The New York Times

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea’s matches are always high intensity, full of drama — and usually have a moment or two of ill-discipline to boot.

On Sunday, the two sides face one another in a major Premier League clash. Chelsea are flying high in the table, while Tottenham have had a tough start to the season — capped off by Ange Postecoglou’s confrontation with fans after a loss to Bournemouth on Thursday.

But what is the mood like at both clubs? How is the season going? Who are the dangermen? And what do our writers predict for the match?

The Athletic sat down our experts Jay Harris and Simon Johnson to have a discussion about Sunday’s game — and where the two sides are at this stage of the season.

What’s the mood like at the club?

Jay Harris: Morale at Tottenham has plummeted less than two weeks after their stunning victory over Manchester City at the Etihad. Thursday night’s dismal 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth means they have lost eight of their last 12 away games. Ange Postecoglou’s confrontation with the fans at the final whistle suggests the cracks are opening in their relationship.

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is out for months with a fractured ankle and the only fit centre-back is Radu Dragusin. This means 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray might have to start alongside him on Sunday. It is a tense situation, possibly the worst time to play a derby.

Simon Johnson: Upbeat and why not? Head coach Enzo Maresca has made an impressive start since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the summer. For the first time since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over in May 2022, the fans appear to have been won over. The management structure running the club is starting to see the fruits of its labours and even the uncertainty caused by a divide between the co-owners going public in September has gone quiet.

How has the season gone relative to expectations?

Johnson: Maresca has consistently said he has not been told by the hierarchy that Chelsea have to finish in the top four of the Premier League but qualifying for the Champions League again is clearly a target. Chelsea are ahead of schedule. No one outside of Stamford Bridge would have expected Chelsea to sit in second place only a few months into Maresca’s time at the club. Pundits were describing Chelsea as a mess in August when the ‘bomb squad’ overshadowed proceedings and friendly results had been poor, but now they are being talked about as title contenders.

Harris: Dominic Solanke was the only summer signing who seemed set to improve the starting XI. There was hope that the team would kick on in Postecoglou’s second season but people were sceptical that they still lacked quality. Spurs have produced some great performances, including a 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, but lost to Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace. They have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup (where they will face Manchester United at home) and should comfortably reach the next round of the Europa League but they sit 10th in the league, level on points with Brentford and Newcastle United. Spurs have seven points fewer than at the same stage last season, even though they had failed to win their previous four matches.

What’s the fan view on the manager?

Harris: It may have been damaged by last night’s incident when Postecoglou watched from a distance as the players applauded the fans and then strode over for a tense exchange with them. Postecoglou revealed they gave him “direct feedback” and said, “Whether there’s doubt, internally or externally, it makes my resolve even stronger to get it right.”

His style of football has a lot of admirers but fans are frustrated there is no backup plan and the defeat to Bournemouth was a perfect illustration of why. They struggled to create chances despite dominating possession and lacked a cutting edge. This time a year ago, the supporters were singing, “I’m loving Big Ange instead” to the tune of Robbie Williams’ Angels but we are a long way from that now.

Johnson: The view has changed in a few months. Many expressed doubts over Maresca’s arrival. His brief time in management at Parma (14 games) and Leicester (one season), plus not having coached a ‘big club’, was held against him. But achieving good results alongside plenty of goals has won them over and significantly his name was sung for the first time during the 5-1 win at Southampton. The away support also chanted, “We’ve got our Chelsea back.” He is a popular man but his approval rating will take a hit if they lose to Tottenham. That is always a big no-no for any Chelsea head coach.

Who has been the standout player?

Johnson: The easy answer is to say Cole Palmer. It has felt like the automatic reply since he joined the club from Manchester City last year. A return of nine goals and six assists from 14 league fixtures is outstanding, but the flair he displays is worth the entrance fee alone. Opponents are trying to target him during matches, whether it be simply man-marking him or, in Lisandro Martinez and Wilfred Ndidi’s case, being guilty of terrible challenges.

Chelsea are doing so well because they have many players in form, making them less dependent on Palmer. Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella are three key cogs performing at a very high level.

Harris: Dejan Kulusevski has been a revelation playing in an attacking central midfield role this season. He glides past opponents, causes confusion with his dribbling and creates space for his team-mates to exploit. James Maddison used to be Tottenham’s creative spark and most influential player but Kulusevski has taken the crown. Son Heung-min has been a shadow of his former self, though, only scoring three times in 11 top-flight appearances.

What is a realistic aim this season?

Harris: After Tottenham lost to Arsenal in September, Postecoglou corrected Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders by saying he “always wins trophies” in his second season with a club. The 59-year-old has set the bar high but it is difficult to imagine them winning anything. Their Carabao Cup quarter-final against United is in a couple of weeks but they will be without Vicario and potentially Micky van de Ven. Spurs have a young squad but it also contains the captains of Mali, South Korea and Sweden. Romero has won the World Cup with Argentina, too. They should be challenging for the top four.

Johnson: Maresca is right to dismiss their chances of winning the league this season. Chelsea have not been in a title race since they won it in 2017 and lack experience. Their squad is the youngest in the top division (Chelsea have fielded the 14 youngest starting XIs this season), they concede too many chances and Robert Sanchez is not winning over the crowd as the first-choice goalkeeper.

The squad is still strong enough to qualify for the Champions League and it will be a disappointment if they do not win the Conference League. They are clearly the strongest team in Europe’s third-tier competition by some distance.

How does the rivalry feel?

Johnson: It does not matter how well Chelsea are playing, this is the game that their supporters look forward to, and want to win, the most. They did not win the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ in 2016 but the 2-2 draw is still fondly remembered because the result meant Spurs officially lost the league to Leicester City. When the much loved pre-game tune ‘The Liquidator’ is played at Stamford Bridge, you will always hear, ‘We hate Tottenham, Chelsea!’ shouted loudly from the stands. The intensity of this rivalry will never fade.

Harris: There is no love lost between these two sides as Simon has mentioned. In this exact fixture last year, Tottenham actually won a lot of plaudits for committing to an attacking style of play despite having Romero and Destiny Udogie sent off. Chelsea won 4-1 but did not take the lead until the 75th minute. Hindsight means Tottenham’s performance in that game has taken on a different dimension. It is seen as the point where everything started going downhill and inconsistency infected the team. The supporters will be hoping a victory can reignite Postecoglou’s project.

What should Chelsea fear most about the opposition?

Johnson: Tottenham’s ability to turn up for the big games. The manner of their 4-0 victory at champions Manchester City was extraordinary and they defeated top-four rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa convincingly too. Even if Chelsea take the lead, Maresca’s men will have to be wary because Tottenham equalled a Premier League record of coming from behind in eight home games in 2024 to win.

And what about Spurs?

Harris: Chelsea can be lethal on the counter with the speed of Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto. Tottenham’s high defensive line and commitment to pushing players forward leave their centre-backs exposed. Van de Ven can outpace most of the world’s quickest strikers but Dragusin might struggle if he finds himself running back towards goal on too many occasions.

What’s your prediction?

Johnson: With both teams’ attacks being superior to their defences, I can see goals aplenty. I am going for a 2-2 draw and due to the intensity, at least one team will have a man sent off.

Harris: Tottenham have a nasty habit of conceding first at home before producing dramatic comebacks and they cannot afford to give an in-form Chelsea side an easy advantage. Postecoglou’s side have saved their best performances for the big sides this season but I am going for a 2-2 draw. Spurs will look threatening on the counter but Chelsea will take advantage of their patchwork defence.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

There is one big question facing Tottenham in December: Can they can consistently produce their top physical level in a month in which they are playing every Thursday and every Sunday, especially when they are already contending with far too many injuries and absences?

The answer will determine whether they will climb up the table, building on their promising but inconsistent start to the season. It will determine whether they reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and whether they can take another step towards the last 16 of the Europa League. It will ultimately determine whether people feel the Ange Postecoglou project is heading in the right direction.

On the evidence of Sunday’s game against Fulham, it is going to be tough.

Spurs were nowhere near their best. The visitors were the better team for long spells, and created far more chances. When Tottenham scored through Brennan Johnson, it was against the run of play. Even when Fulham went down to 10 men, Spurs failed to ask them many difficult questions in the final minutes.

This was the first of five consecutive Sunday games for Tottenham, all five coming after a Thursday night fixture. This is the rhythm to which they will have to become accustomed.

Spurs worked hard here on Thursday night in their 2-2 draw against Roma. Postecoglou made four changes for this game, losing Dominic Solanke to illness on Sunday morning and resting Dejan Kulusevski, who has worked harder than anyone else in recent weeks. The other crucial bit of context is that this was one week on from the famous 4-0 win at Manchester City, one of their best ever victories in the Premier League era.

It was easy to think beforehand that all Spurs needed to do on Sunday was replicate what they did against City; to finally show the consistency of application they have lacked all season. If they could just win this game, then they could prove they had broken through that mental block. A new era of relentless winning would be just around the corner.

But maybe that is too simplistic. Maybe it makes more sense not to see this in the context of mentality, of a character-test that Tottenham failed by not simply producing another 4-0 win. Maybe the real question here is of physical resources. Of the players available to Postecoglou and how much potential output they had in their legs.

Because you cannot analyse this Tottenham performance outside the context of who was unavailable. Not just both first-choice centre-backs, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Not just their first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who fractured an ankle against City and required surgery. Not just Solanke, who is integral to how they attack, but also Richarlison, Solanke’s £50million ($63.7m) understudy. And Wilson Odobert, signed for £25m in the summer but barely involved so far this season. Rodrigo Bentancur, of course, is two games into his seven-game ban, which is not the same as being injured but is also relevant.

Given all of that, it is extremely difficult for Tottenham to just replicate their performance level from the City game at the drop of a hat.

Postecoglou was clearly frustrated in his post-match press conference about how many questions he had been asked about the City game, and Spurs’ failure to replicate that. He pointed out that Spurs had Vicario in goal that day, and that he was able to bring on Timo Werner and Johnson. Here, he had Fraser Forster in goal and both Werner and Johnson had to start.

“Somehow again, it seems with this club that whatever it is that we do well is then used as a millstone to bring us down at every other opportunity,” Postecoglou said, sounding like a man who had been considering that particular line for a while.

One of the many striking things from this game was that, with Johnson and Werner starting, Postecoglou had very little on the bench. Obviously there was Kulusevski, but behind him there were seven players (Brandon Austin, Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Will Lankshear, Callum Olusesi and Luca Williams-Barnett) who had never started a single Premier League game between them.

The one other Spurs substitute who had started a Premier League game — Sergio Reguilon — last played for Tottenham in April 2022. Contrast that with Marco Silva, who had far more proven players to turn to among his Fulham replacements. He brought on Harry Wilson and Tom Cairney. They gave Fulham an extra edge, Cairney scored the equaliser, and if he had not been sent off they probably would have won.

Postecoglou could not fault the effort of the players who did feature. Forster came in for his first league start under the Australian and made some good saves. Ben Davies made some crucial interventions. James Maddison tried to run the game and was a threat from dead-ball situations.

“The players have given absolutely everything and that is all you can ask for,” said Postecoglou. “They are working their socks off and digging in as deep as they can to try to keep us progressing.”

The problem is that Spurs are not themselves without their physical edge. They need to be able to out-run teams to impose their football. That was what we saw in their big wins here against City and Aston Villa recently.

But with their injury crisis piling up, and a dauntingly tightly-packed December calendar ahead, there might be more days like this to come — when Spurs do not look themselves, and somehow need to find another way.

GO DEEPER

The Briefing: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Fulham 1 - Inconsistent Spurs fail to beat 10-man Fulham

(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)

In keeping with their inconsistent form this season, Tottenham followed up last week’s stunning victory over Manchester City with a 1-1 draw against a Fulham team which played out the latter part of the second half with 10 men.

Without summer signing Dominic Solanke, who was sent home on the morning of the match because of illness, Spurs initially struggled to puncture Fulham’s defence. A second-half volley from Brennan Johnson put the hosts ahead, but Fulham were soon level as the visitors deservedly scored — Tom Cairney’s fine curling effort left Fraser Forster with no chance in the home goal.

That Tottenham secured a point had much to do with Forster’s fine performance. The goalkeeper — making his first league appearance since May 2023 — was instrumental in ensuring the home team went into the break level at 0-0 and made two fine saves from Issa Diop and Alexander Iwobi at the start of the second half.

With Fulham down to 10 men after Cairney’s red card, Tottenham were unable to make the most of the advantage. Cairney was initially shown a yellow but after referee Darren Bond went to the VAR, the Fulham goalscorer was shown a straight red for his challenge on Dejan Kulusevski.

Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jay Harris break down the action.

How did Tottenham cope without Solanke?

This was always going to be a difficult day for Tottenham after Solanke was too ill to play. That meant Spurs had to turn to Son Heung-min to lead the line inside. It was just the second time this season Son has started as the No 9.

Much of this game was a reminder of how important Solanke is to Tottenham. His ability to hold onto the ball under pressure and link with team-mates is integral to how Spurs want to play. And Son, for all his strengths, cannot do that.

Spurs struggled to keep the ball in Fulham’s half, Son often losing it in the tackle. This made it hard for Spurs to create anything and their best chances came from set pieces or on the break.

One of those breaks early in the second half led to Spurs’ goal, with Johnson volleying in Timo Werner’s cross. But Spurs could never truly be themselves without the reference point of Solanke up front. They will need him back and fit as soon as possible.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

How did Forster perform?

A few things have changed since Forster’s last appearance for Tottenham in the Premier League. Back then, in May 2023, Ryan Mason was interim head coach following Antonio Conte’s dismissal. Five of the players who started that 4-1 victory over Leeds United are no longer at Spurs while the style of play has been completely transformed under Ange Postecoglou.

Forster might have been returning to a familiar competition but he needed to play in a completely different way against Fulham. While Guglielmo Vicario recovers from ankle surgery, Forster will be expected to help Spurs build up attacks. The 36-year-old has played in cup competitions, including Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Roma in the Europa League, but executing that in the Premier League would be a much tougher challenge.

He was comfortable receiving the ball from his defenders on multiple occasions against Fulham but in the 39th minute his pass towards Yves Bissouma was intercepted and led to Raul Jimenez having a shot that was blocked.

Drawing with Fulham was disappointing for Spurs but it would have been worse without Forster. While the rest of the team struggled, he was one of their best players and produced a series of impressive saves.

In the space of two minutes at the start of the second half, he prevented Diop and Iwobi from scoring at close-range. He denied Jimenez several times but there was nothing he could do about Cairney’s powerful drive.

Nevertheless, over the last week, Forster has shown enough to suggest that Spurs should be fine while Vicario is absent.

Jay Harris

Why are Spurs so inconsistent?

After Tottenham’s stunning 4-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad, the entire fanbase knew that they could only truly start getting excited about this side’s progression again if they beat Fulham.

Spurs have been exceptional at times this season, including in the victories over Manchester United, West Ham United and Aston Villa, but will often follow it up with a sluggish performance. They had an opportunity to break this frustrating habit on Sunday afternoon and prove to everybody that they are heading in the right direction. A victory over Fulham would have put them one point behind fourth-placed Brighton.

Instead, the cycle continued. Club-record signing Solanke was unavailable due to illness and Spurs missed his presence upfront. Son struggles to hold up the ball and press opposition defenders as effectively as his team-mate. Kulusevski was dropped to the bench to manage his workload and without his driving forward runs Tottenham were less threatening.

Postecoglou does not tend to moan about injuries but he was without four of his regular starting XI (Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Solanke and Vicario) while a fifth was on the bench. Maybe the grind of competing in the Europa League, Carabao Cup and the Premier League is taking its toll more than he wants to admit.

The counter argument is that Postecoglou took too long to make substitutions against Fulham. Pedro Porro struggled throughout the second half after an awkward slip but stayed on, while Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall did not come on until the 83rd minute. Kulusevski, their best player this season, came on after Fulham’s equaliser but went up front instead of in central midfield where he has been so influential this season.

Tottenham continue to confuse everybody and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Jay Harris

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

On why Spurs can’t replicate the performance against Manchester City every week, Postecoglou said: “If you can’t see that even in seven days, we’ve copped a couple of significant blows since then I think it’s too easy to say ‘let’s just play like we did against Man City every game.’ And it somehow again seems with this club that whenever it is that we do well is then used as a millstone to bring us down at every other opportunity.

“From my perspective, it’s really important that we don’t react to any of that and just stay focused, because I just sometimes feel like, especially the players we’ve got at the moment, they’re just really working really hard for this football club to try and progress as to where we want to be. We’re in good shape, we’re still in good shape, we’re still in a decent position in the league. We’re still in the Carabao Cup, we’re in a decent position in Europe, so it’s about us maintaining our focus on continuing to develop.”

On Solanke’s late withdrawal, the manager said: “It doesn’t help… From my perspective the players, the ones who are out there anyways, have given absolutely everything and that is all you can ask for. They are working their socks off and digging in as deep as they can to try to keep us progressing.”

Postecoglou on Forster’s performance: “He was good. We needed him obviously in some big moments, and when you lose your goalkeeper and somebody as significant as Vic (Guglielmo Vicario) for us, I think the key to that is to have somebody experienced who’s not going to be sort of overawed by filling those shoes. Fraser, certainly, he’s done it for a number of years. We see him every day. What you saw out there, we see every day training and he still has a really strong work ethic and we had a couple of big moments which were important for us and again, he will be important moving forward.”

What next for Tottenham?

Thursday, December 5: Bournemouth (A), Premier League, 8.15pm GMT, 3.15pm ET

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Spurs Transfer DealSheet: What to expect from the club in 2025’s two windows

How Brennan Johnson is building his Tottenham career on a trademark goal

Spurs must stop these wild swings in mood and form – but this may be the hardest time to do that

(Top image: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Gugliemo Vicario has undergone surgery after sustaining a fracture to his right ankle.

Spurs confirmed in a statement on Monday that Vicario suffered the injury during Saturday’s 4-0 win at Manchester City.

“Guglielmo will be assessed by our medical staff to determine when he can return to training,” the statement added. Vicario’s recovery is expected to months following his surgery.

The 28-year-old was limping when walking through the mixed zone at the Etihad Stadium following Saturday’s game, but did play the full 90 minutes. He also received treatment on the pitch in the first half of the match following a collision with City winger Savinho, after which the Italian appeared to be holding his right ankle.

Vicario has been a Premier League ever-present for Tottenham since joining from Empoli for a fee of around €20million (£17.2m; $21.9m) last summer, featuring in all 38 matches last season and their 12 so far this term.

He also played in Spurs’ first two Europa League league phase matches this season, with Fraser Forster coming in for the other two. Vicario also started in his side’s Carabao Cup third-round win over Manchester City last month, with Forster having played in the second-win victory against Coventry City.

‘Vicario’s injury could have massive consequences for Spurs’ season’

This is potentially the worst possible injury Tottenham’s squad could have suffered and will have burst the mood after their stunning 4-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.

Vicario was crucial to that victory with a series of impressive saves. Since he joined Spurs from Italian side Empoli in June 2023, the Italy international’s distribution has been crucial to the way Postecoglou wants his side to build up from the back. Vicario has the composure when under pressure from opposition strikers to wait until the perfect moment before playing a pass to a defender or one of the midfielders.

The problem is Tottenham do not have a quality replacement for him. Forster has made three appearances in all competitions this season but does not have the same confidence when stepping off his line or with the ball at his feet.

Tottenham also have two goalkeepers who have progressed through their academy but Alfie Whiteman, 26, and Brandon Austin, 25, have never made a senior appearance for them. Whiteman’s only previous experience was on loan in Sweden while Austin played five times in the MLS for Orlando City in 2021.

Postecoglou has no choice but to rely on Forster for a busy festive period and might have to adapt his tactics and play slightly deeper because relying on the 36-year-old to sweep up the huge space behind the defence’s high line feels incredibly risky.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Vicario’s injury could have massive consequences for their season.

(Photos: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is not expected to return from a hamstring injury until the middle of December while Cristian Romero is also sidelined and will miss the game with Manchester City on Saturday.

Van de Ven, 23, suffered the injury in the 10th minute of Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on October 30. The 23-year-old was in tears as he walked down the tunnel and had to be consoled by team-mate Yves Bissouma.

He missed Tottenham’s next three matches in all competitions and was left out of Netherlands’ squad for their Nations League fixtures against Hungary and Bosnia.

Speaking before Spurs’ defeat to Ipswich Town on November 10, head coach Ange Postecoglou said the centre-back would return after the international break but it appears he will be out for a little longer.

“Micky’s still a good couple of weeks away,” he told Sky Sports. “He’s out on the grass training, but he’s still a couple of weeks away. We’re hoping by the middle of December he’ll be back and available to play.”

Van de Ven previously missed two months of the 2023-24 campaign due to a hamstring injury.

“We’ll get the advice from the medical team and the people working with him,” Postecoglou added. “I think there’s always a natural cautiousness with somebody who has a reoccurring problem but at the same time you don’t want to treat him with too many kid gloves around him because otherwise he’s still go to go out there and play at some point.

“But it’s fair to say we’re taking all the appropriate steps and Micky will be a good judge of that as well and where he’s at.”

Spurs will be hoping the defender recovers in time to feature in their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United on December 19.

Postecoglou has also revealed that fellow central defender Romero will miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening while young winger Mikey Moore “will still be out for a little bit of time” after picking up a virus before the international break.

“Romero won’t be right for tomorrow’s game,” he said. “We are hoping he will be right for next week.”

‘Huge blow for Spurs’

Analysis by Jay Harris

This is a huge blow for Tottenham ahead of a busy few weeks which includes difficult fixtures against Manchester City, Roma, Bournemouth and Chelsea.

Van de Ven instantly became a fan-favourite after he joined them from Wolfsburg in July 2023 for his crunching tackles and ability to powerfully drive forward with the ball out of defence. His exceptional recovery speed is also crucial to the success of Postecoglou’s high defensive line.

With both first-choice centre-backs unavailable against City, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin will be expected to contain Erling Haaland. Davies is naturally a left-back but has played in the middle of defence on multiple occasions under Postecoglou.

Dragusin’s performances have been mixed since he arrived from Genoa in January for £25million but this is a huge opportunity for the Romania international to play regularly and become more familiar with Postecoglou’s style of play.

(John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have appealed against Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban for comments he made about team-mate Son Heung-min.

Bentancur was given a seven-game ban from domestic games and fined £100,000 ($127k) by an independent commission after he was found to have used “insulting words”, and that it was an ‘aggravated breach’ of the FA’s rules, as his words referred to “ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality”. Bentancur had said, with reference to Son, “Sonny, or one of Sonny’s cousins, as they all look more or less the same” in an interview on Uruguayan TV in June.

Tottenham were informed of the FA’s decision on November 12 and they had 14 days to decide whether to appeal against the decision itself or the sanction imposed, so until 27 November. Tottenham have decided to accept the decision but to appeal against the sanction, in the hope of getting the ban reduced.

There is likely only scope for a reduction by one game to Bentancur’s ban, given that the FA Standard Minimum ban for using discriminatory language is six games, a guideline that was introduced in 2020. While a regulatory commission can give a shorter ban in situations where the comments were made in writing or via the use of a “communication device” — such as when Edinson Cavani got a three-game ban in 2020 for a comment he made on Instagram — this is not the case here, as Bentancur’s comments were spoken in a TV interview.

Decisions on the length of the ban, within the framework of six and 12 games, are made with reference to aggravating and mitigating factors. “We consider that, in terms of culpability and consequences, this breach falls towards the lower end of the guideline range but not the lowest point,” the commission wrote of Bentancur’s offence. “Cases can easily be envisaged which are less serious than this, but nevertheless subject to the minimum suspension of six matches.”

The aggravating factors considered were that Bentancur is a “high-profile international footballer” in the Premier League and that his comments were made to a well-known journalist with a big online following. “It was reasonably foreseeable that the remarks would be widely distributed via posts and re-posts on the internet, as they were,” the report states.

Tottenham have the right to ask for the sanction to be set aside pending the outcome of the appeal, which in theory could allow Bentancur to face Manchester City this Saturday. But if that is not the case, and Bentancur’s ban is active already, and if it is reduced from seven to six games, then he could return to face Liverpool in the Premier League on December 22.

GO DEEPER

Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-game ban explained: What the Spurs player did and what he'll miss

(Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The FA has announced Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven matches for comments he made about his team-mate Son Heung-min earlier this year.

The Athletic explains what he did, how all parties reacted, and the implications for the player and club.

What happened?

In June, Bentancur appeared on television show Por la Camiseta in his native Uruguay. Talking about his Tottenham captain Son, also captain of the South Korean national team, Bentancur said: “Sonny, or one of Sonny’s cousins, as they all look more or less the same.”

Bentancur then apologised to Son on social media, writing: “Sonny, brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste. You know that I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!”

Bentancur also apologised to Son directly, and again in person when the players next met when the Uruguayan returned from the Copa America for pre-season training. Son later said that Bentancur “almost cried” while doing so.

The FA asked Bentancur for his observations on June 26 when Bentancur was at the Copa America. Tottenham submitted observations on Bentancur’s behalf on August 19. The FA sent Bentancur a formal letter on September 11, charging him with a breach of Rule E3, and Bentancur denied the charge.

Rule E3.1 states participants in football must not use “insulting words”, while E3.2 defines an ‘Aggravated Breach’ as being one that refers to “ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality” along with other characteristics.

The three-member regulatory commission met on November 12 and found Bentancur had breached Rule E3.1, and that it was an aggravated breach. The commission unanimously decided Bentancur should be banned for seven domestic games, fined £100,000 ($125,000) and must take part in a face-to-face education programme.

How did Spurs initially respond?

Tottenham issued a statement on June 20: “Following a comment from Rodrigo Bentancur in an interview and the player’s subsequent public apology, the club has been providing assistance in ensuring a positive outcome. This will include further education for all players in line with our diversity, equality and inclusion objectives. We fully support that our captain Sonny feels that he can draw a line under the incident.”

When manager Ange Postecoglou was first asked about it in a press conference in July, he said: “The most important person in that whole process is Sonny, so he’ll guide us and direct us. It’s easier to jump in and make judgments. The most important people are the ones affected and in this case, it’s Sonny.”

The day after the FA announced it would charge Bentancur. Postecoglou said the midfielder had made a “big error” and that “he has got to take the punishment”.

“We all make mistakes,” Postecoglou added on September 13. “It is not just about punishment but it is an opportunity for people to atone and learn. If we’re talking about having a society that is understanding and tolerant of everything, we must also show that to people who make mistakes as Rodri has made in this time.”

What did Son say about it?

Son spoke about the incident soon afterwards, confirming Bentancur had apologised and he had accepted. “He made a mistake,” Son said on Instagram on June 20, “he knows this and has apologised. ‘Lolo’ (Bentancur) would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.”

Three months later, following Bentancur’s FA charge, Son spoke about it at more length during a press conference on September 25, the day before Spurs’ Europa League game against Qarabag. He revealed Bentancur “almost cried” when he apologised and reiterated how close the two players were.

“The process is with the FA and that’s why I can’t say much about it, but I love Rodrigo,” Son said. “I repeat: I love him, I love him. He apologised straight afterwards, when we had a holiday. I was at home and I didn’t even realise what was going on. He just sent me a long text message that you could feel was coming from his heart. Afterwards, when he came back to the training ground for pre-season, he just felt really sorry and almost cried when he apologised publicly and also personally as well. It felt like he feels really sorry.”

“We’re all human and make mistakes, and we learn from it,” Son also said. “But I love Rodrigo. I love him, I love him. He made a mistake. But I have no problem at all. At all. We just move on as team-mates and friends and brothers, move on together. I hope. We just have to wait for the FA’s process. I can’t say much. But one thing I can say is that I love Rodrigo. There is nothing more to say.”

What did the commission say and why seven games?

The three-person regulatory commission was in clear agreement with the FA charge. The report says it is their “firm conclusion” that the breach under Rules E3.1 and E3.2 was proved.

The report says that in Bentancur’s submissions to the commission, he argued his comments were “intended to be a light-hearted and jocular manner of chiding the journalist for his use of a generalisation that was wholly inappropriate”.

Rafa Cotelo, the Uruguayan journalist conducting the interview, had just referred to Son as “the Korean”. Bentancur’s statement claimed that his remarks were meant to “gently challenge” Cotelo, and a “gentle rebuke” to his comments. The report said Bentancur’s apologies afterwards were not for what he said, but for the fact the incident had been reported without reference to Cotelo’s preceding words. This argument was not accepted. “However, we cannot accept that submission, which flies in the face of the evidence,” the report says. “It does not sit with the content or form of the player’s apologies or the response of the club or Son.”

The report also said the commission was not “impressed” by another argument Bentancur made, that he had a “reasonable expectation of privacy” and a reasonable expectation “that the journalist would show more common sense in what he posted”. “We do not accept that the player could reasonably have been surprised at the publication of anything that he said in the interview,” the commission said, “including the remarks at the heart of this charge.”

Explaining why Bentancur was banned for seven games, the report states the suspension had to be between six and 12 games, with six being the standard minimum punishment. The commission’s view was that this breach “falls towards the lower end of the guideline range but not the lowest point”, which is how they arrived at seven.

What is Tottenham’s position now?

It remains to be seen whether there will be an appeal from Tottenham or a separate internal disciplinary process. Tottenham have not commented since the FA ban was announced on Monday morning.

How does this seven-game ban compare to previous bans?

In December 2020, Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani was given a three-game ban and a £100,000 fine for using an offensive Spanish phrase on social media. He was also made to attend a face-to-face education programme. Cavani pled guilty to the FA charge, which was also considered an “aggravated breach”, in that his words “included reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race and/or ethnic origin”.

In 2019, Bernardo Silva was given a one-match ban and a £50,000 fine after a tweet about team-mate Benjamin Mendy. In 2016, Burnley forward Andre Gray was banned for four games and fined £25,000 for homophobic comments he had made on social media in 2012.

How important has Bentancur been to Spurs this season?

Bentancur had a difficult time last season as he struggled with injuries and a lack of rhythm. He did not start until November 26, got injured again and did not have a run of games until the new year. It was only at the end of the season that he started to look like his old self.

This season, Bentancur has looked sharper, playing in the No 6 role, and appearing to have the edge over Yves Bissouma. He has started 10 of Spurs’ 17 games and has played the bigger games recently, not least the two standout wins over Manchester City and Aston Villa the week before last.

Last Sunday, he started against Ipswich Town and scored a second-half header, although Spurs could not get back into the game. It was his first Spurs goal since January.

What are the on-pitch ramifications?

It will have a significant impact on Postecoglou’s Spurs at a crucial time. Bentancur will miss the Premier League trip to Manchester City on Saturday, Fulham at home on December 1, Bournemouth away on December 5, Chelsea at home on December 8, Southampton away on December 15, Manchester United at home in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on December 19, and Liverpool at home in the league on December 22.

The next domestic game he will be available for will be the trip to the City Ground to play Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.

Bentancur can still play in the Europa League in Spurs’ league phase games against Roma at home (November 28) and Rangers away (December 12).

Postecoglou will likely lean on Bissouma in the seven domestic games Bentancur will miss. Bissouma and Bentancur have rotated the No 6 role this season. Postecoglou could also turn to 18-year-old Archie Gray, who has impressed this season, but has played more often at full-back than in his preferred midfield role. Gray has yet to start a Premier League game.

(Top photo: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Injury-hit Spurs were forced to make a host of changes for their Europa League trip to Galatasaray, and at times looked certain to suffer a heavy defeat.

The hosts spurned a host of chances, many of which were presented to them on a plate by sloppy Spurs passing.

One bright spark came from youngster Will Lankshear, who scored his first senior goal for the club… then followed it with his first senior red card.

It was only when more of the regular first XI was added to the mix in the second half that Spurs got a real foothold and, in the end, it was the Turkish side clinging on as Ange Postecoglou’s team sought an unlikely equaliser.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris mulls some of the key talking points…

A mixed night for Lankshear

Richarlison’s latest injury is a significant blow to Postecoglou who could finally boast two senior strikers in his squad. The Brazilian’s assist for Dominic Solanke in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Aston Villa is a prime example of what they are capable of when fielded together.

This latest setback should afford more opportunities to 19-year-old Lankshear and his first senior goal for Spurs was one of the few silver linings to emerge from a difficult first hour in Istanbul — a spell that ended when he was sent off for two yellow card offences. This was only Lankshear’s second senior start, having come close to scoring on his first against Ferencvaros, only to fail to connect properly with Timo Werner’s cross.

Lankshear’s biggest asset is his movement and he always finds a way to peel off defenders to sneak into good positions. That is exactly what happened with Tottenham’s equaliser as he effortlessly slipped away from Abdulkerim Bardakci to volley home Brennan Johnson’s cross. To make things even sweeter, he celebrated directly in front of Galatsaray’s riotous home fans.

The youngster struggled for the rest of the evening — but that is not a reflection on him but the fact that Spurs’ midfield, especially in the first half, failed to support him. Lankshear was coming up against three centre-backs and needed players running off him.

Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he got sent off. Filled with adrenaline but frustrated his team was playing poorly, Lankshear was booked twice in seven minutes.

The forward’s memories of this game will be decidedly bittersweet, but there were certainly a few glimpses of what he could offer in future.

Dragusin does not yet look like an able deputy…

A couple of weeks ago, Postecoglou said that nobody is guaranteed a place in his starting XI but it is fair to say that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are his preferred centre-back partnership. With both players out injured, this was an opportunity for Radu Dragusin to stake his claim for more minutes in the Premier League. He has only made 12 appearances in the top flight since he joined Spurs from Genoa for £30million ($39m) nearly a year ago.

The 22-year-old handled the threat of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran well against Aston Villa on Sunday but he struggled against Victor Osimhen, who admittedly is one of the world’s best strikers.

For Osimhen’s first goal, the striker snuck in between Dragusin and Pedro Porro far too easily. And for Osimhen’s second, Dragusin took a heavy touch under pressure and lost the ball in the build-up.

This is one of the issues with Dragusin which causes the most concern. Postecoglou needs his defenders to be calm and composed on the ball, but the way Dragusin threw away possession felt similar to when he got sent off after seven minutes against Qarabag. There was another moment in the first half when his under-hit pass to Johnson resulted in Fraser Forster making a close-range save from Osimhen.

Playing alongside Ben Davies — not a natural centre-back — probably didn’t help the Romania international, but this was not a performance that will have supporters relishing the prospect of Van de Ven and Romero being sidelined for the long term.

Maddison fails to leave his mark

This time a year ago, James Maddison was the creative linchpin for Spurs under Postecoglou but his limelight has been stolen by Dejan Kulusevski this season. Maddison did not feature in last week’s Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City and only came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of the 4-1 win against Aston Villa.

He was supposed to provide creativity against Galatasaray, along with Lucas Bergvall, but they both struggled. In the first few minutes, Lankshear tried to play a quick one-two with Maddison but his more experienced team-mate stopped running. Postecoglou was furious on the touchline and made his feelings towards Maddison clear.

Bergvall was shrugged off the ball too easily throughout and Postecoglou spoke afterwards about how this was a valuable lesson for the 18-year-old, who may just have got a better understanding of what is required to compete at the top level. Yves Bissouma was the only starting midfielder to emerge with any credit as he constantly demanded the ball and made a few crucial interceptions.

Maddison was shifted out to the left wing in the second half but remained ineffective. It tells you everything you need to know about Tottenham’s first-half performance that they looked far better after the break when Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke were introduced, even though Spurs had by then been reduced to 10 men.

Postecoglou said their first-half issues were “self-inflicted” and that they needed to keep the ball better.

After missing out on England’s squad for the European Championship in the summer, this was supposed to be a big season for Maddison. There have been some promising moments but this display underlines his struggles for consistency.

What did Ange Postecoglou say after the game?

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing result. The first half wasn’t great; we just didn’t handle things well at all, particularly with the ball, we were just really wasteful and gave it away way too many times, unnecessarily. That allows them to get a foothold in the areas that they’re good at.

“They’ve got some good players in the front third and we just allowed that to happen way too often and ultimately paid a price for it because, I thought, we always finish strongly and I knew we would in the second half.

“Going down to 10 men didn’t help — but even with 10 men, I thought we probably played the best football we did all game and got our second goal, had some opportunities to get a third there, but I thought we were looking the better side.

“So disappointing outcome, unfortunately, brought on by a disappointing first half.”

(Top photo: Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Moments before scoring his second goal, Osimhen was denied by a superb save from Forster, but there was nothing the Tottenham goalkeeper could've done there.

The ball into the penalty area was delicious from Mertens and all it needed was a deft left-footed touch from Osimhen. A brilliant goal from the home side but the defending, particularly from Dragusin, has been awful from the visitors.

The momentum swings in this game are absolutely fascinating.

That equaliser had given Tottenham renewed hope but Galatasaray have stolen it back emphatically. All of a sudden, Spurs are on the ropes with their hosts suffocating them every time they get the ball.

There was a brief VAR check for a red card on Bissouma a moment or two ago, but it didn't come to anything.

Dragusin will want the ground to swallow him up.

He was caught in possession 30 yards from goal and Osimhen smelt blood. Mertens played a sharp pass through to the Napoli loanee who took one touch before stabbing the ball past Forster and into the bottom corner.

To compound Dragusin's misery, he was shown a yellow card for a foul after losing the ball.

One to forget for Tottenham's Romanian centre-back, that.

A huge roar inside Rams Park as the home supporters thought Osimhen had restored their advantage from close range. But the Nigerian's celebrations are very quickly cut short by the linesman's flag.

A swift VAR check followed and confirmed the on-field decision.

This has been a really enjoyable opening half hour.

Spurs struggled early on but have found a foothold since levelling through Lankshear. But as they started to grow into the game, Osimhen had that big chance that I just told you about.

Both teams carrying a real threat in attack with two less-than-impressive defences — I'd be shocked if this stays 1-1!

A couple of big chances for Galatasaray.

Victor Osimhen skipped into oceans of space left behind Radu Dragusin, but Forster got down well to keep out his low, curling effort. On the rebound, Mertens fired wide on his left foot from the edge of the box.

Osimhen will be disappointed with himself that he didn't find the back of the net there, but it was a decent stop from Tottenham's 36-year-old goalkeeper.

What a moment for the 19-year-old in such a hostile atmosphere!

The credit has to go to Archie Gray who floated a brilliant pass into Brennan Johnson at the far post. He kept his composure well to centre the ball for Lankshear who had the simple task of poking into the empty net from a few yards out.

Excellent football from the visitors who have responded perfectly to going behind early on.

I can barely hear myself think let alone have a conversation with the other journalists sat next to me.

It must be overwhelming to be on the pitch which means it is understandable Spurs have started slowly. They are having trouble playing out from the back and at times are just hitting it long for Will Lankshear or Brennan Johnson to chase.

They need Bissouma, Maddison and Bergvall to show more composure in midfield.

The Galatasaray tails are up and Akgun's eyes lit up again when the ball dropped to him just outside the penalty area.

This time, though, his effort was wild and never troubling Forster.

Certainly can't blame him for having another go after seeing his first shot.

Of all the places you can go a goal behind in the first few minutes, this isn't one of the better ones.

The last thing these Tottenham players need is the home fans in full voice and that opening goal has turned the volume up a notch.

This is now a real test of Postecoglou's young side as they look to strike back quickly.

I'm not sure how some of these fans in Europe do it — the home supporters are violently whistling and booing every time a Tottenham player touches the ball.

Only one way for the visitors to shut them up...

Hugo Lloris has revealed the concerns Tottenham Hotspur players had with the club’s decision to allow an all-access documentary to follow them during the 2019-20 season.

The six-part All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur followed the team for the duration of that campaign, a year where manager Mauricio Pochettino was sacked and replaced with Jose Mourinho.

It also covered the club’s first season at their new stadium and took in the shutting down of football entirely following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spurs had reached the Champions League final the previous season, a high-point of the hugely successful Pochettino era at the club.

Lloris has revealed in his newly-published autobiography that the squad struggled to recover from defeat to Liverpool in that final, a situation that the players felt was only made more difficult by the introduction of a film crew to document almost every aspect of their professional lives.

“Everything was hard after that, for Mauricio and for us,” he writes in Hugo Lloris: Earning my Spurs.

GO DEEPER

All or Nothing? Filling in the blanks in Amazon’s Tottenham series

“When the film crew placed little microphones on some of the canteen tables, we went and sat at other ones. We had to be careful all the time,” he says adding that the training ground dressing room was the only area agreed to be out of bounds for filming.

“Otherwise, they had mics and cameras everywhere — even at some practice sessions, which was no small matter: it was a constraint and it had consequences.”

Lloris made 444 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions after arriving from Lyon in 2012. He was made club captain in 2015 and held the role until being replaced by Son Heung-min in August 2023 ahead of his departure in the following December.

The former France international joined LAFC in Major League Soccer and has gone to make 44 appearances, keeping 17 clean sheets. LAFC are next in action against Vancouver in the MLS Playoffs on Friday.

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Hugo Lloris: 'Tottenham didn't have the same energy as before - Ange had a positive impact'

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)