The Telegraph

It can be dangerous to make educated guesses this early on in the title race, but it would be unwise to bet against Chelsea, who rose above a spot of dubious officiating to dispatch Tottenham with relative ease and continue their winning start to the season.

When the hosts took an early lead through Maika Hamano, their lively Japan international, Spurs looked poised for a long evening. It turned out to be one, after three second half goals - including a wonder volley from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd - melted away the injustice the home side had felt after conceding a controversial score before the break.

When Tottenham defender Amanda Nilden meandered forward with no real purpose and launched a deceivingly long range cross-cum-shot from 35 yards out, the ball found its way looping towards the Chelsea goal. Hannah Hampton was standing off centre but shuffled across to parry the ball down before safely gathering it in both gloves. Or so she thought.

The Chelsea shot stopper was left in utter disbelief when referee Emily Heaslip glanced across at her linesman – who was positioned a lengthy distance away – and signalled for the goal to be given. Hampton raced out of the area, protesting wildly and trying her best to articulate that the ball had not crossed the white paint. She received a yellow card for her efforts.

With England facing Germany at Wembley on Friday - and with Mary Earps enduring a tough start to life at PSG - Hampton would have hoped for an unblemished copybook as she looks to target the Lionesses’ No 1 shirt. Replays suggested she was hard done by. On the balance of probability, the ball did not cross the line, even if it bounced up rather awkwardly due to some fortuitous topspin.

Bomposter ‘frustrated’ by lack of action on technology in WSL

Given the increasingly fine margins in this increasingly competitive league, the incident will no doubt reignite the longstanding debate over whether it is time to introduce VAR – or goal line technology as a bare minimum – in the women’s top flight. Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea manager, gave a no-nonsense response when asked about it afterwards.

“The technology is available for the men’s game,” she said. “Why shouldn’t it be the case for women? If we want to look more professional we need to move forward with the technology. Even if it’s a hard decision for the referee, I think you have to be 100 per cent sure the ball is in. From Hannah’s reaction, it looked doubtful. But I really liked the reaction of my players.”

It turned out to be an eventful night for Nilden, who was at fault for Chelsea’s opener 10 minutes and directed Guro Reiten’s corner into her own net on the cusp of half time.

In what was an early contender for goal of the season, she raced onto Millie Bright’s floating cross and watched her venomous volley ripple the back of the net.

After the break, Chelsea turned the screw, with Rytting Kaneryd proving to be their star. She raced onto Millie Bright’s floating cross and watched her venomous volley ripple the back of the net before teasing a penalty out of the hosts after her cross struck Clare Hunt on the arm.

Reiten stepped up from the spot but her effort clipped the woodwork, but Sandy Baltimore reacted quickest to drill the ball low into the net.

Evaliina Summanen pulled one back for the visitors after executing a free-kick, but Rytting Kaneryd struck again at the death to ensure Chelsea had the last word.

An entertaining first half finishes with the scores level. Tottenham have had the vast majority of the ball and chances, but, unsurprisingly, they are vulnerable at the back. Mohammed Kudus, who opened the scoring for West Ham, was a threat for the entire first 45 minutes, drifting in from the left and beating players. Similarly, Dejan Kulusevski is giving the visiting team a hard time and it was the Swede who equalised. There was one amusing moment when Michail Antonio looked like he was going to try to out-run Micky van de Ven, but put the brakes on when he saw who he was up against. Van de Ven then casually barged him off the ball before taking it away. Watch for Antonio to try to get some sort of revenge in the second half.

This is a familiar sight for Spurs fans: their team seeing all of the ball and enjoying all of the territory at home, but making hard work of breaking down a deep defence.

It might take a shot from distance, and Areola produces a superb save after Porro’s effort from range was deflected. The West Ham goalkeeper had started to dive right and had to change direction.

Spurs have yet another corner, their 11th of the game. They are not really threatening though, and then Kudus holds off Maddison to win a foul and relieve the pressure.

Spurs with another corner, delivered to the back post by Maddison from the left but West Ham defend. A little loopy and lacking in pace from Maddison. Paqueta then leads West Ham forward on the break, but Spurs sprint back in numbers.

But the first big chance of the game goes to West Ham! Bowen pulled a low cross behind the retreating Spurs back four, and Kudus had plenty of time to line the shot up. Connected well, but a little too close to Vicario who made an impressive stop. A warning for Spurs.

Ange Postecoglou and Totttenham had a fortnight to stew on their second-half capitulation at Brighton but are firm favourites to get back to winning ways against West Ham United this lunchtime.

After taking just four points from their first four Premier League games of the season, including a north London derby defeat against Arsenal, Spurs were enjoying a mini-revival until their optimism was punctured at Brighton.

In their last game against Champions League contenders, West Ham were cut to ribbons by Chelsea but a 4-1 victory over Ipswich before the international break lifted some of the pressure on Julen Lopetegui. West Ham won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season and often save their best for this fixture.

West Ham are without summer signing Niclas Fullkrug because of injury, but Spurs are hopeful that Son Heung-min and Richarlison will be available. Spurs’ underlying attacking metrics and general level of dominance in matches has been impressive, but there remains a sense they suffer from a glass chin.

Speaking about the collapse at Brighton, Postecoglou said: “I mean you can’t just dismiss what happened in the first half and just focus on the second half. It would be different if it was a really poor performance all round.

“Then, it’s not easier, but the analysis can be straightforward. The question is, ‘why were we so good in the first half and so poor in the second?’.

“The second half was more around we just didn’t look anything like ourselves. We were really passive with and without the ball. We lacked real conviction and courage in everything we did. It was almost like we felt like we had done enough.

“I hadn’t seen that before in us and it is a good lesson for the whole group that you need to make sure, irrespective of how a game is going, you stick to the core principles of your football.”

Team news on the way shortly.

Ange Postecoglou has vowed to rid Tottenham of the ‘Spursy’ tag that previous manager Antonio Conte insisted can never be removed.

The Australian admits however that he has a job on his hands after stewing for almost a fortnight on statistics that showed the amount of running his players put in at Brighton in the Premier League match directly before the international break tailed off by up to 30 per cent.

A 2-0 half-time lead turned into a 3-2 defeat and a club that has long endured a reputation for putting in soft-touch performances was ridiculed once more by rival supporters.

Postecoglou let his players know exactly what he thought of a second-half showing in which Spurs conceded three times between the 48th and 66th minutes. It was a team meeting in which he “didn’t ask for feedback, mate”.

“It’s fair to say our sheer volume of running probably dropped 20-30 per cent in that 20-minute period,” he said. “Our high-speed running, our sprinting, certainly dropped. I saw that anecdotally and the data backs that up.”

It also appeared to corroborate claims made by previous manager Conte in March last year that Tottenham were institutionally set up to repel success. The Italian, in a post-match rant that precipitated his sacking weeks later, claimed that the “situation cannot change” regardless of who was manager because whoever wore the shirt ended up becoming “used” to not playing for “something important” by the end of a season.

Postecoglou, now in his second campaign as Conte’s successor, said he did not subscribe to that theory however – and never would.

‘If I fail to do it, the failure is on me’

“Mate, if I accepted that, what am I doing here?” he said. “Seriously, if I accept that this is somehow impossible to change I am really stealing a living. I don’t believe that and I never have.

“And if I fail to do it, the failure is on me, it’s nothing to do with the club. It’s on me because I know that coming into it that the club hasn’t won anything for x amount of time.

“I know the tag on the club, I know all these things when I accepted the position so it’s no good me saying now, ‘you know what? I can’t do this, it’s impossible no matter who you have’.

“From where I sit here right now I don’t see it as impossible. I think it is achievable and that’s why I’m going to do everything in my power to change it.”

Slimmed-down Richarlison finally back

The Brighton reverse was the 10th time Tottenham had lost a Premier League match after going two goals up but Postecoglou had no time for that statistic.

“Mate, it’s irrelevant. Who cares?” he said. “It hasn’t been 10 times with me so give me a break. Let me get to 10 and then start putting tags on.

“People will always find easy ways, if you’ve got a wound, to stick their finger in that wound and if you’re not prepared to accept that when things haven’t gone well, well, make sure things go well!

“There is one way to change that. If we want to change the perception of ourselves, it will not come because of, ‘please don’t call us those names,’ it will come because we’re proving we’re a team that can be relentless in our approach and be successful.”

Spurs host West Ham on Saturday lunchtime with Richarlison available for the first time since August 24.

“He has trimmed down, he looks really lean now,” Postecoglou said of the Brazil striker, whose running stats should at least improve as a result.

Tottenham Hotspur have written to their supporters to warn them that any homophobic chanting, including a song that references Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, will be met with the “strongest possible action”.

Spurs launched an investigation into homophobic chanting earlier this season after “abhorrent” songs were heard in the away section during their victory at Old Trafford in September.

Among the abusive chants heard from Spurs supporters during this campaign is a song about new signing Dominic Solanke, which includes an offensive reference to north London rival Arteta.

In a message sent to supporters on Friday afternoon, Spurs thanked their fans for “their cooperation” on the issue of homophobic chanting after there were no reports of offensive songs during their recent match at Brighton.

The club also wrote: “Ahead of tomorrow’s home fixture with West Ham United, we will not be complacent and are therefore reminding supporters that the Club takes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination.

“Our stewards will once again be wearing body cams to identify any individuals involved in unacceptable chanting so that the Club can take the strongest possible action, in line with our Sanctions and Banning Policy.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this includes the Dominic Solanke chant with reference to Mikel Arteta and any use of the term ‘Rent Boy’ – which the Crown Prosecution Service considers a homophobic slur and hate crime.

“Stewards will identify those instigating and participating in any such chants – including those covering their mouths. Abuse and intimidation towards our stewards will not be tolerated either, with bans issued where necessary.

“We are justly proud of our superb and loyal support, home and away. However, we all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur and discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club.

“We look forward to seeing our fans back at our home stadium, supporting the team in a manner that all our fans can enjoy and be a part of.”

In a statement in September, following the victory over Manchester United, Spurs described the homophobic chants as “simply unacceptable, hugely offensive and no way to show support for the team”.

Spurs also said they have been working with Proud Lilywhites, their LGBTQ+ supporters’ association, to ensure a “welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays”.

Aaron Connolly, the Republic of Ireland and Sunderland forward, has revealed his struggles with alcohol addiction after spending a month in a treatment centre this summer.

Connolly, who memorably broke into the Brighton first-team with two goals against Tottenham Hotspur on his first Premier League start in 2019, has opened up on how his career and life spiralled downward.

In an emotional and candid interview, the 24-year-old told Sunderland’s media channels that he hoped his story would help others struggling with alcohol addiction.

Connolly described his Premier League breakthrough against Spurs as “one of the best days of my life but also one of the worst” as it led to his difficulties with alcohol and a loss of focus on football.

‘I was living footballer lifestyle without football’

After falling out of contention at Brighton, Connolly had loan spells at Luton Town, Middlesbrough and Venezia before joining Hull City. He then signed for Sunderland as a free agent last month.

“I started to believe the hype and I didn’t turn into a good person after that [Spurs game],” he said. “I was tough to be around. I didn’t know how to deal with it. I started to live the lifestyle of a footballer, without the football side of it. It hurts to look back and speak about it.

“I had problems off the pitch. I just lost track of myself, of why I was playing football. I was always chasing things that, before that Tottenham game, I was never chasing. I was never chasing money. I was never chasing people on social media talking about me. I didn’t start football for that reason.

“It was obvious I had a problem with alcohol for a good few years. I had my parents, who never drank before, they would always advise me to stay away from alcohol, because of addiction to alcohol in my family. I didn’t listen, clearly. It got me in a lot of trouble. It just became something that I relied on.

“It felt like my buzz used to come from football, winning games and scoring goals. It got to a point where the buzz was more from drinking alcohol than going out on a football pitch. I used to look forward to the games finishing so I could have time to go and have a drink.”

Connolly admitted that he “stopped doing the things that got me into that position” following the Spurs game, saying he “stopped working hard” on his football.

‘My life was a mess’

He decided this summer to address the problem by checking himself into a treatment centre for alcohol addiction.

“I decided at the end of July that it was too much,” he said. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t live the way I was living because it was killing people around me, to be honest. My family, my friends. Mainly, it was killing me, really. I had one of my best seasons at Hull last year but, off the pitch, my life was a mess.

“I just feel like [speaking about] this will help people, if I am being completely honest. I had everything that any young boy would dream of and I just couldn’t get hold of my addiction. It is an addiction. It was the toughest thing I ever had to do, to go in there.”

Connolly is now hoping to impress at Sunderland and rediscover his best form.

“After the last few months, it’s great to just be back playing football,” he said. “I’ve had a tough few months, so to be around a good group of people, good gaffer and good coaching staff, just in general good people, I feel refreshed.

“I feel like that young kid that came to England again. I’ve got a purpose, I don’t have the weight of everything on my shoulders again. I feel like that 15-year-old that came to Brighton and was chasing a goal. My goal again now is to get this club back to the Premier League.”

Ange Postecoglou could lose a second key member of his backroom staff at Tottenham Hotspur in fewer than six months after it emerged Ryan Mason is a leading contender to become the new manager of Anderlecht.

Mason has been an assistant to Postecoglou since the Australian’s appointment, having twice been interim manager of Spurs following the departures of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

But Mason is now in contention to land his first permanent job as a head coach at Anderlecht, the Belgian club with which Vincent Kompany started his senior coaching career.

That would result in Tottenham head coach Postecoglou losing a second important member of his staff in fewer than six months after Chris Davies left Spurs in the summer to become head coach of Birmingham City.

The departure of Davies coincided with Postecoglou appointing two new coaches, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo, and it is unclear whether or not Mason would need to be replaced if he leaves.

Mason has made no secret of his desire to become a head coach and had previously stated his case for the permanent Tottenham job before the appointment of Postecoglou.

The 33-year-old, who made 70 appearances for Spurs before his playing career was cut short by a fractured skull sustained while he was at Hull City, would become one of the youngest head coaches in Europe if he takes over at Anderlecht.

Anderlecht sacked head coach Brian Riemer last month, following a poor start to the season and the club are currently lying fourth in the league table, five points behind Genk.

Tottenham have made an underwhelming start to the Premier League season, picking up 10 points from their first seven matches and surrendering a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Brighton at the weekend. They have, however, started their Europa League campaign with two victories and progressed in the Carabao Cup.

Timo Werner will not want to watch this missed chance again...Spurs on the break after a poor cross from the home team, Sarr releasing Moore down the right. The 17-year-old made the wise choice with a well weighted ball across for Werner, but inside of passing the ball into the net first time, he took a heavy touch when trying to round the goalkeeper. Forced wide and shot over. Werner looks bereft in front of goal currently.

Spurs endured a shaky start to this match but they will be relatively pleased with how they have calmed things down since their goal. They are now pushing much higher up the pitch and keeping the ball in opposition territory.

You can see why Moore has generated so much hype in recent years. His talent is obvious, and he and Pedro Porro have done well down the right wing.

They’ve been with us from the start of pre-season, they are full fledged members of our squad. Mikey has got some minutes, Will had an injury. We’ve wanted to give them some minutes and tonight is a good opportunity to do that. I have no fear about putting them in.

The best way for us to keep the momentum going is to use the full squad.

European games are always different from the Premier League: different opposition, different stadiums and difference conditions that we’re going to have to deal with.

It’s a great atmosphere, they’re good at home. Every team in Europe deserves to be here.

He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever come across and I feel really fortunate to have had those three years with him, where I was able to sit there and talk to a person who in the football world had done everything, but more importantly, a person who I had so much respect and admiration for.

I still think about it and it still feels unreal to me that I got that opportunity being based in Australia. As you get older you keep those experiences even more.

I would love for him to still be around today to see where I am because he played a role in me becoming certainly the football manager I am. He played a role in that but also the person I’ve become.

It’s certainly a bold team selection by Ange Postecoglou, with Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore both given their full debuts for the club.

Moore is one of the most exciting talents in the country, and is the youngest player to appear for Spurs in the Premier League. A brilliant dribbler, he is seen by many as the best player to come out of the Spurs academy in years.

Lankshear, meanwhile, joined Spurs from Sheffield United in 2022, for around £2 million. He had previously been released by Arsenal, much like Harry Kane, another striker who made the leap from the Spurs academy into the first-team...

After the recrimination and searching questions that followed last month’s north London derby defeat - which left Tottenham with four points from four Premier League games - things have picked up for Ange Postecoglou’s team.

Granted, they required a late turnaround at Coventry City in the Carabao Cup after failing to impress for most of the game, but Djed Spence’s equaliser that night could prove to be a sliding doors moment.

Spurs then came from behind to beat Brentford 3-1 in the Premier League, vanquished Qarabag 3-0 with 10 men before delivering their most impressive performance under Postecoglou at Old Trafford on Sunday.

As tends to be the case with Spurs, there was a helter-skelter feel to these wins: they fell behind inside a minute against Brentford; saw Radu Dragusin sent off and Qarabag miss a penalty; and benefited from a Bruno Fernandes’ red card against Man Utd. There is no question that Spurs were the better team though, and their possession and territorial dominance is starting to pay dividends.

With a trip to Brighton on Sunday, Postecoglou may well be considering some rotation for tonight’s Europa League away game against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. Spurs already have three points on the board in the competition’s new league phase, and are expected to require around 12 more points from their seven remaining games to reach the last 16. So there is margin for error.

Postecoglou’s options are limited by injuries to Destiny Udogie, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon. Ben Davies is expected to start at left-back. Dragusin would have started this one, but is suspended, so Spurs must decide whether to risk Cristian Romero and Micky van de Van or deploy Archie Gray as centre-back. Yves Bissouma and Lucas Bergvall are likely to start in midfield.

Despite their name, Ferencvaros have no connection to Farenc Puskas - who played his club football for Honved before joining Real Madrid - but the trip to Budapest may have some resonance for Postecoglou. Puskas managed Postecoglou at South Melbourne Hellas, and the Spurs manager has cited him as one of the foremost influences on his coaching philosophy.

Following Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Qarabag in the Europa League on Wednesday, in which Radu Dragusin saw red after eight minutes, Ange Postecoglou said: “It was great to see the lads persevere playing our football even though we were a man down.”

Central midfielder Archie Gray signed from Leeds United in the summer following an impressive season with the Championship club but in his two starts for Tottenham so far, including on Thursday night, he has been deployed at right-back.

When asked where he sees the 18-year-old in terms of positioning, Postecoglou said: “I see him in a Tottenham shirt and playing great football. He will be a significant contributor for us and I was really proud of the way he handled last night.”

Discussing another 18-year-old, Lucas Bergvall, who was withdrawn early on Thursday following Dragusin’s sending off, the Tottenham boss said he is “really keen” to “expose” the youngster to European football and added: “He will get plenty of chances to play.”

Looking ahead to today’s clash with Man United, he said Old Trafford is always “a tough” place to go but it is a challenge Spurs “will be ready for”.

Erik ten Hag has admitted Manchester United’s youth policy in the transfer market means it will take time for success to return to the club.

United have altered their approach since Ten Hag’s first window when Casemiro was signed to join a squad with other proven trophy-winners, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane, who has since retired.

Ten Hag’s major signings since then have been 25 or under, with the focus on younger players, as shown by the £52 million spent on Leny Yoro, but it means Ten Hag needs patience for his new players to develop. Other signings since 2023 have been a younger profile of player including Rasmus Hojlund (20 when signed), Mason Mount (24), Manuel Ugarte (23), Matthijs de Ligt (25) and Joshua Zirkzee (23).

“Those are the choices we have made in the last two seasons - and I understand the impression that many have for Manchester United because the history is so big,” Ten Hag said. “But those are the choices we have made - and also it has something to do with financials and other restrictions we have to deal with.

“We made the choice for younger players and you can’t expect them to be at the [top] level. We have to improve them and they have to improve themselves and we have to find a team that can be successful on a consistent basis.

“This team, in the last two years, has shown what they can do with patience. With patience we can win trophies and now we have to get more consistent.”

Ten Hag has been in the spotlight himself again this season as United have struggled for consistency, with draws against FC Twente and Crystal Palace in their last games and recent defeats by Liverpool and Brighton.

With United set to take on Tottenham, Ten Hag says he is building for the future as well as trying to continue his record of winning domestic knockout trophies in his third season as manager.

“We are where we are now, with this squad, but all the restrictions we had we have done good work,” he added. “Now we have to work with the squad, improve the squad. We have a good squad, with young players, we have to improve the team and we have high targets, we want to achieve those targets for this season and the years beyond.

“We have to succeed. We have to win trophies, that is what this club stands for. This club has the ambition to play on the highest platform and we want to achieve the Champions League. We have two routes, one is through the Premier League and one is through the Europa League.”

Ten Hag says he must cope with the scrutiny if the team play below United’s best, and his players must also deal with it.

“I think they [the players] will be judged every game - and that’s normal,” he said. “Everyone, for every game, is expecting United to be winning. We know that. It isn’t a secret for anyone.

“When you are in this club you have to deal with this factor - and we do. It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old. We have to cope with this and get the best out of it and match the expectations that everyone has.

“But we know also that, with all respect, young players, a young squad, a new team takes some time. We are going in a good direction, I think, in the last couple of weeks in many aspects of football.

“Now it’s about being more efficient and scoring more goals because that will win you games.”

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur from the Premier League. This fixture sees the team in tenth travel to Old Trafford to take on the team in 11th but in truth, it is a tale of two sides looking to break into the top four come the end of the campaign. However, Erik ten Hag and Ange Postecoglou have both seen their side amass just seven points in a stuttering opening five league fixtures.

Following back-to-back victories in the Premier League and EFL Cup, scoring ten goals and keeping two clean sheets in the process, Man Utd have suffered somewhat of a reality check in the last week. They were held to a goalless draw away at winless Crystal Palace in the league before Ten Hag’s former side Twente took a point away from Old Trafford in the Europa League on Wednesday. Christian Eriksen’s spectacular opener was cancelled out when the Denmark international had his pocket unforgivably picked by Sam Lammers who equalised for the Dutch side following some calamitous defending from the home side.

Tottenham enjoyed a more convincing start to their Europa League campaign with a 3-0 win over Qarabag on Thursday, but it was not all straightforward for the north London side who had Radu Dragusin sent off after eight minutes before the visitors missed a penalty early in the second half with the game at 2-0. It did however, mark their third successive win in all competitions following a 3-1 victory at home to Brentford last time out in the league. With Dominic Solanke scoring in his last two appearances and Brennan Johnson making it three in three, there are reasons for positivity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Three points today would see either side climb to eighth ahead of Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest after they both saw their unbeaten start to the season come to an end on Saturday. A draw today would see the two teams finish the weekend where they started, one place apart in mid-table.

Spurs head to Old Trafford after Thursday night’s 3-0 win over Qarabag in the Europa League having lost seven of their last 12 Premier League games. That run absorbed two North London derby defeats, which will not be unrelated to the growing murmurs from supporters about the team’s direction, even if the majority are patient enough to see if his principles pay off. Two seasons ago Tottenham finished above Arsenal, but now they have seen their rivals reap the reward of sticking to a long-term plan. Postecoglou needs statement results and performances during an ongoing transitional period to maintain trust that his side is on a similar trajectory to Mikel Arteta’s, who suffered plenty of bumps before getting where they are today.

Over Postecoglou’s 18 games against the clubs which finished in the top nine last season, Spurs have won four. They are in danger of being seen as flat-track bullies. That must change.

As is often the case with managers when the questions get tougher, the demeanour and remarks which were greeted with excitement during a honeymoon period can start to wear thin and become a stick with which to beat a coach when the mood changes.

Saying your beliefs were honed by mentor Ferenc Puskas’ idea that “we will win 5-4 every week and I’ll enjoy it” plays well to the gallery when winning eight of your first 10 games, but not so much when your side has three clean sheets in the past 26 Premier League games.

Shrugging off vulnerabilities from set-piece defending may be tolerated after occasional lapses in concentration, but not after conceding from corners in consecutive matches against your bitterest rivals. As a centre-back pairing, Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven – a World Cup winner alongside one of the quickest defenders in the world – have the potential to be one of the best in the Premier League. It is a valid tactical discussion as to whether they are being left too exposed and might benefit from a more balanced set-up.

The investment in the Tottenham squad under Postecoglou has been significant. Around £379 million has been spent, albeit a significant portion of that was due to the sale of Harry Kane. Eye-catching fees were paid for Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson and the jury is out on whether they can elevate themselves from good players to Champions League class. Most of the money has been spent on youngsters rather than ready-made, senior players to improve the starting XI.

These are all worthy talking points for supporters, media and pundits who judge Postecoglou on more than whether his team is a good watch. That is why the press conferences which were box-office for entertaining one-liners when Postecoglou was at Celtic and first arrived at Spurs now seem more tense. The friendly tone now sounds more confrontational, as if the Tottenham manager feels he is being unfairly challenged.

In Postecoglou’s defence, he may be asking himself if the excellent start last season was more of a curse than blessing as it heightened immediate expectations.

Part of the problem in assessing Spurs in 2024 is it is difficult to know what the summit of their ambition truly is.

Watching the video of that meeting between Levy and the fans, as an outsider it is interesting to consider what ‘having our Tottenham back’ really means in terms of tangible success.

If Manchester United, Liverpool. Arsenal, or Chelsea declare themselves ‘back’ they mean they are chasing and winning Premier League titles.

Does having Tottenham ‘back’ refer to the recent past, when Mauricio Pochettino led the club to four successive Champions League qualifications and a final?

Does it mean going back to the Keith Burkinshaw era of the 1980s, when they won FA Cups and a European trophy?

If it is purely about entertaining football, Postecoglou can consider himself one of the safest managers in the country.

When thinking about the classic Spurs identity, I immediately remember the classic 1980s line-up with Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles. They were a creative team that won major honours – famously winning back-to-back FA Cups in 1981 and 1982 – and were more consistent than many remember in the league, too.

Between 1981 and 1990, Spurs finished in the top four on five occasions. Despite that, even the great Spurs side of that era had a reputation for lacking the consistency to beat the best over a league season.

When Pochettino’s Spurs side finished second in 2017 it was the club’s highest league finish since 1963.

After finishing fifth last season, at any other of the biggest clubs in England the next logical step would be regarded as qualifying for the Champions League and winning a trophy.

At Spurs? I am genuinely unsure if the manager and his chairman would welcome or bristle at the idea that anything less than that in 2024-25 would be a failure. That may be a cultural problem which has held Spurs back too often whenever they need to propel themselves towards titles.

Every club wants its own style, and there is no question Postecoglou has restored Tottenham’s. Now he needs more substance.

It’s exciting to be back in Europe. We’re super excited. We have a young group with players who want to create their own legacy. In the Premier League there are teams who play differently but there’s always a different challenge from normal in playing European football and it allows you to evolve.

It’s going to be a real taster for them [Gray and Bergvall]. They’re part of the first team. They don’t look like 18-year-olds at all. I’m comfortable putting them in from the way they’ve been in training and when they’ve played.

This club has not had success for a very long time. Not winning for so long becomes a millstone round your neck and to release that you’ve got to win something.

We have changed the way the team played but it’s now time to turn that into something meaningful and that is winning trophies.

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Tottenham Hotspur’s opening Europa League match of the 2024-25 campaign against Qarabag, 10 times champions of Azerbaijan in the past 11 years. These two have met before, back in 2015-16, when Spurs won 3-1 at White Hart Lane and 1-0 in Baku, two of the six defeats English clubs have inflicted on the Horseman in the last decade. Since it’s the first game, we had better have a quick recap of the new Swiss model Europa League: each of the 36 qualifiers now has eight matches, six before Christmas, two in January, half home and away but against eight different opponents, two from each of four pots of seeds.

All sides are in one league and the top eight at the end of the stage go through to the last 16 while the teams between ninth and 24th then have another two-legged play-off to qualify for R16. That means to win the tournament, those on the ‘express’ route will play 15 games, those on the scenic route 17. To win a quadruple, therefore, an English club would have to play a minimum of 64 matches, which is roughly what successful clubs gunning on all four fronts were subjected to in the 1970s by virtue of replays and four more league matches. Something’s got to give, something’s got to give, something’s got to give. Or the golden goose will stop laying.

Given Tottenham have got Manchester United away on Sunday and have started in lukewarm fashion with a draw with leicester and defeats by Newcastle and Arsenal to go with their two victories, Ange Postecoglou is bound to draw on the lightly raced elements of his squad such as Archie Gray, Radu Dragusin, Lucas Bergvall and Ben Davies. Given Postecoglou did not see fit to register Sergio Reguilón or Djed Spence in the 25-man squad and with Cristian Romero suspended (for his red card in the Champions League R16 defeat by Milan in 2023), they may have to play Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie from the start which would put a stick in the spokes of rotation plans.

Qarabag’s Gurban Gurbanov is starting his 16th season as manager with the club in their customary position at the top of the table. They are already battle-hardened in Europe after winning two Champions League qualification ties before being beaten by Dinamo Zagreb in the play-off and in Juninho, no not that one… or that one, have a potent striker who bagged 31 goals last season, including six in Europe during a run that was only ended by the then invincible Bayer Leverkusen 5-4 on aggregate, Qarabag having led both ties 2-0.