TBR Football

Ange Postecoglou must have been the happiest man in N17 after the referee blew the full-time whistle to confirm Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 win against Manchester United after weeks of doom and gloom.

Tottenham have had a dire season but against United, both Postecoglou and his players seemed up for the battle. Spurs’ hunger to take home the all-important three points was evident from day one as they started the game on fire and while their lively display eventually dwindled, they fought until the end to emerge as deserved victors.

One of the primary reasons why Tottenham managed to beat Manchester United is none other than the returning Guglielmo Vicario.

Vicario has been ruled out of action for several months and perhaps there were fears within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium about how he would perform.

But the Italian goalkeeper certainly looked the part against Manchester United, making an incredible six saves inside his own box in what was a tremendous display from him.

Vicario only recently returned to training and yet, he put a commanding performance in between the sticks, which was perhaps also a message to Antonin Kinsky that he remains Tottenham’s number one.

Ange Postecoglou told his Guglielmo Vicario “gamble” in Tottenham vs Man United worked

Since heading to Spurs last season, Vicario has proven to be one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers and his display against Manchester United was a reminder of his class.

The 28-year-old must have frustrated Ruben Amorim throughout the contest, as he especially kept rasping efforts from Alejandro Garnacho out that seemed like certain goals.

After Tottenham’s deserved win against Manchester United, Jamie Redknapp lauded Vicario’s display as he admitted that Ange Postecoglou took a risk by throwing him straight into the lion’s den that was successful.

Redknapp said on Sky Sports: “[Guglielmo] Vicario was a gamble but he looked good today, he brought him back in and performed really well. He made one good save from [Alejandro] Garnacho today and that’s what Spurs needed today.”

While Kinsky is talented, he has looked shaky for the most part in a Tottenham shirt and Vicario’s latest showing was a reminder of why the goalkeeping position is one that demands experience.

Ange Postecoglou is a huge fan of Vicario but even he must have been surprised by his tremendous impact on his Tottenham side straightaway after returning from injury.

James Maddison says Vicario was “outstanding” for Tottenham vs Man United

Maddison hailed Vicario’s performance against Manchester United as well after the game.

“It’s nice to be an injured player coming back, I know I didn’t have too much time out, only a couple of weeks, but to take the pressure off them and give them a rest, give the other lads a boost.”

“I thought Vicario was outstanding as well, made a difference coming back in.”

Maddison added: “It’s about us being present now and leading like they did, even amongst a bad run they were still there, they were still present, recovering, they were still living right to try and give us the best chance of winning – we had a bit of a bad run of form, but there’s obviously factors to that.

“It’s nice to be back and add a bit of a bolster to a squad with some injuries and see some happy faces.”

Djed Spence was right at the heart of a much needed win for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United on Sunday evening.

Thankfully for Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham recovered a few more players from injury against Man United, the likes of James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario, who both started.

And although Spurs were still far from their best, there were obvious signs of improvement in N17.

Maddison was impressed by Vicario who proved why he is still a more solid presence than Antonin Kinsky, even if the young keeper has demonstrated his potential.

And then when things were becoming stretched in the second half, Postecoglou had the rare pleasure of introducing the likes of Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert.

Of course, Dominic Solanke isn’t ready for a return just yet, a striker who will now compete with Mathys Tel.

But in terms of competition for places, it would be very hard to take Spence’s spot right now.

Dominic Solanke stunned by Djed Spence’s display vs Man United

Spence has arguably been Tottenham’s best performer for a while now, and after another stunning performance on Sunday, Solanke saw fit to celebrate the full-back.

Solanke posted a picture of Spence holding his player of the match award on his Instagram story shortly after the players had left the pitch.

Solanke then added a three-word caption of ‘What a player’, a Tottenham defender who has completely turned his career around in north London.

Back in the summer, Tottenham were happy to sell Spence, and if the likes of Destiny Udogie hadn’t been injured, the full-back might never have received this chance.

And as it goes, Udogie will now find it very hard to win his spot back from Spence.

Jamie Redknapp calls Djed Spence a ‘tremendous talent’

Speaking on Sky Sports after Spurs’ win, Jamie Redknapp was also blown away by Spence’s performance, hailing him as a ‘tremendous talent’.

Interestingly, Redknapp mentioned that former Tottenham manager Antonio Conte never really wanted Spence at the club, a full-back who has often been questioned.

However, Spence is now receiving praise from all angles, a player who might even be catching the eye of England boss Thomas Tuchel.

Praising Spence, Redknapp said: “Antonio Conte didn’t really want Djed Spence and he made that pretty clear.

“He is a young player with tremendous talent – speed, agility, can defend, cool on the ball, he has a football brain.

“You just need a bit of belief. If there aren’t these injuries we probably don’t see him. He was excellent.”

Ange Postecoglou’s time at Tottenham Hotspur has been a mixed one.

The Australian became an instant hit at Spurs when he took charge of the club in the summer of 2023. His style of play was welcomed by the supporters, who were fed up with the defensive football they had seen under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

Daniel Levy considered various options that summer, but the Tottenham chairman decided to go with Postecoglou even though the Australian had no previous experience managing in a big European league.

His attacking philosophy was definitely a big reason why, but Levy revealed in September 2023 that Postecoglou also agreed to use the club’s academy and promote players to the first team, which is something that Conte didn’t do.

“One of the reasons why we asked Ange to become our manager is that he believes in the academy,” Levy said in a Tottenham Fan Forum in 2023.

“The relationship between the first team and the academy is really important. This is a club where we as fans get a great thrill seeing a player coming through the academy into the first team.

“We want to see that flourish. And I think over the coming years we’ve got some very good young players in our academy and you’ll see them coming through to the first team.”

Has Ange Postecoglou completed the task Daniel Levy gave him?

Like every chairman, Levy would love to see his manager bring through players from the academy and make them superstars.

That is not only a great look for the club’s youth system, but it also saves millions in the transfer market – Arsenal are a great example of that thanks to the emergence of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Postecoglou has looked at Tottenham’s academy too, and he has given debuts to seven youth players since he became the Spurs boss.

A combined 1221 minutes of football have been offered to players from the Tottenham academy who have made their debuts under Postecoglou.

An argument can be made that some of the above names deserved more game time, while there are others in the academy who are yet to play for the first team.

We’re sure some Spurs fans will claim that Postecoglou has not fulfilled the task Levy set for him when he made him the Tottenham manager.

Postecoglou has trusted other young players at Tottenham

The seven names mentioned above are the players out of Tottenham’s academy who Postecoglou has handed first-team debuts too.

The minutes they’ve all got are perhaps not enough, but there are other young players at Spurs who have played a lot under the Australian.

Archie Gray is a great example. The teenager was signed from Leeds last summer and he has played a total of 2344 minutes of football in all competitions.

Lucas Bergvall is another one who has played a significant amount – 1387 minutes to be exact.

Tottenham Hotspur have been utterly abysmal as of late.

Spurs’ recent form has been absolutely terrible. Tottenham have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches.

However, Tottenham’s poor form recently can be explained rather easily.

Indeed, Tottenham have a number of players out injured, and that means that some key players have to play out of position.

Djed Spence has had to play at left-back as of late, while Archie Gray has had to play in a number of different positions in recent weeks.

Gray was brought to Spurs as a midfield player, but, unfortunately, he’s had to spend most of his time at Tottenham playing in defence.

Speaking on Team Talks, Shaun Wright-Phillips has been discussing Archie Gray’s performances as of late, and the pundit says that the teenager has done a fantastic job, while expressing sympathy for his situation.

Shaun Wright-Phillips hails Archie Gray

Wright-Phillips spoke about the situation at Tottenham and Gray’s role in the team.

The pundit says that Gray has done a fantastic job in a number of different positions, claiming that he feels quite sorry for the youngster.

“Ange has had about 10 injuries more than Amorim, and he’s had to shuffle that,” Wright-Phillips said.

“Little poor Archie Gray. He’s been playing at centre-back, left-back and right-back. He’s a centre-midfielder, but, for me, he has done a fantastic job.”

The positions Archie Gray has played for Tottenham

Wright-Phillips notes that Gray has had to play all over the place for Tottenham, and he’s not wrong.

Indeed, the breakdown of where Gray has played for Spurs tells you all you need to know.

Gray was signed to be a midfield player, and yet, he’s only played in midfield twice for Tottenham.

The fact that Gray has received praise this season for his performances tells you a lot about what you need to know about the teenager.

This is a young player who is hugely resilient in the face of adversity, remarkably adaptable and up for any challenge.

Regardless of your technical and physical abilities, if you have those three attributes as a young player, you’re going to be headed in the right direction.

Gray hasn’t had the smoothest of rides at Tottenham in his debut season, but he has managed to remain consistently one of Spurs’ better performers throughout this tumultuous period.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to lock horns with Manchester United in Sunday’s Premier League clash in North London.

Spurs are currently in a poor run of form, with injuries still hampering the Lilywhites as they have done for much of the season.

However, while Tottenham lost their last two domestic cup games, they did win their last Premier League match, a 2-0 win away at Brentford.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have won four of their last five games, although their last league match ended in a 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Paul Merson has now predicted who will triumph between Spurs and Man United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Paul Merson backs Tottenham to run out 2-1 winners over Manchester United

Merson believes Tottenham and Man United are “as bad as each other” at this moment in time, though he acknowledges Spurs’ injury woes.

However, Merson also thinks Tottenham have the better front line, claiming this will prove the difference between the two sides.

The pundit reckons Tottenham will run out 2-1 winners over Ruben Amorim’s charges.

“Whoever loses this game is in big trouble,” Merson wrote on Sportskeeda.

“I don’t even know where to start because both Tottenham and Manchester United are as bad as each other!

“Spurs can point to their injuries, but what’s United’s excuse at the moment? Ruben Amorim has to change things up.

“I know he has been true to his philosophy but he needs to realise the players available at Old Trafford are not fit to play that way.

“You can’t stay adamant like this at the cost of losing games! Next year, when you have the right players for your system, try it out.

“I saw him put the new kid Patrick Dorgu in an unnatural position on his debut. I mean, what is this?

“I’d be shocked if Manchester United win this game. I think Spurs have the better forwards and that will end up being the difference between the sides.

“This is Manchester United we’re talking about and they should be smashing Tottenham in an ideal world.

“But I can’t even seem them beating Palace at the moment, how can I expect them to win this game then?”

Tottenham v Man United team news

Tottenham have been handed a triple injury boost with James Maddison, Destiny Udogie and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario now available for selection once again.

Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner have also returned to training, though they’re not expected to be back just yet.

Tottenham are still without Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven, who are thought to be a few more weeks away from a return.

Meanwhile, Man United boss Ruben Amorim admitted he had to draft in academy players to train with the senior squad this week due to injury and illness issues.

Amorim did not name the players affected but Altay Bayindir, Jonny Evans and Mason Mount all missed out on the FA Cup win over Leicester City last Friday because of injury.

Tottenham Hotspur’s injury situation has been dismal for most of the season but there has been some good news of late.

Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham’s first-choice goalkeeper, is now available after recovering from an ankle fracture.

Vicario sustained the injury during Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Manchester City in November, and had to undergo surgery.

The Italy international returned to training in January but needed more time to fully recover and get up to speed ahead of a return to action.

Now, Vicario is once again at Ange Postecoglou’s disposal as Tottenham prepare to take on Manchester United in the Premier League.

Postecoglou, speaking at his pre-match press conference, revealed what the £17million man does behind the scenes at Hotspur Way that’s so important.

Ange Postecoglou says Guglielmo Vicario is ‘such a presence’ in Tottenham training

Postecoglou welcomed Vicario’s return to availability as he confirmed that Spurs are now in a better place with regards to their playing staff.

“Vicario has trained really well and is good to go,” the Tottenham manager told football.london. “Madders (James Maddison) is good to go.

“Then we have had Destiny (Udogie), Wilson (Odobert) and Brennan (Johnson) also training with the group. They are in a good space as well so it’s been a good training week.”

Postecoglou was then asked how important it was to have the likes of Vicario and Maddison back in the fold.

“Yes, it is massive,” said the Tottenham manager. “Both of them, particularly Vic, it is not just that Vic is an outstanding goalkeeper but in training he is such a presence among the boys.

“He gets everyone going and it has been tough without him because we’ve used three other goalkeepers. They’ve all contributed but none of them have let us down.

“It’s just that Vic is experienced and has a strong personality. Madders is the same. He has enormous self-belief and that filters through the team.

“The energy and experience they bring to training will certainly make a difference for us.”

Postecoglou also had some kind things to say about Antonin Kinsky and Brandon Austin, who covered for Vicario in his absence.

How else Vicario goes above and beyond for Tottenham behind the scenes

Back in September, Postecoglou revealed one thing which Vicario does on his days off that has impressed him.

“I included him in the leadership (group) this year, I have just seen his growth. He is one of those guys who is really positive,” said Postecoglou.

“He comes in every day wanting to work, he comes in on his days off wanting to work. He is a great example for everyone and a great human being as well.”

Tottenham Hotspur had a tumultuous January transfer window.

Indeed, Spurs ultimately got a few deals over the line as Antonin Kinsky, Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso arrived, but it wasn’t a straightforward window for Tottenham.

Tel initially rejected Tottenham before he made a dramatic U-turn on deadline day, while Tottenham also failed with a bid for Marc Guehi towards the end of the transfer window.

Randal Kolo Muani was also a Tottenham target in the January window, but Kolo Muani rejected Spurs in order to join Juventus.

Now, speaking to Serie A’s YouTube channel, Kolo Muani has been discussing his move to Juve.

According to the striker, he’s over the moon with his decision to join Juventus, claiming that he’s thrilled to sign for the Italian giants.

Meanwhile, the forward also said that he thought he’d be happiest at Juventus ahead of his other options.

Randal Kolo Muani discusses Juventus move

Kolo Muani spoke about his move to Juventus after snubbing Tottenham.

The striker made it clear how happy he was with his decision, claiming that he’s thrilled to be in Turin.

“I’ve been made to feel very welcome and I’m thrilled to be here,” Kolo Muani said.

“I spoke a lot with the coach about the transfer and that really helped. I was able to follow my heart by coming here. I thought I’d be happiest here. When I scored my two goals against Empoli I was really happy and it was really a release for me. I hadn’t scored in a long time so I was thrilled.”

Randal Kolo Muani stats since joining Juventus

Kolo Muani says that he’s over the moon to be at Juventus, and that’s showing in his performances on the pitch.

Indeed, the striker is in the form of his life right now.

After scoring just two goals in 10 games for PSG in the first-half of the season, Kolo Muani has been flying at Juventus.

Kolo Muani scored just 43 minutes into his debut for Juventus, and he’s not stopped scoring since.

Meanwhile, Mathys Tel has already opened his account for Tottenham, but he isn’t quite impressing in the same way Kolo Muani is at Juventus.

Tottenham will be hoping that Tel can make a similar impact to Kolo Muani at Juventus in the coming weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur have had to deal with an injury crisis for much of the season, with many of their key players having been out of action.

Even now, Spurs are without a multitude of key players, including Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke.

However, there has been one positive development on that front, with first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario now back in Tottenham training.

Vicario is likely to make an immediate return to the starting XI in place of Antonin Kinsky, who was thrown in at the deep end following his January move from Slavia Prague.

Ange Postecoglou, speaking to reporters at his pre-match press conference, gave his verdict on Kinsky now he’s able to take him out of the proverbial firing line.

The Tottenham boss also touched upon Brandon Austin’s development, the Spurs academy keeper having also featured in Vicario’s absence.

Ange Postecoglou backs Antonin Kinsky to become ‘outstanding’ at Tottenham

Postecoglou has backed Kinsky to become an “outstanding” goalkeeper as he acknowledged that the 21-year-old was thrown in at the deep end.

The Tottenham boss is pleased with how Kinsky bounced back from his mistake against Aston Villa, showing he has the right character to succeed as a Spurs goalkeeper.

Postecoglou also praised Austin for how he has “really grown” as a player over the past few weeks and admitted coach Rob Burch is pleased with the goalkeepers in the Spurs ranks.

“I’ve been really happy with Tony. Even at Villa, I mean, obviously you know he made the mistake, but his reaction to that was I thought outstanding for a 21-year-old in that environment to bounce back from a mistake like that,” Postecoglou told football.london.

“I mean we’ve thrown him in and given him some enormous tasks with very little sort of preparation and I just think he’s going to be an outstanding goalkeeper.

Brandon as well has really grown through this period, so I know [Rob] Birchy’s really happy now with the goalkeeping group in that we’ve got a really strong goalkeeping group now that can push each other.

“Really, really pleased to get Toni into the club, because we think he’s going to be an outstanding goalkeeper and no better one to work alongside than than Vic.”

How Kinsky has fared for Tottenham so far

Kinsky’s debut was against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final first leg and he made an immediate impact as Tottenham won that game.

Indeed, Spurs fans praised Kinsky after the Liverpool game, saying he looked like he could become a star for the Lilywhites.

Since then, Kinsky’s performances have been mixed, which is not surprising considering he’s a young player being thrown in at the deep end following a move to a new league and country.

Now Vicario is back, less will be demanded of Kinsky for the foreseeable future, and he can concentrate on developing further as a player.

At the same time, he has proven that, should Tottenham need him, he can step up once again.

Tottenham Hotspur, quite simply, haven’t been good enough this season.

Indeed, Spurs sit 14th in the Premier League table at the moment, and there are a number of reasons why Tottenham have been so poor this season.

Injuries are a key issue at Tottenham right now, but luckily, Spurs do have some players on their way back.

However, away from the injuries, performances often haven’t been good enough from their key players.

Speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, Mark Schwarzer has been discussing Spurs’ recent problems, and he’s pointed towards James Maddison as a player who hasn’t been at the level this season.

James Maddison hasn’t been good enough

Schwarzer spoke about Tottenham’s issues, claiming that James Maddison has been a shadow of his former self.

Maddison has been criticised at times this season, and Schwarzer believes the midfielder simply hasn’t been as good as he has been in the past.

“Yeah. When you look at the players that are out, Solanke, 65 million pound player, he was their focal point up front, he’s injured, Schwarzer said.

“James Madison, yeah, you could say,, he’s been a shadow of himself, but they’re still really important players. So for Spurs, it’s more for Spurs on the line, I think, than Man United. I think the narrative will be very much if Man United win this game, the whole thing about it, the momentum about Ange out, whereas Man United lose, I’ll just go, well, Man United have been terrible all season and he needs another, he needs an off season, he needs a whole off season.”

James Maddison stats compared to last season

Maddison hasn’t been at his best this season, Spurs’ league position shows that, as does many of the punditry around the £40m man.

Indeed, Maddison has been heavily criticised at times this season, but his stats this term are actually rather impressive.

While Maddison’s general play hasn’t been all that great, his impact in the final third has actually stepped up this season.

Maddison has already scored twice as many goals as he did last season, but his assist numbers are down.

Of course, Tottenham’s problems this season haven’t been down to scoring goals, Tottenham have scored 48 goals this season, but they’re shipping too many goals in too many games, and that’s costing them points.

Maddison isn’t the only Spurs player to have gone backwards this season, but his recent form does largely sum up the problems at Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United next in what is a huge game for both sides in the Premier League.

The two clubs would’ve started the season with the aim of finishing in one of the Champions League places, but that looks like an impossible dream right now.

Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League table after 24 games, while Spurs are a place and two points below them at the moment.

Both clubs are desperate for a victory right now, but the pressure on Ange Postecoglou is higher than Ruben Amorim.

Tottenham could sack Ange Postecoglou if they lose to Manchester United

Postecoglou has had a really difficult season at the helm at Tottenham.

The Australian has had to deal with more injuries than any other club in the Premier League. He has missed key players for large parts of the campaign.

That is the biggest reason why Tottenham are where they are in the table right now, and the pressure is on Postecoglou ahead of the game against Manchester United.

Spurs will go into the fixture on Sunday having won just two times in the Premier League since the start of December. Another defeat will see United go five points clear of them.

Tottenham fans will be furious if that happens, and that could be the end of the road for Postecoglou.

Inter Live have claimed that if Spurs lose against Manchester United on Sunday, Daniel Levy could sack Postecoglou.

Tottenham already have a replacement in mind – Simone Inzaghi, the 48-year-old manager of Inter Milan.

Tottenham are ready to offer two things to convince Simone Inzaghi to become their manager

Inzaghi is one of the best managers in the world.

The Italian has helped the Nerazzurri win six trophies, including the Serie A title, in his first three years at the helm at the San Siro.

Tottenham view Inzaghi as a great option and Levy is keen to bring him to North London for next season if Postecoglou is shown the door.

To convince the Inter boss, the report claims that Spurs are ready to make a ‘rich’ contract offer and are even willing to give him complete control over transfers.