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Ange Postecoglou will have to strike a delicate balance with his Tottenham Hotspur team to take on Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday evening.

Spurs follow up their North London Derby defeat with a potential banana skin of a cup trip to Championship side Coventry and Postecoglou will want to give minutes to his players to keep them all sharp while also being wary of weakening his side to a degree that risks their chances in the match.

The Australian made nine changes last season in this competition and his team went out at the first time of asking to eventual semi-finalists Fulham following a penalty shoot-out defeat at Craven Cottage.

Yves Bissouma will miss out through injury again and football.london asked Postecoglou whether young players like Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and even 17-year-old Mikey Moore could feature at the Ricoh Arena on Wednesday night.

"Yeah, they're ready to play and we're keen to get them some game time. That's why we brought them to the club," he said. "They're training really well and the games haven't gone the way we wanted in terms of giving them some more exposure but we always knew that this is the period where it starts.

"Not just between now and the next international break but post that, probably until the end of January we're going to have a really busy schedule and they're going to play a big part in that. So guys like those three you mentioned, Wilson [Odobert] who hasn't played much so far, Pape [Matar Sarr] and a lot of these guys, we're keen to get them playing because we're going to need them."

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Postecoglou will go with:

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has taken aim at the social media trolls who played their part in forcing Brennan Johnson to deactivate his Instagram account.

The 23-year-old was signed by Spurs from Nottingham Forest for £50million last season and in his first campaign at the club managed to rack up 15 goal involvements in 35 Premier League matches with five goals and 10 assists. The young Wales international has not yet found his groove in the first four games of this season, other than a positive display from the bench at Newcastle United this month.

Johnson 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. However, that does not completely remove abuse as, for example, it does not prevent users from sending unsolicited direct messages on the platform which collect in a separate folder.

After Sunday's North London Derby and the defeat to Arsenal, the young attacker deactivated his account entirely and Postecoglou was asked whether social media abuse was now just par for the course for players in the game nowadays.

"I hope not. I hate how we’ve just normalised all that stuff," said the 59-year-old. "I’ve been around long enough and even when I was playing, I copped a fair bit, but it was usually on the terraces and then the game was over and you’d go home. When people are at the game they get a bit frustrated that you’re not playing well, they give you some fairly direct feedback, I’ve had all that.

"You’re talking about a young guy who is probably lacking a bit of confidence at the moment. Things haven’t gone his way, but he comes here every day, he’s working his backside off, he’s asking for feedback, he’s doing everything right, he’s trying so hard to become the player he wants to be, it’s hurting him a lot.

"It’s not like he’s out on the town and he doesn’t care and he rolls up late. So what’s his crime? His crime is he isn’t performing at the level that people expect of him. As a professional footballer you've got to expect that you’re going to get criticism about that, that’s part of your growth. He’s still a young player and I think there is so much more of Brennan that we’re going to bring out in him.

"It's sad for me that we’ve kind of normalised that stuff. That getting abuse, and it is abuse and a lot of it personal, is 'oh well, that’s part of the territory'. I don’t see that."

He added: "I don’t cop it anymore. If somebody is abusive to me, they’re going to hear it back. I don’t believe that’s right. I’ll take criticism because that’s my role, and scrutiny, you have to because that’s your role, but I don’t have time for abuse. I feel sorry for the young people today, they are on these social media platforms. I can switch off and my one follower doesn't get upset by it.

"For the young guys today, it’s part of their world. They seem to get some sort of enjoyment from it. I don’t understand it but they do. The fact that they’ve got to limit their world, close their world a little bit because of… I mean what kind of person writes abusive things to an individual?

"Criticism is one thing, exasperation at a game, you accept that. To sit down and write something abusive anonymously… say it in front of me, you’ll get a punch on the nose, you won’t do it again, mate. But they won’t do that. They’ll hide behind this… I hate that it’s normalised but unfortunately that’s the world we live in.

"When I look at Brennan I see a young man who is trying his hardest to be the best he can be. It doesn’t always guarantee success and it’s part of his journey how he deals with all this, but he’s a great kid, a great footballer and I’m very optimistic about what he's going to do for us."

Postecoglou is positive about his attacking options on the whole at Tottenham and the room for growth that his players have in that department.

"I think there is so much more upside. We’re nowhere near capacity in terms of the players we have there at the moment. Dom Solanke is an obvious one, Richy hasn’t even played yet. It’s fair to say Sonny has had a stop-start to the season. He hasn’t hit the consistent levels. The other guys like Brennan and Wilson [Odobert], I think there’s a lot of growth in there. Timo [Werner] hasn't had much of an opportunity," said the Tottenham boss.

"I look at our attacking midfield players, I think there’s massive upside in [Dejan] Kulusevski. I’m seeing more and more growth in him in that attacking midfield role. I definitely think there is capacity to improve there in that area, for sure, 100 per cent.

“Dom and even Richy, just having a focal point up there, that’s the reason we signed him, is going to make a big difference to us in that area. I think we have at present enough there to overcome the deficiencies we have at the moment through more a lack of fluency and cohesion in that front third. We just haven’t been able to nail on a formation there that will give us some consistency."

Much has been made of Postecoglou's exasperated interview with Sky Sports after Sunday's defeat in which he made it clear after being asked about his record of winning trophies in his second season at clubs that he was looking to do so at Tottenham as well.

It was put to the Australian on Tuesday that his candid statement might have heaped unnecessary pressure on him and the team to deliver, especially with a potential banana skin of a Carabao Cup third round fixture at Coventry City on Wednesday night.

"By stating a fact? I’m not sure. What did I do, did I unfurl banners and get a band out?" he asked. "Am I supposed to say that’s not really relevant or that doesn’t really count or that’s not really important? Because it is to me. That’s what I’ve got to rely on, that in my 26 years of managing I’ve had success and most of that has come in the second year, not all of it. Sometimes it’s happened in the first year, sometimes in the third year.

"I rely on that. It’s something I’ve achieved. If by the end of your career you’ve won a couple of Pulitzers mate, and somebody asks you about winning a Pulitzer, would you say, ‘Well it’s not really that important’? I don’t see why that puts extra pressure. It doesn’t put extra pressure on me because I love the fact that I’ve done that. It’s what I want to do here.

"I’d like to think that just saying the truth is the way to go forward, but I think sometimes that’s too confronting for people. They’d much rather I didn’t."

Postecoglou was asked whether by using that standard he sets himself will it be a failure in his mind if he does not win a trophy at Tottenham this season?

"Yes. I failed last year in my head because that’s how I’m geared. I think I’ve made it pretty clear what my expectations are, but that doesn’t mean that I stop, that just fuels the fire of 'Why didn’t I do it? Why didn’t we achieve last year? Why didn’t we win something last year?'" he said.

"That gets me going for this year and this year it’s about progress. That’s been my whole career, that’s my foundation. That’s why I’m sitting here. There’s no other way I could have got here. No chance in any universe I could have got here from Australia and been sitting here answering questions at one of the biggest clubs in the world and the best competition in the world if I didn’t have some sort of self belief based on something of substance. I was never going to get here with my charm and good looks."

So by that logic everyone else can judge the Spurs boss by his own standards?

"Yeah. I’ve never tried to steer it another way. Have I ever downplayed anything since I’ve been here? So I’m willing to be measured against that, that means that I’m fair game. I’ve never said not to. Now, how you come to your summary at the end, that’s as much on you as it is me," he explained.

"You can make your assessment on just one thing or many things, but I’m happy to be judged against that standard because that’s my standard, that’s what I’ve done in the past and I don't want to dilute that because then I miss the opportunity to continue on the road I’ve been on. I have no problems with people using that as a yardstick.

"I will say we’re four games into a new season, it’s pretty early. I realised in Scotland, they’d rule me out after two games. They said it was all over in the year we won the double, so…I just find it…It’s just me, I’m going to be me. I’m just going to say these things the way I always have and I’m not going to change."

For a club like Tottenham that has been starved of silverware for what will be 17 years by the time this season's finals come around next year, perhaps it's not the worst thing to have a manager normalise that word that has hung instead like a weight around the team's neck over the years - trophies.

"Maybe, yeah, but it’s still me. I’m not putting it on, that’s the thing…I’ve never tried to do it as a tactic. I keep saying, it’s why I came here. I came here to try to win things for the club. I think that should be our measure and if we fall short of that then we’ve fallen short and we need to be better and improve," he said.

"That’s up to me, under my tenure, to try to achieve that, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with embracing that. Again, I’d be surprised if anyone could dig up something I’ve said where I’ve tried to downplay anything, even when we started well last year I said ‘look mate, if people want to dream about us winning things, let them go for it’.

"It’s just the way I’m wired, I think it’s the way forward and you need to embrace that if you want to become a successful club and not shy away from it. It’s easy to…not easy but if I said ‘this is going to take three or four years’, then yeah it would relieve pressure, but I don’t want to wait three or four years. This year's an opportunity and then if we do well this year, next year’s an opportunity. So that’s the way I think about it."

He added: "I just think there are plenty of reasons why we can’t be successful, so there’s no point focusing on those. There’s countless reasons why you can say this club won’t win something.

"I think I’ve always tried to focus on the way I see it, which is there are no impediments for us winning anything if we’re prepared to plan for it and be really bold in our approach to try and achieve that. I don’t think there’s anything limiting this club having success. I really don’t believe that. That’s why I’m here, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready for it now. It just means it’s what we should be striving for."

Postecoglou believes that it's his responsibility to deliver Tottenham the silverware that a club of its size should be holding aloft because 16 years is too long.

"In isolation yes, because with the fanbase we have, and we’ve seen clubs of similar stature win trophies in that time, it’s a long time, but in context, there was also a period of time when we got very close, and sometimes there are fine margins between success and failure, so when you’ve been at the doorstep of success it hasn’t been a total waste of 16 years," he said.

"We've built a stadium in that time, and it’s not just the money involved. It's disruptive, and other clubs who have been through a similar process found it doesn't gear you up to win trophies, so there is context to those 16 years.

“But if you are a supporter of this club, I would think you would look at it and say, 'Yes, it’s time'. That’s my responsibility and that’s why I’m in the chair - to try and change that, and to change that we need to try and change the way we approach things as well because, ultimately, if you keep doing the same thing, you’re going to get the same outcome."

That process begins on Wednesday evening with the trip to Coventry and all eyes will be on Postecoglou's line-up. He received plenty of criticism early in his tenure last year for making nine changes and exiting the Carabao Cup early following a penalty shoot-out defeat at Fulham.

"Fulham reached the semi-finals, which means they are a pretty good side, we were playing at their place and we lost on penalties," he said. "Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but we had an experienced line-up on the night and it's not as if I put kids out there.

"I didn’t dismiss that game, I didn’t underestimate that game and I didn’t go into it thinking it’s OK if we lose. We desperately wanted to win but it was early in the season with a brand-new squad and we still put out a strong line-up."

Postecoglou will be looking for his players to make amends this time around with a victory at their Championship hosts and push them along the path towards a potential long-awaited trophy.

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

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has argued that there is little need to have Manchester City's hearing played out in public so long as the verdict is publicly available.

The Premier League champions began their hearing in front of an independent commission on Monday morning. Originally, it was believed the Blues faced 115 charges by the top flight but that has since been increased to 130.

Updates on the hearing are likely to be few and far between though as thanks to the guidance in the Premier League handbook, the process is not required to be held in public. Reports have suggested that Premier League rivals to City have become frustrated at the perceived secrecy surrounding the case and one lawyer urged that justice needs to be seen to be done.

But speaking on talkSPORT Jordan explained why the private nature of the hearing should not concern Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur or any of their Premier League rivals. "I’m looking at it thinking that so long as the right outcomes and the reports are transparent when the actual verdict comes out [then it is okay]," he said.

"I understand the argument why people think that transparency is a necessity. There is a balance between needing to know and wanting to know.

"They need to know the outcome but wanting to know doesn’t give you the right to have it. Needing to know that the outcome is just and fair will come in the summation of the reasons why the sentence or the vindication of Manchester City’s position manifests itself.

"Lawyers are arguing that it should be televised and I am neither for nor against it. I don’t see the benefit of it.

"I think so long as the outcome is documented and available, which it will be, then I am comfortable with that." The hearing is expected to last a couple of months with the verdict not expected until next year.

How much of an opportunity is this cup to get your season going and win silverware after your comments the other day?

Yes, every game is an opportunity for us to get on that road to success. The cup competitions there is a definite timeline there so you know you’ve got to win to progress so the focus is there.

Do winners like Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur help this young team, having the knowledge of how to win trophies?

Yes, it helps I guess because that experience of winning - as I said before - there is always common factors when you look across any successful endeavour around coherence and belief in each other and something, making sure you are disciplined in the way you behave and approach things to make sure you’re consistency there. It doesn’t matter who you are playing for or representing. There is always those common factors. The guys who have experienced this before, hopefully they can relay that to guys who don’t have that experience.

Does that affect your team selection?

I think the main thing is that we want to win tomorrow night and so you are looking at which players are in the best position to do that. You do take into account there was a game a couple of days ago so we are looking at how the guys to see how they’ve recovered. We’ve got guys who haven’t played much and are looking contribute and get the job and that’s what we will do tomorrow?

Is Yves Bissouma in contention?

Biss is still not where we want him to be but hopefully he there is a chance that he will be okay for the weekend.

Cristian Romero retweeted something about a private jet issue and the club not paying for him to come back quickly, was he tired or ill and what happened there?

No, [the retweet] was mentioned to me but it wasn’t mentioned to me before the game. I knew nothing about it. The players got back on Thursday and we had a Sunday game. No one reported anything other than the usual checks of people coming back from international duty so prior to the game - no one said anything.

So no risks taken with his health?

As I said, there was nothing before the game that was mentioned to me.

There's been a FIFPRO report with Cristian top of travel for last year, were you aware of that? Do you have sympathy with players in that position?

Yes, but that is not a new thing. That's been going on for quite a while, I am not sure why that is relevant today. I've got Mile Jedinak asking how many kilometres he did whilst trying to have a career over here in Europe. It's not great, it's not ideal. It's a price you sometimes have to pay for international fixtures. At the same time, I think it's right the players are really concerned they are playing, that's really relevant but the distances have always been there.

We are starting to clutch a bit if we are using it as something for the weekend - that had nothing to do with our game on the weekend. But overall I agree. The international calendar is really putting some strenuous demands on footballers performing at the highest level. We know them representing their country is really important to them, we know the distances, particularly South American and Asian players. It is something we need to have a look at from a holistic view but it is not really relevant to the current situation.

Akanji and Alisson have been speaking about the amount of fixtures, saying they are playing too much, do you agree?

Not specifically here. We are definitely pushing the boundaries of what we are asking of players today. If we want elite performances across the board and players constantly being available. I think we are bursting at the seems in terms of how much we require from players, absolutely.

Your brand of football is meant to be relentless in its attacking but it felt like it slowed down a lot against Arsenal, particularly after they scored, was that a frustrating thing to watch in the final third?

Not specifically. I think it was before that. It was quite obvious Arsenal were quite keen to slow the game down. I thought we did that at times unnecessarily in the first half as well. A couple of times from goal kicks where we took ages to get started. We allowed them to get the break they wanted. At the end of the game it is always going to be difficult because they are really good at sitting deep, they've got a really strong presence inside their defensive box.

So going a goal behind was always going to be difficult for us to open them up or generate any tempo in the game. I thought there were missed opportunities, particularly in the first half when we were on top and continued to be relentless. There was a lot of slowing down of the game when they were in control of it. When we slowed it down we kind of contributed to it as well.

Has the Guglielmo Vicario criticism for Arsenal's goal been valid, that maybe he should have been stronger?

I think there's a collective responsibility there within something like that. It's a moment where we switched off in many respects from our focus, which had been really good up until that point and we got punished for it.

There are some young players who have been working towards getting their opportunity, like Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and maybe even Mikey Moore, will we see them tomorrow night?

You can see them. Yeah, they might even be on the pitch mate. Yeah, they're ready to play and we're keen to get them some game time. That's why we brought them to the club. They're training really well and the games haven't gone the way we wanted in terms of giving them some more exposure but we always knew that this is the period where it starts. Not just between now and the next international break but post that, probably until the end of January we're going to have a really busy schedule and they're going to play a big part in that.

So guys like those three you mentioned, Wilson who hasn't played much so far, Pape and a lot of these guys, we're keen to get them playing because we're going to need them.

Last season you didn't have the number of games you wanted because you went out of competitions, as well as winning a trophy will that be a big sort of thing you want to impress on your team tomorrow?

Yeah, I mean, we didn't have Europe last year either. So, you know, like I said, it was an unusual year last year where for a club of our size and with the squad, we carry that we didn't really have the volume of games and going out in the first round of the Carabao Cup didn't help that.

Look, it's an opportunity. It's an opportunity to play. It's an opportunity to impress. It's an opportunity for us to advance in a competition and all those kind of things are still true and that's what we're focusing on.

I know you reiterated at the weekend that the second year is the year that you win a trophy....

It's amazing, isn't it? I just stated a fact and it seems like, am I supposed to just lie or just say it never happened? But, no, it's just confusing to me that people are making a big deal out of something. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to answer something that is true.

Like if I don't win it in the second year this year and I come out next year and say 'well, I always win it', well, no, actually it's not true, but I've just said something that's true, and it seems like it's upset a lot of people for some reason.

I think it's because it's unusual to see a manager who is..

Saying something true? (Laughs) Somebody said yeah!

I mean a manager being rational about a team's prospects?

But do you really think it's me sort of boasting. How am I supposed to answer something that's true. Is it to say 'well, actually, no, it wasn't that important, they were easy competitions and they don't mean anything'. If you've achieved something, aren't you supposed to say ' yes, I have, and that's what I hope to do again'?

I'm not really sure why people misconstrue it as me trying to boast about something. I've answered a question which I think somebody else brought up here anyway, before that, which is true. That's always happened and my plan is for it to happen again this year.

And if it doesn't happen, then I can't answer that question in the same way next year, I can say 'mostly' not 'always'.

After four games you easily could be sitting there having won all four but they haven't, how do you manage the winning mentality with your philosophy going forward?

It's a consistency [thing] and sort of belief in what we're doing. I've said before it's not an easy process. It at times can feel pretty disheartening when things don't happen smoothly, but I've always believed in certain things to be true, and one is that if you keep playing well, the results will come, but you just can't do that and expect it to happen.

There's still elements in our game that we need to improve on. I think when you look at the four games, I think that you could summarise all four games in a very similar way of us, outperforming the opposition but not taking the critical moments in our favour and you pay a price for that.

But that doesn't mean you need to change your approach. If anything, you just need to keep doing what you're doing and make sure that in those critical moments, we take advantage of it.

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 holding his press conference on Tuesday ahead of Tottenham's trip to Championship side Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round.

Spurs will be happy to be playing again so quickly in order to try to get the pain of Sunday's North London Derby defeat to Arsenal out of their system. Postecoglou's team dominated much of the game but their failure to make that count in the visitors' box and then a slip up from one corner at the other end saw Cristian Romero lose Gabriel in the box and the home side come away from the match with nothing.

After the game, the Tottenham boss made it clear during one interview that he "always wins" in his second seasons at clubs and sees no reason why that will not be the same at the north London outfit. An immediate cup match has now arrived with a potential banana skin of a tie at Coventry's Ricoh Arena and Postecoglou will be keen for his players to ensure his words immediately do not appear like wishful thinking.

The Australian will also deliver the latest injury news with Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and young striker Will Lankshear all the most recent visitors to the treatment room.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou ahead of the match. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the club's Hotspur Way training complex in Enfield.

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

Tottenham's first North London Derby of the season against Arsenal ended in defeat and left Ange Postecoglou looking for solutions.

Spurs dominated much of the possession but were unable to turn that into enough clear chances on the Gunners' goal and while they shut out Mikel Arteta's side for much of the game, it took just one Gabriel header from a Bukayo Saka corner to undo all of the defence's good work.

Postecoglou was left disappointed with his Tottenham players' attacking endeavours in the final third and told football.london after the game: "We had some good opportunities but we created so many more, we just wasted some of our good play. Similar to our other games where we haven't really had that conviction in the front third to take advantage of, whether it's us winning the ball back or getting into that front third and nothing coming of it. You keep opposition teams in the game when you do that."

He added: "We are a team that is progressing in many areas, with all that progress there are always new challenges and things you need to overcome. When I look at the four games in isolation this year, the football is probably more consistent and compelling than our first four games last year but obviously our results don’t reflect that. So I think we have made progress in certain areas but there are other areas we need to improve on and that’s my job to fill those gaps as quickly as possible."

Our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed the North London Derby in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. They also discussed Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario's part in Arsenal's winning goal and what the attacking struggles meant for players like Lucas Bergvall who could be set for an increased role in the matches ahead as Postecoglou looks for more bravery from his attacking playmakers.

You can listen to the latest episode of the podcast by heading right here or watch the show on YouTube by going right here.

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 team have the opportunity to immediately bounce back from their North London Derby defeat when they take on Coventry City on Wednesday evening. Coming up against the Championship outfit in the third round of the Carabao Cup, the game takes place at the CBS Arena.

Tottenham exited the Carabao Cup at the first time of asking 13 months ago and they will be keen to avoid a repeat scenario this time around. Many were critical of Postecoglou's wholesale changes away at Fulham and all eyes will be on how many alterations the Australian makes for the tie against Mark Robins' side.

So how exactly should Tottenham line up against Coventry? Our Tottenham writers at football.london have had their say below.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

Ange Postecoglou needs to strike that delicate balance between giving players minutes to ensure his entire squad is happy and sharp if called upon, while not putting the team in a precarious position to compete in a potential banana skin of a game at the CBS Arena.

Radu Dragusin needs to play and Postecoglou must decide whether Djed Spence, after his Europa League exclusion, should join him as well as potentially the experienced Ben Davies.

Archie Gray could also come into the team, having played 52 games last season in the Championship and faced Coventry home and away. He played in those matches for Leeds as a right-back and Postecoglou must decide whether to switch out the entire back four or play the youngster in midfield.

Rodrigo Bentancur could get another chance to play with a potential ban on the horizon, while Pape Matar Sarr and Wilson Odobert will likely come in as well. Lucas Bergvall will be pushing for a start while Timo Werner could also come into the team and Postecoglou will be keen to give youngster Mikey Moore minutes from the bench.

Gold's team: Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Davies; Gray, Bentancur, Sarr; Odobert, Solanke, Werner.

Rob Guest - Football writer

Coventry may have endured a bit of a mixed start to the 2024/25 season but Tottenham cannot underestimate them at all as they are a very good team. While the game does give Ange Postecoglou the opportunity to rotate ahead of a busy few weeks with the team set to return to Europa League action next week, it's about getting the balance just right as Tottenham must go through in this game and avoid a potential cup shock.

For that reason, Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal rather than handing one of Fraser Forster or Brandon Austin a rare opportunity between the sticks. Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie remain in the team from Sunday's North London Derby defeat, with the duo joined in the side by Djed Spence and Radu Dragusin.

In midfield, Archie Gray makes his full Tottenham debut and operates in the No.6 role. Pape Matar Sarr should come in after starting on the bench against Arsenal and Spurs need to get James Maddison back to his very best so he starts against his hometown club.

Dominic Solanke would also benefit from more minutes and should start after only featuring in two Tottenham games since his move from Bournemouth. Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner then complete Spurs' attacking trio.

Guest's team: Vicario; Spence, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Sarr, Maddison; Odobert, Solanke, Werner.

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

Brentford have been dealt a huge injury blow with Yoane Wissa set to miss around two months after suffering an injury during their 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday. The 28-year-old, who opened the scoring within the first minute at the Etihad Stadium, was taken off just before half-time at the Etihad Stadium.

Wissa has been in fine form for Brentford this season. He has scored three goals and added one assist in four Premier League appearances. In fact, over his last nine top-flight matches, Wissa been directly involved in 10 goals, scoring seven and providing three assists. Nottingham Forest made a £25million bid for the DR Congo international at the end of last month, but the Bees rejected the proposal.

Now, Wissa is expected to be out until at least November due to the injury he picked up against City. Speaking ahead of their Carabao Cup third round game against Leyton Orient, Brentford boss Thomas Frank said on Monday: "Wissa is not good news. It looks like an injury that will be a couple of months. It’s very frustrating. It will leave a hole but I will find a solution and other players will step up."

Wissa sustained the problem after Mateo Kovacic's challenge from behind on the stroke of half-time. Kovacic was booked by referee Darren Bond, and issuing his assessment after the match, Frank agreed it was not a red card offence but labelled the tackle "reckless" and "cold-blooded".

"I don’t think it looked great," the Dane said. "I thought it was a reckless tackle from Kovacic. No chance of getting the ball, just took the man down. I understand in terms of the threshold that it’s probably not a red card so I understand that. But no chance of getting the ball, just cold blooded, just take the man out."

Wissa's absence is a significant blow for Brentford, with star striker Igor Thiago also ruled out, with the Brazilian sidelined with a serious knee injury until late 2024. Thiago, who joined the club for £30m from Club Brugge, is viewed as a replacement to Ivan Toney after he moved to Al-Ahli last month.

Brentford travel to Tottenham in their next Premier League outing on Saturday looking to return to winning ways. The Bees have collected six points from their opening four matches this season, which isn't a mean feat considering they have already travelled to Liverpool and City. The two wins came at home to Crystal Palace and Southampton.

Tottenham's loan players had mixed experiences as many of them returned to club football following the international break.

Spurs currently have a group of 10 players out on loan across the Football League and Spain after a busy summer transfer window in north London resulted in a major overhaul of Ange Postecoglou's squad. Many are gaining valuable experience, some are trying to catch the eye of Postecoglou or their manager on loan, while others are looking to earn moves elsewhere or in one case already have them set up.

That is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is on loan at Marseille but with an obligation to move to the Ligue 1 club so we're going to only mention him in passing occasionally as he is not part of Tottenham's future going forward.

football.london has taken a look below at exactly how the rest of the group of Spurs loan players got on over the past week.

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

Manor Solomon's second match for Leeds did not go the way of his sparkling debut as one moment proved pivotal on Saturday. The left winger's unfortunate slip at the end of the first half against Burnley allowed Luca Koleosho the whole flank free to run the length of the pitch to score the only goal of the game at Elland Road.

Solomon was busy from then on, setting up a couple of opportunities for team-mates but they could not find a way through and the 25-year-old was taken off after 78 minutes.

The Israel international received a six in Leeds Live's player ratings with the review: "Very unfortunate to slip when he did in what proved to be the decisive moment of the match. Otherwise, he looked like United's best player in attack. Speed of feet and thought will hurt a lot of opponents this season, but today's visitors just about had answers to all of his questions."

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil also had a tough day at the office after his impressive start at Girona. He was taken off just nine minutes into the second half of their 4-1 home defeat to Barcelona on Sunday in La Liga.

The 23-year-old was hauled off with the visitors already 3-0 up and Lamine Yamal having scored twice in the first half. Gil had a huge chance in first half added time from six yards out, only to send his shot straight at the goalkeeper. He did not last long in the second half before being taken out of the action after Dani Olmo scored Barcelona's third goal.

"Time to be united and bring out our best in what is coming. This doesn't stop, LET'S GO @gironafc," he posted on Instagram after the match.

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

Alejo Veliz made it five consecutive starts for Espanyol but the 20-year-old striker was not able to replicate his dramatic match-winning goalscoring contribution from last time out.

This time Espanyol did win again, beating Alaves 3-2 at home on Saturday, but Veliz was taken off in the 57th minute with his side 2-1 up at that point.

What was particularly strange about the young Argentine's performance was that he touched the ball just eight times in almost an hour, playing only one pass and having a single shot while losing the ball three times. He will be hoping to get more involved when Espanyol travel to Real Madrid this Saturday in La Liga.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips was an unused substitute for Stoke in their 1-0 defeat at Oxford United in the Championship, having played in the previous two games for the Potters before the international break.

The 19-year-old will be hoping to play a part in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday evening when Stoke welcome Fleetwood Town. Phillips will have a new manager soon after Steven Schumacher was sacked, with Norwich coach Narcis Pelach in talks to take over.

Dane Scarlett (Oxford United)

In that same match on Saturday, Dane Scarlett's lack of minutes continued as he made it three games in a row in the Championship spent watching on unused on the bench for Oxford United as they made it back-to-back wins at home.

Oxford are out of the Carabao Cup so their next match comes on Saturday with a trip to Bristol City in the league.

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Jamie Donley had to experience unused bench life as well, having started all three of Leyton Orient's previous matches in League One. The 19-year-old had to watch on as Orient won 1-0 at Reading with boss Richie Wellens going with his more experienced players and it paid off.

Josh Keeley returned from international duty with Republic of Ireland's U21s late in the week and missed out on making the squad with teams in the Football League only able to name five loan players in their matchday squad.

Both he and Donley will be hoping to play a part against Premier League opposition on Tuesday evening as Orient make the trip across London to play Thomas Frank's Brentford in the Carabao Cup.

Matthew Craig (Barnsley)

Matthew Craig got an hour under his belt for Barnsley but tasted defeat in a 3-0 defeat at Stevenage in League One and was taken off shortly after the hosts' second goal.

The 21-year-old will be hoping to face Manchester United in a big match on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford as Barnsley take on Erik ten Hag's side in the Carabao Cup third round.

George Abbott (Notts County)

George Abbott made it back-to-back 90 minute displays and victories in League Two as Notts County ran out 4-2 winners in a goal-laden game at Bromley.

The versatile 19-year-old Spurs U21s skipper has made a big impression at his new club and the fans and in a busy performance in a defensive midfield role he racked up three tackles and two clearances, embarked on one dribble and touched the ball 52 times during the encounter.

Carey Bloedorn (Aveley)

Nineteen-year-old Tottenham goalkeeper Carey Bloedorn continues to get game time on loan at National League South side Aveley.

The teenage made his FA Cup debut in the 2-1 defeat at home to Southern Premier Central side Royston Town in the second qualifying round on Saturday.

Despite the defeat, it was another important developmental experience for the teenager, who has played seven times now for Aveley since making his first loan move out of Spurs.

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

Gary Lineker believes Arsenal have already shown they are going to be Manchester City's main challenger for the Premier League title.

The Gunners claimed a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the North London Derby.

Gabriel Magalhaes was on the score sheet for Arsenal to claim their third successive win away from home against Spurs in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's side are now second in the league table with 10 points from their first four fixtures.

That means Arsenal are two points adrift of leaders Man City who have a 100 percent record in the top flight so far after their win over Brentford at the weekend.

Arsenal are due to meet Man City in the Premier League this weekend after taking on Atalanta in the Champions League. Going into that clash at the Etihad Stadium, Lineker believes the Gunners will be the main challengers for the league title against Pep Guardiola's side.

"It’s already looking like Arsenal v Manchester [for the title] again," said Lineker on The Rest is Football podcast.

Lineker went on to praise Arsenal's defensive performance against Spurs, in particular centre-back duo Gabriel and William Saliba. Speaking about Gabriel, Lineker explained why the Brazilian is a vital member of the Gunners squad.

"It wasn’t a great game or a great spectacle actually," Lineker said. "I expected it to be a bit more end-to-end, but Arsenal are so hard to beat. They defend so well, they really do."

Lineker added: "We often talk about [William] Saliba but that partnership with Gabriel is very strong. Gabriel is a warrior, isn’t he? He’s a player you’d really want on your side, and he does chip in with the odd goal."