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Once again, Tottenham Hotspur were a tale of two halves, looking like barely a Premier League side in the first half against Manchester City before unleashing a barrage of excellent football in the second stanza. Spurs overcame a 2-0 deficit to draw one of the true Premier League title contenders this season 2-2, having just barely drawn Burnley in the Premier League last weekend.

While Tottenham are a long way from being able to call themselves a competent team and still have a ton of questions around Thomas Frank to answer, there is one question that has been unequivocally answered after this performance against Manchester City.

There were times this season when even a few Tottenham fans were doubting Xavi Simons, who cost 60 million euros this past summer transfer window. It took a while for Simons to get going in a Tottenham shirt, and there were plenty of pundits mocking Spurs, wondering if Simons was simply unable to translate from the expansive Dutch Eredivisie and German Bundesliga to the English Premier League.

Xavi Simons belongs

Well, Simons, in the past several weeks, has proven that he belongs at Tottenham, and it seems like ancient history when Thomas Frank unfairly snubbed the budding Dutch superstar in four straight games - which were all dreadful Tottenham performances ,by the way - including that unforgettable 4-1 blowout loss to Arsenal in the North London Derby.

Simons saved his very best performance for the Manchester City game. He was on another level, recording nine combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn with four key passes and an assist. Despite making high risk passes that created clear cut chances, he still led the team with 49 pass attempts and a solid completion percentage of around 86, adding a pair of accurate crosses and four for four long balls. He even had an accurate through pass for the worst team in the league at through passes.

In one performance, Xavi Simons proved that he has not only been an excellent, home run signing for Tottenham Hotspur and an actual bargain in comparison to what Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze would have brought as older players at a higher cost in the same position, but he also proved that he is beyond what Spurs even asked for. This was a perfect playmaker's, tempo setter's, and progressor's performance. Simons looked as good as any Spurs player not named Harry Kane or Son Heung-min has in the last 10 years, and that should really intrigue this team going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur went down 2-0 in the first half to Manchester City and looked destined for yet another horrid loss against a big team in the English top flight, just as they had been torn to shreds by Arsenal and Chelsea earlier this season.

Even though Spurs did not come roaring back to win and dominate Man City like they did at the beginning of the season when they fooled everyone into thinking they'd be competent challengers under Thomas Frank, they did coming roaring back enough to salvage a respectable 2-2 draw with a Premier League title contender.

There were a number of heroic performances on the afternoon, as Xavi Simons delivered his best performance to date as a Spur with a creative masterclass as a passer and dribbler. And what more superlatives can be said about Dominic Solanke's mini breakout after his length injury spell? Solanke's Scorpion Kick is the Premier League Goal of the Season favorite now, and he scored both the goals in the second half comeback.

Tottenham's unsung hero

But lost in all the praise for the big name, 60+ million pound attacking signings is the performance of a substitute who changed the game at the half, box to box center midfielder Pape Matar Sarr. So much has been spoken about new 40 million euro signing Conor Gallagher or about the recent loss of Lucas Bergvall for months, yet Sarr continues to fly under the radar.

Now, Sarr did fall off the radar a bit because he was busy at AFCON with Senegal, but, also, Thomas Frank discarded him for months, even though he made him one of the team's most important players at the start of the season. And it may not be a coincidence that Spurs have not been as good since Sarr was a regular starter in the side.

Sarr proved that he has what Tottenham are missing in midfield. He was insanely good on defense with four tackles, three blocks, and a pair of clearances in the perfect workhorse performance. Defense can start a good offense, and Sarr is a transition monster with his ball winning and ability to put his body on the line.

After watching how Sarr change the game for Tottenham vs. Manchester City, every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter is wondering why on earth Pape Matar Sarr is not playing more. It seems inexplicable that a player who can have this sort of an impact on a team is not a regular part of the rotation at a minimum, and Sarr may have played himself into more minutes.

Tottenham Hotspur didn't manage to get three points again, but for the first time in several weeks in the Premier League, there is real optimism coming out of a Spurs game because the team actually genuinley played well...even if only for a half.

Spurs have come a long way down since defeating Manchester City 2-0 at the beginning of the season, but with a furious second half comeback and two goals from star striker Dominic Solanke alongside a Xavi Simons master class, Spurs were able to salvage a 2-2 draw with one of the best teams in the Premier League.

Solanke managed to avoid another injury scare, telling reporters after the game that he merely rolled his ankle, rather than actually hurting it. Spurs supporters saw Solanke rolling in some pain, so, naturally, they feared the worst, given Solanke's dreadful luck with injuries up until his return in 2026.

Tottenham cannot escape these injuries

Unfortunately for Tottenham Hotspur, it looks like they have not been able to avoid the injury curse fully, because even though their English striker has not sustained a real injury, their big Austrian center back may be out for quite some time if subsequent tests prove to be as grim as they did for Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Bergvall after their seemingly minor injuries.

After the 2-2 draw between Tottenham and Manchester City, Spurs head coach Thomas Frank told reporters that big Kevin Danso suffered a hyperextended big toe and snapped a ligament. The tone of Frank's remarks sounded quite grim, basically surmising that Danso suffered an unlucky, freak injury that will require further consultation with an uncertain prognosis.

Frank said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, “Kevin Danso, having hyperextended his big toe, a ligament snapped, because he landed on the foot of an opponent, so extremely unlucky, like a random injury. He's got time with a consultant next week, so we don't know exactly the length of it.”

Tottenham actually quietly came into the game against Manchester City with a tough defensive injury already, as Djed Spence was unable to play. But Spence's injury does not sound major, rather precautionary, and Cristian Romero was also playing through something minor.

But Danso's injury sounds scary, because we heard some similar things about Dejan Kulusevski's freak injury at the end of the 2024/25 season - and he is still yet to play for Tottenham. Solanke, too, had a bizarre injury, and Big Dom ended up missing several months himself. So Tottenham have to really worry about Danso here.

The first 45 minutes were typical of most games under Thomas Frank this season. Nothing happening going forward and conceding soft goals. The second half was a welcome contrast. City found it difficult to deal with our sudden press and there was an aggression in our attack, which has been missing in many games. Of course, there was also that goal from Dom Solanke.

GK Guglielmo Vicario

An improved performance from Vicario compared to recent league games. Let down by his defenders for both goals. Made a great save from Rayan Cherki in the first half, getting a slight touch to tip the shot wide. Enjoyed a much quieter second half. Rating: 7

RWB Archie Gray

Given how Antoine Semenyo had troubled our right flank in our two games vs Bournemouth, Gray might have felt concerned before the game. Although Semenyo hurt us again with a goal, Gray performed reasonably well in the first half. He was even better in the second half, defending well and getting forward at every opportunity. It was really Gray’s bursting run at the start of the second half that finally gave us our first meaningful attack, got the crowd involved, and changed the momentum of the game. Rating: 8

CB João Palhinha

Playing out of position, Palhinha had a solid game. Was good in the air and as usual made some excellent tackles. Stepped up to lead the back line when Romero went off and was particularly strong when we came under a bit of pressure in the last 10 minutes. Â Rating: 8

CB Cristian Romero

Plenty of effort from Romero, but he found the movement of Semenyo and Rayan Cherki difficult to contain. Was often getting pulled out of position as he tried to counter the ease at which City were playing through our midfield. Was subbed at half time Rating: 5

CB Radu Drăgușin

Endured a difficult first half and improved in the second. For the first City goal, Drăgușin did show Cherki outside but was too slow to react to the Man City man running at him and did not get close enough. Played a poor ball out from the back into a dangerous area for the second goal. As with the rest of the team, the second half was lot better, especially with winning the ball high up the field. Rating: 5

LWB Destiny Udogie

Defended well and got forward at times. Had a quieter game than Gray on the other flank but had to deal with Semenyo switching flanks. Stepped up in the final few minutes with some important clearances. A solid game overall. Â Rating: 7

CM Connor Gallagher

Did not get close enough to the Man City midfielders in the first half but the second half saw some of what Gallagher will add to the team. Worked hard and tackled well as we grew into the game. Won the ball and provided the assist for Solanke’s great goal. Rating: 7

CM Yves Bissouma

Like Gallagher, Bissouma could not stop City attacking in the first half. Lost possession that lead to the first goal but improved with the rest of the team after half time before being subbed. Â Â Â Rating: 5

AM Xavi Simons

Was one of the few players in the first half who looked like they might create something. Had a couple of half chances but waited too long to shoot. Drove us forward in the second half, winning the ball high up the pitch, playing through balls, and had a good effort saved by Donnarumma. Did miss a couple of opportunities to play in Solanke and Muani by holding on to the ball too long, but an excellent second half performance overall. This continues Xavi’s recent better form.  Rating: 8

AM Randal Kolo Muani

Made some good runs but again could not find an end product. Put in plenty of effort, but we have still have not seen the best of Muani at Spurs. This performance was typical of that. Seems like in a stronger Spurs side, Muani’s talent would show more. A busy but difficult game. Rating: 5

CF Dominic Solanke

Even in our disappointing first half, Solanke provided a focal point for any ball forward and was able to hold the ball up to bring others into play. Â This is something we have been badly missing for most of this season. Some debate as to whether the first goal is his or an own goal, but Solanke was in the position to make it happen. The second goal is what this game will be remembered for, and rightly so. A fantastic finish to bring the game level as he produced a scorpion kick which looped into the City net. Amazing goal. Rating: 8

Substitutes: Jun’ai Byfield, Mathys Tel, Pape Matar Sarr, Wilson Odobert

Thomas Frank should be able to welcome back several players into his matchday squad for Sunday's Premier League clash against Manchester City.

While Spurs have the chance to aid Arsenal's title hopes by taking points off the Cityzens, this occasion is incomparable to the one bestowed upon Ange Postecoglou two seasons ago.

With so much football left to be played, there's still ample time for the Gunners to throw it away, no matter if Frank's Lilywhites show up against City.

The hosts enter the contest off the back of another victory over German opposition, with Wednesday night's win in Frankfurt guaranteeing us a place in the Champions League round of 16. Thus, the mood in N17 should be somewhat buoyant.

While Frank has coped with an availability crisis recently in Europe, such issues ease off domestically. Here's the starting lineup he could opt for against Pep Guardiola's side.

Predicted Tottenham lineup vs. Man City (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guglielmo Vicario (GK)—The goalkeeper tends to be busy when City come to town, and Vicario is yet to record a home Premier League win over the once-perennial champions.

Kevin Danso (CB)—Even if Micky van de Ven is back in action, Danso could retain his place if Frank sticks with a back three.

Cristian Romero (CB)—There's no doubt that the skipper will be at the heart of Tottenham's defence on Sunday, matching up against Erling Haaland. City's hitman ended his open play goal drought in the week.

Micky van de Ven (CB)—Frank described the Dutchman's setback as "minor" in the week and is hopeful he'll be fit to feature against the Cityzens.

Midfielders & Wing-Backs

Djed Spence (RWB)—The Englishman is a shoo-in to start in Pedro Porro's absence. Spence will be high and wide in possession within this framework.

João Palhinha (CM)—Palhinha looked pretty good in the back three on Wednesday night, but I suspect Frank will return Spurs' tackling maestro to the engine room.

Conor Gallagher (CM)—Pape Matar Sarr's return from the Africa Cup of Nations does re-emphasise the curiosity over Gallagher's signing. His start has been quiet, but Frank will likely return him to his XI after he was ineligible to feature in the league phase.

Destiny Udogie (LWB)—João Souza trained in the week and is set to be in the squad, but he won't be displacing Udogie anytime soon.

Forwards

Wilson Odobert (AM)—This system helps Odobert receive possession in dangerous positions between the lines, and we've seen his ball-striking come on amid a more decisive run of form. He's arguably been Spurs' standout performer at the start of 2026.

Xavi Simons (AM)—Xavi would soon be a £100m asset if we played against German opposition every week. The Dutchman hasn't quite relished the more physical and rugged Premier League, but City have a soft underbelly that he can attack.

There is no doubt that Tottenham Hotspur have been the most embarrassing club in the Premier League this season, and after watching their putrid performances against two of the worst squads in the league in West Ham United and Burnley, it is patently obvious that Spurs are also one of the worst teams in the league right now. And it may only be a few more weeks of poor results when Spurs realize they, too, are staring down a real threat of relegation.

The gauntlet of fixtures begins soon with Manchester City, and Tottenham are nowhere close to the team that beat the Citizens 2-0. Now, Spurs had a chance to improve their squad - or even simply fire Thomas Frank for his many sins - but instead of being proactive this winter transfer window, Conor Gallagher is the only potential starter the club has signed this window.

Gallagher, of course, was discarded by both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid for a reason. So all told, Spurs have not upgraded a single position, Gallagher is not playing at the level of a Premier League starter to begin his Tottenham career, and there is just about no time left in the winter transfer window.

Tottenham are a joke now

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are looking at the landscape of the Premier League and their own squad, and after more devastating injuries to Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, and even Rodrigo Bentancur, fans cannot help but come to the very logical conclusion that instead of being better after the winter transfer window closes they will, in fact, be unequivocally worse.

It is a sentiment that Thomas Frank himself agrees with, based on his comments at a press conference prior to Tottenham's matchup against Manchester City. Frank said, via The Spurs Watch, "I think that’s fair. We lost six or seven players. That’s crazy and some of them extremely unlucky like Lucas and Ben."

The most infuriating thing about this quote is that if Frank is publicly admitting that Tottenham are actually worse on January 30 than they were on January 1, then, clearly, the entire front office at the N17 knows this. And instead of doing something about it at any point over these several weeks, they have been showing unsuccessful interest in bogus, overpaid veteran players like Leon Goretzka and Andrew Robertson who are neither joining Tottenham nor would move the meter anyway.

Tottenham are the laughingstock of the Premier League. Only they could enter a transfer window in which they needed to make a few major signings and emerge from it much worse than before.

It has been a long time since Tottenham Hotspur were competently winning games in the Premier League, and you have to go all the way back to one of the first Matchdays of the 2025/26 season for the last time Spurs were truly impressive. That 2-0 victory over Manchester City seems like it was from yesteryear and in another season entirely, such has been the decline from Thomas Frank's early days to his current ones.

Frank is barely treading water at Tottenham, and it feels like both the fan base and even the players have turned on the coach, with no confidence in his ability to lead this team past anything other than barely scraping safety from relegation. Last weekend's 2-2 draw with Burnley was another low point, and if it were not for the heroics of superstar center backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven as attacking threats, Spurs would have 100 percent lost to one of the least talented squads in the Premier League.

Well, now Tottenham Hotspur have to face one of the most talented teams in the Premier League in Manchester City, who are ten times the unit they were back in the beginning of the season when these two powers of English football (if Tottenham can even be referred to as such at this point) last met up.

Tottenham get a tough Micky van de Ven update

Not only did Man City sign one time Tottenham transfer target Antoine Semenyo this winter, but their summer signing that Tottenham should have pursued, Rayan Cherki, has blossomed into the perfect partner in crime for Erling Haaland.

To make matters worse, Tottenham's star center back Micky van de Ven is now questionable to play on Sunday in this high stakes Premier League battle. Per manager Thomas Frank, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, while Van de Ven is not seriously injured, the Dutch superstar is "touch and go" for the game against Manchester City.

Frank said, "Micky is a minor one. It will be touch and go. He was on the pitch yesterday and today but he's touch and go."

Van de Ven is a warrior and thus actually stands a decent enough chance at suiting up, but to be honest, every time Frank has said this before about a player, Tottenham have ended up missing them. The good news is that Spurs have big Kevin Danso to shore up the back line against the mighty Haaland, but the bad news is that Danso cannot play the ball or score goals like Van de Ven. He would be a huge miss.

Tottenham Hotspur came into the 2025/26 season in need of a deep lying playmaker, and although young Archie Gray has broken out to become a key player and part of the rotation for Spurs, Thomas Frank still does not seem to be fully sold on him.

Plus, the U21 midfielder is still a prospect who needs some seasoning, and Gray alone as the only progressive passer in the midfield unit is wholly insufficient. Spurs have a few good midfielders, including the injured Lucas Bergvall, in their ranks, but they are clearly missing this piece in order to help take their team to another level - a level well beyond the current background threat of relegation.

Tottenham, though, do not appear to be going after the right targets. Following a multi month injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, who tore his hamstring, Spurs spent a whopping 40 million euros on Conor Gallagher, whom neither Chelsea nor Atletico Madrid wanted anything to do with. Gallagher has had a rough start to life at the N17, and his box to box profile clearly does not fit the need for creativity that Tottenham currently have.

Tottenham can't get caught up in 'free'

Now, Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with an even worse option in the box to box mold in Leon Goretzka, whom Spurs have made transfer approaches for. The move for the unwanted Bayern Munich man won't happen in January, though.

That's because according to Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund, via Fabrizio Romano, the Bundesliga giants will offiically let Goretzka leave in free agency at the end of the season, “Leon's time at FC Bayern will be over in the summer. He will go another way after 8 successful years. We'll fight together in coming months to achieve big things."

Bayern had actually been trying to force Goretzka out of the club due to years of poor performances. He has not been effective since winning the treble under Hansi Flick and has been a liability holding back the midfield. But he had been impossible to move due to his wages, so the only choice Bayern had was to phase him out of the lineup for an academy prospect and then remove him once his contract ran out.

Tottenham at least were not foolish enough to pay a transfer fee for an extra six months of legitimately one of the worst midfielders in the Bundesliga. Goretzka is officially available as a Spurs transfer target this summer, but if the club is interested in his massive wages and declining qualities, they are headed for another disastrous signing.

Tottenham Hotspur came into the January transfer window with a huge need for more quality at the forward positions, and although the recent breakouts of Wilson Odobert and now healthy striker Dominic Solanke have somewhat changed the equation, the reality is that Spurs results in the Premier League indicate that their attacking quality is still nowhere up to snuff.

To wit, Spurs needed their center backs, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, to rescue them from a sure fire defeat to lowly Burnley this past Premier League weekend. If it were not for these two defenders scoring goals at a rate higher than even the strikers this season, Spurs would be truly toiling in the relegation battle.

As it stands, Tottenham have only two healthy wingers in Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, and the former almost never plays despite being a standout. And he is expected by many transfer analysts to push himself out on loan this winter, even though the club are resisting a transfer.

Tottenham are getting worse

Meanwhile, Tottenham have only two healthy strikers between Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, and the latter has also been raising discontent about a loan. Another goal against a former employer in the Champions League, Eintracht Frankfurt, may have saved his fate, but, by and large, Kolo Muani has been a transfer flop who literally cannot score to save his life in the Premier League.

So Tottenham are thinner at forward than before the transfer window started, and it could get even worse if players depart. Coming into the season, Atalanta left winger and center forward Ademola Lookman was a prime transfer target and alternative to Savinho, who remains unavailable to Spurs.

But instead of going after one of the most accomplished all around forwards in Serie A to help fill depth at two big positions of need, Tottenham Hotspur are about to watch the Nigerian international waltz away to a lesser club.

According to a new report from transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are "closing in" on a transfer for Ademola Lookman. Fenerbahce are set to sign the player for a mere 40 million euros plus add ons, as negotiations have entered "final stages" following a recent meeting between the clubs. They just need to iron out "bank guarantees" and "payment terms" before the deal officially gets over the line.

Based on what Romano is saying, Lookman to Fenerbahce is almost in the bag, and at 40 million euros, the accomplished forward is about as expensive as mediocre center midfielder Conor Gallagher. Forwards are generally more expensive than box to box midfielders, especially goal scoring left wingers. Tottenham are running out of options.

Tottenham Hotspur signed Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid earlier this winter transfer window for 40 million euros in the aftermath of Rodrigo Bentancur's injury, but with an even better midfield player in Lucas Bergvall now also out for what will likely be several months of action, Spurs are still very much interested in another player at the position.

Even in the period between the signing of Gallaghar and Bergvall's latest significant injury, Tottenham were still in need of another star midfielder, specifically someone who could actually be what Bentancur was supposed to be in the Thomas Frank scheme.

Everyone knows that Tottenham are badly missing a deep lying midfielder who can create chances and make plays for the team to actually progress the ball forward, which is obviously not something that is a strength of Gallagher's or established midfielders in the team like Joao Palhinha.

Tottenham are in a bind at the 6

The dream options in that deeper role are all unachievable during the 2025/26 season and maybe won't even consider Tottenham Hotspur at all when they could potentially be available in the summer. The Adam Whartons of the world are expensive and have clubs interested in them that regularly beat Spurs to the punch on the transfer market.

So the name Ruben Neves has been an interesting one for Tottenham supporters to track on the transfer market, as the former Premier League star for Wolverhampton Wanderers is on an expiring contract with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal. And with Premier League powers like Manchester United linked, Spurs fans were wondering about Neves as a playmaking option in the No. 6 role.

However, Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that negotiations are now at the "final stages" between Al-Hilal and Ruben Neves for a new contract that would take the midfielder off the table as a possible free agent pick up and therefore off the transfer board entirely for Tottenham. Per Fab, an "agreement" is "advancing" between Al-Hilal and the veteran defensive midfielder on a long term, three year deal.

It will be back to the drawing board, then, for Tottenham, though they never truly seemed to be significantly interested in Neves. At this point, everyone says Spurs are after another midfielder, but then the only player even remotely linked to Spurs is Leon Goretzka over at Bayern Munich, and he is both overpaid and has been quite terrible over the last few seasons - not to mention he cannot playmake to save his life.