I hate international football.
That’s right, the bit is back (apologies to Elton John); but was it ever really gone? We could be watching Franktics; instead, we’re watching the most boring England side of a generation and Mauricio Pochettino dump all over his coaching legacy even more. And only three weeks into the season!
Oh well. It is what it is.
As Dustin wrote during the week, Spurs have 15 players on international duty. That’s 15 extra opportunities for injury! Cynicism aside, it’s also 15 opportunities for our players to represent their respective countries, some for the first time. That would have been Djed Spence’s hope, as he was called up to England for the first time. Unfortunately, his debut did not eventuate, as he remained on the bench as England struggled to a 2-0 victory over titans Andorra. It was the same story for Lucas Bergvall, remaining on the bench for Sweden’s draw against Slovenia, and Guglielmo Vicario, unable to usurp Gianluigi Donnarumma for Italy’s #1 jersey in Gli Azzurri’s win against Estonia.
Joao Palhinha and Kevin Danso were also relegated to bench duty for Portugal and Austria, respectively, though both did manage to see the pitch. Palhinha was a late sub in Portugal’s five goal demolition of Armenia, while Danso helped his side see out a 1-0 win over Cyprus, adding some defensive steel to Ralph Rangnick’s team.
Elsewhere in Europe, however, it was a slightly busier international break for Spurs’ squad, as Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, Brennan Johnson, Micky van de Ven, and Xavi Simons all started for their respective nations. Pedro Porro kept a clean sheet as he played the better part of an hour in a three-goal win against Bulgaria, while Ben Davies went the distance against Kazakhstan while also keeping his opponent goalless. His compatriot Johnson was unable to trouble the scoresheet at the other end of the pitch, but he didn’t need to as Wales still managed to secure a 1-0 win. It wasn’t quite as good news for Spurs’ Dutch contingent, though, with both Simons and Van de Ven featuring in a 1-1 draw against Poland.
Spurs’ South Americans enjoyed a successful start to their international duties, with all of Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Richarlison all involved in 3-0 victories for their countries. Spurs’ captain kept a clean sheet for Argentina while picking up his customary yellow card against Venezuela. Bentancur did the same in a 90-minute appearance for Uruguay against Peru, while Richarlison came on late in Brazil’s win over Chile.
Though the CONMEBOL players were steady in defense, it was Spurs’ African representatives that made a difference in front of goal. Pape Matar Sarr continued his goalscoring form, collecting Senegal’s second as they defeated Sudan; while Mohammed Kudus got himself another assist, setting up Jordan Ayew as Ghana drew against Chad.
I still hate international football.
Spurs International Appearances:
Djed Spence (unused sub): England 2-0 Andorra - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Lucas Bergvall (unused sub): Slovenia 2-2 Sweden - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Guglielmo Vicario (unused sub): Italy 5-0 Estonia - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Joao Palhinha (11 mins, sub): Armenia 0-5 Portugal - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Kevin Danso (20 mins, sub, clean sheet): Austria 1-0 Cyprus - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Pedro Porro (62 mins, clean sheet): Bulgaria 0-3 Spain - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Ben Davies (90 mins, clean sheet) & Brennan Johnson (65 mins): Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Micky van de Ven (90 mins) & Xavi Simons (79 mins): Netherlands 1-1 Poland - UEFA World Cup Qualification
Cristian Romero (90 mins, clean sheet, yellow card): Argentina 3-0 Venezuela - CONMEBOL World Cup Qualification
Rodrigo Bentancur (90 mins, yellow card): Uruguay 3-0 Peru - CONMEBOL World Cup Qualification
Richarlison (11 mins, sub): Brazil 3-0 Chile - CONMEBOL World Cup Qualification
Pape Matar Sarr (73 mins, goal): Senegal 2-0 Sudan - CAF World Cup Qualification
Mohammed Kudus (86 mins, assist): Chad 1-1 Ghana - CAF World Cup Qualification