Football news - The Warm-Up: Expectation management consuming Tottenham

Tottenham are in an injury-based pickle. They have lost two of their most important players. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

A tough gig, that.

Now - a public service reminder - Manchester United won the Champions League with a midfield that consisted of not Paul Scholes or Roy Keane but David Beckham and Nicky Butt - now that is, excuse the hyperbole, a genuine personnel crisis.

Yet, United won. They won, in this observer's opinion, because they had belief. A belief instilled by a manager who had instilled a siege mentality. United against the world. It worked.

At Tottenham, Mourinho has instilled a blame mentality; blame anything but the processes he has instilled the club. It is never his fault. Or the players. That is a problem. There is never accountability.

Mourinho, you are not the Warm-Up's pal, but maaaaaate, Daniel Levy dropped you 15 - fifteen of the Queen's finest - million jib to sort out issues such as having no strikers but, yet, yet, yet, you seem to be bemoaning having no strikers. Literally, pal, it is your job to sort that.

And, in fact, bemoaning having no strikers is setting the tone. It is no one's fault. Spurs lost? Yea, it is having no strikers fault. Behave. That is no excuse. Wind it in.

The Warm-Up is not going to lie. It spent all the weekend - is the winter break over yet? - watching Lethal Weapon - Riggs and Murtaugh are top lads. Decent series that. No messing about.

However, it has been confirmed that Arsenal are now officially good at football again. Really.

Mikel Arteta has put together a side who kick a ball forward and look tidy, which is more than Unai Emery can say for himself so Arsenal are good at football again.

Well done.

They beat Everton 3-2 on the weekend.

Well done.

Now, as things work, Lionel Messi is back being good at football - having scored four goals against Eibar - and Eden Hazard succumbed to injury in Real Madrid's defeat to Levante.

They are the rules.

Bruno Fernandes was excellent at football in Portugal...

...Bruno Fernandes remains excellent at football in England.

End statement.

WHAT. ON. EARTH.

Decent little move, that.

No more Shoot Out, alas.

However, Liverpool are going to shoo the living daylights out of West Ham.

Happy days, as long as you do not support West Ham.