Cartilage Free Captain

good morning and welcome to another edition of “What are you reading right now?” where your hoddler-in-chief likes to solicit book recommendations and share some of his own.

Today, like the past few editions of this series, I write to inform you all that I am still in the process of reading Pessoa: A Biography, a definite and monumental account of the work of Fernando Pessoa.

It’s a marvel how Richard Zenith is able to weave together culture, history, geopolitics, religion and the occult to find the most accurate account of a man considered to be the godfather of Portuguese modernism. Was any Portuguese writer’s life as mysterious, complex and insulary as Pessoa’s? Zenith’s book appears to argue no.

I’m finally past the 800-page mark. Just 136 to go.

I must say, I did not realise how fascinated Pessoa was with the occult when I first read him. And his interaction with Alestair Crowley is one of the stranger coincidences I have heard of. Here we have this ephemeral (and sometimes non-physical) poet in contact with one of Britain’s most notorious authors and occultists.

It’s no surprise the relationship didn’t last long. And it seemed to be nothing more than just a footnote in the Portuguese author’s life.

What’s more fascinating are the dozens of projects he started and stopped, how he held court at his cafe, how he simultaneously advocated for and against the same ideals (writing as different authors).

There’s still a ways to go until I reach the end of this book, and so I’ll save my judgment on it (and on Pessoa) until then. But he, moreso than any other writer I’ve known, seemed to be an incredibly complex and - at times - nebulou person.

Fitzie’s track of the day: And Your Bird Can Sing, by The Beatles

And now for your links:

BBC: “‘It could be a remarkable season’ - can Spurs salvage campaign?”

The Athletic ($$): “Exactly what Son needs, Bergvall strikes again”

Dan KP: “Tottenham close in on Europa League progress but Ange Postecoglou’s urgent need is clear”

The Telegraph: “Criticised by Spurs fans but Son Heung-min rams barbs down critics’ throats”

A journey to the continent was likely the last thing Tottenham Hotspur needed, as Tottenham Hotspur travelled to Germany to take on Hoffenheim in the Europa League. Minutes were already up, players were down, and Spurs had clearly been struggling with fatigue from match to match.

More players were unavailable for selection by Ange Postecoglou in this fixture: Djed Spence and Antonin Kinsky were yet to be registered in Spurs’ Europa League squad, and Pape Matar Sarr reportedly picked up an injury earlier in the week to add to Spurs’ very long list of walking wounded. One could have been forgiven for expecting the worst given the context and Spurs’ awful league form.

Any concerns though were quickly put to rest, as Spurs came out looking sharp, taking a two goal lead into half-time. James Maddison was heavily involved in both: the first was very much a route one play, with Porro playing a fantastic chipped pass in behind the defense, and Maddison timing his run, controlling the ball, and chipping the keeper brilliantly. The second was a clever piece of defensive work, as Maddison was wise to a Hoffenheim pass played across the pitch near the halfway line, intercepting the ball and beating a defender. While the Englishman didn’t have the pace to continue his run, he got his head up and played Son Heung-min in on goal. Spurs’ captain dawdled on the ball in a manner that has been all too familiar of late, but this time the Hoffenheim defender’s challenge could only deflect Son’s shot and loop the ball up and over Oliver Baumann’s despairing dive.

Spurs could have had a third late in the half, as only a fantastic Baumann save prevented a headed chance from Lucas Bergvall, and as Hoffenheim pushed at the other end, Brandon Austin was called into action a couple of times. It was Austin, in fact, who was embroiled in a moment of controversy as the referee awarded a penalty as the Spurs keeper came out to claim a cross and collided with Max Moerstedt. It was a ridiculous call, as Austin both reached the ball first, and was arguably clattered by Moerstedt, not the other way around. The circus continued as both sides set up for the penalty, with the referee moments from allowing the spot kick to be taken before he was finally sent to the monitor by VAR. After what seemed like an age, sanity prevailed and the penalty was overturned.

That didn’t matter for Hoffenheim, though, who kept coming and eventually got their reward via a sweeping counter attack. A raking pass from deep split the Spurs defense, and the backline was far too slow to adjust as a simple pass from Spurs’ right across the six-yard box by David Jurasek was met by Anton Stach and rolled inside the far post.

It had been a nervy start to the second half from Spurs, with Hoffenheim all over the Lilywhites, but those nerves were soon settled as Son claimed a second goal. Much like Spurs’ second, it started with a poor Hoffenheim pass, this time picked off by Rodrigo Bentancur. He fed substitute Mikey Moore, who played in Son. Some fancy footwork threw his defender off balance, creating space for a left-footed shot that he struck inch-perfect across the goalkeeper to restore Spurs’ two goal cushion.

The deficit was halved once more, though, as Hoffenheim kept coming. An inch-perfect cross from Andrej Kramaric was too high for Pedro Porro to reach, but perfectly placed for David Mokwa, whose thumping header moved the German side within a goal. It was too little, too late for Hoffenheim, however, as Spurs saw out a valuable 3-2 away victory.

Reactions

It’s only January, but European football is kicking off already thanks to this lovely new European format which while exciting, is taking its toll on footballers’ health. Speaking of which: Tottenham Hotspur now have to scrape together some semblance of a squad to take to Germany.

Spurs’ opponents are Hoffenheim, and they are in a similar position to the Lilywhites: in freefall down the league table, starting to flirt with the relegation zone, and nursing a number of injuries through their squad.

That said, no matter the opponent it feels like just getting through a match with 11 fit players still on the pitch is a mountain to climb right now for Spurs; and winning said match an Everest. Ange Postecoglou’s side need to find some ways to get wins under the belt, though, and fast. This match represents a golden opportunity.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Hoffenheim vs. Tottenham Hotspur

PreZero Arena, Sinsheim, Germany

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Time: 12:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. UK

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

Streaming: Paramount+

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.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

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!

Everything is very, very bad for Tottenham Hotspur right now, but the opportunities are still on the table. For Ange Postecoglou to save this season — and maybe his job — silverware is looking like a necessity, or some deep runs in cup competitions at the very least. A trophy may feel overly hopeful, but supporters need something to grasp onto as the season drags on.

Spurs are still in decent position in the Europa League despite zero wins in their past three League Phase fixtures. Wins against Hoffenheim on Thursday and Elfsborg next week are likely requirements for a bye into Round of 16. Dropped points could still see them advance to the knockout stage, but continued failure against struggling opposition would undoubtedly intensify the ever-growing frustration.

Hoffenheim (27th, 6pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-8th, 11pts)

Date: Thursday, January 23

Time: 12:45 pm ET, 5:45 pm UK

Location: PreZero Arena, Sinsheim, Germany

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

Hoffenheim finds itself in even worse form than Tottenham. Sitting just three points above the Bundesliga relegation zone, Saturday’s win over 17th-place Holstein Kiel was its first victory in seven league matches and only the second in the last 11 outings. The Europa League has not been any more promising, with one win in six matches and just two goals scored in the last four matchweeks, putting the German side outside the top 24 heading into Thursday.

These sides have never met in a competitive fixture, though Tottenham has plenty of experience against Bundesliga opposition. Spurs took four points off Eintracht Frankfurt in last season’s Champions League group stage but were dreadful in the 2019/20 campaign against both Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. Hoffenheim’s European history is limited, but they have faced Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years, losing all four matches.

Pillow fight of attrition

Both teams come into this match hampered by significant injury lists. Spurs’ absences are well-documented, with key players unavailable across all areas of the pitch and the absentees growing by the day. To compound matters, Antonin Kinsky is ineligible for Europa League selection, as are Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon, leaving Postecoglou with even fewer options. Hoffenheim is also missing several regulars, though it does not seem to take much quality to trouble Tottenham right now.

Hoffenheim’s attack has struggled to score, ranking 13th in the Bundesliga this season and sitting among the bottom 10 in the Europa League. While Spurs’ defense full of backups remains a concern, this is where the match could be decided. Hoffenheim had plenty of success on the ball and attacking the net last season (sixth in the Bundesliga) but has completely fallen off this year. However, if Dr. Tottenham appears once again, the visitors are going to be in trouble.

Meanwhile, Tottenham’s ability to generate scoring opportunities feels marginally more reliable. Hoffenheim’s defensive record in Europe has been better than domestically, but three of its last four European opponents have scored multiple goals. Even with all the injuries — now including Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson — Spurs should get some chances, especially against a side likely to play openly at home. With mounting failures and increased pressure on the cups, anything other than three points will not be received well.

A lot has been made of the appalling injury situation at Tottenham Hotspur the past couple of months. Spurs have consistently been without 8-11 players due to injury, illness, or suspension since late November, which is obviously not ideal in a compressed schedule where the club is playing two matches a week for an extended period of time.

It’s also led to a lot of rampant speculation as to what’s actually causing the spate of injuries, especially the numerous hamstring injuries. While hamstring injuries are up across the league the past couple of seasons, mostly due to the intensity of play and insane schedule of the Premier League, there are some that would also attribute Tottenham’s situation to Ange Postecoglou’s intense, high pressure, high octane tactics. The thought is that Postecoglou is overtraining his players, drawing a direct line between that and the injuries.

Today, Alasdair Gold released a fascinating English-language interview with Pedro Porro, the first one I think I’ve seen from Porro since his arrival a few years ago. And from his direct quotes and also interpretation from Gold in his conversation with Porro, the player hits back on those allegations, saying the reality of the two-games-a-week schedule means that there really isn’t all that much time for intense training, since players need adequate time to recover. Porro also says that each player has individualized training regimens intended to minimize overwork and injuries.

“We have a plan for all of our training. Those players who aren’t playing so much have their own plan to come back and me too, I train at the club but I also do my own work outside the club, recovery work, prevention of injury.

“Everyone has their own schedule, if the training sessions are less intense it’s for those players coming back, they have the training they need, and also for the players who are playing, we need a lot of recovery.

“I think it’s crazy, when you have too many players injured, the situation for the team and the club, it’s a difficult time. This is football, now we focus on recovery and the players will come back stronger.

“It’s a bad situation because when you have all the back four (defenders and goalkeeper out), seniors, it’s a bad situation. I think it’s incredible that I am 25 [and I’m the oldest], but I have been here two years now and every game I push with everything on the pitch.”

I think it’s good to hear this perspective from an actual player who is participating in training sessions, and not rely on insight from fans, media personalities, and others who are potentially pushing an agenda. It’s pretty clear, at least from my perspective, that injuries are the main reason Spurs are struggling. Likewise, based on what Porro is saying, while it’s not impossible to point to intense training earlier in the season as the players were getting up to speed, it’s much more likely that Spurs are just caught in an injury doom spiral — a few key players get injured, and because Tottenham have a thin squad, they must then rely on backups and others to play more minutes and more games, making them then more susceptible to injury. The cycle continues.

Yes, the argument against is that Postecoglou should have simply rotated more and better. There’s some merit to that position, but I think it’s more complicated than that due to the intense pressures on the club to win and maintain positive momentum in four competitions. It’s easy to criticize, especially as the results are not coming in the league, but Postecoglou, like most managers, wants his best players available to play, and every match is important.

At any rate, the full interview with Porro is worth reading. He gives some fun anecdotes from his childhood and relationship with his grandfather, and has very nice things to say about Postecoglou, Archie Gray, and Djed Spence. You should read it.

Finally - European matches are BACK! Spurs don’t play until Thursday (Hoffenheim, here we come!), but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a quick tour of the continent before their next fixture.

Bundesliga

Will Harry Kane finally finish top of the table? Well, he and Bayern Munich are halfway there with a four-point lead (45 points) on second-placed Leverkusen (41 points). For those of you closely watching the Bundesliga, circle 15 February on your calendar as that’s when the top two clubs will face off again.

Top four: 1. Bayern Munich (45 PTS) 2. Leverkusen (41 PTS) 3. Frankfurt (36 PTS) 4. Stuttgart (32 PTS)

Serie A

Speaking of former Spurs, Antonio Conte’s Napoli is top of the Italian league. And apparently Romelu Lukaku plays for them (who knew!).

Top four: 1. Napoli (59 PTS) 2. Inter (47 PTS) 3. Atalanta (43 PTS) 4. Lazio (39 PTS)

La Liga

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace for Real Madrid against Las Palmas this past weekend, helping keep Real Madrid two points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Barcelona are winless in their last four.

Top four: 1. Real (46 PTS) 2. Atletico (44 PTS) 3. Barcelona (39 PTS) 4. Athletic Club (39 PTS)

Belgian Pro League

I’m just here to check in on our former Belgian boys. It’s not looking great. Only Jan Vertonghen’s Anderlecht are in the top four, while Toby Alderweireld and Vincent Janssen’s Antwerp have fallen to fifth.

Top four: 1. Genk (48 PTS) 2. Club Brugge (47 PTS) 3. Anderlecht (36 PTS) 4. Union SG (34 PTS)

Fitzie’s track of the day: Mr Brightside, by The Killers

And now for your links:

Dan KP: ”Sacking Ange Postecoglou is no solution to Tottenham mess - Daniel Levy must invest in players”

BBC: “Is Postecoglou’s style causing Tottenham’s injury crisis?”

The Athletic (in podcast form): “Who is to blame for Tottenham’s rut?”

Football London with the Tottenham loan latest

Welcome to the latest edition of Trending Up / Trending Down, where Hoddle Headquarters takes a look at what around Tottenham Hotspur is trending up, and what is trending down.

—-

Things can change a lot in 10 days. They certainly have at Tottenham, where the mood is sour and the outlook is bleaker and bleaker. Spurs have played three games since the latest installment (def Tamworth, lost to Arsenal, lost to Everton). With those three matches done and dusted, let’s look at who is trending up and who is trending down.

Trending Up

Antonin Kinsky: Early days still, but he’s done very well since coming in earlier this month. He made a few good saves against Tamworth to prevent Spurs from experiencing a disastrous result, and kept Spurs in the game against Everton on Sunday.

Trending Down

Heung-min Son: Gosh, what is happening to him? It’s difficult watching him play these days and knowing he isn’t the same player he was a season or two ago. Normally Son would go off on a tear whenever there’s some negative discourse around him, but here we are months later still waiting for something to happen.

Ange Postecoglou: Spurs have lost 12 games this season and only won one league game since December. Injuries are playing their part, of course, but Sunday’s showing was probably the worst for Postecgolou since coming in. The “worst loss” is a moniker you can assign to multiple games across this season. He appears to retain the board’s support, but this weekend’s game against Leicester feels huge.

Daniel Levy and Johan Lange: I’m lumping these two together because I’m not quite sure where the primary credit/blame goes for the transfer business. Credit to Postecoglou for publicly supporting Tottenham’s transfer strategy, and we can be sympathetic to a difficult transfer window in which to do business, but Spus desperately need reinforcements. So far, the transfer dealers have mostly not delivered.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Black Magic Woman, by Santana

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold’s talking points from Tottenham’s defeat to Everton

The Times ($$): “Tottenham sticking by Ange Postecoglou despite mounting pressure”

David Hytner: “Postecoglou on thin ice at Tottenham but Levy still hoping for turnaround”

Telegrpah: “Tottenham manager: the case for the defence of Ange Postecoglou”

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham Hotspur are a club drifing - who is going to take control?”

I woke up this morning and Ange Postecoglou still had a job. Depending on which side of the ideological divide you fall, that’s either a positive, or a stubborn reflection on what has been a pretty miserable season thus far.

I choose to think of it as a positive. According to a report in football.london from Alasdair Gold, recent unsourced reports on social media of board meetings to decide Postecoglou’s fate are untrue, and the Spurs hierarchy is still sympathetic to his plight and focused on getting Big Ange the help he needs amidst a dire injury crisis at the club.

football.london understands that Spurs remain intent on trying to help Postecoglou rather then removing him from his position and that rumours surrounding upcoming board meetings to decide his fate in these couple of days ahead are untrue. However, the club need to move faster with that help.

— Alasdair Gold, football.london

I reckon that the fan frustration has as much to do with Tottenham only signing keeper Antonin Kinsky during this month’s transfer window and not outfield players who can help replace and spell injured or exhausted first team players. Not that the club hasn’t been trying — they were very much in on Randal Kolo Muani, who ultimately chose a loan at Juventus over Spurs — but there are 11 days remaining in the window and the closed shop that Johan Lange has established with his team means that we don’t really know whether or how close Spurs are to any given target, or even really who those targets are.

Sunday’s loss at Everton was probably Spurs’ worst overall performance of the season, even though the team came back to score two late goals to make it a somewhat respectable 3-2 loss at Goodison Park. There seems to be an understanding that Spurs have had some absolutely foul luck this season — 0-11 in matches decided by one goal, second in the league in goal scored with a +10 goal differential, but still in 15th place. But for many fans the only thing that matters is W & L, and Spurs now have 12 losses this season, the most of any Spurs team since 1998.

So the Everton loss may or may not have moved the needle with regards to Ange’s employment status, but it does increasingly feel like a lost season. Spurs are expected to get Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven back by the end of the month, and hopefully Spurs’ recruitment team will get a couple of January reinforcements in as well. With this many players out, what else can we do but hope?

In the midst of some frustrating Tottenham football yesterday, Como 1907 announced they have signed Dele on an 18-month contract with the option to extend it by another 12 months.

It’s an exciting development for Dele, who’s looking to restart his career after a few bumps in the road.

Love this move for Dele. He returns back to the top flight (in Italy) at a club that doesn’t come with an immense spotlight. Plus, Lake Como is beautiful.

Wishing Dele a very healthy and successful return to football.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Good Luck, Babe!, by Chappell Roan

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “How long can Ange Postecoglou survive?”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou under serious pressure as strange Spurs decision backfires in Everton nightmare”

BBC: “‘Dr Tottenham’ cures Everton - but Postecoglou desperately needs a tonic”

An injury-depleted Tottenham Hotspur squad was embarrassed at Goodison Park as Dr. Tottenham delivered another performance for a reeling side, with Everton getting its first Premier League win under David Moyes, 3-2.

Seeing the squad Ange had to roll out, it was apparent that today’s game would say a lot about what he would have to do structure-wise and the help he needs to have any chance to see this rebuild out.

Rolling out a 3-4-3 formation with Archie Gray in some flex option role, the passing was poor against Everton’s press as the home side, from the opening whistle, looked to get the ball off the rocky squad.

Everton scored the first of its three first-half goals in the 13th minute. The struggling Dominic Calvert Lewin — a striker who entered the match 16 consecutive games goalless — received the ball off a Pape Sarr turnover and dribbled his way through Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, and Gray to slot a near post shot past Antonin Kinsky.

Spurs had chances to get an equalizer minutes later from Son Heung-min, with the captain getting a perfect squared ball from Dejan Kulusevksi and just striking it straight into the ground and right at Jordan Pickford.

Son had another moment minutes later as Pickford saved his near post shot from the left side, and his second chance saw him clipped by Jarrad Branthwaite in the box.

With Spurs failing to level it when they had the chance, Everton doubled its lead off a bit of dribbling and control from Iliman Ndiaye before firing his shot well above the charing Kinsky.

As the game became increasingly depleting to watch from a Spurs perspective, another injury hit the side as Dragusin got an elbow to the brow from DCL off a goal kick. Not having a great stretch of play for the side, Dragusin is the one true center-back who had been healthy all season, but he failed many times in the game to close down space, which allowed Everton to torment the box with chances.

Everton had its third goal scored in extra time off an own goal from Gray as his knee became the victim of a bad defensive shift off a corner.

In the second half, Spurs showed more fight as it was stated that Ange had not lost the dressing room. With some care in the second half, Spurs managed to keep Everton out of the net in important stretches.

Spurs got their first goal in the 77th minute as James Maddison recovered the ball by the goal line against a charging Pickford. Keeping control and trying to square it up for teammates, Mikey Moore had a chance, but the blocked shot landed at Kulusevski’s feet, and the first time, the chip went over the Everton defense for Spurs to finally get on the scorer sheet.

Spurs got the second goal in the second minute of stoppage time as Moore got the short corner and whipped it to the back post for a free Richarlison to slide in and tap it in as he hit the post.

In the end, the second half fight wasn't enough as Spurs lose another one goal game and have lost 12 Premier League matches this season.