TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are in agreement about Antonin Kinsky following a tricky first half against Aston Villa.

Ange Postecoglou’s side conceded in the first minute at Villa Park as Jacob Ramsey was afforded so much room to power his effort at goal.

The young Czech goalkeeper was somehow unable to prevent the effort from going in making for a totally tough start to fourth round tie for Tottenham Hotspur.

During the first half, Spurs supporters all had the same message for their manager and their new goalkeeper.

Tottenham fans want Guglielmo Vicario to replace Antonin Kinsky

Tottenham fans are keen for Guglielmo Vicario to replace Antonin Kinsky when the Italian eventually returns from injury.

Kinsky enjoyed an impressive debut against Liverpool, however, his confidence seems to have taken a big hit over recent weeks.

The 21-year-old has made a few unfortunate errors in recent matches and perhaps needs to be taken out of the firing line for a bit.

The 28-year-old has been sidelined since their 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium having suffered a fractured ankle.

But the Italian international is closing in on a return having returned to training and following Kinsky’s error at Villa Park, Spurs fans have taken to X to call for him to be dropped.

One fan claimed: “I’m sorry but you’ll never see Vicario do something like that.”

“I hope Vicario’s time out has made some fans appreciate him more… Fantastic goalkeeper who has got way too much unjustified stick from our fans,” added another.

There were yet more claims for Vicario to replace Kinsky: “Can not wait for Vicario back. Kinsky should be doing far better there.”

Finally, one fan added: “Can’t wait until he’s back, hopefully, the fanbase realises how good Vicario is now.”

Alan Shearer should do better for Aston Villa’s goal

Alan Shearer believes Antonin Kinsky had a “howler” failing to keep out Villa’s opening goal and should have done better.

Shearer said on BBC MOTD coverage: “A howler from the goalkeeper. Morgan Rogers in that 10 position, driving his team forward, then he puts it into the path [of Jacob Ramsey] and it’s straight at the goalkeeper.

“Antonin Kinsky should be doing better there. What a start for Aston Villa.”

Joe Hart backs Antonin Kinsky to improve over time for Tottenham

However, during the interval, Joe Hart was in full support of Kinsky and claimed the youngster has come into a tough situation at Tottenham.

The former Spurs player is confident Kinsky is a “good goalkeeper” and will eventually prove exactly that as his career develops.

When asked about the 21-year-old having to play behind five different centre-back combinations, Hart told BBC MOTD: “It’s not an excuse it’s a reason why he’s making jerky saves, even the saves he’s making tonight.

“When we see his career change and blossom, you’ll see a totally different keeper who’s a month into a Tottenham team that’s really struggling for confidence and identity.

“He’s a young guy in goal who just wants to get that ball as far away from the goal as possible. He’s more than capable of making these saves – he’s a good goalkeeper.”

In the space of four days, Tottenham Hotspur have now bowed out of two competitions, this time at the hands of Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Ange Postecoglou fielded a relatively strong starting eleven for Tottenham, boosted by the recent arrivals of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel.

However, the bench available to the Spurs manager still told the story of the injury crisis that continues in N17.

Of course, the game itself started in the worst possible fashion – Tottenham didn’t even have a chance to settle and show a reaction to a seriously poor performance against Liverpool.

Thereafter, Spurs were briefly better after half-time but never really looked like beating Unai Emery’s side, even with Tel’s late goal.

Alan Shearer praises Archie Gray for ‘standing up’ for Tottenham

That being said, Alan Shearer did find one reason to be positive when speaking about Archie Gray whilst covering the game for BBC Sport.

Shearer was speaking in the eighth minute of the game, when Spurs were already 1-0 down.

Gray was playing at left centre-back for Tottenham alongside Danso, one of the many makeshift briefs he’s been handed by Postecoglou this season.

And when reflecting on his recent efforts, Shearer pointed out that the £30m midfielder ‘never hides’, a youngster who can be proud of his contributions.

Speaking alongside Steve Bower, Shearer said: “He’s been one of the positive players though, hasn’t he, if there’s any players that can come out with credit, he’s certainly one of those in really tough times.”

Bower replied: “32 games for Spurs, he’s still not played one in his favoured midfield role.”

“Never shied away though, he’s always wanting the ball, standing up, which is a great sign to come out of this as a better player, no doubt about that.

“If you can take a leaf out of his book actually with him being so young and still standing up to the pressure that they’re under, never ever hiding away.”

Ange Postecoglou needs Archie Gray in midfield

As is often the case, the majority of Tottenham’s struggles against Villa were caused by their huge gaps in midfield.

In an ideal world, Gray would already be forging his future in the heart of Postecoglou’s midfield, but that’s simply not been possible.

Jamie Redknapp felt sorry for Gray against Liverpool, and the same message could be echoed after defeat to Villa too.

Spurs will now need to simply focus on getting their key players fit, and attempting to win the Europa League whilst repairing the damage domestically.

Of course, the question will now be whether Postecoglou remains in charge to oversee that attempted revival.

Yang Min-hyeok has been speaking about the advice Heung-min Son gave him before he headed out on loan to Queens Park Rangers.

Spurs’ sporting director Johan Lange is hopeful Yang will be ready next season following the conclusion of his loan spell in the west of the capital.

Yang, who has been compared to Adama Traore, has come off the bench in both of QPR’s matches since his arrival and has impressed in games against Millwall and Blackburn Rovers.

Now, the winger has been discussing his time in England so far and the help that Tottenham’s captain, Son, has given him since leaving South Korea.

What Heung-min Son told Yang Min-hyeok before leaving Tottenham

Yang Min-hyeok has revealed that Son Heung-min has offered him a fair amount of help since moving to England in December.

Yang has already spent a lot of time with the 32-year-old during his spell with the national team and now at Tottenham.

The teenager claims that Son told him to use his time at Loftus Road wisely and try to learn as much as possible about English football.

Yang told Shoot for Love: “Heung-min Son and I naturally spent a lot of time together as teammates – living together, eating meals after training, and always going to the cold bath together.

“As a senior on the team, he was a huge help to me, especially being in a foreign country. When I was set to go on loan, he told me to stay injury-free, gain as much experience as possible, and come back stronger.”

How has Yang Min-hyeok done in his first two QPR matches?

Yang has been given just 38 minutes of action so far in English football after coming off the bench in QPR’s last two fixtures.

The 18-year-old made his debut in the rather hostile environment that is Millwall away before coming off the bench to help his team find the winning goal at home to Blackburn Rovers.

The South Korean international will be hoping to break into the team in the near future as he looks to impress during his six-month spell in West London.

Although things have been pretty grim for Tottenham Hotspur’s first team of late, the club’s academy sides and players have provided reason for optimism.

Mikey Moore is the obvious shining light in that regard at Tottenham right now, a youngster who is already making an impression at 17-years-old under Ange Postecoglou.

Moore has now made 15 senior appearances for Spurs, and he’s likely to continue to add to that number before the season ends.

Of course, Spurs also have several exciting youngsters out on loan right now, the likes of Jamie Donley and Will Lankshear.

Both were brilliant for Leyton Orient and West Bromwich Albion respectively on Saturday, two forwards who will still hope for a long future in N17.

And speaking of exciting potential, youngster Luca Williams-Barnett is now causing a lot of excitement at the club.

Luca Williams-Barnett does Dele Alli’s eye celebration after Tottenham hat-trick

At just 16-years-old, Williams-Barnett scored a ‘sparkling’ hat-trick for Tottenham’s under-18s on Saturday.

Williams-Barnett, who was born in Luton, is an attacking midfielder who certainly has an eye for a goal judging by his strikes against Brighton & Hove Albion’s youth side.

The youngster now has five caps for England under-17s and eagle-eyed Tottenham fans will have noticed that the midfielder has also made it on the bench four times under Postecoglou this season – three times in the Europa League and once in the Premier League.

And after scoring his hat-trick on Saturday, Williams-Barnett only furthered his comparisons to a young Dele Alli with his choice of celebration.

The youngster did Alli’s iconic eye celebration after netting his hat-trick, a player who will have grown up watching the former Tottenham star.

To this day, Alli is one of the most talented players to have ever emerged in N17, even if his career hasn’t always been straightforward.

Luca Williams-Barnett and Mikey Moore are the future for Tottenham

Of course, Tottenham fans won’t want to put too much pressure on Williams-Barnett too young, but the quality of his play for their under-18s is hard to ignore right now.

Perhaps Spurs are trying to prove to Williams-Barnett that he does have a clear path to succeed at the club by including him on their senior bench, despite his age.

And Tottenham fans therefore might already be dreaming of an attacking line that contains both Moore and Williams-Barnett, two homegrown stars.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Jamie Donley certainly caught the eye with his performance for Leyton Orient in the FA Cup against Manchester City.

Donley played as Leyton Orient’s number 10 in their 2-1 defeat to Man City, a game in which the Tottenham loanee actually put the home side ahead.

Although the history books will unfortunately remember the moment as a Stefan Ortega own goal, those who watched the game witnessed another Donley wonder strike.

Donley has scored from around the half-way line a couple of times in his academy career to date, a Wayne Rooney or David Beckham like trait.

And the Spurs loanee did it on the big stage on this occasion, only for the goal not to be given in his name, as it was ultimately helped over the line by Ortega.

Of course, Tottenham fans watching on were treated to an all-round promising display by the 20-year-old.

Pep Guardiola called Donley ‘incredible’ for his efforts throughout, mentioning his excellent left-foot.

And prior to the game, Donley actually spoke to journalist George Sessions and discussed his plans for the future with Tottenham, words that are now even more interesting to reflect on.

Donely spoke at length about how it’s not all been easy for him on loan this season, but also stated his desire to succeed so he can one day be a Tottenham regular.

And in doing so, the youngster shared a message that Ange Postecoglou gave him before heading out on loan.

Donley said: “Ange spoke to me and said when I come back to make sure I am a better player… that is obviously my goal and however I get there or however long it takes me, I’ll keep going.

“If that is another loan next year or see how I do in pre-season, but I want to play for Tottenham.”

Will Lankshear also impressing during West Brom loan

Of course, Spurs do have a number of youngsters out on loan this season, ones they might have been tempted to recall during their injury crisis.

The likes of Ashley Phillips at Stoke City in particular could have been very useful when Spurs were without two centre-backs.

Thankfully Archie Gray has stepped up superbly for Postecoglou, a youngster who won’t be leaving N17 on any temporary basis.

However, Will Lankshear was allowed to leave on loan towards the end of last month, trying his hand at West Bromwich Albion.

Ange Postecoglou has been discussing Mathys Tel’s start to life at Tottenham Hotspur after he made his debut away at Anfield as Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup.

The Frenchman was introduced for his first Tottenham Hotspur appearance against Liverpool sooner than expected as Richarlison was forced off with a calf injury.

Tel is set to get the game time he craved with the Brazilian looking set for another extended period on the sidelines.

Now, ahead of what looks set to be his first start against Aston Villa, Postecoglou has given his thoughts on the Bayern Munich loanee’s first few days in North London.

Ange Postecoglou is ready to count on Mathys Tel at Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has admitted he is pleased with Mathys Tel’s physical condition and is ready to ‘lean on him a fair bit’ with Richarlison and Dominic Solanke both unavailable.

Postecoglou is hoping to get time to work with Tel as the Australian views the teenager as a key part of his long-term plans.

The 59-year-old said he couldn’t give a fair assessment of Tel’s debut against Liverpool as the team didn’t play the way the way he wanted.

But in training, the 19-year-old looks to have impressed and Postecoglou appears ready to start him at Villa Park in the FA Cup.

Postecoglou told the media: “I don’t think we would have learned too much, we didn’t play the way we wanted to, it’s not really an indication of how we want to go about things, but just being out there, playing your first game, you get that out of your system.

“We’re going to have to lean on him a fair bit now. But he came in to play. His physical condition is not too bad, he’s not played a lot, but watching him train last night he was still moving quite well.

“So we have to be careful with him also, but again he came in to play and this will be an opportunity to do that.”

How will Tottenham line up vs Aston Villa with Mathys Tel?

Tel will likely lead the line for the visitors in the Midlands coming in to take Richarlison’s place in the team.

The young French star could be partnered by Dejan Kulusevski and Mikey Moore with Son Heung-min possibly being given a rest.

At just 17-years-old, Mikey Moore has now made 15 senior appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, yielding one goal and two assists.

Ange Postecoglou has a host of Tottenham youngsters out on loan again this season but the club were reluctant to let Moore leave, a player who’s already good enough to contribute for the first team.

Of course, Moore’s chances have predominantly come because of the unprecedented level of injuries in N17 this season, explaining why the likes of Lucas Bergvall have also become prominent figures.

And amid this injury crisis, it might have been tempting for Postecoglou and his staff to explore the option of recalling someone like Ashley Phillips from Stoke City, or even Jamie Donley from Leyton Orient.

Both are impressing out on loan, and both who have played minutes for Tottenham this season.

Will Lankshear shines on West Brom debut

That being said, it raised a few eyebrows when Spurs were willing to let young striker Will Lankshear leave on loan in January, given those who are unavailable.

Perhaps Mathys Tel’s expected arrival pulled the trigger on that decision somewhat, but there’s no doubt that the 19-year-old will benefit from a spell with West Bromwich Albion.

Lankshear has long been a gem of Spurs’ academy, an England under-20 international who is no stranger to scoring a goal.

And even if chances might be fairly hard to come by at West Brom, who recruited more than one striker last month, Lankshear impressed on his debut.

The youngster played 23 minutes off of the bench against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, a 2-1 win for the Baggies that Lankshear seemed to enjoy.

Lankshear posted on Instagram after the game sharing a caption of ‘+3 points, thank you to all the fans for the support’.

Moore, who is clearly keeping a keen eye on the striker’s progress, replied saying ‘my boy’, a post that also received love from the likes of Alfie Dorrington.

Will Lankshear might need to leave Tottenham

Of course, as is the case with a lot of Tottenham’s youngsters out on loan right now, it’ll be interesting to see what first team path exists for Lankshear when he returns.

Postecoglou seems determined to keep Tel at the club long-term, even if he’s only on loan from Bayern Munich to begin with.

Dominic Solanke certainly isn’t about to lose his spot either, so would Lankshear be happy playing third-fiddle?

It’s a difficult one for the Englishman, who will be 20 when he returns in the summer.

As Jamie Donley’s tremendous long-range strike hit the crossbar and deflected onto Stefan Ortega to open the scoring for Leyton Orient against Manchester City, the stars seemed aligned for a classic FA Cup upset.

Jamie Donley has a wand of a left foot was for all to witness as he caught Ortega out with a stunning effort from at least 40 yards out, which sadly went down as an own goal for the Tottenham loanee.

Tottenham fans are huge admirers of Donley and as he impressed against Manchester City with his latest moment of magic, there was further evidence that the Englishman is a star in the making.

While Dominic Solanke has been handpicked as Harry Kane’s long-term heir, Ange Postecoglou could certainly do with a top-class understudy.

It goes without saying that Donley still has plenty to prove to be considered worthy as a first-team player at Tottenham.

Leyton Orient manager hails Jamie Donley after FA Cup defeat vs Man City

However, as Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens claimed, Donley is a special talent.

Wellens even feels that the Spurs wonderkid has the potential to play Premier League football very soon.

The Orient manager said via BeanymanSports2: “Yeah, I just told him, I literally passed him on the stairs, it’s a shame that it’s gone down as an own goal, I don’t think that’s deserved, I don’t think [Stefan] Ortega wants it neither. So, there’s one thing seeing it, it’s another thing executing it. The lad has talent.”

“Spurs have been great with us, loaned us one of their best young players and we think we’ve developed him well over the last six months and if he carries on with the same attitude, the same intensity and work ethic and mentality, then might be playing against them [Manchester City] week in, week out.”

Pep Guardiola raves about “incredible” Jamie Donley after Leyton Orient vs Man City

Pep Guardiola gave Donley the credit he deserved for his incredible effort as well.

Guardiola said via BeanymanSports: “What a goal. Fantastic, the shoot and kick, the quality, technique, the speed, the flight of the ball, so when you concede this goal, it’s just, congratulate the guy, I think it was Donley.”

“He’s an incredible left-footed player, we saw him and he make a fantastic goal.”

Both Donley and Tottenham will be over the moon to hear Pep Guardiola’s high praise.

The young striker must stay focused on developing and perhaps sooner rather than later, he could become a household name and a goalscorer that such top managers fear coming up against.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley made a real name for himself in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash between Leyton Orient and Manchester City.

Jamie Donley has risen through the ranks at Spurs and was in and around the first-team last season, making four appearances under Ange Postecoglou.

The 20-year-old left Tottenham last summer to link up with Leyton Orient for the season, where he has registered five goals and five assists from 21 League One appearances.

And on Saturday, Donley became known to the entire footballing world with his outstanding 16th-minute effort against Manchester City from just over the half-way line.

Donley was first to a loose ball as he went for a long-range effort that sailed over Stefan Ortega, clipped the underside of the crossbar and hit the backtracking keeper for the opener.

The Tottenham loanee’s effort lifted the roof off at Brisbane Road as Orient took their 1-0 lead into the second half.

Although Man City ended up turning the game around through goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne, it was still a valiant effort from Orient.

Citizens boss Pep Guardiola then spoke about Donley after the game as he lavished praise upon the Spurs on-loan talent.

Pep Guardiola hails ‘incredible’ Jamie Donley

Guardiola admitted that it was a “fantastic” goal and described Donley as an “incredible” player.

“What a goal,” Guardiola told reporters. “Fantastic he shoot, the quality, the technique and the speed, the flight of the ball.

“When you concede this goal, it is just to congratulate the guy. I think it was Donley. He is an incredible left-foot player.”

What pundits said about Donley’s effort

“We see a lot of players shooting from distance and from the halfway line,” Chris Sutton said on BBC Sport.

“But to execute that skill and be that accurate, it’s a phenomenal achievement from Jamie Donley.

“It will go down as an own goal but it is one of the greatest FA Cup goals.”

Meanwhile, Martin Keown said: “It is an absolutely remarkable goal.

“To even think about shooting from there – it’s a goal of a lifetime for the young lad.”

And Micah Richards said: “The IQ to take that finish on, the technique to execute it – it was absolutely brilliant.

“Jamie Donley will be going home tonight saying that’s his goal.

“I think maybe VAR would have taken it back but it’s the referees decision and it’s probably 50/50 on that.”

Tottenham Hotspur will look to bounce back from their disappointing League Cup elimination when they head to Aston Villa for their FA Cup fourth-round clash on Sunday.

Tottenham went to Anfield boasting a 1-0 lead from the first leg but they were no match for the Reds, who beat them 4-0 on the night to reach the League Cup final.

Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo opened the scoring in the 34th minute before Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk put the Reds out of sight.

Ange Postecoglou will now look to prevent further speculation about his future by keeping Tottenham in the FA Cup, though Aston Villa will be a difficult opponent.

TBR Football looks at who Postecoglou could name in his starting XI for the match at Villa Park.

Tottenham team news v Aston Villa

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that he doesn’t expect to have any injury returns for Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Villa, with Richarlison the latest to pick up a problem.

Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson all remain sidelined.

Meanwhile, Dane Scarlett is cup-tied after playing in the FA Cup for Oxford United during his loan spell there.

As for Villa, they will be without Ollie Watkins, who joins Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings on the sidelines.

January signing Axel Disasi is not available as he played for parent club Chelsea in the third round of the competition, but Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are available.

Tottenham predicted XI v Aston Villa

Postecoglou is set to be without 12 players for the Villa game, so it’ll be another case of mostly fielding the players he can field, rather than those he wants.

Antonin Kinsky, who struggled against Liverpool, is likely to start again, although there could be one change in the back line.

Pedro Porro could come in at right-back, the £40million man to join Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence, in the back four.

Meanwhile, Archie Gray could be rested and, in wake of all the efforts he’s put in during Tottenham’s time of crisis, it would be well-deserved.

Yves Bissouma struggled against Liverpool, so he could be dropped in favour of Lucas Bergvall.

Meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur could keep their spots in the middle three.

Mathys Tel, who did well on his Tottenham debut, is likely to come in and lead the line now Richarlison is out injured.

Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski are likely to line up either side of the Bayern Munich loanee.