Cartilage Free Captain

I hate international football.

But given the injury (and form) situation at Spurs, a couple of weeks off for a chunk of the squad is a welcome respite; and there’s no way our internationals could pick up injuries, right? RIGHT? Of course, when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, nobody is safe - expect news any day now that Antonin Kinsky has somehow had an arm amputated while training with Czechia; even though he’s not in their squad. It would just make sense for something like that to happen to Spurs.

For some of those called up for their countries, however, the minutes continued to pile up. Spurs’ center back cadre all saw 90 minutes for their nations - a slight concern given the injury history of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in particular - with Cuti and Kevin Danso both on the winning side of 2-0 scorelines. Van de Ven wasn’t quite as lucky, held to a 1-1 draw as Netherlands held on to top spot of their World Cup qualifying group, with Xavi Simons thankfully remaining seated on the pine.

Guglielmo Vicario also saw a rare start for Italy, keeping a clean sheet in a two-goal victory over Moldova, with Rodrigo Bentancur rounding out those from Spurs who went the distance. Lolo’s Uruguay battled their way to a goalless stalemate with Mexico.

It was somewhat a case of feast or famine though when it came to Spurs’ internationals. Though the above added significantly to their already heavy workload, minutes were in short supply for others - though not necessarily by choice. Pedro Porro played just one half in Spain’s 4-0 win over Georgia in what seemed like (thankfully) planned minutes management, but injury scares for a couple of others were the culprit for reduced playing time. As Dustin wrote a couple of days ago, Lucas Bergvall never managed to even make the pitch for Sweden, sent back to London while still suffering the aftereffects of the concussion he sustained against Chelsea; and Pape Matar Sarr limped from the pitch after 49 minutes in Senegal’s 0-2 loss to Brazil with an apparent knock.

To round things out, Brennan Johnson made a brief seven-minute cameo as Wales kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein, while all of Djed Spence, Joao Palhinha, and Richarlison failed to see the pitch, with the latter in the opposing dugout to Sarr’s Senegal. England were none the worse for Spence’s absence, cruising to a 2-0 victory against Serbia, but Portugal could have perhaps used Palhinha’s defensive nous as they suffered an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Ireland with Cristiano Ronaldo the recipient of a red card and Spurs alum Troy Parrott the recipient of a brace.

I still hate international football.

Spurs International Appearances:

Cristian Romero (90 mins, clean sheet): Angola 0-2 Argentina - Friendly

Kevin Danso (90 mins, assist, clean sheet): Cyprus 0-2 Austria - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Micky van de Ven (90 mins) & Xavi Simons (unused sub): Poland 1-1 Netherlands - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Guglielmo Vicario (clean sheet): Moldova 0-2 Italy - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Rodrigo Bentancur (90 mins): Mexico 0-0 Uruguay - Friendly

Pedro Porro (45 mins, clean sheet): Georgia 0-4 Spain - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Pape Matar Sarr (49 mins): Brazil 2-0 Senegal - Friendly

Richarlison (unused sub): Brazil 2-0 Senegal - Friendly

Brennan Johnson (7 mins, sub): Liechtenstein 0-1 Wales - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Djed Spence (unused sub): England 2-0 Serbia - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Joao Palhinha (unused sub): Ireland 2-0 Portugal - UEFA World Cup Qualification

It’s no secret that Tottenham Hotspur have struggled somewhat for fluency in the attacking third so far this season. Thomas Frank is yet to settle on a front three and Xavi Simons is the only attacking midfielder with any sort of real creative output. Unfortunately, quality options to solve the first problem are in short supply, and Xavi actually needs a rest sometimes so as not to be added to Spurs’ ever growing injury list. What is a football club to do?

If only a certain ginger from Sweden was available, perhaps two cockerels could be conquered with a single piece of ruby.

Well, that time seems to be drawing nearer! Dejan Kulusevski has been out now with a knee injury (and the ensuing recovery) for several months, and after Thomas Frank indicated last week that Deki was still yet to be training on grass, a return prior to Christmas seemed unlikely. While that is still the most probable prognosis, a small sliver of hope appeared in the last couple of days (a feeling likely unfamiliar to most Spurs supporters): it appears things are progressing well, as Dejan Kulusevski is now training on grass!

A social media post from teammate Destiny Udogie showed the Swedish attacker being put through his paces by Spurs coaching stuff, while apparently on some sort of training camp in Dubai. It’s a big step in Deki’s quest to be back playing football this season, and provides some sort of encouragement amongst the carnage Spurs’ squad has suffered over the last few months. Though there is likely a lot of work left before Deki can make his return in Lilywhite, the fact he is up and running definitely sparks joy.

Here’s hoping he is back in time to make a tangible impact on Spurs’ fortunes this season!

It was obvious that Lucas Bergvall got his bell well and truly rung early on in the 1-0 home loss to Chelsea two weeks ago. The Swedish international midfielder took a ball to the noggin inside two minutes and looked dazed on the pitch, even as he was getting looked over by Tottenham Hotspur’s physios. If this were five years ago, he’d likely have been allowed to continue, but Premier League’s concussion protocol mandated that he be withdrawn after exhibiting symptoms. He missed the rest of the match as well as Tottenham’s next two matches against Copenhagen in the Champions League and the 2-2 draw vs. Manchester United.

It was thought that he was ready to ease back into competition during the international break after he was called up to play for Sweden in World Cup qualifiers at Switzerland and home to Slovenia. But Swedish outlet Aftonbladet reported yesterday that Bergvall has withdrawn from camp and returned to London after a “setback in training.”

The Sweden football federation made the following announcement, which confirms Bergvall is still exhibiting long-tail effects from the concussion:

“Lucas Bergvall will not be available for selection in the men’s national team’s next two matches due to the after-effects of the concussion he sustained in the Tottenham-Chelsea match on 1 November.”

“We had agreed with Tottenham’s doctor to do some tests during the week and then go full speed so that Lucas could feel how he was. When there was a reaction, there was no hesitation. We don’t want to take any risks.”

It’s certainly a bummer for Lucas, but it remains the right call to prioritize the health and safety of an athlete. Concussions are no joke, but they were almost treated as one for a long time in football, and it’s good that this has changed. While getting some playing time minutes under his belt for Sweden could’ve been a good thing for Lucas as he works his way back to fitness, it wouldn’t be if he’s still in recovery, which he clearly is.

This means the earliest Bergvall might be available is Tottenham’s next match — the North London Derby next weekend — or possibly the Champions League match away at PSG.

It’s the international break, which means it’s time to check in on Dancing With The Stars for the second (and final) time.

Last time we hoddled about this show all we wanted was to know the status of Andy Richter the Swedish German. The sidekick to late-night comedy icon and heavenly tall man Conan O’Brien was getting his steps in the 34th edition of this show (crazy!).

Apparently Richter made a big splash with his energy, humour and TikTok videos (not that I’ve seen any). But here’s one of him dancing:

I’m not gonna lie: This is the most footage of this programme I’ve seen in at least 15 years. I never quite understood the show, but I understand Andy Richter.

For those of you who want to know more about him, I recommend watching one of his other shows. He’s got a few:

Anyways, it’s the international break. The good news is we’re one day closer to getting our Tottenham Hotspur football. Til then, enjoy Andy Richter clips.

Fitzie’s track of the day: I’m a Cuckoo, by Belle and Sebastian

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Man arrested for allegedly verbally abusing Mason Mount during Manchester United game at Tottenham”

The Standard: “Spurs news: Radu Dragusin issues injury update with comeback ‘really close’”

Reuters: “Ronaldo sees red as Ireland stun Portugal to keep hopes alive”

ESPN: “Italy’s quest to the World Cup is yet again, through a playoff”

Despite this past weekend’s 4-2 loss at London City Lionesses this past weekend, this season has been a vast improvement for Tottenham Hotspur Women. Spurs are currently fifth in the table, level on points with Arsenal with 15, a tally that is only five points less than their entire point total from last season after just eight games. New head coach Martin Ho has implemented an exciting and attack-forward style that Spurs’ players have adapted to, despite making only two summer signings in striker Tinka Tandberg and defender Toko Koga.

But get ready for an exciting new player in January. Reports out of Norway say that Tottenham Women have an “deal in principle” to sign 20-year-old Norway international and attacking midfielder Signe Gaupset from NK Brann when the transfer window opens in January.

The initial report comes from Nettavisen, who state Gaupset will join Spurs for a Norwegian league record 5m krone (£378k), and the move would reunite her with Ho, who managed her at Brann. Gaupset just extended her contract at Brann last season, but this bid would represent real money for a women’s team from a small league. The previous record was 2m krone for Julie Blakstad, now at Manchester City.

Norwegian media outlet TV 2 reports that full agreement has been reached, with only the medical remaining; the deal will go through when the English transfer window opens in January. Gaupset has also spoken about the move, suggesting she chose Spurs as the best option for her development.

“If it goes through, that’s really cool, of course. It sounds cool.

“We decided [Tottenham] would be a great next step. Playing time is the most important thing. When you go to one of the biggest clubs, competition is tougher. There are pros and cons to everything. But joining a club where I’ll get to play and develop is what matters most.”

TV 2 also reported that Brann received large bids from numerous clubs, including powerhouses Lyon, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. The choice, ultimately, came down to Gaupset, and she chose Spurs.

“There’s been so much to take in and so much new information. So many clubs have been interested. I’ve been able to compare them and figure out what really matters to me when choosing a new club. It’s been a big learning experience.

“It really comes down to the league. The English league is a bit more balanced, and the culture outside football would be a bigger adjustment elsewhere. The language is easier there too.”

Gaupset is a young player, but an exciting one. She turned a lot of heads while playing with Brann in the Champions League in 2023-24 and for Norway in the Euros, and while stats from the Norwegian Topserien (which just ended last week) are hard to come by, she had 15 goals and 14 assists for Brann this season, putting her the league’s third highest scorer and the league leader in assists.

Her Champions League stats from 2023-24 when she was 18 are also pretty dope.

She will leave Brann with statistics of 33 goals in 121 matches, three league titles, a Norwegian Cup win, and a quarterfinal appearance in the Women’s Champions League. She profiles as a shooty attacking midfielder, and her signing would suggest that she’s likely coming in as the heir to Kit Graham in Spurs’ attacking band. Graham, 29, has been at Tottenham since 2019 and is loved by Spurs fans, but she’s also coming off of two recent ACL injuries and has been used sparingly by Ho so far this season. Midfielder Maite Oroz also sustained a knee injury in October, and Gaupset likely not have to wait long to get minutes in the WSL.

Tottenham do love to mine Scandinavia for talent, and they’re going back to the well with this signing. That’s okay. Gaupset profiles as a player you can dream on, though this would be a significant step up in competition for her. That said, it also signifies Spurs are ready to once again spend real money to get players in to improve the team, and that’s pretty exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do in the second half of the season!

Good morning, dearest hoddlers. I have a little bit of a two-for-one today. Two hoddles. Same amount of fun. All for the same price.

Hoddle one:

This is really just a quick update to Wednesday’s hoddle.

I awoke on Wednesday to a rather lengthy post from Will explaining to me Americanos and the good ol’ fashioned Italian-designed Moka pots. In his wisdom, Will suggested I add hot water to my 3-cup Moka pot coffee. I took this suggestion to heart.

Now, this inspired me. I didn’t quite go that way - but it reminded me I have a leftover milk frother from a previous coffee maker. I fired that badboy up with my almond milk to create some frothy milk and poured it into the coffee.

I can’t claim this to be a latte, cappuccino or any sort of espresso drink. Firstly, because I didn’t use espresso beans. Secondly, it was an ad hoc decision at 7am. The milk was a bit too frothy for my taste (I prefer something a bit creamier). I like adding milk to my coffee because I think it’s fun to see the colour change.

But I now think I will purchase some espresso beans to begin experimenting with espresso-style drinks in the near future. We’ll see how this milk frother holds (so far, not a fan but maybe I’ll get a better one).

Hoddle two:

It’s getting dark, so please stay safe and light up. By that I mean LED lights, of course. No one needs to be struck by oncoming traffic (pedestrians, cyclists, motor vehicles or otherwise).

Your hoddler-in-chief went for a run after work last week and was about to use his cool LED light, only that it no longer works. “Gosh no,” fitzie said to himself. “Okay okay, let’s get through this one and then buy a new light for next week’s post-work run.”

So I did my 8-mile run, and it got really freaking dark during it. I ran very gingerly along the National Mall.

I’m having a nice cooldown at the end in a part of Washington DC where the brick-layered sidewalk is uneven because of how old it is. Fellow pedestrians are walking the other way, so I move slightly to my right to not bump into them.

In the darkness I do not see the bricks protruding from the ground, knock my foot on it and fall. And I fell hard - really, really hard.

“Oh gosh are you okay,” the passers-by wailed as others shrieked in horror.

“Aye, I am,” Fitzie responded after rolling on the ground in a great deal of pain. Fitzie then turned around, exhaled an elongated expletive before yelling “That hurt,” as he limped the rest of the way home, gripping his left hip.

One fist-size bruise - the colour of a rich aubergine - appeared on fitzie’s left hip after he cleaned off the blood when he got home. A second fist-sized bruised showed itself on his lower left hip the next day, as well as a third bruise and adjacent scrapes on his left elbow, cuts on his left hand, a fourth bruise on his left knee and a fifth and final bruise on his right knee.

It really, really hurt. A week has since passed and all five bruises remain. (Although FWIW your hoddler-in-chief is pretty dang tough and ran a 14-miler on Sunday).

So please, let your hoddler-in-chief’s pain be a reminder to illuminate yourself during this time of the year, and be careful where you’re going.

Fitzie’s track of the day: La Perla, by Rosalia

And now for your links:

BBC: “Cardiff to host opening match of Euro 2028”

Guardian: “Red, white and shoe: England and Tuchel have world at their feet with fresh focus”

Tottenham Hotspur Women fell 4-2 to fellow midtable standout London City Lionesses in last Sunday’s highly anticipated matchup. Spurs matched London City for two goals but were unable to prevent or respond to 81st and 84th minute strikes.

Martin Ho, as he has done recently, selected a relatively unchanged side – Ashleigh Neville started in place of Josefine Rybrink at right back, and Tinka Tandberg came in for Beth England up top.

Despite a strong start, we conceded early–nearly on London City’s first opportunity for attack. The goal came on a corner when the Lionesses’ corner fell to their talented, young center back Sangare, who played it top of the box to Freya Godfrey. Godfrey’s finish was one touch, and nobody managed to react in time to clear. The sides traded attacks for much of the half – London City found joy down both wings, particularly through Imuran, Parris and Godfrey, while Spurs made headway in the middle. Eventually, Spurs found an equalizer through an attack orchestrated by Olivia Holdt. After a number of blocked shots, the ball fell to Drew Spence in the box and she was fouled for the penalty. Tinka Tandberg took the penalty and made no mistake. (Sidebar - Tinka Tandberg is a lifelong fan of Harry Kane. Watch the pen and tell me whether you see the stylistic resemblance. I sure did.)

The Lionesses struck again early in the second half. Drew Spence lost the ball in midfield and the Lionesses broke down our left side. Amanda Nildén and Ash Neville had both committed too far forward to be much help stopping the counterattack. Nikita Parris tapped it in at the far post, and possibly broke Lize Kop’s nose in the process. Lize wasn’t substituted, but I’m not sure she looked right for the rest of the game.

Eveliina Summanen equalized from a spectacular free kick in the 69th minute after Matilda Vinberg was brought down just outside the box (ICYMI, you can find the good stuff here). But Spurs attempts to press on deflated due to an unlucky own goal in the 81st minute. Amanda Nildén was rushing toward the endline and could only put the ball in her own net when Asslani’s deflected free kick fell unexpectedly at her feet. Moments later, Tōko Koga gave the ball away in midfield. Spurs scrambled to stop the resulting counter, but nobody could stop Freya Godfrey from cutting inside and shooting past Lize Kop. Spurs failed to take a couple half-chances to reduce the deficit, and that was that.

Substitutions

Martin Ho made a number of substitutions in an attempt to either shore things up or change the game. Martha Thomas replaced Jess in the 61st minute, Beth England replaced Tinka Tandberg in the 71st minute, Lenna Gunning-Williams came in for Matilda Vinberg in the 89th minute. I found some of these choices a bit odd – Jess and Matilda were only having OK games, but Martha and Lenna haven’t shown anything to make me think they might do better. That said, I’m not sure who I would’ve brought on in their stead. I also would’ve liked to see Martin substitute Amanda, who looked very tired, or Eveliina, who is possibly still carrying those broken ribs.

Other Thoughts

It was a demoralizing end to the game, and an uncomfortable reminder ahead of the North London Derby that this Spurs side has not entirely ironed out the sloppiness and haplessness that plagued the side last year.

Between the set piece routines, the midfield marking, and the speed up and down the wings, it was obvious London City came prepared for this game. I’m not sure we had a good enough plan in return. Most of our attempts to progress the ball seemed to run through Olivia Holdt. London City marked her out of the game for the first 30 minutes, and even once she got going, well, one person probably shouldn’t be doing everything. To be fair, it was pretty congested in the center of the pitch, and Olivia is a player who really shines holding on to the ball in tight spaces. I wasn’t a fan of our attempts to progress the ball down the wing into space since London City’s pacy fullbacks were easily able to match even Jess Naz, who is quite quick.

Martin Ho has given me no reason to think he won’t address the tactical issues in the coming weeks. But this is the thing – Godfrey and Rofiat Imuran both had monstrous games in attack, as did some of the big names in midfield like Asslani, Geyoro, and Kumagai. London City and Michelle Kang have truly invested. We’ve looked awesome under Martin Ho so far, but we still have mostly middle of the road attacking talent. I can only hope our club will address the depth and talent issues in the January transfer window.

Up Next

I’m sorry to report that we face Arsenal next. However, there could be worse times to do it! Arsenal trailed us in the table until last week, and now they’re only ahead on goal difference. They’re coming off a 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich midweek in the Champions League in which they blew a 2 goal lead. They might be tired, they might be demoralized! Personally, I’m hoping we reprise our famous 1-0 2023 victory against them. Wouldn’t that be nice?

“Many people are curious. The rumors themselves are uncomfortable. Fans must also be confused. My belief and mindset have always been that giving my all to the team I am playing for is most important. The rumors are not true. I have never once discussed moving to another team during the winter. The mere mention of such talks could be disrespectful to LAFC. I can confirm it is not true.

“I am focusing on recharging during the winter and preparing for the World Cup. I want to create the best possible condition to prepare for the World Cup. I hope such rumors do not resurface. I respect and cherish the LAFC club.”

Did you forget about Radu Dragusin? You’d be forgiven if you had. The Romanian central defender has been out since injuring his ACL vs. Elfsborg in the Europa League last January 30. Ten months is a long time to be out of football.

Thomas Frank said in a press conference recently, when asked about injured players returning to the Tottenham Hotspur squad, that Dragusin was likely going to get some minutes in a closed-door friendly. That’s exactly what happened this morning — Spurs posted on social media that Radu got his first match minutes in a training game against Leyton Orient at Spurs’ Hotspur Way training center.

The club also posted a short video compilation of Radu in action during the match. It looked like the rest of the team was composed of academy kids; Radu was the tallest guy out there from what I could tell.

This is actually pretty huge for Radu, both physically and psychologically. The video is short, but shows Radu sprinting and not looking like he’s favoring his bum knee. There’s a long way to go from “45 minutes in training match against a League One reserve team” to “cromulent defender in a Premier League match” but it’s good to see. I have no evidence to prove this, but I have wondered since Ange Postecoglou left the club whether Dragusin’s much-discussed tactical deficiencies might be ameliorated somewhat under Thomas Frank as opposed to Ange’s high line. Looks like we may get a chance to find out before too long.

Best thing about that short video however was the hug from James Maddison at the very beginning. Madders and Dragusin are ACL Buddies, and both players compared scars and experiences in rehabbing from the same injury in a video Maddison posted to YouTube a few weeks back. I bet Maddison derived a great amount of joy watching Radu play for the first time, knowing that will eventually be him.

Update: He sure did! Maddison posted this on his Instagram stories just after this morning’s friendly. What a guy.

I hate the international break, but until I am crowned World Emperor of Soccer and am able to unilaterally eliminate it, I guess we’re stuck with it. Even so, with no REAL football for ten days it’s worth taking a look at which Tottenham Hotspur players have been called up to represent their countries, if only so we can track which players subsequently pick up injuries that add to Spurs’ already critical crisis.

First, it’s worth noting who WASN’T called up. Randal Kolo Muani has remained in London after his jaw got in the way of Harry Maguire’s elbow last weekend and he withdrew from the France squad. Radu Dragusin also will not play for Romania, though Spurs have hinted he might get some minutes in a behind closed doors friendly match sometime over the next ten days, suggesting he could be set for a return to the first team soon. Destiny Udogie was not called up by Italy, likely because he’s only recently returned from injury himself. Mohammed Kudus is supposedly “touch and go” for Tottenham but he did not join up with his Ghana teammates in this cycle. Ben Davies has also withdrawn from the Wales camp and he continues to rehab from an injury. Yves Bissouma also was not called up by Mali.

Some of these players will play a little, some of them will play a lot. For some, like Lucas Bergvall, it provides an opportunity to get critical match minutes coming off of an absence (i.e. a concussion) and for most it’s an chance to prove themselves at the international (or junior international) level.