Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is under increasing pressure after a tough start to life back in the Spanish capital, with reports going so far as to claim the Los Blancos boss could be sacked if his side lose to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night. But is dismissing the former Madrid midfielder the right decision?

• Alonso at risk of early dismissal

  According to reports, the hierarchy at Madrid have held a meeting over the future of their head coach and offered no guarantees that Alonso will remain in the job if the club's form does not improve. The Spanish giants have forfeited their lead at the top of La Liga, and now sit four points behind champions Barcelona. That is despite beating the Blaugrana 2-1 in the first El Clasico of the season back in October. With the pressure now ramped up, Alonso faces arguably his toughest test yet – Pep Guardiola. 

  The City boss is certainly not going to take it easy on his fellow countryman, and he refused to be drawn into speculation about his future. Guardiola said: "I wish Xabi all the best, but his future is an answer I don't know. You all know the situation better than I do; I'm far removed from it. I haven't spoken with Florentino, and he hasn't told me that tomorrow will be Xabi's last match. If you don't win big games, things get difficult. But Xabi is in control of the situation and knows what this whole thing is about. My concern is seeing what we've done well. To beat Real Madrid in this competition, it's not enough to be better; you have to be much better."

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  Madrid must ease expectations

  Alonso has a proven track record. He led Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title and their biggest success since claiming the 1993 German Cup. The 44-year-old then had the whole of Europe at his doorstep, begging him to join, but he chose Madrid, the club he represented 158 times during his career. There is no doubt that he is a world-class coach, and it would benefit Los Blancos to loosen the weight of expectation during his first term as manager. Understandably, it is not always that simple in Madrid, and failure is very rarely rewarded; however, despite their run of just one win in their last five games in La Liga, four points is not an insurmountable deficit to overturn in the second half of the season, and the club are better off putting their trust in Alonso, rather than ripping his project up and starting again.

• Alonso's toughest task: Managing a team of superstars

  One of Alonso's biggest threats is managing the ego-driven squad Madrid currently possesses. Sometimes, too many big personalities can cause more harm than good, and given time, the Spaniard can drive out the unwanted crop and replace them with players he knows will thrive in his system. Fans have already seen him clash with Vinicius Junior, but Alonso must also contend with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Endrick. Three of the five mentioned have been linked with moves away from Madrid; perhaps that is the action needed to give the manager a stronger grip over his team.

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  Patience will be rewarded

  Arsenal are the ultimate example of a club who are being rewarded for their patience and trust in the process. Madrid are not exactly battling relegation, although you could argue that with the quality of their team, challenging on all fronts is the bare minimum. After a few short months, it is incredibly hard to gauge an idea of how well things are going under new leadership, especially when that person is taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, a man who was given four years to deliver, and did not always manage it. If Madrid fans can take anything away from the opening months of the 2025-26 campaign, let it be the big wins rather than the losses. Victories over Barcelona and Juventus are clear indicators of what the team can be; it might just require a bit of patience in the short-term.

  What do you think? Should Madrid sack Alonso if they lose to Madrid in Wednesday night's blockbuster Champions League clash? Cast your vote in the poll below!

Fisher, whose only Test so far came against West Indies in 2022, is already in Australia with England Lions

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-20251:06

Is this the end for Mark Wood with England?

Mark Wood has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series following a recurrence of the left-knee injury he sustained during the first Test in Perth. Matthew Fisher has been named his replacement.Fisher, whose only Test so far came against West Indies in 2022, is a six-foot-two seamer with a high release point. He is already in Australia as part of the England Lions side and will link up with the senior team this week. The third Test in Adelaide starts on December 17.Wood, who turns 36 in January, was hoping to be available for the last two Tests, in Melbourne and Sydney, but at the same time, he admitted that age was catching up with him. “Wood will return home later this week and will work closely with the ECB medical team on his rehabilitation and recovery,” an ECB statement said.Related

Bazball is dead (even if England aren't quite yet)

Hazlewood out of Ashes, Cummins confirmed for Adelaide

“Gutted to be out the remainder of the Ashes,” Wood wrote in an Instagram post. “After extensive surgery and seven long, hard months of work and rehab to get back into the Test arena, my knee just hasn’t held up. None of us expected this. I came here with high expectations about making a big impact. I’m desperately disappointed that despite yet more injections and intensive medical treatment, it has become clear that the flare-up in my knee is worse than feared.”I’m really sorry that it has left me unable to perform as expected but it is not for want of trying. Whatever happens, I will continue to push the limits to get back again. It has been a tough road these past few months but I remain determined to give it another proper go. I still believe we can turn things around. Never give in. Come on, England.”Wood had surgery on his left knee after hobbling out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign in February. The series opener in Perth was his first Test match in 15 months. He bowled 11 wicketless overs across the match and was sent to a specialist after reporting pain in his knee. He missed the second Test in Brisbane, which Australia won by eight wickets to take a 2-0 lead.Earlier in the day, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood was also ruled out of the series. But the hosts will be bolstered by the return of their captain Pat Cummins. Usman Khawaja, who missed the second Test with a back issue, is also expected to be fit and available for the third Test.

Real Madrid figureheads have reportedly held talks over Xabi Alonso's future after a damaging 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo. Los Blancos suffered a disappointing home defeat, which included red cards to Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras, putting them further behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Now, speculation is mounting that their upcoming Champions League clash with Manchester City could be pivotal for the 44-year-old.

Madrid's woes continue

Six weeks ago, Madrid were basking in the glow of a Clasico win over Barcelona, giving them a five-point cushion at the top of the table. Fast forward to the present and Los Blancos have been left reeling by a 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo on Sunday, which was Os Celestes' first win at Santiago Bernabeu for 19 years. They now sit four points adrift of bitter rivals Barcelona and if Villarreal win their game in hand, Alonso's side will drop down to third in the division. After this shock result, the former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who joined the Spanish giants this summer, admitted this was a "significant setback".

He told reporters: "We had planned for this match after the Bilbao game to play at a high tempo and press against a good opponent. We were lacking in some areas, and the injury disrupted our plans. It's bad news; we're already struggling with injuries. This is another significant setback. We struggled to react; perhaps our best reaction came when we were down to ten men. The team pressed hard, we ran, and we tried. We understand that the fans left angry. We have to show a different side on Wednesday."

Indeed, Madrid are currently without injured defenders Eder Militao, Daniel Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy among others. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAlonso under pressure

According to , after taking just six points from a possible 15 in La Liga, the biggest talking point around the club is Alonso's managerial future. Following Sunday's loss, club president Florentino Perez and general director Jose Angel Sanchez, among other senior leaders, held internal discussions about the team's situation and Alonso's position. The report adds that none of the sources around the club felt confident in saying the ex-Liverpool player would still be in charge if City beat Los Blancos in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Spanish giants are said to be keen on continuing with this Alonso project but results matter most at such a demanding club. The board are reportedly unhappy with the team's image and recent results and there are concerns the players don't have a good connection with Alonso and his ideas. If he is sacked, they may turn to Real Madrid Castilla coach Alvaro Arbeloa or Los Blancos legend Zinedine Zidane, although it is uncertain whether he would return to the club for a third time as manager.

Alonso calls for unity

Amid this unsatisfactory run of results, Alonso has called for everyone to rally around one another and trust the process. He also stressed there is a long way to go this season and that they can come good.

He added: "If we all stick together, knowing that this is football, we can reverse the situation. There’s still a long season ahead, and having a bad game at home is normal. It’s not ideal, but we have to look ahead. We know what self-criticism and high standards this club demands. We know that defeats hurt a lot. This is everyone’s responsibility, not just the players, coaching staff, or the club. We all have to commit to doing things right and approach each match as the most important one. Today, the three points we dropped are important, but not decisive. There’s still a long way to go. It’s a responsibility and a job for everyone to do together."

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Getty Images SportMan City test next

Madrid are currently fifth in the Champions League table, putting them in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages of the competition. But that could be under threat if they lose to a rejuvenated City in midweek. 

Ahead of that clash, Alonso said: "We all take the blame. We're all in this together through thick and thin. We have to handle it with the responsibility we have to assume. We shouldn't look too far ahead. The situation is tight because of the injuries; we have to change things every game. We'll see what happens on Wednesday."

It has taken fewer than four years for Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal to go from a decent pitcher to one of the best in the history of his franchise. Example: after posting 5.1 bWAR combined over his first four seasons, he racked up 6.4 in 2024 and 6.5 in 2025 on the way to back-to-back American League Cy Young awards.

Those accomplishments are incredible, but they're cold comfort to Tigers fans beginning to fret over the potential loss of their ace. Skubal, who turned 29 Thursday, can become a free agent upon the conclusion of the 2026 season.

On Thursday, Skubal responded to trade rumors beginning to swirl around him—telling he had no desire to be traded.

“It’s not like I want to be traded, so it’s kind of like, why am I in these conversations?” Skubal said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really impact what I do day-to-day. I try to just stay out of it and not look at it. That’s how I’ve handled it at the trade deadline in years past.”

More: Top Trade Spots for Tigers Cy Young Award Winner Tarik Skubal

In 2024, Skubal was also the subject of rampant trade speculation. Detroit held on to the pitcher. eventually catching fire and making the playoffs.

“The way social media is it’s hard not to see things about yourself, especially when it's talking about trades and all those hypotheticals,” Skubal said. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.”

Voll and King, stars of the WBBL, will be on show in the ODIs against India. For their part, the visitors have a top order to figure out

Srinidhi Ramanujam and Tristan Lavalette04-Dec-2024India are coming off a 2-1 win against New Zealand at home but they know they are yet to win an ODI series against Australia in Australia. These teams have met 16 times in women’s ODIs in Australia, and India have lost 12 of those games. Come Thursday, India will be keen to begin to correct that record, against a Tahlia McGrath-led Australian side, in the first of three ODIs, in Brisbane. Both teams will need to address a couple of cracks, with the 2025 ODI World Cup in India less than a year away. Here are the talking points ahead of the series.Australia turn attention to ODIs after T20 World Cup disappointmentIndicative of the increasingly crowded women’s calendar, the Australian players didn’t have much time to take stock over their shock semi-final exit at the recent T20 World Cup in the UAE, with the WBBL season starting almost immediately after.But as they’ve come together in Brisbane ahead of the India ODI series, the squad and team hierarchy debriefed over what went wrong in the UAE. Hoping to learn lessons from a rare failure, Australia are now setting their sights on 50-over cricket as they start preparations for a title defence at next year’s World Cup.This series and the subsequent tour of New Zealand will round out Australia’s ICC Women’s Championship matches.Having not played ODI cricket since a tour of Bangladesh in March, Australia will be led by McGrath who takes the captaincy reins from the injured Alyssa Healy as she did at the end of the T20 World Cup. It will be McGrath’s first full series as captain with Ash Gardner her deputy.Veteran Ellyse Perry had the role in the latter stages of the T20 World Cup, but Australia’s hierarchy is keen to further the leadership of Gardner, who has assumed the vice-captaincy a couple of times before.”I’m more of a quieter leader… lead from the front, small conversations, and I think my biggest strength in leadership is my calmness,” McGrath told reporters on Wednesday. “Midge [Healy] and I balance each other really well. I’m hoping to do the same with Ash because she has strengths of her own that complement mine.”Priya Punia is likely to open alongside Smriti Mandhana•PTI A rejigged Indian top order without ShafaliShafali Verma’s poor ODI returns of late means she has been dropped from the squad but with Yastika Bhatia – who batted at No. 3 against New Zealand – also getting injured, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co will need two players who can slot in at the top of the order.The captain backed Shafali to find form again, and said on the eve of the series that “she is a very important player for us and has done exceptionally well for the country. We are looking forward to seeing her get back into her zone and perform well for the team.”In her absence, Priya Punia might open with Smriti Mandhana. Punia has played only three ODIs since 2023 and has been in and out of the team. She made a comeback against South Africa in June this year (and made 28 from No. 3) on the back of impressive performances in domestic cricket but was dropped for the New Zealand series. However, she was part of the A tour of Australia in August, when she opened and made 76, 29 and 11 in the T20s and 6 and 1 in one-dayers.There’s no definite answer to who is India’s No. 3 in ODIs. There’s a possibility that India might ask one of Harleen Deol – whose last ODI was against Australia at home in December 2023 – or the uncapped Uma Chetry to slot in at one-drop. The second scenario will be to promote Richa Ghosh or Jemimah Rodrigues. Currently, both of them bat in the middle order but they have the experience of batting at No. 3; Ghosh was a brief experiment at one-drop against Australia last December where she even made a career-best 96. But it’s been three years since Rodrigues, who began her ODI career as an opener in 2018, was seen in the top three.By moving one of Ghosh or Rodrigues up, India would be able to accommodate Tejal Hasabnis, who made her India debut against New Zealand, in the middle order. Hasabnis played a steady innings of 42 in her debut game at No. 6 when India were in a spot of bother. She also toured Australia with the A squad and hit three fifties in as many one-dayers in Mackay.Georgia Voll finished fifth in the WBBL run charts•Getty ImagesVoll gets her chanceWhile Australia’s experienced squad brims with familiar names, 21-year-old Georgia Voll adds fresh blood having replaced Healy in the squad. She gets her chance in national colours after several eye-catching performances to start the domestic season.The powerful right-hander smashed 98 off 94 balls for Queensland against Western Australia in the WNCL before igniting the early stages of the WBBL with two scores in the 90s.It vindicated her move from Brisbane Heat to Sydney Thunder, with Voll finishing fifth overall in the runs charts with 330 at a strike rate of 144.73. Her breakout season was rewarded with selection in the WBBL Team of the Tournament.Voll looks set to open the batting alongside Phoebe Litchfield in a partnership that could foreshadow what lies ahead for Australia. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a fresh face in the side,” McGrath said of Voll. “There’s a lot of excitement. She’s been knocking down the door for a while. She’s more than ready to compete at this level.”India explore pace optionsIn-form King hoping to shrug off finger injuryAfter being benched throughout the T20 World Cup, legspinner Alana King bounced back with a standout WBBL season. She finished with the most wickets in the round-robin phase, taking 20 at an average of 13.30.But King injured the pinkie finger on her right bowling hand during Perth Scorchers’ final game of the season. She did take part in Australia’s training session on Tuesday in an encouraging development for King, who last played for Australia during the ODI series in Bangladesh earlier this year.King could be particularly relied upon when the series concludes on December 11 at the WACA. Relishing the surface’s renowned bounce, King has seemingly mastered the conditions and claimed 11 wickets at an average of just 8.37 in four WBBL matches there this season.”I’m not a tall person by any means, so having that extra bit of bounce has helped me get different modes of dismissals [at the WACA],” King told ESPNcricinfo earlier this month.Chetry as back-up keeper to GhoshGhosh has returned to the side after missing the home ODIs against New Zealand because she had to sit her board exams. Bhatia, who kept wicket against New Zealand, has been sidelined for this series due to a wrist injury, so Chetry will be the back-up wicketkeeper to Ghosh.Chetry has played four T20Is, all this year. In November, she was the second-highest run-getter in the domestic T20 Challenger Trophy with 231 runs at a strike rate of 154. She also scored 122 off 71, the only hundred in the competition. Chetry also has the experience of touring Australia, with India A side in August, though she didn’t leave a mark with the bat. In three white-ball games across formats, she accumulated 34, and made 2 and 47 in the four-day game.It should be noted that Chetry has been travelling with India’s white-ball squads on and off since July 2023, when she first earned her maiden call-up to the tour of Bangladesh.

رد أحد أعضاء مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، على حقيقة التقدم باستقالة جماعية بسبب الأزمات المالية الكبيرة التي يعاني منها النادي الأبيض في الفترة الأخيرة. 

وقال عضو الزمالك رافضًا ذكر اسمه في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “لا توجد أي نية لتقديم استقالة جماعية بسبب الأزمات المالية التي يعاني منها النادي في الفترة الأخيرة”. 

وأضاف: “نبحث عن حلول مادية من أجل الخروج من الوضع الحالي لنادي الزمالك، ومديونيات الزمالك وصلت إلى 2 مليار ونصف المليار جنيه وهذا رقم صعب للغاية على نادي الزمالك”. 

طالع.. خاص | بعد معالي وصلاح مصدق.. 4 لاعبين ينذرون الزمالك بفسخ العقد

وتابع: “استلمنا نادي الزمالك وبه مدينويات تصل إلى مليار ونصف جنيه، ولكن المجلس الحالي منذ توليه النادي قام بسداد 600 مليون جنيه”. 

وأردف: “أعضاء مجلس الزمالك بالكامل قاموا بالتبرع بأرقام كبيرة لمساعدة الزمالك، ولكن لا يوجد شخص عاقل سيدفع 2 مليار ونصف لسداد المديونيات”. 

وواصل: “لن نقدم استقالة جماعية ولو رأينا الشخص القادر على حل جميع الأزمات المالية سنتقم باستقالة جماعية ونسلمه زمام الأمور، ولكن هل نترك الزمالك في الوقت الحالي للغرق؟”.

واختتم تصريحاته قائلا: “نتواصل مع وزير الشباب والرياضة وكافة الجهات لبحث دعم نادي الزمالك ماديا لحل الأزمات التي نعاني منها”. 

The Houston Astros are set for a reunion with longtime shortstop Carlos Correa after they agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Twins to bring him back ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Correa is set to take over at third base in Houston to replace the injured Isaac Paredes, who will miss the rest of the season. The 30-year-old initially left the team after the 2021 season and spent the last four years in Minnesota, but will now to the place where his MLB career started.

Speaking with MLB.com, Correa explained why he opted to waive his no-trade clause for a homecoming with the Astros. He said that the current trajectory of the Twins, who don't figure to be contenders any time soon, wasn't a direction that aligned with what he wanted for his career, so the two sides agreed to find a trade.

"I let them know there was only one team I would allow that to happen," Correa said, via Brian McTaggart.

Correa played the first seven years of his career for the Astros, making two All-Star Games and winning the World Series in 2017. He's under contract through the 2028 season, making an average of $33.3 million per season, though the Twins are expected to take on some of his salary as part of the trade.

With the Astros making some big moves at the deadline, they brought back a franchise favorite in Correa, who made clear there was no other team he'd have been willing to be traded to.

Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz didn't step into the batter's box during the 2025 Home Run Derby, but he debatably was having the most fun of anyone at Truist Park in Atlanta.

He was downright giddy watching fellow Dominican star Oneil Cruz mash 21 homers—including a 513-foot bomb—during the first round Monday night. After Cruz's monster round wrapped up, he joined the ESPN broadcast desk and was asked about his interest about competing in the future.

"I would like to do it at some point," he said when asked if he's interested in participating in the Derby on ESPN. "Not now, but at some point I'd like to do it. … I think I can win this."

He declined an invite to this year's contest for the third straight year. He did tease that he fans may see him there in the future, though, mentioning "the time is coming." Although that time isn't this year, the fun he had watching Monday night's show may have given some extra motivation. And he definitely got to take some notes.

The third-year star has 56 career homers, including 18 this season. On the year, he's slashing .284/.359/.495 with 63 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in addition to the 18 long balls.

Who is Liverpool’s star forward? Is it still Mohamed Salah?

Only in May was the 33-year-old handed many individual awards to surmount his team triumph with Liverpool. For his defining role in Arne Slot’s triumphant debut campaign, Salah has put to rest any doubts that he is one of the greatest players in Premier League history.

But even Salah will one day retire, and his start to the 2025/26 campaign has brought to mind the concerns that he has passed his prime and is part of the problem Slot is wrestling with, Liverpool having lost three in a row this season and lacking any of the fluency and zip on show for most of last season.

Given that the Egyptian King signed a new two-year contract on Merseyside in April, it’s clear that he and FSG feel that this story is not yet over, but sporting director Richard Hughes has nonetheless added quality to Liverpool’s attacking ranks, with Alexander Isak the showpiece.

Why Liverpool signed Alexander Isak

For nine years, Liverpool have boasted Salah as their star goalscorer, but the record-breaking addition of Isak from Newcastle United on transfer deadline day underscores a shifting of the plates at Anfield. The balance of offensive power has swung.

Last season, Isak scored 27 goals across all competitions for Newcastle. He scored what proved the decisive second strike in a 2-1 win over Slot’s Reds at Wembley in March. It was there that he lifted the Carabao Cup.

Many attacking departures this summer led to FSG deciding to break the bank for a striker already established as one of the best in the business. Isak, now, will be expected to produce the goods over many years to spearhead a trophy-laden chapter.

Salah, Liverpool’s adopted son. But he’s getting old, and should he recover that same giddy level of 2024/25, it is sure to be a short-lived thing when viewed against the potential of some of his Liverpool teammates.

Like Isak. The Sweden international is 26 years old and fully settled into his Premier League career. Already, he has been described by pundit Ally McCoist as being “the best all-round centre-forward” in England.

However, he’s not Salah. Instead, Liverpool might find another within their ranks to look more like the natural replacement for the £400k-per-week superstar, albeit not quite positionally.

Slot's own Salah-type signing

When Salah first arrived at Liverpool, he arrived under scrutiny. Scroll through the archives and you will find plenty of criticism when Jurgen Klopp oversaw a £34m purchase of Roma winger Salah, formerly of Chelsea, where he failed to impress.

But nine years later, he is a Liverpool legend, having won more than his share of silverware and scored more than his share of goals.

With Salah now winding down, Hugo Ekitike could step up as the new version of the talisman, with some interesting parallels between the two.

Having joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer for an initial £69m fee, Liverpool felt they had signed one of the finest young forwards in the business. Indeed, talent scout Jacek Kulig said of the Frenchman during his days with Eintracht Frankfurt: “He could definitely reach world-class striker levels.”

But that’s a big some for a 23-year-old who had previously struggled at a big club. Before moving to Germany, Ekitike had swapped Reims in his homeland for the Paris Saint-Germain superpower, arriving in July 2022 for a €35m (about £30.5m) fee.

But, described as a “goal machine” by Liverpool correspondent David Lynch, Liverpool have landed themselves a far more complete and primed verison.

Four goals were all he scored in the French capital, having played 33 matches. This is somewhat similar to Salah’s return at Chelsea, posting two goals and three assists for the Blues before being sold to Roma.

Liverpool’s scouting team have long known their stuff, though, and Ekitike’s underlying data is a thing to behold. In fact, looking at his performance across the past year, it’s hard to distinguish the up-and-comer from the mighty Isak, which is a towering testament to his quality.

There’s not a lot to separate the two. Isak is the more refined and effective goalscorer, but Ekitike is more complete and aggressive when on the ball, and better with his head besides.

These are rare breeds of centre-forward, and Liverpool now have frontmen with the quality to take the reins from Salah over the next couple of years and lead Slot’s side to more glory. Isak is a product of several years of successful development in the Premier League, but Ekitike knows what it’s like to fall by the wayside at one of the continent’s biggest hitters, and he shares that with Salah.

With five goals and an assist across his first ten matches as a Liverpool striker, Ekitike has started life as a Red on strong footing. Salah did too, breaking the record for goals in a 38-game Premier League campaign when he first returned to English shores.

Whether Ekitike will quite achieve the same degree of success is debatable, to be sure, but the fact remains that Liverpool have pulled off some exceptional business this summer, and while FSG must turn toward identifying a successor on the right wing in the coming windows, Salah’s proverbial heir has been located and welcomed in the form of Ekitike.

He is set for the top.

Liverpool determined to sign Salah upgrade who's 'one of the world's best'

Liverpool’s up-and-down start to the season has caused FSG to glance at the transfer window.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 10, 2025

Celtic suffered another damaging defeat in the Scottish Premiership against Heart of Midlothian and Chris Sutton didn’t hold back when assessing their performance at Tynecastle.

Celtic fall eight points behind in Scottish Premiership title race

Continuing a run of poor domestic performances, Celtic endured a second-half collapse in Sunday’s pivotal top-two clash to slip eight points behind Heart of Midlothian in the title race.

After falling behind courtesy of a Dane Murray own goal, Callum McGregor’s equaliser proved to be of scant consolation to a travelling support who were left frustrated as Alexandros Kyziridis and Lawrence Shankland put the seal on a deserved three points for the hosts.

Brendan Rodgers found himself under pressure before kick-off in the capital, and his side succumbed to a second-half collapse that will do little to appease the masses as the Bhoys continued an uncharacteristic start to the campaign, where they have looked out of sorts.

Cameron Carter-Vickers led a lengthy list of Celtic injuries that didn’t help their case at Tynecastle. However, his replacement, Murray, didn’t have a day to remember and may well now be a candidate to come out of the team before Wednesday’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead.

Ultimately, Hearts sought control in the second 45 minutes and left the reigning champions with no answers, confirming back-to-back league defeats for the first time in almost two years.

Consistency levels at Celtic are usually sky high. Nevertheless, this term has been one of stark contrast, and fan fury at the hierarchy following a dismal summer transfer window will continue to make headlines.

Celtic’s next five fixtures under Brendan Rodgers

Falkirk (H)

Scottish Premiership

Rangers (N)

Premier Sports Cup

Midtjylland (A)

Europa League

Kilmarnock (H)

Scottish Premiership

St Mirren (A)

Scottish Premiership

Collectively, the Bhoys are falling way below expectation at the moment, and Sutton has now pointed out some of the key duties he believes they are simply failing to carry out.

Chris Sutton reacts to Celtic loss at Hearts

Taking to social media platform X after the final whistle, Sutton made clear that Hearts were far more streetwise, organised, and were far more productive in the forward areas, something he believes has been symptomatic of the clubs’ respective seasons.

The former Hoops striker believes that the team need to improve in those three aspects if they want to turn their season around to beat Hearts to the league title.

Making reference to the Irishman’s comments last week after Celtic fell to the hands of Dundee, all is not well at the Scottish champions and being eight points behind at this stage would’ve been unthinkable months ago, though Hearts have taken full advantage of their plight.

Undoubtedly, Derek McInnes and his side were all things that the Bhoys failed to produce at Tynecastle and have continued to generate momentum in an unbeaten start to the league season.

Rodgers could unearth his new Daizen Maeda in Celtic's rarely-seen "animal"

With Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Ịheanachọ injured for Sunday’s top of the table clash with Hearts, Brendan Rodgers should unleash Celtic’s “animal”.

Oct 25, 2025

Celtic need to react swiftly against Falkirk and start to chalk up results on a regular basis. If they don’t, scrutiny on the manager and the boardroom will reach new heights.