Preview:
Nuno got the better of us in the away fixture, we really need a home win and reach that 40 points.
Fixture:
Monday 21st April, 20:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Nottingham Forest
Premier League
Available On:
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
Optus Sport
Hub Premier 1
Match Report to follow…
Preview:
Ange has been on borrowed time for what seems like an eternity, Thursday will be judgment day. And no, he won’t be back 🙂
Fixture:
Thursday 17th April, 20:00
Eintracht Frankfurt Vs Tottenham Hotspur
UEFA Europa League, Quarter-finals, 2nd Leg
Available On:
UK – TNT Sports 3
IRE – Premier Sports 2
Result: 0-1 (Agg 1-2)
D. Solanke (43′ pen)
Match Report:
Well, what a night! And I’m not just talking about the Spurs match, the Utd / Lyon match was a 9 goal thriller and Lazio / Bode went all the way to Penalties. But let’s talk about Tottenham. It may have been the quietest game of the night but all we care about is the result.
Apparently Opta stats gave us a 32% chance of winning that fixture and not too many would have argued against those odds to be fair. But even the bookies can get it wrong from time to time and it’s not the first time we’ve had to go away in the 2nd leg to pull it out of the bag!
Watching it on TV, a reporter spoke to Solanke after the game and described the result as a typical Ange Postcoglu performance. I have no idea what games that reporter has been watching this season but that was anything but a typical Ange performance. We got a clean sheet for starters, there were less mistakes playing out the back and instead more direct balls played out with a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach.
It wasn’t the best performance of the season, but what they did was done with composure and unity, never at any point did Spurs look panicked or fazed by the challenge ahead. And let’s be honest, for this Spurs team that was a pretty big challenge, to go away from home and get a result against a team whose 3rd in the Bundesliga. Sure at times we may have rode our luck, but that’s football, you can’t expect to dominate for 90 minutes. In the first leg Frankfurt very much rode their luck too so that evened out in any case.
The first half I thought we were the more likely team to score although there wasn’t a lot in it, but the timing of the goal changed the course of the evening. Frankfurt looked frustrated, they certainly didn’t look like a team who was 3rd in the league and playing at home. Spurs were getting it right without being over the top, they weren’t trying to play like Brazil, I would even say we were being more like an efficient Germany and it was frustrating the hell out of them!
In the first leg I was surprised at how much Frankfurt sat back and allowed us to play but I put that down to them scoring early and the fact that they were playing away with the knowledge of having home advantage in the 2nd leg. But the 2nd leg showed a similar type of performance from Frankfurt, they never really tried to press the Spurs defenders and this favoured us enormously.
In contrast to most Premiership fixtures, we always appeared to have time on the ball and this did us a favour. Our back four looked as good as they have all season and for the most part we maintained our shape without leaving those ridiculous holes. Sure there were a couple of times where just a single pass managed to expose our defence and Van de Ven did well to rescue those situations.
But as the game progressed we sat back and made them work for it. Frankfurt struggled to find the answers although had Kristensen been in better form it could have been a different story. Losing Maddison so early in the game (hope he’s made a good recovery) was a concern but the return of Kulusevski is huge for Spurs. We have missed Kulu so much in the last month and as good as Madders is, we look better when we have the two of them.
As for the goal all credit to the bravery of Madders, I’m sure he knew what was coming but he didnt back out, he took one for the team and there was never any question for me, it was a definite pen. I was a bit nervous when I saw Tel pick up the ball. I know Tel scored his last one but I wasn’t overly convinced by it. But it was Solanke who got the nod and a man who hasn’t scored in god knows how many games was also a worrying thought. Fair play to Solanke, for a man who was suffering a proper goal drought he never showed any nerves and took it like a pro.
It appeared we got it right on the night and we all knew what it meant. In Anges words, “So, unfortunately for a lot of you, you’re going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer.”
If we were told we would be playing a Norwegian club in the semis to reach another European final, the truth is we would have snapped at it. Of course, you should never take any team for granted, especially in a European semi final, but the fact is, it’s a good draw! And I will leave it there:) COYS!!!!!
Entertainment Value: 9 / 10
Of course I am biased but you can’t beat a European night like that and whilst it may have lacked goals, I was on the edge of my seat all night!
Standout Players:
Madders deserves a mention for his bravery but this night was all about the defensive display and Romero and Van de Ven were both outstanding.
Ok let’s have a bit of fun, we need a distraction! We have been undergoing a major squad rebuild these last few seasons which we all know was long overdue after several extremely poor signings to say the least.
A full reset was required, so after a couple of seasons of Ange Postecoglou in charge how does our best 11 square up against one of our best teams over the last 20 years under Levy, of course I am talking about the Mauricio Pochettino era.
As Tottenham finished 2nd in the 2016–17 campaign I will take the best 11 from that season. I know we made it to the UEFA Champions League final in 2019 but in my opinion we were well on the decline by then with Pochettino being starved of reinforcements.
So lets do it, the Poch 11 Vs Ange 11
Goalkeeper
Starting in goal we have Hugo Lloris versus Guglielmo Vicario. Both goalies are pretty good shot stoppers but Vicario is slightly better at playing the ball out. I don’t think Vicario is great with his ball distribution but Lloris was pretty awful at it too and really had 2 left feet, he just never looked comfortable with the ball at his feet. However Lloris was more confident in the air and dealt with those high balls better and for that reason I have to go for Lloris. You cannot have a goalkeeper that does not know how to handle corners at this level.
Poch 1 – Ange 0
Full Backs
Moving onto the full backs we had Kyle Walker and Danny Rose as first choice back in 2016 against the current Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie. Walker versus Porro is a tough one because although Walker was extremely strong and fast in his defensive role, there’s no doubt Porro offers more going forward with way more assists to his name. They are different types of full backs it has to be said but I am going to go for Walker as ultimately a full backs defensive role takes precedence and Porro gets caught out of position way too often.
On the other side we have Rose versus Udogie and whilst Rose will forever be remembered for that wonder goal against Arsenal on his debut back in 2010, I don’t think he ever really materialised into a world class full back that we hoped. Udogie had a pretty impressive first season adapting to the English game but injuries have hampered his progress this season and we haven’t seen the best of him in recent months. Another difficult one but I am going to go for Udogie based on the potential I have seen from him so far.
Poch 2 – Ange 1
Centre Halves
If the full backs were a close call these centre halves may even be tougher, we are talking about a world class Belgian pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen against world cup winner Cristian Romero with the lightning Micky van de Ven. I was a big fan of Alderweireld, defensively he was pretty solid and he wasn’t immune to a few decent balls forward to help out with the assists. Vertonghen was pretty dependable too and wasn’t afraid to bomb down the left wing if given the chance. He was named the club’s Player of the Year in 2018 which sums up his importance in this team. However Alderweireld and Vertonghen were very fortunate to have a strong holding midfielder in front protecting them from that first wave of attack.
Romero always shows that passion and aggression you want to see from your players and commits himself in everything he does. Sometimes a little too much perhaps but that is his nature. His main weakness is probably his awareness in the box which has cost us more than once. Van de Ven has been fantastic since joining us and his ability to recover is hugely important in Anges team. He’s another player that has been plagued with injuries over the last 2 seasons and this is becoming a concern. A tough choice to make but I am going for Alderweireld and Van de Ven so that’s one each!
Poch 3 – Ange 2
Midfield
Moving into midfield I will select Mousa Dembélé, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli against the current Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Starting with the holding midfielder we have Dembele and Bentancur who both have the responsibility of protecting that defence. In my opinion it’s a role that is undervalued at times and is quite often a position that is about what a player does without the ball as much as he does with it.
In terms of strength and defensive ability Dembele proved to be a top player and deserves a lot of credit for that Spurs team setting a new defensive record for the club in 2016-17, conceding fewer than 30 goals in a league campaign for the first time. My biggest criticism of Dembele at the time was how few goals he scored because I knew how good he was, but it was his self discipline in that holding position that allowed the other players to flourish. It wasn’t until he left I realised just how much we needed him! Bentancur has now taken over that responsibility in midfield but in all fairness it is a much more difficult task now with such an open style of play. Nevertheless he has proven to be our most reliable holding midfielder and has done well to overcome several injuries.
So let’s look at the creative midfielders with Eriksen and Maddison. Eriksen, twice named the club’s Player of the Year, scoring over 50 goals and 60 assists it’s fair to say Eriksen was always a threat around the opponent’s box and our most creative midfielder at the time. I don’t think we’ve had another set piece specialist like him since he left and it’s something we have missed, although I don’t miss his corners lol. On the other hand Maddison has already notched up 15 goals for us over 2 seasons and 19 assists. Whilst Maddison has largely taken over that role as set piece specialist I don’t think he is on the same level as Eriksen in that department but at least his corners are better! If Mads can stay fit he can be an important player for us as was Eriksen in his day.
In our final midfield position we have Dele Alli and Kulusevski and let’s face it, they are both exciting players to watch when they are flowing. Dele Alli was unpredictable and could produce moments of class but his overall contribution in a game was questionable at times. In contrast Kulusevski is a real workhorse working tirelessly for the team. His forward dribbles and intricate passing around the opponents box always make him one of our most dangerous threats. A year ago I was questioning why we even made Kulusevski’s signing a permanent one but he has been outstanding this season. Some tough choices to make there but Dembele gets in without question and alongside him can go Eriksen and Kulusevski.
Poch 5 – Ange 3
Forwards
As I have decided to stick with a 4-3-3 for both teams I will have to go for Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min down the wings with Harry Kane up front of course. In our current side we have Brennan Johnson, Son again (the only remaining player from 2016) and Dominic Solanke down the middle.
When Lamela joined he was the most expensive player in the club’s history and exciting things were expected! There was no question of the man’s talent and had it not been for a horrific injury list I am sure he would have played a lot more games. Nevertheless he certainly offered exciting moments and one of my favourites was the rabona-style strike from outside the area in the Europa League. And we all remember the one against Arsenal:)
Against Lamela we have Brennan Johnson, our current top scorer in all competitions. Johnson is not the type of exciting player that you would ever expect to see a rabona but he has developed the ability to get into the box and score goals and that’s always an important asset. I still think he needs to develop other parts of his game but he’s young so you never know.
On the other flank we have Poch Son versus Ange Son and I think we all know the answer to that one. The guy is 32 years of age now yet he’s probably played more minutes this season than most in the Spurs squad. Despite this we miss the Son of old with his electric turn of pace and clinical finishing. When Son of old went one on one with the goalie there was never any doubt but in the last couple of seasons Son has lacked that confidence.
In centre forward we have Kane against Solanke so lets be honest, Solanke does not stand a chance. Solanke has done well since coming in and works hard for the team but Kane was a class above. Not only was he absolutely clinical in front of goal like any top striker should be, but he was able to turn provider and was one of the reasons Son flourished alongside. So, my three front men have to be Lamela, Poch Son and Kane which gives Poch a clean sweep up front, sorry Ange!
Final Score: Poch 8 – Ange 3
Summary
There you have it, it’s official and not biased in the slightest! The Poch team has 8 players to Anges 3 with only Udogie, Van de Ven and Kulusevski worthy of getting into that 2016–17 team. I am sure plenty will disagree with that scoring and even the player selection but the point of this exercise was to see how far we have come in the last 8 years since going as close as we ever have to a Premier league title. I am not convinced we have moved in a good direction with too many of the current players resembling athletes with hamstring issues rather than actual footballers.
Preview:
Wolves have won 3 from 5 but they are on the hunt for more points as they aim to seal Premier league survival.
Fixture:
Sunday 13th April, 14:00
Wolverhampton Wanderers Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Available On:
Hub Premier 4
Optus Sport
Peacock Premium
Sky Sport 9 NZ
Result: 4-2
R. Aït-Nouri (2′)
D. Spence (38′ og)
M. Tel (59′)
J. Strand Larsen (64′)
Richarlison (85′)
Matheus Cunha (86′)
Match Report:
Spurs made 6 changes from Thursdays game and the biggest concern was the midfield pairing of Bissouma and Sarr.
So it didn’t really come as a surprise when Sarr decided to concede a foul in only the second minute just for giggles on the edge of our own box. Vicario then fluffs his lines, one nil to wolves. Vicarios performance looked to be going from bad to worse when he decides to hand the ball straight to the Wolves forward who somehow misses an open goal.
Maddison may have felt unfortunate not to get a penalty after ex Spurs defender Mat Doherty pushes him in the back after Mads gets goal side of him. Nothing from VAR as two hands in the back not deemed clear and obvious. Brennan Johnson had the best of Spurs first half chances when Romero feeds the ball into the box for Johnson to turn and shoot but like Thursdays game his attempt goes high over the bar.
Moments later Gray stands off his man giving him far too much space and allows the cross in to the box which Vicario again struggles with, this time palming the ball straight into an unexpected Spence and into his own net. Two nil to Wolves.
Changes were required at half time and much improvements but if Man city can reply with 5 goals against Palace, how many could Spurs reply with?
The second half starts without any subs made but 10 minutes into the half Ange makes the inevitable changes as Bissouma and Sarr come off for Bergvall and Bentancur. It’s safe to say those two do not have a future at Spurs come end of the season. Moments later Bergvall makes a nice run forward and passes through for Johnson to make a first time cross. The Wolves defender at the far post fails to clear and even though Tel knows nothing about it, the ball hits him and finds the net. A stroke of luck but 2-1 it is.
Any hopes of a comeback lasted just five minutes though as the Spurs defence goes awol, first Romero and then Spence completely switches off and allows Wolves an easy tap in to make it 3-1 to Wolves. With Spurs struggling two more changes are made with Kulusevski and Richarlison both returning from injury. Richi looked like he hadn’t kicked a ball in five years never mind five weeks but thankfully the ball fell to his head with a chance even he couldn’t miss.
It’s now 3-2 with five minutes remaining, could it be an exciting finale? No of course not, a minute after scoring Bergvall gives up possession needlessly in midfield and with an absent defence Wolves make it a comfortable 4-2 victory.
I think we’ve seen enough!
It’s another shambles and to be honest too many of these players just don’t look interested. It may be a fixture with little to play for but today showed appalling attitude from the players. Just because they had a midweek game is no excuse, yet we are seeing it too many times this season.
Post match Ange Postecoglou defended his players in what must be Aussie humour saying: “The goals weren’t lapses or anything, they were individual errors, which is unusual for us to give goals away like that.”
Unusual! Really mate?
If that didn’t make you laugh then his next comment will, “I thought we played pretty well but conceded some pretty poor goals.”
If that was us playing well I wouldn’t like to see us on an off day!
It’s incredible to believe Spurs have scored the third most goals in the Premier league this season despite all there injuries but most of all considering how poor our front line is. It just goes to show stats really don’t tell the whole story do they.
Entertainment Value: 6 / 10
Despite a 6 goal match I cant say I ever felt entertained with the performance lacking in any quality. Wolves were not much better yet they managed to score 4 past us. That says it all!
Standout Players: Obviously very difficult to hand out any praise to this poor performance but if any one deserves credit I would have to go give it to Tel. He was the only player out there that looked like he had a point to prove, maybe he wasn’t the best but at least the effort was there from him.
Spurs T-Shirt: Ange will fix it!
Ange Postecoglou needs a big push from his players with Euro glory hanging in the balance and the Premier league table looking pretty bleak.
Preview:
It may be 2 legs but how will this Spurs team handle a top European side? Will they handle the pressure? Do they have the quality?
Fixture:
Thursday 10th April, 20:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Eintracht Frankfurt
UEFA Europa League, Quarter-finals, 1st Leg
Available On:
UK – TNT Sports 3
IRE – Premier Sports 2
Result: 1-1
H. Ekitiké (6′)
Pedro Porro (26′)
Match Report:
Quarter final fixtures in Europe bring back memories of that special night against Man City and of course I couldn’t help but dare to dream again!
That dream was nearly over though as quick as it began when Ekitiké exposed appalling marking in just the 6th minute. In all fairness it was a lovely finish showing calm and composure that you would want to see from your own striker around the box. Vicario didn’t really stand a chance and it looked like Spurs were going to have to do this the hard way.
I have to say I feared the worst and thought we could be heading for a humiliating evening so I was surprised to see Frankfurt take there step off the gas a little and allow Spurs a chance to regroup. Spurs were growing into the game without being spectacular but the equaliser certainly showed a bit of class. It was a lovely worked goal after some quick feet in the box from Maddison to set up Pedro Porro who somehow manages to flick it towards goal catching the goalie unaware.
Going in at the break all square felt like a result with Spurs still not finding top gear. But the second half was a different show, whatever was said in the changing room seemed to wake them up and the chances began to flow.
Bergvall’s shot hit the bar and Bentancur was denied a couple of headers from corners. Romero too pushed forward and it was nice to see Spurs on the front foot looking for that winner. One of the best chances fell to Johnson after good work from Solanke but he was unable to keep his shot down as it flew high over the bar. Van der Ven then looked to have sealed it late on with another header only for the goalie to save again.
Incredibly neither team could break the deadlock which means we go into the second leg level on goals and all to play for. It’s setup for another magical night in Europe and the dream goes on 🙂 COYS!
Entertainment Value: 8 / 10
I’m being generous again but let’s face it we’ve been starved of entertainment this season so will take what I can get!
Standout Players: Frankfurt’s goalie Kauã Santos probably deserved man of the match but for Spurs I’m going for Bergvall. He worked hard throughout the game with box to box play and was unfortunate not to score with a fabulous long range effort.
Spurs Online: Quiz no3
This quiz covers the last 2 Spurs games, including the defeat to Chelsea and victory over Southampton.
……………….
QUIZ ANSWERS:
1. a – Son
2. b – 438 passes
3. c – I wanted to hear the fans celebrate
4. a – 4-5 minutes
5. c – Odobert
6. b – 3 touches
Guess the Ball – No.3
Brennan Johnson scores a brace and Tel scores from the Spot to round off a comfortable victory, but can you ‘Guess the Ball’?
Preview:
If we don’t beat Southampton at home I don’t care about Europe, he has to go ffs.
Fixture:
Sunday 6th April, 14:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Southampton
Premier League
Available On:
Hub Premier 4
Optus Sport
Sky Sport 5 NZ
Result: 3-1
B. Johnson (13′, 42′)
Mateus Fernandes (90′)
M. Tel (90’+6 pen)
Match Report:
The day started most importantly with renewed protests outside the stadium, organised by Change for Tottenham and this perhaps set the mood for the day.
But it was an even more momentous day for the Southampton fans as Spurs sealed their fate to the Championship following this comfortable 3-1 win. Comfortable! Not often we say that in the same sentence as Spurs but even for a struggling Spurs side that is low on confidence this was really as easy as it gets.
Johnson tapped in early from a Spence cross in the 13th minute and despite a disallowed goal Spurs still went in at the break 2 goals up. Of course the Spurs tempo fell off in typical fashion in the second half as they seemed quite content to hold onto there lead. Not even a 90th minute goal from Southampton though could cause a wobble this time round and instead Spurs replied well with a late penalty and rare goal for Tel.
Whilst the performance was nothing spectacular and the opposition far from competitive it was an important win nonetheless. Not only does this victory stop the rot but it prepares them well for the biggest game of the season so far.
With that European fixture just 4 days away Ange chose to make only the 2 changes from the defeat at Chelsea and that was probably a wise move as this team searches not only points but also some vital momentum in these final stages of the season.
Porro came in at the back and Spence moved over to the left, in place of Udogie who has struggled for form since his return from injury. It didn’t bother Spence which side he played as he provided that early cross for his third assist of the season.
In the front line Odobert was replaced by Johnson who scored a brace so that worked out pretty well too. Like many fans I’m still not convinced by Johnson as a winger but he’s certainly showing Solanke where the net is. Johnson has now netted 16 goals this season and is the clubs top scorer!
If you look at the stats you wouldn’t think there was much in it but Spurs were the more clinical side on the day with Southampton lacking in quality. The stats show a 50/50 possession, 13 to 12 shots and 25 to 24 touches inside the box. But then if you looked at the Chelsea v Spurs stats you may be fooled there too.
On a final note, Ange sets another record today, sending a team down to the Championship as the earliest relegation in Premier League history. Well done Ange, at least it wasn’t us!
Entertainment Value: 7 / 10
Probably being generous there, 2nd half was boring but at least we got a few goals in the match!
Standout Players: I will give it to Johnson as he was involved in all 3 goals so credit where credits due.
A new manager through Tottenhams doors is imminent but what kind of manager can we expect?
What kind of manager would be willing to degrade themselves?
What kind of manager would turn a blind eye to the clubs lack of ambition on the pitch?
Levy’s reputation in the football world has never been great but in the last five years he has achieved new lows.
First he sacked a manager who took us to the champions league final and only fell short of a premier league title due to the clubs lack of support in the transfer market.
Second, he fired one of the most successful managers in modern football a week before the cup final that would have ended Spurs trophy drought. A manager who had NEVER failed to win a trophy at a club before or since Spurs.
Third, Levy shamelessly fires a man after only 17 games, despite being awarded manager of the month in his first month in charge. He was told he was no longer required simply because Levy thought he had a better option available.
Fourth, we have another proven manager in top flight football fired after just 16 months because Levy doesn’t like to hear some hard truths about the clubs lack of ambition and weak mentality. Another manager that has moved on and continued his success.
Despite boasting a state of the art 60,000 plus stadium, Levy’s actions have left us desperate and rejected by both managers and players around the world. After multiple rejections Levy was forced to appoint an unproven manager in top flight football and even made outrageous claims we had our Tottenham back. What Tottenham he is talking about I don’t know but it proved to be a gamble that seriously backfired. It has been such a disaster that this unproven manager is likely to go down in history as our worse manager ever.
Yet it is Levy who needs to stand up and be held accountable for this shambolic series of mistakes.
When will Levy step down as chairman? When will we really get our Tottenham back?
The lies and betrayals must end. Only with new club management can we restore our reputation in the world of football. Only then can we move forward and let the last 25 years be an important lesson. Whatever side projects a club ownership may want to peruse, football should always remain the priority at the club as ultimately that is the industry they are in. That is what the fans pay for, that is what the fans expect to get first and foremost.
Daniel Levy is too stubborn to resign, he is going to need a push there’s no doubt about it but the board is clearly too weak and Levy’s grip too strong.
That is why we need the protests organised by Change for Tottenham to mount the pressure on Tottenham’s hierarchy and let them know changes in the club are essential.
Whether Levy likes it or not he has failed to deliver what Spurs fans want (what any fans want) and he will go down as one of the worst chairmen that English football has seen. Congrats!
Time for change!
