With the 2019/20 Premier League now just past its halfway point and a busy Christmas programme almost done, it’s time to hand out some imaginary mid-season awards.

Ireland’s Troy Parrott is set to make his Champions League debut this evening as Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho vows to give his fringe players a chance to impress against Bayern Munich.

Troy Parrott was handed his Premier League debut — and the match ball — by Jose Mourinho at the end of Tottenham’s 5-0 thrashing of Burnley, and could replace Harry Kane in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The result ended a run of three straight wins for Spurs in that time, and allowed United to move to sixth place.

Daniel Storey casts his over the Premier League's weekend action.

Jose Mourinho got a real taste of the size of the job he faces at Tottenham, and fans a taste of their new manager’s incredible influence, as his side came from 2-0 down to beat Olympiacos 4-2 in north London and reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

If José Mourinho did not appreciate the true meaning of the word Spursy before taking over, he surely does now after a topsy-turvy first home game in charge.

Mourinho starts as he means to go on at Tottenham...

Gerry Cox No, argues Gerry Cox

Mauricio Pochettino has left Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham, who travel to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, began the job of saving their season with an encouraging 5-0 Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade that answered Mauricio Pochettino’s prayers and provided genuine hope of a revival.

Daniel Storey with the main talking points from the weekend's Premier League action.

Spurs’ run to last season’s final was littered with great escapes and last-ditch turnarounds but their group stage this term looked like getting off to a winning start in Athens.

Tottenham’s pre-season preparations took an unusual turn in China as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela played against 100 local children.

There are two distinct types of difficult games to watch, depending on your preference.

So there was not to be one last comeback, another dramatic late goal to keep Tottenham in the cup, which did not have their name written on it after all.

Liverpool's final performance never hit the heights of earlier in the competition, but few Reds fans will care after an early Mo Salah penalty and late Divock Origi strike saw Tottenham beaten 2-0 in Saturday evening’s far from classico Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.

There was a cursory meeting of Arsenal and Tottenham supporters at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday morning, one side beating a retreat from Baku, the other en route to the Champions League final in Madrid.

Five questions that will decide tomorrow's final at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid.

A modest proposal: Uefa should now do the decent thing and cancel this year’s Champions League final.

Tottenham will play Liverpool in the Champions League final after a 3-2 semi-final second-leg win over Ajax gave Spurs an aggregate victory on away goals.

Football — bloody hell, as a Manchester manager once said after a Champions League match of the highest drama.

Daniel Storey maps Liverpool and Manchester City's path through the remaining games of the Premier League season.

Tottenham’s final season at White Hart Lane brought them 18 wins from 19 games, and their first time back on the same site, albeit refurbished to the tune of more than a billion euros, brought another victory, their first in six league games, and a return to third place in the Premier League.

The 24th change in top place in the Premier League did not come without the predictable healthy dose of nerve-shredding drama as Mohamed Salah’s 90th minute header forced Toby Alderweireld to turn the ball into his own goal, gifting Liverpool a sorely-needed victory.

England’s impressive start to Euro 2020 qualification continued with a first ever win in Montenegro, but the 5-1 victory was overshadowed by racist chanting.

The debate surrounding a succession of contentious decisions will prolong the fallout from the latest North London derby yet while Arsenal left Wembley Stadium convinced they would have been worthy recipients of all three points, it was Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur side who gained most from the stalemate.

Against Leicester City on Sunday, Manchester United produced their worst performance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s short stewardship.

Mauricio Pochettino maintains Tottenham’s priorities lie elsewhere but after suffering a second cup exit in four days, and weighed down by injuries to key players, the manager must confront mounting concerns the north London club’s season is in danger of unravelling.

Tottenham 0 Manchester United 1

As if Tottenham’s task in trying to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League is not hard enough, Mauricio Pochettino has to contend with an injury situation that means rookie right-back Kyle Walker-Peters will be thrown in against Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team-mates in the Nou Camp tonight.

Tottenham 2 PSV 1

Blame the pitch, perhaps, but what what should have been a Monday night cracker between two of the Premier League’s most exciting sides turned out to be something of a damp squib, writes Gerry Cox

When Spurs last visited Eindhoven, the home of the Phillips electrical empire, it was a low-wattage Uefa Cup game, when Juande Ramos was in charge of a Spurs side that included the likes of Steed Malbranque, Pascal Chimbonda, and Jamie O’Hara.

In Giroud’s absence, Morata floundered again.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said his side were not prepared to compromise on their ethos in order to make summer signings.

Mauricio Pochettino knows the only way to stop people focusing on Tottenham is to get back to winning ways.

Tottenham’s defeat at Inter on Tuesday, their third in succession, has prompted a wave of reactions from inside and outside the club, mostly negative, understandably, and many of the knee-jerk variety.

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It's back!

It may be meaningless to many, but the unloved third-place play-off match can produce significant ramifications.

“And does it mean anything more than that we have a very good team and an even better manager? Probably not, although I’d like to make the point – not for the first time – that there’s nothing wrong with Britain. It’s just the politicians who keep letting us down.”

Gareth Southgate has told England’s players to play without fear and grab their chance against Belgium as they may only get one shot at the World Cup.

Gareth Southgate is considering dropping Raheem Sterling against Panama, judging by a note spotted at England training.