Cartilage Free Captain

If Tottenham Hotspur are going to progress to the next round of the League Cup, they’ll need to do it without a couple of their left wingers. In his usual press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup Round of 16 match against Manchester City, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou said that club captain Son Heung-Min would be held out of the mid-week match and saved for the weekend league tie against Aston Villa out of an abundance of caution.

“Son is almost fit but probably from our perspective we’ll aim for the weekend. We’re quite confident he’ll be right for the weekend.”

Sonny’s been nursing a mild hamstring injury that has kept him out of Tottenham’s lineup for the past few matches. Ange’s comments seem to back up his previous assertion that Son’s close to a full return, but that there’s really no reason to take any chances with his recovery.

In addition to Son, there’s bad news on new signing Wilson Odobert’s recovery — Postecoglou reported that Wilson suffered a “serious setback” in his recovery during training this past week. Ange didn’t specify what that setback was or how long it might be before Odobert is able to return, but it does make it very likely that Octodobert is too soon, and it might be Novembert or even Decembert before we see him play.

“The only other one missing out which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one so we’re just waiting for more information. From the weekend everybody is ok and Djed is back training.

“It’s not exactly the same [injury] but it’s the same area.”

That’s a bummer — Wilson was starting to eke back into the side after missing significant time early in the season, and there was hope that his return could bolster Tottenham’s wide attacking options.

So what does that mean for tomorrow and the weekend? Well, Timo Werner is obviously a candidate to play on the left and is also probably the most likely to get the start, despite his difficulties in finishing this season. But Postecoglou also suggested Richarlison could slot in at left wide forward, a position we saw him play a lot of under Antonio Conte.

“I think Richy has obviously played a lot of his football on the left and he’s definitely an option there for us and an option through the middle as well.

“He’s getting some good match minutes now so hopefully next couple of weeks we’ve still got a good game schedule. Like I said, he’s only just getting his season started so the more we can expose him without overburdening him in the early stages he’ll be able to contribute even more.”

Postecoglou is likely to rotate for this match despite playing an unbeaten City team. But that might not be necessarily a bad thing — Pep Guardiola has dropped plenty of hints that he’s deprioritizing the Carabao Cup this season and might even play the kids tomorrow. That’s no guarantee that Spurs will come out of the match with a win, but it’s also not a given that they’ll get flattened, even with a rotated squad. Even so, I think we should probably expect players like Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mikey Moore, and Radu Dragusin to feature. We might even get a little Djed Spence, as a treat!

Spurs kick off against Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4:45 p.m. ET / 8:15 p.m. UK. The match will be televised on Sky Sports in the UK, and streamed on Paramount+ in USA.

Son Heung-Min is awesome. I know it, you know it, and so does the Asian Football Confederation. How do I know this? First — duh. And second, because the Tottenham Hotspur club captain keeps winning awards like the AFC Asian Footballer of the Year award, one of two awards given to either footballers of Asian descent or footballers who are plying their craft for AFC clubs.

The one we’re interested is the first one — the Asian Footballer of the Year award, which celebrates footballers of Asian descent who are playing football anywhere in the world. And for the fourth time, Son Heung-Min has been awarded that honor, more than any other Asian footballer.

Keep in mind this isn’t the only Asian football award Son can win this year — there’s also the Best Footballer in Asia award, basically the Asian Ballon D’Or, which hasn’t been announced yet. Sonny has won that award nine times in his career, including six of the past seven years, and is probably the runaway favorite to win it again this coming season as well.

This is a Son Heung-Min appreciation post. I have written many of these articles, and will happily continue to produce this sort of content for as long as Sonny continues to earn them. May it continue for many, many more years.

Another week, another set of dropped points in an away match for Tottenham Hotspur.

Crystal Palace, who had been lurking in the relegation zone, were much too strong for a disjointed and discombobulated Spurs side. A stop-start match and poor performances meant the Lilywhites were never unable to get any sort of fluidity going, and the customary Spurs defensive error was enough to give the Eagles the solitary goal they needed to take all three points.

Speaking of eagles, it’s time for today’s theme. We’ve done birds before. Birds are cool. But this was a terrible match, and so deserves a different angle. Here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings to the theme of terrible birds.

Okay, so there’s no denying it. Eagles are pretty damn cool. But I’m angry about being beaten by the Eagles, and feel the need to unleash my inner Jeff Bridges. And you know what? Bald eagles are bald-faced LIARS. They try and be the image of freedom and power in the USA, but there’s more of them in Canada! But still, they sound badass, right? Nope, they’re lying about that too, you’re thinking of the red-tailed hawk. I don’t like being lied to.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were good enough to be ranked amongst the least terrible bird on this list, the bald eagle. Lying jerks.

Swans are majestic and beautiful. They’re also colossal jerks. They hiss like snakes, will happily attack you, and are such a menace that a particular set of swans at an Auckland park in the northern part of New Zealand have near national levels of notoriety. Plus, one was a dick to Dustin’s daughter once. Swans are terrible. Unlike the above option, though, a cool band.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as good as the awfulness that are swans. Though I do feel like hissing at the players in the way swans would.

As with bald eagles above, magpies are liars. They love to imitate other birds. But they then combine that with an extreme level of douchery. You’re out for a nice bird-watching trip. think you’ve heard a cool native bird, go in for a closer look, and BAM. All of a sudden, you’re being clawed and swooped by this black and white menace. Plus they steal stuff. You only have to do a quick YouTube search of “magpie swooping” to see just how terrible these guys are. And they’re smart too, so you know it’s intentional.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 2.5): Spurs really struggled to play out from the back, but Destiny was the exception. His driving runs from deep were the only way Spurs managed to get on the front foot in the first half, and he would have started more dangerous breaks if not being repeatedly fouled by his opposite in Munoz with the referee doing little to stop it. Linked up well with Mikey Moore on a couple of occasions, and nearly got himself an assist.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 3.0): It was an anemic attacking display by the Spurs front-line, but weirdly enough, Solanke was one of Tottenham’s best. His hold-up play and ball control were excellent, and if it wasn’t for a bizarre lack of running from the players around him, would have started a number of attacks. With the poor build-up from the back, Spurs should have honestly gone Route One earlier and utilized his strength.

OK, so we have a bird that doesn’t fly. That’s cool. Ostriches can’t fly, neither can emus. Wait, you’re telling me they can’t run, either? Okay, so what can they do? Oh, that’s cool, they can swim? Nice. What’s that? You’re telling me the best way these guys get around and get food is to go to the place where all the things that eat them live? I feel like somebody working in a lab couldn’t design a bird this dumb.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 3.0): Made a couple of pretty good saves, but his lack of calm on the ball at the back contributed to Spurs’ lack of control, and he was lucky not to be punished for a few flaps at aerial balls.

Pedro Porro (Community — 2.0): Started roughly, but grew into the match. Was made to look silly on a few occasions by Eberechi Eze, and was strangely ineffective in build-up which is often a strength of his. Looked brighter late on, with a couple of raking passes that should have led to more than they did.

Yves Bissouma (Community — 2.5): Worked hard, but at times was left isolated by his midfield partners and had to chase shadows after those around him continuously turned over possession. If I had one critique, it’s that he could have taken more onus on himself to break the lines with his dribbling or passing. Hard to do though when you’re on an island.

James Maddison (Community — 2.0): Had to do a lot of work with Kulusevski a complete non-entity, much of which was dirty work to which he is not accustomed. Was unlucky not to score Spurs’ best chance of the match, and really tried to get on the ball and get the team up the pitch. Arguably should have stayed on longer, but would have been tired after a fair few minutes in midweek.

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 2.5): Added some much-needed control in the middle of the park. Tried to drive the team forward late, but doesn’t tend to be the most ambitious player when looking for a goal.

Timo Werner (Community — 2.0): Looked threatening and made good runs, which was sorely missing in the first half. A couple of dangerous crosses too. His pace could have been a useful outlet, and even with his finishing woes you wonder if he would have been able to stretch the Palace defense a bit more than those who started.

Potentially a uniquely Australian entry (though the Magpie entry is referring to the Australian magpie, they are slightly more ubiquitous). These birds are despised in the Antipodes, and it takes a uniquely awful level of terribleness to have an entire song written about how much you suck (somewhat NSFW for language). Now you have “bin-juice drinking gronk” in your vocabulary. You’re welcome.

Mikey Moore (Community — 2.5): Hard to rate really. Somewhat overawed by the occasion in his first start, but he’s 17! A big part of Spurs’ struggles in build-up, but when he did rarely get space in the final third, had some neat moments of interplay with Destiny Udogie and James Maddison, one of which led to Spurs’ best chance. I would say I’m grading on a curve, with some thinking I’m possibly overrating him and others saying I’m underrating. Who knows?

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 2.0): In a match like this it’s hard to apportion blame with regards to the coach vs the players. Ange did name a pretty strong side who just didn’t perform, and injuries on the wing meant he probably didn’t have the flexibility to make changes as he would have liked. That said, Ange waited too long to make changes, and really didn’t bring in the passing needed to get around the Palace press. The 4-4-2 he switched to late on was muddled and ineffective, and he would potentially have been better served having Richarlison taking up space in the wide areas.

So basically the swan entry, but without the whole elegance and majesty bit. And OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS THING IT HAS TEETH WHAT IS WRONG WITH NATURE (note they are not actually teeth but still WTF)

Cuti Romero (Community — 2.0): A strange performance from the captain on the day, where his usually aggressive passing was replaced by hurried clearances, and his decision to try get to a cross he was never going to reach created space for Palace’s goal. The real story though is his aerial duels: 0/4, which allowed Palace to set up camp often in the Tottenham defensive third.

Micky van de Ven (Community — 2.0): Poor on the ball, both in terms of his touch and his passing. His slip and loss of possession led to Palace’s goal, and it wasn’t the first time. Probably needed to utilize his pace more to break the press.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 2.0): After a brilliant run of form, he was utterly anonymous, and potentially lucky not to be sent off, walking a tightrope after receiving a yellow card. This reduced Postecoglou’s options for substitutions, much like the Swede reduced the options of his midfield partners by not moving into space. The sort of performance I was afraid of last season after seeing some of Kulusevski’s displays in midfield. He had just over half the touches of the other midfield two. Maybe he’s finally getting tired?

Brennan Johnson (Community — 2.0): A return of last season’s Brennan Johnson (at least the matches where he didn’t score). Terrible in buildup, a turnover machine, and exceedingly frustrating in his unwillingness to make runs to stretch the Palace defense meaning Solanke often had no outlet ball. Really should have been pulled earlier, but Postecoglou wasn’t flush with options.

Richarlison (Community — 2.0): Hasn’t been a great return to the side thus far, and the Brazilian looks clearly rusty. Ineffective up front, often getting in Solanke’s or Werner’s way, and spoiled a gilt-edged chance created by Porro with a terrible touch.

Basically dinosaurs put into a stupid small feathered body with claws. They would murder you if they could. I know it, you know it. They long for blood. And they can’t even beat a football team consisting of eagles, when their whole damn thing is running around! Terrible.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as chickens.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

We’re almost at the close of the month, which means it’s nearly time for our monthly EFL Championship roundup.

But first, let us give attention to the teams in the three levels immediately below it in the English Football Pyramid.

Today’s edition is extra special because it comes with almost no analysis or insight into the standings. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do:

EFL League One :: Are the wheels for Wrexham falling off? They could fall out of the automatics picture once Mansfield Town play their extra game. Would like to see Mansfield Town in the chip.

Top Six:

Bottom Four:

EFL League Two :: Disappointing to see Carlisle so low. I always associate the town with it being a good spot to pay a visit to Hadrian’s wall. By that account they should be about midtable. Hope they stay up.

Top Seven:

Bottom Two:

Vanarama National League :: York City are top with Forest Green chasing. Braintree is too cool a name to let fall further in the pyramid.

Top One

Vanarama National League Bottom Four:

Fitzie’s track of the day: Future Enemies, by Yola

And now for your links:

Football London’s latest loan roundup

Jay Harris ($$): Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham must learn to ‘win ugly’

Dan KP: Tottenham’s Ange evolution hurt by ‘lack of leaders’

Tragic news befell the music and Deadhead community on Friday. Phil Lesh, co-founder and bass player for the Grateful Dead, has passed away.

When I first paid attention to the Grateful Dead, I didn’t realise it was Lesh who guided me through the first gateway into the band’s mystical catalagoue and quasimythological story.

There were a few songs I played on repeat when I walked to West Hampstead Station most mornings during my London tenure. None captured my imagination quite like Box of Rain. I was entranced by the galloping bassline. Most of all, I was allured by the rich imagery in the lyrics. Fascinated by what a “box of rain” is. What it looks like.

For a band steeped in Americana, folk and bluegrass, this song felt so abstract at the time. How could you possibly grasp anything like this?

What do you want me to do

To do for you to see you through?

It’s all a dream we dreamed

One afternoon long ago

The only other song to get as much airplay during that time was Sweet Baby James. But Box of Rain unlocked a portal for me to the Grateful Dead that I’ll never have with James Taylor.

Box of Rain led to Touch of Grey, which led to Shakedown Street, which led to Fire on the Mountain, which led to Eyes of the World 5/17/74. From that moment on I was hooked.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Box of Rain, by the Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead were a strange band. Of course you can also refer to them still in the present if you believe, like me, that the band is still very much alive in the songs floating in the air and in our memories.

Lesh, like Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia and Pigpen and Micky Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, offered something truly unique to how a band operates. Admirers of Lesh credit his classical training to playing the bass in a supremely unique way. Not just in keeping time or melody, but fluttering between the interwoven tradeoffs between Garcia and Weir, and the driving percussion of Hart and Kreutzmann.

It’s truly something to listen to the Dead’s music and then, all of a sudden, a Phil bomb drops. A magical array of chords and notes dancing within, around and above everything else.

It’s all part of the mystery of the Dead, which comprised of the strangest amalgamation of musical backgrounds and interests. Americana, bluegrass, jazz, classical, psychadelia. And, of course, the Deadheads themselves, who for decades bottled up thousands of wondrous moments and freely share them among friends and strangers.

Lesh’s death is a tragic, tragic loss for the community. Still, the music lives on. The Grateful Dead’s music is still alive, pulsating with the thundrous beat of Lesh’s bass.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Help On The Way / Slipknot / Franklin’s Tower / The Music Never Stopped, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links;

Dan KP: Big Ange admits Spurs fell into Palace’s ‘trap’

Jay Harris’s takeaways ($$) from Tottenham’s loss to Crystal Palace

Palace manager Oliver Glasner says performance vs Spurs is the ‘benchmark’

Vinícius slams racist ‘criminals’ during El Classico

It will be forever deeply ironic to me that in my first match available to watch after having liver resection surgery, I got to watch Tottenham Hotspur play the role of Prometheus having his liver eaten by Eagles. Spurs put in their worst performance of the season at Selhurst Park on Sunday, getting thoroughly outplayed by a winless Crystal Palace team en route to a 1-0 loss, snapping any semblance of good vibes that were percolating after last week.

It was a pretty bad performance from top to bottom. Some Spurs players put in decent performances (Vicario, Dom Solanke) and others tried hard, but it’s tough to beat anyone, even a bad Palace team when so many players put in 2.5 star performances at best.

Not a fun watch, unfortunately. It’s time to rate the players.

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

Tottenham Hotspur displayed one of its worst games at Selhurst Park as the Lilywhites gifted Crystal Palace its first Premier League win this season with a 1-0 defeat on Sunday.

From the opening whistle, Spurs never looked right as passes were sloppy, defending was poor, and the press that Spurs have been known to tear defenses down looked lackluster.

Never garnering chances in the final third to put a Palace defense in shambles, the Palace attack came into the game and started to make its presence on the pitch.

Winning headers and second balls through the midfield, Palace capitalized on a Spurs mistake for the lone goal of the game.

Cristian Romero made a pass across the box for Micky Van de Ven to run on it with a Palace defender charging him. Trying to get a quick lob pass over him for Destiny Udogie, Van de Ven slipped on his delivery and allowed Daniel Munoz to collect it and deliver a cross into the box against an open Spurs defense. Hitting Eberechi Eze around the penalty spot for a quick flick, the pass set up Jean-Phillipe Mateta for a controlled touch and goal against a charging Guglielmo Vicario.

Down 1-0 and the narrative of Dr. Tottenham coming into play, with Crystal Palace looking for its first win, the meme stayed true as Spurs struggled to get the tying goal.

The team had chances after going down as Brennan Johnson hit the post off a corner play, James Maddison had a shot saved in the last second by Dean Henderson, and Richarlison had a great look twice.

Unable to convert any of the chances, Spurs fell victim to possibly their worst defeat of the season.

A stat that jumped out on the telecast was Spurs had only won three away league games this calendar season. Really tough to see a different team away from home that leaves many wanting consistency.

I believe we all have the same thoughts on the loss being a true deflation, but I want to give Mikey Moore a quick appreciation for being the second youngest Spurs player in the Premier League to get his first start at 17-years-old. He didn’t look his best after being stunning in the Europa League game on Thursday, but he wasn’t the only one who had a rough day at Selhurst Park.

Tottenham Hotspur are flying high. They have seven wins from eight matches, and just last weekend crushed London “rivals” West Ham United. Sunday’s opponent Crystal Palace, however, can’t buy a win. The only wins they do have this season are against lower tier sides in cup competition, winless so far in the league and sitting in the relegation zone.

Does anybody else feel a storm brewing?

Glasner-ball hasn’t really taken off after promising signs were seen for the Eagles last season. The loss of Michael Olise has hit them hard, and Tottenham-linked Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton have struggled for form. Spurs. on the other hand, seem to be rounding nicely into form. Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson have gone to new levels, and the addition of Dominic Solanke to the squad has seemingly taken the attack up a notch.

Even without captain Son Heung-min, this should be a match the Lilywhites will be expecting to control; but expectations are one thing, and real life is another. Let’s see if things go as smoothly as they might on paper.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Selhurst Park, London, UK

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. UK

TV: Peacock

Match thread rules

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

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

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Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

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

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Last weekend’s dismantling of West Ham made it three league wins in four for Tottenham Hotspur, and six in seven across all competitions after Thursday’s success in the Europa League. A season is full of peaks and valleys, and after some frustrating results to open up the campaign, the vibes have completely flipped. Spurs look to keep the good times rolling at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Crystal Palace is (shockingly) nowhere near the middle of the table. The Eagles might end up there — as they seemingly always do — but they enter the weekend way down at 18th place, thanks to a total of zero wins on the year through eight matches. London derbies always feel a bit tricky, but Spurs are the in-form side here and are the favorites to take the points.

Crystal Palace (18th, 3pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (7th, 13pts)

Date: Saturday, October 19

Time: 10:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK

Location: Selhurst Park, London

TV: Peacock (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

Despite the abysmal record, there are some minor bright spots for the Eagles. No loss has been by more than two goals, putting the defense around league-average, and they mustered draws against Chelsea and United. However, Palace has scored just five goals so far, dead last in the league, epitomizing what has clearly been a tough start to the season.

Tottenham has won the last five straight between these two, which appears to be its longest streak against any current Premier League side. Last fall’s win at Selhurst Park featured a Joel Ward own goal off the boot of James Maddison and a second from Heung-Min Son. The reverse fixture saw Spurs down until the 77th minute when Timo Werner, Cristian Romero, and Son scored three in just over 10 minutes to flip the match.

Blue chippers

Oliver Glasner’s hire seemed to be the perfect fit after Palace won six of its final seven matches last year, but clearly that has not carried over. Mark Guehi and new signing Maxence Lacroix have been good anchoring the defense, but that has really been the bright spot. Jean-Philippe Mateta has a couple goals, but Eberechi Eze has not quite got going, and of course Eddie Nketiah has yet to make an impact (lol).

Meanwhile, Tottenham’s best are playing up to their level. Dejan Kulusevski is nothing short of elite since moving more centrally, Son returned convincingly, and the supporting cast are doing their share as well. Against a frankly inferior opponent, the stars should have their way. Son scored in both fixtures last season, and even if he is out, someone like Kulusevski can take the mantle. It should not take a herculean effort to make a difference in this one.

Keep it clean

Maybe this is setting myself up to look stupid, but this appears primed for a clean sheet. Palace has scored once in its past four league contests — a lone goal against Everton. Meanwhile, aside from the Brighton debacle, Spurs have allowed totals of one, one, zero, and one dating back to the Arsenal loss in the league and are coming off a clean sheet Thursday. Yes, the defense is still prone to dumb mistakes too often for comfort, but that is really the only way Palace is scoring here.

I choose to have some faith in the back line. Tottenham settled down after that early goal last weekend and played fairly soundly after that. Destiny Udogie still has looked off, but we know the talent across the defense is there. The substitution of Pape Sarr into midfield last weekend helped as well, and the visitors should have no trouble owning the ball and controlling the middle of the pitch this Sunday.

An uncomfortable scoreline, but eventually a reasonably comfortable performance. Tottenham Hotspur cemented their place among the top spots of the Europa League table with a 1-0 home win over Eredevise team AZ Alkmaar.

A heavily rotated Spurs XI battled initially against the outgunned and overwhelmed Dutch side who generally offered little in response but still had chances to land a sucker punch, before a second half lift saw Tottenham coast to three points. It was another solid win, marking Tottenham’s seventh win in eight matches.

There was plenty to talk about from the match: Fraser Forster’s solid performance, as well as Troy Parrot making his (in)glorious return, but this is my article, so you get my takeaways. Nobody will read them anyway so feel free to skip straight to the comments! Alternatively, read on.

There is such a thing as too much rotation

We are all well aware of the congested football calendar, and with Tottenham in Europe there are a lot of matches to be played and minutes to go around. That means rotating players to keep things fresh, distribute time on the pitch around the squad, and stave off injury. Up to this point, however, Ange Postecoglou has found it challenging to find the perfect balance.

His biggest success in this respect was probably against Ferencvaros, with a good mix of youth, squad, and experienced players; but today, the team struggled for fluency and cohesion until changes were made. There were regular wayward passes, mistimed runs, and a few moments at the back of which a stronger side would have made more.

In this writer’s opinion (and to be clear, this is just my opinion) an ideal balance is this: three changes in the back six - four max, but only if only a maximum two of those are in the backline; one of the two attacking eights (both are fine if the 6 has stayed consistent); and two of the front three. Maybe that’s being conservative, but in terms of both providing defensive coordination and protecting your younger players by still retaining a level of experience and starting-level skill helps ease the drop between the starting XI and a rotated side.

We don’t want to see a repeat of the numerous cup knockouts Spurs have seen in recent years.

Moore or less of Werner

Following on from the above point, fluidity in the front three was sorely lacking in the first half and Ange Postecoglou was clearly not happy with what he was seeing. Richarlison was almost anonymous in the first half, and Mikey Moore was wasteful and easily dispossessed. Timo Werner, while not exactly anything to write home about, created the best chance of the half, putting the ball on a platter for Moore before spurning a chance of his own after being played in by a glorious outside-of-the-boot chipped pass by Lucas Bergvall. He seemed the biggest threat around the box, and though his finishing at times is laughable, his all-round play tends to be good.

The Timo Werner paradox is thus: only Timo Werner could get on the end of the chances he does; and only Timo Werner could miss them.

The easy option for Postecoglou could have been waiting to see what his side could offer following the break, or perhaps pulling the youngster Moore for a more experienced contributor; but he instead opted to make a half-time change and introduce Brennan Johnson for the luckless Werner. The reality is football is about goals, and it’s also about planning for the future.

It was simultaneously a deft demonstration of belief, and a brutal instance of calculation. Moore, after being moved to his preferred left side, immediately sprung to life, beating players, creating chances, and cutting the AZ defense to ribbons. The 17-year-old could be Spurs’ starting left winger within the next 2-3 years; Werner will more than likely no longer be with the club. It was a call that could have backfired on Postecoglou in that specific match, but even if it did, it was still arguably the right call. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Moore receive increased minutes as the season progresses, and Werner’s playing time dwindle. James Maddison is certainly a Moore fan:

From minute 45 to 65 I thought we had Neymar on the left wing. He was brilliant. Just demanding the ball and fearless. [He has] that young, fearless mentality and you never want to take that away from him.

We can’t escape penalty & VAR drama

There’s always an argument that VAR is less of a problem on the continent, and the real issue with the implementation of VAR in the Premier League is more the processes and the people driving it, and less the fact that we utilize it at all. I’m arguably a VAR fan, at least in principle, but this match was one of possibly many examples that rebut the “VAR good in Europe, bad in England” theory.

On top of the penalty that was given, Spurs could have had two other penalties today, possibly more; the challenge on James Maddison particularly stood out to me as one where the referee might have at least wanted to check things on his monitor. Instead, VAR took its usual approach that we are so used to in the PL: referees upholding a fellow referee’s decision, even with pretty solid evidence to the contrary.

The penalty drama didn’t stop there, either, with Maddison and Richarlison clashing over who should take the penalty that was awarded. It wasn’t a great look for the team, with Richarlison refusing to yield to his captain on the day, before being ushered away by his squadmates.

All’s well that ends well though, with Maddison eventually opting to change his mind, allowing Richarlison to dispatch the spot kick:

Maddison spoke about this moment as well in an interview following the match:

There was a little thought in my head, when I was stood there I had a little conversation with myself and just thought, ‘Richy’s coming back from an injury, it can be difficult, especially for a striker’. I learnt that last year when I had a long injury, it took me a while to get my first goal. So [it was] a split-second decision to let him take it and that’ll do him the world of good...

...even if I wasn’t the captain… I still like to think I’d make decisions that are best for the team. I thought it would be best if Richy took it, he’s a good penalty taker.

It was a great moment of leadership from Maddison, and though the optics of the initial spat were poor, the ensuing moments showed just how united and focused this team are. Maybe this is the moment where Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs reach the next level?