Cartilage Free Captain

I have never been one to elevate the Europa League and cup competitions over the Premier League, but Tottenham Hotspur seems to have little choice right now. Another dreadful league performance over the weekend has sunk Spurs further down the table, and a dramatic charge in the second half of the season feels increasingly unrealistic, even if it remains mathematically possible.

No, the best route to glory this year lies in the cups, which means elevating the Europa League to priority No. 1. On paper, Tottenham remains one of the best teams in this competition. However, taking just one point from the past two matches has left work to do in the League Phase. A win over Rangers on Thursday would go a long way toward securing a top-eight position, which must now be the team’s main focus.

Rangers (t-6th, 10pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-6th, 10pts)

Date: Thursday, December 12

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

Location: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

Rangers sit level with Spurs on points, boasting a 3-1-1 record. Their lone loss came against their toughest opponent so far, Lyon, and upcoming back-to-back matches against Tottenham and Manchester United will make it tough to stay near the top. Third in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers are comparable to a bottom-half Premier League side, and the British element adds an extra angle to this fixture.

The last meeting between these clubs dates back to Tottenham’s 1962/63 Cup Winners’ Cup triumphal campaign. In general, Spurs lack much history against Scottish sides, with their most recent clash being against Hearts in the 2011/12 Europa League. However, Ange Postecoglou is quite familiar with Rangers, having gone 4-1-2 against them in Old Firm Derbies during his Celtic tenure, though he won just once in four attempts at Ibrox. Surely, this is a match Postecoglou has circled on the calendar...as have the home supporters.

Making the case

There are three reasons why Spurs should go all-in on this match — and the Europa League as a whole. The first is simply math: finishing in the top eight of the League Phase would leave just seven fixtures remaining in the competition, compared to 23 domestic matches. With Cristian Romero re-injured and Brennan Johnson joining the already crowded infirmary, it seems unrealistic for Spurs to seriously compete on multiple fronts. However, there are surely enough warm bodies to attack seven more matches.

Second, Postecoglou’s side has thrived on big occasions, dominating at Old Trafford and the Etihad earlier this season, while struggling in more routine contests. While the last two Europa League performances have been underwhelming, shifting focus and resources toward this competition could re-energize (what remains of) the squad. Rangers may not be the most formidable opponent, but the electric atmosphere at Ibrox and the grandeur of European competition could inspire Tottenham to rise to the occasion.

Finally, it is unlikely Postecoglou will approach this game conservatively; there is too much at stake for him personally, especially with the current terrible vibes. I do not think his job is actually in jeopardy, but even if it is, the Europa League might be the way he can save it anyway. So while I truly do believe Tottenham must go all out to win this competition, I also expect Postecoglou to operate the same way, at least against Rangers.

Spurs must approach this match with the urgency and ambition of a team wanting to lift this trophy, because right now, the Europa League represents their best shot at achieving anything this season.

Guess it wasn’t just “tightness” after all. Speaking in a press conference ahead of Thursday’s Europa League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers at Ibrox, Ange Postecoglou said that Spurs will be without both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero after both were substituted out in Sunday’s loss to Chelsea. Postecoglou also called the current injury crisis at the club one of the worst he’s been through in his career.

“[The injury situation is] not much better. With the weekend’s fallout, Romero and Van de Ven, we’re still getting clarity over the injuries but we’re going to be without them again. At the moment we’re still trying to get timelines on those guys so I wouldn’t put a time on it yet.

“Yeah [laughs], I have to get creative. I think Archie [Gray]’s probably the one for us at the moment that we need to try and get to fill in there. He’s done right back, left back for us. Had to play at center back a little bit this year, he did during the pre-season. With him and Radu [Dragusin], they’re the two main sort of defenders. We’ve still got five or six games to navigate, so we may have to get creative at at some point and deal with it in a different way.”

This just feels like terrible, awful, no good, very bad luck. Romero’s injury, reported yesterday by Gaston Edul to be around a six week recovery time, is kind of whatever — it’s a new injury probably unrelated to the toe injury he had just recovered from, unless you believe that proprioception can influence muscular injuries in other areas.

But Van de Ven just feels cruel. He had just come back from his second long term hamstring injury and now maybe has picked up a third. After Sunday’s loss, Ange called Micky’s situation “tightness” and diminished the impact, but this maybe implies it’s a bit more serious than what was first acknowledged. We don’t know what happened — maybe Van de Ven was rushed back too soon, or maybe it was just a dice roll that came up snake-eyes. Or maybe Ange just lies about injuries. We do know that he listens to and follows the guidance of the club physios.

Ange also spoke to the nature of the injury crisis currently happening at the club, and said the club is trying to address to minimize the impact on players as much as possible.

“I never think it’s just bad luck. Some of it. I’ve never lost a goalkeeper for this period of time. Some of the other issues that we’ve had... But some of it is recurring, particularly this year in terms of guys coming back and re-injuring. It’s something we’re looking at. We’re always trying to explore whether we can do things better. Last year was different to this year. Last year it hit us across the board. This year it’s more guys that are coming back who are affected. Knock on wood, we’ve got a core group who are playing a lot and are getting through it ok. But it is something we are trying to address.”

Speaking of Romero, Postecoglou was also asked about Cuti’s comments to Telemundo recently where he expressed support for Ange but had pointed criticism at the Spurs board, ostensibly including chairman Daniel Levy. Ange admitted that Romero’s comments were heartfelt and emotional, but that he probably made the wrong choice to air his opinions in a public forum such as that.

“He was very emotional. He hasn’t been able to help us on the pitch. I think that was his way of trying to help. We’re going through a tough time and he believes in what we’re doing. The other part [about the hierarchy], he probably went about it the wrong way. I don’t think our challenges at the moment are about one person. I haven’t and have never believed that.

“To come through this, that’ll only happen if we remain united. Cristian, he realizes that lot of what he said was good but some wasn’t the right way of dealing with it. The same way I wouldn’t criticize a player publicly.

“I just think you deal with these things internally. I just don’t think there’s any benefit for us. I know people get really salacious about punishments and stuff. They really love that sort of thing. I think I’m pretty consistent in saying I don’t just think that’s important. I think what’s more important is an understanding of how we should deal with these things and deal with them better.

“I’ve already spoken to Cristian about it and and you know, he’s apologized for the fact that the way he said it, particularly in the public sense, wasn’t the right way to go about things. He’s a human being, he got emotional and I think he just expressed what he wanted to express, probably in the wrong way.

“He does care. I think it would have been easy for him not to say anything. He does care, but there’s a way to do these things and a way to express yourself and the way he did it wasn’t the right way.”

Spurs will kick off against Rangers in Glasgow in the Europa League tomorrow under the lights at 3 pm ET / 8 pm UK. Expect a CB pairing of Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray.

good morning!

What is this, a second holiday post in a matter of days? Why, yes it is.

We’re only two weeks out from Christmas, and your hoddler-in-chief is trying to get into the festive spirit. That’s why he may or may not be stopping into Compass Coffee for a holiday beverage on his way to work this morning.

But he is also checking out the Christmas markets in DC.

You know, the ones that have the vendors lined up, some real or fake snow, ornaments and crafts, food, hot drinks, music. It’s quite festive. But it can also be a seriou drag on the weekend.

I made the mistake of going to the holiday market near Gallery Place/Chinatown last year on a weekend, and wow did I immediately regret it. Throngs of people were confined into a roped-off area, and all I wanted to do was get the heck out of there.

I returned a couple weeks later. Some random weeknight after work because I needed to pick up some Christmas gift. And I got a nice one - an ornament with a cardinal painted on it (nice one fitzie!).

I’ve only gone to one this year so far, and it’s a bit of a strange one. The Black Cat, a small music venue in northwest DC, held its annual Christmas Market on Sunday. I’ve never heard of this before, but I love the Black Cat so I checked it out.

Of course it was going to be a bit alternative/punk. There was also promise of some record sellers. But I gotta say I was disappointed when I walked in. A handful of stands were set up throughout the small concert venue selling strange goods, second-hand clothing and unimpressive records.

So, after about five minutes, I walked out.

We’ll see what next week brings.

Fitzie’s track of the day: The Christmas Song, by Weezer

And now for your links:

Dan KP on Tottenham’s transfer priorities

Football London with the Tottenham loan latest

±±I’ve been thinking of this for a while now — this feels like an okay time to try something unique and different. Why use word when emoji can sometimes encapsulate things perfectly?

That said I was going to try and type out the entire article, including introductory paragraphs, entirely in emoji as I thought that would be a fun little exercise. But have you ever actually tried to do an extended emoji thought-piece? Sweet baby jesus is that obnoxious and difficult. Not only do you have to think carefully about what you are communicating, but you have to find the exact right combination of emoji to get the point across. Who has the time?

Tottenham Hotspur lost a London Derby 4-3 to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and just like last season they went up 2-0 before capitulating and shipping four goals. Last season it was going down to 9 men. This time it was two stupid penalties given away by Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr. Ugh.

Here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings for the match, summarized by emoji. Ur welcome.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 3.5):

Fraser Forster (Community — 3.5):

Micky van de Ven (Community — 3.0):

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 3.0):

Radu Dragusin (Community — 3.0):

Brennan Johnson (Community — 2.5):

Timo Werner (Community — 2.5):

Pedro Porro (Community — 3.0):

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 2.5):

Cuti Romero (Community — 2.5):

Destiny Udogie (Community — 2.5):

Son Heung-Min (Community — 2.5):

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 2.0):

Yves Bissouma (Community — 1.5):

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

Oh, Cuti Romero. That guy. He’s been in the soccer news a lot over the past couple of days, first for his triumphant (but short-lived) return to Tottenham Hotspur’s starting lineup, then for his support for Ange Postecoglou in the media, and THEN for some critical comments about Spurs’ upper hierarchy and by extension Daniel Levy.

Lots to unpack here, but let’s start with the injury. Romero lasted a full 15 minutes in Spurs’ back line against Chelsea before going down with what looked like an injury to his quadriceps muscle. Postecoglou confirmed that Cuti’s injury was NOT related to the toe injury that kept him out of the lineup since the last international break, and yesterday we got news from Argentina journalist Gaston Edu that Cuti is now expected to be out for another six weeks.

Cuti Romero has a muscle injury, not in his foot. He has recovered from that injury. He will be out for six weeks.

Siiiiiiiiiigh. That means more minutes for Radu Dragusin, who likely will now be starting alongside Micky van de Ven, who is transitioning back into the starting XI. Since Ben Davies is now injured, that also likely means that the guy behind Micky is now Archie Gray.

The 4-3 loss to Chelsea has hit the Tottenham players (and the fans) pretty hard, but contrary to the extremely loud #AngeOut contingent, the players have pretty much universally been in support of Postecoglou and his tactics. That includes Cuti. According to the BBC, Romero told television network Telemundo that he fully backs Postecoglou and is happy with the way the team is working, despite the recent losses.

“He’s a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we’ve suffered a lot of injuries. Players are the first one to be criticised, then if we lose 10 games, the staff can be changed, but nobody talks about what is actually happening.

“We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We love how they work and the football they try to play. We’ll try to move on quickly.”

That same support apparently doesn’t transfer over to the Spurs brass. In that same Telemundo interview, Romero seemed to direct some pointed criticism towards the Spurs recruitment team and even, though he isn’t directly mentioned, Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy over recent transfer spending, squad reinforcements, and the backing of managers compared to the other teams at the top of the Premier League table.

“The truth is, I would say no comment, but... Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn’t do well, strengthens again, and now they’re seeing results. Those are the things to imitate. You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they realize it.

“The last few years, it’s always the same: first, the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible. Hopefully, they realize who the true responsible ones are, and we move forward because it’s a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.”

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

OK, here’s the thing — Cuti’s not wrong, at least not entirely. A common criticism of Tottenham Hotspur by its own fans is that the upper hierarchy (and by that I mean Levy) doesn’t spend enough money to compete with the teams at the top of the Premier League. And he’s right — they don’t!

Now, I have some issues with that framing, of course — Tottenham are a sustainably run football club that does not have the benefit of a wealthy hedge-fund or Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund to help backstop their transfer dealings. Tottenham have also spent at or around £150m in each of the past three summer windows, so while you can argue that they haven’t spent WELL, you can’t argue that they haven’t spent the money.

Cuti doesn’t say this, but you could make a cogent argument that where Spurs are falling short is in the area of player wages, but again — it’s not as simple as pointing in Levy’s general direction and yelling about “profit before glory.”

My main issue with Cuti’s comments is the timing. Yes, Spurs’ squad is wafer-thin and below the standard required to compete for a Premier League title. And yes, although they did spend £65m for Dominic Solanke this summer, the recruitment seemed to focus more on young players with high ceilings.

But it’s a rebuild. Cuti’s probably frustrated that they’re not attracting top talent (of which he qualifies) but right now in the middle of an injury crisis and a string of poor results is probably not the time to bring up those grievances in a public interview. The best thing Cuti could’ve said would’ve been “The truth is, I would say no comment, but... you know what, no comment.” He’s not wrong, but this is not the time for that, and all these comments do is inflame the purple-and-gold contingent who are screaming loudly and negatively about this football club that he, and all of us, love.

At any rate, Cuti now has a lot of time on his hands to think about Tottenham’s future. My suggestion would be for Johann Lange to get him a Wyscout account and put him in charge of identifying January candidates at fullback, defensive midfielder, and central defense while he heals up. Maybe he’d be able to help identify someone who Spurs can sign and make a difference in the team down the stretch this spring.

good morning and welcome to fitzie’s wrapped!

Last week I sort of ranted about how ridiculous Spotify and its Wrapped are. Today, I’m doing my own.

In my previous Wrappeds I liked to highlight the records I bought and the concerts I attended. That’s a little tougher this year because I bought far fewer albums. Still, there were a few highlights. And I was quite lucky with the concerts I attended.

Let’s dig in

Fitzie’s favourite purchase: Haim, Women in Music Part III on yellow vinyl

This is already one of my favourite albums in the last few years and I’ve played their standard black vinyl many times. But it’s been much harder to find variants - so I’m very happy to have come across this at Reckless Records.

I also found some cool Japanese pressings of Queen, Dexter Gordon and Bill Evans. I might’ve picked up a German pressing of The Beatles’ Revolver, but I can’t remember if that was this year or last.

Fitzie’s favourite concert: The Rolling Stones in Denver, Colorado

Been waiting years to watch The Rolling Stones. I first bought tickets for my dad in 2019, but then Covid came and the Stones never got round to rescheduling their show at the venue I had booked for (Petco Park in San Diego).

So my dad and I went this year, almost five years later. And, boy, what a show! The Stones still put on one the best shows out there, and walk circles around peers decades younger than them. Ronnie Wood was a particular highlight for me.

I also loved how Keith Richards got his own three-song stretch in the middle part of the show while Mick was likely resting off stage. After that? Banger after banger, beginning with Sympathy For the Devil. It’s pretty amazing just how many great songs they have.

Other concerts I greatly enjoyed: Jack White, Vampire Weekend

Fitzie’s least favourite concert: The Decemberists in DC

Maybe I just don’t like them? I took a chance on seeing The Decemberists after hearing a couple of their newer songs on the radio. I really enjoyed Burial Ground and was happy to hear that during the show. The rest was kind of boring, and their 16-minute Joan In The Garden does not translate well live.

Most-played band: Probably The Grateful Dead.

Is that any surprise?

Fitzie’s favourite radio station: 88.5M The SoCal Sound.

Of course it is! Been my favourite since 2018. Saddened that my favourite DJ left the station for one in Chicago, but the music goes on.

Top new album: Songs of a Lost World, by The Cure.

I already did a Track of the Day on theri new album some weeks ago. It’s tremendous, and The Cure at their best.

Top new song: Coming to a hoddle near you.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Lost Changes, by Beth Gibbons

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$): ‘Things will get worse before they get better’ for Spurs

Dan KP says Daniel Levy must back Ange Postecoglou in January

David Hytner: Postecoglou wrestles with Spurs fragility as fans demand more

Let the briefing begin! One day after Tottenham Hotspur surrendered a 2-0 lead to fall to Chelsea 3-4 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Matt Law has a piece in the Telegraph that says embattled manager Ange Postecoglou is in no danger of being sacked anytime soon.

The piece states that the Spurs brass, including Daniel Levy, continues to support Postecoglou and the rebuild he is currently managing, with the club not planning to “hit the panic button” over the recent string of poor results. There is recognition that the team’s struggles are in large part due to a confluence of a string of recent injuries in key areas and the fixture congestion during the busy festive period, and that he will be given time and backing. The article also suggests that the club is already starting to formulate a plan to reinforce the squad during the January window.

So what’s this? An article in the Telegraph about Tottenham Hotspur after a Chelsea match written by Matt Law that isn’t weirdly negative or back-handedly positive? Are we in the upside down? Honestly, I’ve been expecting the club to indirectly address what’s happening at the club. The silence about Postecoglou’s situation from the club has been a bit deafening, but this is about the time when you’d expect beat reporters like Law to put out pieces like this based on background information expressing support for the manager and the ongoing project.

And there’s more — Sami Mokbel has essentially the same piece at the Daily Mail, indicating that the briefing is now in full effect. Jack Pitt-Brooke also has an opinion piece in The Athletic that also is a pretty robust and full-throated support of Postecoglou and his situation, noting in particular that the Tottenham players are still fully behind Big Ange and his system, in stark contrast to the end of the Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte tenures. It’s an opinion piece and not a news brief, but it’s notable in that Pitt-Brooke also has club contacts.

So yeah, I’m pretty glad to see this. The club is finally briefing the press that it has no plans — at least for now — to make a stupid and ill-formed decision based on recent struggles, which, it should be noted, is the exact thing they’ve done over and over again for the past 20 years without a whole lot of success. The briefing also makes me feel better about Tottenham’s new front office structure and that, perhaps this time, they are taking a more pragmatic and long-term view towards building a team and an overall philosophy than they have in past years.

This should hopefully at least begin to calm the nerves of a jittery fanbase that has been lurching between vibe extremes with every match. Lord knows we could use the digital Xanax.

Look. Yes, this is late. I own that. The matches are coming thick and fast this time of year, I have health and family responsibilities, and my day job is in academia which is careening towards final exams this week. So I know I haven’t posted the Bournemouth player ratings piece, and I know you’ve noticed.

It happens, and honestly do we really WANT to relive that particular match, especially when we have an entirely different loss to obsess with over the next couple of days? Well, maybe y’all do, but I don’t.

So here are the player ratings for Thursday’s match vs. Bournemouth, without a theme. I make no apologies. Let’s just move on.

No Tottenham players in this category.

No Tottenham players in this category.

Fraser Forster (Community — 3.5): I’ve been hard on Forster lately and I think for good reason. But he was unquestionably good, if limited, against Bournemouth with several key stops. Still scared about him playing out of the back though. On rewatch, I take back my initial take that B’mouth’s goal was mostly on him.

Archie Gray (Community — 3.0): A solid, if unflashy, performance in two positions that are not natural to him. Looked a little shaky at CB, but that’s understandable. Pleased with his effort

Ben Davies (Community — 3.0): Hard to be too critical of Ben after he picked up an injury, but he was forced into a professional yellow early on and the entire back line struggled.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 2.5): I’ve had some issues with Destiny’s play in recent games but he was mostly okay in this one. Did let Kluivert past him on a couple of occasions.

Pedro Porro (Community — 2.5): Looked pretty good when he came on but I was hoping he’d get a longer rest.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 2.0): No idea where to put Ange. Got it wrong, but his hands are also tied and the injury situation is brutal. So this is a default 3-star rating because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Radu Dragusin (Community — 2.5): Radu’s been playing well lately so it’s not a surprise that he puts in a bad match every so often. This was one of them. Lost Huijsen for the goal, had a couple of poor giveaways. Bournemouth are a good team but he can (and should) do better.

Yves Bissouma (Community — ): Sloppy passing and some matador defending in midfield. Not a great match.

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 2.5): One of his poorer performances this season. He relies on his motor, so I wonder if the constant churn of matches is affecting his overall play.

James Maddison (Community — 2.5): Had one curling shot toward goal but otherwise an ineffective performance. Got to credit B’mouth as well, but Maddison struggled to impose himself creatively on the match.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 2.5): God love him, he tried.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 2.5): Barely had a sniff at the ball all match. Starved for service but didn’t take his chances when they (rarely) came.

Son Heung-Min (Community — 2.0): He was just ok.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 1.5): Just a brutal performance on both sides of the pitch.

No Tottenham players were as bad as a themeless player ratings article that’s two days late.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

Well, yesterday sucked. I’m sure I am joining many of you this morning waking up to a doomscrolling exercise, peering at your various timelines with your bleary eyes on where Tottenham go after an embarrassing loss to Chelsea.

But let’s not dwell on that.

Let’s dwell on the parts of the morning we do like - COFFEE!

To cheer us up, I reckon we check out some of the best festive drinks available this year. Whether you live in the UK or US (sorry rest of world), I think there’s tonnes of good options out there this year.

I’m going to go through a list of beverages I believe I would most enjoy:

Caffe Nero: Tiramisu latte

This looks absolutely delicious. All the flavours we love in a tiramisu in a latte.

Making its debut on the festive menu this year, the beverage comes with its own tiramisu chocolate and a rich chocolate. Everything we love in a tiramisu.

Plus, it comes with its own lady finger!

Caffe Nero: Pistachio hot chocolate

Two choices from Caffe Nero? YES! I love pistachios, and I do enjoy the rare hot chocolate. If I were in the UK, then I would allow this hot cocoa to be featured as the one hot cocoa I drink a year.

Peet’s Coffee: Holiday spice latte

Probably a less sugary alternative to Caffe Nero’s tiramisu latte. This is for you, Americans (myself included). The notes of ginger, cinammon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg sound promising.

Starbucks: Chestnut praline latte

I’m planning on going home for the holidays, and my family goes to Starbucks. I’m not a Starbucks person, but I know I gotta make the most of it. Their coffee isn’t good, which is plenty excuse to get something decidedly anti-coffee.

That’s why I’m going with the chestnut praline lattee. It sounds similar to Peet’s Coffee’s holiday spice latte, except that it’s topped with whipped cream and spiced praline crumbs.

Costa Coffee: Gingerbread latte

Doesn’t sound as good as the tiramisu latte, but it sounds great when paired with a gingerbread cookie. But I’m not always in the mood for a chocalatey drink. If so, I’ll get this one (again, if I was in the UK).

Compass Coffee (DC special): Maple latte

I haven’t seen the maple latte around this town lately. Have I not been looking hard enough? There’s a Compass not terribly far from where I work. Maybe I’ll stop by on a rainy Wednesday and indulge. I deserve a treat. IT’S THE HOLIDAYS, BABY.

Bluestone Lane: Aussie nog latte

This sounds promising - and creamy. This latte comes with steamed egg nog and some cinammon on top. Another strong contender for DC.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Canon, by Charles Mingus

And now for your links:

Cristian Romero says Spurs players are ‘very happy’ with Ange Postecoglou

The Athletic ($$): FA to investigate object-throwing by Spurs fans

Dan KP: ‘Tottenham gloom mounts’ after loss against Chelsea

There’s a lot to talk about coming out of Sunday’s 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur loss to Chelsea, but let’s stick with the injury situation for a second. Ange Postecoglou sprung a happy surprise on Spurs fans when Tottenham’s starting lineup featured the return of both Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven. Unfortunately, neither lasted the full 90. Van de Ven was a second half sub and while his injury wasn’t disclosed it looked like he felt something in his legs. Brennan Johnson made it 53 minutes before he came off looking distressed.

But the worst injury sub was Cuti Romero, who lasted only 15 minutes before he was withdrawn for Radu Dragusin (who played quite well, it should be said). While Postecoglou caught a lot of flack from Spurs fans on social media for apparently “taking chances” with the health and recovery of his starting CBs, Ange said of the three injury subs, one was planned, one was due to illness, and the third — Cuti — was a brand new injury unrelated to the one from which he recently recovered.

“Romero is just obviously hugely disappointing. He felt something in his quad. He trained really well. He wasn’t the one I was worried about, to be honest, but, you know, it’s just like I said, the way the season’s going for us unfortunately. So we just have to wait and see.

“Brennan just didn’t feel well. He didn’t feel well at half-time, but he wanted to give it a go, but he just wasn’t feeling 100% so I had to take him off.

“And then, well, the plan was always for Micky to play 60/70 [minutes] today. Obviously, I thought Romero would be okay to play 90, but Micky, probably 60/70. So we were always going take him off. He didn’t feel anything significant. He just felt tightness, but we were always going to take him off anyway.

“Romero didn’t injure the same thing. It’s a totally different injury, but also people I’m sure are aware of our situation. It’s not like I’ve got a multitude of options there, so, you know, you’ve got to make these decisions. Both players trained and tried well, and they both wanted to help.

“So you make these decisions with all the best information. Like I said, it’s not like Romero re-injured his toe, it’s a totally different injury, which could happen at any time.”

The other talking point was the awful tackle by Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo on Pape Matar Sarr. On replay, the incident was almost certainly red card worthy (to go along with a couple of other nasty uncalled and yellow-card worthy challenges) but both the official and VAR declined to intervene. When asked about the incident, Postecoglou took the opportunity to make another subtle criticism about both VAR and the state of officiating in the Premier League.

“I think it’s kind of where we’re at with the current state of football, where people are just frozen to make big decisions. I think referees don’t want to make them because they’ll go to VAR and VAR doesn’t want to intervene, so you’re kind of left in no man’s land. There’s a couple of decisions I thought today that definitely went against us.

“I thought the linesman put his flag up bizarrely for Deki when he was through, I don’t know what for. Those are things that are out of our control. We can’t do anything about that. Hopefully the powers that be work that out.

“Yeah [the Caicedo tackle was] what I was talking about. But like I said that is where we are at. I just don’t think, I have said it before, the technology has helped our game. I don’t see how it helps because It means instead of one person being in control of a game and you accepting that it almost feels like no one is in control because everybody is scared to make a decision to overturn somebody else. Referees are scared to make decisions in case they get it wrong, VAR don’t want to intervene and I get that because you don’t want disruptions to the game. You just have to cop out.”

The loss was a particularly dispiriting one due to the fact that Spurs went up 2-0 early behind some gorgeous play, only to let Chelsea back into the match en route to giving up two silly penalties. That said, Postecoglou denied that the players are disheartened or losing faith in the project, but acknowledged that the squad is hurting, exhausted, and injured — all things that add a significant amount of challenge during a hectic and congested period.

“I don’t sense anybody is feeling sorry for themselves. It is a tough moment because there are all these tools you can possibly use as a manager when you are going through tough moments to turn things around and our limited resources from a playing perspective at the moment doesn’t allow us to do that so you have to find other ways. It’s not through a lack of effort. The players are constantly out there because we can’t rotate. They are giving everything they can. It diminishes performances as well because they probably need a rest but we can’t give them a rest.

“I think it is something we need to tackle head on and keep pushing on. There is still plenty to play for us between now and January just to make sure we keep performing. I still sense within this squad there is a real conviction in what we are doing and if we maintain that we will turn our season around and hopefully at some point we hit some smoother waters in terms of some of the things that are happening at the moment. Some of it is self inflicted and hopefully we can get some more consistency.”