Cartilage Free Captain

Good morning and welcome to another edition of Fitzie’s Film and TV reviews, where your hoddler-in-chief reviews some things he’s recently seen at home and in the cinema.

Rose Matafeo On and On and On and On: I’ll admit I’m about four months into a Taskmaster kick, and I’m eagerly awaiting Series 19. Rose Matafeo’s latest standup special is a hilarious watch as the Kiwi comedian turns a 16,000-word note into a solid two-hour set focusing on her relationships.

James Acaster Hecklers Welcome: On the contrary, this one didn’t do it for me. I love James Acaster and enjoyed his previous specials. The reviews were mixed for this too, but I read that some of his shows on this tour - where he encourages heckling - are pretty insane.

So I think this particular standup just chose a bad night, and from the cutaways to some of his other shows I wondered what I missed. I love the premise and most of the jokes, but it didn’t quite deliver this time.

Fly Me To The Moon: A solid rom-com parodying the moon landing conspiracy. It’s an easy watch starring Scarlet Johansson and Channing Tatum. And it’s pretty fun to look at too.

Squid Game 2: Series 2 of Squid Game feels largely incomplete. Series 3 is coming out later this year, but we have to judge S2 as it stands. It’s a pretty slow start, the ending doesn’t deliver and almost every single character feels less fleshed out than in the first series.

The best thing this one has going for it is we don’t have to see anyone performing ungodly acts on cookies.

Cunk on Life: Philomena Cunk is back at it! Part of this review is my fault, because I thought it was a series as opposed to a film (or parody on a doc). There are some truly great jokes in here and terrific one-liners, but it gets pretty tedious about halfway through.

My Old Ass: A unique coming-of-age story where Aubrey Plaza plays the much older version of her younger self, except that both of them are real and exist in real time. It’s got a lovely message on how to experience life and its mysteries.

The Iron Claw: This tragic film follows the Von Erich family, particularly Kevin Von Erich (played by Zach Efron). Three of the brothers are absolutely ripped, but their muscles are portrayed less as something to objectify and more as a grotesque sacrifice that they make to help fulfil their father’s dreams.

Anyone familiar with the Von Erich family knows how this ends, which is largely in tragedy. But the film does a delicate job in getting us there.

Saturday Night: An easy-to-watch film on the birth of Saturday Night Live that further mythologises its creater Lorne Michaels. Like SNL, it’s a chaotic piece that runs at 1 hour and 50 minutes.

While Lorne Michaels is seen carrying the shoulders of this troupe, it’s the Chevy Chase and John Beluschi who steal the spotlight (of course they do). Just wish we got a bit more Beluschi, but maybe that’s the point.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, by Bob Dylan

And now for your links:

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

Jay Harris ($$): “Ange Postecoglou, form that ‘can’t be accepted by anyone’ and where it leaves the Tottenham coach”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou position precarious with Spurs season hanging on cups”

Telegraph: “Ange Postecoglou’s record is indefensible – his job should be at risk”

The Guardian: “In Ange we trust? Why Spurs should risk potential failure and back Postecoglou”

As it is after every loss, the calls for Ange Postecoglou’s head reached an even higher decibel level after last night’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the North London Derby. But according to Alasdair Gold at Football.London, the NLD defeat hasn’t changed Daniel Levy or the Spurs brass’ backing of the manager.

Buried at the bottom of a super long article about last night’s match, Gold writes that Spurs maintain that Postecoglou is the correct manager for the club at this point and time, and that there is sympathy for the context of the team’s poor run of form considering the injury situation and Tottenham still competing in four competitions.

“football.london understands that Postecoglou retains the full backing of those within the club with an understanding of what he’s battling through right now. Spurs are believed to be trying to put in the right structures and people around him to ensure that the Australian can succeed and compete for trophies once the squad comes through this period.”

— Alasdair Gold, football.london

I don’t think any of us should be surprised by this. After all, the club has already briefed the media that Postecoglou is still supported at the club by both the players and club leadership. Spurs lost a narrow match away to their arch-rivals who are challenging for the Premier League title. It was always going to be a challenging match, and both the injury and fixture congestion situation hasn’t really changed. It’s really difficult to see how this result moves the needle one way or another with regards to Postecoglou’s job status.

good morning!

There’s no such thing as a bad pizza, or so I thought.

I recently had the worst pizza of my life. A pizza so bad that I had to share it in the hoddle. I won’t say which restaurant served this because I don’t want to have any negative impact on them, but I was surprised.

It’s a nice restaurant that’s always busy and it smells incredible. But that’s where it ended.

The pizza I ordered had on it porcini mushrooms, pork cheek, stracchino cheese, EVOO, black pepper and rosemary.

It sounded promising, and the crust itself was quite nice. But the rest - not good. Not good at all.

The texture was probably the worst part. Soft on soft on soft. The mushrooms wereb seriously overcooked to the point of being mush - literal mush. And when you put that on top of a creamy cheese, it becomes way too soft to the point where the pizza lacks any texture.

I thought the pork cheek would add some nice texture and salty elements to it, but there was so little of it on the pizza. And the small bits I did get were too small to offset the softness of the mushrooms or cheese in any way. The rosemary did add some freshness to the pizza, but it couldn’t save it on its own.

I contemplated sending it back because as I kept eating it I felt like I was going to be physically sick from it. Instead I powered through, treating what was supposed to be a nice meal as a test of my gastrointestinal fortitude. I passed.

And now here I am, sharing the worst pizza of my life. Will I try this place again? Probably. There are a few things I wouldn’t go for. Certainly nothing with the porcini mushrooms. And I’m glad I didn’t order anything with truffle oil, although the smell of it was quite sickening (adding to my terrible experience).

And to think I almost went to Pupatella instead.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Epipen, by Beloved Binge

And now for your links:

Dan KP: “Angry Ange Postecoglou slams Spurs as ‘nowhere near good enough’ in Arsenal defeat”

Jack P-B ($$): “Why Arteta and Postecoglou adopted opposing football philosophies”

Jonathan Liew: “What’s the reality of this Tottenham team, supremely unlucky or unforgivably naive?”

Filed under:

Tottenham Hotspur Match Reports

Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: more single-goal heartbreak at the Emirates

Another match where Spurs don’t get the points they deserve.

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It’s been 15 years since Tottenham Hotspur has beaten Arsenal in league play at the Emirates Stadium. That streak continued today. Son Heung-Min put Spurs ahead in the first half of the North London Derby, but Arsenal got two goals — one controversial own goal from Dominic Solanke after a wrongly-awarded corner kick, and another from Leandro Trossard, and the hosts held on to take the 2-1 win.

Tottenham’s starting lineup only featured one major surprise: Lucas Bergvall got the start in midfield over James Maddison, who began the NLD on the bench. The young Swede lined up beside Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, with Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, and Son Heung-Min making up the forward line. Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray anchored the back line, with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence as the fullbacks. New signing Antonin Kinsky started between the sticks. Richarlison, freshly back from a hamstring injury, was named to the bench.

The match started off scary with Arsenal employing a frightening early press that kept Spurs pinned back, but Tottenham found their foothold, and played Arsenal pretty even over the course of the match. A draw was probably the deserved result today, but once again Spurs were the losers in a narrowly-decided affair, as Arsenal did the double over Tottenham in league play.

Here are my match reactions.

Match Reactions

Another match where we played a good team more or less even and lost by one goal thanks to some really crappy luck. I’ve seen this movie so many times this season. I think we’re now 0-10 in matches decided by one goal. I don’t think we deserved to win today, but I definitely think we deserved a draw.

The opening 20 minutes of this match was pure terror. Just nothing but last-ditch defending and peeking-from-behind-the-couch moments on numerous set pieces. Irritated that we didn’t seem to have a plan for preventing Set Piece FC from doing what they do best, though we did mostly handle those moments well.

Kinsky is a maniac with the ball at his feet, and I think I’m in love with him.

I was really worried about Pedro Porro after he appeared to hyper-extend his knee after getting turned by Trossard. The replay looked pretty bad, but it seems that was, in the words of one of my colleagues, just Pedro being “embarrassed and Spanish”.

Considering how much one-way traffic it was in Arsenal’s favor for the first 20 minutes, I absolutely love that Sonny scored the opener on a deflected shot off Saliba. Just glorious.

Djed Spence had a rough time of it in the first half, looked really uncomfortable for much of it, but had that one cross towards Solanke that was immaculate.

Pisses me off that Set Piece FC’s equalizer comes off of a horrible missed call that granted them a phantom corner. Wish VAR would look at those because those kinds of situations get miscalled all the time and you’d think the league would want to get them right.

The second Arsenal goal is awful keeping from Kinsky, the first time we’ve really see him make a significant mistake with his positioning. But equal blame can go to Bissouma who had a pass available before the giveaway and instead tried to dribble through two Arsenal players. Kinsky had a couple of nervy moments, which I

Ange making two halftime subs is almost unprecedented without an injury, but Johnson and Maddison for Sarr and Bissouma is a bold and aggressive move. It meant, functionally, that Spurs didn’t really have a midfield, and it did prevent Spurs from building attacks the normal way from the back. Arsenal also were able to move through the midfield almost at will as Spurs weren’t able to really effectively press.

Dominic Solanke had a really poor match today — we needed him to be an outlet and to put away chances and he was neither. Same with Kulusevski — not sure if it’s tiredness or what, but he was just off his feed in this one and his hold-up play was practically non-existent.

Lucas Bergvall might have been our best player on the day. A real presence and also employed some dark arts to wind up Lewis-Skelly and others. Also impressed by the composure and play of Archie Gray. Is... is he just a CB now?

He didn’t do a ton, but it was sooooooooo nice to see Richarlison out there.

I still hate the NLD.

A North London Derby. A fixture always highly anticipated, oftentimes with equal mixtures of dread and excitement.

Make no mistake: this is a huge match in the context of this season. It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde one, and it’s hard to know which Tottenham Hotspur will show up. Will they delight, or disappoint? The usual caveats apply: injuries galore, exhaustion, and lack of continuity in the squad.

That said... is there a better time over the last couple of seasons to play Arsenal? They are suffering injury woes of their own, missing arguably their best player, and while defensively are an incredibly tough side to break down they have turned into a Tony Pulis side going forward this season.

Expect a cagey match - this is anyone’s game.

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Emirates Stadium, London, UK

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

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

TV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 1 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Peacock

Match thread rules

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

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

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!

For Tottenham Hotspur, this January transfer window has been notable for signing keepers out of nowhere who could challenge the incumbency of the players already there. For the men’s team it was the signing of Antonin “Tonda” Kinsky, who has already played two matches and kept clean sheets in both of them, effectively supplanting Fraser Forster.

And now we may have something similar with Spurs Women. Today, the club announced the signing of Dutch international keeper Lize Kop from Leicester City on a deal that will run through 2028.

Kop. 26, was a standout keeper in the Eredivisie with Ajax and has performed pretty well in limited matches on a pretty bad Leicester side the past season and a half. She’s the No. 2 for Leicester behind Janina Leitzig and also the No.2 for the Netherlands national team with 13 caps. She will wear the No. 1 shirt at Spurs... which some will view as a statement of intent.

Tottenham have been searching for genuine competition for, and eventual replacement of, Becky Spencer for a while now. Spencer has been a Tottenham stalwart between the sticks for years now and is one of the longest tenured players at the club, but she’s 33 now and it’s time Spurs look to sign someone who can eventually take over. That person might be Kop.

Genuine competition is good, and Spurs Women should now be happy with their keeper corps with Spencer, Kop, and Eleanor Heeps as their options. We might get more of a sense of the lay of the land when Spurs Women play their first match in over a month this weekend against Leicester — there’s every chance Kop could make her Spurs debut against her old club.

Welcome to Tottenham, Lize!

Somehow, it is already that time again. While Tottenham Hotspur has struggled to meet expectations this season (at least in the league), it could be argued that Arsenal has fared even worse relative to its ambitions — despite the complete implosion of Manchester City, the back-to-back runners-up remain stuck in second place, overtaken by Liverpool, who are now heavy favorites to win the Premier League.

Arsenal is still expected to win Wednesday’s North London Derby, especially at home. Though Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have performed well against the big six, this match does not set up well for their strengths. Anything can happen in a derby, and Tottenham will hope that the numbers and recent history fly out the window. Desperately in need of a spark, this match offers Spurs a chance for a revival.

Arsenal (3rd, 40pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (13th, 24pts)

Date: Wednesday, January 15

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

Location: Emirates Stadium, London

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

Despite boasting just two league losses, Arsenal’s seven draws already surpass its total from each of the past two seasons. After a New Year’s Day victory, Mikel Arteta’s squad has faltered, drawing with Brighton in the league, falling behind 0-2 to Newcastle in the League Cup semifinals, and crashing out of the FA Cup against Manchester United. While all is not lost, this run of form raises questions.

Spurs, however, have struggled mightily in this derby. Arsenal has won six of the past eight encounters and has not lost a league NLD at home since 2010/11. The teams did share the points at the Emirates last season, but Arsenal controlled the first fixture this campaign with a narrow victory on the road. This rivalry has felt lopsided in recent years, seemingly irrespective of either team’s form.

Do not give in

Arsenal remains methodical in possession, intent on dictating tempo and disrupting the opponent’s rhythm. Now that the goals are drying up, though, Arteta’s side is losing some of the praise its approach (and set pieces) was receiving. Recent contests have seen healthy xG figures yield little where it counts. For Spurs, patience will be paramount; forcing the issue risks exposing the already-depleted defense. The plan must be to frustrate Arsenal into abandoning its build-up.

Patience does not mean passivity. Heung-min Son scored the equalizer in this fixture last year by capitalizing on a forced turnover. Tottenham’s best opportunities will again likely come in transition. Neither side exceeded 1.0 xG in their September meeting, suggesting the more clinical team will leave happier. Spurs must remain disciplined for the full 90 minutes and not give away clean attempts on goal. If Arsenal is forced to create, its defense could be left open to counters.

Play for the badge

The visitors remain the more injury-stricken side, but Arsenal’s once-fortunate health has finally started to turn. Bukayo Saka’s absence has been clearly felt, and now Gabriel Jesus joins him on the sidelines, further hampering creativity and attacking output. While Tottenham’s injuries — especially along the backline — remain a major concern, Arsenal’s misfortunes could level out this end of the pitch a bit.

With key players missing, unsung heroes will decide this match. For Spurs, contributions from Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, and Djed Spence have kept them afloat, while new signing Antonin Kinsky has injected fresh energy. There would be no better way to encapsulate this chaotic season than for a makeshift Tottenham defense to somehow steal a result at the Emirates.

Weighed down by my gnawing insecurities, I examine the road covered in ice and snow before me. It’s inaccessible.

A series of expletives ensues.

I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do. I look around me.

I’m four miles into my 12-mile run on Independence Ave SW & 23rd. I have two cuts on the top of both my feet, a blister developing under my big toe. It’s cold and windy. I couldn’t sleep last night. My mind is racing.

I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do. I pause and stare out at the frozen Potomac River, the sun’s brilliant rays reflecting off the river’s glistening ice and against my face.

For a moment I think about turning back and calling it a day.

The Lincolm Memorial is within my line of vision. I figure it must be safe to run there. I nearly slip on the mounds of ice leading up to it. The only path forward is past the government buildings (they must be ploughed) and towards the West End. I gingerly step onto and past the ice.

Not that I care so much about going fast anyhow. I’m not ready to head back home just yet.

——

I’ve learned that, in running, it’s often not about the race. Marathons are a one-time event, the culmination of months of hard work and sacrifice. Of setting aside every doubt in your mind. Of running through it.

I don’t think most people realise how taxing it is to train. Of course the physicality stretches beyond our imaginations. But the mental and emotional toll it takes also goes far beyond how much we think we believe we can endure.

Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is to run with your problems, carrying the weight with you and feeling drag you back at every step.

——

I run past the State Department and wave to the security guard. Up through Foggy Bottom, the Watergate, GW Hospital and towards the West End. More snow and ice greets me near the tennis courts by Rock Creek.

A series of expletives ensures

I’m on 23rd and Q, by some protestant church and realise I’m just past halfway through my run today. I turn back. Home awaits me.

——

This is the kind of day I normally look back on when I run a marathon. Will I look back on this when I run the Avenue of the Giants in May?

The last two times I ran a marathon I wept at the finish line. Not from any sort of physical pain, but from the months (and somtimes) years of emotional pressure I felt. The dissapointments. The stress fracture, the belief I could never be a good runner again, the feeling that I’ll never be good enough to do this, more injury scares, maybe I’ll just never be good enough. Life setbacks, having to say goodbye too many times.

——

How do you enjoy a run on a day like today? When the cannons blast from the magnificent Capitol Building draped in the historic flags of the United States, when you are forced to run through barricades and navigate the icy pavement?

All whilst your insecurities have lassoed you, trying to drag you further and further towards the brink.

——

I wanted this run today to be over, but at the same time I didn’t. I love the tranquility that the icy cold brings. And I am promptly annoyed when Foggy Bottom and Eastern Market began to wake. All I can do is carry on, moving forward, and remember a lesson one teacher taught me half a lifetime ago that we all carry our own battles with us.

Carrying mine in real time, I stride forward. I watch my footing near the end of the junction lest I slip into a turning lane.

I let my battles sit within me. I bargain, deny, accept, rage, ignore. None of those are the answer, I find. So what is the answer, I ask myself.

Gosh, I wish I knew.

And so, weighed down by my insecurities, I carry on.

Closer towards Eastern Market a group of Crossfitters finish their run and high-five each other. Normally I would be turned off by their oppressive optimusm, but this time I indulge. Seeing me they line up on either side of the pavement, arms extended to high-five.

“Thank you, thank you,” I say to them in earnest, as I trudge through Mile 12 of 12.

——

Sometimes running isn’t about answeing or solving questions, or winning a battle. Sometimes it’s just about not losing it. Sometimes it’s just about prolonging that battle a little bit more, praying that soon you’ll find the answers needed to actually triumph in it.

The timeline varies, I’m afraid. What is the timeline, this time? Gosh, I don’t know. All I know is I bought myself a little more time.

But, for now, I retreat back into the safety and warmth of my apartment. My insecurities and I will run together again soon.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Lovely Day, by Big Star

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold: “Ange Postecoglou calls for transfer help for one of his Tottenham stars and hits out at critics”

The Athletic ($$): “Attempting to make sense of a confusing Premier League season”

WSJ ($$): “The Soccer Team That Perfected the Art of Winning Without the Ball”

Hello Tottenham fans! We are now (over) halfway through the 2024-25 Premier League season, and it’s time to crunch some numbers. Last season at the end of the year I posted a look at the masthead and community player ratings for fun, to see an overview of our ratings for individual players over the course of the season, and also compare where the masthead and the commentariat had similar or different opinions

Turns out that was a pretty good and fun activity. A heck of a lot of data entry since I hadn’t started doing it until April, but hey. Blog managers gotta work sometimes.

So let’s do that again, this time at the halfway point of 19 matches. This data includes all the matches from the first half of the season, from the draw with Leicester in week 1 to the draw with Wolves in week 19

The full spreadsheet is too long and cumbersome to embed in an article, so I’ll just post the summary columns here. But if you’re interested in looking at the full data, you can view it here.

Analysis

As before, there’s a decent amount of “squish” when you compare masthead numbers and community numbers. The nature of polling means that you will see significantly fewer 5.0s, even rounded, given out by the community, because the rest of the bulk results will naturally drag them down. The masthead is therefore freer to give higher ratings than the commentariat. That’s just the nature of public polling. I get to give my unvarnished opinion, and the rest of you get aggregated into a populist mush. C’est la vie.

Also, there are a bunch of players who played games who didn’t receive ratings because they weren’t in the game long enough, and those are obviously not represented on the chart. So this should be viewed as tracking performance of players who played enough minutes to receive a rating (again, a rather squishy metric but this is hardly a scientific poll).

It’s been a weird year, y’all. The aggregated Community ratings didn’t rate anyone at or above 4.0, which is kind of wild, but also... well, that sort of makes sense the way the season has gone, doesn’t it? Interestingly, the highest rated player by both the masthead and the commentariat? Ben Davies, with an aggregated rating of 3.9 in both cases.

Honestly, the masthead and the community ratings tracked pretty closely, which to me is both unsurprising, and considering how much stick I get in comments for rating players a half-star too high or low, also makes me laugh.

If you look at the standard deviation column (ST/DEV), it suggests the community thought Archie Gray was the most consistent performer, though the sample size is rather small with only seven games. If we use an arbitrary number of 12 games as the minimum benchmark, then — surprise! — Timo Werner has put in the most consistent performances, according to the site readers. The masthead had Lucas Bergvall as the most consistent (six game sample), along with, again, Timo (12 game sample). Note that consistent ≠ good, just consistent... looking at you, Timo Werner.

Interestingly, there was a handful of players that didn’t earn a rating below 3.0 from the masthead — Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Alfie Dorrington, and Sergio Reguilon. But both Dorrington and Reggie only played one match in the first half of the season, so it’s not a very meaningful statistic. As for the commentariat, Bergvall, Dorrington, Davies, and Archie Gray all received minimum 3.0 ratings. Only Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario earned 5.0 ratings from the commentariat, and that should be taken as VERY high praise.

In general, there wasn’t too much deviation between the masthead and the community thus far. Weirdly, the masthead seemed to rate players (and Ange Postecoglou) slightly higher than the commentariat generally, though you can find specific instances that are the opposite, e.g. Mikey Moore. There’s probably a reason for that — the Ange Out discourse might have dragged some players down a touch, and there’s a bunch of error bars on this data because so many players have missed time due to injury. But I find it kind of fascinating.

Hope you enjoyed this, because it was a hell of a lot of work! We’ll do this again at the end of the season.

Oh hey, we have a North London Derby at the Emirates tomorrow. Exciting, right? Maybe “terrifying” is the better word. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal played extra time in their weekend FA Cup ties, with Spurs managing a 3-0 win over Tamworth and Arsenal crashing out with a penalty shootout loss to 10-man Manchester United.

Usually you can throw out past performance when Spurs and Arsenal play each other due to the state of the rivalry, but injuries might be the biggest thing that will impact this match. Spurs’ injury concerns are many and well-documented, especially in defense, but Arsenal now have a couple of significant injuries on the offensive side of the equation after Gabriel Jesus blew out his knee in the United match — both he and Bukayo Saka will miss the NLD.

Spurs have bad news and good news of their own on the injury front. Ange Postecoglou noted in his pre-match press conference that Timo Werner sustained a hamstring injury against Tamworth, which might go a ways to explain his woeful performance in that match, and is ruled out for Wednesday. However, Richarlison is set for a return after a couple weeks of training upon his return from his own hamstring injury.

“[Playing on the artificial pitch was] not too bad. It takes a fair bit out of the players so we have done some extra recovery and we won’t train until this afternoon to give the boys a chance to recover because the pitch takes a bit out of you. The only one who picked up an injury is Timo [Werner]. He picked up a hamstring injury and we are waiting on the results of that scan. Everyone else, apart from being sore, pulled through okay. In terms of incoming, Richarlison is available.

“Well you have got no choice [but to play this match], that’s the fixture. You’ve got to accept it. We have been in this situation for quite a while now and obviously hopefully there will be some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of players coming back and like I said Richy. It was good for Mikey to get an hour on the weekend or whenever it was. I have lost track of days.”

Richarlison’s return is timely, considering the injury to Werner. Spurs have been slow-walking his return to the side after he injured his hamstring in his first match back from another injury spell earlier this season. Ange’s comments suggested we might see Richy on Wednesday, though perhaps as a reserve initially.

“Just got to get [Richy] back, he has had obviously an unfortunate season for us. Last season he played, even this season when he played for us and did his hamstring (while providing an assist), it’s not just his fighting and scrapping, he has quality as well. Just having an extra attacking player – with him and Mikey available now – makes such a difference in what we can do during games, between games, in terms of the way we play. We have taken our time with him this time for sure. He has kind of been harassing me for the last 10 days to be involved but we have been disciplined with that and he has looked really good in training. He looks ready to go so really happy to get him back involved.”

Mikey Moore also made his return to the squad against Tamworth, starting the match and putting in his first 60+ minutes since returning from a long spell out with a virus. Ange said that Moore also will add a different attacking dimension to Spurs’ offense and it’s good to have him back with the team.

“Yeah, look he has worked hard at training and you could see at the weekend he needed some game-time. He started off pretty slowly but by the second half I thought he grew into the game. We used him significantly in the first half of the year and he made a real impact, particularly in Europe I thought he did really well and we expect him to (again). That’s why we kept him with us and why he is part of the first-team set-up. It’s good to get him back because he is a player we know can make an impact in games.”

Antonin Kinsky has hit the ground running at Spurs, with two starts and two clean sheets, but playing away at Arsenal in a North London Derby is an entirely different kettle of fish. That said, Postecoglou said he’s been pleased with the way Kinsky has started at the club, considering the circumstances.

“They’ve all been big games for him for different reasons. Obviously the Liverpool game goes without saying but it was a hell of a challenge for him up at Tamworth, too, especially with the way they play and their ability to put pressure on goalkeepers. I thought he handled it so well and helped us nullify a big threat from them. He’s handled everything really well. I haven’t spent any extra time with him. Birchy [Rob Burch, GK coach] obviously has and part of the process — because it has been a bit of a whirlwind — is making sure he’s settled, especially off the field. He’s moving to a different country so to manage everything around him is equally important. So far he’s been really good at embracing the challenge we’ve thrown at him and I’m sure he’s looking forward to tomorrow as well.”

Lucas Bergvall was another player who came out of the Tamworth match with a solid performance, continuing his recent spell of improved play. Postecoglou confirmed that Bergvall has settled well after moving from Sweden this summer, and has impressed him and the staff with his improvement.

“Yeah, look, he’s definitely growing, which is not unusual. He’s 18, coming from a different country and league. It was always going to take him time to adapt, just to training more than anything else. But we’ve seen in recent weeks he’s really making an impact now and I think he feels more comfortable and confident in himself. There’s so much more to come from him with his age and where he is experience-wise. It’s been a big year for him, moving to a new country and a big league and a big club. Even playing for the senior national team with Sweden as an 18-year-old. All these things are pretty significant moments and you look at how young people handle them and he’s handled it all really, really well. He’s kept his head down, kept working, waited for his opportunity and he’s doing well.”

The North London Derby will kick off tomorrow at 3 pm ET / 8 pm UK. The match is televised on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, and streamed on Peacock in the USA.