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.
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.
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.
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.
Preview:
Chelsea is up next and they are showing exactly how a rebuild is done. You see Levy, it doesn’t have to take 25 years!
Fixture:
Thursday 3rd April, 20:00
Chelsea Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Available On:
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
Optus Sport
Result: 1-0
E. Fernández (50′)
Match Report:
With just a single win at Stamford Bridge in our last 40 attempts, of course the focus was never going to be on the result but rather the level of performance.
Could Ange turn this team around? Are the players still behind Ange? Are the fans still backing Ange ball?
Well as most would have predicted (no prizes there) it was another under par performance with a 1-0 defeat that perhaps deceives the eye. The difference in class was clear to see and at the end of the game a 1 nil defeat actually felt like a bit of a result for us!
Looking at the lineup it was about as good as we could have hoped for in all fairness, with the only missing player worth noting being Kulusevski. Besides him this was Spurs at full strength, yet Spurs were nowhere near the levels of Chelsea. Chelsea are by no means the finished article right now and have been struggling for form themselves as of late, but top teams know how to grind out results.
The fact is the Tottenham players were doing their best, but too many of these players are just not in the same league as the top teams and that coupled with questionable tactics, means players are being found out week in week out. Until we have a chairman that is willing to invest in top class players we cannot expect any more of our team, this is what Levy has brought us to because he simply does not understand football and is more concerned about his spreadsheets and profit margins.
Tottenham have been heading in the wrong direction for some time and it has to be said these problems started well before Ange Postecoglou came onto the scene. The problems were already visible when Mauricio Pochettino was at the club when the team was neglected for the new stadium build. It’s been a steady decline since and not even world class coaches like Mouruhno and Conte could stop the rot, so what chance does Ange have with no experience of top flight football?
Fans may be distracted with the hope of glory in Europe this year and may feel Premier league results are irrelevant now with nothing to play for. This may be true but what is more important is this set of players discover their form and get some momentum going. Form is not something you can just turn on when you feel like it, it comes from putting a string of decent results together, gaining confidence and that feeling of invincibility. It is fair to say Spurs have not had this feeling for quite some time. Since Ange took over Spurs have won 36 of his 73 games in charge with just a 49 per cent win percentage.
So, how bad is it?
Entertainment Value: 6 / 10
Based on Chelsea’s performance as Spurs were crap.
Standout Players: It is hard to pick out players at the moment, no player really deserves a special mention so I will have to give it to young Mikey Moore (un used Sub), nice to see him back in the squad 🙂
Preview:
With nothing to play for in the league I expect rotation and hope for opportunities for the youngsters.
Fixture:
Sunday 16th March, 13:30
Fulham Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Available On:
Astro Premier League 2
Hub Premier 3
Optus Sport
Sky Sport 3 NZ
Result: 2-0
Rodrigo Muniz (78′)
R. Sessegnon (88′)
Match Report:
I don’t care what you say, only in ‘Ange World’ does a midfield of Bentancur, Bissouma and Gray make any sense. Gray has waited patiently all season for this opportunity and that’s his reward, being teamed up with those two numpties.
There was a time when we only got to see our 2nd string of players in Uefa cup matches, now it has reversed and we get to see them in the Premier league fixtures instead which tells you everything you need to know about our dire league position this season.
Once again we start with Mads and Bergvall on the bench in Kulus absence and once again it doesn’t work, surprise surprise! Of course the result hardly matters and we shouldn’t criticise him for squad rotation after everything that’s happened to the players this season. But I don’t think there’s any excuse for not playing a single creative midfielder, that’s just fu$%ing stupid!
Sure at half time Ange makes changes but when you start with such a lacklustre lineup you are chasing the game from the start. We went out with a negative team setup and consequently we got what we deserved from the game.
Was we unlucky with the penalty claim on the Bergvall tackle? Maybe we had a claim but didn’t Fulham have a claim in the first half?
Was it fate Sessegnon came on and scored Fulham’s second to seal the game? When we are relying on players like Davies in the back four you’re always going to concede sooner or later and let’s be honest, it was poor from Davies!
Clearly Van de Ven still isn’t 100% fit so I suspect we won’t be seeing him on the pitch again for another month! But what was more disappointing was the absence of young Mikey Moore who didn’t even make it on the bench. I don’t know if he was unavailable, maybe he had homework, I don’t know and am too fed up to even do my research.
But I would like to see these remaining Premier league games used to rotate the young players and continue the development of players like Moore because at the end of the day, it’s all about next season now and how much experience these players can gain between now and then.
Does Ange care about next season? I am guessing not, I expect he knows he’s got very slim chance of being at Spurs next season.
The commentary said the Spurs players looked jaded after Thursdays midweek game, yet only 3 of those outfield players had started In Thursdays game. The pundits may easily be fooled but the supporters know better. This wasn’t a jaded performance, this was just another sub par performance that was of no surprise to any of us.
Ange has been a very lucky boy this season, had it not been for ALL the injuries he wouldn’t be in a job still, I am sure of that! But his luck is running out and so are his excuses…what have we had so far…
I’ve had enough, bring back Ossie!
Entertainment Value: 4/10
Standout Players: No one stood out in this poor game but Romero was probably the key difference, once he left the pitch Fulham found space to score 2 goals (both from Romero’s side).
Preview:
We have said it before but it feels like another “do or die” game for Ange.
Fixture:
Thursday 13th March, 20:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs AZ (Agg 0-1)
UEFA Europa League – Last 16 (second Leg)
Available On:
UK TV – TNT Sports 3
IRE – Premier Sports 2
Result: 3-1 (Agg 3-2)
W. Odobert (26′, 74′)
J. Maddison (48′)
P. Koopmeiners (63′)
Match Report:
I think Ange must have 9 lives or something as once again he survives another must win game. True it was only against 6th placed AZ at the end of the day, not exactly a great achievement, but for this Spurs team any victory feels like a hard fought struggle.
Despite boasting 60% possession and managing 17 shots, Spurs only had 4 shots on target so it was a relief to see 3 of them go in! With the return of the centre back partnership of Romero and Van de Ven the team looked more balanced at the back with VDV bringing the ball out confidently on multiple occasions. It wasn’t until we saw VDV substituted in the 2nd half did things begin to go a little wayward. Nevertheless we weathered a mini storm from AZ and replied well with that vital 3rd goal.
For much of the game we dominated in possession without being spectacular and when we did push forward to attack, early chances were either wasted from Sons solo efforts or they hit a red wall with a lack of movement in the final third.
However whilst we may have been fortunate with the opening goal which rebounded off Son to Solanke, the 2nd and 3rd goals certainly had more class with the 3rd goal in particular starting at the back and finishing with an easy tap in from Odobert. Son, when he was able to resist the temptation to wastefully shoot, was actually involved in all 3 goals and Solanke too played a great part in 2 goals with a lovely flick on (yes I believe he meant it) for Odobert’s winning goal.
All in all it was a job well done, we’re in the Quarters!
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Standout Players: Van de Ven gives us another dimension at the back and Bergvall is developing every week, but we shouldn’t get carried away with him just yet.
Preview:
They were the words of Ange following the defeat to AZ. If that’s the case we may as well give Bournemouth the points now!
Fixture:
Sunday 9th March, 14:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs AFC Bournemouth
Premier League
Available On:
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
Astro Premier League 2
Bein Sports English 1
Optus Sport
Peacock Premium
SuperSport Premier League
Result: 2-2
M. Tavernier (42′)
Evanilson (65′)
P. Sarr (67′)
Son Heung-Min (84′ pen)
Match Report:
When you look at the lineup you know 2 things straight off.
With most players available for selection now we have quickly shifted from the excuse of injuries to “it’s where we are”. Yes mate, unfortunately we can all see where we are!
So kick off began:
20 Seconds…
It took Bournemouth all of about 20 seconds to see where we are, when Romero passed the ball straight to Evanilson and Vicario was forced into action pulling off a great save.
4th minute…
Just a few minutes later Bissouma loses possession in front of goal and Vicario pulls off a double save this time to keep the score level.
6th minute…
It’s not until the 6th minute when Spurs manage something half decent themselves as Spence plays a nice through pass for Odobert who has all the time to put a decent ball into the box. Unfortunately that’s as far as it gets!
14th minute…
When Johnson breaks away down the wing in the 14th minute there looks to be a real chance for Spurs as he uses his pace to get past his man. With no one in the box to fire in a cross Johnson tries to cut in and beat his man again on the inside but it all goes horribly wrong. Perhaps that’s why we never see him try this normally!
17th minute…
Johnson releases Porro who puts in the cross but it goes to the goalkeeper who parries it away and now a Bournemouth counter is on. Within moments Bournemouth were on the half way line with 3 against 3! With one quick pass that quickly materialises to Romero finding himself up against 2 men to defend. Romero does pretty much all he can do and brings down Kluivert on the edge of the box to stop the attack.
19th minute…
We lose possession on the half way line but this is only the start of more comical defending. When the ball goes all the way through to Vicario there looks to be no problem, right? Haha, in typical Angeball style, Vicario goes short to Romero which looks fine at first. Romero, with all the time in the world, decides to pass straight back to Vicario. Yes I Know, it makes no sense. Now Vicario is under pressure for absolutely no reason at all other than stupidity. Vicario just manages to scramble the ball away before being dispatched and now Bournemouth are on the attack again!
20th minute…
Spurs do manage to go on the counter themselves though with Bentancur breaking away. He brings the ball into the Bournemouth half and has Johnson and Porro available to him. Johnson cuts in and Porro goes on the overlap leaving a simple through pass for Bentancur to make. He fails to find anyone with the pass!
41st minute…
Spurs find themselves with all the space and time on the half way line and Porro has options ahead of him with 3 white shirts providing Spurs with opportunity to make a decent attack. Instead Porro passes direct to Bournemouth’s full back who now has all the space he needs to attack himself. With Porro out of position he is able to run down the wing unchallenged and by the time Porro gets anywhere near him he is already in a position to look for the cross. The cross is absolutely inch perfect, beating Danso and Spence. It’s a great cross and a nice finish from Tavernier.
1 nil to Bournemouth!
44th minute…
But if things couldn’t get more comical one of my favourite moments was when Bissouma picks up the ball in Bournemouth’s half but his first time touch is so poor he somehow dribbles the wrong way with the ball, back to his own half. Eventually losing possession on the half way line he is forced to bring down the Bournemouth player to stop yet another self inflicted Bournemouth attack. Bissouma receives a yellow card for his efforts. For this I am awarding Bissouma with “funniest moment of the match”! Well done mate.
HALF TIME…
Ange makes 2 changes with Bergvall and Son replacing Bissouma and Johnson. Bissouma was having a stinker of a game and I would say he looks like a player that has lost interest in either playing for Ange or playing for Spurs altogether.
Something I have also noticed about Anges peculiar team selections is the fact that he has picked on more than one occasion Bergvall and Maddison to play together in an away fixture, when I would expect us to start with a more reserved midfield. He did this against AZ and I even recall him doing it against Galatasaray back in November when Bergvall had next to no experience. We lost that game course.
Yet here we are in a home fixture against Bournemouth and with Kulu out injured, we find both Mads and Bergvall starting on the bench. Make sense of that if you can! I don’t understand how a midfield consisting of Bentancur, Bissouma and Sarr makes any sense at all for a home game when we have those 2 players available for selection.
51st minute…
Bournemouth go on the attack again and Kluivert has miles of space to run into, he puts it away with ease. But the linesman’s flag goes up and there is an offside at the start of the play. We’ll take it! We are at home to Bournemouth and we are hanging in lol.
54th minute…
Now it’s Spurs turn to form an attack and Bentancur finds Sarr who moves it quickly onto Sonny. In this position you know there’s only one thing on Sons mind and that’s curl it into the far corner. He makes some space to get the shot away and it looks close! It brushes the post and it’s just wide.
61st minute…
After an hour of play I was beginning to think another 1 nil defeat would be a good result for us here. After all this is where we are! Not even the introduction of VDV and Mads gave me any optimism for a better result. But with Mads and Bergvall both on the pitch the midfield was beginning to resemble a midfield at least.
63rd minute…
Mads and Bergvall link up with Spence and Sonny down the left flank, Mads makes a nice one-two into the box. Sarr comes into the box late and is wide open for the shot, he looks certain to score. Unfortunately the shot that followed resembled something I would expect to see at your local pub team. He completely scuffs his shot and the ball goes a mile wide.
65th minute…
Moments later Bournemouth are on the attack again and an easy pass through releases Evanilson who calmly slots it away with a chip over Vicario. This time the linesman’s flag stays down.
It’s 2 nil to Bournemouth!
66th minute…
When Son lays it across to Bergvall there doesn’t appear to be much on and that’s maybe what Bergvall was thinking because he cracks it from 30 yards catching everyone off guard. The goalie looks beat, but it rattles the post! Fabulous effort though.
67th minute…
When Sarr picks up the ball on the half way line we have 3 white shirts going forward with him. A through pass to Odobert looks the obvious choice but instead he decides to cross it into the box with only Solanke in the box! Incredibly, the cross is so far off the mark it finds the back of the net. A superb strike lol but the lack of celebration tells us all we need to know about that attempt.
It’s now 1-2 to Bournemouth.
69th minute…
More self-inflicted pressure at the back after a slow back pass from Bergvall and Vicario scrambles back to save his blushes.
73rd minute…
Bournemouth, you guessed it, attack again. 3 versus 2 so it’s the standard defending setup from Spurs. Bournemouth break into the box with ease and get away the shot. This time Vicario can only watch as it hits the post! Don’t know how but somehow we are still hanging in!
82nd minute…
Ok so we have highlighted just how many times Spurs try to play out from the back and put themselves under this self inflicted pressure and quite often even concede a goal! Well this time it actually works so lets enjoy it!
Vicario plays it out to VDV, who finds Son and quickly plays it off to Spence. Spence plays a simple pass to Mads and now we are in Bournemouth’s half. Mads plays a quick through pass releasing Sonny who has continued his run. Son gets into the box and the goalie makes the decision to come out but Son beats him to the ball. It’s a Penalty!
Crazy moments from Kepa but we don’t mind, Sonny can bring us level:) With a low in confidence Son stepping up I have to say I was a bit nervous but wow, it’s a cheeky one as he just ‘dinks’ it into an open net with Kepa diving to his left. That just rubs salt into the goalie’s wounds, I love it!
It’s 2-2, don’t ask me how!
Final minutes…
With 5 minutes remaining, Spurs have available both Scarlett and Tel on the bench for a final substitution but instead Ange opts to bring on defender Udogie. That probably sums up the feelings towards this unexpected draw. So two-all it finished as incredible as it seems.
Did we deserve it? Not a chance.
Will this give the team confidence before Thursday’s big game? I doubt it!
Are we near the end of this whacky experiment ? I really hope so:)
Fixture:
Thursday 6th March, 17:45
AZ Vs Tottenham Hotspur
UEFA Europa League – Last 16
Available On:
UK TV – TNT Sports 3
IRE – Premier Sports 2
beIN Sports English 2
Result: 1-0 (AZ Win)
L. Bergvall (18′ og)
Match Report:
So great news on the return of Van de Ven, Romero and Solanke who all traveled with the team and were on the bench. Of course in typical Spurs fashion though in came 3 players and out went the 1 player Kulu, who ironically is injured after being given a rest against Man City. He’s out til April so that worked well. I’m guessing players are now being over rested?
So with the bulk of players having returned from injury it is fair to say we no longer want to hear the injury and fatigue excuses. After 2 seasons of rebuilding it is time for this team to walk the walk!
So it began….
After 15 minutes of play I was beginning to wonder if Spurs would join AZ and make a game of it. 3 minutes later AZ go 1 nil up from a corner via a slice from Bergvall into his own net that he will not be forgetting for a while:)
Clearly against there wishes Spurs now had a game on there hands and would need to find second gear or at least get out of reverse. Unfortunately the rest of the half passed with very little to get excited about if you’re a Spurs fan. There was a few comical moments however with an hilarious training ground freekick that went as well as it probably had all week they had rehearsed it.
And Bergvall seemed to have put on 2 left footed boots for this match with the ball going the opposite way it was meant to on several occasions as his brain and feet were about as in sync as the rest of the teams passing abilities to find one another. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Bergvall fan but sometimes it’s just not your day!
At half time Ange made a change bringing on Odobert in place of Tel, with Son moving into the middle. Playing Son as centre forward hardly gives me confidence but if Odobert could show the glimpses of form he did against Man City it really couldn’t be any worse than the first half display, could it?
Despite my naive Spurs optimism it didn’t get much better. The midfield continued to be non existent and the defence was simply all over the place. The front line lacked any real threat and after an hour of play I was looking at the bench wondering who can change this around, even if Ange wasn’t.
Danso and Udogie both looked tired and couldn’t cope with the pace of the game, which made me wonder just how many of our players were struggling to overcome there jet lag from the long trip over the channel. I like Maddison but he was having no impact in this technical game of pong. I’m guessing Mads is more of a Donkey Kong fan! His time was up in this game.
70 minutes in, 1 nil down and Ange decides maybe he needs to make some changes. By this point I’m not even thinking of us rescuing a draw and a 1 nil defeat would be the best we can hope for from this pathetic display. On came Porro, Solanke and Sarr, at least we had a striker on the pitch, that should help us?
With ten minutes remaining Spurs were passing the ball sideways across the back line making sure we didn’t slip up and give away this 1 nil defeat, although Danso was doing his best to help AZ double there lead. Someone needs to buy that guy a new pair of boots with studs that work, either that or teach him how to run without falling over. I’m sure I’ve seen a useful guide in a toddlers book for this.
With the clock ticking I couldn’t recall a single decent chance for Spurs the entire game. And it wasn’t going to be as Solanke hobbles off the pitch after just 20 minutes with another injury, this team is cursed I’m sure! Solanke is done for the day and that pretty much sums up Spurs day, a complete anti climax!
Each week I think we have produced our worst performance of the season but all credit to Ange, he manages to outdo himself game after game. 8 days they had to prepare for this 6th placed team in Eredivisie. Remarkable!
Are you not entertained? No mate!
