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Tottenham Hotspur were apparently offered the chance to sign a prestigious player over the weekend, as the Lilywhites unfortunately tasted defeat in the North London derby.

Tottenham lose to Arsenal as Postecoglou bemoans set pieces

Ange Postecoglou was forced to defend his set-piece policy yet again after Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to bitter rivals Arsenal, with Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes nodding in the only goal of the game from a corner.

Spurs dictated overall play with the majority of possession and chances created at home, as they looked to upset a weakened Arsenal team who were without club captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Spain star Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

However, a resolute Arsenal side did their defensive duties and made Tottenham pay for their lack of cutting edge, with Gabriel rising above everyone else to thump a header past Guglielmo Vicario from close range.

It was an avoidable goal from Postecoglou's perspective, who stuck up for his philosophy on defending dead balls when quizzed by the media.

"I know for some reason people think I don't care about set-pieces, and it's a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that," said Postecoglou on Arsenal's winner from a corner.

"Like I said, we work on them all the time, like we do with every other team. You know that they're a threat. As I said, for the most part we handled them really well today, but we switched off in one and we paid a price. You learn from that and you move on.

"It is what it is. It's my burden to carry and I'm happy to do that. Like I've always said, for me there's a bigger picture that's at play here that's much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to.

"For us, the way forward is to, as I said, try and turn the football we're playing now into something meaningful. We're a team that's progressing in many areas. With all that sort of progress, there's always kind of new challenges and new things that you need to overcome."

Gabriel's winner was the 10th time Tottenham have conceded a dead-ball goal under Postecoglou, and that is something the Australian will be very eager to change. Winger Brennan Johnson was also criticised for his display against Arsenal, so it appears there are a few conundrums for Spurs' head coach ahead of their next matches against Coventry City in the EFL Cup and Brentford this weekend.

Tottenham offered chance to sign Adrien Rabiot just days ago

Over the weekend, Tottenham's disappointing defeat to Arsenal wasn't the only thing happening in north London, as it is claimed that former Juventus and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot approached the club over a free transfer too.

That is according to The Boot Room, who claim that Rabiot was offered to Spurs via his representatives, before the Frenchman opted to return to his homeland with Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille.

The 29-year-old, who featured for France at Euro 2024, has finally ended the search for his new club by putting pen to paper on a rumoured £162,000-per-week contract with the Ligue 1 side. Despite many links to the Premier League, Rabiot won't be making an English move this season, despite his credentials.

Tottenham Hotspur's poor start to the season got even worse on Sunday as they lost their third North London derby at home in a row for the first time since the late 1980s.

Ange Postecoglou has been able to get the Lilywhites to play exciting attacking football again after years of turgid football under the likes of José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte, but the pressure is starting to mount.

However, it's not all on him, as some of his stars, such as James Maddison, failed to perform against the Gunners over the weekend.

The Englishman was anonymous against Mikel Arteta's men, and with a League Cup game against Coventry City tonight, he should be dropped for one of the most exciting youngsters in Spurs' squad who might be able to offer more of a spark.

Maddison's game vs Arsenal

Postecoglou opted to start Maddison in midfield for the weekend's clash alongside Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.

While he didn't make a mistake that cost his side a goal or anything like that, he was utterly ineffective, which is almost as bad for a player whom the team rely on to make things happen.

In his post-match player ratings, football.london's Alasdair Gold awarded the Englishman a paltry 5/10 for his efforts, writing that while he had some 'bright moments', he 'ultimately didn't take a grip on the game' and worst of all 'was barely noticeable in the second half.'

That might sound like a harsh appraisal of the former Leicester City player's contribution to the encounter, but it's not, and it's also backed up by the 27-year-old's statistics from the match.

For example, in his 80 minutes of action, he failed to take a single shot on target or off target, misplaced seven of his 11 crosses, lost the ball 11 times and was dribbled past once.

In all, Maddison was totally anonymous for most of the game and with the chance to progress in a cup competition on the line tonight, he should be dropped for a hungry youngster who could inject some much-needed dynamism into the side.

Why Lucas Bergvall should start

Yes, while there are several talented youngsters in Spurs' squad at the moment, Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall should be the one to come into the lineup for Maddison tonight.

The 18-year-old wonderkid was signed by the North Londoners for around £8.5m in February of this year but remained in his home country to finish the season with Djurgarden before moving to England in the summer.

Now, the "exceptional talent," as Brommapojkarna sporting director Peter Kisfaludy dubbed him, has only made three short cameo appearances for the Lilywhites' first team so far this season, totalling 31 minutes. However, based on his form back in Sweden and the way he is spoken about by those in the know, he should be given his first competitive start for the club tonight.

For example, in just 19 games for Djurgården last season, the midfield "jewel", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, racked up a seriously impressive tally of six goals and five assists, meaning he was averaging a goal involvement every 1.35 games.

Moreover, the "super creative midfielder", whom data analyst Ben Mattinson claims will "cost £80m" in the near future, has already made his senior debut for Sweden and now has three caps to his name despite still being just 18 years old.

Ultimately, while it might be too early to start Bergvall in a game like the one on the weekend, he has the talent and experience behind him to play in a match like the one this evening, and after Madison's dismal display last time out, he could be a breath of fresh air for Postecoglou and Spurs fans.

It has been an uncomfortable start to the campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Ange Postecoglou's side ended last year in underwhelming form after a scintillating start, and unfortunately for the fans, they started this year in the same fashion.

They currently sit in 13th place in the Premier League with just four points out of a possible 12, and the club's home defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon - their third in as many years - has seen the pressure mount on the manager.

In a spiky post-match interview, he reiterated his record of winning a trophy in his second season with the club. The good news for the Australian is that he'll have the opportunity to keep that run alive tomorrow night as his side takes on Coventry City in the League Cup Third Round.

It will be interesting to see how strong a team he fields on the night, but given the need to rotate the squad, give youngsters more game time, and bench those who put in poor showings against the Gunners on Sunday, we expect the manager to look to make six changes to the side that lost last time out.

So, starting in goal, we have our first change to the lineup as veteran shot-stopper Fraser Forster comes in for Guglielmo Vicario.

The 36-year-old Englishman hasn't played a game for the club this season and likely won't get many chances to either, so he'll probably get the nod over the Italian, who didn't exactly cover himself in glory against Arsenal either.

The right-back position brings us to the second change, and taking the place of Pedro Porro is £30m summer signing Archie Gray.

Now, the 18-year-old is still seen as a midfield prospect by many, but he spent most of last season playing on the right of a back four for Leeds United.

The Durham-born wonderkid has been touted as a "future £100m" star by analyst Ben Mattinson, and while that's a lot of pressure, a game against Championship opposition is as good as any for his first start as a Spurs player.

To the left of Gray is Romanian centre-back Radu Dragusin, who comes into the side for Cristian Romero after he made a meal of marking Gabriel Magalhães for his goal on Sunday.

Dragusin didn't get many opportunities to start games last season following his move from Genoa. Still, he played the full 90 against Newcastle United earlier this month and didn't look too out of place, earning a 7/10 rating from Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold.

Alongside the Romanian international will be Micky Van de Ven, whose lightning-quick pace makes him an invaluable player for Postecoglou's style of play.

While he still came out on the losing side, the Dutchman was the standout defender against the Gunners last time out and was the main reason they couldn't spring too many counterattacks when in possession.

Keeping his place at left-back is Destiny Udogie.

The Italian international had an incredible debut season with the club last year, and while he's yet to reach those same heights this term, he's still Postecoglou's best option on the left and with Gray and Dragusin in the backline, the Australian cannot make a third change in what is a must-win game.

Moving into the midfield, Pape Matar Sarr comes back into the fold after missing out on a starting place last time out.

The Senegalese international has played in all four games this season, but, like Udogie, he hasn't shown the same quality he did last year.

That said, a League Cup tie against second-tier opposition could provide him with the perfect opportunity to kickstart his campaign, and at 22, he could be critical to the Lilywhites' future in midfield.

Rodrigo Bentancur keeps his place in the team as the senior player in this midfield.

The 27-year-old Uruguayan has been hit-and-miss over the last year or so, but when he's on it, he's one of the club's most influential midfielders.

Therefore, Postecoglou should be starting the 65-capped international tomorrow night.

The final player to make the midfield is Lucas Bergvall, who gets his first Spurs start in place of James Maddison.

Despite being just 18 years old, the Swedish "jewel", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has a couple of years of senior football under his belt already.

For example, in just 19 first team appearances for Djurgården last season, he scored six goals and provided five assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.35 games.

On the rightwing, in place of Brennan Johnson, should be Dejan Kulusevski.

Now, the Swede may well be better in central areas, but Johnson failed to offer any real threat on Sunday, and while he should be moved back into the middle for the Brentford game at the weekend, the Swede is more than capable of producing against Coventry.

Keeping his place up top is the £65m man, Dominic Solanke.

The former Bournemouth Marksman has failed to open his Spurs account in his first two appearances.

Still, he's looked dangerous here and there, and Postecoglou should start him tomorrow night to give him the chance to score that all-important first goal.

After all, once he got going for the Cherries last year, he was unstoppable and ended the campaign with 21 goals and four assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.

Last but not least, summer signing Wilson Odobert should be given the chance to make his third start for the club against Coventry.

The French winger showed last year that even in a relegation-threatened Burnley side, he can still provide some attacking threat, racking up four goals and three assists in 33 appearances.

Moreover, at 32 years old, club captain Son Heung-min needs to be managed more than ever, and Odobert should be more than good enough to cover for him based on last year.

What is there to say about Harry Kane that has already been uttered? Quite frankly, very little.

The striking sensation - who famously left Arsenal behind as a boy - is now a Tottenham icon and leads Spurs’ scoring charts.

If ever you needed any further evidence of his goalscoring prowess, the England international is also his nation’s top scorer, topping a certain Wayne Rooney a few years ago now.

Kane continues to go from strength to strength and since moving to Bayern Munich last season after finally leaving Spurs behind, he has been a man-possessed.

Kane’s time at Bayern so far

With Kane in tow, Tottenham failed to win a trophy. With Kane in tow, Bayern Munich failed to win a trophy.

Perhaps it’s just him? Despite all of the goals and indeed the personal accolades, the striker’s misfortune is quite incredible.

He’s lost a Champions League final, two European Championship finals, a World Cup semi-final and he’s not scored in any of them. Perhaps Kane is not made for the biggest of occasions then.

We jest, of course, but it was rather typical that Bayern’s 11-year dominance of the Bundesliga came to an end the campaign Kane joined.

That said, the centre-forward enjoyed a remarkable season himself, scoring a staggering 44 goals in 45 games for the German outfit. Now 31, however, the former Spurs man is showing no signs of slowing down having already found the net on four occasions in three top-flight games this season. It’s safe to say he’s pretty damn good.

On that note, however, there is a player who recently left Spurs who can now boast Kane-like numbers.

Spurs may have sold their next Kane

Over the summer supporters got a wonderful opportunity to watch teenage sensation, Mikey Moore, in action.

Now 17 years of age, the attacker is one of the best young properties in the Premier League right now and actually found the net over pre-season, notably scoring impressively in the clash with Hearts.

Moore looks destined for a bright future in the game but as he will know, plenty have tried and failed to cross the bridge between academy and first-team football.

Dane Scarlett is currently at Championship side Oxford United on loan while a certain Troy Parrott is plying his trade in the Netherlands.

The Irishman was sold in a permanent deal over the summer, a move that was reported to cost Dutch side AZ Alkmaar a paltry £6.7m to finalise.

So, how is the 22-year-old faring in the Eredivisie so far?

Troy Parrott’s time at AZ Alkmaar

Well, it just so happens that the Irishman is one of the most prolific forwards on the continent right now.

Having swapped London for the Zaan district in the Netherlands, the forward has quickly made a name for himself in his new setting.

Parrott happened to spend last term on loan at Rotterdam club Excelsior where he thrived, scoring 17 times in 32 outings across all competitions. It would appear that he impressed those in the Eredivisie, with Alkmaar shelling out to sign him over the summer.

Since then he's continued to score on a regular basis, finding the net on four occasions in five matches. That stat might be a tad misleading, however, as all four of those goals came in the same match.

During a staggering 9-1 win for AZ against Herenveen last weekend, Parrott was the main source of goals as he beat the goalkeeper on four occasions. To make this story even more intriguing for those of a Spurs persuasion, who was managing the opposition? A certain Robin van Persie.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United star certainly knows a thing or two about scoring goals but even he would have been blown away by the Irishman's performance.

Such a tally of goals means that he's now scored as many as Kane has in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich this term.

Tottenham's record scorer netted his own hat-trick last weekend, putting Holstein Kiel to the sword in a 6-1 drubbing.

While those incredible results were happening, Postecoglou's men would go onto lose to their fierce rivals Arsenal. They did not score but you can bet your house on the fact they would have done with Kane in the team.

While they will sill no doubt lust after his return, they can probably be secure in the fact that they sold Parrott at the right time. That's unless he goes onto become a world-beater in the years to come.

TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara has shared his verdict on one Tottenham player who he believes is "miles" off the pace, following their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal as Postecoglou concedes to weakened Gunners

Given the amount of star absences in Mikel Arteta's line-up over the weekend - with club captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Spain star Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko all missing - Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had a real opportunity to seriously upset the club's fierce rivals.

The Lilywhites did dominate possession and created a host of chances throughout the 90 minutes, but Tottenham's lack of cutting edge and set-piece weakness eventually cost them dearly.

Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the game, leaping above all of his opponents to guide a close-range header past the helpless Guglielmo Vicario, who had real trouble defending his six-yard box from the corner.

This was enough for Arteta's side, who held on to their narrow lead past the hour mark to come away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three points, in what was a regrettable afternoon for Postecoglou and co.

Dejan Kulusevski was criticised against Arsenal for his attacking display, with the Sweden international unable to unlock Arteta's back line on enough occasions. Meanwhile, a lot of debate has also centered around Vicario's lack of confidence when it comes to dead balls.

Tottenham must now lick their wounds, reassess and come back stronger in their next Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday, but before that, Postecoglou's squad travel to face Coventry City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Jamie O'Hara slams "miles off it" Brennan Johnson after Arsenal loss

O'Hara hasn't held back with his criticism of Spurs after the home defeat, and one player in particular - winger Brennan Johnson.

Taking to X on Sunday, O'Hara called Johnson a "frustrating" Tottenham player to watch, and he's since shared a further verdict on the Wales international who cost Daniel Levy around £50 million to sign from Nottingham Forest last year.

Indeed, speaking to talkSPORT, O'Hara has also claimed that Johnson is "miles off" the pace at Tottenham, with the 23-year-old proving ineffective on many occasions against Arsenal and beforehand.

"We played well but we don’t score – take your chances. We’ve brought in good players and you expect them to do the business," said O'Hara. "But I look at it and think have we brought in top players? Solanke, one good season at Bournemouth and we signed him for £60million.

"Brennan Johnson, a good player and a young player at Nottingham Forest. We signed him for £50million and he looks miles off it. Then I look at Archie Gray who we signed from Leeds, he’s a Championship player and then we signed Odobert from Burnley.

"Daniel Levy has built this big shiny stadium and it’s only enjoyable to go to when Beyonce’s on! We’re not signing a top player from Barcelona or Atletico Madrid or someone who is actually at the level of where we want to be."

This season has gone from bad to worse for Tottenham Hotspur, and we are only four games in.

On Sunday afternoon, Ange Postecoglou's side fell to a 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal and, as things stand, have picked up just four points from a possible 12 in the Premier League.

Unfortunately for the Australian, there were several stand-out performers on the day for all the wrong reasons, including Brennan Johnson.

The Welshman has struggled this season, and while he could still come good, he should be dropped for the League Cup clash with Coventry City and replaced with a dynamic young talent who has a bright future ahead of him.

Johnson's recent form

Spurs paid around £47.5m to Nottingham Forest for Johnson's services last summer, and while he started slowly, he did end his debut campaign in North London with a reasonably respectable haul of five goals and ten assists in 34 games, equating to a goal involvement once every 2.26 games.

However, in the four games he has played this season, the Welshman has failed to score or assist a single goal and hasn't looked particularly dangerous at any point.

For example, across those four matches, he has only amassed an expected goals figure of 0.79, an expected assists figure of 0.24, and just 0.80 shots on target per game, which would go some way toward explaining why he's not produced a goal involvement just yet.

Moreover, in his player ratings after yesterday's match, football.london's Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold awarded the 23-year-old just a 5/10 because while he was 'swinging in low crosses,' none of them were especially dangerous, and when presented with chances himself, he wasted them.

In all, Johnson just hasn't impressed yet this season, and he should, therefore, be dropped for the game against Coventry, and in his place, Ange should start a youngster who could be a future superstar.

The surprise player who could replace Johnson

Yes, the youngster in question is 17-year-old Mikey Moore, who looks like he could be one of the most exciting youngsters in English football at the moment, at least based on his form at the youth level and how he's been spoken about.

However, before we get to that, yes, the Southwark-born gem has primarily played off the left wing in his short career so far. Still, he has shown a level of flexibility by starting in attacking midfield, centre midfield and even at centre-forward in the past.

Moreover, considering he is right-footed, it seems unlikely he'd turn down the chance of first-team minutes just because he'd be playing off the right.

In fact, his youth record is so outstanding that we have no doubt he'd thrive anywhere across the frontline in Postecoglou's attacking system.

For example, in 33 appearances across various junior sides, the "outstanding" prospect, as dubbed by Spurs writer John Wenham, has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists, meaning he's averaging a goal involvement every 0.94 games, which is outrageously impressive.

Moreover, he was given two short cameo appearances towards the end of last season when he was still just 16, which signals just how highly the club currently rate him, and with his tally of goals and assists at youth level, they are right to.

Ultimately, Johnson has failed to impress so far this season, and while Moore has less experience playing off the right, he should be given his first start against Coventry tomorrow night; if he's as good as people believe him to be, then he's old enough as well.

There is no getting away from it: Tottenham Hotspur's start to the Premier League season has been nothing short of a disaster.

In four games, Ange Postecoglou's side have picked up just four points thanks to a draw away to newly promoted Leicester City and a win at home to bottom-of-the-table Everton.

Worse yet, the Australian oversaw his second home defeat in a row to fierce rivals Arsenal on Sunday, despite the Gunners missing two of their best players in Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

There were several poor performers on the day for the Lilywhites, and while Cristian Romero has received plenty of warranted flak for his part in the Gunners' goal, ushered away from proceedings by Gabriel and leaving the Brazilian unmarked, there's another key starter who looked anonymous for 95 minutes.

Son Heung-min's game vs Arsenal

Yes, while Son Heung-min wasn't directly at fault for the only goal in the game like the Argentine defender was, he was partly to blame for his side's blunt attacking display.

Now, the club captain didn't make any glaring errors in the game, but he didn't produce any moments of magic or even many genuine chances for his teammates either, which resulted in a rather tepid performance in what should be one of the most exciting games of the season.

This is a sentiment shared by football.london's Alasdair Gold, who gave the South Korean superstar - and Romero for that matter - a 5/10 on the day, writing that while he 'teed up Kulusevski for an early chance' he ultimately 'struggled to make an impact.'

While potentially harsh, Gold's assessment of the 32-year-old's game is corroborated by his statistics, as in his 95 minutes on the pitch, he amassed an expected assists figure of 0.13 and an expected goals figure of 0.02, failed in 50% of his dribbles, played a single key pass, lost the ball ten times and was offside once.

So, while he wasn't at fault for the goals, he offered practically nothing going forward, so for that reason, and because his minutes should be managed more this season, he should be dropped to the bench for Wednesday's League Cup game against Coventry City.

Why Wilson Odobert should replace Son

So, Spurs have several wingers at their disposal who could come in for Son off the left, but Ange should look to give Wilson Odobert his third start of the season on Wednesday night.

Now, like most of his teammates, the young Frenchman has been somewhat underwhelming in attack this season and has failed to score or assist a goal, but he should be given time to adjust to the system, and even though he couldn't make it count on Sunday, he injected some much-needed energy into his side.

Moreover, thanks to his time with Burnley last year, we know what he can do when given a run of games.

For example, despite still being just 18 years old at the start of the 23/24 campaign, the Meaux-born gem was able to score four goals and provide three assists in 33 appearances, which is undeniably impressive considering the Clarets' form and suggests that in a top side, he might be capable of so much more.

Lastly, if the North Londoners are serious about going far in every competition this year, they will need to manage their first team stars and make use of their squad. So, even though Coventry are a talented team, the former Burnley ace and his fellow prospects like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall should have it in them to get a result against a Championship side.

Ultimately, Romero and his fellow defenders might have been at fault for the goal on Sunday, but Son offered very little going forward, so he should be dropped to allow Odobert the chance to open his Spurs account on Wednesday.

Perhaps hoping to add to what is already a star-studded squad, Real Madrid's chief scout was reportedly in attendance at the North London derby to watch one particular Tottenham Hotspur player.

Tottenham transfer rumours

The Real Madrid call is one that Spurs are all too familiar with. It's one that Luka Modric answered in 2012 and one that Gareth Bale answered just one year later to deal the Lilywhites the ultimate double blow.

Both players are now Los Blancos legends with their own individual moments to look back on in the history books, with Modric even still going as one of Madrid's most important players. Now, the phone could be set to ring once more over 10 years since Bale swapped North London for the Bernabeu.

This time around, however, it would be Ange Postecoglou's squad who may feel the impact of the European giants' transfer activity, with the Australian into just his second year of what Daniel Levy will hope is a lengthy project which eventually culminates in the silverware that Spurs are craving. No project is without its hurdles though, and one exit would deal Postecoglou the ultimate blow.

According to Defensa Central, Juni Calafat, Real Madrid's chief scout travelled to watch Cristian Romero in the North London derby as the La Liga champions ponder a move for either the Argentine or Arsenal centre-back William Saliba.

For once, Spurs will hope that it's their rivals and Saliba who have the attention as Real Madrid look to strengthen their backline. Meanwhile, if it is Romero, that they approach, then they know they will find it complicated to negotiate with Levy for the central defender who also earns a reported £165k-a-week.

When 2025 arrives, those on both sides of the divide in North London look set to be in for a nervous wait with Real Madrid's chief scout well aware of both Romero and Saliba's talent.

"Outstanding" Romero is crucial to Tottenham

Even amid the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison, there's a strong argument that Romero is Spurs' most important player under Postecoglou. Whether it's next to Micky van de Ven or Radu Dragusin, the World Cup winner is seemingly one of the first names on the team sheet within the Lilywhites' backline and they'll hope that remains the case for years to come.

Postecoglou is certainly well aware of his quality too, urging others to follow Romero's lead after a narrow 3-2 loss against Arsenal last season, saying via Football London: "Yeah, he was outstanding. He's a World Cup winner and I've just got to get some of what's in him into some of the others."

Unfortunately, Spurs could yet fall victim to Romero's success if Real Madrid come calling. Now 26 years old, the Argentine appears to be in the prime of his career and whether those in North London can facilitate the ambitions of such a player remains to be seen, especially compared to serial winners Madrid.

Having lost stars to the Bernabeu in the past, Spurs will be desperate to avoid a repeat when it comes to their impressive central defender.

On Sunday afternoon Ange Postecoglou was convinced Tottenham would win a trophy this season. It's what I do in my second season, mate.

Well, he didn't quite put it like that but the Australian boss was stern with his words. However, as Paul Merson said, he probably has more chance of winning Strictly Come Dancing than that eventuality happening. Harsh? Yes. Funny? Yes.

It's true that Postecoglou has turned Spurs into a more exciting team, there is no denying that. But, their summer of spending went by without strengthening the starting XI too much and they look like they're now paying for that.

The north Londoners have won just one match in the Premier League this season, losing to Newcastle and Arsenal, drawing with newly-promoted Leicester and only defeating early relegation-threatened Everton.

That said, despite a topsy-turvy start to the new term, there was optimism on Sunday afternoon. Arsenal were missing Declan Rice through suspension, Mikel Merino through injury and skipper Martin Odegaard was also absent having injured his ankle on international duty. What an opportunity this was for Spurs, but they could not take it.

It was Gabriel, mighty Gabriel who thundered a header home unmarked from a Bukayo Saka corner. A corner. Of course, it was. The Gunners are the set-piece kings of English football.

So, for Spurs, it will be back to the drawing board for a team that needs to quickly work out where it's at. That should start by addressing a couple of enigmatic players in the team.

Where it went wrong for Spurs

Last week the Lilywhites were undone in strange circumstances and it was largely due to Cristian Romero's defending. For both goals he was caught out of position, charging up the field to press and leaving space for Newcastle's offence to capitalise.

Well, he didn't quite come charging out on this occasion but it was the Argentine who left Arsenal's centre-back unmarked from the corner.

Straying away from Gabriel, the Brazilian titan was left with acres of space in which to steady himself, jump and then hammer the ball past Guglielmo Vicario in the hosts' net.

Romero will, of course, keep his place for the next league outing but the same may well not be said for some of Postecoglou's attacking crop.

One of their worst performers on the day was Brennan Johnson, a spritely, exciting and rapid young winger who is rather flattering to deceive in Spurs colours.

He toiled with Jurrien Timber down Tottenham's right-hand side but failed to really provide the spark that Postecoglou was craving, eventually hauling him off on the 68-minute mark.

Johnson left the field having produced just one key pass, taken four shots and succeeded with 50% of his dribbles.

To make matters worse, he had fewer touches (26) than the aforementioned Vicario (31) and lost four of his six duels.

Handed a 5/10 match rating by the Standard's Dan Kilpatrick, the journalist was apt with his description of the Welshman's display, suggesting he "was well-handled by Jurrien Timber."

As it happens, Arsenal's Dutch defender was only dribbled past once during the whole game and completed three tackles, the joint-most of any player in black, just to sum up how little change Johnson got from the former Ajax player.

Johnson has been a regular player in Postecoglou's attack this term but with no goal involvements to show for his efforts in 2024/25 to date, it surely won't be too long before he finds himself on the bench.

Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert were both waiting in the wings yesterday and would be well-placed to replace the former Nottingham Forest man against Coventry in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Three years in a row. Tottenham Hotspur have now lost at home to Arsenal three years on the bounce for the first time since the 1980s.

Ange Postecoglou's side lined up against a slightly weakened but still dangerous Gunners outfit earlier this afternoon, and while they were able to create a few chances here and there, they failed to capitalise on any of them.

Much of the attention following the game will be on Guglielmo Vicario and his defenders for their inability to defend set pieces, but the attacker's inability to score is just as much of an issue, and while he's talented, Brennan Johnson was incredibly ineffective.

However, one of the Welshman's fellow attackers was just as wasteful and underwhelming today.

Johnson's performance in numbers

Postecoglou opted to start his £47.5m attacker on the right wing this afternoon, and unfortunately, the 23-year-old did very little to justify that decision or quell the questions some in the fanbase have about his overall quality.

The "frustrating" talent, as dubbed by Jamie O'Hara, was up against Jurrien Timber until he was hooked in the 68th minute, and while he was able to progress the ball up the pitch here and there, he didn't offer the Dutchman much of a challenge at all.

He was so poor that the i's Evan Bartlett and Tom Ward awarded him a 5/10 after the match, writing that he 'spurned a good chance to give Spurs the lead' and, unsurprisingly, that he 'needs to work on his end product.'

It might sound like a harsh appraisal, but it's not, and his statistics from the game help to show that, as in his 68 minutes of action, he amassed an expected goals figure of 0.27, an expected assists figure of 0.07, took one shot on target and one off target, saw two shots blocked, failed in his one dribble, took just 25 touches, made 13 passes, lost five of six duels, committed a foul and was dribbled past.

In all, it was a day to forget for Johnson, but he can at least take solace in the fact that one of his teammates was just as ineffective as he was.

Dejan Kulusevski's performance in numbers

Yes, one of the other disappointing displays of the day came from the immensely talented Dejan Kulusevski, who started his 100th game for the club in the midfield.

Now, there were some bright moments in the Swede's performance, such as the long-range effort in stoppage time and his general work rate, but overall, he was simply ineffective against a weakened midfield and didn't perform to a level we know he can.

Bartlett and Ward were slightly more impressed with the former Juventus ace than his Welsh teammate, but not by much, as they still gave him just a 6/10, writing that he just 'couldn't unlock the defence.'

Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, his statistics from the match also make for some dismal reading and suggest that his rating is a kind one.

For example, in 95 minutes, he lost the ball 20 times, amassed an expected goal figure of 0.16 and an expected assist figure of just 0.11, took 49 touches, maintained a paltry passing accuracy of 68%, failed in all five of his crosses, took one shot on target, failed in 66% of his dribbles, lost 12 of 17 duels and was dribbled past three times.

Ultimately, Kulusevski is a player who can deliver moments of magic, but against Arsenal today, he was ineffective and, at times, a liability in the midfield and, alongside Johnson, he let Postecoglou and the fans down.