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      Where Tottenham’s 2007/08 League Cup winning XI are now as Spurs chase first trophy in 13 years

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      TOTTENHAM’S wait for a piece of silverware has now stretched to 13 YEARS.In 2008, Juande Ramos led Spurs to the League Cup thanks to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
      This is the Tottenham starting XI that won the League Cup in 2008, 13 years ago
      The Spurs players celebrate their 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea at WembleyCredit: AFP
      Didier Drogba put the Blues in front with a free-kick before Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty sent the game into extra-time.
      Jonathan Woodgate grabbed the winner when Petr Cech punched the ball in from Jermaine Jenas’ free-kick into the defender’s head and it rebounded in.
      Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood and Mauricio Pochettino all came and went without a trophy.
      Interim Tottenham boss Ryan Mason will be desperate to end the long drought as Manchester City await at Wembley in the EFL Cup Final.
      But what happened to the Tottenham team that beat Avram Grant’s side?
      GK: Paul Robinson
      The former England goalkeeper won his only major trophy that day at Wembley, the year after the last of his 41 England caps.
      He had seven seasons at Blackburn before a two-year, three-appearance spell at Burnley then retired in 2017 and is now doing media work.
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      RB: Alan Hutton
      The Scottish right-back joined Aston Villa in 2011 but had loans to Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton.
      He played in the 2015 FA Cup final and scored a memorable goal against rivals Birmingham in 2018 before hanging up his boots a year ago to step into media, too.
      CB: Jonathan Woodgate
      Match-winner Woodgate left Spurs in 2011 to join Stoke before returning to Middlesbrough a year later.
      He ended his playing career in 2016 and, after a brief stint as a scout for Liverpool, went into coaching – he took over as Boro manager in 2019 and is now in charge at Bournemouth.
      CB: Ledley King
      Ramos’ skipper that day had his career blighted by injuries and retired as a one-club man in 2012.
      He joined Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff last summer and is trying to help the club end their long wait.
      The 2008 League Cup was the only trophy in Paul Robinson’s career – incredibly he managed more goalsCredit: AFP
      Now the Bournemouth manager, Woodgate grabbed the winning goal in extra-timeCredit: AFP
      LB: Pascal Chimbonda
      The one-cap French full-back left Spurs that summer for Sunderland but returned to White Hart Lane in 2009 for a short stint.
      He then had spells at eight clubs in ten years – including QPR and Doncaster as well as non-league Market Draydon Town and Ashton Town – before stopping in 2019.
      RM: Aaron Lennon
      One of the two members of that team still actively playing professional football is Lennon.
      He had ten seasons at the Lane before joining Everton in 2015, Burnley in 2017 and is now plying his trade at Kayserispor in Turkey aged 33.
      CM: Jermaine Jenas
      Like Hutton, Jenas headed to Villa Park, albeit on loan, in 2011 before a temporary spell at hometown club Nottingham Forest.
      He ended his injury-hit career with the 2013-14 season at QPR before stepping into punditry with BT Sport and Match of the Day – and may even be lined up to replace Gary Lineker as host one day.
      Aaron Lennon is still playing and currently turns out for Turkish side Kayserispor aged 33Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Jermaine Jenas has stepped into his role as a pundit well since his premature retirementCredit: PA:Press Association
      CM: Didier Zakora
      Zakora spent one more season at Tottenham before joining Sevilla for two years.
      After that Ivory Coast’s most-capped player had spells in Turkey, India and Indonesia and is now assistant boss at AFAD Djekanou in his homeland.
      LM: Steed Malbranque
      Malbranque spent a decade in England, with his time at Tottenham sandwiched between Fulham and Sunderland.
      Like Lennon, he is still active at FC Limonest Saint-Didier in France at the tender age of 41.

      ST: Robbie Keane
      Keane enjoyed a glittering career which also included spells at Inter Milan, Leeds, Liverpool and Celtic before five years at LA Galaxy and finally with ATK in Kolkata.
      A 146-cap Irish legend, he had spells as an assistant manager with Ireland and Middlesbrough, working under team-mate Woodgate.
      ST: Dimitar Berbatov
      Arguably the best player of that Spurs XI was Berbatov, who went on to win two league titles, another League Cup and the Club World Cup with Manchester United.
      The two-time Premier League golden-boot winner featured for Fulham, Monaco, PAOK and Kerela Blasters until his retirement in 2019 – the Bulgarian is now a Betfair ambassador and working towards to get his Uefa Pro coaching licence.
      Manager: Juande Ramos
      Ramos was sacked just eight months later with a win ratio in the league of 29 per cent.
      Harry Redknapp replaced him while he managed to land the Real Madrid job before stints at CSKA Moscow, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Malaga.
      Younes Kaboul, Teemu Tainio and Tom Huddlestone came off the bench for Spurs that day while Radek Cerny and Darren Bent were unused subs.
      Robbie Keane celebrates at Wembley with his winner’s medal around his neckCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Dimitar Berbatov made no mistake from the spot to equalise for SpursCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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      If only Carabao Cup final had an underdog to cheer on rather than having to watch Man City or Spurs parade a trophy

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      JUST a week ago it was Jose versus Quadruple-chasing Pep, in front of a select band of appreciative fans, in an eagerly-awaited showpiece.Yet by Monday night, Gary Neville — leader of the football resistance movement — was calling for the League Cup final between Tottenham and Manchester City tomorrow to be scrapped.
      Man City play Tottenham in the Carabao Cup finalCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      “Cancel it, who cares about it? They don’t care about English football,” he argued.
      And as a 48-hour civil war raged over the European Super League, plenty of us agreed.
      Now, with the breakaway foiled and the Big Six humiliated, should we care about this Serpent Sunday? This Cara-boa Cup final?
      If only there was an underdog from outside of the Dirty Dozen to cheer for.
      Instead, who really has the stomach to watch City or Spurs parading the trophy around Wembley after a victory which will leave an acrid taste in the mouth either way?
      Even supporters of the two finalists will agree that this occasion is tainted by the willingness of their double-crossing clubs to dump on English football from a great height.
      This final was delayed by two months from its original February date in the hope that fans would be allowed in.
      And there will be 2,000 supporters of each club in an overall attendance of 8,000.
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      City and Spurs chiefs are now wishing it had never been moved — there will be protests outside Wembley and surely dissent from the privileged few inside the national stadium.
      Without the almighty explosion of last Sunday there would have been plenty of intriguing plotlines to go at.
      Will England captain Harry Kane be fit for a tilt at the first major trophy of his career?
      Or will he be as half-paced as he was after ‘recovering’ from another injury to play in the 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool?
      Can City’s Phil Foden illuminate this showpiece, as he did in a breakthrough performance last season when he was man of the match against Aston Villa?
      That performance gave us concrete proof that he could showcase his silk and sorcery on the biggest occasions.
      Fans protest the proposed ESL outside Stamford BridgeCredit: Alamy
      Or might Guardiola’s City chuck away a second trophy chance in successive weekends after their FA Cup semi-final defeat by Chelsea?
      And what an extraordinary, largely-overlooked story is Ryan Mason — a 29-year-old caretaker whose promising playing career was cut short by a life-threatening fractured skull.
      Can he lift Tottenham’s first trophy in 13 years in only his second match as a manager?
      If he does, they might start wondering if Mason will end up as Tottenham’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — an unlikely interim, freshening the air after a Mourinho stink-bomb, riding a wave of optimism and getting the gig for good?
      It is unlikely that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be so naive, even if Mason lifts a trophy and finishes in the top four.
      But plenty of stranger things have happened, this week alone.
      Tottenham players training for the Carabao Cup finalCredit: Getty
      Poor old Mourinho must be less angry about his sacking, while battle raged on Monday morning, and more annoyed about how overshadowed it all was.
      If that was the end of his extraordinary career in Premier League management, then it surely deserved a decent argument.
      Didn’t he deserve a crack at the cup? Or would winning a piece of silverware make the Portuguese unsackable in the short term?
      Yet all of the talking points from a week ago — can Spurs finally win a trophy? Can City win all four? — sound trivial now.
      This should be a cracking game of football. But, as Neville asked, does anybody really care?
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      Tottenham star Harry Kane will be given until Saturday lunchtime to decide whether he is fit for Carabao Cup Final

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      HARRY KANE will be given until tomorrow to decide whether he is fit enough to play in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday.The England striker has not trained since injuring an ankle in his club’s 2-2 draw at Everton last Friday
      Harry Kane given until tomorrow to decide whether he is fit for the Carabao Cup FinalCredit: AFP
      The striker limped off against Everton last week with an ankle injuryCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      That caused Kane to miss their 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Wednesday.
      Tottenham’s interim boss Ryan Mason, placed in charge of their first team until the end of the season following Monday’s shock sacking of Jose Mourinho, said: “We’re not sure yet.
      “He didn’t train with the team today but we’ll have more of an idea tomorrow to see if we can get him back on the pitch.
      “I’m not really sure of his chances, it’s a case of taking it hour by hour now. So the days are obviously running out.
      “It’s a case of seeing how he feels in the next four hours, the next six hours, and go from there.
      “I can’t really answer that question until tomorrow. Everyone isn’t sure.”
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      The situation will evoke memories of the 2019 Champions League Final when Kane declared himself fit to play in the 2-0 by Liverpool in Madrid
      Mason, at his press conference today, said: “I think it was completely different, because Harry had a very long time out injured before the Champions League final.
      “Like I say, I don’t know if Harry is going to be available for training tomorrow, let alone the game on Sunday. But, if he is, then it’s a quick turnaround.
      “A week without training is not a problem for someone in Harry’s condition.
      “But I think we are going to have to assess it later tonight, early on tomorrow morning, and see if we can get him onto the pitch.”

      Harry Kane gives a goal scoring masterclass in Tottenham training More

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      Tottenham MUST invest in transfers as Carabao Cup win not enough to keep Harry Kane, claims Woodgate

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      JONATHAN WOODGATE fears a Carabao Cup triumph will not be enough to keep Harry Kane happy at Tottenham.Former England defender Woodgate scored an extra-time winner in the 2008 League Cup final to land Spurs their last piece of silverware.
      Woodgate scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      Spurs lifted the trophy in 2008 but had no idea they would have to wait so long for anotherCredit: AFP
      He is hopeful his old side can repeat that feat to end their trophy drought against Manchester City on Sunday.
      But the Bournemouth boss feels it will take more than a Wembley winners’ medal to convince 31-goal Kane that staying put is right for his career.
      Woody, 41, said: “They’ll need more investment for Harry Kane to stay, I’m sure of that.
      “He’s been unbelievable again this season and scored so many goals. He’s evolved as a player by making so many assists. He’s an incredible talent.
      “I’d say Spurs need to invest to try to keep Harry Kane at the club.”
      Just like this weekend, Spurs were the underdogs at Wembley 13 years ago as Avram Grant’s Chelsea were miles above them in the Premier League.
      Didier Drogba opened the scoring with a free-kick but Spurs levelled through Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty.
      Woodgate sealed it four minutes into extra-time, rising to meet Jermaine Jenas’ free-kick, only for Petr Cech’s punch to rebound off his head and in.
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      Tottenham’s record with and without Kane
      Kane watched his Spurs teammates from the stands against Southampton on Wednesday nightCredit: Reuters
      He said: “It was down to Michael Dawson’s misfortune. He got a hamstring strain and I am sure he would have started the final having played all the way through. I was thrust into it.
      “I don’t remember a great deal about the goal! I was getting cramp.
      “I didn’t think Drogba was great at marking from set-plays and he was marking me.
      “So I thought if JJ put it in the right area, I’d go and attack it. I know Petr Cech punched it on to my head and it went in.
      “It’s an out-of-body sensation. You dream of scoring in a cup final in the playground as a kid.”
      Ex-Real Madrid ace Woodgate had only joined Spurs from Middlesbrough the month before.
      Kane has 34 goal involvements in the Premier League so far this season, more than any other playerCredit: AP
      Juande Ramos was boss at the time but the Spaniard did not last much longer and was replaced by Harry Redknapp after a horror start the next season.
      Woodgate added: “I got on quite well with Juande because I could speak Spanish. His English wasn’t great so it was difficult. He had Gus Poyet translating.
      “It’s my only trophy so it’s got to be one of my best moments as a player. Every time I see a Spurs fan, they still tell me about it.
      “My son’s got the medal and Man of the Match trophy in his bedroom.
      “It’s part of the club’s history now, winning that last trophy for them. I’m sure, sooner or later, they’re going to win a trophy.”
      Spurs’ build-up for Sunday has been a disaster, with the European Super League farce and Jose Mourinho’s axe.
      But Woody is adamant they cannot be written off, given the talent at the disposal of interim boss Ryan Mason.
      The former Newcastle man added: “Tottenham have some exceptional players, the likes of Kane, Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale, Dele Alli when he plays.
      “You’ve got to be confident. There’s no point going into the final thinking you can’t win.
      “For me, they stand a chance. You can never write a team of Spurs’ calibre off.”­
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      Does the Carabao Cup winner qualify for Europa League 2021/22 next season?

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      TOTTENHAM are taking on Man City as they look to deprive Pep Guardiola’s men of a fourth straight Carabao Cup title.But could the trophy be a ticket to European football for Spurs? Here’s all you need to know.
      Tottenham could book a ticket to Europe if they win the Carabao CupCredit: Getty
      Does the Carabao Cup winner qualify for the next season’s Europa League?
      The Carabao Cup winner does qualify for Europe next season but will NOT enter the Europa League.
      Many fans will recall that the competition did provide a Europa League place to the winner as recently as last year.
      However, the winner of the Carabao Cup will now qualify for Uefa’s third tier competition – the Europa Conference League – instead.
      But if the winner qualifies for Europe through other means by the end of the season, then this place is transferred.
      Should Manchester City win the Carabao Cup, the Conference League place would be transferred to the team that finishes in sixth position in the Premier League.
      And assuming the FA Cup winner finishes in the top five as well, the seventh placed team will pick up the Conference League place with the sixth placed team entering the Europa League proper.

      What else do they win?
      Aside from the silverware, the two teams in the final will also pocket some cash.
      But it will not come as a huge windfall for the Premier League sides, with the winner taking home £100,000.
      The runners-up will leave with £50,000. More

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      Gary Neville demands Man City clash with Tottenham in EFL Cup is CANCELLED as ‘they don’t care’ over Super League plans

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      GARY NEVILLE has called for the Carabao Cup final to be cancelled because Manchester City and Tottenham ‘don’t care’.Two of the six breakaway rebels are due to meet at Wembley on Sunday for the first piece of silverware this season.
      Gary Neville believes the two teams involved in the Carabao Cup final should not get their date at WembleyCredit: Sky Sports
      🗣 “Cancel it, who cares about it? They don’t care about English football.”@GNev2 says the emotions of big games like the Carabao Cup final have lost all meaning after this announcement pic.twitter.com/4uREkfPJFf— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 19, 2021

      City are aiming for a fourth final victory in a row while Spurs hope to end a 13-year wait for any trophy.
      Neville, though, believes their plans to join the European Super League and therefore abandon English domestic football should be punished.
      Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, the passionate ex-England defender said: “You have to act here. It is a big attack.
      “The idea that something happens… cancel the game on Sunday, City vs Spurs.
      “Who cares about it? They don’t care about it.
      “Cancel it. They don’t care about English football.
      “Why should they play in the EFL Cup?
      “Things like that, for me now, have to be on the table because they have to know they can’t bully their way through everybody in this country.
      “They are bullying the 14 clubs, the EFL, the FA and they run this country – it is the six owners.”
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      MORE ON SUPER LEAGUE OUTRAGE

      City and Spurs are joined by Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in agreeing to join the franchise-style, closed-shop Super League.
      Furious fans took to stadiums across the country on Monday to voice their anger at the clubs’ owners with more protests planned.
      And Neville also believes the showdown between United and Liverpool on May 1 is now meaningless.
      If there was no pandemic and restrictions, he believes a mass march uniting the two sets of rival fans would have taken place.
      Neville added: “All the emotions in the last 24 hours have been going through my head. I think of the Manchester United versus Liverpool game in two weeks.
      “If it wasn’t for Covid, you’d mobilise a march – you’d bring all Manchester United and Liverpool fans together and march on that stadium.”
      Neville also clashed with Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool boss responded to the pundit’s criticism of the Anfield club while Reds legend Jamie Carragher believes owner John Henry will be driven out if Klopp resigns over European Super League plans.
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      Manchester City are due to take on Tottenham in the Carabao Cup finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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      Tottenham confirm Jose Mourinho sacking with short three-paragraph statement despite leading them to Carabao Cup final

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      TOTTENHAM have confirmed the sacking of Jose Mourinho in a short statement on the club website.The Spurs boss was fired on Monday after 17 months in charge of the team, just six days before he was due to lead them out for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
      Mourinho leaves Spurs ahead of the Carabao Cup final this weekendCredit: Mark Pain / Premium Sport
      The statement read: “The Club can today announce that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have been relieved of their duties.”
      And chairman Daniel Levy, said: “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a Club.
      “Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged.
      “He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.”
      The statement finished by adding: “Ryan Mason will take First Team training today and a further update will follow in due course.”
      Spurs currently sit seventh in the Premier League, five points off the top four with six games remaining.
      They had been knocked out of the Europa League in the last 16, but could be set to end their 13-year wait for a trophy this weekend at Wembley.
      However, Levy and Spurs felt Mourinho’s time was up at the club ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
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      The Portuguese boss replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019, signing a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season.
      Spurs’ academy coach Mason is expected to take over as caretaker manager alongside Chris Powell until the end of the season.
      A permanent replacement for ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho is expected to be named in the summer.
      RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is the leading contender for the role along with Germany and Spurs legend Jurgen Klinsmann.

      Leicester chief Brendan Rodgers is the early second-favourite, with club favourite Ledley King, Steven Gerrard and Massimiliano Allegri also linked.
      The announcement of Mourinho’s departure comes just hours after Tottenham became one of six Premier League clubs to sign up for the controversial European Super League.
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      Tottenham and Man City will be given 2,000 tickets each for Carabao Cup final as EFL plan for 10,000 fans at play-offs

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      MANCHESTER CITY and Tottenham will each be allocated 2,000 tickets for this month’s Carabao Cup Final.EFL chiefs are also planning for crowds of up to 10,000 at the end of season play-offs.
      Manchester City and Tottenham will be allocated 2,000 tickets each for the Carabao Cup finalCredit: PA
      And league bosses believe they can open up the turnstiles at all 72 EFL clubs from the start of next season.
      New chief executive Trevor Birch revealed the upbeat assessment even though the full details of what fans will need to do to be allowed in to games starting with the Wembley showpiece remain unclear.
      Birch said: “The Carabao Cup final will be 2,000 fans for either side.
      “There are a lot of discussions about other measures and fans will have to have either had a vaccination, pass a test or be immune to the virus.
      “Then for the play-off semi-finals and finals, we’re hopefully looking at 10,000 fans, although that’s not confirmed.
      “And our aspiration and goal is that, from August 6, we will be back in full stadia in line with the Government roadmap.”
      Birch added: “It’s vital for the clubs.
      “In rough numbers, clubs have lost about £250m of revenue over 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, so it’s significant in terms of gate receipts, commercial and sponsorship revenues.
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      “Getting back in front of full crowds is vital to the financial wellbeing of the clubs going forward.
      “It’s been offset by a few mitigating factors that have enabled clubs to survive, including the Championship loans and Premier League bail-out of Leagues One and Two.
      “So there were some mitigating aspects but another season behind closed doors would have been unpalatable for most of the clubs.
      “We’re trying to create certainty out of a very uncertain situation to enable the clubs to plan and give them confidence for next season and selling season tickets.”
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