.
Van Der Flier has been dubbed ‘Van Der Flier 2.0’ in recent times as the Wicklow forward has greatly improved his ball-carrying ability in the last year, offering a strong threat with the ball in his hands as well as at the breakdown.
“He’s doing incredible, isn’t he? He’s such a hard worker, you see it in training everyday – he’s a bit of a student game, isn’t he?
“He’s improving so much and any feedback he gets from coaches, he’s so good at taking it on board and learning from it. He’s finding himself out in the wide channels a bit more so he’s working with the outside backs a bit and it’s paying dividends, isn’t it? He’s playing great rugby.”
Several Leinster forwards tend to find themselves in a wide position on phased attacking play, with number eight Jack Conan and hookers Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher being the usual suspects in this case.
In particular, the back row as a unit are known to find themselves in these sort of attacking positions – the likes of Caelan Doris and Dan Leavy can also be seen out wide on occasion.
The development only follows the trend in Leinster of mobile forwards, with those already mentioned serving as fine examples of what to expect from one.
Leinster forwards coach Robin McBryde described them as ‘modern-day forwards’ when speaking about the attacking impact several Leinster pack members had for Ireland last month.
Keenan, who has played full back for Ireland since making his debut last year, has said that he finds himself getting on the shoulder of the Leinster forwards more often.
“I think it’s not just [Van Der Flier], it’s about everyone flooding those channels when there’s a bit of a break.
“I think it was Mike Ala’alaatoa who got on the shoulder of Josh and then Ringer (Garry Ringrose) on Mike’s shoulders.
“That’s always positive to see and it’s something that Felipe (Contepomi) would be big on – winning those races and getting into that space.
“I think it is something that [Van Der Flier’s] improved and people are naturally trying to run off him now but it’s across the board as well.”
2022 WDF Lakeside World Darts Championships draws confirmed, Wayne Warren will open his campaign against either Lee Shewan or Jordan Brooks.
Defending women’s champion Mikuru Suzuki will face former British Classic Champion Laura Turner in her opening match of the tournament, with the winner facing fourth seed Aileen de Graaf.
Three-time World Champion Martin Adams faces the prospect of a tough first-round tie against one of the two UK-based qualifiers from Sunday, in Jarred Cole. Whilst number one seed Brian Raman will face either Johnny Haines or the United States’ Leonard Gates.
In the women’s draw, three-time World Champion Anastasia Dobromyslova will face the winner of Paula Jacklin versus Rhian O’Sullivan. Meanwhile number one seed and three-time Lakeside finalist Deta Hedman will face either Lorraine Hyde or Australia’s Tori Kewish.
The tournament will begin on the 1st January at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, with finals day set to see the men’s, women’s, boy’s, and girl’s finals take place on the iconic Lakeside stage.
2022 Lakeside WDF World Championships – Men’s draw
Brian Raman – BEL (1) Vs Leonard Gates (USA) / Johnny Haines (ENG)
Antony Allen – ENG (16) Vs Martin Adams (ENG) / Jarred Cole (ENG)
Luke Littler – ENG (8) Vs Ben Hazel (ENG) / Haupai Puha (NZ)
Richard Veenstra – NED (9) Vs Andreas Harrysson (SWE) / Laszlo Kadar (ROU)
Ross Montgomery – SCO (4) Vs Aaron Turner (ENG) / Jim McEwan (SCO)
Michael Warburton – WAL (13) Vs Mark Graham (WAL) / Dave Prins (ENG)
Neil Duff – NIR (5) Vs Paul Hogan (ENG) / Justin Thompson (AUS)
Nick Fullwell – ENG (12) Vs Mark Barilli (SCO) / Rory Hansen (CAN)
Thibault Tricole – FRA (2) Vs Connor Scutt (ENG) / Shawn Burt (CAN)
Alexsey Kadochnikov – RDF (15) Vs Steve Hine (ENG) / Kevin Luke (USA)
Andy Baetens – BEL (7) Vs Dave Parletti (ENG) / Shaun McDonald (SCO)
Scott Marsh – ENG (10) Vs James Richardson (ENG) / Sebastian Steyer (POL)
Wayne Warren – WAL (3) Vs Lee Shewan (ENG) / Jordan Brooks (ENG)
Cameron Menzies – SCO (14) Vs Ian Jones (ENG) / David Cameron (CAN)
James Hurrell – ENG (6) Vs John Desreumaux (BEL) / Mario Vandenbogaerde (BEL)
Jules van Dongen – USA (11) Vs Francesco Raschini (ITA) / Ryan de Vreede (NED)
2022 Lakeside WDF World Championships – Women’s draw
Deta Hedman – ENG (1) Vs Lorraine Hyde (SCO) / Tori Kewish (AUS)
Lorraine Winstanley – ENG (8) Vs Vicky Pruim (SWE) / Desi Mercer (NZ)
Aileen de Graaf – NED (4) Vs Laura Turner (ENG) / Mikuru Suzuki (JPN)
Beau Greaves – ENG (5) Vs Paula Murphy (USA) / Veronika Ihasz (HUN)
Anastasia Dobromyslova – RDF (2) VS Paula Jacklin (ENG) / Rhian O’Sullivan (WAL)
Maria O’Brien – ENG (7) Vs Amanda Harwood (ENG) / Marjolein Noijens (NED)
Anca Zijlstra – NED (3) Vs Corrine Hammond (AUS) / Darlene van Sleeuwen (CAN)
Kirsty Hutchinson – ENG (6) Vs Suzanne Smith (ENG) / Elena Shulgina (RDF)
2022 Lakeside WDF World Championships – Boy’s semi-finals draw
Luis Liptow (GER) Vs Bradly Roes (NED)
Leighton Bennett (ENG) Vs Charlie Large (ENG)
2022 Lakeside WDF World Championships – Girl’s Final
Eleanor Cairns (ENG) Vs Wibke Riemann (GER)
The schedule for which matches are played on which days and in what session will be announced as soon as they are finalised with our partners at Eurosport.
Winter Olympics – Beijing 2022 – List of possible Irish athletes that might make the games. It takes place in Beijing from 4-20 February 2022 and Ireland has a chance of qualifying its largest team to date.
With the Winter Olympic Games just 65 days away, Irish athletes are in a period of intense competition around the world competing for the Olympic spots on offer. Athletes from ten sports are competing with chances of achieving qualification places in their events for Ireland. Ireland first sent a team to the Winter Olympics in 1992, Albertville, and since then has competed in seven Games, with a total of 32 Winter Olympians in the twenty years of competition.
The Winter Olympic Games offers a special opportunity to engage with the wider Irish family, with many of the Olympic hopefuls coming from the greater diaspora, with many of the athletes currently training and living in countries such as Norway, France, the USA and Australia, where winter sports are more prevalent due to access to snow.
For Beijing 2022 there are three main venues, with most of the Irish focus based in the mountainous areas. Beijing will host the skating events, and Zhangjiakou and Yanqing host the skiing, snowboarding, and sliding events. As with Tokyo 2020 all participants at the Olympic Games will be subject to stringent measures to ensure that the competition conditions are as safe as possible, with Playbooks outlining the framework for how these will be applied.
The Beijing 2022 Games offer an opportunity for our community to connect with athletes and sports that are not ordinarily in the Irish mainstream, and for two weeks to immerse themselves in adrenalin fueled exciting sports, while meeting the Irish athletes for whom these sports are a way of life. Plans are already underway for the OFI Dare to Believe schools programme to run a Road to Beijing activation in the new year. This will bring the Winter Olympic Games to school children right around Ireland.
The following list groups some of the athletes, at this stage of qualification, who are most in contention to represent the final team in February next year.
ALPINE SKIING
Team Ireland is on track to qualify one female spot and one or two male spots in the Alpine Skiing events. For the women’s place, 2018 Olympian Tess Arbez, whose Irish roots are in Carlow, is the front runner for the spot, with young USA based athletes Emma Ryan (Dublin and Roscommon) and Elle Murphy (Dublin) also contesting this spot.
In the men’s event Skibbereen may have an athlete to cheer for with Jack Gower having recently declared for Ireland, his late grandmother was born in Dublin and raised in the West Cork town renowned for their rowing prowess. Also seeking qualification is Dubliner Cormac Comerford, Australia based Alec Scott and Winter Youth Olympian Matt Ryan, whose sister Emma Ryan is targeting the women’s event. Their father is from Dublin and mother from Roscommon.
Cross-country Skiing
Pyeongchang Winter Olympian Thomas Maloney Westgaard has already accumulated enough qualification points for the Beijing Winter Games, and will compete in the 15km event in Beijing 2022. Westgaard’s mother hails from Galway, and met his Norwegian father whilst on holiday, before moving to a small fishing island in Norway. This event is one of the oldest winter sports, and is an endurance sport, often compared to running on ice.
Freestyle Skiing
Brendan Newby, better known as Bubba, competed for Team Ireland at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics in this event, and is on the cusp of achieving qualification once more. The Cork born athlete is based in the USA where he competes in the exciting halfpipe event.
Luge
The entire Irish Luge Federation is founded based on the drive and ambition of Elsa Desmond, whose paternal grandparents are from Cavan and Cork. The UK based athlete has recently qualified as a doctor, and should she qualify for Beijing 2022, she begins work just days after her event! Luge is an event where the athlete lies on their back on a sled while sliding down a track. This is the fastest sport at the Winter Olympics with the speeds reaching up to 145kmph.
Short-Track Racing
For the first time in the history of Ireland competing at the Winter Olympics, we have an ice skater in contention for one of the spots in Men’s 1500m in Short Track Racing. Liam O’Brien (Cavan/Leitrim) is an Australian based skater, who alongside the McAnuff brothers (Ryan and Sean) has been competing for qualification points during the Olympic Qualification series which ended last weekend. With 36 athletes set to compete in Beijing, O’Brien is currently ranked between 34-37 on the qualification status, and has qualification within his grasp, pending the publication of the final qualification list on the 13 December 2021.
Skeleton
Skeleton, the event where athletes compete on a sled sliding head first down a track, is the event in which Team Ireland has had the most success at the Winter Olympics! In 2002 at Salt Lake City Clifton Wrottesley finished fourth in this event, just outside the medals! For Beijing 2022 Dubliner Brendan Doyle is currently competing in events in the USA seeking qualification in the Skeleton. Over the coming weeks his results in races in the USA and in Germany will determine his Olympic qualification. Based in Ireland for much of the year, Doyle needs results in eight competitions across his race calendar for November and December, where he is targeting fourteen competitions. After five events, he has reached his target in three events.
Snowboard
The most experienced Olympian on the Team Ireland list is Seamus O’Connor who has competed in the past two Olympic Games in the Halfpipe. The US based Snowboarder’s paternal grandparents are from Drogheda and Dublin, competing since he was five, O’Connor turned professional when he was 13. He has now achieved the qualification target for Beijing 2022 and is set to compete in his third Olympic Games, becoming the first Irish person to do so.
Maggie Rose Carrigan is an Alpine Snowboarder and is seeking qualification in the Parallel Giant Slalom. The American born athlete has an incredible story of resilience, she was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child and following surgery at 11 years of age she is now competing with the best in the world. In the women’s event in Beijing 2022 there are 31 spots on offer.
Ireland centre Garry Ringrose has put pen to paper on a new three-year IRFU deal that will see him represent both Leinster and the country until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Ringrose has amassed 37 caps for Ireland since making his debut against Canada in 2016 and recently started all three Autumn Nations Series games last month.
Ringrose has won a Grand Slam with Ireland and was on their Rugby World Cup squad for the ill-fated 2019 campaign.
The 26-year-old is close to becoming a centurion with Leinster, sitting ten appearances away from such an honour currently.
He has won four Pro14 titles with the provincial outfit, as well as a Champions Cup in 2018.
IRFU High Performance Director, David Nucifora commented: “Garry has had a tough road with injuries since the World Cup in Japan but he is a top international player who delivers big performances for Ireland and Leinster.
“He will be an influential figure at both national and provincial level over the coming years.”
Garry Ringrose commented: “Delighted to sign for another three years. It is an exciting time to be involved with Leinster and Ireland.
“Both squads have ambition to be competing for silverware every year and I’m motivated to do whatever I can to contribute”
Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan have both started off the 2021-22 season on fire with fantastic performances in both the blue of Leinster and the green of Ireland.
The two 23-year-old hookers have had ample game time to show off their qualities this season and it seems that they are of a similar mould.
Dan Sheehan’s fantastic try (his fourth of the season for Leinster) against Connacht where he stepped Mack Hansen to send himself into a pocket of clear air with the try line in sight is reminiscent of what Kelleher brings to the game for both club and country.
Sheehan’s very presence in the wide channel to receive the ball draws similarities to how his fellow hooker plays and offers a glimpse into the future of Irish rugby.
Leinster assistant coach Stuart Lancaster is well aware of the depth of talent the side has at their disposal in the central front row position.
“There’s some very good, athletic forwards in the Leinster pack now,” Lancaster said. “Ronan [Kelleher] and Dan [Sheehan] are two players who epitomise what we want from our forwards – you know, good ball handlers, physical, abrasive, fit and they can play hooker but they can play multiple positional roles in phased attack and phased defence.”
Kelleher has often been seen in the same spot on a rugby pitch as Sheehan was on Friday, and with 29 carries to his name in just 164 minutes for Ireland during the Autumn Nations Series last month (14 against New Zealand), is clearly an attacking threat for any side he lines out for.
Sheehan, who only made his debut for Leinster last season, only has 313 minutes under his belt in competitive fixtures for the Pro 14 champions but has impressive attacking stats too – 187 metres from 58 carries among them.
With only 55 minutes to his name in green, Sheehan has looked the part, making 53 metres from a mere 11 carries in that time – an average of 4.82 metres per carry.
On top of this, their stats for the traditional roles of a hooker are impressive too – Kelleher missed only one lineout throw against both New Zealand and Argentina from 15 while Sheehan was perfect from 10 in the Autumn Internationals.
Their multi-faceted talents fall in line with what the province’s forwards coach Robin McBryde said about the ‘modern-day forward’ last month.
The competitiveness and experience that Leinster and Ireland veteran Sean Cronin and James Tracy has helped the two young hookers grow into the players they are today.
“It’s great to have [Kelleher and Sheehan] and they’ve got two very good hookers in, you know, James Tracy and Sean Cronin to learn from as well so it’s not like those two have just fallen away – they’re as competitive as the two lads.”
Lancaster is thrilled to see both Kelleher and Sheehan in such good form at the moments after watching their journey for several years but insists there is still work to be done.
“It’s great to see both come through – I’ve watched them both come from fourth-choice and being on the periphery and frustrated they’re not getting opportunities to force their way through to become first and second choice, in whatever order you pick them.
“There’s a lot of hard work gone into what they’ve achieved and a lot of credit must go to the two lads in particular but also to James and Sean for pushing them so hard as well.
“It’s a good position to be in, they’re both exciting players, but they’ve both got a lot to learn still and, you know, we’ll keep their feet on the ground for sure.”
Manchester City travel to Germany for their final UEFA Champions League group game of the season against a managerless RB Leipzig.
American Jesse Marsch was given his marching orders last week after failing to get his side going after starting at the club this summer.
Marsch leaves Leipzig without Champions League football in February and midtable in the Bundesliga, but there is a chance that they could attain UEFA Europa League football by achieving the same (or a better) result than Belgian champions Club Brugge.
Interim manager Achim Beierlorzer will take charge for his first match as the hunt for a successor to the American begins.
Manchester City are enjoying life under Pep Guardiola, as expected, and have already booked their ticket to the last 16.
A win against PSG last time out confirmed that the top spot in the group was theirs, and as they sit top in the Premier League at the moment, life could not be going any better for them.
Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will start Tuesday evening’s game after recovering from Covid-19 – became on against Watford in the 3-1 win at Vicarage Road at the weekend.
Gabriel Jesus, on the other hand, will not travel with the squad while Barcelona-linked Ferran Torres remains injured.
Five academy players will join the senior squad in Germany for the match.
Ilaix Moriba and Tyler Adams are available for selection against Manchester City but their RB Leipzig teammates Willi Orban, Dani Olmo, Yussuf Poulsen, Marcel Halstenberg, Hugo Novoa and Marcelo Saracchi are all unavailable – Amadou Haidara is questionable.
Liverpool travel to Milan for their final UEFA Champions League group game of the season against a side who sit third in the table with one win to their name.
Liverpool have already progressed to the next stage, the last 16, as group winners – doing so after winning their first four games in the group stage for the first time in their history.
They can improve upon history further with a 100% record on the line tonight – a win will grant them maximum points from what was dubbed ‘the group of death’ before the competition started.
Milan, on the other hand, are trying to get their season back into top gear after faltering recently in their domestic league, Serie A.
They sit first but results have only improved recently – however, they sit third in the European group.
A win over Atletico Madrid in their last outing saved their chances of qualifying for the last 16 – a win at home to their great rivals, on top of there being a draw in Porto’s match with Atletico Madrid, will confirm that.
Weekend hero Divock Origi is set to be involved for Liverpool after his goal against Wolves on Saturday.
However, vice-captain James Milner will miss out through suspension.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the side fielded by Liverpool will be a rotated one.
AC Milan, meanwhile, are set to be without Ante Rebic, Alessandro Plizzari, Simon Kjaer, Davide Calabria and Olivier Giroud for the 8 pm GMT kick-off.
If you were to ask people outside of the United Kingdom who was the biggest Premier League team, they would probably name one of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea or Manchester United. Over the past few years, these are the teams who have either won the most titles, or regularly finished near the top of the table.
One side who would possibly be named too are Tottenham Hotspur. They are known to people around the world because of some of the top players they’ve had to represent them through the years, such as Gareth Bale, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane. However, while they really were pushing for the title a few seasons ago under Mauricio Pochettino, and even made it to the Champions League final in 2019, they have since fallen away.
As they were moving into a brand new stadium that cost well over $1 billion, they had to save money wherever possible, which meant that few signings were made, whilst the players they had were allowed to get older without being adequately replaced.
Certain players like Eriksen decided to leave, leaving those who remained, such as Kane, unhappy with the club. Despite his best efforts to move away from Spurs, and the betting odds suggesting he was going to join Manchester City, Kane ended up staying in North London, for the time being at least.
Pochettino was fired, and serial winner Jose Mourinho was brought in to replace him. Mourinho used to be a favourite with people who placed bets on soccer, as he was so good at winning games, meaning the odds were always in his favour, no matter the opposition. However, he is no longer the manager he once was, and his sides would often lose to sides far inferior to them, which really upset the oddsmakers. As Tottenham manager, the sports betting stats were rarely in his favour, as soon enough the only time people were placing bets on him was for him to lose his job. He eventually did, in April 2021.
Conte keeps them waiting
It was at this point that Tottenham and their owner Daniel Levy tried to sign Antonio Conte, the former Inter Milan, Chelsea and Italy manager. He knocked them back, preferring to stay out of a job to assess his options. Instead, Nuno Espírito Santo took over (who was way down the betting odds list to begin with), hoping to get Tottenham back to winning ways. Despite 3 early victories, including against the champions Manchester City, soon results started to go against Nuno, and it was only 3 months into the 2021/22 season when he was fired.
Clearly Conte had been approached again to take over at White Hart Lane, as it was only the next day when he was unveiled. His first task was to make them hard to beat again, and to try and get them back up the table. This task was made all the more difficult, due to an injury to star defender Cristian Romero.
Romero struggled so far in the Premier League
Tottenham fans were excited when Romero joined them on loan early this year, as they knew of his pedigree from his playing days at Genoa and Atalanta. He has also appeared for the Argentine national team, so is clearly proven at the top level. Despite some strong early performances in a white shirt, Romero also found life in the Premier League difficult, as it looked like he was struggling to adjust to the pace of the game.
He was also in the news for all the wrong reasons, as whilst on international duty, officials stormed the pitch during a Brazil v Argentina match, declaring that Romero was amongst a number of players who lied about how they entered the country. He was then forced to miss a number of matches for Spurs, which certainly angered the fans.
To make matters worse, he has now picked up a serious-looking injury, which Conte believes will keep him out until at least the new year. This could affect how people bet on Tottenham, as with him not in the side they could well concede more goals than usual.
How will Conte react?
It is quite the headache for the new manager, who was looking to make Romero the key part of his defence. Now, he will be forced to change things around, and bring in other players who might have otherwise spent more time on the bench.
As Conte likes to play with 3 central defenders, it means that he has had to play Ben Davies, who looked to be on his way out of the club during the summer transfer window. While this worked against Brentford in their most recent fixture, you’d expect Tottenham to have more difficulty against some of the bigger sides in the Premier League, where they won’t be the favourites in the betting markets.
Conte will be hoping that Romero is back before too long, so he can finally start to work with the Argentine defender.
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The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
