Inside Futbol

Former Premier League striker Dean Ashton thinks that every team know what Tottenham Hotspur’s weak spot is, following Spurs’ losing against Arsenal, and target it.

Arsenal won the north London derby at Tottenham’s home ground, grinding out a 1-0 win in a feisty Premier League game which saw no fewer than eight players booked.

Gabriel was the man who won it for Arsenal as he shrugged off Cristian Romero to power a corner from Bukayo Saka past Guglielmo Vicario.

It was enough for all three points at Tottenham and Ashton thinks Arsenal simply targeted Spurs’ weak point in the shape of Vicario.

He feels that it is clear that Vicario is vulnerable from set pieces and yet again that showed as the Italian stayed rooted to his line.

Ashton said after the goal on talkSPORT’s Sunday Session: “It’s their weak spot, Tottenham, isn’t it?

“Every team targets Vicario from set plays.

“He can’t get out off his line, he’s stuck behind players. He hasn’t given himself the freedom to come and punch.

“And from inside the six yard box, Gabriel is one of the absolute best.

“He powers it past Vicario, who can’t react because he’s just stood on his line.”

Tottenham conceded 16 goals from set pieces over the course of last season and there have regularly been question marks over just how prepared they are to defend them.

The derby loss will lead to more questions being raised about how Postecoglou is coaching his team to deal with a key opposition threat.

Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off: 14:00 UK time

Ange Postecoglou has picked his Tottenham starting eleven and substitutes to welcome north London rivals Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon in the Premier League.

Spurs head into the derby clash having beaten Arsenal just once in the last seven attempts in the Premier League and Postecoglou will want to defy that record today.

Arsenal make do without Declan Rice, who is suspended, while Martin Odegaard is absent through injury.

For Tottenham, Richarlison is out of action.

Spurs have Guglielmo Vicario between the sticks, while in defence Postecoglou picks Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.

In midfield, Spurs field Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, while James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Heung-Min Son support Dominic Solanke.

Postecoglou has options on the bench if he needs to shake things up and they include Archie Gray and Timo Werner.

Tottenham Hotspur Team vs Arsenal

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Son

Substitutes: Forster, Spence, Davies, Dragusin, Gray, Sarr, Bergvall, Odobert, Werner

Former Premier League defender Dominic Matteo thinks that one of Tottenham Hotspur’s out on loan stars is already showing his quality.

Spurs sanctioned the exit of a host of players in the summer as they trimmed the squad, but not all departures were of the permanent kind.

Alejo Veliz, Bryan Gil, Manor Solomon and Ashley Phillips were just some of the loan exits from Tottenham.

Israeli wide forward Solomon joined the north London side last summer on a five-year deal and the season before he impressed at Fulham.

The 25-year-old started only two league matches last season as he suffered a long-term meniscus injury and Ange Postecoglou made it clear this summer that Solomon would not get regular minutes.

Spurs splashed big money on Championship winger Wilson Odobert and Solomon joined Championship side Leeds United on a season-long loan deal.

Matteo has watched the attacker, insisted that Solomon’s capture from Spurs is the best bit of business done by the Whites and he believes that the Tottenham loan star possesses a lot of quality.

“Solomon has been the standout [signing], the one we’ve seen the most of so far”, Matteo said on LUTV about the Spurs loanee.

“I thought his performance against Hull [City] was excellent, the way he controlled the ball. If you look, you can see that he has played at a good level, the highest level.

“He has got a lot of quality and I think we’ve only touched the surface with that with the first performance.

“He looks really good.”

Spurs will be keeping a keen eye on Solomon’s performances at Elland Road.

There is no option to buy in the deal and he is due back at Tottenham next summer.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s stars has opened up on a ‘pact’ made with his national side team-mates that they would be ready for a fight with no excuses on Monday evening.

Spurs’ stars are off on international duty at present and boss Ange Postecoglou will be hoping they all report back without any injury issues.

Tottenham defender Ben Davies and his Wales side managed to register a 2-1 victory over hosts Montenegro in a UEFA Nations League match, thus giving manager Craig Bellamy his first win as manager.

It followed a goalless draw against Turkey and took Wales to second spot in group four of League B.

Davies, who wore the skipper’s armband in that match, revealed how challenging the situation was when they visited Montenegro for the match.

He revealed that his team-mates and himself made a pact where they vowed to offer up no excuses and to fight hard for the result.

“On paper people might say we’re favourites and may have better players but the reality is when you come to places like this they are some of the hardest games you’ll play”, Davies told the BBC.

“It’s the conditions, it’s the atmosphere, it’s the travel, it’s all against you at times.

“But I think as a group we made a pact to say that we aren’t going to have any excuses and before we got here we were ready for the fight.”

Davies will now switch his focus back to matters at club level with Spurs, who are due to host Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday.

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A starlet that Tottenham Hotspur thought was bound for study in the United States was snapped up by one of their Premier League rivals, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Spurs are keen to make sure they have a good supply of talents going through to the first team and this summer added two teenagers to the first team squad for big money in the shape of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

They saw top prospect midfielder Han Willhoft-King though leave the club, with the 18-year-old intending to study at college in the United States.

Manchester City though found out about Willhoft-King leaving Tottenham and stepped in.

The champions’ charm offensive worked and the midfielder was convinced to snub college study and join Manchester City instead.

He accepted the proposal from Manchester City and will continue his development there.

Willhoft-King was on the books at Tottenham from the age of six and losing him to Premier League rivals when it seemed he had other plans will be a big blow.

He did have a scholarship at US college UCLA lined up, but is now turning out for Manchester City in the Premier League 2.

Stoke City sporting director Jon Walters believes that Tottenham Hotspur loan star Ashley Phillips has all the qualities to become an outstanding defender.

Spurs signed the Under-19 England international from Blackburn Rovers last summer on a five-year deal.

Phillips spent the second half of the last campaign with Championship side Plymouth Argyle and played 20 times for them.

The teenager now has been loaned out to Stoke City for a season and the Potters’ sporting director revealed that the club waited for the right player to be available before they made a move for Phillips.

Walters insisted that the Spurs loanee possesses all the qualities to become a top-level central defender in future.

“Whilst we identified the need to bring another central defender into our squad sometime ago, we opted to remain patient and await the right player of the right quality to become available”, Walters told his club’s in-house media about their centre-back search this summer.

“We’re delighted that our conversations with Ashley and with Tottenham have led to them each believing that Stoke City is the right club for him amid no shortage of competition.

“It’s clear that he has all the attributes to become an outstanding defender at this level and beyond, and we’re all excited to see what he can achieve for us this season.”

Ange Postecoglou will be keeping a close eye on the game time Phillips gets during his loan stay at the bet365 Stadium.

The defender, who has made one Championship appearance for the Potters so far, will want to play himself into Postecoglou’s plans for next term.

David Prutton believes Tottenham Hotspur have taken a ‘calculated risk’ by signing one of the players they brought in during the summer transfer window.

Spurs shipped out a whole host of players in the summer with the likes of Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal going, while their incoming business was more limited and targeted.

Tottenham managed to convince Leeds United to part with 18-year-old Archie Gray for a transfer fee in the region of £40m, with the midfielder one of Spurs’ signings.

Former Premier League midfielder Prutton pointed out that Gray stands in the infancy of his career and stressed that the youngster only has one year of Championship football experience under his belt.

He believes that other Leeds stars who went to the Premier League, in the shape of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, were more of a gamble than Gray though, who is a ‘calculated risk’.

“One of them in Archie Gray is in the very infancy of his career with one Championship season under his belt and the other two didn’t really do anything in the Premier League apart from the odd game here and there so the teams that have bought them are taking a bit of a punt”, wrote in his Yorkshire Evening Post column.

“Archie feels like a bit more of a calculated risk, given now the age of him, and also the ability to develop.”

Gray has featured twice for Ange Postecoglou’s side in the league so far, both of those outings coming off the bench.

Tottenham beat Brentford to the signing of the midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur made a number of signings over the course of the summer transfer window and one of the new arrivals is already feeling settled, with golf possibly on the agenda.

Ange Postecoglou made four big signings of note in the summer with Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert arriving.

Spurs agreed a deal for 18-year-old Swedish midfielder Bergvall in February and he joined them during pre-season in the summer.

Bergvall managed to impress Postecoglou during Tottenham’s pre-season and has already made three appearances for Spurs coming off the bench in the Premier League.

The youngster, who is currently with the national team, revealed that everything at Tottenham feels like a step up from Djurgarden and praised the north London outfit’s facilities and coaches.

When asked about things he has found better in Spurs than his previous club, Bergvall was quoted as saying by Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen: “It is everything.

“Facilities, recovery, food. Everything becomes like a better step.

“The training, the coaches, everything in general.”

Bergvall also stated that he is settling well and loving life in London and added that he is enjoying off-the-pitch activities there.

The Spurs starlet also stressed that playing golf is one of the off-the-pitch activities that he likes to do and enjoys.

“I have settled in well”, he added.

“Since I signed last winter, the apartment and everything was ready when I arrived.

“I’m enjoying myself.

“I can go down for a coffee, and have lots of activities in London, like playing golf, so there’s lots to do”.

Bergvall will be hoping that Jon Dahl Tomasson will give him his national team debut during the ongoing international break.

One of the fresh faces at Tottenham Hotspur this summer feels that he has ‘taken very big steps’ when it comes to adapting to life at the club and in the Premier League.

Spurs brought in Archie Gray and Dominic Solanke for big fees this summer, while Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall also arrived.

Bergvall, an 18-year-old central midfielder, joined the north London side this summer after they agreed a fee with Djurgarden back in February.

He is considered a huge talent at Spurs and Ange Postecoglou has given him minutes in each of Tottenham’s opening three matches in the league.

The teenage midfielder believes that he has made rapid improvements in the past two months for the London club.

Bergvall, though, is aware that he needs to improve more and insists that he is adapting to the English game.

“Yes, it feels like I have taken very big steps these two months”, the Tottenham midfielder told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet about his progress at Spurs.

“That I get into it more and more and have been able to adapt more to the game that is played in the Premier League.”

Bergvall will be looking to become a more prominent member of Postecoglou’s side in the upcoming months of the season.