Football365

Erik ten Hag would be the ‘Spursiest’ of all Spurs appointments, but the real problems at the club will only be solved by a board change.

Send your views on all subjects to theeditor@football365.com

Where’s Erik?

We’re at hospital waiting our turn on the c-section list and I was reading who will be the next Spurs manager article. Was genuinely surprised not to see this name as there is no ‘Spursier’ appointment. Erik Ten Hag.

JC STFC

Ange in/out? Who cares?

It has reached the point where, at HT yesterday, I was pleased to be on cooking duty. Missing significant elements of the match such as Liverpool’s third goal…and fourth…and fifth. I genuinely wish we hadn’t scored those two late goals as we deserve a spanking just so Ange can finally stop with the weird smirk and passive aggressive post-match interviews.

Speaking of which, Sky were absolutely delighted with his previous post-match interview where he exclaimed “are you not entertained” by repeating throughout the second half.

A clown club – a comment Football365 have used roughly 247 times a day in the past few months – is fair. What isn’t is the fact that this business and its CEO, are taking the absolute p*** out of its fan base (that should read its legacy supporters in truth – the holiday making day trippers are loving it). I knew someone trying to sell their Chelsea ticket on the exchange, a 4:30 Sunday evening kick off, two weeks before Christmas and the club were demanding £84 – and that wasn’t the most expensive ticket either. The ticket didn’t get sold.

That Levy isn’t going anywhere means it’s all pretty irrelevant, and (relatively speaking) depressing. In the past year we have sold/released Kane, Dier, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Sanchez, Lloris, Emerson, Skipp, Winks, Sessegnon, Lo Celso, Ndombele and Rodon….that is a staggering amount off the wage bill, with a minimal amount incoming comparatively. Until the club is prepared to pay the required wages to secure the best players, then it really doesn’t matter what coach is there, the ceiling will always be ’try for top four’…

Depending on your source, we’re anywhere from £11m to £24m below Liverpool and almost £63m below Arsenal…the other three, understandably, are a fair bit further north of Tottenham.

Thank f*** we have the greatest entertainment/business park in Europe.

Dan Mallerman

…All Spurs problems stems from the greed and miserliness of Daniel Levy. No decent coach will want to play for Spurs. Please get rid of him if you want to see the real Spurs.

R.S.

The Angeball red herring

Let’s get one thing straight.

With the personnel available to Postecoglou on Sunday night, the outcome was always going to be a win for this excellent Liverpool team. So, the only question would seem to be, would it have been better to play “sensible” or orthodox tactics and lose 3-0, or to do what Tottenham did and lose 6-3? I for one am firmly in the “death or glory” camp. Who wants to die wondering. With the team facing an inevitable outcome, defiance was the only way to go.

After all, Angeball had got Spurs to a semi-final only 3 nights previously.

The meek shall inherit the earth? Nonsense!

Best Regards,

Kirit (NW London)

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

The neutrals’ choice

I was losing interest in the Premier League TBH, but this stupid/brilliant Spurs team is pulling me back in – I love them so very much.

Happy Christmas F365 folks – hope you have a joyous one, and I hope those that will find it hard get through okay. And that we stuff Doncaster at home next weekend – festive goodwill only goes so far.

Jeremy (I’ll never cheat on my Colchester with you Spurs, but I can admire from afar) Aves

The Lysergic Lyricas

Lysergic acid diethylamide actually focuses the sensory perceptions and allows patients – under proper clinical supervision – to better deal with the effects of various trauma including depression and PTSD. This is why, moving forward, it might potentially act as an important tool in dealing with the treatment of complex psychological issues. In research – for example – spiders who are given LSD create webs that are more mathematically precise than those they create naturally.

Ange’s team, on the other hand, plays football like a troupe of rodeo clowns who drank all of the coffee and snorted all of the cocaine; they’re wizards for about three minutes, until the shakes and the paranoia set in…

Also, Riccardo Calafiori is an excellent football player. We are fortunate to have him.

Merry Christmas and all the best in 2025 to the entire F365verse…except, obviously, Stewie.

George, Little Spruffleton on the Waters

Inevitability

There’s only one way this is going…

Ange is an Aussie, mate.

So the football world will shun the idealist romance of Angeball and plunge into a post apocalyptic wasteland where the only currency is cold hard football statistics.

‘Mad Facts’.

Not sure how Mel Gibson will be received in the Spurs Stadium when they’re filming the biopic mind.

Merry Christmas to all.

John (‘the batteries, THE F***ING BATTERIES!!!’) Mac, Cork

Fraudiola and all that

As a Liverpool fan, I find the criticism Pep Guardiola is currently receiving unwarranted, primarily because I never believed he deserved the overwhelming praise showered on him during his periods of success.

Timing and choice are critical to success, and Pep has often benefitted from both. I first heard of him during his tenure at Barcelona, where his squad included Valdés, Alves, Puyol, Márquez, Abidal, Yaya Touré, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto’o, and Henry. A team of undeniable world-class talent. It was a case of stepping into the perfect setup at the right moment.

After a sabbatical, Pep moved to Bayern Munich, a club so dominant in Germany that opposing teams might as well have rolled dice while riding unicycles and singing Nessun Dorma. He inherited a team fresh off a treble-winning season and equipped with an unmatched financial edge. Again, impeccable timing.

Then came Manchester City. Even before his arrival in 2016, City had assembled a backroom staff tailored to his needs and began acquiring players on his wishlist. With the club’s vast financial resources, he inherited the ideal conditions. From John Stones and Leroy Sané in his first summer, to Laporte, Mendy, Walker, Silva, and others, City have spent over €50 million on 16 different players under Guardiola. Few managers have ever enjoyed such consistent backing.

But now, cracks are showing. Financial scrutiny has perhaps diverted focus from the squad, and Guardiola faces challenges he cannot simply solve by snapping his fingers or buying another €80 million player. His system demands perfection, yet this ageing team appears drained of creativity, individual flair, and adaptability. When Erling Haaland doesn’t score, they effectively play with ten men.

Critics like to lambast managers such as Russell Martin or Ange Postecoglou for their inflexibility, accusing them of sticking to systems that don’t suit their players. Is Pep facing a similar issue now? Does he still have the players capable of executing his complex system?

This situation reminds me of the Monte Carlo roulette incident in 1913, when the ball landed on black 26 consecutive times. Gamblers, convinced red was “due,” kept doubling down—only to lose again and again. Is Guardiola now gambling on his team “clicking” back into form, betting on red because he believes his way is the only way?

Why, then, does the media hesitate to critique him as harshly as others? Is it because he’s Pep, and they assume he’ll figure it out eventually? Or is it because they, too, are betting on red?

Is Guardiola an all-conquering genius? Or has he simply made astute career choices and now finds himself grappling with the same challenges as everyone else?

Kind regards,

Ian H

Amorim’s lack of big club experience a problem

Consider any office construct. You’re a mid-level company Manager joining a huge organisation. Your first task would be to bed in, understand the environment, stabilize yourself first and then move forward with the personnel who have been there the longest (they may not be the ones you need in the long run, but surely want for the time being).

Over time, once you’ve gained the experience, understood everyone, you decide whom to lean on, whom to work with and whom to release. This is the general fabric of function in any role which involves people management. Am afraid, Amorim has already failed in that regard. He didn’t have a strong enough ground to start with a destabilized atmosphere that he created from week two. A risk not worth taking.

Now for the other points which i’d wish any United Manager would pay some heed to:

Bruno doesn’t offer enough in midfield with regards to flow of play or even quality finishes. To me he’s just plain mediocre. The odd Hollywood pass or creative goal should not define his role.

Licha is not designed to work as a defender, leave alone a left-sided one. He’s best suited as a defensive midfielder.

Playing with a mix of seven defenders/defensive midfielders is just an awful strategy if you’re trying to control a game, least of all against teams like Bournemouth. A 3-5-2 works best if your wingers are mostly attacking with the ability to defend and not the other way round. Malacia and Dalot on the wings with Garnacho on the bench is a waste of the real qualities of a team.

Lack of a stable team, which to me, was equally an issue under ETH, is hurting the cohesion of this new setup. It’s immensely important for each individual to know where they stand, else it becomes a guessing games in their heads which can be massively counterproductive. Zirkzee over an in-form Hojlund is a perfect case in point.

And finally, a football Manager, like any other senior official in a company, needs to bring with oneself individual/team based strategies, which one needs to implement. Strategies, which have worked in ones previous role. Reshuffling the pack and changing their holistic approach, isn’t what i’d call a major plan of action. A real plan consists of improving on the players’ skill sets and using them to the betterment of the team. This is what I find lacking in most leaders these days.

Stephen Warnock has hit out at Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, who he feels aren’t holding-midfield players and the former has no desire to get back and help the Tottenham side.

Bissouma and Sarr have been Spurs’ preferred midfield duo for the last two games. At points this season, Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have also been seen there.

Bissouma has played all of the last 180 minutes, while Sarr managed 58 minutes against Liverpool before being hooked – after playing the full game against Manchester United. Tottenham conceded nine goals across those two games.

Warnock has slammed the pair for not having the capabilities to play their own positions, while he felt Bissouma did not want to try for his side.

“If your two full-backs go forward, your two central midfielders have to sense danger and be able to run,” he said on Sky Sports.

“They [Sarr and Bissouma] cannot run. They don’t sense danger, so they’re not holding midfielders. So why have you got them playing holding midfield?

“Bissouma yesterday, I’d have run past him. He couldn’t run. He didn’t want to run. He didn’t have the desire to get back and be aggressive with people, and sense that a tackle or even a shove into someone at times is so important.

“You cannot play that system with them two in midfield.”

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365:

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

Being outplayed by Liverpool’s midfield is common for sides at the moment, with the Reds flying high at the top of the league. Spurs did concede three to Manchester United the game prior, though, so not having players at the top of their games is something of a concern.

Bissouma and Sarr are clearly seen as holding-midfielders, though they have had a torrid time playing the position of late – and the former was recently labelled “braindead” to highlight that.

That the position has been chopped and changed in games leading up to the last two suggests Postecoglou is aware they may not be standing out, but until Bergvall progresses – being only 18 – or a new signing is made, Tottenham will be forced to make do.

Tottenham have reportedly made an approach to sign Atalanta defender Ben Godfrey, with contact being made to ease their current defensive crisis.

Spurs are struggling defensively at the moment. In their last two games – against Manchester United and Liverpool – they have conceded nine goals.

Ange Postecoglou is not interested in changing the way his side plays, despite a trio of regular defenders being sidelined through injury, which has seen Archie Gray playing at centre-back – a position he’d never played before – among the changes.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have made contact for the signing of a new defender as they ‘look to ease’ their defensive crisis.

That man is Atalanta’s Godfrey, who it’s said they have made an approach for.

The report states Spurs want to sign the Englishman on a short-term loan for the second half of the season. Given Atalanta top Serie A at the moment, they’re unlikely to do anything which will hinder their chances of winning the title.

That said, Godfrey has played just 22 league minutes, as part of a total tally of 93 minutes since he moved from Everton in the summer, so may be allowed to leave on loan.

There is reportedly a belief that he could be allowed to leave given his lack of minutes since joining Atalanta.

If he is to join Spurs, it will be a move which has been a long time coming. It was reported in December 2023 that Spurs were pushing ahead with their interest in Godfrey, while he was at Everton.

At the time, Tottenham were desperate to add to their defence, with a similar crisis to the one they are seeing now taking place.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365:

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

They ended up signing Radu Dragusin in January, but he only played a handful of times last season, and this term was hardly used before injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

The priority will be covering their absences, but Godfrey could potentially compete with Dragusin to be next in line, while he can also play as a right-back, a left-back and a midfielder, so could be a useful asset for Spurs.

Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch has revealed the Reds planned before their win over Tottenham to “press the right centre-back” Radu Dragusin, a plan he felt they executed “really well”.

Spurs were put to the sword by Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Having conceded three goals in victory over Manchester United in the week, it seemed they were there for the taking.

The Reds did just that, smashing in six goals in the 6-3 victory.

Midfield man Gravenberch has revealed that the plan was to attack Dragusin, and that paid off.

“Yeah we had a really good game plan, we wanted to keep them on the right side and press the right centre-back. Sometimes it went well and sometimes they did it good but by the end, I think we did really well,” Granvenberch told LFCTV.

Indeed, with the amount of goals put past Spurs, none of the defence covered themselves in glory, but Dragusin was involved a lot. For the first goal, he saw the ball whipped over his head for Luis Diaz to score.

For the third, he was beaten in the air by Dominik Szoboszlai on the half-way line, who pushed on and finished the goal himself when he reached the box.

For the fourth, Dragusin stepped towards the Liverpool attack at the wrong time, saw the ball slotted past him, before it was knocked across the box and eventually ended up in the net.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365:

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

Many sides have been put to the sword by the Reds this season, with the Premier League leaders having scored 37 goals so far.

But that Tottenham’s defence have not played an awful lot together, and Dragusin would likely not be playing if Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were fit, means they were given an easier task than by some.

It is the most goals Liverpool have scored in a game this season, but was also only the first time Spurs have lost by more than a goal, which says more about the Reds’ attack than their defence.

Tottenham are reportedly weighing up a move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford in January, as Fraser Forster is struggling to show he’s worthy of playing consistently in the wake of an injury to Guglielmo Vicario.

Spurs took a hit when Vicario sustained an injury in a 4-0 victory over Manchester City. He had not missed a single Premier League minute for the north Londoners since joining the club before then.

That consistent streak being broken saw Forster – who has played for England on six occasions – elevated to the No.1 spot.

But he has struggled to convince Tottenham he is worthy of staying there. He made a couple of mistakes in the 4-3 League Cup victory over Manchester United, and though it would be harsh to blame him for Spurs’ high line and Liverpool’s persistent attack, he shipped six goals against the Premier League leaders the following game.

Ange Postecoglou stated after Vicario’s injury that Forster would be given the faith, but the Mirror suggests that may no longer be the case, with Burnley’s Trafford on the radar for a January transfer.

It’s believed Tottenham are weighing up a move for the goalkeeper who, in 21 Championship games this season, has conceded just nine goals.

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365:

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

Trafford is seen as a keeper who could potentially push Vicario for the No.1 spot in the coming seasons, and that suggests he’d already be ahead of Forster in the pecking order, with the keeper only seen as second choice.

It’s believed Trafford could move to north London for £20million, which would make him the most-expensive goalkeeper Tottenham have ever signed, even more than Vicario, who cost them £17.2million when he joined in 2023.

Jamie Carragher reckons Ange Postecoglou was tricked by Arne Slot into persevering with his gung-ho Tottenham approach ahead of their clash with Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot’s side ran out comfortable 6-3 winners over Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Postecoglou stayed true to his attacking style of football that’s been heavily criticised during a run which has seen his side lose three of their last four Premier League games.

But Slot lauded the Tottenham manager’s approach ahead of the clash, rejecting claims that football can ever be “too attacking”.

The Dutchman said: “People talk about trophies, trophies, trophies and that is so important. For me, his brand of football is so much more important. If he can combine it with winning something that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about ‘is it too attacking?’ How on earth can you play too much attacking football?”

“I think it is a privilege to be a season ticket holder at Tottenham and to be a fan of them at the moment because they play such a great style.”

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

Carragher, whose less than positive opinion on Tottenham and their devil-may-care approach under Postecoglou has been brought up in Spurs press conferences this week, claims the Australian boss fell right into Slot’s trap.

He believes the Liverpool boss was lavish in his praise of Spurs and Postecoglou in the hope they would continue to play in a manner he knew would lead to an easy victory for his side.

He said on Sky Sports: “That press conference on Friday from Arne Slot was hilarious. People thought he was defending Ange – I don’t believe that for one minute. Slot was desperate for Tottenham to play the same way as they played Man Utd and they did. Liverpool could have scored 10. Everyone I spoke to, Liverpool supporters said it was obvious.”

Postecoglou said after the game that he was tired of being asked the same questions.

“I’ve been really patient the last 18 months, answering the same questions over and over again,” said Postecoglou. “If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change.

“We’re doing it for a reason, we’re doing it because we think it’ll help us be successful.

“If people don’t understand the circumstances we’re in, the challenges we have from a team and squad perspective, which are as obvious as I want to make them now – I get the idea that people think I should just flick the switch and change and somehow that would make us a different team.

“But it is what it is, I’m just going to continue staying focused on trying to build this team to be the team we want. In the interim, we’re going to have to accept there’s going to be challenges along the way.”

Peter Schmeichel thinks Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was “crazy” to play such a high line against Liverpool in their 6-3 defeat on Sunday.

The Reds ran into a two-goal lead early as Luis Diaz and Alexis MacAllister put Arne Slot’s side in command before James Maddison’s curled effort got Spurs back into the match.

But Liverpool ran away with the match from there with a goal from Dominik Szoboszlai and a brace from Mohamed Salah putting the Reds 5-1 up on 61 minutes.

Tottenham duo Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke got a goal back each to set up an interesting last ten minutes but Diaz scored his second of the game late on to make it 6-3 to the visitors, which probably flattered the home side.

Liverpool thrived behind Tottenham’s high line and former Manchester United goalkeeper Schmeichel insists Postecoglou was “crazy” to stubbornly play to his principles against the Premier League leaders.

Schmeichel said on Premier League Productions: “It’s on [Ange Postecoglou]. He’s playing to his principles. Today it was crazy, the high-line, the space they left behind, they’re not playing with a ‘keeper who’s comfortable cleaning up behind. You can’t play a system the players can’t play because of principle. For that they’ve conceded three on Thursday [in the League Cup] and six today.

“When you look at the table, they’re not on the front page, they’re on the second page. Tottenham are not supposed to be on the second page, it’s because of the way they play.

“The stubbornness of wanting to play that way, they got what they deserved and it could have been a lot worse.”

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…

👉 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

👉 Who will be the next manager of Tottenham after Ange Postecoglou?

👉 Spurs play ‘football on acid’ and Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’

Turning his attention to Liverpool, Schmeichel reckons this could be the year they “win all the big things” and lift an unprecedented Quadruple.

Schmeichel added: “I think Liverpool in the last couple of years have had goals all over the pitch and that’s been the strength of the team.

“It would be interesting to see exactly what the difference from last year to this year, they look more solid, but they’re still scoring the goals and coming up with the chances like they did last season, but they look more solid.

“We’re at Christmas now, they’re top of the league, they’re in the semi-final for the League Cup, they’re top of the Champions League, that is brilliant, absolutely fantastic, and now you’re looking at them and thinking: ‘Yeah, this might just be that year where they can go on and win all the big things.’

“When you look at the playing material, it’s not really what Manchester City had where they have two teams, but still, it’s working out for them, and it’s absolutely fantastic, I’m starting to think they can go all the way [to win the Quadruple].”

Ange Postecoglou is stubborn and way out of his depth at Spurs, who are playing entertaining but ultimately fruitless football.

Send your views on Spurs and anything else to theeditor@football365.com

Oh Spurs

Never change Spurs, never change.

Oliver, London

…Unconfirmed rumours circulating that if Spurs part ways with Big Ange, they may look to re-hire Ossie Ardiles to bring some improved defensive stability to the side.

Chris (Tottingham) Bridgeman, Kingston upon Thames

…Gary Neville said it on commentary, put Spurs on TV every week. It’s like football on acid.

Luv it!!!

Paul Norris (and yes I am an Arsenal fan)

READ: 16 Conclusions from Spurs 3-6 Liverpool: Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai and Kulusevski dazzle above the shod

…Great article from the boy Chicken about Slot’s pretty ham fisted mind games.

But here’s the thing. I think Ange fell for it.

Friday he has a pop at Carragher for daring to suggest that football shouldn’t be played the same from minute 1 – 90. He thought it was disrespectful.

Ange, get it into your head that this deeply successful export keeps billions of people around the world entertained. It requires a constant stream of content. You’re great content. No one’s being disrespectful. They’re advertising the next show. They knew it was going to be a humdinger.

Then he has a pop at Steve Wilson for asking a really soft question. That focused on whether or not having 10 players out leads to a team shipping more goals.

Steve Wilson is a classy broadcaster. Does a great turn on MOTD. Asks direct but fair questions. And on this instance the question was pretty much a warm bath. Actually the question was a warm bath with a slug of Matey, some Epsom bath salts and a warm towel on the heated towel rail. Ange popped his cork in a very unnecessary fashion.

Mainly because he’s a decent but stubborn, prickly, over-sensitive, out of his depth fella. Who surely can’t last much longer.

In other news, the bewildered looking Korean people coming out of the club shop to a half-hearted ‘Levy Out’ protest whilst rushing into the stadium to see the squid games activation and legs-gone Sonny was quite a sight. A true meeting of revenue-generating fan v legacy fan.

Oh well, as least when you leave after 60 minutes you get home in time for dinner.

Andrew

Dispatch from the cockerel cheese room

Made up to be top of the Prem tree for Christmas on a day Chelsea repeat Arsenal’s scoreless stalemate a week on (against another immaculate row of buses arranged masterfully by the nation’s newest head of public transport, Sean Dyche). Hopefully Mr. Dyche makes glaring missteps for his fleet preparing our game in hand, but that’s for another day isn’t it.

Refocusing on today, the shiny star topping said tree this year is a rousing Bournemouth win at a decrepit ground where soiled stockings hang with little care, and lumps of coal loosely arrange themselves as ineffective back threes.

And, a thank you to family in London who warmly (and sportingly) surprised me with match day tickets away to Tottenham today; they, Spurs supporters, had compromised by having me sat back row and as close to the Liverpool traveling support as possible (in Section 113). Glad to report acoustics in my section were excellent. I thought I was at Anfield such were the decibels as we rang up a tidy half-dozen, like a single set of tennis won convincingly on one service break.

Had a nice brief chat with the nearest steward who became aware I was incognito and marooned in enemy territory; whisper it, but thankfully he wasn’t a Spurs supporter either. Wasn’t as lucky when another steward intervened mid-match to warn me of our antics, so remaining celebrations were muted. Perhaps a timely reminder that nothing’s won at Christmas… but what a festive period it has been thus far.

Eric, Los Angeles CA (To the Scouse gentleman behind ruffling my and my missus’ hair over the glass partition six times this evening (once per Liverpool goal), a Merry Christmas to you and to ours, good sir.)

Pragmatism v Idealism

Was today’s result at Spurs a win for pragmatism over idealism? Liverpool destroyed Spurs by taking the lower-risk options while still being attractive and scoring. While Spurs played the same way, knowing they risked giving away a lot of opportunities.

Slot will change tactics when playing different opponents, even within a game, where it looks like Big Ange will only play the one way.

Liverpool looked fabulous – but how much was that down to Spurs letting them look great?

Paul McDevitt

The Man Utd Mystery

I’m confused. They got Erik out, they’re getting Rashford out, and yet they still look like amateurs who have never kicked a ball let alone tried to defend a corner. How could this be?

Of course, The United Conundrum isn’t “how are they still sh*t”, it’s “how have all involved, from fans to owners, continue to misjudge the situation so grotesquely.”

You say you know there’s a long tough rebuild ahead then offer the likes of Bruno and Harry new contracts. Insanity. Maybe the next new striker fixes everything eh?

Tom, LFC (you don’t even deserve jokes in brackets)

…What the absolute f*ck was that?

No, seriously, what the absolute fu*k was that?

Happy Christmas all!

Garey Vance, MUFC

Man Utd formation not working

Man United’s new Head Coach continues to employ his 3-4-2-1 formation match in and match out with very minuscule success. While the current batch of United players aren’t familiar with this formation, the point must further be made that the said formation will not work in the EPL.

Generally, the 3-4-2-1 formation is vulnerable where the opponents have very fast players, in particular, fast forwards. United are exposed not only in counter attacks but more so when fast players quickly move the ball from one end of the pitch to the other.

Clearly, the United defence is not able to cope with the associated speed and pressure resulting in heavy losses. Amorim should rethink his approach immediately if we are to draw our way back.

Professor (Dr) David Achanfuo Yeboah

Where’s Stewie now?

Please can you give Stewie an ultimatum, if he’s not going to write in after a 5-1 win away at an in-form Palace team, without Bukayo Saka for the most part, then he’s not going to get printed next time we have a disappointing 0-0.

On behalf of the Mailbox’s sanity.

Ben, AFC

APT a Man City coincidence?

Just to put a spin on the City are guilty and so their players have all given up narrative. The downturn actually nearly perfectly aligns with City losing the APT case with the league. Keep in mind they were near the top of the league before that ruling came out.

Maybe losing that case means, even if City are found not guilty on the 130 charges, the club is no longer sustainable. Their fantasy crypto sponsorship worth £5m a year will soon be revalued at £0 (worth googling this utterly brazen move if you don’t know about it). Their Etihad sponsorship gets revalued at half of its current inflated value…repeat across their entire commercial revenue and that record £700m revenue quickly falls to £350m or less.

The club may have already told the players that they will need to sell at least a few prize assets to get things in order financially for next season. Knowing that your top players are all on the way out could also explain the drop in quality with players focussed on avoiding injury and trying to jump the ship before it sinks.

Minty, LFC

Merry Xmas to all but Mark

Xmasfootballdarts day for me.

Have I missed lots or does anyone know what Mark’s moaning about?

I think its Man City related but I’m no longer 100% sure..?

Don’t want to poke the bear / hornets nest etc.. but.. that’s bordering on legal threats?

Wishing the mailbox and all the staff at 365 the very best Christmas/season/festivities and a magic new year.

Thanks for all the hard work.

It gets me and I’m sure very many of us, through bad days and good.

It’s the bit of my day I always look forward too.

Cheers everyone

Happy Times

Spurs’ utter commitment to their brand of nonsense continues to strike brave new ground, with the irredeemable Angeballers having now scored 10 goals across their last three home games yet been soundly beaten in two of those games and had an alarmingly impressive stab at losing the other. Liverpool, meanwhile, are galloping gleefully towards the title despite towards the end allowing themselves to be dragged ever so slightly down to their opponent’s level.

But while it’s tempting to make this all about Spurs – because let’s face it, everything is in fact always about Spurs – we really must start with Liverpool.

It’s easy – and fun, and we’ll get there, we promise – to get distracted by the sheer relentless p*ss-take clown-car efforts of Spurs, both in the way they barely even competed in this match and in the ‘entertaining’ way they finally got involved long after it was all over, but for the first 35 minutes or so here Liverpool were close to perfection.

Liverpool struck a perfect balance. The eye is naturally drawn to the speed and zip of the attacking play. Of the patterns of Salah and Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, of the string-pulling of Dominic Szoboszlai, a man who spent 90 minutes here seemingly not fully believing his luck in finding himself, once again, 30-odd yards from goal with no opponent within 10 yards of him.

They scored twice in that blistering 40-minute onslaught and could have had twice that at least. They had 10 shots in the first half-hour; Spurs, for all their belated involvement as an attacking threat after the contest was over, managed only nine across the 90.

That Spurs number perhaps points to what was truly the most impressive thing about Liverpool in that opening spell, the element that has perhaps even more relevance for future games against less proudly and determinedly unserious football teams: the way that Spurs frontline was shut down.

Salah and co. dominating a defence containing one-fifth of its first-choice components and in which the only halfway reassuring presence is provided by an 18-year-old, playing out of position, who a month ago had never started a Premier League game really isn’t a great surprise.

But the speed with which Spurs were squeezed out and run over when they did vernture up the pitch was immense. The ease with which Spurs’ rare attacks in that time were not just halted unfussily but used as launchpads for another swift counter-attack was stunning to watch.

Spurs’ contribution to their own despair cannot be entirely ignored, but we struggle to think of a more complete performance front to back than Liverpool produced in that period.

Football being football, Spurs being Spurs, Liverpool then gifted them a route back into the game with the Spursiest defending of the lot, but we’ll get to that later.

We’re going to file that one under ‘bold strategy’. And it didn’t pay off. We suppose the idea, such as it was, involved stopping Salah or Alexander-Arnold or Diaz or Robertson occupying the half-spaces and picking Spurs off from there.

But the thing with those players is that they’re all quite handy in wider places anyway. Especially Alexander-Arnold, who doesn’t really need acres of space and hours of time to pick out a world-class cross but was nevertheless provided with both for Diaz’s opening goal.

A strong contender, too, for the most ‘it just had to be him’ opening goal of any game ever played given what happened in this fixture last season.

It was embarrassingly poor from Spurs of course, but one could have plenty of sympathy with the players out there who are largely blameless pawns in a wider game, footballers who have been badly let down by their club and their manager and also very specifically today the players in front of them in this team in finding themselves so ruinously exposed.

Szoboszlai operating in front of a Gravenberch-Mac Allister pivot against James Maddison doing likewise ahead of Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr shouldn’t produce an outcome as one-sided as this.

Liverpool’s midfielders were quicker in deed and thought, more committed, more energised and more decisive. Despite the more obvious horrors occurring elsewhere, here is where the contest was decided.

But Liverpool went as Spurs as Spurs for a brief moment. Alexander-Arnold spent most of the first half showcasing his best traits but still found time here for his worst with a nasty pass that put Mac Allister under pressure. He was weak in the challenge against Dejan Kulusevski – a man who would ludicrously end up a genuine man-of-the-match contender in a 6-3 defeat – while James Maddison’s shot was made to look more unstoppably precise than it actually was by Alisson standing lead-footed to watch it past him.

Alexander-Arnold possesses a wicked ability to deliver a long pass, but here needed only a long ball and subsequent flick-on to leave Liverpool, in the final added minute of a first half Spurs were about to get out of with the match somehow alive, with a four-on-two break that was duly and expertly rounded out.

There was an obvious gulf in class for so much of this match, but frequently the most eye-catching difference was one of awareness and really quite basic intelligence.

Salah’s numbers grow ever more ridiculous, though. Two goals to take him clear in the Golden Boot, two assists to secure the double-double of 10 goals and 10 assists before the season is halfway done.

It’s always possible to find other reasons and other factors and other players to praise for Liverpool being where they are. But while it’s long stopped being in any way a revealing thing to state it still does need saying that Salah is the most critical component of it all.

Seven shots and three key passes are wild numbers to be recording away from home against a team who, when the season began, would have been considered a genuine rival.

It had, in truth, a similar feel by this point to Spurs themselves at Southampton last week. Spurs took their foot off the gas and coasted to a 5-0 win without adding a goal in the second half and Liverpool just slightly lowered their levels from this point as well.

That’s completely understandable, if slightly disappointing for those of us who would very much like to see records sent tumbling. No score felt out of reach at this point, and while Liverpool deciding to preserve energy for the many varied and greater battles ahead made just as much sense here as Spurs’ own thinking did a week ago, we’re still annoyed about it.

For extra irritation value, the two crack-papering goals Spurs scored were excellent. They really are a pack of pricks, this Spurs team. They can’t even get thrashed properly. Kulusevski, who is having a genuinely brilliant season and deserves more than any other Spurs player to be playing for a proper football team rather than this failed experiment, volleyed home superbly before Dominic Solanke showed strength and composure to score against his former side.

What made these goals at least halfway palatable was the deserving nature of the scorers. Solanke’s all-round contribution to this Spurs team is under-rated and under-appreciated; it’s hard to begrudge him a junk piece of stat-paddery in the goals column. And Kulusevski right now is without caveat or question simply one of the best players in the division.

For the second time in the match, when the prospect of genuine mild peril surprisingly re-emerged, Liverpool were able to quell it in a moment. They really could have scored as many goals as they wanted to here, and we are greatly if greedily annoyed with them that they decided six would be sufficient when other sillier and funnier numbers remained so thoroughly available.

There’s mitigation certainly in the defensive injury list, although Ange cannot be excused blame entirely here given his own role in Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven being rushed off and back on to that list just before the busiest time of the season.

But it is also just generally too easier a wriggle off the hook for Postecoglou to be allowed to even attempt to “the-way-we-play-mate” his way out of it. Everton have Dyched their way to goalless draws against Arsenal and Chelsea this week. Liverpool have dropped recent points against both Newcastle and Fulham.

Liverpool are an excellent side but this was not the mission impossible Postecoglou’s team made it look.

Two funny things there, of course. First, what a mortifying day this turned out to be for Manchester United; slapped 3-0 at home by Bournemouth and then forced to watch what a proper team does to the very Spurs team they had lost so cartoonishly against three days earlier. The second is that Postecoglou’s very correct prioritising of the Carabao at the possible expense of a humiliating collapse against Liverpool in the league is that he now gets two more games against them in the cup.

Liverpool will be more inclined to make changes for those games, but we wonder whether Arne Slot might look at this game, at a first leg in the first week of January when Spurs will still be similarly depleted to today, at a second leg in the first week of February when several missing men may have returned and wonder whether his best bet isn’t to just go full strength in the first leg and sort it all out there and then. There just seems no reason to risk allowing the second leg to be of any importance at all when Spurs have shown here – even at something close to their worst – that they remain capable of inflicting damage of their own.

They should absolutely expect to come out on top in that fight. And they’ll probably also do so in the Carabao without even really trying or caring. It might be they just have to settle for 6-3 as only an aggregate score in that one.

Jamie Carragher believes Arne Slot’s high praise for Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou and his brand of attacking football was ‘no accidental’ ahead of Liverpool’s 6-3 victory on Sunday.

Slot had defended Postecoglou against the criticism that his attacking style was costing Tottenham points at his pre-match press conference, saying: “People talk about trophies, trophies, trophies and that is so important. For me, his brand of football is so much more important.

“If he can combine it with winning something that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about ‘is it too attacking?’. How on earth can you play too much attacking football?”

Liverpool promptly went away to Tottenham and absolutely took them to the cleaners, with the scoreline flattering Spurs in the end – and Carragher believes Slot knew exactly what he was doing by baiting Postecoglou into sticking to his guns. We’re honestly not sure he needed much incentive, but there we go.

READ: Another ludicrous Ange Postecoglou-y scoreline flatters Tottenham as Liverpool run riot

The former Reds defender said on Sky Sports after the game: “That press conference from Slot on Friday was hilarious. I mean, people thought he was defending Postecoglou, but I don’t believe that for one minute.

“I actually thought he went too far, it was too obvious. He was desperate for Tottenham to play exactly the same way as they played against Manchester United, and they did – and Liverpool could have scored 10.

“So what he said in that press conference…honestly, everyone I spoke to Liverpool supporters, it was obvious what he was trying to get at.”

Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand meanwhile believes Tottenham must change if they are serious about rising up the table, saying: “Spurs, at the start of the season, we were talking about them being a top four side. OK, they’ve had their injuries and they’ve had a few problems like a lot of teams this season.

“But if you want be up there challenging the Liverpool and the Man Cities and the Arsenals and the Chelseas…they saw today what that’s all about.

“They’re a long way away from it at the moment, and that’s no disrespect, but Ange has got a lot to do. They have entertained this season at times. We’ve come here and they’ve played some outstanding football when they’ve got their best first XI. When they haven’t got their first XI they’re a pretty average side.”

Ferdinand added: “When we’re sitting here talking about making tweaks, we’re not saying to Postecoglou ‘you’ve got to be more defensive’ – we’re just saying that there’s obvious errors that are occurring week in, week out. At times it was one pass and Liverpool were in. That can’t be right if you’re trying to win games of football. We’re not saying ‘don’t be attacking’, but it’s costing them at the moment.”