Cartilage Free Captain

Welcome back to our mini-series looking back at Tottenham Hotspur’s intriguing preseason campaign. Yesterday, we got started with some of the positive takeaways: the players who stood out, exceeded expectations, and seized the chance before them. Tomorrow, as we lead into the first match of the season against Burnley, we’ll look at some of the quandaries and questions of the season’s preparations.

As for today, it’s a journey through the negatives. Who’s struggled through preseason, and perhaps not cemented themselves in Thomas Frank’s plans they way they could (or should) have?

Why don’t we get sad together?

Note: I haven’t included players who have missed significant time due to injury, such as James Maddison, Manor Solomon, or Dane Scarlett.

Yves Bissouma

It’s a far cry from Biss’ heady heights in the early days of Ange-ball at Spurs. Bissouma looked off the pace in preseason, with Rodrigo Bentancur and some of the younger options in Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall often being preferred ahead of him; even late on in closing out matches where you think somebody with his engine and ability would excel. This is before the signing of Joao Palhinha, mind you!

Yves is always one moment away from making a mistake, and it just seems like Frank doesn’t trust him. That lack of trust won’t have been remedied in any way by Bissouma showing up late to training either, breaking team protocols and earning himself a suspension from the matchday squad for the Super Cup. It feels like his days are numbered at Spurs.

Brennan Johnson

It’s getting harder and harder to work out where the Europa League final hero fits in Frank’s starting XI. Though Johnson is always a goal threat, the deficiencies in other areas of the squad demand more from the wide roles, which new signing Mohamed Kudus seems to offer. Johnson’s playing time has therefore dwindled as preseason has gone on, and one solid performance against Newcastle aside, when he has played, he’s been completely anonymous in a rather uninspiring attack.

This culminated in a sub appearance against Arsenal, where he worked hard in defense, but only touched the ball four times in nearly half an hour. It’s the sort of stint that seems to happen a little too often for Brennan, and with Spurs now linked with another right wing in the form of Savinho, Johnson is going to have to really fight for his spot.

Mathys Tel

I feel bad even writing this, especially given what Tel has endured over the last couple of days; but the reality is that Tel hasn’t exactly shone through preseason. I am a huge fan of Tel, and I honestly thought he would be a fantastic stylistic fit for an Mbeumo-eque wide role under Frank. That never really eventuated, as other players were preferred in the wide areas, and Tel spent most of his time at striker covering for the injured Dom Solanke and Richarlison where he was largely ineffectual.

Tel is still young, and with a bright future in front of him; but with the departure of Son I really thought he could step up and be “the guy”. There’s still plenty of time, but it’s likely he’ll have to bide his as Spurs look for more attacking reinforcements and Frank seems to prefer other options.

Alfie Devine

After a pretty successful loan season in the Belgian top flight, I had high hopes for Alfie this season. A talented, front-foot midfielder with a good all-round skillset, I was hoping he would build on his time at Westerlo with a strong preseason campaign, potentially sticking around as depth for the senior squad as a club-trained option in Europe.

Instead, he played barely more than a half of football (where I maintain he looked pretty good!) before being loaned out to the Championship with an option to buy. It’s not a terrible result for Alfie, but I was expecting more, and with the injury to Maddison Devine could have been a valuable contributor if he could have made that next step.

Tottenham Hotspur’s failed bid for Morgan Gibbs-White has prompted a lot of questions since Nottingham Forest refused to accept a bid above the player’s release clause. Gibbs-White eventually signed a new contract with Forest, scuppering any chance Spurs had of landing the player.

It’s been an open question up until now what actually happened. Did Spurs actually meet Gibbs-White’s release clause? Why did Forest refuse to accept the bid? Did Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis actually report Spurs to the Premier League for an illegal approach?

We still don’t know the answers to all of these questions, but articles from Jay Harris in The Athletic and Alasdair Gold in Football.London have provided some new details that have given a bit of clarity to what happened and why.

Here’s a brief summary.

Tottenham Hotspur placed a bid for Gibbs-White that, after escalators, was above the £60m release clause for the player and would’ve been higher than the £65m club record fee they paid for Dominic Solanke

Forest owner Marinakis was furious over the bid, suggesting Spurs had somehow underhandedly discovered the release clause, which was supposedly confidential. In addition, Forest maintained that Tottenham’s initial bid “did not trigger aspects of the clause beyond the £60m fee,” the conditions of which was not explained in either article and remains a mystery

Forest threatened to report Tottenham to the Premier League for an “illegal approach” but never actually did

Tottenham then came back with an even larger bid above Gibbs-White’s release clause, but Forest did not accept that bid either, holding that the approach was illegal

In the meantime, Gibbs-White continued to train, and was convinced to sign a new contract after a 30-minute meeting with Marinakis

Tottenham, upon learning of Gibbs-White’s new contract, were “flabbergasted,” with suggestions within the club that Gibbs-White’s decision to stay at Forest “could not have been a financial one”

It’s not clear who told Tottenham about Gibbs-White’s release clause, or even if anyone did at all; the possibility exists that they simply made a bid and it happened to trigger it, but this can’t be proven and likely won’t be

Gibbs-White telephoned Thomas Frank to apologize for how things played out, and Frank told him he had nothing to apologize for

Nobody — neither Spurs, Forest, CAA Base, or the Premier League — is willing to speak publicly on the record about what really happened

There’s enough smoke here to be able to make a reasonable surmise about what happened, and that is this: MGW had a release clause, Tottenham (by whatever method) met it, and Marinakis simply didn’t want to sell. That’s at least what Occam’s Razor tells me via the above details. It’s not something I would ever bet the house on, but it does feel like the most reasonable explanation.

If MGW had a release clause but Forest believed it to be confidential, then it explains why Marinakis and Forest were so furious over Tottenham’s bid. Regardless of whether Spurs knew or were tipped off about the release clause number or not, if a club makes a bid for a player that eclipses that amount they’re legally obligated to honor it. But a confidential clause makes it somewhat likely that the selling club could just ignore it, because if a tree falls in the forest and doesn’t make a sound, maybe it doesn’t really exist?

That’s a legal argument Tottenham could’ve probably pursued, but it would’ve very likely been a long and drawn out process that might have carried it past the end of the transfer window and into the new season. Once the player decided to sign a new contract, it more or less became moot; in that case I can see a situation where Spurs decided it was not worth the effort.

Now, let’s back up a second and note that Tottenham actually made not one, but TWO bids that were over MGW’s release clause, one (potentially) unknowingly, and one knowingly. I recognize that Gibbs-White was identified as one of the clubs’ key summer signings, but I’m already on record as thinking a £60m bid was already too high. Bidding OVER the release clause for MGW feels a bit insane to me and not exactly a good use of club resources. That nugget of info definitely made my eyebrows raise.

I also am intensely curious what other conditions, beyond the financial bid, might have been included in Gibbs-White’s release clause that Spurs didn’t meet with their bid. I’m struggling to think of what those might have been and whether or not it’s even possible to include those into what is supposed to be a purely financial process.

Also a bit alarming was the suggestion from inside Tottenham’s camp that MGW’s new deal might not have been made purely for financial reasons. There are suggestions that Marinakis has ties to the Greek mafia, and has allegations of sportswashing and corruption made against him in the past. I do not know that Tottenham’s assertions have anything to do with that, nor am I making that claim myself, but it is very interesting to suggest that Gibbs-White’s new deal might not be a purely financial one and then not go any further as to what other factors could have been involved. It’s also important to note, as the Athletic points out, that MGW could’ve been willing to advance his career by moving to Tottenham and also be perfectly happy staying at Forest under new contractual terms; these things are not mutually exclusive.

I’ve been waiting for an article or two like the ones linked above that could provide some additional context to what happened with Morgan Gibbs-White. The new details are interesting, but still don’t provide a full picture of what happened. I doubt we’ll ever know the full story, or at least not for a very long time.

In the end, Marinakis and Nottingham Forest “won” — they were able to successfully refuse to honor a bid for one of their best players that was above the release clause in the player’s contract by throwing a huge hissy fit and screaming about it until Spurs backed away. Tottenham still don’t have a high-level (and healthy) #10, though that could change if they are able to sign Savinho and Eberechi Eze.

It makes you wonder if Forest, or another club, will try this tactic again in the future.

Despite the defeat in Wednesday’s nothing-more-than-a-friendly, Tottenham Hotspur enters the Thomas Frank era with plenty of hope. With the silverware drought finally ended and transfer rumors continuing to fly, the start of the new campaign feels overall very positive, though there is much work to do. A 17th-place finish will not happen again, but Frank faces a difficult road to get the club back where it belongs.

That all starts with a visit from promoted Burnley to begin the Premier League season. The Clarets have gone down-up-down-up the past four years and will try their best to make it a multi-year stay this time, though betting markets have them favored to once again drop back down. At home against a bottom side, Spurs have no excuses on Saturday to not open up with three points.

Match Details

Date: Saturday, August 16

Time: 10:00 am ET, 3:00 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Peacock (US)

Table: Tottenham (0 pts), Burnley (0 pts)

Spurs beat Burnley three times in the 2023/24 season before the Clarets returned to the Championship. At Turf Moor, Heung-Min Son bagged a hat trick and Cristian Romero and James Maddison added belters in a 5-2 win. Pedro Porro one-upped them all to secure an FA Cup Third Round victory, then scored another impressive goal in the 2-1 league win in North London, with Micky van de Ven slotting in the winner. After all, scoring goals is just what Romero and van de Ven do!

Three Big Questions

How will Frank force the issue? Though the horrendous defense doomed Tottenham last season, there are more question marks regarding the attack at the moment. Reinforcements may be on the way, but even with the rumored names, it is not perfectly clear how this side will progress the ball. It was fun to see the set pieces yield a pair of goals against PSG, but at the end of the day, this squad must convert possession into chances.

Spurs will face plenty of low blocks this season — certainly an increased amount for Frank — so answering this challenge quickly is imperative. Burnley will obviously look to sit and defend as much as possible, meaning supporters will get an early glimpse at Tottenham’s tactics against (and ability to break down) extremely defensive sides. Do not expect another back three this weekend.

Is the Burnley defense actually good? Burnley conceded a ridiculously low 16 goals in 46 Championship matches last season and will now try to carry that performance forward. But against much, much higher competition and without outstanding keeper James Trafford at Turf Moor this year, it seems difficult to feel great about this defense despite the previous season’s success.

In addition to promotion and personnel turnover, also working against the Clarets is a simple argument for regression. With 39.1 xGA last year, odds are the defensive excellence was going to slip even still in the Championship. Now facing significantly better opponents and elite attackers, the floodgates might open. Unfortunately, Spurs might not be able to fully capitalize, but Burnley’s defensive numbers (and narratives) from last season do likely overstate reality.

How much patience does the fanbase have? While this is just one of 38 matches, it will be difficult to not extrapolate out the entire year following Saturday, especially if Tottenham does not secure the win. After taking 15 points against the newly promoted clubs in 2022/23, and all 18 points in 2023/24, Spurs were just 3-1-2 against them last season. Though that campaign was (hopefully??) an anomaly, starting the season with more struggles against the bottom would be a troubling omen.

I hope for patience with Frank — especially with the transfer window still open and a positive showing in Udine — but know that all of us are desperate to have long-term faith in a system again. Tottenham has not opened the league season with a win since 2022/23; this feels like the perfect opportunity to snap this drought and move forward from the sourness of (the domestic portion of) last year.

The Premier League is BACK!

Finally, finally finally we get some Premier League football again. It feels like only Wednesday that Tottenham were playing a European cup match.

And it’s such a wonderful time of year when every club enters with an unblemished record and an unbridled optimism that belies are far realer crippling pessimism, where every corner conceded, every goal opportunity missed and every game lost driving us further and further into madness.

Of course a Tottenham Hotspur blog will care more about Spurs than any other football match out there this weekend, but there are still some intriguing matchups.

Two that seem particularly interesting are Chelsea-Palace and Man United-Arsenal.

I had considered setting up a poll to ask which game you’re all looking forward to most this weekend (excluding Spurs, obviously) but I’m not sure how to under this new setup. And I’m frankly too tired to learn right now.

So here’s the list of games. Which one are you looking forward to?:

Liverpool - Bournemouth

Villa - Newcastle

Brighton - Fulham

Sunderland - West Ham

Wolves - City

Chelsea - Palace

Forest - Brentford

United - Arsenal

Leeds - Everton

Oh we’re so close to football, I can almost taste it. Share your hopes, dreams and more in the comments below.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Spontaneous Apple Creation, by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$): “Why Frank’s ‘special operation’ offered promise even if Tottenham succumbed at the last”

Tottenham Hotspur: “New number for Gunning-Williams”

Sky Sports: “Chelsea to donate portion of Club World Cup prize money to family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva”

The Independent: “How grief will shape Liverpool’s season after Diogo Jota death”

BBC: “Premier League predictions 2025-26: BBC Sport pundits pick their top four”

Barney Ronay: “Premier League’s big show is back, full of thrills but facing new threat to its power”

PA via ESPN: “Morecambe say agreement in principle reached for sale”

Oxford Mail: “Oxford United given planning approval for new stadium”

It’s been a sad summer with regards to my all-time favorite Tottenham Hotspur players. First Son Heung-Min left the club to finish his career with LAFC in MLS, and now this — according to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo, former Tottenham attacking midfielder Erik Lamela has terminated his contract with AEK Athens and retired. He now plans to join the coaching staff at Sevilla.

If you don’t like Erik Lamela, you have no soul (or you joined the fandom too late). Now 33, it’s clear Erik was nearing the end of his playing days, but it’s still sad to see of your favorites hang up his boots. That said, this feels like a real missed opportunity for Tottenham and Thomas Frank. Surely Spurs could use Dark Arts and Shithousery Coach, right? Lamela practically has a PhD in the subjects and I hate the idea of him imparting his skills onto the next generation of Sevilla footballers and not that of his beloved Spurs. There’s a whole generation of young Tottenham academy players who could absolutely benefit from learning how to steal water bottles from opposition physios, the best way to step on Cesc Fabregas’ hand while pretending it was accidental, the art of slide-tackling opponents inside your own box, rabona goal instruction, and calling Jack Wilshere a p***y.

Football is that much poorer without him on the pitch, but at least he’s still in the game. And who knows, maybe someday we’ll see Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Erik Lamela someday. Wouldn’t THAT be something? Go on, king.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a full schedule as they have prepared for the 2025/26 season. With multiple friendlies at home, a tour of Asia, and then the UEFA Super Cup to contest, Spurs have had their hands full.

An additional layer of intrigue has been generated by both Spurs’ management shake-up and changes in the front office, and new tactical setups have shown us new sides of players previously unseen. These matches don’t mean much, Super Cup and North London Derby (how weird was that?) aside, but we get a chance to see players we wouldn’t usually see, new combinations and tactical tinkering. Preseason is fun! Mostly.

In this series of three, I’m going to break down who I think were the shining lights, the disappointments, and the enigmas amongst Spurs’ squad as we head into the season, starting today with the winners. Here’s the Tottenham footballers who I think really impressed through Spurs’ preseason campaign.

Pape Matar Sarr

Pape Matar Sarr has had a new lease of life under Thomas Frank. Without the on-ball requirements expected in Ange Postecoglou’s system, he has looked like a man possessed in preseason. Sure, I wish his technical ability and passing were better; but he is so damn good off the ball and has a monstrous engine. He pretty much single-handedly shut down PSG’s build-up in the first half of the Super Cup, in a repeat of his performance in the Europa League final, and he was also Spurs’ top scorer through preseason.

I think there’s a chance (depending on new signings, of course) he could end up being a near lock for the starting XI coming into the end of the season.

Mohamed Kudus

The new signing has hit the ground running at Spurs, and the Super Cup final showed just how dependent Spurs currently are on his skills. Tricky and technical, but unbelievably strong as well, he’s been the perfect outlet for Thomas Frank’s side, with his teammates often pinging all sorts of lost-cause passes at him that somehow the Ghanaian winger does something with. His passing has actually been more impressive than I expected as well, though I hope some of his skill can turn into more output around the penalty area.

I think his versatility and skill will be key at times to unlocking opposition teams this season.

Kevin Danso

The Austrian center back had his loan made permanent this summer, and he’s celebrated that with some impressive performances through preseason. Though Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are arguably locked-in starters most matches, there will be a lot of fixtures to get through and both Romero and Van de Ven do not have the greatest injury records (understatement of the year, right here).

Having somebody who can come in a do a job as rotation or in their stead is important, and Danso looked solid in all his preseason appearances, arguably the best player on the pitch against Newcastle and part of a titanic defensive display against PSG. The latter also showed how vital he could be to Spurs’ efforts this season, as he was comfortable in back three, a formation that is no stranger to Thomas Frank, and provided threat with long throws. I’m glad we have somebody like Danso in the squad.

Jun’ai Byfield

Wait, not Luka Vuskovic, I hear you say? While the Croatian Adonis was impressive in preseason, it appears he’s more likely to head off on loan: probably roughly in-line with expectations. The youngster who really exceeded them for me was Byfield. He played close to half an hour against Luton Town, and looked completely at home in the backline against a tough League One outfit - at 16-years-old. Sixteen.

It didn’t go unnoticed, also, that he was named on the bench for the UEFA Super Cup. He has a bright future ahead of him, and if he’s this good already, it’s going to be interesting to see how he progresses.

Tottenham Hotspur are expecting to ramp up their interest in Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze in the coming days, according to Mike McGrath of the Telegraph. Eze has seemingly shot to the top of Tottenham’s transfer want-list after the long-term injury to James Maddison.

Spurs have had a long-term interest in Eze going back years to when he was still at Queens Park Rangers, but this feels like the first time Tottenham could actually make a concrete attempt to sign him. Eze has a £68m release clause in his Crystal Palace contract that expires on Friday, but Tottenham’s negotiations seem to be attempting to seal a deal for less than that price. Eze currently has two years left on his Palace contract, and he was at one point this summer very close to a transfer to Arsenal.

We don’t know yet how much it would cost to get Palace to agree to sell Eze, one of their best players. There were spurious reports earlier in the week that Tottenham had a £40m approach knocked back by Palace, but indications are that a deal could be reached for below Eze’s fee. Wages are not thought to be a problem, with suggestions he’s currently on £100k/wk on his current Palace deal.

We’ll see. Spurs are also working closely on a deal for 20-year-old Brazilian winger Savinho from Manchester City that is supposedly entirely separate and not linked to an approach for Eze. Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has said he wants to bring in a forward, an attacking midfielder, and a central defender before the transfer window closes.

I understand we’re halfway through the month, but I don’t care. Tottenham Hotspur Women deserve to be featured, and it was my fault for not posting about them accurately earlier this month. A significant thanks is offered to the commenter who pointed that out to me.

Here’s the deal. There is a schedule for Tottenham Hotspur women. But their season doesn’t properly being until September (boo !!!)

Settle down. SETTLE DOWN, I SAY. SETTLE DOWN!

My dearest audience, have you not heard? Tottenham Hotspur Women are playing a preseason friendly against Sevilla this Friday!

I understand there has been some consternation among the hoddle placement lately amid this site’s transformation. But I agree with our overlord D-Menno: Tottenham Hotspur Women deserve to be featured.

They will. I would rather this site promote women’s sports than a supercilious column that rarely touches on the club it is supposed to cover. Let’s be real, is this even a column, or is this fitzie’s verbiage playground?

I hate how clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa have treated their women’s teams, and I will never support it. Women’s sport’s aren’t a means to support a men’s club. Women’s sports are an ends to themselves. And I hope Tottenham will never go down the Chelsea route. And every day I am grateful Spurs were blessed with a superstar like Alex Morgan to put the club in its place.

I’ll never forget that Spurs Women once practiced at the same facility as fitzie’s tennis team. A professional football club deserves professional training grounds.

Come On You Spurs Women!

Fitzie’s track of the day: It’s My Life, by No Doubt

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “PSG 2-2 Tottenham (4-3 pens): Spurs let 2-0 lead slip in closing stages to miss out on UEFA Super Cup”

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Thomas Frank said on Tottenham’s PSG shoot-out defeat, his plan and transfers”

BBC: “Work to do as Spurs collapse - but promising signs for Frank”

It wasn’t a great night last night for Tottenham Hotspur. After leading by two goals in the UEFA Super Cup against PSG, Spurs proceeded to concede their lead, before falling in a penalty shootout. It was a disappointing result, but what was worse was the reaction of the more toxic arm of the Spurs fandom, as people in both the stadium and via social media let loose a torrent of abuse towards the players; specifically, Mathys Tel, who was the victim of a deluge of racist slurs.

The club, via their website and social media channels, have released a statement in response:

In the strongly worded statement, the club calls out the abusers as cowards (which they are) and pledges to work with authorities and social media platforms to clamp down on said racist cowards - at least, as far as the law allows.

I’m probably not the person who should be covering this. As a straight, white male in my mid-30’s, I have never been the victim of targeted abuse or discrimination for who I am, so it’s hard for me to comprehend just how impactful some of the disgusting attacks spewed by so-called “supporters” of this club (and of course, outside of sports fandom) can be; but I am appalled by the response of these people (though not surprised) while pleasantly surprised the club has chosen to address it head-on, as well as the manner in which they have done so.

Two players missed a penalty in the shoot-out: Tel and Micky van de Ven; and though we can complain about performance and failings on the pitch, shifting from that to tearing down somebody’s identity and person is beyond the pale. Of course, only one player is the target here, and it’s not Micky - though there are a number of comments calling the defender a clown, and criticizing his miss, it’s nothing compared to what Tel has had to endure. It’s pretty obvious why that is.

His teammates have reached out with messages of support as well, notably fellow forward Dominic Solanke:

Here’s hoping he has the support he needs around him, the club continues to back him, and the supporters shower him with love when he turns out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Keep you head up, Mathys. We’re all behind you.

Tottenham Hotspur had a huge chance to start their season off with a bang as they took on Paris Saint-Germain for the UEFA Super Cup. A tough assignment on any day of the week, Spurs took an early lead and looked nailed on to take the match before PSG rallied late to send the match to penalties as the match finished two-apiece in normal time. The French side were more clinical in the shootout, dispatching four of their five penalties, and adding another piece of silverware to the Parisians’ trophy cabinet as Spurs were left wondering what could have been.

Both managers raised eyebrows with their starting XIs. PSG lined up in a very attacking 4-2-4, with key midfielder Fabian Ruiz on the bench, while Thomas Frank set up his Spurs side in a 3-4-1-2 formation. It was a tactical setup that Frank regularly deployed against sides he perceived as stronger while in charge of Brentford, but not one seen at Spurs through preseason. With that formation in mind, Frank’s player selections were largely unsurprising, with the expected selections in defense, a stodgy midfield three in the form of Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, and Pape Matar Sarr, and Richarlison and Mohamed Kudus starting up front.

The first half was very much a patchy affair, with one side extremely rusty, coming into the match with limited build-up, and the other looking to disrupt tempo and impede any fluidity of a very dangerous opponent. Clear-cut chances were limited: a couple of cut-backs from PSG were the only moments of consternation for the Spurs defense; while the long throw made an appearance on a couple of occasions, causing PSG to scramble to clear. More scrambling was required by PSG keeper Lucas Chevalier, as Richarlison tried his luck from distance on a fast break, forcing Chevalier into a very good save.

It always felt likely that a set piece would create a scoring opportunity for Spurs, and that proved to be the case. Guglielmo Vicario swung in a free kick from around the halfway line, which captain Cristian Romero won and headed centrally. Micky van de Ven contested the ball before it fell to Palhinha, doing well to get an effort on target with the ball bouncing. PSG keeper Lucas Chevalier saved impressively at close range, palming the shot onto the bar, but Van de Ven was quickest to the rebound, slotting past the Frenchman and giving Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 halftime lead.

Spurs doubled their lead soon after the break in a similar manner. Another free kick was swung in towards the box, this time by Pedro Porro from slightly higher up the pitch, and Cristian Romero met the delivery out on the left, timing his run well to get free of the PSG defense. This time, Spurs’ captain was close enough to direct his header on target, where Chevalier managed to get both hands to the attempt but made a meal of the save, the ball nestling in the back of the net rather than the keeper’s gloves.

PSG began to look more dangerous as the match wore on, with both sides tiring and Fabian Ruiz entering the match, making a significant impact. His passing and ability on the ball started to find PSG attackers in more open situations, with some impressive last-ditch defending required by Spurs. PSG got in behind on a couple of occasions, even managing to get the ball in Guglielmo Vicario’s net; however, though Spurs were saved by the offside flag, fantastic blocks by Cristian Romero and Kevin Danso were great examples of how tough this new-look Spurs side could be to break down.

That wouldn’t last, though, with PSG refusing to let the match meander to a conclusion. They kept pushing forward and finally made their possession count, scoring via a fantastic strike to make things interesting. A headed clearance fell to Vitinha outside Spurs’ 18-yard box, with the Portuguese midfielder feeding the ball to Lee Kang-In. The Korean attacker struck the ball cleanly from range past Vicario’s despairing dive, and PSG were all of a sudden back in the match.

With six minutes added time signalled by the assistant referee, nerves would have surely been high amongst the players on the pitch. Spurs bunkered in, and PSG continued to throw everything forward. Achraf Hakimi fed the run of Ousmane Dembele down Spurs’ left, and his cross was met by Goncalo Ramos, the glancing header sliding past Vicario. Out of nowhere, the score was 2-2, and Spurs all of a sudden looked tired. Players were cramping up all over the pitch, not least Cristian Romero, but Spurs managed to make it to the fulltime whistle without conceding again - the reward a penalty shootout.

Spurs took the lead early in the shootout, with authoritative strikes by Dominic Solanke and Bentancur, while Vitinha missed following an extremely stilted run-up. Ramos and Dembele then scored their penalties, while Van de Ven had his saved to even the ledger. It was a poor penalty, a saveable height and neither down the middle nor in the corner, but not as poor as Mathys Tel’s. The Frenchman lined up as Spurs’ fourth taker, but followed Vitinha’s example, halting his run-up and hooking his shot wide. With Lee Kang-In slotting his effort, Pedro Porro had to net his penalty, and did so with aplomb, hitting the top-right corner. Unfortunately, with PSG in the ascendancy, all Nuno Mendes needed to do was hit the net, and he did so, securing the UEFA Super Cup for PSG in a late turnaround.

Reactions

Well. Spurs are back. I hope you’re happy.

That’s a pretty gutting loss, in all honesty. It felt like Spurs had done enough to secure the win, but a side like PSG is never dead and buried.

Thomas Frank’s tactics were impressive, and really disrupted the PSG build-up, especially in the first half. I really enjoy a manager who can coach opponent-specific setups, and this one nearly paid off.

His substitutions unfortunately did not have the required impact. The changes were the right ones to make, but the players that came in largely played poorly. The loss of an outlet up top in the form of Richarlison and Kudus was especially impactful, with Solanke and Tel completely ineffective, allowing PSG to pile pressure on Spurs. Let’s not talk about Tel’s penalty.

To focus on some of the positives, Pape Matar Sarr was excellent, continuing his preseseason form and building on his fantastic display in the Europa League final. He was everywhere, winning two tackles, four interceptions, and making seven ball recoveries. His off-ball ability is so good; if he can build a little on his on-ball quality, baby, we got a stew going.

Rodrigo Bentancur also looks much more comfortable in this double-pivot setup under Frank than he did as the lone #6 under Ange. Palhinha was solid as well, much improved on his poor showing against Bayern Munich.

Djed Spence was also brilliant on the left. I think he’s honestly just a left back; he’s continually looked more comfortable on that side of the pitch than on the right.

The long throw made an appearance! You can see though how important set pieces will be to this side. I would say that maybe that means we don’t need the passing through midfield… but the inability to retain possession late on really made it glaringly obvious why that is not the case.

That’s a pretty big downer just a few days before the start of the Premier League season. Hopefully the side can get their heads up quickly as they look to Burnley in the weekend.

COYS!