Hotspur HQ

Despite being in the relegation zone, still yet to win a Premier League match this season, Tottenham Hotspur supporters are starting to feel a bit more positive. Well, this was not the case 78 minutes into Saturday evening's trip to Old Trafford.

Spurs dominated throughout, squandering chance after chance after chance before, as everyone knew would happen, Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock for Manchester United. 12 minutes from the end, after a wild scissor challenge on Luke Shaw, he went head-to-head with Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan reacted and was sent off by referee Stuart Attwell.

This seemed to extinguish any hope of a point for Spurs until, in stoppage time, Dominic Solanke's deft header ensured it finished all square. Oddly, after full time, Roberto De Zerbi revealed he kissed Benatncur in the dressing room, stating "I liked the situation with Rodrigo's red card, we needed this moment in this situation".

Well, however much he enjoyed it, the 29 year old will be suspended for the next three matches, which will force a reshuffle, considering he has started four of six Premier League games thus far.

Premier League fixtures Rodrigo Bentancur will miss suspended

Monday 19 October: Coventry City (H). Kick off 8pm.

Saturday 24 October: Chelsea (A). Kick off 5:30pm.

Saturday 31 October. Crystal Palace (H). Kick off 5:30pm.

So, what will De Zerbi's midfield trio look like without Bentancur, and who does he need to shine?

Sandro Tonali

So far, Sandro Tonali is yet to justify the enormous expense Tottenham paid to bring him to the club. The Italian has started all six Premier League matches, but is yet to tangibly improve them, even if it was his cross that was turned home by Solanke in stoppage time on Saturday.

The 26 year old is not really that sort of player, but has, so far, not represented and upgrade on what Tottenham already had, really needing that to change.

Lucas Bergvall

The likes of Tonali, Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes and Conor Gallagher are much of a muchness, while Lucas Bergvall is the one capable of a moment of magic. Early in the summer, it was made clear that the 20 year old would like to explore a new challenge. However, after it transpired that Newcastle and Nottingham Forest were those interested, he perhaps realised the grass is not always greener.

The Swede though is yet to register a goal or an assist this season, after only scoring once throughout the entirety of last season, this at West Ham all the way back in September. He clearly holds himself in high regard, but now needs to start justifying this belief.

James Maddison

Of all Tottenham's long-term absentees, could James Maddison have the most transformational effect? They remain without Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kuluševski, while fit again Mohammed Kudus looked lively at Old Trafford, but Maddison could be the man to change everything.

The Englishman's last eight appearances have all come off the bench, most-recently starting against Bodø/Glimt on 1 May 2025, the night he suffered a serious knee injury. Prior to this, that season, he accumulated 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, and a Maddison producing his best is exactly what this struggling Spurs side badly need.

There is not an unluckier player on Tottenham Hotspur and maybe not even in all of European football right now than Savio. While we tend to think about xG as being the barometer for unlucky and players getting into great positions but not finishing, it's hard to ignore, for example in the case of the Tottenham strikers like Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush, the element of personal responsibility when it comes to bad finishing.

So the biggest element of bad luck for an attacker actually comes on the creative end. When you have a player who is consistently getting penetration on the ball into the box, delivering teasing passes into the corridors of uncertainty, and still coming up empty handed on the stat sheet, you truly have a world class footballer who is becoming undeserving of the lack of statistical merit headed his way.

Savio had a spellbinding debut off the bench for Tottenham Hotspur in the Second Round of the League Cup against Charlton Athletic, but, since then, he has produced nothing decisive despite rivaling Lamine Yamal in the combined key pass and dribbles completed realm as a former La Liga Player of the Season candidate in his own right approximately three seasons ago.

Savio is better than the basic numbers indicate

The young Brazilian international had another great performance on the analytical stat sheet against Manchester United, crafting two chances created and five dribbles completed with a foul dawn. The Manchester United defenders could not touch Savio in one on ones, and even his key passes understate the quality of chances he was producing for the other forwards, especially Dominic Solanke, who should have scored at least two goals with some of the insane pinpoint crosses Savio was delivering low.

Tottenham Hotspur forwards are deservedly drawing a lot of flack for the lack of goals, but Robereto De Zerbi and Spurs have to understand that Savio is not a part of that calculus. In fact, he is perhaps the ultimate victim of it, and with James Maddison still not fully healthy enough to start and Conor Gallagher and the other No. 10 options disappointing, Savio has really been the only consistent source of chance creation at all for Spurs.

Yes, Sandro Tonali finally came up big with a wonderful assist off a cross for a lucky Solanke in the dying minutes to rescue a point for Spurs, but he only had that one key pass all game and is far from a consistent source of creation. Meanwhile, Savio is the best dribbler and key passer on Spurs, and the Man United game only highlighted how high above his teammates he is playing right now.

Tottenham Hotspur dropped more points on Saturday afternoon, drawing Manchester United 1-1 at Old Trafford. But even though it was disappointing to see Spurs fail to capitalize on their opportunities in the first half and continue a streak of winless games to start the 2026/27 season, a point against a team that finished third last season isn't necessarily a bad result, especially since Spurs showed grinta in equalizing in the 92nd minute after rather unfairly going down a man disadvantage.

The big moment for Spurs came courtesy of the right boot of defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali, who sent in a cross so perfectly weighted and measured to striker Dominic Solanke that he could not screw up a fourth great opportunity at goal for the Lilywhites at Old Trafford. Solanke was even falling to the ground and barely aware of the play, yet he still diverted it into the back of Senne Lammens's net, so good was the cross.

It was one of two great crosses Tonali had on the night, and even though he did little else with the ball, the assist was the master stroke moment that Tottenham Hotspur needed in order to get something out of the game.

Tottenham need more assists from Sandro Tonali

So far this season, Tonali only has that one assist as his decisive action in six Premier League starts. His underlying numbers have been positive with two tackles per game to just a half of a dribble completed allowed per match, in addition to a healthy 89 percent pass completion percentage with around 60 passes per game.

But the thing is, Tottenham can still control games even without Sandro Tonali recording tackles or accurate passes when they have the other personnel in midfield and defense around him like Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Bergvall, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Archie Gray, Destiny Udogie, and Jan Paul van Hecke.

What Tottenham Hotspur are lacking as a whole - and what Tonali has been sorely lacking since joining the club for a hefty 100 million pounds - is that decisive end product. Against Manchester United, the Italian international was not as present with his passing or ball winning, but he was far more decisive in terms of the passes he was trying to perform in the final third, including the cross that proved to be the true decider for Spurs. And that's precisely what this team needs to see more of from their 26 year old leader in the middle of the park.

Tottenham Hotspur are still winless to start the Premier League season, but after a great finish from Bryan Mbeumo and an unfair red card to Rodrigo Bentancur (but not Luke Shaw), it could have been so much worse for the Lilywhites at Old Trafford. But a scrappy late goal off a Sandro Tonali cross ensured that Spurs would at least get a point in their first Big Six test of the 2026/27 season.

Here are the three flops and two stars from the match.

Flop: ST Dominic Solanke

Yes, Dominic Solanke did score the equalizer, but he honestly scord by fluke and seemed to know little about the header during his tussle with Lisandro Martinez, who had almost as much to do with the goal as even the crosser Sandro Tonali. It was, in truth, another subpar display from Solanke, who missed two easy goals in the first half and provided no real all around quality again. Tottenham have to roll with someone else.

Star: DM Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall has steadily improved since his nightmare outing on Matchday 1 against Brentford. Not only did he play really well defensively for Sweden during the Nations League over the international break, but he also did the same for Tottenham Hotspur. His scrap and pressing were so vital to creating clear cut chances for Solanke and the others, and he finished the game with two tackles and three interceptions.

Flop: AM Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher always works hard for the team, but the quality and the decision making just are not there for the veteran attacking midfielder. He might be one of the worst No. 10's in the entire Premier League in terms of his actual playmaking, because he always takes on the wrong option and does not know how to weigh his passes. He screwed up a couple of great chances to set Savio up for a goal.

Star: RB Archie Gray

Much better from Archie Gray on the right flank. The England international is such a phenomenal footballer, and even though the right back position isn't his, he still has the quality to make a difference. He was great off the ball and excellent defensively against a tough matchup, registering three tackles and three interceptions to lead Tottenham in defensive interventions.

Flop: RW Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus was not lively enough or quality enough. On a day in which he needed to take on more of an impetus in the attack and really carve up a washed Luke Shaw, Kudus himself looked subdued. He did not create any chances or any scoring opportunities, and he was not aware enough of his teammates to assist them or leave shots for them when the ball came into the box. Poor.

Tottenham Hotspur only have themselves to blame for another poor showing, this time drawing 1-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford after a couple of early, terrible misses from the usual suspect, striker Dominic Solanke, ended up biting them in the behind after a brilliant second half finish from United forward Bryan Mbeumo, who had rejected them and Thomas Frank a year earlier.

But the real boiling point of the match didn't come until around the 78th minute when one of the Premier League's most notorious instigators, left back Luke Shaw, hurled himself on the turf after Rodrigo Bentancur leaned his head into Shaw's, to do his best to sell a headbutt and a red card.

As he tends to do, Attwell gave into the pressure from the fans in the stadium and bought the call that Shaw was selling hook, line, and sinker. Nevermind that Shaw had shoved Bentancur to the turf after two perfectly normal sliding tackles that happen 20 times per game. Shaw instigated all of this and should have been red carded, as many fans pointed out on social media, and yet it was, once again, the Tottenham Hotspur player who was the victim.

Tottenham keep getting burned by the refs

Tottenham fans pointed out all season long in 2025/26 that they were being officiated differently, wondering if the Premier League was doing this to play up the storyline of them getting relegated. In an era with more sports betting and cyncism over manipulation of storylines for bet props and to manufacture fan interest, these conspiracy theories took off.

And while most of it seems like inane rambling from fans, events such as this one and poor officiating by the likes of Stuart Attwell do PGMOL and the Premier League itself no favors in terms of quelling these rumors.

Attwell has been the subject of a lot of controversies recently, including against Manchester United funnily enough. For two years, he wasn't allowed to officiate Nottingham Forest matches, and his officiating is so infamous that there are literal petitions from fans asking for him to be investigated.

The rot of the PGMOL seems to be with its most tenured officials, such as Attwell and Michael Oliver, who seem to have been quietly kept off refereeing games whlie his potential involvement in the Manchester City scandals is sorted out.

Tottenham were screwed over yet again by the Premier League officials, and it is baffling that Shaw got to walk away from what happened with only a yellow card while Bentancur got a red and Jan Paul van Hecke was also bizarrely booked.

Tottenham Hotspur star right back Pedro Porro established himself as the best player in the world at the position during the World Cup, even outshining PSG's gem Achraf Hakimi as the Spanish national team won the World Cup with the Spurs defender totally locking down the right flank.

Despite a rocky 2025/26 season, Porro finished the campaign as a stud under Roberto De Zerbi, and after the World Cup that he had, there was a lot of optimism about him helping Spurs right the ship in 2026/27. But the grueling World Cup campaign has left Porro with major fitness issues, and he's only started three of the five Premier League games, all Spurs losses, thus far. And in that third start against Aston Villa before the break, Porro left the game after just 18 minutes with a hamstring injury.

Updates on Porro's status during the break have been scarce, but De Zerbi gave one to the fans, via Hotspur Lane, just before the big Matchday 6 battle against Manchester United. Per De Zerbi, Porro is not going to miss "many games", but the phrasing implies that he's going to miss some games, including this one against Man United.

Pedro Porro being out has a knock-on effect

There's been speculation that Tottenham Hotspur are aiming for Pedro Porro to be back at the end of the month against Chelsea, but even that seems hard to believe in with how little Porro has been playing this season even before the hamstring injury.

Archie Gray has been the one starting at right back in lieu of an actual backup since the sale of England national team hero Djed Spence to Italian champions Inter Milan. And Porro not being there this weekend against Manchester United or the following game against Coventry will put even more pressure on Mohammed Kudus and Savio on the right hand side.

Because let's face it, Gray is a great talent, but he is obviously not a right back. And without Porro shuttling up and down the flank in real support of the right winger, that is going to leave these guys a lot to do on the flank, which means their energy and ability to cut inside and score, which is already not a strength of theirs but something Tottenham need the most, will be curtailed. Porro being out has such a snowball effect on the rest of the team. At least he won't be out for "many" games, per Roberto De Zerbi, but even just a couple of more at this winless juncture is a huge loss.

Tottenham Hotspur have been horrendous this season and would merit relegation from the Premier League solely on the basis of the merits of their performances, so, by and large, they can have no complaints about going down if that is indeed their destiny on Sunday when they battle Everton in the final Matchday of the nightmare 2025/26 season.

However, Spurs fans are not wrong in their belief that a lot of things have worked against them this season. The sheer number, magnitude, and character of the players injured this season has been devastating and irrecoverable, but Spurs fans are also upset at a lot of the calls that have gone against their way.

And on Sunday with everything on the line against the Toffees, Tottenham Hotspur will have to put their faith in the hands of a referee who has already made a couple of major, highly controversial calls against them on the big stage.

Tottenham and the refs do not have a good relationship

Michael Oliver will officially be the referee for Tottenham vs. Everton on Sunday afternoon, and he is one of the biggest names among officials in the Premier League, getting to preside over some of the biggest matches in international football as well.

But Oliver is also one of the most controversial refs. Perhaps that is because he is in the spotlight so much due to the profile of matches he officiates, but Tottenham fans will tell you that it's also because he has missed some big calls.

Oliver was the one who made the infamous Randal Kolo Muani "push" call on Gabriel Magalhaes in the North London Derby that led to a disallowed goal. He also gave Cristian Romero a red card against Manchester United that totally derailed things, which many Spurs fans viewed as being a soft call against their captain.

Although Tottenham fans have legitimate gripes about the refs, which occurred again last week after James Maddison was clearly fouled in the box for a potential penalty that never went to VAR, Michael Oliver is not going to be the reason why Spurs are relegated - just as those calls are not the reasons why Tottenham failed to win any of those aforementioned games.

Still, when it rains it pours, and every single person is liable to get backlash from Tottenham supporters when things don't go their way, and it's not like they have needed any extra help in losing. But when so many in the media are openly rooting against Spurs and so many want to see the monumental moment of such a big club going down, it's hard not to wonder if it's not an outright conspiracy, that implicit bias is dealing an unjust hand to the Lilywhites.

James Maddison finally made his highly anticipatd return to the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur last week against Leeds United, coming on for a handful of minutes in an important match. Although he could not give Spurs the winning goal in such a short amount of time, Maddison immediately looked a cut above his teammates, elevating the technical level of the attack significantly.

So there were high hopes for him against Chelsea on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge, and whiie Madders did not score or assist in increased action with about 20-25 minutes played, the former Leicester City star, once again, looked much more composed and dangerous on the ball than his teammates.

Because Maddison was able to play a bit more against Chelsea than he did against Leeds without any issues, fans are hoping that Tottenham will be able to start their best current available player for the final game of the season on Sunday against Everton, which is a do or die proposition for the Lilywhites. if Spurs do not get at least a draw, then they can probably kiss the Premier League goodbye with West Ham United closin their 2025/26 campaign against Leeds.

James Maddison is not at full strength

However, by his own admission, it does not sound like James Maddison will be able to make that unlikely start. He told reporters after the loss to Chelsea, via the official Tottenham Hotspur web site, that he is not 100 percent.

Maddison said, “I felt good, yes. I've obviously been out for a long time, so I don't feel 100% sharp and fit, but I felt pretty good. That's why it's disappointing we didn't get anything out of the game, because I felt like we were pushing and I felt involved in that but, like I said, just that lack of quality in the front third just let us down on a few moments in a game where we probably should have got something, I think.”

While it is great that Maddison feels "pretty good" out there, it's obvious that he isn't 100 percent after only getting 26 minutes in total under his belt so far after missing a year with a torn ACL, which gets to be a bigger deal for a player like him who is nearing the age of 30.

So any Tottenham fan expecting Maddison to play even 60 minutes against Everton, even with no further games and everything on the line, may need to have their expectations significantly adjusted. He's still not ready.

Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for a goalkeeper this summer, with recent reports suggesting that the club are widening their search beyond the Premier League.

Guglielmo Vicario is set to move on after another injury-hit season in north London. A hernia saw his level of performance drop drastically in 2026 before he finally underwent surgery during the March international break.

Antonín Kinsky has come in for Spurs' No. 1 and recovered remarkably well from his Champions League disaster at Atlético Madrid, even if he was slow to react to Enzo Fernández's strike from distance on Tuesday night. Overall, the Czech has been a huge positive since Roberto De Zerbi took the reins.

Vicario returned to training last week and was available for the Chelsea game on Tuesday, but De Zerbi stuck with Kinsky. We can safely say that the former Empoli goalkeeper has already played his final game for the club, with Inter Milan his most likely destination this summer.

Now, who Spurs can get in will depend on whether they earn a point at home to Everton on Sunday (or if West Ham United fail to beat Leeds United). Stay in the top flight, and the Lilywhites have every right to aggressively target Vicario's successor. Championship football would likely see Kinsky emerge as our No. 1.

Tottenham scouting beaten Europa League finalist to replace Vicario

A range of familiar Premier League faces have been linked, including James Trafford, Robin Roefs and Bart Verbruggen. I'd be content with any of these starting between the posts in north London next season, but Spurs aren't exclusively scouting goalkeepers in the English top-flight.

The net is now being cast towards the rest of the continent, starting with Freiburg's Noah Atubolu, who was powerless to prevent Aston Villa running riot in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.

The 6'3 23-year-old has only had a so-so season statistically in what's his third as Freiburg's No. 1, but there are intangibles to cherish.

After a series of mistakes at the start of his senior career, Atubolu has started to flourish in the Black Forest. An imposing figure between the posts, the young-stopper is solid all-around. There are no flashy attributes that create a false impression (other than his penalty-saving abilities). Atubolu is consistent and good enough with his feet to survive under De Zerbi. You'd ideally want someone more assertive from crosses, but he backs his impressive reflexes to deal with any trouble that arises. Premier League teams may target his passivity, though.

I think he's good, not outstanding. His steady improvement at Freiburg is encouraging, though. Still, I'd prefer one of the Premier League options that could be on the table.

We awoke on Thursday morning a year on from one of the club's most glorious nights. Bilbao was supposed to be the launchpad for an era more prosperous, having broken a 17-year major trophy duck.

His methods deemed unsustainable, Ange Postecoglou was let go in favour of supposed floor-raiser Thomas Frank. The Dane's disastrous reign, one that was allowed to drag on for at least a month or two too long, has helped thrust Tottenham Hotspur into a stunning state of jeopardy.

We don't need to mull over the decisions and misfortune that have led to the current unbearable situation. Roberto De Zerbi's improved outfit require just a point on home soil against a slumping Everton on Sunday to stay in the Premier League. Defeat will open the door for West Ham United to pounce, whose back-to-back defeats meant we had the chance to all but secure our safety at Chelsea on Tuesday night.

But Spurs did what they almost always do at Stamford Bridge, and found a way to succumb. The following night, Aston Villa followed our success in Spain by thumping Freiburg 3-0 to win the 2026 Europa League.

Did their success in Istanbul take the shine of Spurs' triumph a year ago?

Concerning trend of Premier League dominance in Europe

Villa's cruise in the Turkish capital hasn't dispelled Tottenham supporters' Basque memories. We'll always have that occasion to look back upon with the utmost fondness.

In wider football discourse, though, there's undeniably a worrying pattern of Premier League supremacy. While Europe's premier divisions have each had their time in the sun, enjoying their own spells of superiority, the Premier League's emergence as the continent's dominant force is almost purely financial, and the gap between the rest of the continent's big leagues is only widening.

Since 2021, nine English clubs have been involved in a final of at least one of the three UEFA club competitions. We've now had back-to-back Europa League winners, and Crystal Palace could become the third Premier League club to win the Conference League in five editions.

At the apex, continental behemoths that trump the monetary might of England's wealthiest have been able to offer some resistance. Still, Arsenal have ground their way to this season's Champions League final, and there have been two English winners this decade.

So, in the grand scheme of things, Tottenham's Europa League victory seemingly arrived as a by-product of the Premier League's resource advantage over its competitors. Success on the continent has come to be expected, and the "greatest nights" in Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion's respective histories are surely on the horizon.

UEFA's desire for expansion has ultimately diluted the Europa League's quality. While I was never a fan of Champions League teams dropping down after finishing third in the group, it did enliven the competition's knockout stages.

In that sense, Tottenham's triumph was doubtless less impressive than it would've been even five years before, but as I've already mentioned, that's for the neutral to mull over. N17 will shrug its shoulders.

We don't have to feel anything after Villa's return to glory. Well, other than the angst and agony as we wait for Sunday to arrive.