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Depending on how you look at it, fewer Tottenham Hotspur players being called up for international duty might be a good thing. At present only two senior Spurs players have been tapped by their national team, and both play for the Netherlands — central defenders Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke were both given the nod by Dutch manager Xavi Hernandez.

Two players have been withdrawn from their international duties, however. Pedro Porro was taken off of Spain’s squad after sustaining what looked like a hamstring injury in Tottenham’s 2-3 loss at home to Aston Villa on Saturday. And according to Alasdair Gold at Football.London, Mohammed Kudus has voluntarily withdrawn himself from the Ghana squad in order to continue his recovery from injury and return to fitness.

Porro’s withdrawal is obvious and makes sense, but Kudus’s decision is slightly curious, however welcome. Kudus hasn’t started since before his injury last season and while he’s steadily improved in his cameo appearances this season — Saturday’s match in which he had an assist and another waved off as offside was his best performance — it reflects well on his commitment to Spurs that he’d rather spend the next three weeks in London trying to get match fit rather than play AFCON qualifiers.

Elsewhere, two Spurs reserve players and academy graduates were called up to represent England U19. Defender Malachi Hardy and attacker Luca Williams-Barnett both got the nod. Hardy got lots of minutes in preseason for Tottenham and turned a lot of heads, while Williams-Barnett is considered one of the jewels of the academy and has been training with the first team, though he has yet to make a Premier League bench this season. While both players have been part of the England youth setup for a while, this is the first U19 call-up for both players.

There’s another name on that roster you might recognize. Tynan Thompson is a Spurs academy graduate who left the club for Manchester United this summer. He’s currently in United’s development squad.

Spurs have opened the season with a win over Charlton Athletic and a draw away to Liverpool in their first two weeks. Today they travel to Crystal Palace, where they will play at Selhurst Park. Palace promoted back to the top flight after spending last season in the WSL2, and they earned their spurs (no pun intended) last week with a scoreless draw vs. Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend to go along with an opening week win over Everton Women. The WSL has always had the top teams and then everyone else, but it’s expected that they’ll have a lot more parity in the league top to bottom this season, with the league now expanded to 14 teams. This is also a good time to remind fans that Palace is where Bethany England ended up after Spurs let their club captain leave at the end of her contract last season. And we all know what Beth England can do.

So far this season Spurs have gotten a tune out of new signing Kirsty Hanson, and attackers Signe Gaupset, Shekiera Martinez, Julie Blakstad, Cathinka Tandberg, and (best player in women’s soccer) Olivia Holdt. They’ve opened the season with a win over West Ham and an away draw vs. Liverpool. Martin Ho is also slowly working new defender Alice Sombath into the side — is this the week we see her debut?

Tottenham will play attacking, high press football that is pleasing to the eye, but they’ll need to capitalize on their chances in what should be a cauldron of away support at Selhurst Park.

Good news: Tottenham Hotspur scored two goals in a match! The same match! Bad news: they still lost to Aston Villa by the score of 2-3. Tottenham played one of their best halves of football all season in the first half, testing Zion Suzuki four times but failing to get off the mark. They conceded a stupid goal while down a player in injury time of the first half, after Micky van de Ven got elbowed in the face with no foul given and had to spend a few minutes on the sideline, had an equalizer ruled out for offside, and then ended up down 3-0 after goals from Nico Jackson and Emiliano Buendia. They hacked two back late in the match — Conor Gallagher scored Spurs’ first goal of the season in the 86th minute and Jan Paul van Hecke made it 2-3 with a driving header off a free kick in extra time, but it wasn’t enough to get a result. Spurs will spend the next three weeks in the relegation zone as they wait for international play to conclude.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

For a long time Tottenham Hotspur looked like things were finally starting to click. And then Micky van de Ven got elbowed in the face, Spurs conceded just before the break, and fell apart in the second half. Villa capitalized on a briefly short-handed Spurs side after Van de Ven got hit in the face and suffered a black eye, with new signing Johan Manzambi scoring in extra time of the first half to take a 1-0 lead at the break. Prior to that, Spurs had put together arguably their best half of the season, looking dynamic in possession and forcing four first half saves from Zion Suzuki. That was despite Pedro Porro being forced off early in the match for Archie Gray with what looked like a soft tissue injury.

The Manzabi goal took the wind out of Spurs’ sails. Roberto De Zerbi made an… interesting choice to bring on Mohammed Kudus for Mateus Fernandes at the break, and Spurs struggled to break down a determined Villa side afterwards. Spurs actually had the ball in the back of the net for the first time all season when Kudus tapped in an Andy Robertson cross, but the goal was ruled out by VAR after Robbo was deemed offside. Then new Villa signing Nico Jackson put another chance in the back of the net for Villa to put them ahead 2-0, and Emiliano Buendia added a late banger to put the visitors up 3-0. Conor Gallagher scored a late goal from point blank range, and Van Hecke added a second late goal with a driving header off a free kick. The final score was 2-3.

Serious questions need to be asked now about this Tottenham team and Roberto De Zerbi’s tenure. Spurs may have finally broken their scoring duck, but it was academic — Villa ran them off the park in the second half and Spurs and will spend the three week super-international break in the relegation zone. The team started well but still can’t get the multiple monkeys off their back. This was a significant step backwards in both results and vibes.

Match Reactions

A bright start for Spurs early — they seemed content to keep the ball and were really looking to find the pass in behind the back line rather than playing to feet.

I swear, it’s like there’s a force field in front of goal for Spurs. Two great chances inside 12 minutes to score plus a penalty shout that was waved off (of course it was) and Spurs still couldn’t get it past Zion Suzuki.

Pedro Porro slammed his fist to the ground when he went down, which suggests he knew something serious was wrong. But he walked off on his own power, so hopefully it’s just soft tissue and he can heal quickly.

With the exception of the ball not going into goal, Savio had an almost world class performance in the first half. He was absolutely torching Ruggeri in possession and should’ve had, if not a goal, at least an assist or two.

Spurs had two penalty shouts denied, but neither were particularly compelling. The Wan-Bissaka handball in particular — you’re never going to get that call despite his arm being outstretched and in an unnatural position. However, they SHOULD have gotten a penalty for the shove on Fernandes’ back in the box at the end of the half.

Honestly, that was the most impressive half of football we’ve had all season and against a good team that’s way better than its current record. Shame about the force field in front of the Villa goal.

I hate to be all “blame the ref” again but holy crap, he let so much go including the flying elbow on Micky van de Ven’s face that went completely uncalled despite a lengthy injury break to treat him.

Of course Villa scores at the death against the run of play while our captain was off for being elbowed in the face with no foul called. Football is a stupid sport, why do I even watch this shit?

I can understand making a halftime tactical change. I do NOT understand subbing off Mateus Fernandes for Mohammed Kudus, it’s a sub that made Spurs actively worse.

A GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SCORED AN ACTUAL GOAL IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE… but it won’t count because offside. Unbelievable.

Nico Jackson is a good striker and we should have signed him this summer when we had the opportunity.

I’m glad Spurs finally scored, but it was far from the cathartic joy we were hoping for. It was a tepid response after a tepid overall performance.

Is Conor Gallagher #actually our best player? In this essay I

The next three weeks might be a good time to take a Tottenham sabbatical if you’re a fan, because the vibes are going to be absolutely rancid. I’d suggest swallowing your takes, logging off, and taking a nice walk.

For the record, Tottenham Hotspur Women play five times before the men’s team plays their next match. I’d strongly suggest you give the women a chance over the next three weeks.

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It’s that time of year again, when the dog days and heat of summer begin to make way to crisper, cooler temperatures, the leaves begin to change color, and the historical warming spices come out from their long hibernation and emerge back into the sunlight.

Yes, that’s right — it’s officially Pumpkin Spice Latte Season.

We’ll get to pumpkin spice below, but it got me thinking about lattes. If there’s a coffee drink for people who don’t really like coffee, it’s probably the latte. And don’t get me wrong, a good latte is a beautiful thing, and worth seeking out. However, most people when they order a latte get it flavored and by flavored I mean sweetened into drinkable coffee candy by overly-sweet flavored syrups.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing! I’ve been known to have a flavored latte once in a blue moon. So despite the terrible Tottenham Hotspur result (after a much improved overall performance), let’s rate the players to latte flavors. You know, for science.

Here are your player ratings to the theme of latte flavors.

Honestly, the older I get the more and more I’m convinced that people who order their grande iced latte two pumps sugar free irish cream two pumps caramel light on matcha foam lattes… don’t really like coffee. They like sugary syrups. Want a latte? Get a fucking latte — espresso, steamed/frothed milk, full stop.

See what I did there? I put “none” in the category because there are “none” players that were this good in Tottenham’s squad.

Caramel is basically just burned sugar, and honestly burned sugar is pretty dang tasty. Caramel is sweet, but it melds very nicely with the roasty, dark coffee flavor, even diluted and mellowed by the addition of steamed milk. If you must add a flavor to your froux-froux Starbucks drink, make it caramel.

Sorry, Space Cadets. No Tottenham Hotspur players in this category either.

Coffee and chocolate are a time-tested pairing and always, always works. I don’t order lattes very often (I’m a light roast black coffee guy) but when I do it’s either vanilla or mocha (decaf), because sometimes you just want a coffee-chocolate bomb hit after a long day.

Mateus Fernandes (Community — 3.5): If there was one player who comported himself well in this match, it was Fernandes, who looks like he could be the key to Tottenham actually scoring a goal this season. Am I grading on a curve? Probably. But imma hold on to this feeling as long as I can, and that feeling is “hope.” He was good.

If you MUST get a flavor with your latte, and honestly I’m not here to yuck people’s yum, flavors can actually hide a great deal of bad roasting sins, then vanilla should be one of your go-tos. It’s simple, works well with coffee, and delicious. If you can get real vanilla extract, use that and add a sugar packet if you desire — the syrups are just too saccharine and use artificial vanilla flavor which throws off the balance.

Pedro Porro (Community — 3.0): There was a fair amount of rust on the wheels, and it was strange seeing him line up at right wing, but he hustled back a lot to bail out Archie and still managed to get a few decent shots off.

Oh, you were expecting me to shit all over pumpkin spice lattes? THE flavor profile of fall? Sorry to disappoint you. Yes, I’m annoyed by the MARKETING of PSLs and everything else pumpkin spice (it’s super obnoxious) but it’s popular for a reason — the warming spice combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves is actually really delicious and go well with coffee, not just pumpkin. Go get your PSL, live your truth, tune out the haters. (I actually think adding artificial pumpkin flavor throws off the balance and natural flavors are always better than artificial flavors so use whole spices and not syrups.)

Omar Marmoush (Community — 3.0): As far as debuts go it wasn’t shabby. Didn’t score, but he held the ball up very well, was a willing presser, and did things we haven’t seen from a Spurs striker in a while. I think he’s going to be good, but it may take some time.

Jan Paul van Hecke (Community — 3.0): Can he defend as well as Cuti Romero? Nope. But my GOD can that guy pass the ball from deep. You can see exactly why De Zerbi wanted him and he’s going to unlock a lot of doors for us this season.

Micky van de Ven (Community — 3.0): Picked up an early yellow after a hospital ball from Tonali, but otherwise… he was fine?

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 3.0): Ran around a bunch and broke up play pretty competently, but had a couple of yikes moments in defense.

Look, hazelnut is fine, it just doesn’t stand out compared to everything above it on this list. Don’t @ me.

Antonin Kinsky (Community — 3.0): Didn’t have a ton to do honestly but had a few WHAT ARE YOU DOING rushes out and flapped at a few balls. Also failed to prevent the two balls from going in the net for goals.

Archie Gray (Community — 2.5): Yes, he’s not a right back but my boy got bailed out a TON by Pedro Porro tracking back defensively. Got absolutely smoked by Elanga on a number of occasions.

Andy Robertson (Community — 2.5): Decent going forward but a liability in defense.

Mohammed Kudus (Community — 2.5): I see six months away from professional football didn’t teach Kudus how to cross the ball.

Roberto De Zerbi (Community — 2.5): A weird lineup probably dictated by player injuries and absences, but while the performance was improved Spurs still can’t score or effectively play through midfield.

Somehow this is a thing that exists, and I don’t understand it. Turmeric doesn’t go with coffee, but it DOES go with milk and tea — and that’s why things like golden milk exist. But pairing it with coffee? …No. Not even Kombucha Girl No, just… no.

Sandro Tonali (Community — 2.5): Whooooooooof. I’m not sure what it’ll take to unlock his best, but he was not on it Saturday and the £100m transfer fee is not helping his cause here.

Mathys Tel (Community — 2.0): I can see what Mathys is TRYING to do out there, but he just couldn’t execute any of it satisfactorily. A very frustrating match. Had one good shot saved.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 2.0): Had he started he might have done better overall than Robbo, but in his short cameo he failed to prevent Woltemade from crossing the ball for Toon’s second goal.

Mikey Moore (Community — 2.0): Way less effective going forward than vs. Brentford and didn’t link up well with Porro when he came on. Bad match, but good experience. Good luck in Cologne, Mikey!

Dom Solanke (Community — 2.0): Barely saw any of the ball, though by the time he came on Spurs were already 2-0 down.

Coffee and fruit do not go together, and it doesn’t matter the fruit. Raspberry and coffee? Gross. Orange and coffee? Hell to the no. A slice of lemon in one’s coffee is a thing, and it’s not bad, but that’s not a latte, lemon lattes? Ewww. Don’t buy fruity coffee drinks, they all suck. Just admit you don’t like coffee and order a dragonfruit refresher like normal Generation Z people.

No Tottenham players were as bad as fruit and coffee lattes.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

No players in this category today.

Well it took a little bit of doing, but Ashley Phillips has completed his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur’s U23s to Middlesbrough in the Championship. The club announced the deal on social media this morning.

You might remember that this deal was supposed to be completed earlier, but it was postponed over some details on the deal that had not been fully worked through. The initial deal for Phillips was a five year contract for an initial fee of £7m with clauses that could rise as high as £20m. From what I can gather, it’s the same financial structure now, which tells me that whatever was holding up the deal from going through was extremely detail oriented and possibly nibbling around the edges.

Whatever. Phillips joins BIG WILLY LANKS (Will Lankshear) at Boro now and is theoretically available for their Championship match against Mason Melia and Lincoln City Imps this morning, though I sincerely doubt he’ll play. It’s a shame that match kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET, since the Spurs vs. Hoffenheim friendly starts at 10 a.m. ET. I’d have liked to watch that one.

We’re closing in on the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season! Tottenham Hotspur wrap up their preseason preparations with a double-header against TSG Hoffenheim, the first of which is being held at Tottenham Hotspur stadium. These matches will be Spurs’ final hit-out before the start of the season, and the last chance for Roberto De Zerbi to assess his squad and try out tactical adjustments without consequence before the rubber really hits the road.

While Spurs are coming off an historically poor Premier League campaign, Hoffenheim had the opposite, with a strong fifth-place finish in the Bundesliga under coach Christian Itzer. Hoffenheim will be no pushovers, reflected in the teams’ last encounter, facing off against one another in Spurs’ Europa League title-winning campaign, as the Lilywhites took the spoils in a close-fought 3-2 win.

This match therefore presents itself as a good final litmus test going into the season, as well as put a spotlight on questions still unanswered. One of those will be how De Zerbi treats this double header; does he split his starters across both matches? Or will he come out with a strong team tonight, and then a youth-heavy side at the Hotspur Way Training Centre tomorrow?

Here’s your open thread to jump in and chat.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. TSG Hoffenheim (friendly)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. UK

Not televised in USA or UK. Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: SPURSPLAY

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

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Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

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Have fun, and COYS!

What’s the best way to get Tottenham Hotspur fans back onside in the aftermath of sacking your second head coach in the course of this absolute disaster of a Premier League season? A tour to the other side of the world, of course!

I wrote around a week ago on a report from New Zealand media stating that Spurs were reportedly planning an additional leg in Auckland on their Antipodean tour, with fixtures already planned in Australia against Chelsea and an A-League A. That report has now been confirmed via an official announcement - score one for the Kiwi media, I guess!

This will be Spurs’ first preseason fixture as the club heads into the 2026/27 season, and will be against A-League side Auckland FC - not, as I mentioned in last week’s piece, Auckland City FC, the semi-professional outfit that was slaughtered by all and sundry at the Club World Cup.

Coming only weeks after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup, Spurs are unlikely to have a full squad with them on the tour (and will they even have a new head coach at that point?); nonetheless, it’ll provide a good opportunity for some young prospects and lesser seen players to ply their trade in New Zealand’s largest stadium.

That in and of itself is something of a surprise given Auckland FC typically hold their home matches at the much smaller Mount Smart Stadium; Eden Park has triple the capacity at 50,000, extending up to 60,000 if temporary seating is made available. That seems to indicate that Spurs’ top brass are expecting a bumper crowd, given the cost of using a facility like Eden Park; expectations that could prove costly given Spurs’ precarious status as a Premier League club.

Seemingly, though, the thinking is that no matter what happens in the next couple of months, Spurs will be a significant drawcard. It’s not often a club of Spurs’ stature travels to New Zealand, so it’s a great opportunity for Kiwi fans to see the players they love up close.

And maybe Roberto De Zerbi as well. Hurray.