Football.London

The race for the first domestic trophy of the season will hot up this week as the Carabao Cup returns for the round of 16.

London's interest in the League Cup remains high with five teams from the capital still remaining in the competition. Brentford are the first side to take part in the Round of 16 when they host Championship club Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.

Wednesday, October 30 will see the remaining London clubs enter the competition with Arsenal making the long trip north to face Championship side Preston North End, Chelsea travelling to the North East to face Eddie Howe's Newcastle for the second time in three days, Crystal Palace are going to the Midlands to face fellow Premier League side Aston Villa and finally Tottenham Hotspur are hosting Manchester City in North London.

With the League Cup providing a good opportunity for clubs to pick up silverware early on in the season, most managers will be looking to take this round of fixtures seriously. Should they progress, football.london has provided all the information you need to know about the quarter-final draw.

When is the draw?

The draw will take place on Wednesday, October 30 following the conclusion of Spurs' clash with City. That fixture kicks off at 8:15pm, meaning the draw should hopefully take place no later than 10:45pm UK time.

Fans will be able to watch the draw live on Sky Sports following the Tottenham game and it should also be available to stream on Sky Sports Football's YouTube channel.

Who could each team face?

There are no restrictions in this draw so any team could face any opposition in the quarter-finals. Here is the list of fixtures for the round of 16.

Tuesday, October 29

Southampton vs Stoke City

Brentford vs Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday, October 30

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Liverpool

Preston North End vs Arsenal

Manchester United vs Leicester City

Newcastle United vs Chelsea

Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City

When will the quarter-final ties be played?

The quarter final ties in the Carabao Cup are scheduled to be played on the week commencing December 16. The semi-finals will be played over two legs with the first-leg week commencing January 6 and the second-leg week commencing February 3.

The final is scheduled at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, March 16.

Tottenham star Richarlison has vented his anger at Brazil teammate Vinicius Jr being snubbed for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri picking up the prize instead.

Leading up to the award, Real Madrid star Vinicius looked likely to pick up the trophy, which is voted for by an international jury of journalists, based on three criteria. The first is 'individual performances, decisive and impressive character'. The second is 'team performances and achievements', and the third is 'class and fair play'.

However, on the day of the award, reports came out that Rodri was set to lift the prize after his standout season for Manchester City and Spain, in which he won the Premier League and Euro 2024.

After the reports, no Real Madrid players attended the awards ceremony in Paris, despite the club being awarded the 'Club of the Year' trophy, having won the 2023/24 Champions League - beating Manchester City en route to the final.

A number of players have criticised the decision, including Tottenham striker Richarlison, who called it "embarrassing", claiming that "no-one can understand" why the Real Madrid star was not given the award - but did admit that Rodri "is a great player".

"All of us who live football eagerly await the individual awards each season," Richarlison said on Instagram. "Today, all Brazilians who love football woke up expecting to see another player from our country win an award for the best in the world after so long.

"Unfortunately, for reasons that no one can understand, the award did not come. And don't get me wrong, Rodri is a great player who deserves to be among the best. But Vini not winning the Ballon d'Or was embarrassing, and the only one who lost today was football.

"I remember Vini saying that his dream was to see the whole of Brazil cheering for him. And that day was today! You are a giant and the best in the world, kid! And no trophy will change that. Keep going and never shut up! We're together!"

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham can immediately right the wrongs of the Crystal Palace defeat by beating Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. Ange Postecoglou has not had much luck in regards to domestic cup draws since becoming Spurs boss, with this the second time Tottenham have come up against the reigning Premier League champions in cup football this year.

City were victorious at the beginning of 2024 after Nathan Ake's late goal secured a slender 1-0 win. Pep Guardiola went with a fairly strong Man City XI in that encounter but there are question marks over how exactly his team will set up on Wednesday evening.

The Spaniard mentioned after the win over Watford in the previous round that his club will not "waste energy" on the Carabao Cup this season. Regardless of whatever team Guardiola fields, Postecoglou needs a strong showing from his team and also a victory as he bids to end the club's long wait for a trophy.

So who exactly should be in his Tottenham team to take on Manhester City? Our football.london writers have made their selections below:

Rob Guest - Football writer

We usually see a fair bit of rotation in cup competitions but I would certainly be going as strong as possible at home to Manchester City on Wednesday evening. As important as Sunday's home game against Aston Villa is in regards to the team's Premier League hopes, this week's cup showdown is huge for the football club as they look to end their trophy hoodoo.

For that reason, Ange Postecoglou must name an extremely strong team as he won't want to look back on a potential cup exit following wholesale changes. You could make a case for multiple alterations, though, given the performance served up at Crystal Palace at the weekend.

So, Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal and Radu Dragusin and Djed Spence, if fit, join Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in the backline. Pape Matar Sarr's energy was missed from the off at Crystal Palace and he comes into the team, with Rodrigo Bentancur another who could possibly start.

It is then a decision between whether Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison join the duo in the middle of the park. Son Heung-min, if in a position to return from injury, should start and complete the front three alongside Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke.

Guest's team: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Sam Truelove - Content editor

Tottenham can make a real statement if they knock Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. To do that, Ange Postecoglou must get his team selection spot on.

The performance against Crystal Palace at the weekend was woeful so the Australian may make a few changes to the starting line-up. Fraser Forster has been trusted in a couple of games this season and hasn't been bad when called upon so starts once again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Djed Spence, if fit enough to return, deserves a start and I would play the 24-year-old at left back to give Destiny Udogie a rest. Apart from that the rest of the backline can be full strength, with Cristian Romero partnering Micky van de Ven at centre-back and Pedro Porro starting at right back.

Pape Matar Sarr must start for me against Pep Guardiola's side and his energy is probably exactly what Spurs need given how lacklustre they looked at Palace. I would also start James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski and hope that the creative pair can cause City lots of problems in what could be a much-changed away side team.

Up top and Dominic Solanke could do with a goal as he only has three goals in 11 appearances so far this season. Spurs captain Son Heung-min will give the team a big lift if he is fit enough to start, while Brennan Johnson will hope to continue his recent good form with another goal contribution.

Truelove's team: Forster; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Maddison, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou is speaking to the media ahead of Tottenham's Carabao Cup encounter against Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

Tottenham were on the losing side on Sunday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace.

It was undoubtedly the team's worst performance of the season and now Postecoglou needs to get a reaction from his team ahead of such an important game in their calendar.

The north London club are desperate for silverware but they have been handed an extremely tough draw against the reigning Premier League champions.

Postecoglou will undoubtedly be asked in his pre-match press conference about getting a response from his Tottenham players after the Palace loss, with the boss also set to be quizzed on Son Heung-min and Djed Spence's fitness, Man City and his previous silverware comments.

Our Spurs correspondent Rob Guest is at Hotspur Way and is among those putting the questions to the head coach. Scroll down for the latest updates from the press conference.

It was a bumper week of football for the vast majority of Tottenham's loan players due to a round of midweek games taking place. As ever, it was another mixed few days for the loanees with some impressing and others struggling for minutes.

Dane Scarlett made it back-to-back goals for Oxford with a strike against Derby County on Tuesday evening. Following his first goal for the club the previous weekend with a late leveller at home to West Brom, the young striker was rewarded with a start and he repaid his manager with an early goal against the Rams.

Whereas it does seem to be now going in Scarlett's favour after a frustrating start to his Oxford career with regular starts eluding him, fellow Tottenham youngster Jamie Donley is not getting the football he requires at present after dropping out of the Leyton Orient squad. Here's how the duo and the rest of Tottenham's loan players fared over the past week:

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

Playing 76 minutes in Leeds United's 2-1 win over Watford last Tuesday, Manor Solomon had to settle for 20 minutes off the bench in Saturday's 0-0 draw against Bristol City. The winger unfortunately couldn't help Leeds grab a late win and was given a score of five out of ten in Leeds Live's player ratings as he "didn't have any real bearing on the game".

The Tottenham man has yet to hit top form since returning from injury but Farke is "pretty sure" it will happen for Solomon very soon.

"Sometimes like a bottle of ketchup, you shake it and you want it too much and all of a sudden it happens," said Farke, as reported by Leeds Live. "When he first came he played with so much confidence, rhythm and so much confidence then the injury stopped him from going on international duty and he has to do his rehab.

"Such a proud player to play for his national team, it was a sucker punch for him. He worked so hard to come back and the feeling is of course he can't be there with 100 per cent, he needs a bit of time.

“He works so hard in training and he always adds some additional stuff in training and in the game. He wants it so much. So sometimes you want him to relax a bit. Play a bit less complicated and it will come.

"We're fully convinced of his quality. Out of good intention he forces it a bit too much, you don’t have to prove what a good player you are, do what you've done your whole career and your quality will shine. I'm pretty sure it will happen soon. Keep in mind a bottle of ketchup.”

Solomon and Leeds return to action on Saturday with a home encounter against Wayne Rooney's Plymouth team.

Dane Scarlett (Oxford United)

Scarlett followed up his stoppage-time equaliser against West Brom with another goal in midweek as he scored in Oxford's 1-1 draw against Derby. A starter against the Rams, the 20-year-old once again led the line at the weekend as Oxford lost 2-0 at Sunderland.

Scarlett was given a score of six in Oxford Mail's player ratings from the game. They wrote: "Worked hard up front but had pretty much nothing to feed on or work with in attack. Booked."

Ahead of Oxford's game at Sunderland, football.london asked Ange Postecoglou in his pre-match press conference about Scarlett's dream week. He said: "Yeah it's important for Dane and for all our guys on loan, part of the reason we put them on loan is to get game time, not to sit on the bench, but again they have to earn that.

"It's important for Dane, it's an important year for him and he needs to play and score goals at that level to make sure he keeps progressing. Pleased the last 10 days with England and Oxford he's got himself a couple of goals and he's got to maintain that now.

"Whilst we put them out on loan with the best intention, a lot of it is up to the players themselves to go there and make an impact. I am pleased he's started to do that."

Oxford return to action on Saturday with a home clash against Swansea City.

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil once again had to watch on from the sidelines with injury keeping him out of his third successive Girona game. Absent last weekend against Real Sociedad after having to drop out of the senior Spain squad during the international break, the winger missed out on the win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League and Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Las Palmas in LaLiga.

Gil will be hoping to return to action as soon as possible, with Girona taking on Extremadura and Leganes this week.

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

Alejo Veliz featured against former loan club Sevilla on Friday evening as Espanyol lost against the side from Andalusia. The striker had to make do with a place on the bench to begin with before coming on in the 58th minute of the contest when his side were trailing 2-0.

Veilz, who had two shots off target in the game, couldn't help Espanyol get back into the contest as they lost for the fifth time in six league games.

Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic (Westerlo)

Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic tasted defeat on Saturday as Westerlo lost 2-0 away at Sint-Truidense V.V. Both players played the full 90 minutes but couldn't stop the Belgian side recording back-to-back defeats in the league.

Devine did everything to try and help Westerlo leave with points in the bag after making seven passes into the final third, creating two chances and having a total of four shots. Vuskovic also had a say in an attacking sense despite his defensive berth as he made 14 passes into the final third, he was accurate with six of his eight long balls and he had five touches in the opposition box and one shot.

Westerlo face RWDM in the Belgian Cup on Tuesday evening and then play Dender in the league on Friday evening.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips was handed his first start under Stoke City manager Narcis Pelach on Saturday as the Potters lost 2-0 away at Sheffield United. Only featuring once in the league since his loan move from Tottenham and spending the vast majority of his time on the bench, the youngster played the full game at Bramall Lane.

Phillips was given a score of six out of ten in Stoke Sentinel's player ratings. They wrote: "Gave Stoke a much-needed physical presence on his recall to the side. Made challenges and twice had chances to be on the scoresheet."

The defender should have more opportunities to start this week with Southampton away in the Carabao Cup and a home encounter against Derby County on the schedule.

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Donley has unfortunately had to watch on from the stands in the past couple of Leyton Orient games after failing to make the matchday squad. Orient do currently have six players on loan this season and unfortunately EFL rules state that only five can be named in a matchday squad, thus meaning one player has to miss out.

Josh Keeley, on the other hand, has started Orient's last three League One fixtures. Keeley did keep a clean sheet in the midweek win over Rotherham in what was a confident performance but on Saturday the east London club lost 3-0 at Wycombe Wanderers.

Matthew Craig (Barnsley)

Previously an automatic starter in the Barnsley team in the first few months of the season, Matthew Craig has had to make do with minutes off the bench in the South Yorkshire club's last three league fixtures. The versatile player got 27 minutes in the tank on Saturday as Barnsley won 2-0 away at Shrewsbury Town.

An opportunity to start could come his way on Tuesday evening with Barnsley hosting Doncaster Rovers in the Football League Trophy. The Tykes then travel to Port Vale in the FA Cup on Saturday.

George Abbott (Notts County)

George Abbott continues to play a big role in Notts County's promotion push after playing the full 90 minutes in Saturday's 1-0 win over Harrogate Town. The Magpies are currently third in the standings, four points off league leaders Port Vale.

Abbott and Notts County will be in FA Cup first round action on Friday evening when they host non-league side Alfreton Town at Meadow Lane.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side could certainly do with a boost heading into Wednesday evening's Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City. On the losing side on Sunday afternoon after falling to a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, Spurs need to respond with a win but also a much better performance.

Tottenham just never got going at Selhurst Park as Oliver Glasner's team made life incredibly difficult for the north London club. This week's cup tie against the Premier League champions could perhaps be viewed as the perfect game by some as Spurs will have no option but to raise their game as they look to reach the fifth round.

Postecoglou has stated that he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club and the hope will be that he can do just that as Spurs look to end their long wait without a trophy. Many teams rotate heavily in the Carabao Cup, with Pep Guardiola hinting that he could play some academy stars at Tottenham after previously admitting that his club will not "waste energy" on the competition this season.

Regardless of what Guardiola does or not, Spurs need to go full strength if they are serious about going far in the Carabao Cup and potentially lifting it at Wembley in March. In terms of the Tottenham team to take on Man City, Son Heung-min's fitness will be the main talking point after missing out through injury in the recent games against AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace.

The South Korean is a big miss for Tottenham in an attacking sense and also in terms of his leadership. Speaking ahead of the Crystal Palace defeat, Postecoglou hinted that his captain "should be alright for next week" with games coming up against Man City and Aston Villa.

“It's not really a hamstring injury, but he was out for a while and wasn't feeling right after the last game, so we're just being conservative with him," explained the 59-year-old. "All things being well, he should be alright for next week.”

Pressed further on Son's fitness after the defeat, Postecoglou told SPURSPLAY: “He seems to be progressing well so, hopefully, he’ll be available for one of the games.”

If Postecoglou is to go full strength, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke will be automatic picks in the front three unless the head coach wants to switch things up and bring Richarlison into his team. It is then up in the air over who starts from the left-wing and it may all hinge on Son's fitness.

A third successive start for 17-year-old Mikey Moore would undoubtedly be too much for him as Postecoglou said on the eve of the Crystal Palace fixture that he'd be cautious about asking him to start two games in such a short space of time. Moore was positive in his play when on the ball against the Eagles but the opportunity to really run at them and cause issues were few and far between.

football.london asked Postecoglou in his post-match press conference how he felt Moore had done on his full Premier League debut. The Australian said: "Like I said it, wasn't really a great game for anybody out there from our perspective. Mikey every time he's out there he'll be a better player and the more we can get him out there in the right sort of environment then he'll keep thriving. I'm sure he'll learn a lot today.

"The kind of team we want to be or the way we want to play we need to be a lot more composed in the way we deal with certain things out there to not let the game get out of control."

Other options on the left for Postecoglou include Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner. Question marks will surround the Frenchman's availability as he was not in the squad against the Eagles on Sunday, with Werner needing a big performance if he is to start after his struggles in the final third in last Thursday's win over AZ Alkmaar.

Richarlison is another player who can operate from the left, although he would perhaps be better utilised through the middle or as an impact sub if he is not to start the match. Heading into a must-win match for Tottenham, the hope will be that Son is fit enough to feature and start the game at home to City.

Prior to last season where they won both games in N17, Guardiola's team had a wretched record at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having lost their first five fixtures at the Spurs' home and failed to score a single goal in the process. Son was a pivotal player for Spurs in those meetings and he will be once again if ready to go against the reigning champions in midweek.

After what happened at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Postecoglou needs Son and the rest of his players fit and firing if he is to lead Tottenham to glory in his second season at the club.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Guglielmo Vicario's reaction at the full-time whistle said it all. On the end of a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Tottenham players made their way over to the far corner of the stadium to applaud the travelling faithful and the goalkeeper could only apologise for what had occurred.

The away support had nothing to cheer about from the game after such an insipid display from Ange Postecoglou's side. Heading into the fixture in good form following seven wins from eight games in all competitions, Tottenham just never looked like leaving SE25 with maximum points in the bag.

Crystal Palace, on the other hand, deserved their first win of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign after making life incredibly difficult for their opponents. Spurs just never got going and their latest defeat now leaves them eighth in the Premier League table following four wins, one draw and four defeats from their first nine fixtures.

Tottenham are struggling for consistency in the league at present, thus leaving them five points behind Aston Villa in fourth and ten points behind league leaders Manchester City. Apart from Brennan Johnson hitting the post and James Maddison forcing Dean Henderson into a one-handed save on the stroke of half-time, the Lilywhites never put their opponents under intense pressure or created clear-cut chances in their quest to get back into the contest.

Going close through Maxence Lacroix before Jean-Phillipe Mateta gave the Eagles the lead in the 31st minute, Palace had a number of opportunities in the second half to extend the scoreline at a time when Tottenham failed to lay a glove on them. Spurs were perhaps lucky it was only the one goal they lost by following a superb one-handed save from Vicario in the closing stages to deny Adam Wharton.

Immediately after the full-time whistle, the Italian international joined his teammates heading over to the away end and held both arms up for a decent amount of time to apologise to the fans. The 28-year-old knew what the team served up was unacceptable and he wanted to make that clear to the supporters.

"Disappointing defeat today. We didn't expect this outcome today but it is what it is," he said when speaking to SPURSPLAY after the game. "Every outcome has something to say and to say to us maybe we didn't fight as we could fight today. It's disappointing, we have to take it very personally and it has to hurt a lot.

"Fortunately in football we have another occasion in two days in a big game. Now we have to take it personally and analyse this game and go forward because in another two days we have another game."

He added: "Yes of course they really wanted it but we have to know when you come and play away from home in the Premier League every team has a little bit more to show in front of their fans. In terms of attitude, in terms of power, in terms of taking care about things. Today they showed and we showed less than them.

"For us as a team we have to improve this aspect because to win games of football it's not about playing good football, it's also about this kind of stuff. We have to put in there as soon as we can because we need to change this mountain of results with up and downs, up and downs. We have to be more stable in our results because we have the quality but the quality sometimes is not enough."

It just hasn't quite gone Tottenham's way on the road in the Premier League this season. As good as the emphatic 3-0 win at Manchester United was, Postecoglou's men should have obtained maximum points at Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion and left with at least a point in the defeat at Newcastle United.

What perhaps didn't help their cause at Selhurst Park was the midfield selection. Eight days previous Postecoglou had switched things up at the break against West Ham and the introduction of Pape Matar Sarr in place of Maddison proved crucial to the end result.

Amid question marks over whether Sarr or Maddison would start from the off against Palace, the England international, who excelled in the midweek win over AZ Alkmaar, got the nod ahead of the Senegal ace. Tottenham completely lacked the legs and energy in the middle, leaving Yves Bissouma with quite the task on his hands trying to come out on top and stop Palace from completely overrunning them.

It was perhaps a surprise that Postecoglou didn't have Sarr ready and waiting to come on in place of Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski at the break, instead waiting until the 62nd minute before introducing the youngster. Kulusevski just couldn't have a say on the game as his intricate pieces of play were completely snuffed out by Wharton, Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes, who replaced the Colombian early in the first half. Maddison fared slightly better than Tottenham's No.21 but he couldn't match the levels he produced three days earlier.

Mikey Moore, who also wowed in the AZ game, was handed his full Premier League debut with Son Heung-min again missing out through injury. It was a decision that went down well with Tottenham fans when team news broke at 12.45pm but the 17-year-old just couldn't really influence the game.

He was positive in his play when on the ball, notably going on a run early on that resulted in Wharton clipping his heels and bringing him down. It just never worked for the front three, though, with Dominic Solanke working as hard as ever but only managing to have one shot on goal.

At the back, Spurs fans nor Postecoglou will want to watch Mateta's goal back as it was very much self-inflicted when trying to play out. Cristian Romero's clipped pass across the area wasn't the kindest of balls to Micky van de Ven as the bounce allowed Daniel Munoz to close in and put the Dutchman in a bad position.

Van de Ven's intended pass to Destiny Udogie was subsequently cut out, with Mateta duly firing in at the back post after Eberechi Eze's exquisite flick from Munoz's cross. It was outstanding play by the England international and it completely took Romero and Pedro Porro out of the game.

"I think even before then we could have dealt with those situations better but it was a poor goal and we should do better at that and not concede like that," said Postecoglou on the goal in his post-match press conference. "There was other solutions out there and again even in that moment we didn't have to lose our composure.

"It just seems we kind of wanted everything to run smoothly and we know it doesn't, especially in a game like today. There are still ways you can sort of overcome that but it was a poor goal to concede because the game was always an arm wrestle. It was never going to be one with bags of chances or really open so to concede like that was disappointing."

Postecoglou was also very honest in his assessment of the match and declared that his team "didn’t get to grips with just the nature of what was transpiring out there".

"It was a game which turned into, and it didn’t surprise me, a bit of a battle," said the Australian. "Lots of stop, starting and standing around. We didn’t deal with that really well at all. We didn’t get to grips with just the nature of what was transpiring out there. It turned into a bit of a battle. They dealt with it better than we did."

He added: "No, I don't want to play them at their own game. What I want to try to do is get people to adjust to playing our game. Some of it is out of control because they're obviously going to be pretty aggressive in their approach, which is not a surprise. And how the referee deals with that, not so much in terms of the challenges but in terms of stoppages and taking their time, all of that is out of our control. But I just felt when we had control of things, we could have dealt with it better.

"We ended up doing silly things, giving away silly fouls and losing our composure, which just adds to that sort of game when you can't get any traction. So I think we directed our frustration in the wrong way rather than dealing with like we should have."

As Vicario mentioned above, Tottenham have to show another side to their game in order to win matches and they now have the perfect opportunity to put the defeat behind when they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. The north London club have been handed a daunting draw but it is a winnable match with City expected to ring the changes.

Not only do Tottenham need to win to keep their silverware hopes alive, they need to claim victory to help right the wrongs of the Crystal Palace defeat, which was undoubtedly their worst 90-minute display of the season. Vicario's reaction at full-time spoke a thousand words.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

He is ready to start any game but I just feel, and especially with young players, you need to be really careful with their introduction into senior football. Even last year he didn't really have a full season of football, he had quite a few injuries, a couple of injuries that kept him out and he went from playing Under-18s football to playing very little Under-21s football before we integrated him. You have to look at that and I think he is still physically growing and you take that into account. I think he's ready to start a Premier League game, for sure. For us what we want to do is to continue to develop Mikey in the right way and give him a platform to keep improving. So far whatever we've asked of him he's made a real impact and the plan is to continue to do that.

Ange Postecoglou has spoken to the media following Tottenham's 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. After making it three wins out of three in the Europa League on Thursday, the Australian elected to hand Mikey Moore his full Premier League debut in Son Heung-min's absence.

It was the Eagles who made the better start to the contest and they went close to an opener through Maxence Lacroix as he headed over from close range from substitute Will Hughes' cross. The hosts did take the lead on 31 minutes as Jean-Philippe Mateta was in the right place at the back post to convert after Eberechi Eze's clever flick had taken out Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro.

Threatening through Brennan Johnson and James Maddison towards the end of the first half, Dejan Kulusevski then had a sight of goal in the opening minutes of the second half but he couldn't convert past Dean Henderson. Palace continued to cause Tottenham problems and Guglielmo Vicario was needed to produce a brilliant one-handed save to deny Adam Wharton in the closing stages as Palace held on for victory.

Here is every word Postecoglou had to say in his post-match press conference:

What went wrong today?

It was a game which turned into, and it didn’t surprise me, a bit of a battle. Lots of stop, starting and standing around. We didn’t deal with that really well at all. We didn’t get to grips with just the nature of what was transpiring out there. It turned into a bit of a battle. They dealt with it better than we did.

After the defeat to Brighton you spoke about team not battling and doing the basics, did you sense that happened today?

No it was a different game. It was a game we needed to stay composed and not sort of fall into the trap of trying to play the game ultimately Palace wanted to play. It turned into a game that was battle after battle, duels, stop starts, waiting around. We need to be a lot more clear-headed about how we deal with that rather than fall into the trap of doing what we did today.

Physical battle, were you unhappy with any challenges in the first-half?

No. It was a big game for Palace they were always going to be desperate to get a win and that happens. I just thought there was a lot of standing around today which I hate, I’ve said that before. But I guess it’s just the nature of the way the game went.

Do you have to teach them to be clear-headed?

It's just part of the process. The more you expose players to these kind of things, you offer them the feedback and hopefully deal with it better next time.

Players need to physically match Palace?

If you want to play that sort of game, but there's another way of dealing with it as well. By staying more composed and not falling into the trap of it turning into that sort of game.

You want to play them at their own game?

No, I don't want to play them at their own game. What I want to try to do is get people to adjust to playing our game. Some of it is out of control because they're obviously going to be pretty aggressive in their approach, which is not a surprise. And how the referee deals with that, not so much in terms of the challenges but in terms of stoppages and taking their time, all of that is out of our control.

But I just felt when we had control of things, we could have dealt with it better. We ended up doing silly things, giving away silly fouls and losing our composure, which just adds to that sort of game when you can't get any traction. So I think we directed our frustration in the wrong way rather than dealing with like we should have.

How do you feel Mikey Moore did on his full Premier League debut?

Like I said it wasn't really a great game for anybody out there from our perspective. Mikey every time he's out there he'll be a better player and the more we can get him out there in the right sort of environment then he'll keep thriving. I'm sure he'll learn a lot today.

The kind of team we want to be or the way we want to play we need to be a lot more composed in the way we deal with certain things out there to not let the game get out of control.

I realise you play the way you play but any problems with the centre-backs clipping the ball about at the back for their goal?

I think even before then we could have dealt with those situations better but it was a poor goal and we should do better at that and not concede like that. There was other solutions out there and again even in that moment we didn't have to lose our composure. It just seems we kind of wanted everything to run smoothly and we know it doesn't, especially in a game like today.

There are still ways you can sort of overcome that but it was a poor goal to concede because the game was always an arm wrestle. It was never going to be one with bags of chances or really open so to concede like that was disappointing.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham Hotspur's recent run of good form came to an end against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.

Spurs nearly levelled up immediately after Palace's opener as Micky Van de Ven hit the post after connecting with James Maddison's corner. However, that was as close as Tottenham came to earning a share of the points, as chances in the second half were few and far between.

Meaning in the end, Jean-Philippe Mateta's first-half strike was enough to condemn Ange Postecoglou's side to just a second defeat in nine games. The defeat leaves Tottenham four points off the Champions League qualification places after nine games of the new Premier League season.

Here, football.London looks at the next five fixtures compared to their Champions League-chasing rivals.

Tottenham

October 30 vs Manchester City (H) at 8.15pm - Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Aston Villa (H) at 2pm - Premier League

November 7 vs Galatasaray (A) at 5.45pm - Europa League

November 10 vs Ipswich Town (H) at 2pm - Premier League

November 23 vs Manchester City (A) at 5.30pm - Premier League

Chelsea

October 30 vs Newcastle (A) at 7.45pm - Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Manchester United (A) at 4.30pm - Premier League

November 7 vs Noah (H) at 8pm - Conference League

November 10 vs Arsenal (H) at 4.30pm - Premier League

November 23 vs Leicester City (A) at 12.30pm - Premier League

Aston Villa

October 30 vs Crystal Palace (H) at 7.45pm - Carabao Cup

November 3 vs Tottenham (A) at 2pm - Premier League

November 6 vs Club Brugge (A) at 5.45pm - Champions League

November 9 vs Liverpool (A) at 8pm - Premier League

November 23 vs Crystal Palace (H) at 3pm - Premier League

Manchester United

November 3 vs Chelsea (H) at 4.30pm - Premier League

November 7 vs PAOK (H) at 8pm - Europa League

November 10 vs Leicester City (H) at 2pm - Premier League

November 24 vs Ipswich Town (A) at 4.30pm - Premier League