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Djed Spence, Brennan Johnson and Kulusevski save Spurs

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Tottenham Hotspur managed to grab a 2-1 win at Coventry City on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup third round and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Ange Postecoglou made eight changes to his team for their trip to the Coventry Building Society Arena as Spurs looked to put the pain of Sunday's north London derby defeat to Arsenal behind them. The game against Mark Robins' Championship side was a potential banana skin for Tottenham in the days after Postecoglou made it clear that he is aiming to continue his career theme of second season silverware.

He left both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven out of his squad with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies partnering up in the centre of defence. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were both given their first competitive starts for Tottenham, the latter at right-back, and left-back Sergio Reguilon was on the bench for the first time under Postecoglou after failing to secure a move away from the club in the summer.

Tottenham were flat for much of the game and didn't manage a single shot on goal until the second half. Coventry caused them problems and scored after the hour mark when Norman Bassette got down the right and whipped the ball across to Brandon Thomas-Asante to slot home.

Spurs did find a late equaliser when Dejan Kulusevski held up the ball well and knocked it into his path of the sprinting Djed Spence and he touched the ball home on the slide.

Tottenham were not done though and Brennan Johnson scored a second in added time. Rodrigo Bentancur played a perfect pass into his path and the Wales international ran through and lifted his shot over the sprawling goalkeeper and into the net.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings:

Fraser Forster

Played an iffy pass meant for Bergvall early on that got intercepted but he saved the resulting shot. Made a save eight minutes before the break which was given as a goal kick. Made a low save early in the second half to deny Bassette. Made an absolute mess of coming out to claim a ball in the second half, collided with Dragusin and was fortunate that Davies made a sliding block in front of the Spurs goal. Was beaten easily by Thomas-Asante soon after. A really shaky performance with a number of crosses dropped. 3

Archie Gray

A busy game at right-back and Coventry gave him plenty of problems down that flank with their pace including finding that space behind him for the goal. 5

Radu Dragusin

A solid showing on the whole but did play Thomas-Asante onside for the goal. 6

Ben Davies

After a couple of early shaky moments he made an important sliding block to stop a goal in the second half but Thomas-Asante got between him and Spence for the goal. 6

Destiny Udogie

One of Spurs' better defenders in the first half and came off at the break for Spence. 7

Pape Matar Sarr

A mixed bag from the young midfielder with some good moments and some sloppy ones. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur

Made plenty of covering runs in the first half to help his defenders in the first half and then was there to play the perfect assist in added time. 7

Lucas Bergvall

Put in trouble early on but a wayward Forster pass. Was one of Spurs' brighter players though and tried to make things happen before being taken off for Maddison before Coventry scored. 7

Wilson Odobert

Lasted only 17 minutes or so before needing to come off. He'd lost the ball and sprinted back trying to recover it before going down. 4

Dominic Solanke

Barely seemed to touch the ball. No service at all and when he has the ball he didn't do much with it. 4

Timo Werner

Made a good sliding block in his own box before the half hour mark. Going forward though he was dreadful and offered nothing. He went off injured in the second half and had Spurs played on with 10 men his absence probably wouldn't have been noticed. 2

Subs

Brennan Johnson

Called into the action only 17 minutes in after Odobert's injury. Tried to make things happen and did with a last-gasp winner with a delicate shot past Wilson. 7

Djed Spence

Came on for the second half and made a good interception in his own box. Was one of Spurs' best players and deserved his goal, which came after showing real desire to run through and prod the ball home. Crazy that he can't play in Europe in the months ahead. 8

James Maddison

Made a difference when he came on against his old club and stretched them with his movement and passing. 7

Son Heung-min

Brought some energy in his cameo. 6

Dejan Kulusevski

Another big performance from the Swede up front and he held the ball up well before playing in Spence to score. 8

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

Tottenham handed Wilson Odobert injury blow ahead of hectic three

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Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a potential injury blow during their Carabao Cup match against Coventry City. Wilson Odobert was substituted in the early stages at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

The summer signing, 19, was handed a start by manager Ange Postecoglou, but was withdrawn before half-time. Odobert was replaced by Brennan Johnson on the right wing for Spurs and the club will now wait to discover the extent of that injury - with the French youngster limping off the pitch.

Spurs signed Odobert from Burnley during the recent summer transfer window and was one of Tottenham's best forward players in the game against Coventry prior to suffering the apparent injury.

He only lasted 17 minutes before the setback happened. Postecoglou will highly-likely be asked about Odobert's condition when he speaks to reporters after tonight's match.

Odobert had made three appearances for Tottenham this season following his summer transfer from Burnley. The forward has been awarded two starts in the Premier League by Postecoglou and was a second-half substitute last weekend for the North London Derby defeat to Arsenal, which saw the Gunners win 1-0.

Should Odobert's injury prove to be anything serious - and hopefully it's not - the 19-year-old could be set to miss some important matches for Spurs. After taking on Coventry, Tottenham will return to Premier League duty at the weekend when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

That will be followed by the club's first fixture in the Europa League, where Spurs will host Qarabag on September 26, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Postecoglou and his side will then have just three more days to recover for their following Premier League game, which comes against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Spurs are in action three times in eight days between September 21 and September 29.

Asante nets goal, Son and Maddison on

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More on the goal

Coventry have the opener on 63 minutes through Thomas-Asante.

The attacker is in the right place to find the bottom corner after Bassette sent in a lovely ball across the face of goal for his teammate to finish off in style.

Davies to the rescue

Davies saves Tottenham there with a huge block to stop Wright firing into an open net.

Forster came out and collided with Dragusin, thus presenting the Coventry ace with a golden opportunity to open the scoring before Davies' intervention.

Save

Great save low down from Forster to stop Bassette's drive finding the far corner.

That all came from Rudoni winning the ball off Werner after the Spurs man was caught dallying on it.

Half-time

It's 0-0 at the break at the CBS Arena.

Postecoglou needs much more from his Spurs team in the second half after a poor showing.

Key block

Udogie to the rescue for Spurs as he gets a crucial block inside the six-yard box to Rudoni's effort after the Coventry midfielder was free at the back post.

Spurs change

Odobert sprinted back after losing the ball, then went down. Perhaps a hamstring issue with the way he seemed to go down and walked off. Brennan Johnson comes on.

Save

Forster called into action inside a minute after a poor pass to Bergvall falls to Rudoni.

The shot-stopper saves from the former Huddersfield man as he tips his effort wide of the post.

Peep

We're up and running at the CBS Arena as Tottenham target a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Ange slams Johnson abusers

Ange Postecoglou has hit out at the social media trolls who played their part in forcing Tottenham attacker Brennan Johnson to deactivate his Instagram account.

The Wales international has been on the receiving end of social media trolls in the past year and on Instagram he limited the ability for anyone other than those he follows to comment under his posts, with the player then deciding after the North London Derby to deactivate his account altogether.

When Postecoglou was asked about Johnson's current situation and the abuse coming his way, the Australian pulled no punches with his answer.

Click here.

Third kit debut

Tottenham will be wearing their brand new Nike third kit away at Coventry City this evening.

After opting for a taupe haze number in the 2023/24 season, this time Spurs' third kit is green.

However, there is something slightly different about it with the Nike swoosh logo pointing the wrong way.

So why is that?

Read here to find out.

Every word from Ange

Ange Postecoglou was in front of the media at Hotspur Way on Tuesday afternoon to preview the Coventry City Carabao Cup tie.

His comment about always winning a trophy in his second year at a club was a big talking point and so was Spurs' need to end their long trophy drought.

There was still plenty to discuss following the Arsenal loss, with the 59-year-old also talking about the possibility of young trio Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Mikey Moore featuring at Coventry.

Read here.

Will Ange win a trophy with Tottenham?

Ange Postecoglou's post-match comment about always winning trophies in his second year at a club proved to be a bit of a talking point on Sunday afternoon following the Arsenal defeat.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I’ll correct myself - I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.”

So is Ange the man to lead Tottenham to a trophy after last picking up silverware in 2008?

Well, you can have your say by using our poll below.

Why Ange loves watching Gray, Bergvall and Odobert in training

Tottenham youngsters Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert could all be unleashed on Coventry City in the Carabao Cup this evening.

The trio are certainly making a mark in training at Hotspur Way and Postecoglou is very much liking what he is seeing from them.

Read here.

Group 28

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Ange Postecoglou has made eight changes to his Tottenham Hotspur team to face Coventry City on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup.

Spurs have travelled to the Coventry Building Society Arena for the third round clash looking to put the pain of Sunday's north London derby defeat to Arsenal behind them. The game against Mark Robins' Championship side is a potential banana skin for Tottenham in the days after Postecoglou made it clear that he is looking to continue his pattern of second season silverware.

He had made eight changes to the Spurs side that dominated the ball against the Gunners but failed to dominate the scoreline in the 1-0 defeat.

Postecoglou has left both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven behind with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies partnering up in the centre of defence.

Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have both been given their first competitive starts for Tottenham, the latter at right-back, and left-back Sergio Reguilon is also on the bench for the first time under Postecoglou.

Here is the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected: Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Odobert, Solanke, Werner. Subs: Vicario, Reguilon, Porro, Spence, Maddison, Kulusevski, Moore, Johnson, Son.

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

Why Nike swoosh logo is pointing the wrong way on new Tottenham third kit vs Coventry City

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Tottenham Hotspur will show off their new 2024/25 Nike third kit for the first time when they take on Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday night.

At least it will be the first time the men's team have worn it, the women's team played in it for the first time in their final pre-season clash against Manchester United at the weekend.

For many supporters though, this will be the first time they have seen the new green third kit in action. And there will be hope that green is a good omen, with the last time Spurs wearing a green kit being the 2018/19 season when Mauricio Pochettino's side made it all the way to the Champions League final.

Anyone who has not seen the new third kit before, however, may notice something strange about it - and that's not pertaining to the shirt design!

Eagle-eyed viewers will spot that the traditional Nike swoosh logo is facing the wrong way. The tick logo has been rotated 90 degrees to be vertical, rather than the usual horizontal.

Not only that, but there are two swooshes in one, as you will see there is a smaller green tick within the larger white tick on the Spurs shirt.

Why is this? Well, it's not just on the Tottenham third kit this season, but every third kit Nike have designed for the 2024/25 campaign.

This move is to signify the link-up with the women's team and the upward tick highlights the rise of women's football around the country and the world. As mentioned above, both men's and women's teams will wear this kit this season at various points during the campaign.

The Carabao Cup third round is split across two weeks this season, with it running alongside Champions League and Europa League matchdays. The draw for the fourth round will take place next week when all of the matches have been played.

Why there is no VAR in Tottenham Carabao Cup clash vs Coventry City

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Tottenham Hotspur's quest to win a major trophy this season begins with the Carabao Cup tie against Coventry City.

Spurs will make the trip to the Sky Blues for the third round of the competition. Ange Postecoglou's team will be looking to secure a spot in the fourth round with victory over the Championship club.

Tottenham go into the game on the back of the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby at the weekend in the Premier League.

Spurs will be hoping to return to winning ways in their first domestic cup fixture of the campaign against Coventry.

Unlike in the Premier League, though, Spurs will have to face Coventry without VAR being used in the fixture.

The use of the video assistant referee changes with the Carabao Cup, meaning it will not be present at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Wednesday evening.

VAR is only used in the Carabao Cup from the semi-final stage onwards. However, last season there was no video assistant in the competition in the final due to it not being possible to install the technology at the Riverside Stadium, home of Middlesbrough who faced Chelsea in the semi-final.

Tottenham will be hoping to be in the hat for the fourth-round draw of the Carabao Cup which takes place next week on September 25, after the conclusion of the remaining third-round ties.

Manchester United, Stoke City, Southampton, Preston North End, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday have all already booked their spots in the fourth round of the competition which takes place next month.

Jermaine Jenas decision made as former Tottenham star misses dream job audition

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The BBC have confirmed the chosen presenters for their Champions League highlights show and Jermaine Jenas is not one of them.

The former Tottenham and England midfielder is still out of a job after being relieved of his presenting duties at the BBC and talkSPORT last month. The 41-year-old had co-hosted the One Show alongside Alex Jones since 2020 and was part of BBC's football coverage on Match of the Day 2 and live studio games.

However, he was sacked from his reported £190,000-per-year role due to complaints of 'inappropriate behaviour.' Following that decision, talkSPORT announced he would also not be returning to present a show on their platform either.

“There are no plans for Jermaine to broadcast as a presenter on talkSPORT in the immediate future,” the spokesperson said at the time. As a result of his impressive on-screen work, he had been tipped to one day succeed Gary Lineker as the host of the BBC's flagship football programme, Match of the Day, with the former Leicester City and England forward insisting Jenas would be a "good" host if he was to succeed him.

"I would obviously be up for it. It's Match of the Day and it would be a great opportunity," Jenas previously said. "I haven't thought that far ahead but I hosted Match of the Day 2, which was the first one I've ever done.

"I loved it, it felt comfortable to me, it felt normal, and I love doing the One Show as well. I feel quite blessed that I'm even in people's minds that it's something I could take on given how big the show actually is."

Being a presenter for the BBC Champions League highlights show would have been a good audition for Jenas. However, he will not be a part of it with the BBC naming Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Jason Mohammed as their presenters.

Meanwhile, former Manchester City and Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, former Arsenal player Theo Walcott, Villa, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart’s Thomas Hitzlsperger and former City captain Steph Houghton will all be on punditry duties. Nedum Onuoha and Steve Warnock will take on the role of analysts which will be to spot the tactical trends and hidden moments from the week.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: "The BBC is going to be showing the best teams and players in the world this season. The ability to devour all the clips and goals on Wednesday nights and then see the big issues dissected and debated lifts our football coverage to a new level.

"And that backs up our brilliant 5 Live coverage of the matches themselves as they happen. Our iPlayer and website first package is an exciting opportunity for audiences as they really have the freedom to watch the coverage however they choose."

Coventry City vs Tottenham prediction and odds ahead of Carabao Cup clash

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Coventry City is gearing up to host Tottenham Hotspur in what promises to be an intriguing Carabao Cup fixture. For Spurs, this match represents a crucial opportunity to regain some lost confidence. Ange Postecoglou’s bold claim of being a trophy-winning manager by his second season has faced early turbulence. Consecutive losses to Newcastle and Arsenal have cast doubt over his ambitious declaration.

Yet, defeats to formidable teams like Newcastle and Arsenal are not entirely unexpected. What’s more frustrating for Tottenham is that they were arguably the better side in both games. Dominating possession and controlling the tempo, Spurs created numerous chances but failed to convert them into goals. Against Newcastle, they had 20 shots but found the net just once; similarly, they managed only one goal from 15 attempts against Arsenal. Clearly, Postecoglou’s men need to be more clinical in front of goal—creating chances alone won't win matches.

On the other side, Coventry City sits mid-table in the Championship with just one victory in their last five outings. Scoring has been a significant issue for them as well. Despite this, they have managed to notch wins against Bristol and Oxford United recently.

Reflecting on their recent form, Coventry made headlines a few months ago with an impressive run to the FA Cup semi-finals. They pushed Manchester United to the brink, only losing out on penalties. This history shows that Coventry is no pushover and can pose a real threat to any team underestimating them.

Coventry vs Tottenham Betting Tips

Over 2.5 goals - 11/20

Tottenham to win and both teams to score - 7/4

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Group 28

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Ange Postecoglou believes that he can develop Tottenham's group of talented teenagers while aiming for short term success.

Spurs had three new teenagers arrive into their first team this summer in Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert, signed for a combined £78.5million between them, while Yang Min-hyeok and Luka Vuskovic will join up Postecoglou's squad next year to continue the conveyor belt of talent coming into the club.

While all five teenagers come with bags of ability and excitement surrounding them, how does the Tottenham head coach marry the process of developing them all with the need to bring success to the club in the short-term and end that 16-year trophy drought at the north London outfit?

"It has to happen in conjunction. What I'm trying to do, which is what I've done wherever I've been irrespective of my tenure, is build teams that are going to be challenging over a course of time," said Postecoglou. "All teams that do that seem to grow together, so you need that element of youth for it to come to fruition as you go along.

"It has to be a combination of both. When do you hit the sweet spot when you have enough experience in the building? That's hopefully when it all goes together, and when the experienced players come to the end of a cycle, you've got the rest coming through. I've always done it and it's a balancing act.

"I'm really excited about the young players we've brought in and the ones who are coming in, and look, another manager might be the beneficiary of them, I don't know. But in the course of time they're going to be really good footballers and make an impact. They'll only develop if they play, so we've got to give them the opportunity to play.

"The three we've brought in, with Mikey [Moore] and young Will Lankshear as well, Wilson, Archie, Lucas, I just love watching them in training at the moment. They want to play, they want to make an impact. They don't look or behave like 18, 19-year-olds. Which is great for me. When they're 21, they're hopefully going to be flying and it's part of our responsibility to develop them. If you want to have a successful period, you can't just bring in experienced players to have one hit at success."

Former Liverpool defender and later Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen once famously said 'you can't win anything with kids' about Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side.

"Until you do," said Postecoglou. "It's always great to break stereotypes. You definitely need the experience. Having winners in the group helps that process because when a young guy comes in, if he's got somebody there who's already won things, he kind of learns the behaviours so you do need both.

"But I've always liked the fearlessness and naivety of young players. They haven't felt the pain of losing something. I like the fact that they're a little bit fearless."

With that long silverware drought at Tottenham, Postecoglou admits that he prefers to use that big absence of success as an incentive rather than a weight around the players' necks and his own.

"You can try to ignore it but it's a reality. That's what it is. It's a fact. So just face up to it mate. I kind of flip it. As I keep saying to the guys, 'What a great opportunity. Imagine you are the ones to do it'," the Australian explained. "I keep saying, it was the biggest attraction to me coming here.

"I get it, it's the Premier League and everyone wants to be here. It's a big club and you do get well rewarded financially and talk to fantastic people like yourselves. All these kinds of things are great attractions but the one that ticked the biggest box for me was 'imagine I did win something'.

"Imagine it was in my second year. Imagine that happened. That's something I could reflect pretty fondly on. That's how I see it. I don't see it as a burden, I see it as an opportunity. That's what I keep saying to the players every day. Don't ignore it. See it as an opportunity to do something special. It's not easy. When you say these things and I put it out there, then [the reaction is], 'Oh my god, what if it doesn't happen?' and we've lost at the weekend and people are coming for you! But that's OK. Don't worry. Think about the flip side of that, if it does happen. That's what has got to motivate us."

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

We simulated Coventry City vs Tottenham to get a Carabao Cup score prediction

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After suffering north London derby heartbreak, Tottenham will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round.

Gabriel scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Spurs 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, handing Ange Postecoglou's side a second league defeat of the season after just four games. Postecoglou responded to a question regarding Spurs' trophy hopes for this season with "I always win things in my second year,” and the Aussie boss has the chance to act on that as the Lilywhites kick off their Carabao Cup campaign tonight.

This will be the first time since 2013 that Spurs have faced Coventry City, with last season's FA Cup semi-finalists currently sitting 14th in the Championship. Last season, Spurs were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round following a penalty shootout defeat to Fulham, so they already can't do worse than that.

So, can Tottenham get off to a winning start in their Carabao Cup campaign? Let's take a look.

We simulated Coventry City vs Tottenham to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions, however as we're still using EA FC 24, the kits are from last season, and squad numbers may not be accurate.

We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Wilson; Van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva; Allen, Eccles; Mason-Clark, Palmer, Wright; Simms.

We predict that Spurs could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Odobert, Solanke, Werner.

Spurs started slowly in Coventry, and they were made to pay the price when Ephron Mason-Clark drifted centrally to meet Jay Dasilva's cross with a fantastic overhead kick. After going behind, Spurs went up a gear as they looked to pull a goal back, and just before half-time, they did just that.

Lucas Bergvall was a standout player in the first half, and some lovely football between him and Rodrigo Bentancur saw the Swede break through the Coventry midfield before slipping a pass through to Dominic Solanke. The striker let the ball run past him before firing towards goal, and his powerful strike found the far corner to level the score.

The second half saw Spurs dominate every aspect of the game, but they struggled in the final third, with two huge chances being squandered by Timo Werner. But, after Bergvall was brought down inside the box with 11 minutes to go, Spurs were awarded a penalty, and Solanke stepped up to dispatch the spot kick into the roof of the net, ensuring Spurs' spot in the next round.

EA FC 24 predicted final score: Coventry 1-2 Tottenham