The Guardian

Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Manchester United: Carabao Cup quarter-final – as it happened

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 19/12/2024 - 18:30

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Here’s Jonathan Liew’s report from the Tottenham Stadium.

Ange and Amorim hug as if they had just escaped an elevator together after a night of panic. Bayindir is angry, and confronts the referee,

Full-time: Tottenham 4-3 Manchester United

Two teams in full malfunction mode, two keepers to be clear. In the end, it’s Bayindir’s folly that takes Tottenham to the semis. Fraser Forster will have nightmares, having almost undone the good work of Spurs’ attackers. Ange is on course for that trophy. Ruben Amorim needs to find his Mark Robins and Lee Martins. United are way off it.

Goal! Tottenham 4-3 Manchester United (Evans, 90+4)

Oh wow! They couldn’t, could they? It came from a corner.

Six minutes added on.

Goal! Tottenham 4-2 Manchester United (Son, 88)

Straight from a corner!

Updated at 22.55 CET

Bloody oath!

Goal! Tottenham 3-2 Manchester United (Diallo, 70)

Ball passed back to Forster and Amad slides in and deflects the ball in.

Updated at 22.34 CET

Someone – was it Ange? – shouts: “You cannot be serious?” John McEnroe vibes.

Goal! Tottenham 3-1 Manchester United (Zirkzee, 63)

Comedy stuff. Forster tries to play the ball out and in steps Bruno, and a pass inside and Zirkzee scores.

Updated at 22.26 CET

Yes, a few fans fell for his initial performances, and his dirty play but he’s joining the ‘bust’ pile soon enough.

The Guardian

Ange Postecoglou claims Tottenham job is harder than being prime minister

Submitted by daniel on Wed, 18/12/2024 - 22:30

A Premier League manager has a tougher job than the prime minister, according to Ange Postecoglou. The Tottenham manager was reflecting on the departure of top-flight peers Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin while looking ahead to a meeting with the new Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim, in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.

“This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life,” declared Postecoglou. “You can say politics but this is harder than any job. The tenure and longevity of this role means very few are going to come out of it without any scars. How many times does [Keir Starmer] have an election? I have one every weekend. We have an election every weekend and either get voted in or out.”

Martin was sacked by Southampton after Tottenham’s 5-0 win at St Mary’s on Sunday. Postecoglou expressed his disappointment with Martin being asked to carry out post-match press duties only to lose his job within the hour. “You don’t even get sacked in the morning now, you’ve got to change your song,” he said. “We have lost all sort of modes of respect in our society where guys are in jobs and they are putting up names of who is going to replace them while they are still working.”

Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag who lost his job in October after a little over two years in charge at Old Trafford and Postecoglou was scathing about the treatment of managers. “This notion that clubs want to bring managers in and build stuff doesn’t exist,” he said. “The moment there is a bit of a wobble there will be flak coming from all areas.

“Gary and Russell are both outstanding young managers who have long careers ahead of them. Unfortunately, for them at the beginning of their careers that’s what a manager’s career is going to look like. You’ll find that from now on managers are going to have about 20 clubs on their CV. Even the successful ones.”

The Australian’s previous declaration that he always wins trophies in his second season at a club places pressure on Spurs’ Carabao Cup run, but Postecoglou said winning one trophy would not be nearly enough. “I always say that my ambition is to build a team and a club that has an opportunity for sustainable success. I don’t think winning a trophy will have done that but it will help the cause as it will show the ability to win things, create an environment that does bring trophies. If you win one and you fall off the cliff in another, I don’t think it’s the way forward.”

With Marcus Rashford suggesting his future lies away from United, Postecoglou sidestepped any possible link with the 27-year-old forward and Tottenham.

“That’s not on my radar,” he said. “You can ask me about Marcus but you can ask me about every single Premier League footballer and I’ll say the same thing.”

The Guardian

Spurs’ bid to reduce Bentancur ban fails as Cunha charged over Wolves melee

Submitted by daniel on Tue, 17/12/2024 - 13:01

Tottenham’s appeal to reduce Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match ban over comments he made about teammate Son Heung-min has been dismissed.

The Uruguay midfielder was given the suspension by an independent commission on 18 November and two days later, Spurs indicated they would appeal. On Tuesday, the Football Association confirmed an appeal board had dismissed Tottenham’s challenge against that sanction.

“This appeal was dismissed following a hearing, and the seven-match suspension remains as ordered by the regulatory commission,” the governing body said in a statement.

Bentancur was charged with misconduct in September over a television interview he gave in his home country in June, with the reference to Son’s race making it an aggravated breach. The standard minimum ban where such a breach is established is six matches, but Spurs said they felt the sanction was “severe” when confirming their intention to appeal.

Bentancur was asked during an interview to show the shirt of a Spurs player, and replied: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.” Bentancur apologised on Instagram to Son for his remarks and Son accepted that apology in a statement on the same platform.

“I’ve spoken with Lolo [Bentancur]. He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised,” the South Korea captain said. “Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We’re past this, we’re united and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one.” Bentancur was also fined £100,000.

The original panel said it felt the breach fell “towards the lower end of the [sanctioning] guideline range but not the lowest point”. It added: “Cases can easily be envisaged which are less serious than this, but nevertheless subject to the minimum suspension of six matches.”

The panel said it should have been “reasonably foreseeable” to Bentancur that the remarks would be widely distributed via social media, but took into account as mitigation his sincere apology and his previous clean disciplinary record. The appeal board’s written reasons for dismissing Spurs’ challenge have not yet been published.

Kick It Out said in a statement: “Kick It Out received more reports about Tottenham’s decision to appeal against the discrimination sanction for Rodrigo Bentancur than the original incident itself. Many of the reports from the East and Southeast Asian community and beyond told us how angry and disappointed they were with the club’s actions and how it extended the pain for those who were affected by the original incident.

“We know this has been an upsetting episode for many fans and hope the club will now reflect on its decision and how it might seek to engage with the community. The number of reports to Kick It Out over recent seasons shows that more education is needed to highlight East and Southeast Asian racism in football, and we would urge clubs to tackle this in the same manner as other forms of discrimination. We await the written reasons for the dismissal of the appeal with keen interest.”

Meanwhile, Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has been charged by the Football Association for his part in the ugly scenes at the end of Saturday’s defeat to Ipswich. Cunha was seen confronting members of Ipswich’s security team after his side had fallen to a last-gasp loss at Molinuex. If found guilty Cunha, who has been Wolves’ best player this season, could be facing a suspension.

Teammate Rayan Ait-Nouri was also sent off after the full-time whistle as tempers flared following Jack Taylor’s winner deep into injury time. The loss saw head coach Gary O’Neil lose his job, with former Porto boss Vitor Pereira set be appointed as his replacement in the next 48 hours.

The Guardian

Russell Martin’s Southampton tenure comes to an end after Tottenham rout

Submitted by daniel on Sun, 15/12/2024 - 22:30

As a battle of the Premier League’s most idealistic managers, it registered as no-contest. Such was the dominance of Ange Postecoglou’s version of the glory game over Southampton’s it led to Russell Martin’s misguided evangelism being discontinued. Saints’ main contribution to any free-flowing football was letting Spurs play as they liked.

Two seasons ago, on Tottenham’s previous Premier League visit to St Mary’s, a rancorous 3-3 draw had preceded Antonio Conte’s post-match rant for the ages, leaving Daniel Levy and the club’s exec class’s ears burning, the Italian’s last act at Spurs. This time, Martin became the casualty, Saints fans making their feelings clear.

“I don’t know, mate,” Martin replied to post-match questions on his job prospects. “You’re speaking to the wrong person.” The response of the Southampton board was swift.

For Spurs, Sunday night by the south coast proved a highly enjoyable holiday from the eternal existentialism of being English football’s most mercurial club. If Southampton were easy prey, particularly in the first half, then Tottenham’s top stars rose to the occasion. There was even a role to play for a forgotten man in a first win since Saints’ fellow Premier League whipping boys, Manchester City, were beaten 4-0 on 23 November.

“It was outstanding,” said Postecoglou. “We had 10 first-team players unavailable tonight. We had to come out quickly because we knew we were going to get tired. We are asking a lot of our players and the quality and energy showed was outstanding.”

The defensive selection had looked makeshift, with Archie Gray at centre-back and at right-back, Djed Spence making his first Premier League start since joining from Middlesbrough in August 2022. Could a discarded relic from the Antonio Conte era deliver an instant impact? Spence marching through the yawning gap in Saints’ midfield and laying on James Maddison to score after 38 seconds provided an answer.

“He’s been patient, and he’s a great lad,” said Maddison. “Djed is quite a laid back character anyway, so I don’t think he needed too much of a pep talk.”

Martin’s team’s reputation as a soft touch with poor levels of concentration preceded itself, and was augmented again, this time fatally. No Sunday songs of praise for Saints. The home boos and calls for Martin to depart rang out once Spurs scored their quick second, Son Heung-min slotting home after Maddison’s ball was helped on by Jan Bednarek.

“I understand it’s not personal, so I don’t know them and they don’t know me,” said Martin of the fans’ reaction. “As a manager? Yeah, of course it hurts me. It hurts the team. I also understand it.”

“We want Martin out” sounded as the third came. Son’s cross found Dominic Solanke, and Bednarek could only divert the ball to Dejan Kulusevksi. If home fans had seen enough then so had their manager. A 14th-minute tactical substitution of Kamaldeen Sulemana for defender Nathan Wood led to a touchline standoff between the subbed player and his desperate manager. Having completed five from six passes, the Ghanaian was guilty only of being the closest player to Martin. “I could have taken anyone off,” said Martin.

Saints fans barrelled to the exit en masse as Pape Sarr scored the fourth in the 25th minute. Martin stood, isolated and aware that, like Steve Cooper last month, and Gary O’Neil earlier on Sunday, when a manager’s number is up, it is public opinion that delivers the final blow. He headed down the tunnel before the half-time whistle even came, thus missing Maddison scoring the fifth from a tight angle.

Would he quit at half-time? Anything seemed possible before he made a reappearance to low-level boos. Spurs fans, meanwhile, sang the praises of their manager, whose team, when getting it right, give them much to enjoy.

“Nothing has changed with me,” said Postecoglou. “I still have the same resolve and determination to make sure we become the football club and football team we want to be. Tonight was about the players, really.”

With Tyler Dibling leading the charge, and those fans who remained finding their voice, there was a Saints improvement. Spurs did not go for the throat. The scoreline’s lack of jeopardy meant Lucas Bergvall could gain further experience in midfield on his first Premier League start. Gray’s all-round talents are being used at centre-back and he looked as composed as in midfield and at full-back.

Spence, subbed off, left the field to a standing ovation. Southampton’s fans recovered their humour with sarcastic laughter when Mateus Fernandes scored an offside goal. Not that the gallows humour spared Martin, well aware his team’s first-half performance had likely damned him. “I think we have no choice but to work and fight, and that’s what I’ve done since I’ve been in this job,” he said. “And so I’ll continue to do until I’m told otherwise.” Little more than an hour later, the inevitable news arrived.

The Guardian

Southampton v Tottenham: Premier League – live

Submitted by daniel on Sun, 15/12/2024 - 18:02

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GOAL! Southampton 0-3 Tottenham (Kulusevski, 14)

What is happening! A long ball finds Son who whips in a low cross. Solanki can’t get it but the ball is loose and swept home by Kulusevski from about five yards in front of goal.

GOAL! Southampton 0-2 Tottenham (Son, 12)

Boos around St Mary’s as Son slams home the second! A pretty innocuous cross from the right takes a deflection and bobbles across the box and Son, totally unmarked on the left, runs onto the bouncing ball and crunches it home.

GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Tottenham (Maddison, 1)

What a start! Maddison gets on the end of a through ball from and slots home from inside the box!

Updated at 20.12 CET

Away we go! Saints in their classic red and white, Spurs in baby blue.

This has a bit of a desperate feel to it. Both managers on TNT were doing their best to mask their anxiety (at least that’s my pop psychology take). They know that the ice below their feet is getting thinner.

The players are now making their way out the tunnel. All the noise, all the pressure, all the injuries and absentees, this could be anything.

Young Tyler Dibling is getting heaps of praise in the build up. The 18-year-old is apparently on Manchester United’s radar with a rumoured £21 million offer on the table.

Russell Martin says he has worked on “lots of things” this week. That’s encouraging.

Ange Postecoglou says he needs “another performance of ours that reflects the kind of football we want to play”.

Southampton’s boss looks the more chipper of the two.

Ivan Victor has written in and taken issue with some of my phrasing:

“Maybe this is pedantic (I don’t think it is), with 8 or 9 players out injured and a bench with five academy players it’s hard to be able to select your preferred starting XI.”

Nope, I don’t think that’s pedantic Ivan. I think that’s totally fair. You’re right, it’s not been ideal for Big Ange.

History is not on Southampton’s side.

They have won just one of their past eight matches against Tottenham in all competitions with three draws and four defeats.

But we should expect goals. The three most recent meetings between these two have produced 16 goals in total.

Perhaps the best stat is that Southampton have scored in each of their last 15 league games against Spurs. Fifteen!

My colleague Luke McLaughlin wrote this week that Spurs’ style seems unsuitable.

He took the 3-4 reverse at home to Chelsea as a case in point and asked, “is it sustainable to play with all guns blazing, all season, as if the bell is about to ring for the end of lunch break?”

It’s not the first time this has been asked of a Postecoglou team. I do wonder, though, if Tottenham’s fans would accept anything other than swashbuckling go-forward footy?

Big Ange isn’t holding back. After calling out Timo Werner, stating that the german’s performance against Rangers this week was “not acceptable”, the Tottenham boss has claimed that he has no time for “bruised egos”.

It’s a heavy approach but perhaps that is what’s needed. A bit of a kick up the rear to jumpstart a spluttering season.

We’ll find out if it’s worked.

Tottenham team

Big Ange is still searching for his preferred starting XI.

Dejan Kulusekvski, Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke all start. Timo Werner, after getting chewed out by his boss midweek, is on the bench alongside a bunch of youngsters.

Tottenham 4-2-3-1: Forster, Gray, Dragusin, Spence, Udogie, Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison, Son, Kulusevski, Solanke.

Subs: Austin, Porro, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, King, Hardy, Werner, Johnson.

Southampton team

Four changes for the Saints from the team that lost to Villa last week.

Alex McCarthy returns in goal with Jan Bednarek in front of him. Joe Aribo and Kamaldeen Sulemana are also given an opportunity to show their stuff from the start.

Southampton 4-5-1: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Manning, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Sulemana, Downes, Aribo, Fernandes, Armstrong, Dibling.

Subs: Lumley, Bree, Wood, Sugawara, Amo-Ameyaw, Fraser, Lallana, Onuachu, Archer.

Preamble

Admittedly this is usually the case with football, but both these teams could really do with a win this evening.

Southampton are rooted to the foot of the table and haven’t won in over a month. Tottenham, down in 12th, have been doing that thing they do where they beat (or at least compete with) good sides but then stink the place up against everyone else.

The wolves are howling outside the doors of both managers and only a positive result on the south coast will keep them at bay a little longer.

Does this mean we’ll get a classic encounter where players fly into tackles and every blade of grass is fought over? That’s certainly the hope.

Kick-off at 7pm.

Teams and further updates to follow.

The Guardian

Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou will not spare ‘bruised egos’ amid injury crisis

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 13/12/2024 - 19:25

Ange Postecoglou has stood by his “assessment” of Timo Werner’s performance in Tottenham’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Rangers, and insisted he has no time for “bruised egos” with his team in turmoil.

Injury-hit Spurs were able to fight back through Dejan Kulusevski’s 75th-minute leveller to leave Ibrox with a point, but Postecoglou insisted after Thursday’s game that the display of Werner, who was replaced at half-time, “wasn’t acceptable”.

Speaking on Friday, the Tottenham manager insisted his verdict on the German forward “wasn’t criticism. It was [an] assessment,” and admitted Werner will be required for the trip to Southampton on Sunday with nine players unavailable.

“With Timo it wasn’t about whether he played well or not. It was a difficult game last night,” said the Australian. “I’m asking 18-year-olds to do some massive jobs and you want senior players – and he’s a senior player, he’s an international and he’s won the Champions League – there’s a level of application and performance you need to rise to to help the team. He didn’t reach that.”

“Me taking him off at half-time was a statement enough. The same way I won’t be hiding behind poor team performances, the same with and no different for the players or anyone else,” Postecoglou added. “It wasn’t criticism, it was just an assessment of his performance and on a really challenging night for us, it needs to be better.

“We’re in a fight here, collectively we’re in a fight. I’m not going to go around worrying about people’s bruised egos. This football club, we want to achieve things and be successful. We’re down to the bare bones in players. If there’s somebody in the dressing room who’s fit, able to contribute but who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.”

Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur started at Rangers, but will both serve suspensions at St Mary’s to increase the number of Tottenham absentees. Defenders Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven are all unavailable, as are attackers Richarlison and Wilson Odobert, with keeper Guglielmo Vicario out long-term.

We have 15 fit players and in some positions we’ve only got two players,” continued Postecoglou, I’m not going to go around trying to get extra out of people. If they’re not able to give extra now, it gives me an indication of where they’re at.”

“We are in a fight, we’ve got a limited number of players to call upon and we’ve got some big games that can set up our season. We just need people to have that level of commitment and application to find our way through. As much as I am talking about Timo, I am talking about the whole group and all of us right now.”

Arteta relaxed about Edu replacement

Mikel Arteta has insisted Arsenal’s search for a new sporting director will have no impact on their transfer business and claimed Edu’s permanent successor could come from inside the club.

Jason Ayto – who has been at Arsenal for a decade, first as a scout, before working his way up the ladder to become Edu’s right-hand man – has assumed the post on an interim basis. But Dan Ashworth’s shock exit from Manchester United has seen him linked with a move to north London with the January transfer window coming up.

Speaking before Saturday’s match against Everton at the Emirates, Arteta was asked if not having a permanent sporting director in place could pose a problem for the club’s transfer dealings. “We have one,” he replied. “Jason Ayto is our interim sporting director. He has got the full capacity and support of the football club right now. He is doing really well with his team. The process is open, as you know. And the club, with the support of all of us, will decide who is the best person to move us forward.”

“I never expect January to be super busy, but we have to wait and see where we are,” added the Arsenal manager. “There might be some opportunities, too. Hopefully the availability of the squad will be better in a few weeks. We have to wait and see.”

Asked if he would like the situation resolved before the end of the season, Arteta replied: “Yes, but when we are convinced that we have the right person … someone who is going to take us to the next level. I’m not running the process, so it’s more for the club to respond.”

Defenders Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all currently sidelined, while centre-back Gabriel is set to return on Saturday. Teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly is likely to keep his place at left-back after impressing against Monaco in the Champions League.

The Guardian

Postecoglou claims Werner’s first-half performance for Spurs ‘not acceptable’

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 12/12/2024 - 23:16

Ange Postecoglou’s problems deepened as a disappointing Tottenham were held to a 1-1 Europa League draw at Rangers and the manager found it impossible to defend his striker Timo Werner.

“He wasn’t playing at anywhere near the level he should be,” said Postecoglou after substituting the German at half-time. “Timo’s first-half performance was not acceptable to me. I told Timo that he’s a German international, that I need everyone to be trying to give their best and this wasn’t an acceptable example. I expect a lot more from the senior guys.

“But we weren’t anywhere near our best, I think it’s fair to say that we’re in a period of games that we’re grinding through at the moment. But in the context of where we are in Europe and with our squad fairly depleted by injuries it was an important point.”

Spurs are ninth in the initial stage of the Europa League but, with two games to come next month they hope to finish in the top eight and proceed straight to the knockout out phase, thereby avoiding February’s play offs.

As a former Celtic manager, Postecoglou was greeted by choruses of “sacked in the morning” as Hamza Igamane gave Rangers the lead before the substitute Dejan Kulusevski equalised on a night when Fraser Forster shone in the visiting goal.

“Rangers are difficult to play against, especially here at Ibrox on European nights,” said the Australian. “With the nature of the competition and the atmosphere, not many teams can come here and win so you expect a tough game. It was a tough, tight game for us and I thought we did well to claw it back after Rangers took the lead.”

The home manager, Philippe Clement, whose side sit eighth in the Europa League table, hailed an outstanding advertisement for the game north of the border. “I think we should have won and we deserved to win but to play that well against a strong Premier League side was a very good advertisement for Scottish football,” said the Belgian. “I’m very proud about the performance. It’s a big step up for us.

“My squad are not satisfied with the draw, they wanted to win and they were really close to winning. We wanted to impose our football on Tottenham and create something for our forwards. We didn’t want to just protect our 18-yard box and wait for the ball to drop out of the sky and my players grabbed this chance to show everybody we could do something special with both hands. There is a lot of potential in my squad and, tonight, they played fast and made fast decisions.”

Postecoglou’s injury-hit group face games against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg in January. “I thought we worked our way back into the game and scored a good goal.

“It’s fair to say we’re in a bit of a struggle. Being down on numbers, the players understand that a lot of them, we’re asking for a lot of repeated efforts and it takes its toll.”

The Guardian

Dejan Kulusevski rescues draw for Tottenham to deny Rangers

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 12/12/2024 - 22:22

Ange Postecoglou does not seem prone to introspection and rarely succumbs to self doubt but maybe, just maybe, a little part of Tottenham’s manager wishes he had never left Glasgow.

Things were so much simpler for the Australian when he was hoovering up trophies during his Celtic tenure. Back then Angeball not merely entertained but pretty much worked and he revelled in putting Rangers in their place.

Such old certainties seemed cruel chimeras as Postecoglou failed to turn back time here, leaving his current Spurs players heading back to the airport nursing a record of only one win in their last eight matches.

In truth a draw was the least Rangers deserved from a Battle of Britain punctuated by a soundtrack featuring renditions of “Sacked in the morning” aimed for Postecoglou’s ears.

It was a bitterly cold night with temperatures hovering around freezing point by the Clyde but nothing could surely rival the inner chill Tottenham fans must have felt as they watched Philippe Clement’s side enhance their chances of direct progression to the Europa League’s knockout phase, leaving their guests contemplating the lottery of the playoffs following January’s final two initial stage games.

Perhaps everyone had underestimated a Rangers side currently third in Scotland’s Premiership. After all they kicked off unbeaten in their previous eight fixtures and as Nedim Bajrami forced the excellent Fraser Forster into a fine save involving Tottenham’s former Celtic goalkeeper’s fingertips coming between the ball and the top corner it was easy to see why.

After a slide to 11th in the Premier League and considerable debate about both the feasibility of “Angeball” and his own job security, Tottenham’s manager was in need of a restorative night on his first return to Govan but, instead, he looked increasingly stressed.

For all his past success with Celtic Postecoglou won only one of his four visits to Ibrox with his old employers and here he could have done without needing to deploy Archie Gray out of position as an emergency centre-half in a defence badly missing, among others, the injured Micky van de Ven.

When Forster again saved superbly from Cerny, with his feet this time, it was clear that Gray and co were struggling to cope with Rangers’ alacrity on the break. It did not help that the visitors treated the ball as a toxic object. With the exception of the efficient Yves Bissouma, they forfeited possession with alarming frequency as Clement’s players revelled in closing them down at ferociously high tempo, leaving James Maddison and co no time to sprinkle any stardust on proceedings.

Rangers deservedly took the lead early in the second half. It started with a deep, lofted cross from James Tavernier and concluded with Hamza Igamane unleashing a sublime left footed shot that left Forster utterly helpless and Pedro Porro doubtless reflecting on how easily Igamane had dodged him.

At least it served to galvanise Spurs and with Jack Butland finally making some important saves an equaliser beckoned. It finally arrived when Dominic Solanke and Maddison belatedly showed their class deconstructing the home rearguard before the substitute Dejan Kulusevski slipped a deceptive left-foot finish beyond Butland’s reach.

Although Tavernier’s fine block subsequently denied Solanke, another substitute, a goal only further Forster brilliance prevented Cyriel Dessers from claiming a late home winner that would only have amplified those “sacked in the morning”choruses.

The Guardian

Rangers v Tottenham: Europa League – live

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 12/12/2024 - 19:17

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Rangers substitution

Barron on for Bajrami and Sterling on for Cerny who has been a menace down the right.

Updated at 22.27 CET

Spurs triple substitution

Spurs make a triple substitution.

Solanke on for Johnson, Sarr on for Bentancur and Bergvall on for Bissouma

The ball then comes out to Rangers and Diomande hits the ball from way out. It takes a deflection and it’s another corner.

Resulting corner sees Archie Gray header it out. Another corner. It’s cleared.

So saying, Spurs get the ball with Bentancur and Kulusevski combining. A cross to Johnson sees him in space but he fires over.

Goal!

Only a minute of the second half gone and Rangers have scored.

Tavernier runs down the right, whipping a cross into the Spurs box where Igamane latches onto the ball and puts it past Forster.

Updated at 22.08 CET

Second half kick off

So we are back. Not sure the next 45 mins will be quite as good as the first 45.

Kulusevski is on for Werner.

Half time

Updated at 21.43 CET

Rangers substitution

And yup – he’s off. Looks like his groin.

Balogun comes on in his place.

Rangers definitely have the edge though.

They have a corner.

It’s all action.

Nothing comes from that.

Updated at 21.21 CET

Updated at 21.14 CET

Kick off

And we are off with Spurs. Hold on to your hats.

Ibrox is rocking tonight. Even though it is near to freezing.

The TV (which is dubbing this fixture The Battle of Britain) is showing the young mascots warming up in the tunnel – vigorously. Socks are pulled up past the knees.

The teams are out

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Yilmaz, Raskin, Bajrami, Cerny, Diomande, Jefte, Igamane.

Subs: Kelly, Cortes, Barron, Dessers, Dowell, Sterling, Balogun, King, McCausland, Fraser, Rice, Curtis.

Tottenham Hotspur: Forster, Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Johnson, Maddison, Werner, Son.

Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Bergvall, Solanke, Kulusevski, Sarr, Lankshear, Dorrington, Olusesi, Williams-Barnet, Hardy.

Referee: Sandro Scharer (Switzerland)

And in case you don’t know what time it is where you are watching/reading/listening, here is a reminder

Ange interview: ‘Tough game, big game’

Spurs TV is asking the questions : “How’s it feel to be back?” (in Glasgow). Fair enough question I guess since Ange was Celtic manager for a couple of years.

He answers: “Good to be back – just as cold as I remember it.”

And quizzed about his potential reception by Rangers fans:

“You pretty much know when you are up here that - the city is divided. And you kind of know that if you are on one side that the other are not going to be too warm and friendly with you. But that’s OK, that’s part of sport.”

On injuries and perhaps the general malaise at Spurs after some very up and down results.

“We are in a bit of a tough spot. But great opportunity for us to overcome the odds and hopefully create something special.

“Fair to say this is probably the worst I have ever experienced. What need to do is to stay calm and have a belief in the principles of what you are building.”

Updated at 20.49 CET

Don’t often see a picture of Ange smiling so here’s one

And another

Evening everyone – or morning if you are on Australia timezone or afternoon in the Americas etc …

Welcome to our second live match of the day – a real potential cracker this one with lots at stake (for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou).

It’s 8th placed Rangers against 9th placed Spurs.

But more than that its a chance for Ange to get his season back on track after a a topsy turvy few months of glory (4-0 win at Man city) and dismality (is that the a word that describes their various coming-from-in front defeats?)

The Guardian

Postecoglou wrestles with injuries and fragility as Spurs fans demand more

Submitted by daniel on Mon, 09/12/2024 - 20:00

It was another example of how things keep on conspiring against Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham. At least, that was how the manager wanted to frame it after the 4-3 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday. At 2-0 up it was looking good but this is Spurs, where stability has proved elusive, where problems can strike at any time. Often at the best of times.

So it was that Cristian Romero had to go off with a thigh injury in the 15th minute. The influential centre-half had passed a fitness test, having missed the previous four games with a toe issue, and, of course, he just had to feel the new setback after an extravagantly risky backheel move inside his own area on eight minutes.

Romero tried to continue but he had to accept defeat and, moments after his departure with Spurs trying to reorganise with his replacement, Radu Dragusin, on the field, they conceded to Jadon Sancho for 2-1. Spurs had looked open before Sancho’s goal and that became only more pronounced, especially in the second half. But nobody knows how it would have played out if Romero had not gone down.

Postecoglou had other gripes over matters beyond his control. He felt that the Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo ought to have been sent off for a lunge into Pape Sarr’s shin in the 34th minute. It was still 2-1 and, again, that might have put a different complexion on the game.

The manager was introspective, gloomy, even a little resigned about the state of affairs. Spurs, who lag 11th in the table, cannot gain traction or momentum, he said. “Every time we’ve seemed to, something comes along and disrupts us.” Take the 4-0 Premier League win at Manchester City on 23 November, the best result of Postecoglou’s season and a half in charge. It turned out the goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had fractured his ankle and would be out for three months.

Postecoglou returned to the Romero situation. “These things come along and you just go: ‘Here we go. Another challenge for us. Nothing is really running smoothly.’ The crowd probably senses that as well and it almost becomes a self‑fulfilling thing where you are almost expecting things to go wrong.”

The Australian can be tetchy after defeats, but not here. He sought to engage, to explain. It was almost an appeal. People needed to realise that injuries have bitten in specific areas – central defence, the front three – restricting his ability to rotate. Players would benefit from a rest but it is not possible. And at such a bad time, too, with the schedule remorseless.

Yet one line from Postecoglou stood out. It was not just, as he said, that it was “the way our season has gone so far”. He added: “It went like that last year … it’s not like since I have been here this is unusual territory.”

When the same things keep happening and the sample size is big, it is a moment to look deeper. Postecoglou has admitted previously that his squads will sustain more muscular injuries than can be deemed normal because of his full-throttle approach to training and matches. So what is the solution? Have more players he can trust?

The other recurring and damaging theme is the lack of resilience and composure in the difficult periods. There is a vulnerability about this team and it is not going away. Zero in on the past couple of months, beginning with the 3-2 defeat at Brighton when a 2-0 lead was thrown away. That was the day when Postecoglou raged about the absence of fight.

In the soul-searching after the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on 27 October, Postecoglou said the team were “struggling in difficult moments” because they “lack some maturity and leadership”.

In the next game – at home against City in the Carabao Cup – they led 2-0 and yet a concession for 2-1 before the interval came to feel certain. You could feel the edginess inside the stadium. It duly happened, the prophecy fulfilled and at that point, many Spurs fans feared another 3-2 loss. To the team’s credit, they regrouped for the second half to win and advertise a turning point. How is that looking now?

After the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth last Thursday, Postecoglou talked about the need to “break that cycle of not showing the belief and resilience in key moments”. Against Chelsea, they did not show the belief and resilience in key moments, missing chances and suffering rushes of blood to concede penalties for 2-2 and 4-2. The errors did not happen in a vacuum. Spurs were too easy to play through. There was an inevitability about the Chelsea comeback.

It is linked to the transition upon which Spurs embarked in the summer of 2023 after they finished eighth. There has been an emphasis on smart young signings and they need time; they will make mistakes as part of their development. Adding players in their prime years (probably for big fees) is not a part of the project.

Equally, there is a tactical dimension which talks to Postecoglou’s commitment to attacking football. When you play forward-thinkers in the full-back positions and demand they push up and when you rely on a ball-playing No 6, it is likely to encourage high jinx, back and forth, a lack of control.

There is much to like about Postecoglou and his approach – the desire to entertain at all costs; to remain true to who he is and his principles, also to a fault. What do Spurs want? What do they want to be? Surely a major consideration is to have a team that stir the passions, that the fans can get behind.

It is impossible to overlook the financial context. According to Deloitte’s most recent report, for 2022-23, Spurs had the fifth-highest wage bill, significantly behind City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United – in that order. They were just ahead of Arsenal. The figures are unlikely to have changed much, meaning that by this important metric Spurs ought to finish fifth or sixth. Arguably Postecoglou’s biggest problem is that the supporters would like more.

The Guardian

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