Spurs 2024-25

[Zapp Brannigan]

Skippy's leaving. £20m bid from Leicester accepted, which will possibly see him lining up in midfield alongside Harry Winks.

Good move for him - he wasn't going to get much game time for us. Where it does leave us short is in Europe, where to have a full complement of 25 there needs to be 4 club trained "homegrown" players, and we're down to just 2 backup goalkeepers.

 

[Cerberus]

Yeah. Hope it works out for him. Played for his boyhood club and - like Winks - fulfilled his dreams. Good luck to him.


*bet Winks gets the winner tonight

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Cancel your weekends folks, the season kicks off this weekend (well, Monday for us - away at Leicester).

Unless you're Yves Bissouma, in which case have another week off. Sits out the first game because he's stupid - doing a bit of nos isn't the crime of the century, but filming it and plastering it over socials is near terminally dumb.

Pick any 2 from 4 for midfield - Gray, Bentancur, Sarr and Skipp. Or to really lay a marker down, Bergvall.

Vicario
Porro --- Romero MvdV --- Udogie
Bentancur
Sarr ------ Maddison
Johnson ---- Solanke ---- Son (c)​

Richarlison, Kulusevski, Werner; Bergvall, Gray; Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Forster

All looks good to me, and that's without Phillips, Skipp, Lo Celso and Solomon (and Biss) even making the match day 20.

For the first time this season - COYS!!!

Called it, right down to the subs (except Austin, not Forster).

Come on you Spurs!

 

[Cerberus]

Ran riot for 30/40 mins and should’ve had the 3pts wrapped up at HT but you know, it’s Spurs.

For all of the manager’s talk about winning things and character, I have to say, the way Spurs fell to pieces at the beginning of the 2nd half was as telling as it was embarrassing.

Leicester’s squad is perhaps weaker than last year. They also had a lot of injuries tonight. Any of the other teams in and around the top 6-8 in the PL would’ve buried them tonight.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Despite being wasteful and having an awful start to the 2nd half, I actually enjoyed that as a football match. There's such a clear style and total commitment to it - just have to somehow find a way to cut out those 10 minute spells where it unravels.

What I did see that offers hope is a far bigger pool of players who have bought into the idea of how we play. Bergvall (one moment where he got stuck at right back aside) looked bright and had no fear of taking responsibility - whisper it quietly, but the last player I remember with that confidence to take the ball anywhere under any pressure was a tiny, slight Croat called Luka, and he didn't turn out too bad. To be able to bring on him, Kulusevski, Spence, Richarlison, Werner; that bodes well compared to last season.

 

[Cerberus]

So, Solanke, who played in all Bournemouth’s league games last season, is injured and out of tomorrows game. Lankshear also out. What is it with this club?!!

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Near perfect first half. Pickford charitable to let Son make his mark, and Bissouma making amends for his idiocy with an absolute rocket of a shot. The only downer was a moment where it looked like MvdV had done knee ligaments, but a bit of magic spray and he's underway again.

Slight change in tactics, playing a pair of split 8/10s in Maddison and Kulusevski with Bissouma sometimes a bit deeper than usual as a single 6. Working in a home game against a woeful Everton, less certain about away at Man City or Liverpool.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Near perfect 2nd half too.

Spurs fans, watch MOTD tonight just for Micky van der Ven's contribution to Son's second goal. Show me another CB in world football who can do what he can, the sheer pace allied with such ability on the ball - he's a completely unique defender.

 

[Cerberus]

Overwhelmed a very poor Everton team yesterday with so many players flooding forward areas it felt impossible to defend against. This was a very good antidote to a team sitting in a low block and defending with 9 or 10 permanently behind the ball.

Won’t work against the better sides - who will pick us off on the counter - so we’ll therefore see if Ange has added some sophistication and subtlety over the summer in the coming weeks.

Oderbert looked a handful in the 1st half - very direct and willing to take on his FB. Tired in the 2nd with a shocking ‘blind’ pass into midfield just before he was hooked.

Clean sheet a huge plus ++++
Micky VDV imperious
Bissouma had a decent return. Maddison ok but perhaps trying too hard to find the perfect pass.

The one negative stand out was Johnson. Clearly suffering a crisis of confidence. Feel sorry for the kid. I think the manager left him on for the 90 in the hope of him finding his mojo..

Much, much sterner tests ahead

 

[stavros]

What do you Spurs fans think of the blue arms?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

What do you Spurs fans think of the blue arms?

I like the blue sleeves, throwback to the Martin Jol era.

 

[Silas Loom]

NLD on Sunday. Son will score.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Full squad to pick from. Solanke and Richarlison should be available, so the firepower missing from the otherwise quite good display v Newcastle ready and able to tuck away a chance or 6.

9 of 11 pick themselves; Viacario, Porro Romero MvdV Udogie; Bissouma XXXX Maddison; XXXX Solanke Son. Johnson, Odobert and Kulusevski could all be on the right, and the other midfield spot could be Sarr, Bentancur or Kulusevski again. Kulu and Maddison as split 8/10s looks a good option against sides where we expect to have control of the game, less sure about in a NLD.

Arsenal have midfield issues. Partey is the only regular available, with Odegaard injured and Rice suspended (Merino injured as well). Jorginho surely will play instead of Rice; Odegaard is the only player they don't have a natural replacement for. Trossard could play as a 10, or Havertz playing deeper with Jesus up front, or maybe Martinelli central Trossard left.

The only thing I can say with any degree of certainty - it won't be 0-0.

COYS!!!

 

[Cerberus]

Morning. Just back from a short trip to Spain where I forgot all about football, now into the cauldron of a NLD! (& the anxiety it still provides all these years down the line…)

Zapp - has all of the above team news been confirmed?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Morning. Just back from a short trip to Spain where I forgot all about football, now into the cauldron of a NLD! (& the anxiety it still provides all these years down the line…)

Zapp - has all of the above team news been confirmed?

Nope!

MvdV didn't travel with the Netherlands during international break, but was given the classic "late fitness test" before the Newcastle game - it's a full 2 weeks later and none of the match previews I've read have expressed any doubts over him. The only real inconsistency is whether Richarlison is "lacking match sharpness" or "working his way back to fitness", so he's a don't really know.

Other than that, clean bill of health.

Arsenal's stuff is all confirmed - Merino has been out since he signed, Odegaard was on crutches after a midweek match with Norway, and Rice got sent off for being a knob.

 

[Silas Loom]

Bissouma went off injured in a Mali game this week. Might have been a ploy to get some nitrous oxide though.

 

[Cerberus]

Arteta still not ruling out Odergaard…”more tests”

For us, Richarlison and Lankshear still in ‘rehab’

Solanke and VDV have trained and ‘have another training session’ to assess match fitness. Bissouma has a knock and is being assessed today.

Never plain sailing with Spurs. Ever! I’m almost picturing myself walking up the High Rd Sunday lunchtime hearing that Bentancur has a 2 yr ban, Son’s flight was delayed back from South Korea, Maddison did his back while getting out of bed and a bout of flu has hit the rest of the squad…..

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Arteta still not ruling out Odergaard…”more tests”

For us, Richarlison and Lankshear still in ‘rehab’

Solanke and VDV have trained and ‘have another training session’ to assess match fitness. Bissouma has a knock and is being assessed today.

Never plain sailing with Spurs. Ever! I’m almost picturing myself walking up the High Rd Sunday lunchtime hearing that Bentancur has a 2 yr ban, Son’s flight was delayed back from South Korea, Maddison did his back while getting out of bed and a bout of flu has hit the rest of the squad…..

Chill, we've got this. Going to be at least 10-0 Spurs, 2 goals each for Porro, Udogie, vdV, Maddison and Son.

 

[Cerberus]

Chill, we've got this. Going to be at least 10-0 Spurs, 2 goals each for Porro, Udogie, vdV, Maddison and Son.

That’s the first half. And the second??

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

That’s the first half. And the second??

That's where Ben Davies runs riot.

 

[Cerberus]

That's where Ben Davies runs riot.

of course…

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Going for it big style with the midfield selected. Genius or folly? Find out in 1 hour...

Vicario

Porro --- Romero MvdV --- Udogie

Bentancur
Kulu ----- Maddison

Johnson ---- Solanke ---- Son
​

Arsenal playing with a fluid front 4 (Saka, Martinelli, Trossard, Havertz) in the absence of Odegaard. Be interesting to see which if any of them takes a midfield spot, otherwise we might get some joy with our 3 up against Jorginho and Partey.

 

[Cerberus]

I’m on the High Road - consensus is folly.

They will not only put the ball over the top but now play thru us.

 

[Cerberus]

Poor first half. 5 in the book - not sure why?

Predictable in attack. ‘Experts’ (hipsters) keep saying ‘wait until Angeball really clicks’ - well, I’m waiting - patiently in the ground - while Arsenal are in second gear and having a relaxing afternoon

 

[planetgeli]

Spurs have never drawn 0-0 in the League at their new ground.

 

[marshall]

Spurs have never drawn 0-0 in the League at their new ground.

And they still haven't

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

It's frustrating. Look at the stats for all 4 games and we should be looking at 12 points, not 4.

My patience is wearing thin with not putting much emphasis on set pieces, either attacking or defending. When it's such an obvious weakness, crying out for extra training. Against teams as good as Arsenal, you just can't give them that free set piece goal and expect to get away with it.

 

[Cerberus]

From memory and having only seen it once live. We lost the ball in the air in their box. They broke quickly - as must have been their game plan or anyone’s game plan against Angeball - won a corner and then scored easily from it. Our defensive problems in a nutshell.

Our attack was and is piss poor. I’m not having this ‘score more than them bollocks’ though. Arsenal demonstrated why they’ll be in a title race again this season and we won’t. Solid defence shape. Never getting dragged out of position. Everyone fighting and working their bollocks off. Get a chance, take it and then dig in for 3pts. They won’t play like that every week and won’t have to but they’ll vary it to match conditions, opponents and contexts.

Spurs are a fucked up schizophrenic. Listing haplessly from one project manager to another. Dour turgidity to gung-Ho suicide within one appointment. Yes, culpability lays with Levy and always will but surely this geezer isn’t so arrogant to think he can come from Japan and Scotland and apply the same methods in this league?

I did like Ange at the start - felt like a breath of fresh air. Found wanting though as soon as the chips were down and Spurs needed to be pragmatic. Obvs didn’t happen.

Since then, his ‘matey-ness’ when it suits him and his bullying of journalists when it doesn’t has begun to irk.

The tactical flaws are all there for us (& crucially) other PL managers to see. Abysmal record in London derbies won’t help either.

 

[Cerberus]

Oh and 13 points from the last 12 matches

Wins v Forest, Sheff Utd, Burnley and Everton.

He won’t last long unless there is an upturn in wins.

 

[Lotte]

And all of those teams are crap, two of them are relegated and the other two narrowly avoided relegation and aren't Everton like bottom right now?