Cartilage Free Captain

Bad news, folks. Despite Daniel Levy personally flying out to Munich in order to negotiate with Mathys Tel’s agent, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Tel has rejected Spurs’ offer and will not be joining the club, on loan or permanently.

Shit.

I really thought this one was in the bag, but maybe I should have taken more stock in the fact that Tel was asking for more time to consider Spurs’ offer. I guess the idea of heading to a team in 15th place in the Premier League and possibly with no European football next season was too much of a burden? Or maybe he just wanted more money, or had his little French heart set on Manchester United. Who knows.

But this sucks. Spurs will now need to pivot to other targets — they’ve been linked with Tyler Dibling, Youane Wissa, and Stefanos Tzimas in recent days. Hopefully Lange’s got a few more irons in the fire.

More transfer news, and this one’s a bit exciting! While most of the Tottenham Hotspur rumors this month have been about attacking players, Gianluca DiMarzio is now reporting that Spurs are currently working on a loan deal for AC Milan and former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori.

Tomori has been used somewhat sparingly at Milan this season after being at the heart of central defense for four seasons, and lurking around a few Milan message boards, the reason he’s not playing much now is apparently that Tomori fell out with then-manager Paulo Fonseca and subsequently fell down the pecking order.

Tomori profiles as a ball-playing central defender, which is actually a pretty good fit for Ange Postecoglou’s tactics. With Radu Dragusin injured for who knows how long, bringing in a body for the back line makes a ton of sense, especially on loan. Ange Postecoglou also mentioned that the club is looking at defenders in the waning days of the window due to Dragusin’s injury.

DiMarzio says that Spurs have leaped ahead of Aston Villa, the other interested club, for Tomori and that the player would like a return to the Premier League. It’s not much, but it’s something, and DiMarzio usually isn’t wrong with regards to the major Italian clubs.

I know he’s former Chelsea and that would make him the first blue scum player to move to Spurs since William Gallas, but at this point we need bodies, and if he’s not a perfect fit for Postecoglou, he at least looks like a central defender who a) can do a job and b) is uninjured.

Tottenham Hotspur may have started an experienced XI to start Thursday’s Europa League match against Swedish side Elfsborg, but it was Tottenham’s academy graduates and young players who stole the spotlight. Spurs left the goals until late, but they all came from players 20 years or younger, and all Tottenham academy graduates. 20-year-old Dane Scarlett broke the scoreless draw with an impressive diving header, 19-year-old midfielder Damola Ajayi had a lovely inward-cutting run and shot (with an assist from Dane) that just squeaked into the net at the near post, and Moore put a bow on an impressive European performance with a low shot into the net with the last kick of the game.

The win ensured Spurs finished in the top eight of the Europa League and guaranteed a bye to the Round of 16, bypassing the playoffs. It also injected a healthy dose of good vibes into the fanbase, something sorely needed.

Here are three things we learned from Thursday’s win. There are more than that, but let’s just stick to three for now.

The kids are all right

Elfsborg are not a good team, and it’s not hard to pick out any number of good performances from this match. Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski immediately spring to mind — Sonny had ten successful take-ons to go along with three shots in just 45 minutes of play, while Deki was impactful and creative, especially when he moved to the center in the last half-hour of the match. Spurs absolutely dominated this game, with 82% possession and a shot advantage of 24-4. That said, the team of first team veterans couldn’t manage to get past a resolute and thoroughly bunkered Elf Borg defense.

Instead, it was Tottenham’s youngsters who shone in this match. Mikey Moore looked like Tottenham’s best player in the first half. Lucas Bergvall showed a little inconsistency with his passing and tackling, but was both progressive and aggressive and came close to a goal himself with a thumping header at goal. And Tottenham’s three goal scorers — Dane Scarlett, Damola Ajayi, and Moore — all were club debut goals, and all three were crackers. Moore, in fact, became the youngest English player since the late, great Jimmy Greaves to score a goal in a major European tournament.

Ange Postecoglou has come under a bit of pressure for how he uses — or doesn’t use — his young academy grads, even when the club has 11-12 players out injured. But the flip side is that without all these injuries, it’s unlikely Bergvall and Moore get as many minutes against top competition as they have this season, and even less likely that Scarlett and Ajayi get on the pitch at all. All of them played well and took their chances, and it ended up being a glory, glory night for Spurs’ young stars-in-waiting.

Micky’s return was immense but Dragusin’s injury still leaves Spurs short-handed

One in, one out. That seems to be the pattern right now with defensive injuries. Micky van de Ven made his long-awaited return to the side after a couple of months out with a hamstring injury, and he started at his usual LCB alongside Archie Gray. It was clear immediately how much we have missed him — Micky’s comfort with the ball meant that Spurs were able to start attacks from the back much quicker than in recent matches. Meanwhile Elfsborg barely mounted an offensive threat so we didn’t get to see his recovery pace, which as far as I’m concerned is just fine, since this was basically his first shakedown cruise. Seeing Micky out there just felt natural, and I feel a lot better about this weekend’s match with the prospects of him back in the side.

Radu Dragusin was Van de Ven’s replacement at halftime, and likewise it was clear how steep the drop off is between Radu and Micky. Dragusin looked clumsy for most of his short shift before apparently injuring his knee while whiffing on a clearance. I don’t want to rag on Radu too much — he might be out for a number of weeks now, which puts Spurs right back in the tenuous defensive position they were before this match. Cuti Romero may not be back yet this weekend, so it’s likely we’ll see Micky and Ben Davies out there vs. Brentford on Sunday, with Archie Gray behind them. Someday we’ll have a first choice back line out there. Someday.

Top 8 is good, but Spurs could face a tricky playoff

But Spurs could potentially have a tricky run to the Europa League final. The playoff draw was completed shortly after Thursday’s matches, and Spurs will end up playing one of Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar, or Midtjylland.

Have a squint at the table below. It’s a little confusing — it looks like we’re teaming up with Manchester United to play two teams — but in reality there will be a separate draw after the playoffs to determine which bracket Spurs and United end up in and who they will face.

Tottenham have already lost to Galatasaray in Europa League play in Turkey and they inexplicably have Victor Osimhen there on loan. PSV, of course, is the #narrative club with Spurs Academy grad Troy Parrott tearing it up there with 12 goals and 2 assists in all competitions.

If Spurs can avoid the winner of Galatasaray — Sociedad and get past either PSV or Midtjylland, they could end up playing either Eintracht Frankfurt or Lyon for a trip to the semifinals. Frankfurt in particular are a scary matchup — they’re currently third in the Bundesliga and are pushing for Champions League this season, though they notably lost leading scorer Omar Marmoush to Manchester City this month.

I saw a dog today.

Judging by the pink leash, I imagine it was a she. She had long black fur. I reckoned it was some labrador mix.

She strutted along the alleyway, her tail wagging in the brilliant sunlight. The dog saw me. I smiled and waved to her.

And, for a moment, I was happy.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Any Major Dude Will Tell You, by Steely Dan

And now for your links:

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou beams with pride as Europa League win is ‘made in Tottenham’ after next generation shine”

Jay Harris ($$): “Academy talents shine but Dragusin suffers injury blow”

It was Youth Night at Tottenham Hotspur in their 3-0 Europa League win over Elfsborg, but one youth player who didn’t feature at all was Will Lankshear. Big Willy Lanks has been used pretty sparingly and mostly in the Europa League campaign, but in this one Ange Postecoglou opted to use Dane Scarlett as a second half substitute, with Scarlett the scoring to put Spurs ahead.

Now maybe we know why. According to Alasdair Gold, Lankshear is now very likely to head out on loan for the second half of the season, probably to the Championship.

This is a good opportunity for Lankshear to get some quality minutes under his belt, ones he desperately needs. The PL2 leading scorer last season, he’s seemingly not favored by Postecoglou, and getting minutes and playing well in the Championship at age 19 is a good indicator of quality. I don’t really have a strong preference for where Lankshear would end up from the clubs on Gold’s list... so long as it isn’t Burnley.

Scarlett, meanwhile, is set to stay at Spurs and will NOT be loaned out again — in fact, because he played tonight it means he CAN’T be loaned out, since by rule you can’t play for more than two clubs in a season. Postecoglou explained the rationale for keeping Scarlett in his post match press conference.

“We had a look at his situation. He has had a couple of disappointing loans. I think sending him out again without any sort of real prospect of him developing, we just felt let’s keep him training with us and give him an opportunity to train with us and play with us and see how it goes.”

With the win today, Spurs finished fourth on the Europa League table and is guaranteed a bye to the Round of 16, bypassing the playoff round. That’s great news as it will give Spurs some much needed rest in February — Spurs will play no more than six matches next month, even with the cups included.

Coming into the eighth and final league phase game of the newly formatted UEFA Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur knew it needed at least a point to secure a Top-8 spot. Facing off against IF Elfsborg - who’ve only been playing Europa games the last few weeks — Spurs secured all three points thanks to the academy products for a 3-0 victory.

Rolling out a strong first-team lineup with the likes of Micky van de Ven making his return after a two-month absence, Ange Postecoglou shifted Archie Gray to right center back, Ben Davies to left back, and Mikey Moore to right wing.

Throughout the first half, Spurs dominated the pitch as defensive recoveries from van den Ven showcased how depleted Spurs were in defense since he and Cristian Romero were inured against Chelsea. Rarely making any advances on the attack, van de Ven recovered well in many parts to keep the team on attack and let the wingers of Son Heung-min and Moore make mockeries of the Elfsborg fullbacks.

Sonny had a great shift as he continued to toy with the right back and make his way down the goal line before setting up possible balls in the middle for the six-yard box.

Shot after shot from Moore, Richarlison, and even Pape Sarr were blocked or saved, with the side having .91 XG going into the half.

With the game tied at 0-0 going into the break, Postecoglou took off Rodrigo Bentancur, van de Ven, and Son for the likes of Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, and Yves Bissouma.

Elfsborg had its best chance 10 minutes into the second half as an errant stab at the ball from Dragusin freed up the striker and a popped-up ball for an attempt acrobatic ball that was sent over the crossbar. Not allowing the Swedish side to gain any momentum as they were hunting for a playoff spot, Lucas Bergvall had a diving header chance caught.

But with that moment of hope, Spurs were riddled again in the backline as Dragusin held his knee after a clearance attempt. After being worked on and testing it off to the side, Dragusin returned to the pitch in the 64th minute and instantly went down to signal he was done. With the growing number of injuries to the team — especially in defense — Postecoglou made the move to bring on Dane Scarlett up top, with Gray shifting to RCB, Davies LCB, and Sarr left back for the remainder of the game.

That Scarlett sub proved to be a wonder for the side as the academy product — who grew up with the side since age six — had his moment to shine as he broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with a free header from Kulusevski to the near post for a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, another academy product in Oyindamola Ajayi came on for Richarlison to see out the game’s final 15 minutes or so.

Making a quick impact as Scarlett did, Ajayi played a one-two with Scarlett and took a touch inside the box for a bottom-right strike that rolled past the Elfsborg keeper and into the back of the net.

Letting the emotions out as he scored on his debut — with Spurs up 2-0 — Spurs saw one more academy product score as Moore took on the Elfsborg defense and took several touches on a cut from left to right before slotting his shot into the far corner for a 3-0 victory and Spurs a Top-4 spot in the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Overall, it was a great game for Spurs to secure the win and a terrific night for the academy kids who have worked their tails off to get a chance with the first team. Moore has been impressive every time he has been on the pitch as a future product, but specifically for Scarlett, he grasped the moment and hoped to take the club to the next round. What’s next for the boyhood kid? I am not sure, but for now, Scarlett and others helped Spurs over the line.

The equation for Tottenham Hotspur is simple. Win their next Europa League match, and they qualify for the top eight, meaning Spurs would advance directly to the Round of 16.

Their only opposition: Elfsborg.

The Swedish side will be fresh, having only played Europa League and club friendlies due to the Allsvenskan calendar. This also means they may not be prepared for the rigors of a tough European tie, and one would think Spurs would be much too tough an opponent.

For Spurs, the injury woes have continued, and Ange will have to balance his (lack of) available players between this match, the weekend’s fixture against Brentford in the league, and the looming away leg of Spurs’ EFL Cup semi-final tie against Liverpool. This one could be a bit of a struggle-fest, but the Lilywhites will be doing their utmost to reduce their fixture list and achieve a shot at European glory.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Elfsborg

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA; TNT Sports 2 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Paramount+

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Have fun, and COYS!

It feels somewhat impressive that Tottenham Hotspur managed to hold on to its 3-2 win at Hoffenheim last week, being sandwiched by defeats to relegation contenders in the Premier League. Everything seems to be going wrong for Spurs, yet their Europa League dream remains alive, which is a good thing for Ange Postecoglou as it is possibly what is keeping him employed.

This new version of the Europa League makes the final matchweek quite interesting. Spurs are tied for fifth but sit just one point ahead of ninth place, and slipping down would force them into two more fixtures in the Playoff Round. The squad clearly lacks the depth to handle any additional matches, so securing a top-eight finish is crucial. While a draw on Thursday might suffice, there is no reason Tottenham should not beat Elfsborg at home, especially with so much on the line.

Tottenham Hotspur (t-5th, 14pts) vs. Elfsborg (t-16th, 10pts)

Date: Thursday, January 30

Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 2 (UK)

Opta rankings suggest Elfsborg would rank 19th in the Premier League — slightly below Leicester but ahead of Southampton. The visitors are hanging on to a spot in the top 24 of the Europa League table and will advance with a positive result on Thursday; even a loss might not spell elimination, depending on other contests. A 3-1-3 record in the League Phase includes wins over Roma and Nice with a -2 goal difference overall.

Those three wins have all come at home, each by a 1-0 scoreline. The lone draw, against Braga, also came at home and featured just a goal apiece. Conversely, all three losses have been on the road, with the opposition scoring at least three goals. Elfsborg has conceded possession in every single contest and has a clear blueprint, which seemingly works against the underdogs this week.

Tottenham has limited history against Swedish opposition, and Elfsborg has never faced an English side in competitive play. Most of Elfsborg’s sporadic European history consists of early exits in the Europa League qualifying rounds, with plenty of mid-table Allsvenskan finishes. Last year’s second-place effort in the league set forth this European campaign, but this domestic season so far has been less inspiring.

How much leeway?

It is not bold to say that Elfsborg is a limited side. Opta ratings rank Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, and Hoffenheim as tougher opponents than the Swedes, all clubs that Spurs have beaten in this phase. Tottenham’s declining form is a concern, but for a must-win game to secure a bye, this matchup seems about as favorable as it could be for Postecoglou.

Elfsborg’s limited attacking threat makes it unlikely it will pose too many problems offensively, though I am never suggesting a Spurs’ clean sheet ever again. Tottenham will dominate possession, trying to break down a disciplined low block that will be content to defend in numbers. Patience and creativity will be key, though Spurs have struggled in these areas. Picking the right moments to charge through, and not get killed on the counter, is what this comes down to.

Postecoglou may rotate a little — though injuries and lack of depth limit his choices — and field some younger players. This could work in Spurs’ favor, as determination and energy will be essential against an opponent looking to slow the match down. As poor as this side has been at protecting leads, getting in front early seems like a necessity. I will cautiously believe that the home team has enough quality to run out the clock should it find a way to jump ahead.

Welcome to your monthly EFL Championship Roundup, where hoddle headquarters takes a look at what’s going on in the second tier of the English football pyramid.

In the previous edition of the EFL Championship Roundup, I took a look at the race for the automatics (with Leeds, Shef Utd, Burnley and Sunderland comprising the lead back). Today, let’s take a look at the opposite end of the table with clubs that appear destined for relegation.

Bottom Three: Derby County, Luton Town, Plymouth Argyle

It’s hard to see any of these three clubs not get relegated this season. First, there’s Derby County, who’ve lost seven consecutive matches. The only possible bright spot for them is at an FA Cup defeat to Leyton Orient means they can potentially just focus on survival now.

Then you have Luton Town, who are staring down back-to-back relegations. I’m not sure how Town ended up here with Callum Morris and Elijah Adebayo still on the squad. I also have no clue how Rob Edwards is still their manager.

But neither of those look as bad as Argyle, who somehow managed to draw against Sunderland after a 5-0 defeat to Burnley just the other week. Their goal differential (-35) is atrocious and have now lost forward Morgan Whittaker to Boro. Hard to see things getting better.

Also in the mix: Cardiff, Hull, Stoke, Portsmouth

Are there teams who can fall into the relegation zone? Of course, with Portmsouth being the main contender. Currently just two points separate Hull, Stoke, and Portsmouth (all on 29) and Derby County (27). So, yes it can happen. But, again, Derby have lost seven in a row.

Cardiff City seem to have done enough after going 3-4-0 in their last seven matches, with their most recent defeat coming against Oxford United on Boxing Day. On the flipside of that is Stoke City, who haven’t won since December 29.

Top six:

Bottom three:

Fitzie’s track of the day: Lipstick Vogue, by Elvis Costello

And now for your links:

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou hints at ‘frenetic’ transfer activity but offers word of warning”

The Guardian: “Dejan Kulusevski leaps to defence of Postecoglou and struggling Spurs”

The Athletic ($$): “Once given away for free, the Ted Lasso rookie card is now worth thousands of dollars”

The Telegraph: “Jhon Duran nears £65m exit after Aston Villa angered by Arsenal’s Ollie Watkins bid”

Ange Postecoglou gave a press conference ahead of Elfsborg, but what Ange said wasn’t the highlight of the presser. Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski was also invited to the microphone to answer questions, most likely because he’s a Swedish player getting ready to play Elfsborg, a Swedish team, in the Europa League.

But what came out of Deki’s mouth was much more interesting — a full-throated defense of Postecoglou and his tactics, despite everything bad that’s happened to Spurs over the past three months. Deki came right out and said it — Ange is the right man for the job.

“Yeah, I agree with [Ange saying Spurs can do something special]. Three cups, we’re doing really well in the cups so it’s easy to focus on league but we’re doing really well in the cups. This is an important game and if we win we go to the next round so I think we can do good things in these last four months.”

Throughout this whole ordeal and the debate about whether Postecoglou is the right man to lead this football team, the one thing we’ve heard over and over again is that Big Ange still has the full backing of the players. Kulusevski puts a fine point on it — while he speaks for himself, his words carry the weight of the entire changing room, and it’s encouraging.

“[We’re behind Postecoglou] because we had games when we showed perfect football. Football that not many teams can play in the world. We played beautiful games against United, against City 4-0 so I think he is the right man. We play for him. We want to win for him and to be honest we have similar ideas. I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play that football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he’s the right man.

“Opinions change. It’s not for me. I don’t listen to no-one because I know the truth. I see the truth my side. It’s not important what people say. It has never been actually. The league is very bad and the game on Sunday was tough to lose but you have to stay clear minded and focus on the goals. We have done mistakes, don’t get me wrong. We have done a lot of mistakes. We are 10/11 fit players in four competitions and that’s not OK and that’s why the team is paying that price in the league especially. You can look at the manager and the players but it’s bigger than that, it’s everything involved.

“Nah it’s not suffering. Losing that many games in the league is suffering. It’s very hard on me losing games. I accept it but I still have to see the bigger picture, and I still think we can do amazing things because we are left in three cups and that’s where my focus is. It’s a balance, it’s suffering. At the same time, I’m still positive and I still see opportunities we have.

But what’s causing the slip in form? For Kulusevski, it’s a very simple thing — Spurs are injured, short-handed, and exhausted, and everything spirals out from that.

“We play three games a week with nine or ten players. That’s all I need to say, it’s nothing more than that. I think everybody has got to watch the picture and ask themselves how we came this far. That’s it.

“That’s what I’m saying, we are 11 players playing three games a week for a long period. I don’t see any other team doing that. That’s the only thing we should look at.

“Of course you feel an energy [from the fans], you feel the vibe on the pitch. I understand that they are frustrated. Of course, it’s even more frustrating for us players. I understand it. And you can feel of course when the energy is not the best, you know? But that’s life, you’ve got to deal with it and you’ve got to find a way to win, because that’s what winners do in the end. Whatever happens to them, they try to find a way.”

Deki was asked how he stays positive despite the poor run of results.

“It’s a difficult question but you try to keep it up in the changing room, to lead by example and when things are going bad you try to lead by example and go to the gym a bit earlier, try to show other people that you’re doing it. They see it and go, ‘OK, we’ll go do that too.’ Be a good example and lead, stay away from everything negative.

“[We’re not taking our eye of the league] but like you said we really believe we have a lot to play for in these four months, three different competitions. It’s not that we’re taking our eyes off the league, absolutely not. The dream is still to do very good in these three competitions, win as much as possible as you can, and then in the league climb up. We’re getting some players back now, they are very close to playing. They are very good players and will give us a hand. The right thing is to just keep going, starting with a win tomorrow.”

Deki says a lot more in the video, which is embedded above. But the main thing I take from this is that the players haven’t quit on Postecoglou, just Ange hasn’t quit on this team. If anything, it makes me significantly more hopeful that both Spurs and Postecoglou can weather the storm and come out stronger on the other side of it.