The Guardian

Villa and Spurs draw after Arsenal, United and City win: WSL – as it happened

Submitted by daniel on Sun, 29/09/2024 - 13:00

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That’s all from me! We’ll be back next weekend for some more WSL action – albeit without Chelsea and Manchester United as things stand.

Thanks for joining me!

This weekend’s results:

Crystal Palace 0-7 Chelsea

Manchester City 1-0 Brighton

Everton 0-1 Manchester United

West Ham 1-1 Liverpool

Leicester City 0-1 Arsenal

Aston Villa 2-2 Tottenham

Recap the action from Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Everton with Tom Garry’s match report from Walton Hall Park:

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-2 Tottenham

The points are shared after a thrilling final 15 minutes at Villa Park.

Updated at 19.31 CEST

GOAL! Aston Villa 2-2 Tottenham (Bethany England, 90+6)

England equalises! What a thrilling end to this match!

Nilden somehow gets on the end of a long ball and sends it across goal with a first-time pass. England is there to get in front of D’Angelo and deflect it in with a header!

Updated at 19.28 CEST

GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham (Rachel Daly, 88)

What a turnaround! Daly fires Villa into the lead for the first time in this match!

A quick throw-in is taken on the left. It falls to the feet of Parker, who floats a cross into the box. Daly gets there first, heads it over Spencer and into the back of the net!

Updated at 19.24 CEST

Here’s a look at Leon’s strike…

GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham (Adriana Leon, 78)

It’s been coming! Super-sub Leon equalises for Villa!

Nobbs intercepts the ball in midfield before passing to Daly. The striker quickly sets it to Leon on the edge of the box, who fires her shot past Spencer and into the net!

Updated at 19.08 CEST

Aston Villa are really pushing for that all-important equaliser as we approach the final 20 minutes of the match.

Following Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Everton, Marc Skinner said: “The wind played a part for both teams. I felt we did enough to win the game but it wasn’t going to be a landslide, I thought Everton were really good. I’m happy with the three points and another clean sheet. It’s a good start.”

Following today’s 1-0 win over Leicester, Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said: “We had to manage our expectations today. If you want to win the league you do that mostly with dominant performances. But sometimes you have to find other ways to win in a season.”

Here’s a look at THAT fingertip save from Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar this afternoon…

We’re back under way at Villa Park!

It’s all looking good for Tottenham fans right now – the men are also leading 1-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

And they have a one-man advantage following Bruno Fernandes’ red card. You can follow along with Dominic Booth’s minute-by-minute live blog here:

Half-time: Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham

Summanen’s spot kick is all that separates the two teams at the break.

As things stand, Chelsea scored more goals on Friday than every other team in the WSL this weekend combined…

Here’s a recap of this weekend’s results so far…

Crystal Palace 0-7 Chelsea

Manchester City 1-0 Brighton

Everton 0-1 Manchester United

West Ham 1-1 Liverpool

Leicester City 0-1 Arsenal

Full-time: West Ham 1-1 Liverpool

Riko Ueki’s late header salvages a point for West Ham.

Full-time: Leicester 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal take all three points… just. It was far from comfortable for the visitors, but Jonas Eidevall will be satisfied with the win.

GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Tottenham (Eveliina Summanen, 23)

Summanen converts the spot-kick to give Spurs the lead!

Updated at 19.07 CEST

Penalty Tottenham

Spence goes to ground in the box following a challenge from Tomás.

GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Liverpool (Riko Ueki, 85)

Ueki equalises for West Ham in the final stages!

Updated at 17.52 CEST

Gabarro injury update

Everton manager Brian Sørensen has issued an update on Inma Gabarro’s injury. He said: “Not good. I think it’s a big one again. Let’s see when the result comes back. Inma is a terrific talent, she showcased how strong she is, fast and direct. Let’s see what the scan says and take it from there. I really feel for her.”

Rachel Daly puts the ball in the Tottenham net with a fantastic volley, but the flag is up! Incredibly unlucky for the Aston Villa striker. It remains 0-0 at Villa Park.

Read more on the postponement of next weekend’s WSL clash between Chelsea and Manchester United here:

Kick-off: Aston Villa vs Tottenham

We’re up and running in the final match of the weekend!

A bit of breaking WSL news for you… Chelsea’s clash with Manchester United, originally set to take place next Sunday, has been postponed due to Champions League scheduling issues.

GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Arsenal (Frida Maanum, 55)

Maanum strikes first for Arsenal once again!

Russo does well to intercept a back pass from Bott before squaring the ball across goal to Maanum on the edge of the six-yard box. The midfielder then taps it into an empty net with ease.

Updated at 17.19 CEST

We’re back under way at both the King Power Stadium and the Chigwell Construction Stadium.

Full-time: Everton 0-1 Manchester United

Grace Clinton’s early goal was enough to secure all three points for Manchester United at Walton Hall Park.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham: Team News

Aston Villa starting XI: Sabrina D’Angelo; Noelle Maritz, Anna Patten, Lucy Parker, Paula Tomás; Kirsty Hanson, Jordan Nobbs; Chasity Grant, Missy Bo Kearns, Kenza Dali; Rachel Daly (C).

Tottenham starting XI: Rebecca Spencer; Amanda Nildén, Clare Hunt, Molly Bartrip (C), Ashleigh Neville; Eveliina Summanen, Maite Oroz; Jessica Naz, Drew Spence, Hayley Raso; Martha Thomas.

Half-time: West Ham 0-1 Liverpool

Smith’s first WSL goal hands the visitors a 1-0 lead over West Ham.

Half-time: Leicester 0-0 Arsenal

It’s all square at the break.

WHAT A SAVE… AGAIN! Russo breaks into the box and slides the ball into the path of Wälti. The midfielder goes for goal, but this time Kop makes a world-class stop to keep the ball out. Brilliant from the Leicester goalkeeper!

WHAT A SAVE! Leicester go on the attack and Rantala attempts an audacious strike from the right side of the box. It looks to be flying towards the top-left corner, but Van Domselaar gets her fingertips to it, flicking the ball onto the crossbar!

The Guardian

Dominic Solanke and Tottenham go to Old Trafford ‘not scared of anyone’

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 28/09/2024 - 22:30

Dominic Solanke had to have had a few opening-day nerves, mainly because of the size of the transfer fee; also the idea of whose boots he was supposed to fill. It was the second Saturday of August, his £65m move to Tottenham from Bournemouth had been announced and there he was, being introduced at the club’s stadium before their final pre-season friendly.

Harry Kane was there, the Spurs hero back with Bayern Munich for the game, feeling the love of the crowd, popping into the home dressing room, too, and feeling the love even more. If there was a moment to reinforce the scale of the challenge that confronted Solanke, this was surely it.

There have been others. He mentions his “annoying start with the injury” and he is referring to the ankle damage sustained on his debut at Leicester in the opening round of Premier League fixtures. It ruled him out of two matches but nobody has wanted to think about that. The focus has been on a single statistic, the one that defines every striker, and when Solanke drew a blank in the Carabao Cup tie at Coventry, it was trotted out: three appearances, zero goals.

English football has an obsession with fast starts; if a high-profile signing can make one, they can buy themselves a disproportionate amount of credit. But the reverse is equally true. And so on the Friday before last, we had Ange Postecoglou being grilled on how Solanke was dealing with everything, the fee, the pressure and, yes, the goal drought. The Spurs manager’s advice? Jeez, people need to chill, “take a breath, do a bit of yoga …”

Solanke smiles. Maybe he can do so more easily now, the weight of the wait for the all-important breakthrough over, his poacher’s finish against Brentford last Saturday followed by another in Thursday’s Europa League game against Qarabag. Not that Solanke sees it that way.

“It was probably a bit premature after just a few games with, as I say, the start that I had,” he says. “No matter how much you get bought for and what club you play for, there is always going to be pressure. It’s something we have to deal with.”

Solanke does admit that “when you go to a bigger club there’s that added pressure” and he has been here before – at Chelsea, where he surged through the youth ranks as the wonderkid, and then Liverpool, for whom he signed as a free agent in 2017.

“I haven’t had the smoothest journey in my career,” Solanke says, and he can say that again. His first senior manager at Chelsea, José Mourinho, said in the summer of 2014 that if Solanke were not an England international within a few years, he would blame himself.

Mourinho gave Solanke one game in 2014-15 and loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem the following season. Then there was the deep freeze under Antonio Conte in 2016-17. Solanke did not renew his Chelsea contract and did not play at all.

At least Mourinho did not need to reproach himself. Solanke made his England debut in November of his first season at Liverpool – in a 0-0 Wembley draw against Brazil. It did not work out for him at Anfield, mainly for three reasons. They were Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané. Solanke was on the outside, starting six games, failing to locate any rhythm and score more than once. He went to Bournemouth in January 2019 for £17m.

If Bournemouth was the making of Solanke, especially his 19-goal top-flight season last time out, then he feels he has found the perfect fit at Spurs, a team that under Postecoglou never want to take a backward step, who bring a furious tempo. It stands to be a clash of styles when they visit Manchester United on Sunday, a pivotal game for both clubs. Under Erik ten Hag, United have no problem in going back to recycle a move: theirs is a patient, positional approach.

“We are not scared of anyone so we will go there and be on the front foot,” Solanke says. “One of the reasons why I was so delighted to come to Tottenham was the play style. It suits me. I love it. When the team is playing well, we can dominate games. The way that we play will create chances for me.”

Solanke says he is “probably still getting there” in terms of peak condition and sharpness but is “starting to get a bit of rhythm which is important”. He does not shy away from outlining his ambitions – basically, goals and trophies at Spurs – and they extend to the England scene. Solanke won the European Under-17 Championship in 2014 and the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, starring at both, but he has not added to his one full cap.

“Everyone wants to play for their country and it’s definitely something I’m looking to get back into,” he says. “Was England a part of the idea behind my transfer? Not really. But if you are doing your stuff for a club like Tottenham, it is definitely a lot easier to get into the fold. Tottenham is my main aim. But then hopefully I can get into the England team.”

As for Kane and assuming any mantle from him, Solanke will have none of it. “I spoke to him when Bayern came in pre-season and he came into the changing room,” Solanke says. “He said what you’d probably expect, just good things about Tottenham.

“Harry is who he is. I don’t think anyone would want to see him replaced anyway. He’s a world-class striker. But I’m here now and I want to score as many goals as I can for Tottenham. And hopefully we can win some trophies.”

The Guardian

Solanke on song as Spurs recover from Dragusin red card to ease past Qarabag

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 26/09/2024 - 22:41

Ange Postecoglou had talked about how keenly Tottenham felt their absence from European competition last season – a “real gap in our calendar,” as the manager put it. And so what was a further 35-minute wait?

It was a night of transport chaos around the stadium, overland trains suspended, roads blocked and kick-off delayed. It set the tone for a wild tie against Qarabag, Tottenham’s Europa League curtain-raiser featuring a red card for their centre-back Radu Dragusin inside seven minutes and countless close shaves in front of their goal. How did they manage a clean sheet? Guglielmo Vicario was a big part of the reason.

Spurs made their punches count at the other end and when Dominic Solanke made it 3-0 in the 68th minute, they could coast to victory. Which is not a line that chimed with much of what had gone before. Brennan Johnson, though, made it three goals in three games with the opener and Pape Sarr got the second, leaving the club’s fans to revel in a fun occasion. It will be a long road to the final in Bilbao. Spurs are up and running.

The Qarabag bus had been caught in the grinding traffic, having wended its way from the team hotel in Stratford – a mere 12 miles away, hardly the Baku beyond. The Azerbaijan champions only arrived inside the stadium at 7.45pm, far from ideal for them. Or Spurs.

“Imagine you are caught in traffic for more than two and a half hours,” said Gurban Gurbanov, the Qarabag manager. “There were no police to escort us and when we arrived, we were told in 40 minutes we had to start. Obviously it had a big impact on us.”

There were early errors on both sides, huge ones, starting with Dragusin’s sending off after he inexplicably allowed the ball to run away from him as the last man with Juninho applying the pressure. Dragusin was in trouble when he was robbed by the Qarabag striker, who threatened to run clear on goal. When Dragusin pulled at Juninho’s shorts, the referee, Willy Delajod, knew what he had to do.

Spurs were undaunted. Postecoglou got Destiny Udogie on at left-back to reform the back four, albeit one that was never going to play as such. It is not Postecoglou’s style. Archie Gray continued to push up from right-back. Udogie did the same. Ben Davies ran upfield with the ball at his feet from his new position of left centre-back. It was unfortunate for Lucas Bergvall that he was the midfielder to be withdrawn.

It said plenty about Spurs that they had carried on playing with 10 men for what seemed like an age after Dragusin’s dismissal and as Udogie warmed up. They did not put the ball out. They would even lose it at one stage, playing with fire. Spurs would do plenty of that, the examples numerous.

Spurs’s breakthrough came immediately after the Udogie for Bergvall change and it was a personal disaster for the Qarabag defensive midfielder, Júlio Romão. Spurs brought an aggressive press and Ramão turned into Solanke, who advanced before playing in Johnson on the overlap. The first-time finish was low and true.

Johnson might have scored again when he got onto a long ball from Gray and evaded the goalkeeper, Mateusz Kochalski, who had made a rash bolt from his line. Johnson rolled wide of the empty net. But the remainder of the first half was a story of Spurs taking risks at the back and getting away with them, leaving themselves with men down against the Qarabag counter, backing themselves to recover.

Toral Bayramov airkicked under pressure from Udogie after surging through and nobody could understand how Juninho rolled wide of the far post from an Elvin Jafarguliyev cross when unmarked in front of goal. Patrick Andrade shot wildly when well placed and there was also the moment when Juninho robbed Davies and Spurs needed Vicario to leave his line and make a saving one-on-one tackle.

Postecoglou introduced Dejan Kulusevski for Johnson at half-time and it was the Sweden winger whose inswinging corner set in motion the second goal. Kochalski came and flapped under minimal pressure – he was impeded more by one of his own players – and Sarr fashioned a sweet connection on the volley, too sweet for Andrade on the line.

Spurs were in no mood to make things straightforward. Was it not an idea for them to defend properly? Yves Bissouma conceded a penalty with a clumsy challenge on Jafarguliyev only for Bayramov to blaze high and Qarabag had a fistful of further chances, mainly after forcing turnovers. Their finishing was dismal.

Spurs did not feel safe at 2-0 but Solanke, who had been denied by Kochalski on 58 minutes, enabled them to breathe more easily. Not for the first time, Kochalski wobbled, patting a Son Heung-min shot straight to Solanke. It was a tap-in for the striker. Jafarguliyev would see Vicario tip away his top corner-bound blast and when Juninho finally had the ball in the net, the offside flag obviously had to go up. Qarabag could have played all night and not scored.

The Guardian

Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag: Europa League – live reaction

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 26/09/2024 - 19:00

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Full time: Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag

A very good night for Spurs in the end. It looked like it could go very wrong when Dragusin was sent off early on but they have come through it thanks to goals from Johnson, Sarr and Solanke. Qarabag looked dangerous but could never find a finish.

Addai has a chance in the box but he fails to to much contact and Vicario drops on it.

The resulting corner makes it way out to Jafarguliyev on the edge of the box. He pings the shot towards the top corner but Vicario does superbly well to tip over.

GOAL! Son shoots from the edge of the box, forcing Kochalski down to his left but he palms it straight to Solanke, giving him an easy task.

GOAL! Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag (Solanke 68)

The striker reacts quickest to tap home a rebound.

Updated at 23.07 CEST

Vicario comes to catch a cross and runs into Juninho. It is getting a little spicy out there.

Spurs go down the other end and Solanke has a chance but sends his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Updated at 23.03 CEST

PENALTY! Qarabag are awarded a spot kick after Bissouma takes down Jafarguliyev inside the box. It is soft but is probably a pen. The midfielder also gets a booking.

Updated at 22.58 CEST

GOAL! The goalkeeper flaps at the cross and Sarr is left in space, he takes aim and, via a deflection, doubles the lead. A big moment in the match.

GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Qarabag (Sarr 53)

Kulusevski whips in a corner that reaches Sarr at the back post from where he volleys home.

Updated at 22.53 CEST

Down the other end Jafarguliyev pings in another dangerous, low cross but Vicario takes hold.

Second half

Here we go again!

Johnson off for Spurs, Kulusevski on.

“I can’t believe what I’ve seen tonight,” says Shaun Tooze. “I watched about 90% of the Rangers game in Malmo before this one and Ranger could, or rather should have had 5. This first half here has carried on the same way. How Qarabag haven’t got on the scoresheet here is beyond belief.

“The night of missed golden chances. Absolutely unfathomable.

“Anyway, sorry, just mind blown.”

Some football has already been completed.

Half time: Tottenham 1-0 Qarabag

Spurs are down to 10 men but have the advantage thanks to Johnson. Qarabag have enjoyed the better of the match thanks to Dragusin’s being very silly and getting himself sent off.

I suspect we will get Pedro Porro on for Gray at half time.

Updated at 22.21 CEST

Gray is cleaned out on the right wing. Advantage is played until Jafarguliyev is booked for the foul.

krishnamoorthy says: “Your mention of Johnson Solanke and Son sounds like a law firm who appears capable of engineering the names in all small letters on their shirts .”

Updated at 22.07 CEST

GOAL! Spurs win the ball back high up, Solanke slips a pass through to Johnson who finds the bottom corner.

GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Qarabag (Johnson, 12)

Three in three for the winger.

Updated at 22.00 CEST

Udogie replaces Bergvall. Such a shame for the teenager but needs must. Silly Dragusin.

RED CARD! Dragusin

Updated at 21.51 CEST

The Guardian

José Mourinho is definitely not running scared or in one of his sulks

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 26/09/2024 - 18:22

PRESS RELEASED

Football Daily didn’t get where it is today by abdicating its responsibilities. If we say we’ll slither apologetically into your inbox or spam folder five days a week (Bank Holidays excluded), then that’s what we’ll do, even though there’s a good chance nobody would notice or even care if we skipped the odd appointment. It seems the same can’t be said for José Mourinho, who has been fined for failing to materialise at his post-match press conference in the wake of Fenerbahce’s defeat at the hands of Galatasaray in last Saturday’s Intercontinental Derby, an absence he was only happy to explain yesterday.

José was speaking prior to Fenerbahce’s Bigger Vase match against Union Saint-Gilloise tonight and, having deigned to turn up for this particular presser, took unsurprisingly grave exception to the suggestion that he might have avoided his post-match media duties last weekend because he was in one of his fabled sulks or, worse still, running scared. “In 24 years of football, I never in my life escaped from a press conference especially after a defeat,” he said. “I never had fear of any journalist, any question or any press conference. So, it wouldn’t be with you that I was going to change my way of being.”

Having belittled the ladies and gentlemen of the Istanbul media for their impertinence at the very suggestion he might have been trying to avoid them in the immediate aftermath of a particularly chastening defeat, José went on to explain that he had been kept waiting for 75 minutes and eventually lost patience before sodding off home. “I tried to go,” he explained. “I was not allowed to go. I was in the door of the press conference trying to go but I was not allowed to go. So it has nothing to do with the result, it has nothing to do with anything; it has only to do with something that is either correct or not correct.”

Asked if his no-show was perhaps a sign of disrespect, José agreed that it was, albeit not in the way the reporters he’d blanked might have hoped. “If anyone felt disrespected, then it was me.” During a week when Arsenal have had to face accusations that they deployed football’s “dark arts” against Manchester City last weekend, it was heartwarming to see a master at work as he goes about using every trick in the book to deflect attention away from his team’s poor derby performance. And for what it’s worth, given Football Daily’s experience of attending pre- and post-match pressers, we’d consider any such event where a manager fails to front up an unexpected bonus.

With Tottenham and Rangers also in Bigger Vase action tonight, Ange Postecoglou and Philippe Clement were happy to sit in front of official Uefa rectangles covered in smaller, more colourful rectangles while facing interrogatory projectiles from reporters. With Tottenham hosting Qarabag and Rangers away at Malmo, neither said anything that will live long in the memory of anyone who heard it, ahead of matches that are unlikely to live long in the memory of anyone who participates in them. But at least they showed up, eh?

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Taha Hashim for a wide-ranging Clockwatch that takes in both the second legs of the Women’s Big Cup qualifying, including Arsenal 3-1 Häcken (3-2 agg), and Bigger Vase games including Malmo 1-1 Rangers. Oh, and Will Unwin will separately bring you piping hot MBM Bigger Vase updates from Tottenham 3-1 Qarabag from 8pm BST.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Monday 18 March 2024

Scott Munn, Tottenham Hotspur’s chief football officer, announces plans for a post-season tour of flamin’ Australia, with the first match of said tour (in Melbourne, on 22 May) taking place just three days after Spurs’ final Premier League match of last season (on 19 May … in Sheffield).

We are delighted to be heading to Melbourne for a post-season fixture against Newcastle United. Being able to take our team overseas is always a huge honour. We have amazing global support and to have the opportunity to connect with those fans who may be based thousands of miles away but are fanatical about the club is truly special.

Wednesday 25 September 2024

Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur’s flamin’ manager, addresses the effect of fixture congestion on his squad just a few weeks into the next season, mate:

I’ve spoken already about the fact that I think we’re getting to a real dangerous level with what our expectations are around players. Instead of focusing on one or two tournaments, it’s about the calendar, that’s more of an issue. Players don’t get a break between seasons any more like they used to, there are more tournaments both at international and club level, continental level. It’s going to get to a point where we’re not going to have the best players out there playing and probably even worse is them breaking down for various reasons. It’s definitely something that needs to be addressed.

“Reeling me back in there with [Wednesday’s] SPFL-themed [Football Daily]. The mention of Hearts’ use of data analytics did make me think of a great quote attributed (I think) to John Robertson of Nottingham Forest fame, reported to have responded to the suggestion of a more continental style diet with the observation that ‘if they all eat pasta, how come three of them get relegated?’ Which is merely to suggest that the use of Bloom’s data analytics is likely to become routine, make some people fortunes and disappear into the ether when something shinier appears. Can’t they all just download the latest CM 01/02 update and play a few seasons anyway?” – Alexander McMillan.

You have to hope that whoever is inputting the data into the Hearts manager-finding algorithm is more numerate than the [Football Daily]. Losing consecutive games to Dundee, Motherwell, Dundee United, Motherwell, Celtic and St Mirren would be six, not five. You also have to hope that they know more than the [Football Daily] about Scottish football too, as they only played Motherwell once” – Stuart McLagan (and 1,056 others).

It was with a glowing sense of nostalgia that I read about Hearts and their laptop manager hoo ha. Brings back delightful memories of Manager Idol at Luton, the lunatic brainchild of chairman John Gurney, whereby Joe Kinnear was sacked and a phone poll created to vote for his replacement (candidates including, erm, Joe Kinnear thanks to the fans’ furious reaction). Cue a bemused Mike Newell took the hot seat. Sadly the new stadium with incorporated F1 track was never built, we went into administration and were nearly never heard of again …” – Kevin Goddard.

“Twente fans heard chanting at the Etihad? Well, it was a Milk Cup game in fairness. At an average Premier League game you can usually hear Thirte or Forte” – Phil Cockburn.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Kevin Goddard. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

The Guardian

Spurs’ Son insists he ‘loves’ teammate Bentancur despite alleged racist remark

Submitted by daniel on Wed, 25/09/2024 - 17:06

Son Heung-min, the Tottenham captain, has expressed his “love” for his teammate Rodrigo Bentancur, despite the midfielder making an alleged racist remark about the South Korea forward over the summer.

The Uruguay international was charged by the Football Association last Thursday with an alleged misconduct breach in relation to a media interview. In the clip, which emerged in June, the host of a Canal 10 show asked Bentancur to show the shirt of a Spurs player, with the 27-year-old allegedly replying: “Sonny’s? It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

While an apology from Bentancur was swiftly forthcoming, due to this being an “aggravated breach”, if an independent regulatory commission panel upholds the FA charge he could be suspended for six to 12 domestic matches.

Speaking before Thursday’s Europa League home tie against Qarabag, Son said: “At the moment, because of the FA process, I can’t say much about it. But I love Rodrigo, I love him. We’ve a lot of good memories, we started playing together when he joined [in January 2022]. He knew. He apologised straight afterwards when we had holiday. I was at home. I didn’t even realise what was going on. He sent me a long message and you could feel it was coming from his heart.

“When we came back for pre-season, he felt really sorry and he almost cried when he apologised publicly and personally as well. He felt like he was really sorry. We are all human and all make mistakes and we learn from it.”

Son is one of only two players, along with Ben Davies, left at Tottenham from the squad that reached the Champions League final in 2019. Defeat in Madrid to Liverpool extended the club’s trophy drought and it now stands at 16 years, but Son is determined to end the wait for silverware this season.

“Yeah, it’s a dream [to win a trophy]. There is no hiding this. That’s what we work for,” Son said. “Obviously, we are looking for another big competition that everybody wants to win. It’s going to be tough, a tough competition, a lot of games and a lot of travelling, which makes it even harder. We’ve just got to be ready and take it seriously, the competition, because it’s a massive competition.”

Son also reflected on his contract situation after he entered the final 12 months of his current deal at Spurs. The club hold an option to extend his terms by a further year and, it is understood, plan to activate it.

“We haven’t talked [about] anything yet,” said the 32-year-old. “ It was very clear for me, I’m very focused for this season. I just want to win something that everybody in this club and these players and all around deserves. That’s what I’m working for.”

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou has become the latest high-profile figure to express concern at the increasing number of games players at elite level are having to take part in, with the Spurs manager appearing to back the idea of them striking in protest.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri suggested last week that players could strike over fixture congestion before days later suffering a serious knee injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

“They may take things into their own hands,” said Postecoglou. “They’re the ones most affected to be honest, so you would understand if they started to think as a collective, how much are we going to have to continually not have a say in?

“I have spoken already about the fact we’re getting to a real dangerous level about what our expectations are around players. Instead of focusing on one or two tournaments, it’s about the calendar. That is more of an issue.

“Players don’t get a break between seasons any more like they used to. There are more tournaments both at club level, international level and continental level. So, it’s going to get to a point where we are not going to have the best players out there playing and even worse them breaking down for various reasons. It’s definitely something that needs to be addressed.”

The issue is of particular significance for Son, who regularly travels across the world to feature in South Korea matches before a quick turnaround back to domestic matters. “A lot of games, a lot of travelling. We’ve got to look after ourselves, which sometimes is very hard,” he said. “Mentally, physically, you’re not ready. Then going on to the pitch and then the risk of injury is massive. We’re not robots.

“Don’t get me wrong, we love playing football. It’s about adding more games. It’s normal that everyone is at high risk of injury. We play 50, 60 games and not more than 70 games. When the fixtures come, the players have to play. There’s a lot going on. It’s not fair. Rodri said the right things.”

The Guardian

Solanke and Johnson ease Tottenham worries in comeback win over Brentford

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 21/09/2024 - 17:09

Ange Postecoglou had spoken of Tottenham’s perceived frontline scoring issues and how they would be resolved internally. As it transpired, goals from Dominic Solanke – his first for the club – Brennan Johnson and James Maddison earned a workmanlike three points, while also exhibiting character after conceding a goal by Bryan Mbeumo which put Brentford in front with only a minute gone. This triumph of patience should provide increased faith from the fans towards their manager who was quick to acknowledge them afterwards.

Tottenham had a more familiar appearance than the one which eked out a late Carabao Cup win at Coventry in midweek. Solanke, the club’s record signing, only had to wait until the eighth minute on this occasion for his moment, while Johnson added the second goal with admirable aplomb.

Thomas Frank’s injury-plagued Brentford, meanwhile, approached north London in a respectable ninth place. With the in-form Yoane Wissa the latest to succumb to the sidelines with an ankle problem, there was an opportunity to see if Mbeumo and Fábio Carvalho could stretch the hosts and score on the Bees’ customary counterattacking policy.

That desired moment came earlier than even Frank would have dreamed of. Twenty two seconds, to be precise. Keane Lewis-Potter clipped a cross in from the left, and from 12 yards out, Mbeumo was perfectly poised to execute a hooked volley into the top corner of the Tottenham net.

Spurs’ response was impressive. An uncharacteristic loose pass from Ethan Pinnock was snapped up by Maddison inside the Brentford penalty area – and the midfielder’s shot was only parried by the visiting goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, into the path of a grateful Solanke to casually stroke home.

Suitably emboldened, Heung-min Son and Johnson both went close to scoring against the west Londoners’ rattled defence.

If Postecoglou was anxious about profligacy, the second goal, after 27 minutes, will have been particularly satisfying for the Australian. Son surged forward, causing the Bees’ defence to backtrack before delivering a neat pass to Johnson. The attacker forged a yard of space to fire low into the corner of the Brentford net from an acute angle.

A dribbling error by the Spurs keeper, Guglielmo Vicario, almost allowed Carvalho and then Mbeumo to take advantage before the interval. Vicario then denied Mikkel Damsgaard with a fine save.

Brentford experienced a collective blast of frustration in the second half when it appeared Vicario handled the ball outside the penalty area, which Frank and the defender Kristoffer Ajer were cautioned for understandable protests.

Fuelled by injustice, both Mbeumo and the substitute Kevin Schade were denied by two great Vicario saves, while, at the other end, Johnson pulled a shot wide from an inviting position.

With six minutes remaining, Son caught Brentford off-guard, supplying Maddison, who curved the ball over Flekken. A day of significant relief for Postecoglou where Tottenham can properly move forward.

The Guardian

Tottenham v Brentford, Liverpool v Bournemouth and more: football clockwatch – live

Submitted by daniel on Sat, 21/09/2024 - 13:30

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That result means Chelsea go second, for a couple of hours at least. West Ham have lost their first three home matches of the season for the first time in their 129-year history.

FULL TIME: West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea. Julen Lopetegui hasn’t had much of a honeymoon period in his new job as Hammers coach, if at all. His team have been thoroughly outclassed by in-form Chelsea, who are in no way flattered by this scoreline. It could have been more. David Tindall lays out the details in minute-by-minute style as the hosts are booed off.

GARY SHAW (1961-2024). Aston Villa have already dedicated their win at Young Boys to the beloved star of the team that won the 1981 title, the 1982 European Cup and the 1982 Super Cup. Shaw has also been honoured at Villa Park today by another club legend.

Team news: Tottenham v Brentford

Spurs are unchanged despite defeat in last weekend’s north London derby. Fabio Carvalho makes his first Premier League start for the Bees, who are without Yoanne Wissa and Christian Norgaard.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Subs: Forster, Dragusin, Bissouma, Gray, Bergvall, Werner, Spence, Sarr, Moore.

Brentford: Flekken, Ajer, van den Berg, Pinnock, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard, Carvalho, Mbeumo.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Schade, Mee, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt, Roerslev, Kim, Yogane.

Updated at 15.11 CEST

Team news: Southampton v Ipswich

Saints respond to their thumping at the hands of Manchester United by calling up Charlie Taylor, Ryan Fraser and Adam Lallana. Ipswich follow up their draw at Brighton by naming Jens Cajuste in place of the absent Kalvin Phillips.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor, Downes, Lallana, Dibling, Fernandes, Fraser, Archer.

Subs: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Aribo, Armstrong, Stewart, Wood-Gordon, Brereton, Cornet, Ugochukwu.

Ipswich Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy, Cajuste, Szmodics, Giraud-Hutchinson, Burns, Delap.

Subs: Walton, Chaplin, Taylor, Johnson, Ogbene, Townsend, Luongo, Hirst, Jack Clarke.

Updated at 15.09 CEST

Team news: Liverpool v Bournemouth

Liverpool are without the injured Alisson so Caoimhin Kelleher makes his first start of the season … as does Darwin Nunez. Federico Chiesa is on the bench. Bournemouth make three changes after their unlucky loss to Chelsea, Dean Huijsen, Julian Araujo and Kepa Arrizabalaga replacing Mark Travers, Adam Smith and Marcos Senesi.

Liverpool: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz, Nunez.

Subs: Jaros, Gomez, Chiesa, Jones, Gakpo, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley.

AFC Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga, Araujo, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Christie, Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier, Evanilson.

Subs: Travers, Senesi, Brooks, Scott, Ouattara, Smith, Sinisterra, Hill, Unal.

Updated at 15.07 CEST

Team news: Leicester v Everton

Bilal El Khannous replaces Oliver Skipp as the only change for Leicester from the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. Everton welcome back Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski.

Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen, Winks, Ndidi, Ayew, El Khannous, Mavididi, Vardy.

Subs: Ward, Coady, Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira, Skipp, Edouard, Buonanotte.

Everton: Pickford, Garner, Keane, Tarkowski, Young, Mangala, Doucoure, Lindstrom, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Virginia, Begovic, Harrison, Beto, O’Brien, Iroegbunam, Armstrong, Dixon.

Updated at 15.08 CEST

Team news: Fulham v Newcastle

Fulham name the same XI after the draw with West Ham. Newcastle line up with Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes in attack.

Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Andreas Pereira, Lukic, Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi, Jimenez.

Subs: Benda, Reed, Rodrigo Muniz, Cairney, Berge, Nelson, Castagne, Sessegnon, Diop.

Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Kelly, Willock, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Gordon, Isak, Barnes.

Subs: Dubravka, Tonali, Krafth, Osula, Hall, Livramento, Jacob Murphy, Almiron, Longstaff.

Updated at 15.10 CEST

Team news: Aston Villa v Wolves

Villa make one change to the side that won 3-0 at Young Boys during the week. Diego Carlos comes in for Lamare Bogarde. Wolves name the same XI that started the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins.

Subs: Gauci, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey, Young.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Johnstone, Nelson Semedo, Mosquera, Dawson, Ait Nouri, Lemina, Andre Trindade, Joao Gomes, Bellegarde, Matheus Cunha, Larsen.

Subs: Jose Sa, Doherty, Bueno, Hwang, Rodrigo Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Borges, Goncalo Guedes.

Updated at 15.07 CEST

Preamble

Six BIG games on the 3pm card today; football just won’t stop happening! (Join a union, kids, the management classes are not your friends.)

Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Fulham v Newcastle United

Leicester City v Everton

Liverpool v Bournemouth

Southampton v Ipswich Town

Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford

Team news coming right up.

The Guardian

Postecoglou faces volatile reality with climate shifting at Tottenham

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 20/09/2024 - 23:05

Ange Postecoglou agrees because he knew just as well as anyone how it would have been painted. “Firstly, you can say that if we lost the other night, we would have been in crisis,” the Tottenham manager says. He is discussing the Carabao Cup tie at Coventry on Wednesday, which came three days after the home loss to Arsenal, a result that left Spurs with four points from the opening four Premier League games.

Postecoglou had fallen at the first hurdle in last season’s Carabao Cup, going out on penalties at Fulham, having made nine changes to his starting XI. He swapped eight players at Coventry and there is no doubt that relief was the most prominent emotion when the substitutes Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson scored late goals for a 2-1 comeback win.

Postecoglou had not finished his argument. “If we won our first game of the season, I’d probably be sitting here and people would have been saying: ‘Can you win a title this year?’ Both of them are just not the reality of my world.”

The reality for Postecoglou these days is volatility, extreme judgments from game to game because the climate has shifted for him since that stirring start to last season, his first at Spurs, when his team took 26 points from an available 30. Since then, it has been 44 from 30 matches, which equates to a 56-point season or mid-table mediocrity.

Some of the fans are not only booing at matches (they do that regularly when unhappy with the scoreline) but grumbling about where they are going under Postecoglou. The tone of it all was reflected in many of the questions he faced in his media conference to preview Saturday’s visit of Brentford. There is a lot of noise around Spurs, plenty of it taking in the merits of Angeball, the entertainment-value-versus-results debate. And more about individual players.

Take Johnson, for example, and Postecoglou wanted to do so after the forward’s bolt from zero against Arsenal to match winner at Coventry. Johnson received such abuse on social media after his poor performance in the derby that he deactivated his Instagram account.

“He won a game of football for us the other night with a really good finish and at the critical moment,” Postecoglou says. “I reckon you put any of his critics in that situation and they would be looking for a change of pants pretty quickly. But they don’t think about that in the moment.”

It was when the conversation centred on Dominic Solanke that Postecoglou laid bare his exasperation. The striker, signed for a club record £65m, has not scored in his three appearances; he missed Spurs’s second and third games of the season with an ankle injury.

“People are just so quick to judge,” Postecoglou says. “If he has gone 15 games without a goal or 15 games where he hasn’t contributed … I just think take a breath. Do a bit of yoga. Think about the world for a second and make an assessment after that.”

For Postecoglou, there were two obvious questions. Does he do yoga? “No mate, jeez, I don’t have the patience for it … nothing wrong with yoga by the way.” And, more seriously, how does he cope with the intensity and craziness of the professional realm that he inhabits?

“I have always been pretty good at staying clear-eyed and focused about what is important,” Postecoglou says. “The external noise, whether it’s valid or not, I just find it’s a massive distraction. I learned along the way … whether things are going well or not going well … not to let that external noise distract me.

“In many parts of my life, I’m not very disciplined, especially around eating. But when it comes to football, I’m really disciplined. Nothing will take me away from what I think needs to be done.”

A section of the Spurs support booed when Postecoglou substituted the midfielder Lucas Bergvall at Coventry but the manager said such negativity did not affect him.

“I’ve always said fans are more than free to feel what they feel,” he says. “We’ve just got to stay clear-eyed on what we’re trying to achieve and the kind of football team we want to be. If that’s swimming against the tide sometimes, that’s all right – it makes you stronger.”

Postecoglou clarified that he was not swimming against the tide at present. “The point I’m trying to make is I ignore the tide and just keep swimming,” he says. “Others may feel that way and if they do, there’s nothing wrong with that. You need to embrace the struggle. You don’t get success just by everything rolling out perfectly. But I ignore it.”

Postecoglou was reminded that he is the first Spurs manager to complete a full season since Mauricio Pochettino in 2018-19. “Yeah, they had a cake for me the other day,” he deadpans. All he feels his team needs is a spark in the final third.

“In our first four games we were about as dominant as we were last season for any series of games,” Postecoglou says. “In all four, we’ve out-possessed the opposition, created double the chances, played the game mostly in the opposition half. But we haven’t really got a reward for our dominance and that’s the area we are trying to focus on – in that front third.”

The Guardian

Women’s Super League 2024-25 previews No 11: Tottenham

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 19/09/2024 - 00:01

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 6th (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 6th

The plan

After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2022-23, the sixth-placed finish and FA Cup final in Robert Vilahamn’s first season will be hard to be top. Is there pressure to do better? No one would turn it down, but more importantly than the outcome last season was the team playing with coherence and an identity. If they can continue to develop their style of play and progress as a group, fans will likely be happy even if the team fall a little short of last season’s highs.

The number of additions has been carefully managed and the squad go into the new season with a degree of consistency. Spurs are playing the long game, hoping to avoid the fate of teams that finished high up, spent big to try to crack into the top three and ruptured the dynamic of their squads in the process.

“I know we can compete against all the teams this year,” said Vilahamn. “I know we can become better this year, if everything works well. But, to beat the top three teams, I cannot tell [the players] this is the year it’s going to happen because they have been in the women’s game for a long time.

“On the other hand, there’s a lot of stuff going on in those clubs as well, with new recruitments and new coaches. So it’s going to be an interesting year, especially when the other teams around us are doing the investment. It is going to be more competitive.”

The manager may be cautious regarding ambitions but that does not mean they are not dreaming of big things. “If we are in the Champions League for the next season, that would be amazing,” he said. “But as long as we develop and take steps, that’s what the club want to do.

“Organically, we want to be better and better and better. We don’t force us, we don’t risk anything. We are in a good spot, but I cannot really say that if we are ready for the top three or not. We need to wait and see.”

The manager

Vilahamn is fast building an impressive reputation. Before his arrival, the team looked lost. Vilahamn is not a loud manager but focuses on the individual. “I’m very individual-based there, so if you need love, I’m going to give you love; if you need other stuff, I’m going to give you that as well.

“I was a teacher. I use that quite a lot in my journey as a coach. I never ever treat them the same. I’m trying to treat them as individuals.”

Off-field picture

In their latest accounts, Tottenham’s revenue stood at £2.26m for the year ending June 2023, an increase on the preceding year’s £1.9m. They had an operating loss of £3.1m, up from £1.6m. The investment is increasing and accounts for last season will probably show further growth in both figures, but they are still far below the level of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. High-quality training facilities and an increased number of games played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will boost revenue further but greater investment from the parent club will be needed if they are to challenge for the top four.

Breakout star

Is this Jessica Naz’s year? The 23-year-old has shown huge promise and won her first senior England call-up in May, after Lauren James withdrew, having been placed on the standby list for England’s Euro 2025 qualifying matches. Naz signed a new three-year contract in May, having scored three goals and provided four assists in 10 starts under Vilahamn. “I like quick players, I like players that can be brave one-v-one and beat them,” said Vilahamn of Naz before the Cup final. “I saw last year that she could have done that, but she didn’t do it too much. She was one of the players I really liked when I watched the games last year and when I signed for the club.”

A-lister

Hayley Raso comes with a high profile similar to that of Beth England, who was a huge and influential addition in January 2023, fast becoming Tottenham’s top scorer. Raso, an Australia forward, joins after a year with Real Madrid, where she scored four times and competed in the Champions League. Having played at Everton and Manchester City, she comes with strong WSL experience. “Can she be a really dominant player in this league with an upcoming team?” Vilahamn said. “I feel like she’s a good match. We talked about where she is and she’s fitting into the way we play in a very good way.”

This summer’s business

Recruiting experienced players and young talent was made all the easier by Spurs’ achievements last season. Last summer, players were joining a side fresh from a relegation battle; now they are joining a team going places. Tottenham changed tack in this window, focusing on key areas rather than an overhaul. “We signed many players last season,” said Vilahamn. “When I look at the squad, I think we have 12 or 13 new players from when I came in, which is many players. The main thing was to find the key targets. So [the centre-back] Claire Hunt was a key target. We looked into what we need to develop in that position and competition in that position. Then you have Ella Morris [another defender], who is a typical Tottenham signing perhaps she’s not ready to play 90 minutes the first game, but she’s definitely a future Lioness. It’s just a question of time before she can do it at Tottenham as well.”

Where do they play?

Tottenham primarily play their home games at Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road. Close to Leyton station and on several bus routes the ground is fairly accessible. The club have put in a lot of effort into building an atmosphere and making a red ground feel more like home. The pre-match beatboxers and street dancers have developed a small cult following. Last season, the club hosted the women’s team three times at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and there are three more WSL fixtures scheduled – against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. “We have a clear strategy, how we’re going to keep growing the fanbase and the games at the stadium,” said Vilahamn. “Last year, we had three games there and all of them we won, and all of them had a really good atmosphere … We’re looking into how we can grow that.”

The Guardian

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