Spurs Web

Tottenham’s summer signing continues to impress even in defeat, as the defensive numbers stood out despite a disappointing loss to Aston Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their second defeat of the Premier League campaign under Thomas Frank at the weekend, falling 2-1 to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s early strike had initially given Spurs hope, but goals from Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia, both of which were stunning finishes, turned the game around in Villa’s favour.

Spurs were atrocious to say the least, with several players putting in subpar displays that left supporters frustrated, yet one man managed to stand tall amidst the poor collective showing.

Joao Palhinha’s defensive numbers underline his quality for Tottenham

Statistics from FotMob ranked Joao Palhinha as one of Tottenham’s top performers against Aston Villa, with only three players rated higher than him on the day.

Despite being on the losing side, his impact was clear to see, as he was central to Spurs’ defensive structure throughout the match.

The Portuguese midfielder acted as the anchor in Tottenham’s midfield, breaking up play and providing balance whenever Villa tried to build through the centre.

MORE SPURS STORIES

His numbers told the story of a player who gave everything for his side – recording 10 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 3 recoveries, while also winning 10 of his 15 ground duels (67%) and 1 of his 3 aerial duels (33%).

Palhinha remains key but Spurs midfield balance still a concern

Joao Palhinha has undoubtedly been a top-class addition since he arrived at Tottenham and has played a major role in improving the team’s defensive solidity.

The 30-year-old’s influence extends beyond breaking up play, as he has also shown a knack for contributing further up the pitch, with two goals and one assist in the Premier League this season.

However, Spurs still need to find the right balance in midfield to produce more consistent results. While Palhinha impressed once again, both Xavi Simons and Rodrigo Bentancur failed to match his intensity or positional discipline, which ultimately hurt Tottenham’s control in key moments.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are beginning to grow frustrated, and after the latest home defeat, many believe they finally know why results are dipping.

Tottenham Hotspur have not been entirely consistent this season, with moments of brilliance often accompanied by a few avoidable blips as Spurs have managed four victories, two draws and two defeats in their opening eight league fixtures.

The latest defeat came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Aston Villa came from a goal down to beat Tottenham 2-1.

While defeats in football are part and parcel of the game, it is often the manner of the loss that leaves a sour taste in the mouths of supporters, and that was exactly the case for Tottenham fans following the latest setback.

Tottenham fans react to Aston Villa defeat

Tottenham fans have not held back following Spurs’ latest loss against Aston Villa, with many now convinced they know why the team is struggling, though opinions differ across the fanbase.

Taking to X, Spurs fans voiced their frustration, with many blaming the attack and the midfield for some of the shortcomings in recent weeks.

One fan said: “Attackers not up to standard. Tel, Odobert, Richarlison, Johnson. All bang average at best.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Another added: “Why did Frank suddenly stop playing Sarr? He was on fire for us since pre-season. His obsession with Bentancur is hurting us big time.”

Another supporter commented: “Attack is too one-dimensional. Relying on Kudus for 90% of our creativity. Do not want to hear the excuse of losing to two ‘wonder goals’. Those goals would not have happened if the players had the courage to close the man down on the edge of the box. Midfield unbalanced again.”

One more fan stated: “Conceding two poor goals to give away, no urgency or pace in the team really, just needs to be quicker with less hesitation but it is hard when you have not got much to offer from the bench in the way of forwards. We need to stop being so lazy and sluggish all the time.”

More comments continued to roll in: “Frank got it wrong. How many times have we seen now that Paulinha and Bentancur do not work as a pairing? You go 2-1 down and he takes off the 10 – what is the point in leaving two CDMs on? One win in four at home and we have not played anyone good. Very worrying…”

Another Tottenham fan said: “Odobert and Tel provide limited threat to opposition defenders, and their decision-making in the final third lacks consistency. For Tottenham to truly compete at the highest level, Spurs need attackers who can combine creativity, intelligence, and a clinical edge.”

The final comment summed up the mood: “I do not know why we are starting at home with Bentancur and Paulinha in midfield. Surely Sarr or Bergvall would have been a better option? We have a real issue playing at home. Lack of creativity, cannot boss games.”

Spurs stats highlight attacking concern

Thomas Frank clearly has a lot of work to do with his Tottenham side, as they are not a front-footed attacking team.

Spurs rank fourth for goals scored this season with 14 in the league, but their overall play leaves much to be desired.

A total of 5.694 xG from open play, 13 big chances and 86 shots are among the worst in the league, with Spurs ranked 12th, 15th and 13th respectively for each of those metrics.

Tottenham set-piece coach Andreas Georgson has just landed a new job as part of a national team set-up, but Spurs fans do not need to worry.

Thomas Frank has made set pieces an important part of Tottenham’s training routine, and that is showing on the pitch.

One of the main reasons for the club’s improvement is due to the arrival of Andreas Georgson, who has been praised by the Spurs players for his impact/

Despite being only 43 years of age, the Swede has an exhaustive CV, having previously held roles at Malmo, Brentford, Arsenal, Southampton and Man United.

Tottenham coach Andreas Georgson joins Sweden coaching staff

Georgson is far from just a set-piece coach, having held various kinds of roles across his career, and he has now joined as a part of Graham Potter’s staff after the Englishman’s appointment as Sweden’s head coach.

However, Spurs fans will not have to worry as Georgson’s new role will not affect his commitments at Tottenham.

Here is Potter confirming the Spurs coach’s addition to his staff after replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson in the Scandinavian nation’s hotseat.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Another Spurs coach also has a dual role

Georgson is not the only member of Thomas Frank’s coaching staff who has a dual role with a club and a national team.

Spurs assistant coach Justin Cochrane is also part of Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up, and is thus away with the Three Lions squad during the international break.

Yang Min-hyeok is quickly becoming a fan favourite at Pompey, and the fans at the South Coast club showed their love to the Tottenham loanee on Sunday.

After a difficult start to life at Fratton Park, the on-loan Tottenham Hotspur man is now getting regular game time, and he is showing just why many are excited about his potential.

Yang netted his first goal for Portsmouth in the 2-2 draw against Watford at the start of this month.

The Spurs loanee followed that up with a fine strike against Middlesbrough two weeks ago, and he made another decisive contribution for Portsmouth against Leicester City on Sunday.

Portsmouth fans show their love for Tottenham youngster Yang Min-hyeok

The teenager produced a moment of fantastic quality to help the away side score the equaliser at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Yang set up John Swift’s 58th-minute strike for Portsmouth, with the youngster running at the Leicester defence, showing great feet to beat a man before playing the ball to his teammate, who lashed home at the near post.

Following the final whistle at Leicester, the away section proudly sang the 19-year-old’s name. Check out Pompey fans’ new chant for Yang below:

MORE SPURS STORIES

Is Yang the answer to Spurs’ problems in attack?

Some Spurs fans are very excited about Yang’s recent form for Portsmouth and are already dreaming of him making an impact at N17.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has said that Yang has been improving with each outing, and Tottenham will hope that continues.

Tottenham fans are beginning to lose patience with Guglielmo Vicario, as his recent performances have sparked mixed emotions across the fanbase.

Tottenham supporters have been vocal about Vicario’s form, with some even suggesting that he should be dropped ahead of the Aston Villa clash.

However, Thomas Frank decided to keep faith with his number one, ignoring the outside noise and trusting the former Empoli man to deliver in goal.

It was a decision that ultimately ended in disappointment, as two stunning strikes from Villa secured all three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But despite the quality of the goals, fans have continued to question Vicario’s positioning and overall command of his area.

Tottenham fans react to Guglielmo Vicario’s display against Aston Villa

Taking to X after the defeat, one Tottenham supporter slammed Vicario’s positioning for Villa’s opener, describing it as horrible and calling for Kinsky to be given a chance in goal.

That post opened the floodgates, as opinions quickly split among fans. While some backed the Italian, others felt it was time for a change.

MORE SPURS STORIES

One fan asked, “Sorry, how would he have saved the second goal exactly?” while another commented, “100% Kinsky deserves to start, not because of Vic’s mistakes, which sadly goalkeepers do make, but because Vic with the ball at his feet is poor and restricts our ability to play out from the back. Kinsky is good with the ball at his feet.”

Another user was less forgiving, writing, “They are both bad,” while one frustrated fan added, “I am losing patience with Vicario, but if Kinsky makes a mistake people will say ‘I miss Vicario’. They said it when Kinsky had a poor run of games in January and February.”

Others chose to defend Guglielmo Vicario, with one saying, “Always a scapegoat. Win as a team, lose as a team. We were lightweight all over the pitch today, would not be singling anyone out. The whole team needs to improve, especially in the final third.”

However, not everyone agreed with that sentiment. One fan wrote, “His positioning was bad. Morgan did not even place it in the far corner. I think Kinsky should start against Monaco and other games. Put Vic on the bench. His ball distribution too is zero.”

Another Tottenham fan added, “I am not sure he would have got to either of those shots, they were good hits. I love his passion, but he is just not good enough. COYS!”

Vicario under pressure to regain form at Spurs

The pressure is clearly on Guglielmo Vicario to raise his level, as the discontent surrounding him has been simmering since last season.

Nevertheless, despite fan frustration, reports indicate that Thomas Frank remains loyal to his first-choice goalkeeper and is willing to back Vicario through this difficult spell.

While it would be harsh to pin Sunday’s loss entirely on Vicario, his recent errors have not helped his case. The midfield and defence also failed to close down Villa’s attackers before they unleashed those unstoppable strikes.

Still, at 29, the Italian must cut out the lapses that continue to overshadow his otherwise steady performances, or he risks losing his spot as Tottenham’s number one.

Mathys Tel has opened up about being subject to racist abuse on social media after Tottenham’s UEFA Super Cup final.

The Frenchman did not have the best of outings in Udine against PSG, with his poor night being capped off by a penalty miss as the Parisians emerged victorious in the shootout.

Tel came in for plenty of criticism on the back of his performance against PSG, but some comments crossed the line, with the Tottenham man being on the end of racist abuse.

Mathys Tel’s Spurs teammates came out in his support publicly following the abuse, and the 20-year-old has now revealed what impact those comments had on him.

Mathys Tel reveals how he reacts to racist abuse after Tottenham penalty miss

The Spurs fans also came to Tel’s support in large numbers and the youngster has now explained what he thought about the abhorrent comments directed at him.

The Tottenham Hotspur star revealed that he was not overly shocked, as this was not the first time in his career he had been subject to such vile comments.

He suggested that the social media companies need to play a more active role in combating this scourge of people abusing online under the protection of anonymity.

MORE SPURS STORIES

When asked how he felt when targeted with racist abuse, Tel told The Telegraph: “I was not very shocked, but these types of bad comments still hurt you. It was the same at Bayern Munich after a game on social media. That’s why, today, I just try to protect myself – don’t read, don’t listen, just be focused on what I do. Work, work, work every day.

“I think the social media companies need to do more because social media is very open. So if I want to be a bad guy, I just need to create an account with another name, and I can say a lot of bad things. It’s too easy to be disrespectful to a lot of people. So, yeah, just try to protect us, protect the kids, protect everybody because nobody deserves that.”

Tel opens up on his tough upbringing

The forward admitted that his resilience comes from his tough childhood in Sarcelles, where he had no option but to keep fighting.

Tel admitted that those experiences have held him in good stead in his efforts to cope with the ups and downs of a career at the highest level of the game.

The Tottenham forward added: “I was born in the ghetto, Sarcelles, so the mentality is very, very strong. Every situation that I’ve faced until now has helped me to become better, to be a better person, better player. If you want to be a great player, a great person, your mentality needs to be great and very strong.

“I don’t go [to Sarcelles] anymore. But when I was there, the mentality was don’t let anybody beat you. If you play football, if you fight in the street, it doesn’t matter anywhere. Just don’t let anybody put your head down. That’s why I’m thinking like that. I don’t let anybody put my head down. If I don’t have success, I will come back again.

“Was it difficult [growing up there]? I would say 50-50. Difficult because it’s always about challenging yourself. You are going to go this way, people don’t like you. You are going to go the other way, people like you. But it might not be the right way. So you don’t really know where you need to go. That’s why my family was always behind me because if you don’t have your family behind you, it’s going to be very, very difficult.”

Tottenham Hotspur are not alone in their pursuit of one of Brazil’s most exciting young wingers, as Premier League rivals and European giants start circling ahead of the January window.

Tottenham Hotspur have been keeping an eye on Rayan Viktor in recent months and even sent scouts to watch the electric Brazilian winger, who has been turning heads.

Clubs across Europe have taken note of his performances, with several Premier League sides just as keen to land the exciting wide man.

Rayan is said to have a release clause worth £34 million (€40m), although reports suggest the fee could be negotiated down to around £25.7 million (€30m).

Tottenham and Chelsea hold talks with Rayan Viktor’s agent

TeamTalk have now provided a further update on the winger’s future with their latest report. According to the publication, it is understood that Tottenham have already been in talks with Rayan Viktor’s agent as they continue to monitor his development.

However, Spurs are not the only ones to have approached Viktor’s representatives, with Chelsea also making a similar move.

Meanwhile, other rivals, Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City are said to be keeping tabs on the situation as it develops, leaving Spurs with fierce competition for the youngster’s signature.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Rayan is seen as the next big thing in Brazil, and a national team call-up is understood to be looming for the 19-year-old. Given the youngster’s meteoric rise in recent months, TeamTalk has claimed that January could very much spark a bidding war for the wide man who could be available for less than £34 million.

Spurs could use Rayan Viktor’s versatility

Tottenham could do with a left-winger who is as electric and direct as Rayan Viktor, although the Brazilian’s preferred position is out on the right.

His versatility, however, could be a major asset at Tottenham, as Rayan is capable of operating effectively on the left wing – an area Thomas Frank is believed to be keen on strengthening.

Tottenham Hotspur have been strongly linked with a move for Antoine Semenyo, but has the arrival of Fabio Paratici changed things?

Fabio Paratici has since resumed his role as Sporting Director at Tottenham Hotspur following his reappointment early last week.

The Italian director is no stranger to Spurs transfer dealings, having worked closely with former club chairman Daniel Levy before serving his 30-month football ban.

Now back in the director’s booth, Paratici’s attention has turned towards building Thomas Frank’s Spurs squad, with the January transfer window expected to mark the beginning of his new chapter at the club.

Tottenham still tracking Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo

According to Dean Jones, writing for TeamTalk, it is understood that Fabio Paratici’s return to Tottenham Hotspur has not altered the club’s stance on Antoine Semenyo.

Tottenham were interested in the Bournemouth forward last summer but ultimately fell short in their pursuit, with the Cherries tying him down to a long-term deal until 2030.

Paratici’s appointment might have led many to assume that Spurs would redirect their scouting attention back towards Italian markets, yet Semenyo remains firmly on their radar.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The Ghanaian international is currently valued between £80-100 million by Bournemouth, though that figure could shift depending on developments in the coming months, with murmurs of a release clause still circulating.

Sources close to Bournemouth have consistently denied the existence of such a clause, but scepticism persists within the game.

Several clubs are now believed to be probing the details of Semenyo’s contract, and Tottenham are among those exploring the full picture. It is understood that Paratici is prepared to take the lead should an opportunity to move arise.

Spurs face competition for Antoine Semenyo

Tottenham are not alone in their pursuit of the Bournemouth forward, with several Premier League sides also monitoring his progress.

The 25-year-old has started the season impressively, registering six goals and three assists in the league so far, a return that has not gone unnoticed by top-flight rivals.

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are reported to be among the clubs interested, with the Red Devils expected to provide serious competition for Semenyo’s signature should Tottenham decide to make a formal approach.

A supercomputer has revealed Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of a victory as Thomas Frank’s side return to UEFA Champions League action against Monaco on Wednesday night.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to resume their UEFA Champions League campaign this Wednesday, when they take on French outfit Monaco in matchday three.

It is an away cup tie for the Lilywhites, who will be eager to respond after being held to a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Bodo Glimt.

Thomas Frank’s side will be desperate to return to winning ways in Europe, knowing that any slip-up could complicate their hopes of progressing from the league phase.

The French outfit, however, has shown they can compete at this level, and Spurs will know they cannot afford to take anything for granted.

Supercomputer predicts a tight victory for Tottenham against Monaco

Indeed, Spurs will need to be at their best against the Ligue 1 side if they are to secure a victory, and Opta’s AI prediction has still tipped Tottenham to do just that.

The supercomputer’s forecast suggests a tight affair, with Tottenham handed a 41.2% chance of winning, compared to Monaco’s 33.8%.

MORE SPURS STORIES

With 20 points being enough for automatic qualification from the Champions League league phase last term, Thomas Frank will understand the importance of picking up more wins as early as possible.

Monaco are no pushovers either, having managed a 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Stade Louis II, impressively coming from behind to do so.

Past meetings and key absences ahead of Monaco vs Tottenham

It does not entirely come as a surprise that both sides are evenly matched, given their previous encounters have seen either team come out on top.

Tottenham did get the better of Monaco during the 2015/16 Europa League campaign, but the French side responded by doing the double over Spurs the following season, spoiling what was a long-awaited return to Champions League football.

Mathys Tel has spoken about his mindset after missing a penalty for Tottenham Hotspur in the Super Cup final, and Spurs fans will love what the forward has to say.

Spurs put in a superb performance in the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, but they threw away the result towards the end, conceding two late goals, which took the contest to a shootout.

PSG emerged on top on penalties, and Tel came in for plenty of criticism for his performance and his penalty miss in the final.

The Spurs youngster was also subject to racist abuse online after the Super Cup, but he has now made a bold statement about taking spotkicks in the future.

Mathys Tel vows to score his next penalty for Tottenham

It would be easy for the 20-year-old to shy away from taking penalties on the back of the trauma against PSG, but the forward’s mentality is exactly the opposite.

The Frenchman has assured Spurs fans that he will score the next penalty he takes for the club on the back of his miss in the final.

When asked about that penalty miss, Tel told The Telegraph: “I will take a penalty again, and if we go again to play in the Super Cup next year, I will take it again. No fear.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“I love Kobe Bryant, and I always read what he did, and he was always about trying, trying. You need to try to have success. You are going to make mistakes to have success, so I’m OK with mistakes. I’m OK if I don’t score goals because I’m going to be back and next time I will score.”

Tel makes an admission about taking a penalty for France’s Under-21s

Not long after his miss penalty in the Super Cup, the former Bayern Munich man stepped up to convert a spot-kick for France’s Under-21s.

He admitted that some negative thoughts were going through his mind when he stepped up so soon after his experience in Udine.

When asked if the miss with Tottenham made him think twice about taking a penalty so soon afterwards, Tel responded: “Yes. But I was like ‘I will try again another time. I will try again, I will try again’. So that’s what I did.

“For sure, the pressure was there, but it’s always about the confidence. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to miss the shot again’. So, I shot and scored.”