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After impressing in an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, Tottenham seem to have shown the world that they are capable of challenging repeatedly at the very top of the English footballing pyramid, yet at the very same time proved their Wembley curse is still alive and kicking.

The next day, another impressive young side, Monaco, dealt with the pressure to see off a tricky fixture away to Lyon and keep themselves right in the box seat of the Ligue 1 title race.

At a glance, these are two very similar football teams right now. Both are filled with young players who form a nucleus of talent  and who will become some of the sport’s biggest stars over the course of the next decade. Both have young and hungry managers whose philosophies revolve around combining high intensity pressing with a modern, vibrant attack and width coming from full-backs. Both are also taking on the moneyed elite in this year’s title race, looking to break into Europe’s big time with youth development and a solid strategy rather than financial dominance.

And yet there is one subtle difference which may just make the difference later in the season, at the crucial moments when trophies are lifted and medals are won.

At Parc OL on Sunday night, Monaco won 2-1 to go back level on points with PSG at the top of the table; ahead on goal difference but with a game in hand, their first title since 2000 is more than just a possibility. It’s in their own hands.

They didn’t have it all their own way, though. After two goals late in the first half from Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe, Leonardo Jardim’s side looked out of sight: they led 2-0 at half-time, having scored as many goals as Lyon had attempted shots. The second half was a different story as Lucas Tousart pulled on back for the hosts and almost equalised with a late header. It was a nervy ending for the league leaders.

But despite their youthful team, what Monaco had on the bench was a man who has vast experience at the top level of the game. With Lyon pushing for an equaliser, and with just three minutes left on the clock, Jardim called for Joao Moutinho, a man who has played in two Europa League / UEFA Cup finals, has won three league titles and three Portuguese cups and a European Championships. Portugal’s Liga Nos may not be the most glamourous league in Europe, but the experience of getting over the line is vital, especially to a team of young players who are still raw at such a level.

They may still have seen the game through without him, of course. But his presence was a calming one.

On Saturday, Tottenham could have done with Moutinho’s experience. The two situations at the weekend were very different, of course. Spurs were always chasing the game and didn’t throw away the lead. They were the better side and probably should have won, but few would argue they bottled it, they were simply beaten by a team of hardened winners.

But maybe with an older head, Spurs would be, too. And that’s probably the next step.

They say the first trophy is the most important one in the development of a squad. But when your squad is as young as Tottenham’s is, that takes on extra significance. The first one for this team will be the first for so many of the squad, though it’s not like there’s no-one in the squad with experience of winning a trophy, even if triumph in England or in Europe would be a step up for all.

Hugo Lloris won a French Cup with Lyon, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen won league titles with Ajax, while Victor Wanyama has winners’ medals in Scotland with Celtic. But only Alderweireld has won a league title in one of Europe’s top leagues, winning La Liga with Atletico Madrid in 2014, though he only played 12 times in the league that season before being loaned to Southampton the following year.

There’s no one who has been around quite as much as Moutinho has at Monaco, even if Spurs can count some more experienced players.

To take the next step, Spurs should look to add an older head to the team. Not necessarily as a starter, and not to take the place of any of the young players coming through, but as someone who can help lead at the most crucial times of the season.

Monaco’s strategy is one that Spurs are espousing, too. It’s even harder to do in England than it is to do in France, though success in the Champions League is something that has eluded Spurs, partly thanks to the brilliance of the Principality club. But the know-how of Moutinho and even Radamel Falcao is priceless, and might well be the reason Monaco win a trophy this season and Spurs don’t.

It took Henrikh Mkhitaryan longer to settle at Manchester United than some might have expected, but it would be fair to say that the 28-year-old has developed into a star at Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old has scored five times in eight Europa League appearances for the Red Devils this season, whilst he has managed four goals in 19 Premier League matches during the 2016-17 campaign.

The former Borussia Dortmund attacker appears to be a key part of Jose Mourinho’s plans moving forward at Old Trafford, and he will be key to the club’s challenge for the Europa League title and a top-four finish in the Premier League in the final weeks of the season.

The Armenian international is also expected to be in the Man United XI that takes to the field against Manchester City in the Premier League clash on Thursday night.

Victory for the Red Devils would see them go above their rivals into the top four, in addition to moving level on points with third-place Liverpool.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mkhitaryan posted a tweet looking ahead to the Manchester derby, and the Man United supporters were in no doubt as to the attacker’s importance this week.

According to reports on Sport Witness, West Ham United are said to be battling with some of their Premier League rivals to sign Ludogorets forward Jonathan Cafu this summer.

The 25-year-old is said to be available for £10.2m after another impressive campaign for the Bulgarian outfit, and the Hammers, Leicester City and top flight new-boys Brighton and Hove Albion are all said to be keen on bringing the Brazilian attacker to England.

Irons manager Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his squad this summer in what has been a disappointing campaign, with his team struggling to adapt to life at the London Stadium as well as putting in a number of poor performances throughout the campaign.

One area he will be looking at in particular is in attack, where the club has sometimes struggled this term because of the injury problems for Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho.

Here are three reasons West Ham should steer clear of signing Cafu…

His lack of European football experience

While the Brazilian forward has impressed for Ludogorets this season – scoring 14 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions – there will be some concerns that his spell with the Bulgarian side is his first in Europe following a move from his homeland and that he is yet to play in one of the continent’s major leagues.

It would be something of a risk to bring the 25-year-old to England and hope that he would quickly hit the ground running – especially with some of the bad luck the Irons have had with attacking signings in recent years.

His career to date

Despite being just 25 years of age, Ludogorets are the Brazilian forward’s seventh club in his career and that could prove to be a worry for Irons boss Slaven Bilic.

The Croatian will be looking for an attacking player that will join the Hammers and make a long-term impact at the London Stadium this summer, but Cafu’s record suggests that he doesn’t have the loyalty to be with the team for more than a couple of years.

The club’s track record

As we alluded to previously, the Irons haven’t had a lot of luck with the attacking players they have brought to the club from clubs abroad in the last couple of seasons and Cafu would be another risk.

Last summer, hopes would have been high that loanees Simone Zaza and Jonthan Calleri could make a real impact in the Premier League, but the former failed to score a single goal before his move was cut short and he returned to parent club Juventus in January, while the latter has only recently become a regular in Slaven Bilic’s matchday squad.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.

According to reports from Mirror Football, Monaco’s Thomas Lemar is one of Arsene Wenger’s top midfield targets for the summer transfer window.

The 21-year-old has been a key part of a Monaco side performing far beyond expectations this season, progressing to the semi-finals of the Champions League and honing in on the Ligue 1 title ahead of serial winners PSG.

In the process, Lemar has notched up eleven goals and eleven assists in both competitions, whilst emerging in the France fold with two caps since the start of the campaign.

Arsenal could well be on the lookout for attacking and midfield additions this summer, with the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil still unclear.

But is Wenger jumping the gun by trying to bring yet another young talent of limited experience, or are the club right to pursue the midfielder – who is rated at in excess of £25million?

Let us know whether or not you’d back a summer swoop for Lemar by voting below…

World record signing Paul Pogba has had a tough ride from fans and the press since arriving at Manchester United for a fee of £89m last summer.

The former Juventus man, who left United for Turin in 2012 before returning a world-beater last year, was signed to make the difference and did so on Wednesday night when he broke the deadlock with a deflected strike from range in Stockholm against Ajax on the way to winning the Europa League final and earning a spot at the top table, the Champions League, next season.

The strike from the France international set Jose Mourinho’s side on their way to a second major trophy of the season, with the flick of a toe from this season’s Europa League star, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, doubled the lead and almost took the wind out of the Dutch opponents.

Pogba has not delivered quite what was expected in a Manchester United shirt so far, however, fans will be hoping that an important goal on an important stage will have given him the platform to go forward and succeed next season, and they were not holding back their love on Twitter…

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is said to be looking to sign a left-back this summer in order to provide competition for Marcos Alonso, and he could a lot worse than to take a closer look at Juventus star Alex Sandro.

While the Spaniard was probably one of the Blues’ most consistent players throughout their Premier League winning campaign, the Italian boss may feel that he can sign an upgrade in the coming weeks as the west London outfit look to retain their league title and make an impression in the Champions League next term.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian has enjoyed an impressive season with the Old Lady and he continues to make a huge impact following his move from FC Porto in 2015, but the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid last weekend could turn out to be his last appearance in the famous black and white shirt.

Here are three reasons Chelsea must go all out to sign Alex Sandro this summer…

His performances

The 26-year-old has quickly become one of Juventus’ most important players over the course of the last two seasons and he made 43 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A champions this term.

He has scored three goals and provided a further seven assists and while Alonso has enjoyed an impressive goalscoring campaign himself, Alex Sandro looks to have the ability to make a bigger impact in the Premier League and Europe than perhaps the Spaniard has and will.

His versatility

The Brazilian has played at left-back, left wing-back, left midfield and left wing for Juventus this season, and that versatility could prove to be an attractive trait for Antonio Conte.

With the Italian preferring to deploy a 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2 formation, Alex Sandro would certainly be able to play in the left wing-back role, while he could also play further forward at the beginning of the season if he moved to Stamford Bridge with Eden Hazard set to miss the start of the campaign having broken his ankle on international duty.

His pace

While Alonso has proven to be a consistent performer on the left-hand side this season, he doesn’t have the pace that Victor Moses does on the opposite flank and that could be something Antonio Conte looks to change this summer.

In the Champions League especially, the Blues may be forced to play on the counter attack more often than not and that is where the pace of Alex Sandro could come in handy.

The 26-year-old certainly has the energy to get up and down the pitch and be a real attacking threat – all of which would mean that he would strengthen the Chelsea side next term.

Do you agree, Chelsea fans? Let us know below.

When the Premier League fixtures were announced, you didn’t need to be a fan of both Arsenal or Tottenham to grab a sneaky look at the dates of the north London derby.

Such a huge game captures the attention of everyone, especially when both sides, in their more optimistic moments, will feel they have all the ingredients to be lifting the trophy a little under a year from now.

Both sides will have to wait a while, though. There are some big games to come before Tottenham travel the short distance to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the first north London derby of the season on – or on the weekend of – November 18th. Perhaps the more interesting clash between these two, at least from this juncture, will take place in February at Wembley; where Arsenal’s recent good memories contrast with Tottenham’s bad.

It’s always a futile exercise to predict too much when it comes to fixture announcements, but it’s probably not too big a stretch to suggest that Arsenal might have wanted Spurs away to come a little earlier in the season. With their north London rivals having to move across the city and settle into a stadium where they failed quite notably – and with alarming frequency – last term, any team traveling to Wembley in the first few weeks of the season will fancy their chances, at least until the novelty wears off.

Last year, when West Ham United moved into the London Stadium, a similar teething period was observed. That may not be the case for Tottenham, who might overcome their Wembley jinx straight away and have yet another wonderful season, but it does at least look like a similar story.

Rather than facing Arsenal at Wembley early on, Spurs will welcome another capital rival, Chelsea, to the national stadium in their very first home game. And although the extra motivation of avenging their FA Cup semi-final defeat might come in handy for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Arsenal might be wishing it was they who had the chance to ruin Spurs’ welcome party, and possibly get one over their rivals whilst they’re still trying to settle in.

Instead, the Gunners will travel to Wembley in February, by which time Spurs will have had more time to settle in.

This season, given the relative relative equality of riches and the fact that each of the Premier League’s top six will be targeting the same goal – the title – such marginal differences might well hold the key to how the season turns out. In the end, though, it’s probably more likely that summer recruitment matters more than the actual fixture schedule.

For Tottenham, that might pose a similar problem to last season: the squad isn’t noticeably weak in any department, and the temptation to simply add squad players to help with strength in depth is a risky strategy. Last year’s addition of Vincent Janssen is a prime example of such a signing.

A player bought for his goalscoring ability and potential, Janssen came to the club as a clear understudy to Harry Kane, and although his work rate is beyond reproach, he hit the net only twice in the league even though Kane spent two spells on the sidelines with injury.

The problem with buying players who are obviously going to be second choice is that they never get the chance to prove they’re as good as the player they need to replace when injury or suspension bites. But, like Son Heung-Min last year, Janssen might find his second season at Spurs is a more fruitful one. And if so, he’ll be – as the cliche goes – just like a new signing.

Arsenal, on the other hand, should be fairly clear where their squad needs work – in attack, defensive midfield and probably even defence – but the biggest factor in deciding what they need from the summer transfer window is the formation Arsene Wenger plans to use for most of the year.

Deploying a back three means less need for a specialised defensive midfielder as the central midfielders have three centre-backs behind them to help out. The signing of Sead Kolasinac also looks prescient from this point of view, too, as the Bosnian’s size and mobility look perfect for the role of the left-sided centre back in such a formation.

Despite the contrasts in fortunes for both teams last season, the entire top six still looks like a tightly-packed bunch and a few clever signings will likely be the difference between who wins the league, who finishes in the top four, and who – like Arsenal this time – has to settle for a finish in the Europa League places. But the fixture schedule has given both teams some big top six clashes before then, so we’ll know quite a lot about the state of the teams by then.

This game will be at the end of November, and last season, you can point to two pivotal games around the same time – end of November, start of December – where Chelsea took two giant steps towards the title. They beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge 2-1 to go top before beating Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad to open up a gap. The champions’ 3-0 defeat to Arsenal will forever be remembered as the seminal moment of the season, but those two victories before the Christmas period were vital.

If neutrals are looking for the north London derby on the fixture list, then, it’s not just because it’s a big derby. Arsenal v Tottenham has become huge in the context of the Premier League’s title race, and given how tight the top six are and the time of year it comes at, this could end up being more crucial than usual.

WIN! Take our survey below for a chance to win your favourite club’s new 17/18 home or away shirt…

According to reports in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United goalkeeper Rob Green could be a summer target for Championship rivals Middlesbrough and Sunderland following the arrival of Felix Wiedwald last month.

The 37-year-old played in all 46 of the Whites’ Championship matches last term as they narrowly missed out on finishing in the play-off positions, and he triggered a clause to extend his initial one-year deal by another 12 months as result.

However, that was when Garry Monk was in charge and now he has left, and new manager Thomas Christiansen has brought Wiedwald to the club from Werder Bremen, his future as the club’s number one is in doubt.

If Green has been told that he won’t be first-choice from now on and isn’t happy with a spot on the substitutes’ bench then he could look to move on, and he could be tempted to link up with former boss Monk at the Riverside Stadium.

If he does go then the Yorkshire outfit will almost certainly look to provide Wiedwald with some serious competition for a spot between the sticks, with the future of Marco Silvestri also in doubt after he was relegated to second-choice last term.

Here are three Rob Green replacements Leeds could sign…

Sam Johnstone

Following a number of impressive loan spells away from Manchester United – with the latest coming at Aston Villa in the second half of last season – Johnstone could finally leave Old Trafford on a permanent deal this summer.

The 24-year-old kept eight clean sheets and conceded 26 goals in 21 appearances for Villa last term, and included a run where he let in just one goal in eight matches.

While Wiedwald may feel that he is guaranteed the number one spot, it may not be guaranteed if the Yorkshire outfit can find a decent Green replacement and Johnstone could be the perfect solution – the Daily Mail suggested last month that he could cost around £5m.

Karl Darlow

According to reports in The Sun, Darlow could be available this summer despite playing a big part in Newcastle’s immediate return to the Premier League last season.

The 26-year-old made 34 Championship appearances and kept 13 clean sheets as the Magpies won the title, but the report suggests that he faces a fight to hold on to the number one spot in the top flight next term.

The Sun adds that Darlow is available for £5m and is interesting Reading, but having won promotion with Newcastle at this level and having impressed for Nottingham Forest prior to his move to St James’ Park, Leeds could be tempted to bring him to Elland Road if Rob Green leaves.

Maarten Stekelenburg

Stekelenburg and Joel Robles were both dropped by Everton manager Ronald Koeman at different stages last season because of poor form, and one of them could be on their way out of Goodison Park following the £30m signing of Jordan Pickford last month.

With Joel 27 years of age and Stekelenburg 34, it could be the Dutchman that goes and Leeds should certainly consider snapping him up if they are looking for an experienced replacement should Green go.

The stopper conceded 24 goals in 19 Premier League appearances for the Merseyside outfit last term and having played for the likes of Ajax, Roma and Monaco during his career – as well as picking up 58 caps for his country – he could prove to be a hit between the sticks for Leeds next season.

Do you agree, Whites fans? Let us know below.

It would be fair to say that the majority of Liverpool supporters were not overwhelmed by the arrival of Dominic Solanke on a free transfer from Chelsea this summer.

Whilst Romelu Lukaku and Alexandre Lacazette were joining Manchester United and Arsenal respectively in big-money moves, Liverpool brought Solanke to Anfield following his release from Chelsea.

It seems that the Liverpool fans feel different about the 19-year-old at the moment, however, after he scored an excellent goal against fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Liverpool are currently facing Palace in the semi-finals of the Premier League Asia Trophy, and the clash had been goalless until Solanke came up with a brilliant strike in the second period.

Solanke’s arrival at Anfield did not catch the attention of the majority of the supporters, but there is no question that the Englishman has a point to prove at Anfield, and Liverpool fans will be hoping to see more goals from the forward in the coming season.

The FA Cup winners have taken the last three Community Shields, but Chelsea will be hoping to break that trend come Sunday when they take on Arsenal at Wembley.

The Premier League champions will likely role out their best XI with the aim of picking up the second piece of silverware of the Antonio Conte era and prevent the Gunners from winning their third Community Shield in four years.

The Blues will be without Eden Hazard due to injury while Arsenal are unlikely to bring star forward Alexis Sanchez back into the side as the Chilean just returned to training following the Confederations Cup.

The Gunners will be allowed to play Laurent Koscielny despite his domestic ban stemming from his straight red card in the final Premier League match against Everton. The FA have labeled the Community Shield a friendly, which allows Arsene Wenger to call upon his compatriot for Sunday’s match but not the first two league matches.

Both sides are likely to make a litany of substitutions as the match goes on, but should start the game with essentially a full-strength XI.

Both teams are expected to play a 3-4-3 this season and will be a very intriguing matchup on Sunday.

Here’s how we think Arsenal will line up to face their London rivals…

GK: Petr Cech

The Chelsea legend is still the clearcut choice in goal for Arsene Wenger as the Gunners manager hasn’t brought in any more competition for the Czech keeper and David Ospina is definitely the No. 2.

Arsenal has won only two of five meetings with Chelsea since Cech joined two seasons ago and will be trying to better that record on Sunday.

The 35-year old is past his glory days and this season will decide whether he is good enough to carry on as the Gunners’ No. 1, or else the club and keeper will both likely need to move on.

CB: Per Mertesacker

The 32-year old club captain has a lot to prove this season after playing only twice last term due to injuries and the Community Shield will be a great test of his fitness and ability to bounce back from a tough season.

He will be looking to prove he hasn’t lost a step and show Gunners fans that he is ready to lead the club back into the Champions League. Mertesacker’s experience and leadership will be a major key if Arsenal manage to win Arsene Wenger’s seventh Community Shield.

CB: Rob Holding

The 21-year old started his Gunners career slowly after making the move from Championship side Bolton Wanderers but became a key part of Arsene Wenger’s squad in the final few months of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in the club’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea.

The Englishman is likely to feature often for Arsenal this season and has essentially pushed Gabriel out of the team, making it difficult to find time for one of last summer’s big signings – Shkodran Mustafi.

CB: Laurent Koscielny

The Frenchman is almost guaranteed to start after being cleared by the FA to play in this glorified friendly.

Koscielny’s absence was expected to eliminate any chance of the Gunners winning the FA Cup, and while that clearly didn’t play a factor, Arsenal are definitively a better team with him in the side. A strong performance from their best centre-

back will be key to the club’s hopes of winning the Community Shield.

LWB: Sead Kolasinac

The Bosnian has impressed for the Gunners throughout pre-season since his free transfer from Schalke earlier in the summer.

As Arsene Wenger seemingly continues to opt for a 3-5-2/3-4-3 formation, Kolasinac fits perfectly in to Arsenal’s system and could prove to be a solid player for the Gunners this season.

RWB: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Even though it feels as if he has been around forever, the Englishman is still just 23-years-old and beginning to thrive as a wing-back in Wenger’s new system.

Chamberlain was constantly moving in and out of the starting lineup last season and still managed to have a Gunners career best six goals and 11 assists.

If Chamberlain can continue to excel as a wingback, Arsene Wenger can finally start to get the most out of a player he purchased over six seasons ago.

CM: Mesut Özil

The German playmaker was linked with a move away this summer as he only has one year left to run on his contract, but his exit rumours faded some time ago and Özil appears set to continue with Arsenal this season.

The 28-year-old scored a career best 12 goals last season and will be the club’s leading playmaker on Sunday.

Özil is a key figure in all of Wenger’s offensive plans and the Frenchman’s request that he shoot more worked out excellently last season. In the midst of his prime, Özil may better that goals total this season if he continues to heed Wenger’s words.

CM: Granit Xhaka

Last summer’s big signing, the Swiss midfielder quickly developed a reputation in England for his cracking goals and ability to pick up a booking.

He was booked 12 times and saw red twice last season in only 46 appearances and the 24-year old is likely the betting favourite to pick up the first on Sunday.

Xhaka is a very good player who needs to learn how to avoid going in the referee’s book and this season his role with the Gunners will certainly grow. He is still relatively young and has a lot of room to improve. His second season in the Premier League will be a better example of his talent and Sunday will be the first big test for him.

FWD: Olivier Giroud

Another Gunners star who was linked with a move away earlier in the summer, the big Frenchman looks set to stay and play another key role off the bench for Arsene Wenger.

With Alexis unlikely to start, Giroud takes his place and will look to build off his two pre-season goals.

After the club set their transfer record by bringing in Alexandre Lacazette, this season is huge for Giroud’s future at the Emirates Stadium.

Sunday’s Community Shield will be a great opportunity for the 30-year old to show Arsene Wenger that he deserves more than a super sub role.

FWD: Alexandre Lacazette

The club’s record signing will make his Wembley debut on Sunday and is looking to set the Premier League alight ahead of next’s summer’s World Cup. France has an extremely deep and talented pool of forwards to choose from, so Lacazette will surely be aiming for a big first campaign with the Gunners.

The 26-year old has scored twice in pre-season and has shown good chemistry with his new teammates.

Lacazette and Arsenal’s success this season will be tightly intertwined and Sunday will be a great stage for the Frenchman to show England what he is capable of.

FWD: Theo Walcott

Walcott has been in-and-out of Arsene Wenger’s starting XI throughout his career but will be looking to firmly establish himself as a starter ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

The 28-year-old’s pace has always set him apart in the Premier League and with improved finishing, Walcott could be set for an even better season this year.

Arsenal are going to need improved form across the board if they are to get back into the Champions League this season, and Walcott will be surely hoping to be a part of that improvement.