Manchester United have everything Tottenham want ahead of Premier League fixture

Crisis. Unacceptable. Embarrassing.

All words used to sum up Tottenham Hotspur over the last 24 hours. Manchester United's next Premier League opponents sacked Cristian Stellini on Monday night, a month after appointing him.

Antonio Conte, wanted by some at Old Trafford when he moved to the capital, was axed earlier in the season after doing his best to lose his job on and off the pitch in recent months. Appointing his former assistant Stellini seemed destined to fail when Spurs chairman Daniel Levy made the call, and fail it has.

Also read: Six United players showed the character Ten Hag demands at Wembley

Tottenham crashed to a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday. They were five down inside 21 minutes and looked bereft of ideas, initiative and interest.

How they remain in contention, just, for a Champions League spot speaks more of the failures at Chelsea and to a lesser extent Liverpool. Spurs are a club in need of a plan and one going nowhere fast other than backwards.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, things are rosier in Erik ten Hag's garden. They have a trophy in the bag - Spurs haven't had one since 2008 - and an FA Cup final to look forward to. Their Europa League exit was evidence of the strides still required at Old Trafford but the overarching feeling within the Reds' ranks is this is a club with an on-field plan. Finally.

After season upon season of expensive and wasteful recruitment and lurching from one manager to the next in seeking a Sir Alex Ferguson successor, United finally seem to have a man capable of coming close to filling the great's man's shoes in Ten Hag. Securing the Carabao Cup was an important yardstick. For all fans want to see flowing football, it's trophies that are