TBR Football

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe masterminded a huge 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening to propel the Magpies into the Carabao Cup quarter-final. And the Englishman has named one key aspect he’s been working on which took Thomas Frank by surprise.

Newcastle won the Carabao Cup last season, and they’ll be looking to do so again this campaign, having ended their 70-year trophy drought in March.

A quarter-final place has now been booked against Premier League strugglers Fulham after beating Tottenham 2-0 on home turf under the lights, via headers from Fabian Schar and Nick Woltemade.

And, thanks to their stars being on the taller side, Eddie Howe has stated that Newcastle have been working hard on their set-pieces to beat teams and join a growing trend in English football – surprisingly getting one over Thomas Frank.

Eddie Howe is using height to his advantage at Newcastle with Spurs swept aside

The win now means that the Magpies are just four games away from further Carabao Cup glory, with Newcastle having won the trophy last season – and Eddie Howe’s men will be vying for more silverware.

However, Schar’s header from a corner and Woltemade’s flick over an onrushing Antonin Kinsky saw Newcastle take full advantage of their aerial prowess.

Dan Burn is the tallest outfield player in the league at 6ft 7in, whilst Woltemade is second – and couple that with Schar, Malick Thiaw and Joelinton among others, it means they are a real threat from set-pieces.

Height is a weapon that the club haven’t used much domestically, but Newcastle have used Burn’s frame in the Champions League.

And it’s something that Eddie Howe has worked on in recent weeks due to their advantage in that regard, given it worked against Tottenham. He said: “[It’s] something we’ve worked really hard on lately in our game.

“I think we have the height and power to cause teams problems.

“It’s great to see a great delivery from Sandro [Tonali] and Fabian’s [Schar] header was top class.

“He’s always had a goal in him, he’s always had that creative side of his game and it was a great moment for him.”

The result means that Newcastle have now won five of their last six games in all competitions after a poor start to the campaign and taking advantage of ongoing trends has worked in their favour.

Thomas Frank is a pioneer of set-pieces in the Premier League but he was found lacking

Surprisingly, a team under Thomas Frank’s guidance was dominated in the air. It’s not often that happens, especially after recent events.

Tottenham star Micky van de Ven stole the show vs Everton with two goals from corners at the weekend, and prior to Thomas Frank’s move to Tottenham in the summer, Brentford were considered one of the best aerial sides in the Premier League.

With Arsenal having been proficient at corners in recent times under Mikel Arteta, there is a league-wide discussion over how set-pieces are being used more.

Thomas Frank should be more than adept at dealing with them, with his unfashionable tactic working wonders at Brentford.

But Fabian Schar was allowed to ghost in between the defence to capitalise on the opener, and Antonin Kinsky’s dismal attempt to punch the ball clear saw him beaten by Woltemade.

That won’t be good enough for the Dane and with other teams now using the set-piece routine, he’ll need to sort it out quickly to stay ahead of the pack.

Newcastle United star Joelinton may feel slightly lucky that he wasn’t sent off against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

The Brazilian ace is known for his combative style of play and often toes the line between aggression and foul play.

Newcastle triumphed over Tottenham in the fourth round of the cup with a dominant display at St. James’ Park, but Joelinton’s wild challenge on Mohammed Kudus has sparked a lot of debate in the aftermath.

So, did referee Chris Kavanagh get it right by showing the Magpies midfielder a yellow card? TBR Football speaks exclusively to Mark Clattenburg to get some insight.

Joelinton punishment justified by Mark Clattenburg

With just five minutes of normal time to play and with the scores at 0-0, the incident involving Joelinton and Mohammed Kudus was never likely to have much of an impact on the result. Still, it has got Spurs fans furious for what they perceive to be an injustice against their star man.

With Kudus carrying the ball forward at pace, Joelinton came crashing into the Tottenham ace and sent him tumbling to the ground. As they got back to their feet, Kudus reacted angrily and was shown a yellow card – the same punishment as Joelinton.

Discussing this situation, Clattenburg said: “It does not feel fair that Joelinton, for his challenge, was given the same punishment as Mohammed Kudus. Joelinton’s challenge was certainly reckless and was a scissor action which tripped his opponent.

“To meet the criteria of a red card, however, there needs to be some force and malice used which this challenge lacked and therefore did not endanger the safety of his opponent. Nevertheless, it does not feel right that Kudos received the same punishment after being on the end of that tackle.”

Kudus is a very strong player, so the fact he was forced down clearly indicates something was amiss. But, as Clattenburg explains, it simply wasn’t dangerous enough to warrant any more than a yellow card.

Still, it does sound like Kudus should have been given some leeway for his own angry reaction.

Could Newcastle United retain the Carabao Cup?

Regardless of that controversial challenge, Newcastle United march on in the Carabao Cup. Once again, Nick Woltemade stole the show for the Magpies, and a home quarter-final tie against Fulham awaits.

Earlier this year, Newcastle ended their 56-year wait for a trophy by clinching the League Cup at Wembley. So, can they go all the way and do it again this season?

TalkingPoints

Poll: Who will win the Carabao Cup this season?

In the history of the competition, only Manchester City, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool have won back-to-back League Cup titles.

While Newcastle really should be able to get past Fulham in the next round, the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, and Crystal Palace could await in the semi-finals, and none of those teams will be easy to beat.

They pulled it off last season, but it’s hard to imagine this fairly inconsistent Newcastle side having enough about them to lift the trophy again in 2026.

Richarlison did not enjoy a great night in Newcastle as the Tottenham Hotspur striker’s struggles continued in front of goal.

Richarlison made a great start to the season, however, his form over recent weeks has not been great and away at Newcastle, he was particularly poor.

But after 15 matches this campaign, the striker has just three goals and has now gone eight games without finding the back of the net.

Once again, he failed to end his goal drought, as Tottenham Hotspur exited the Carabao Cup, losing 2-0 away to Newcastle.

Ahead of the tie, Les Ferdinand was rather critical of Richarlison, and his worries about the striker were highlighted at St James’ Park.

Andy Cole and Les Ferdinand question Richarlison’s lack of goals at Tottenham

Ferdinand and Andy Cole have both questioned Richarlison’s lack of goals throughout his career.

The former Tottenham striker was frustrated at how the Brazilian ‘blows hot and cold’ and struggles to bring any consistency to his game.

Speaking to ITV Football, Cole admitted: “If you look at him in general, he didn’t really get a lot of goals at Everton, and he needs to get on that goal trail; he needs more goals and more output.

“He might work his socks off, but as a centre forward, you need to get goals,” to which Ferdinand added: “Yeah, totally agree, just not enough goals”.

“He blows hot and cold, he’ll go through periods where he’ll score one, two, three, four goals, but then it’s too long a gap before he’s scoring again. He just needs to find some consistency in his game in front of the goal.”

Recently, Glenn Hoddle called for Richarlison to be dropped for the same reason, but Spurs have struggled to find an alternative as of yet.

Randal Kolo Muani impressed against Everton, but is struggling for match fitness; meanwhile, Dominic Solanke is recovering from injury.

Richarlison continues to struggle against Newcastle

Tottenham probably would have stood a much better chance of going through had Richarlison taken some of his chances.

The Brazilian missed a glaring chance in the first 45 minutes as he failed to get on the end of a well-worked move by Spurs.

The 28-year-old was just so poor against the Tyneside club that Frank is almost certainly set to drop him for their next game against Chelsea.

Kolo Muani will likely be the player to take his spot and lead the line for Spurs in the London derby on the weekend.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap will be absent from Enzo Maresca’s squad to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on the weekend.

The Blues make the trip to North London this Saturday to take on their bitter rivals, Tottenham, in a game of high stakes.

Enzo Maresca’s team were defeated by Sunderland in their last Premier League outing, which means the pressure is now on to respond.

Against Wolves, the West London club cruised to victory, but suffered a blow ahead of the weekend by losing Delap to suspension.

Liam Delap is suspended for Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham

Liam Delap will miss Chelsea’s trip across London to face Tottenham Hotspur after being sent off against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The 22-year-old played just 25 minutes at Molineux before Jarrad Gillett showed him two yellow cards for an argument and then a foul.

Fortunately for the youngster, he will miss just one match, given it was a second bookable offence.

Delap suffered a hamstring injury back in August and was making his first appearance back, making it a nightmare return for the young striker.

The number nine role at Stamford Bridge is up for grabs, with neither Joao Pedro nor Marc Guiu making a strong enough case to become a guaranteed starter.

However, Delap won’t have done his case any favours by getting a red card and missing the Blues’ trip to face Spurs on the weekend.

Brennan Johnson had a tough evening at St James’ Park in Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup exit to Newcastle, and Spurs fans have made up their mind on him.

Newcastle United won 2-0 to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, thanks to goals from Nick Woltemade and Fabian Schar.

For Thomas Frank’s team, it was a shocking performance, and Johnson has been getting a fair amount of stick for his display.

The North London club’s supporters have had enough of the winger and made their feelings plainly clear during the defeat.

Tottenham fans are fuming at Brennan Johnson vs Newcastle

Tottenham Hotspur fans have decided that they’re ‘done with Brennan Johnson‘ after his latest struggles in their defeat away at Newcastle.

This is not the first time Tottenham have been fed up with Johnson, but on Tuesday evening, the Welsh winger looked a complete passenger.

Too often, the 24-year-old appeared unwilling to take on his full-back, Dan Burn, who, despite his superb defensive attributes, a winger should be looking to expose his lack of pace.

The Welsh international failed to complete a single dribble at St James’ Park and lost possession on 13 occasions.

Before his withdrawal in the 65th minute, he had the third fewest touches of any player who started the match, with both goalkeepers managing more than him.

Spurs cannot afford to keep having a player like Johnson just cruise through matches, and Frank must drop him for the next game against Chelsea. Spurs fans agree and have taken to X to make that point.

One fan stated: “We really need to start getting better at player trading. I don’t see any improvement in Brennan Johnson.”

“What on earth does Brennan Johnson do to get a game? Got to be the worst winger I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen him take his man on,” claimed another supporter.

There was yet more criticism for the winger: “When Brennan Johnson is expected to do more than just ghost through games, making that back-post run over and over. When he’s asked to be an actual winger, you see how poor he is.”

Finally, another added: “I’m so fed up with Brennan Johnson. He’s that poor, he won’t even attempt to outrun Dan Burn down the wing.”

Tottenham desperately need Dejan Kulusevski back from injury

Dejan Kulusevski’s return from injury remains a work in progress, with the Swede continuing to work hard on ensuring he is ready to return for the New Year.

Kulusevski is due to return from injury in December, having been sidelined since April when he suffered a knee injury against Crystal Palace.

The 25-year-old’s ability to carry the ball up the pitch would have been perfect for Frank’s team and would have given the manager the chance to take Johnson out of the team.

Xavi Simons’ poor form has been one of the biggest talking points at Tottenham over recent weeks, and Destiny Udogie has a message for him.

Following Simons’ £51m move from RB Leipzig, he has looked well off the pace in the Premier League, similar to Florian Wirtz at Liverpool.

Some Tottenham fans are worried about Simons, given that he has not looked comfortable playing in the number ten role.

Destiny Udogie has now admitted that he has a message for the youngster after being asked about his teammates’ poor form.

Destiny Udogie’s message for Xavi Simons

Udogie has responded to a Tottenham Hotspur supporter that he is going to tell Xavi Simons to ‘lock in’ following his recent poor run of form.

Simons has just one assist in ten appearances for Spurs, and concerns are starting to grow over why he’s been struggling to perform.

On Udogie’s official TikTok account, one fan commented: “Tell Xavi to lock in,” to which the defender replied: “I will tell him tomorrow”.

Simons was poor against Everton, playing in more of a left-wing role, and he struggled to make things happen for Spurs.

The winger managed 37 touches, lost possession nine times and failed to register a single effort at Everton’s goal.

When Frank opted to take him off for Lucas Bergvall just after the hour mark, the 22-year-old did not look best pleased with the manager’s decision.

Tottenham are confident Simons will come good eventually, but for now, the winger is struggling to make the impact he would desire.

Mohammed Kudus might have just taken Xavi Simons spot at Tottenham

Meanwhile, Mohammed Kudus may well have just nabbed Simons’ favoured role in the number ten following his display against Everton.

Spurs’ attack looked rather fluid at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but it was clear that the Ghanaian was playing in a more central role.

Kudus says he favours playing in the number ten, and away at Everton, his wish was granted as he started in that role.

Simons could now face a battle in trying to dislodge Kudus from the number ten, but first, he must prove himself on the left.

Micky van de Ven continues to improve under Thomas Frank and the Tottenham Hotspur manager has now been talking about the Dutch defender’s exciting potential.

Micky van de Ven netted an impressive brace against Everton over the weekend to set Spurs on their way to a huge win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The 24-year-old is quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders, but there are now questions as to whether he can become the best.

Gary Neville hailed Van de Ven after the win on Merseyside, and now his manager has been speaking about just how good he can become.

Thomas Frank on Micky van de Ven’s attributes

Thomas Frank is hopeful that Van de Ven can become the best defender in the world at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Danish coach is excited by many of the 24-year-old’s attributes, and he is eager to help improve him as a player even further.

When asked whether he can become the best defender in the world, Frank told the media: “Oh, that’s a big question… Hopefully! I think the beauty of potential is that you don’t know what the ceiling is.

“My biggest job, together with the coaching staff and all the staff, is to maximise potential at the club, in the team, in every individual player, every staff member.

“One of them is a very good central defender in Micky. I think Micky’s got a lot of good attributes. A fantastic left foot, composed, can pass it short, long, can drive with the ball, and can defend well.

“Now he’s taking the steps up on set pieces, both boxes, and leadership. So, to add to the next level is about consistency, game in, game out, but he’s in a good place.

Van de Ven, who cost Tottenham £43m, is without doubt one of the team’s most important players, and the club are keen to reward him.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham are offering Van de Ven a new contract to fend off interest from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Micky van de Ven compared to Van Dijk, Gabriel and Saliba

However, the data shows that Van de Ven still has a fair amount of work to catch the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.

The Arsenal duo and Liverpool’s captain lead the Dutch international in each area, showing he still has much to improve.

But regardless of what the data is showing, it’s clear for all to see that Van de Ven is still one of the league’s best, given his speed and ability to score from set pieces.

Since moving to Spurs, one of the concerns about him was his ability in the air, but that has certainly improved with his five goals.

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur impressed at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, but there was one Everton star who really stood out.

Micky van de Ven produced the first brace of his professional career to help Spurs secure three points and move Thomas Frank’s side up into third in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur created a bit of history by becoming the first Premier League side to win away at Everton’s new ground since its opening.

Frank will have left Merseyside delighted with the win, but also having had his eye caught by one of Everton’s brightest talents.

Tottenham should target Everton attacker Ilyman Ndiaye

Ilyman Ndiaye must be one of the names near the top of Tottenham’s list of transfer targets in the summer following his display on Sunday.

Jack Grealish is a big fan of Ndiaye, and it’s no wonder, given the winger’s hugely impressive start to the new campaign.

The 25-year-old has three goals and one assist in the Premier League this season, despite playing in his less favoured role on the right wing.

Last month, Ndiaye produced an impressive take-on stat, which saw him as the only Premier League player close to Mohammed Kudus for the most in Europe.

The winger currently has 24 dribbles completed this season, with Kylian Mbappe just two ahead of him.

Four of those came against Tottenham on the weekend, as he came up against Djed Spence and caused him plenty of issues.

Ndiaye, who cost Everton £17m, is also a monster in the duels, as he won eight of the 12 duels he contested against Frank’s team at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The North London club wanted a winger in the summer, and after Savinho signed a new Man City contract, Ndiaye is a player they should now be targeting.

Yankuba Minteh could be an underrated Tottenham target

Another name which should be on Spurs’ list of targets is Yankuba Minteh, who has proven to be an excellent addition for Brighton.

Just like Ndiaye and Kudus, the 21-year-old also has an impressive dribbling success rate, having completed 22 this term.

The youngster has started the season well on the South Coast and even managed to score against Spurs in the 2-2 draw at the AMEX Stadium.

Tottenham will face strong competition for Antoine Semenyo

An obvious choice for a wide forward target is Antoine Semenyo, who is one of the Premier League’s most in-form attackers.

However, Tottenham will face strong competition for Semenyo, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid all keen on him.

After six goals and three assists in nine Premier League games, a whole host of clubs are after him, and Spurs would love to win the race.

Tottenham wanted Semenyo in the summer, but Bournemouth’s asking price for the 25-year-old put them off making a move.

Thomas Frank should consider Kevin Schade reunion

Frank could be reunited with Brentford winger Kevin Schade, who netted against Liverpool in the Bees’ 3-2 win over the Reds.

Frank described Schade as ‘very good’ during his time at Brentford, and the German is another attacker who is playing with great intent this term.

Under the new Spurs boss, Schade netted 14 goals and got five assists in 74 appearances for the West London club.

Joao Palhinha has been a revelation at Tottenham Hotspur this season, and his good fortunes continued in the team’s 3-0 win over Everton.

The 30-year-old has drawn a fair amount of praise since making the move from Bayern Munich, with Micah Richards hailing Tottenham’s deal to sign Palhinha.

Tottenham have been so impressed by Palhinha, and TBR Football understands that plans are already in place to make the loan deal permanent.

But a deal to sign the Portuguese international wasn’t particularly popular, and some Spurs fans can’t believe what was being said about him initially.

Tottenham fans can’t believe Joao Palhinha’s signing was ever questioned

Some Tottenham Hotspur fans have laughed off previous suggestions that Joao Palhinha wasn’t good enough to sign for them.

Back in the summer, a deal to sign Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich proved to be quite divisive, causing a split down the fanbase.

Many wanted a new number six who was more progressive, but others believed that Palhinha would bring much-needed experience and steel to Spurs’ midfield.

But Palhinha’s importance to Tottenham has quickly been realised with his excellent defensive statistics.

According to Squawka, this season, the former Bayern Munich star has made the most tackles and has the highest duel success rate of any midfielder in the Premier League.

In the aftermath of his superb performance against the Toffees, Tottenham fans have taken to X to slam fellow supporters who didn’t want him.

One fan claimed: “Some fans putting him in Bentancur conversations have been proved so wrong, they’re not in the same stratosphere.”

“Newcastle, Chelsea, United, Arsenal next. The Palhinha, Bentancur midfield has been super unpopular, but I think we will really see their value in the upcoming fixture run,” added another supporter.

One fan believes that Palhinha is proving him wrong after watching back his highlights against Everton: “I’ve made clear my frustrations that we signed him, that we play him far too much… But man, if he ain’t outrageous at this stuff.

Finally, another fan aimed a dig at other Spurs supporters who initially criticised his signing: “Some of the fanbase said he would set the project back 5 years because he can’t pass or do skills…”

Alan Pardew explains why Joao Palhinha is so important for Tottenham

Former Spurs player and Premier League manager, Alan Pardew, has also been full of praise for Palhinha and highlighting his importance to the team.

Pardew stated that the Portuguese midfielder was arguably Spurs’ best player against Everton and did all the dirty work in the middle of the park.

“I thought Spurs had resilience about them, which is a word you don’t often associate with Spurs teams. I thought Palhinha was outstanding today. He did a lot of things that people don’t really notice,” Pardew told TalkSPORT.

“When you’re away from home, that holding midfielder, that security net, that covering up for some of your offensive players that don’t fill all the holes was so important today. I’ll give him a massive star rating.”

Tottenham Hotspur are among the top flight clubs tracking Leicester City’s teenage sensation Jeremy Monga, but that would be a bad move for the player.

After emerging at the end of Leicester’s miserable Premier League campaign, Jeremy Monga has continued to establish himself as one of the brightest stars emerging in the game today.

He’s still only 16-years-old, but Monga has already made 11 appearances in the Championship this season, scoring one goal and registering one assist for the Foxes.

Predictably, Premier League clubs are now keen on signing Monga, with Man City, Chelsea, and Spurs among the interested parties. While all of those avenues pose a risk for the young winger, there’s one clear example at Tottenham that will have Monga thinking twice.

Jeremy Monga should look at Archie Gray situation as a warning

The truth is, Monga only has to look at the way Thomas Frank is misusing Archie Gray to see that joining Tottenham would be a mistake.

Gray arrived from Leeds United in a huge deal last summer, having just completed a full campaign in the Championship as a near ever-present for the Yorkshire outfit. While he had experience as a defender, Gray was widely regarded as one of the most promising central midfielders in England.

However, since joining Spurs, Gray has played just 11 times in his preferred position. The rest of his 52 appearances under both Frank and former manager Ange Postecoglou have come at right-back, centre-back, or even left-back.

TalkingPoints

Poll: Which club should Jeremy Monga join?

While it could be argued that Gray has still managed to play semi-regularly for one of the Big Six clubs and has won a trophy, there’s no denying it’s frustrating to see such a top talent being used out of position.

For Monga, an electrifying winger, there’s absolutely the risk that he could join a club like Spurs and end up being converted into a wing-back. Still, it could be worse.

Jack Clarke’s journey is also one Jeremy Monga would want to avoid

If Monga really wants to see what his future at Tottenham could look like in the worst case scenario, he should consider Jack Clarke’s time in North London.

Another top young talent, ironically also emerging from the Leeds academy, Clarke made waves in his breakthrough Championship campaign back in 2018/19. Along came Spurs with a £10m offer, but Clarke would only go on to make four senior appearances for the club in his three years there.

Loan spells at Leeds, QPR, and Sunderland were more useful, before a permanent move to the Stadium of Light really set Clarke’s career on the right track. There, Clarke proved he was one of the best players in the Championship, but once again was lured in by a Premier League move that didn’t work out – this time at Ipswich Town.

It’s all working out for Clarke now, but he is one of many young second tier talents who have been tempted by the bright lights of the Premier League, only to waste years of his career in the peripheries. Monga would do well to remember that, given he is so young, he should be in no rush to jump at the first big name that makes him a shiny promise.