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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Their only opposition: Elfsborg.

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

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

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Elfsborg

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Thursday, January 30, 2025

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

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

Streaming: Paramount+

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

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

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

Date: Thursday, January 30

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

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

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

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

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

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

How much leeway?

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

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

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

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

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

Bottom Three: Derby County, Luton Town, Plymouth Argyle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top six:

Bottom three:

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

And now for your links:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our handsome Dutch boy is back. Speaking to the assembled media ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League home fixture against Elfsborg, Ange Postecoglou confirmed that not only is Micky van de Ven recovered from his hamstring injury sustained earlier this season, but he’s likely to start the match on the bench, hopefully getting some minutes.

That’s the good news. The bad news is James Maddison was confirmed to be out 2-3 weeks with a knock.

“Micky is good. He is good to go and we will try to get him some match minutes tomorrow. That’s the plan. Let’s see how much we can get out of him tomorrow. He has a good week/10 days training with the team and is in good condition so he is fine.

“In terms of the other guys, Madders has a calf strain so he is probably two to three weeks. He picked that up in the Hoffenheim game which was a week ago almost. Pape is okay, he still has got a bit of a niggle but he is okay and available. Biss is available. I think that is it for tomorrow night at this stage.

“I am not wary because [Micky] has got to come back at some stage. We can keep him training forever and never play and he maybe gets injured, that’s not how it works. We’ve done everything in our power and we did last time too. Last time he probably played more than he should have him in that first game but again hindsight and the circumstances around that game without rewriting history were pretty challenging anyway, but he’s ticked every box, worked awfully hard and been given clearance by the medical team. Invariably when you’ve had one injury it means you are always going to take a conservative approach, which we have and at some stage he has to play.

“What we’ve got to make sure is to just manage his minutes now to give him every chance to grow into it, but he’s enormous for us because A he is a fantastic player, and B with a lot of these guys who will come back, they are just champing at the bit to help so there is an energy there, a positivity there and for the guys who have been on the grind for a while, just having him training is a boost. Having him out there tomorrow I think even for our supporters it just gives you some energy and renewed energy, particularly for the core group of players who have got us through the last two and a half months, I think it gives us an enormous lift. So, really happy to have him back and tomorrow night is a good game for him to get back into it, European football, so a good way to reintegrate him in and I’m sure he’ll do well.

Ange also gave a brief update on Cuti Romero, who is still working his way back to fitness while training with the full group.

“Cuti’s still a bit of a slow burner. We’re mindful his injury was a bit different and he’s still got to tick a few boxes so, yeah, not for the horizon at the moment in terms of this weekend. We’ll see how he goes after.”

So no Maddison, but a (relatively) healthy Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma? That’s not too shabby. It should hopefully be enough to get a win over the Elf Borg; this is the final match of the group stage and while Spurs have already clinched progression to the next stage of the competition they can clinch top 8 and a bye to the next round with a win on Thursday.

Ange said he doesn’t feel any extra pressure after losing to relegation-battling Leicester City at home this past weekend, but that he wants to get top eight so Spurs have a couple of weeks with only one match.

“No different to any other game mate. It’s a game I want to win and we go into it with the same intent. It’s a competition we have done really well in to be in a great position. We want to solidify our position and finish in the top eight. That’s in our hands tomorrow night. A win makes it certain, a draw is probably going to be good enough as well. Finishing in the top eight for us is hugely important because it gives us a good foothold in the tournament and also gives us a couple of weeks where we don’t have midweek games which at this point we are at is really important.”

Ange also spoke about Yang Min-hyeok’s loan to QPR, a move that surprised some as it leaves Tottenham even more short-handed at a time when it’s all hands on deck. But for Ange, the Yang loan was more about taking the long-term view to make sure he acclimates to England, but also gets some first team football under his belt.

“Just to give him a chance to settle in to a new culture, a new environment, new league, new country. He’s very young and we feel he needs to be allowed to settle. And with our current situation, the last thing I want to do is throw in another young player. We’ve got enough that we’re exposing, they’re doing awfully well. He’s obviously a long-term investment for the football club and we’ve got to do the right thing by him.”

Ange was also asked, as is common (but stupid) in managerial press conferences, about the transfer window and whether Spurs will be making any more moves for incoming players. As he has the entire month, Ange backed the recruitment team of Johan Lange while not really giving anything away... because it’s not his job.

“I’d be disingenuous if I said anything other than fight now there’s nothing imminent but that doesn’t mean there isn’t opportunity being explored. Traditionally the last few days of any window tend to be pretty frenetic. I expect us to be involved in that. Does that mean anything will get concluded? I can’t commit to that because I’m a bit of a distance from it but the information and dialogue I have is we’re exploring all the opportunities to see if we can bring some help in with the finances.”

The press conference also featured some OUTSTANDING comments from Dejan Kulusevski about the team and the injury situation... but that’s another article.

Tottenham kick off against Elfsborg tomorrow at 3 pm. The match is televised on TNT Sports 2 in the UK, and streamed on Paramount+ in USA.

As written by Matty this morning, news broke today that Tottenham Hotspur and QPR were working on a deal that would send young Korean winger Yang Min-hyeok from Spurs to Rangers on loan to the end of the season. Just a bit ago, Tottenham confirmed the move on social media.

I know Spurs are deeply wounded and currently have 12 players out injured, but this really does feel like the right move for Yang at this time. Consider: he’s only been here a couple of months after moving from Korea, and to be honest the level of the K-League is probably on the whole close to League One in England. Expecting him to come as a promising talent in Korea and make an impact at the Premier League level is extremely optimistic. Yang has made the bench for a few matches recently, but Ange has seemingly shown no inclination to give him his club debut, and there’s probably a good reason for that.

QPR are a mid-table Championship club — not in relegation danger but also well down the table despite being four points out of a playoff spot. It feels like sending Yang to West London to get used to English first team football is a good intermediate step, prior to possibly working him into a reserve spot on the team either next season or the season after. And either way, a Championship loan for an 18-year old player is a strong indicator of Yang’s promise of future development.

Postecoglou seems to agree. In Wednesday’s press conference ahead of the Europa League group stage match against Elfsborg, Big Ange said that the club are viewing Yang as a “long term investment”.

“Just to give him a chance to settle in to a new culture, a new environment, new league, new country. He’s very young and we feel he needs to be allowed to settle. And with our current situation, the last thing I want to do is throw in another young player. We’ve got enough that we’re exposing, they’re doing awfully well. He’s obviously a long-term investment for the football club and we’ve got to do the right thing by him.”

So I’m okay with this. The club appears to be taking the long view on player development for someone like Yang, and that’s the smart choice rather than denting his confidence by allowing him to make possibly high profile mistakes in critical games for Spurs this season.

Well, after nearly a month of nothing but low-level Tottenham Hotspur transfer rumor slop, it feels as though the Bat Country heavens have opened up. Fresh on the heels of the Mathys Tel rumor comes another one from Santi Aouna that says Spurs have “opened talks” with Brentford over a move for striker Yoane Wissa.

Aouna’s one of the more reliable transfer mongers out there, so that makes this particularly interesting. Wissa is having a nice season with the Bees with 11 goals and 2 assists in just over 1500 minutes of action this season. The Congolese striker is 28 now — not exactly a spring chicken — but he’s pretty good, with 0.67 npxG+xA/90, the highest of his career. He has 18 months left on his Brentford contract, so his value is very unlikely to get any higher and probably will drop further this summer. That might entice Brentford, who don’t have a ton to play for yet this season, to sell.

Wissa’s a warm body up top, but a pretty decent warm body at that. He’d be a capable replacement for Richarlison in the unlikely event Spurs move him to the Saudi Pro League this week, or just good rotation until Dom Solanke comes back.

It’s a rumor, and we know about how rumors tend to go. I’m not going to tell you that this is going to happen. But it does strike me as a plausible target Spurs could be looking at up top this month, along with Tel.

Potentially exciting news if you like transfer rumor slop — according to multiple sources, Tottenham Hotspur is one of several clubs interested in a loan or purchase of Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel.

BILD (via SportWitness) reports that Tel, who has only made eight Bundesliga appearances for Bayern this season, has changed his mind and wants to leave the club in January, and Bayern is currently scrambling to find a new club for him. BILD also says he “doesn’t want to join Chelsea” (lol) because he sees the Blues as too congested at his position for reliable minutes.

Buddy, can I interest you in a club with 12 injured first team players?

We know already that Tel’s name came up in talks when Spurs were negotiating with Bayern for the sale of Harry Kane, so he’s a name that has been on Spurs’ radar for a while now. It’s not clear whether this would be an outright sale, a “dry” or a “wet” loan, or even if Spurs are actually interested. BILD notes that Manchester United and Arsenal are also clubs with an interest in bringing in Tel. Writing in the Telegraph (£), Matt Law seems to corroborate reports that Spurs are interested and open to talks, but only mentions Chelsea as an alternate option.

Sky Germany, meanwhile, write that United’s interest is precipitated on the club moving either Alejandro Garnacho or Marcus Rashford first, which... well. Marseille is also reportedly interested, which might interest a French striker looking for minutes. Even so, United being dumb would seem to provide an opening for Spurs to slip in with a bid. Arsenal’s rumored interest is a complicating factor, as they’re also looking for a front line option in this window after losing Bukayo Saka and Gabrial Jesus to injury.

Tel’s a player who can operate as either a wide or central forward, has decent statistics, and is only 19 years old. He’s not breaking through at Bayern right now but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good player or that he couldn’t do a job for Spurs. I’m extremely interested in Tel, though obviously this doesn’t mean a move is imminent or even likely. It’s been that kind of window.

Rumors abounded over the last 24 hours on social media that new Tottenham Hotspur youngster Yang Min-hyeok was destined for a loan stint, and we finally have something from a reasonable source. Alasdair Gold is reporting that the South Korean teenager is headed to the Championship for the rest of the season:

Queens Park Rangers are the lucky landing spot for Yang, reportedly beating out a number of other clubs both in the Championship and overseas for the winner of the K League’s Young Player of the Year award.

A stint in the Championship is probably a sensible move for Yang. Talent aside (and he is talented), the intensity of the Premier League will be a huge step up for him, and some time lower down the English footballing pyramid will help him adapt to the increased physicality required. As for QPR, they are not a bad place for Yang to head; in midtable, they’re reasonably safe from the threat of relegation but still and outside chance at reaching the promotion spots - meaning they will be willing to take risks on younger players in the hopes of climbing the ladder.

Gold also mentions this could mean Spurs are lining up another attacking signing, which... well, the saying goes that hope deferred makes the heart sick, and I am nigh on my deathbed right now. Maybe, though, just maybe, there’s a nugget of truth to Gold’s suggestion?

From the sounds of things, this could be made official very soon, so keep an eye out!