ExtraTime Talk

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Everton at Goodison Park last Sunday, January 19, to drop down to the 15th place in the Premier League table with 24 points from 22 matches.

It was the Spurs’ fourth defeat in their last five league matches, which signifies a horrible run for them.

Tottenham is still eight points clear of the relegation zone, but if they continue like this, it will not be long before they fight relegation. Ange Postecoglou finds himself under considerable pressure at the moment, with the club management monitoring the situation closely.

Tottenham have now lost 12 of their 22 Premier League matches this season. That is a deplorable record by any standard.

For a team that reached the UEFA Champions League final as recently as 2019, it is simply not acceptable even to discuss it in the same sentence as relegation.

Spurs have been leaking goals almost in every match and have let in 35 goals in 22 league matches so far. That is the highest that any ‘big 6’ team in the league has let in so far, with Manchester United having the next-highest tally with 32 goals conceded.

It is now debatable whether Manchester United can still be called a top team. Hence, Tottenham’s performance leaves a lot to be desired. Postecoglou’s men might still reach the final of the EFL Cup, and in the best possible scenario, might win the tournament.

However, even in that case, finishing inside the bottom half of the league table cannot be acceptable by any means. The club need to do some soul-searching in this regard and will have to do something about this very soon.

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Tottenham’s Key Upcoming Fixtures

Tottenham will play Leicester City and Brentford in their next two league matches. They will also play Liverpool and Aston Villa at the EFL Cup and FA Cup, respectively, to be still in contention to win some silverware.

However, if their poor form in the Premier League continues, it should be very difficult for Postecoglou to continue as their manager. His team has been very entertaining without any doubt, but losing as many matches as they have cannot be justified.

Tottenham have a good squad without any doubt, but they should be able to grind out results for their own good. They have a very good set of attacking players, but their style of play seems to be too aggressive and adventurous at times.

All of that has been discussed a number of times already, but hardly anything has changed. It is now up to the club management to decide the next course of action. It is also up to Postecoglou to change his team’s strategy in the upcoming matches.

Changing a manager in the middle of a season is not always a feasible option. However, the way Tottenham have been performing, the chances of the manager getting replaced cannot be ruled out at the moment.

Ipswich Town makes their first-ever visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on matchday 11 of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Tottenham Hotspur hosts Ipswich Town for a rare Premier League fixture that would be important to the hopes of either team as the campaign takes shape.

Their last top-flight encounter may have come in 2002, but Ipswich holds a three-game winning streak against the Lilywhites. Any positive result away in North London would represent a big scalp for the Tractor Boys who are keen to maintain their Premier League status.

Spurs are looking on to bigger achievements after the appointment of Ange Postecoglou which is turning out to be a match made in heaven given the Australian’s dynamic attacking football. Postecoglou’s trophy-winning pedigree is also rubbing off on the club who now see their side as a top team again.

Spurs were at the top for the early part of last season as they scored 74 goals and won 20 of their 38 league games. Yet, they spiralled into inconsistency due to injuries and suspensions to key players which led to missing out on the UEFA Champions League by two points.

The North Londoners are looking to build on a solid debut campaign for Postecoglou where they secured a fifth-place finish and a spot in the UEFA Europa League. Things did not go according to plan from the start as a win, a draw and two defeats spelled a poor return.

The derby loss to Arsenal seemed to rejig the side as they beat Coventry City in the League Cup and Brentford, before recording consecutive 3-0 victories over Qarabağ and Manchester United.

Tottenham produced a magnificent display against 10 men at Old Trafford which piled renewed pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, and they will be desperate to harness that momentum.

The campaign only gets tougher as Postecoglou must perform a balancing act in terms of squad rotation, with games coming thick and fast in all competitions. Hence, the Ipswich game is a good chance to head for the November international break with a good result in the bag.

On the other hand, Ipswich will not be easy pickings having achieved back-to-back promotions to end their 22-year absence from the top tier. Their resilience and free-flowing attacking football has served them well, and they are already making a mark on the Premier League.

Ipswich began the season with difficult games against Liverpool and Manchester City, but four consecutive draws followed as they showed their battling qualities.

In the most recent match against Aston Villa, Liam Delap scored a brace to claim a confidence-boosting point from the high-flying Villains. It was a draw that took Ipswich into 15th place in the standings with four points from six games.

Par for the course, Ipswich was comeback experts in the EFL Championship last season and Kieran McKenna’s side is now showing courage which would stand them in good stead in the top tier.

They will need all the fighting spirit they can summon in this trip to Tottenham, and they are expected to battle hard throughout the game.

Match Tickets

This Premier League encounter is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 10 November 2024 and it all kicks off at 15:00 UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website with season ticket holders and club members getting priority consideration.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with over 60,000 watching in attendance will be the setting of this game and the players will be up for the challenge. Spurs enjoy fantastic support at their state-of-the-art arena and both sets of fans will not want to miss this game for anything.

It is sure to be a sold-out game and visiting supporters can grab their Tottenham vs Ipswich tickets on a resale site.

Team News

Postecoglou will be praying for much better fortunes for his key players in terms of fitness considering the difficulties he encountered in his first season.

Spurs currently have long-term injuries to Richarlison and Wilson Odobert who are set to be sidelined for a few more weeks. Elsewhere, Heung-min Son sat out the Man. United, match while Destiny Udogie also had to miss out through fatigue but they will be back fit in no time.

The Ipswich boss has been lucky enough to work with a full-strength squad so far which would be key to their hopes this season. Thankfully, they do not have to deal with much squad rotation ahead of the Spurs game and will be well-prepared for this trip.

Line-ups

Brennan Johnson scored for the fourth successive game against Man Utd and Spurs will hope his form can be sustained to help them win games. The Welshman is nevertheless one of their key players and the attack sort of picks itself given the absences of Richarlison and Odobert.

Dominic Solanke has also been among the goals as he continues to settle into his new team, his goalscoring qualities are much needed and his teammates will potentially be depending on him to win this one.

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

McKenna has added key recruitments to his squad but they have retained the best qualities that served them so well last term.

Leif Davies has been inspirational from left-back, but Ipswich has serious quality in the forward areas with youngsters Omari Hutchinson, Liam Delap, and the experienced Chiedozie Ogbene.

Ipswich Town: Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips; Ogbene, Hutchinson, Clarke; Delap

Prediction

Spurs will be out to score goals but Ipswich will be setting up to nullify their opponents as much as possible and create counterattacking opportunities. The Tractor Boys will be hoping to manage the game with the chance of making game-altering substitutions that can help them secure a result.

Hence, Postecoglou’s side must control proceedings early and score goals to take the game away from their opponents. The longer Ipswich are in this game, the more risky it would be for Spurs, but the hosts have enough quality to break their resilient visitors.

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have a date in the Premier League on matchday 10 in early November. The Whites made a strong start to the Premier League campaign last season but they could not sustain the momentum, while Aston Villa sustained theirs to make a return to the Champions League this term.

As of the time of writing, Spurs are ranked 10th on the log after five games, while Aston Villa are placed third with 12 points after the same number of matches. It has been a solid start for one team compared to the other. However, games like this do have a significance on the season generally and both teams will be well prepared for it.

Just before the season started, Spurs made a few long-term signings. Midfielder Archie Gray arrived from Championship side Leeds United for €41.25m, and Lucas Bergvall (18) also came in from Sweden for €10.00m. Both players are still teenagers, and while their talent might be huge, people do not think Spurs are ready to challenge for titles based on that. Just before the end of the window, Dominic Solanke arrived from Bournemouth to solve the goalscoring problems in the team and has gradually settled in.

On the other hand, some players have also left North London. Defender Joe Rondon left for Leeds United, Eric Dier joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer, while

Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombélé, Ivan Perišić , Japhet Tanganga, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg left for Fulham, Nice, HNK Hajduk Split, Millwall and Marseille, respectively.

Spurs are hoping to return to the Champions League next season, but have slowly started the season. They managed to open their Europa League campaign with a win over Qarabağ. In the Carabao Cup, they needed a late rally to beat Coventry City and will face Manchester City in the next round just before this clash. As of the time of writing, they have lost to Newcastle and Arsenal in the Premier League and could be far off if they fail to win against Villa.

On the other hand, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa had a busy transfer window. They managed to recruit talents like Amadou Onana from Everton, Ian Maatsen from Chelsea, Ross Barkley from relegated Luton Town, Cameron Archer from Sheffield United, Lewis Dobbin from Everton, Jaden Philogene from Hull City, and the duo of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus.

The Villans also let go of several players with the likes of Moussa Diaby leaving for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, Douglas Luiz to Juventus, Morgan Sanson to OGC Nice, Tim Iroegbunam to Everton, Calum Chambers to Cardiff City, while Philippe Coutinho and Filip Marschall left on loan for Vasca da Gama and Crewe Alexandra respectively.

Villa was one of the surprise packages in the Premier League last season and they have made a strong start to the season as well. The Villains have only dropped points once – defeat to Arsenal at home – as of the time of writing. Their UCL return has also gone according to plan and it seems there is no slowing down for them. Villa has won their past two Premier League games in London and they will be keen to make it a third consecutive win.

The two fixtures between the two teams last season so the away side won them last term. On the balance of things, it is expected to be an exciting match between two sides who play almost similar styles of football in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have played 54 Games since 1995. Among them, Tottenham Hotspur won 27 games, Aston Villa won 15, and they drew 12.

Match Tickets

The epic match at Tottenham Stadium in London kicks off on Sunday, 3 November 2024, at 15:00 UK time.

The magnificent 62,850-capacity stadium is the place to be for this clash between the Whites and the Birmingham side..

Getting Tottenham vs Aston Villa tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.

Team News

Line-ups

Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur, known for their possession-heavy style of football, will be looking to control the game via the midfield with the experience and solidity of Rodrigo Bentancur, rejuvenated Johnson in attack and intelligent Kulusevski pulling the strings.

Skipper Son Heung-Min should lead the attack alongside Solanke who is settling in so fast. As of the time of writing, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison, and Timo Werner are nursing one injury or the other but some of them should return to the side ahead of this game.

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

Unai Emery’s men have continued their fine form this season. Apart from the home defeat to Arsenal, they have been impressive and they might worry Spurs a lot if they get into their rhythm. Diego Carlos, Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, Robin Olsen, and John McGinn have been sidelined but should be back for this clash in London. In addition, Boubacar Kamara and Tyronne Mings, who are just returning from long-term injuries, could be available for this trip.

All things being equal, Emiliano Martínez is expected to remain in goal, while Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran should be key in the final third for the Villans.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne, McGin, Onana, Tielemans, Bailey, Watkins.

Prediction

Tottenham is expected to dominate the ball possession and probably create many chances against Villa who, is also enterprising with their style. Spurs’ defence remains a suspect and the visitors will look to exploit that and it won’t be easy at all. On their day, Tottenham can hurt any team and they will need to turn in this clash against one of the best teams in the Premier League over the past 12 months.

As for Aston Villa, they are quite devastating when they break in attack and that will be a concern for the hosts. Unai Emery also has a rich bench to choose from and that will be key in this fixture.

With that being said, the Whites should do just enough to take all three points.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could not hide his joy after leading his young Gunners side to another win over Tottenham away from home on Sunday in the Premier League.

Gabriel’s header on 63 minutes was enough to clinch a third-straight win away at Spurs since 1988 and secure the North London bragging rights for the sixth time in the last eight fixtures.

The Gunners reigned supreme in the North London derby once again to stay in touch with leaders Manchester City on top of the Premier League log after four games.

Having gone close to winning the Premier League in the past two seasons, the Gunners are showing that they will be among the top sides once again in the current season and it is expected that Arsenal tickets will see a surge in sales.

Arsenal missed several first-team members, but they showed immense character and determination to return to winning ways following the stalemate with Brighton at the Emirates before the international break.

How Mikel Arteta Masterminded Another Win at Tottenham

Arteta’s team was up against it after skipper Martin Ødegaard and summer signing Ricardo Calafiori picked up injuries on international duty and Declan Rice who was sent off against Brighton in the previous game. In addition, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the trip due to injury, leaving the Gunners short of first-team players for such an important fixture.

However, Arteta was able to maximize the players available at this disposal to conjure a fantastic win on the road. The Spaniard did a minor tweak with the lineup as Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli started together in attack, while deadline-day signing Raheem Sterling got a place on the bench among many academy players. It proved to be a tactical masterclass at the end of the day.

Despite missing key players in Ødegaard and Rice, the Gunners midfield led by Jorginho still dominated the contest and created multiple goalscoring chances. As they have been in recent seasons, the Gunners remained a threat from set-pieces, and it was not surprising that the game’s only goal came from there.

Bukayo Saka – a constant performer for the Gunners – saw his corner powered home by Garbiel Magalhães to spur the visitors to a convincing win on the road.

Delighted Arteta Speaks

Having clinched a hat-trick of derby day wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Mikel Arteta was delighted that his young side got the job done once again at the home of their rivals.

Reflecting post-match, Arteta said: “We have the power to make a lot of people happy and proud. We certainly did that today in the manner that we won the game in the circumstances that we had before arriving into this match, and with this being the third consecutive away win here as well, it means a lot. So hopefully, they can enjoy it.

“There are certain things that we have to do better for sure, especially the simple things with the ball that I wasn’t happy at all with. But there are other things in the game that we have to do and the way we competed and defended, and the way we have the intention all the time to run in the spaces that they give you, it was unbelievable.

“Then you have to find a way to win in any context, and today it was tricky, because first of all they are a great opponent, secondly because we have to alter our plan quite a lot for the players that we had, and then you still win the game.”

As another record was broken, this result meant the Gunners have won for the sixth league game on the road in a row, have won 10 of the 11 away league games in 2024 without trailing at any point, and kept a ninth clean sheet in that time.

While his players now boast the belief that they can go and win anywhere now, Arteta also feels that there’s a lot more behind those incredible numbers, but ahead of further road games against Atalanta and Manchester City next week, he is happy the confidence continues to flow through his players.

“I think we have to get a lot of things right in this league to be able to do that. It’s great, I love winning. I love winning especially when you make other people really proud and happy, so let’s enjoy tonight and get ready for what’s coming.

“That gives us a lot of energy, belief, a good platform to start and now recover, start to talk about Atalanta because it’s going to be a tough one.”

On Gabi becoming his side’s latest derby day hero, Areta added: “He knows what it means and it’s going to go there in the history of these matches and he’s been superb.

“When a centre-back can do first his role in the manner that he does it and then adds goals to win football matches, then you’re talking about something else.”

Records Broken in Latest North London Derby

Arsenal have won six consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since March-September 2013 when they won eight in a row under Arsène Wenger. They’ve also now won three consecutive away north London derbies for the first time since September 1988.

Gabriel Magalhães is now one of only four Arsenal players to score 10+ headed goals in the Premier League, along with Olivier Giroud (27), Ian Wright (14) and Emmanuel Adebayor (12).

Since the start of last season, Arsenal have scored more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than any other team in the Premier League (24).

Raheem Sterling is the first player to make his competitive debut for Arsenal in a north London derby since Isaiah Rankin in December 1997.

Three of Arsenal’s last four Premier League goals against rivals Tottenham have been from corners – only three of their previous 88 north London derby league goals had been from corners before this.

In spite of its entertaining and captivating brand of football, Tottenham Hotspur’s refusal to alter its style of play is hurting its cause. Ange Postecoglou’s men threw away a 2-0 lead against Brighton & Hove Albion to capitulate in the end and lose the match 3-2.

Tottenham took what seemed to be a decisive lead in the first half itself only to allow the home side to come back into the match and collect all three points. The Spurs have 10 points from seven matches and are in the ninth position in the league table despite enthralling the spectators with their aggressive style of play.

Tottenham Hotspur Used Substitutes Too Late

After having taken a 2-0 lead, Tottenham should have tried to close the game out. It should have thrown in another defensive midfielder to partner Rodrigo Bentancur by taking either Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison off. His team thus should have switched to a 4-2-3-1 from its starting formation of 4-3-3.

However, Postecoglou did not do that until the 79th minute, when he introduced Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr. By that time, Brighton had scored three goals to go 3-2 up. They managed to hold on to the lead till the end to get their victory.

Postecoglou’s refusal to alter his team’s strategy even when the situation demanded so, has hurt his team in the past, too. He will have to understand that his team is not Manchester City, which can afford to keep playing aggressively against any team throughout the entire length of the match, given the resources available to it.

Thus, he should adopt a pragmatic approach in order to reap maximum benefits for his team. Otherwise, Tottenham will find it really difficult to ensure a place in the top four by the end of the season.

Tottenham Will Need to Improve in Upcoming Matches

The Spurs will face West Ham United and Crystal Palace in their next two matches in the Premier League. They should aim at collecting six points from those two matches. They also have a UEFA Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar in between, which is also quite important for them.

Tottenham will then take on Manchester City at EFL Cup on October 30. It simply cannot afford to go gung-ho against a side of Manchester City’s calibre, as it should be found out again that way.

Postecoglou has a good track-record and has won multiple titles as a manager in Australia and Scotland. However, football in England is a different beast altogether. It is way more competitive and requires the manager to be a lot more flexible and practical in his approach.

Tottenham Hotspur recently lost 1-0 to Arsenal in a Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The defeat left Tottenham in the 13th position with four points from four matches.

The loss was even more disappointing considering the fact that Arsenal was missing the services of Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice in the match. Tottenham has now lost three successive north London derbies at home, which is a pretty bad piece of statistics for them.

In this article, we will take a look at three things Ange Postecoglou can do to revive his team’s fortunes:

Tottenham Hotspur Playing With a 4-2-3-1 Formation Instead of 4-3-3

Tottenham usually plays with a 4-3-3 formation. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison played as the central midfielders against Arsenal, with Rodrigo Bentancur being the holding one. However, with that formation, the Spurs are a bit more vulnerable to counter-attacks than they should be.

This 4-3-3 allows Tottenham to be more fluid and adventurous in their passing. However, keeping the defensive frailties in mind, Postecoglou should probably make his team start with Pape Matar Sarr alongside Bentancur. Kulusevski should replace Brennan Johnson on the right flank, as the latter was not very convincing against Arsenal. Maddison should be playing as the No. 10 in that line-up.

In that way, Tottenham should be more competitive and more robust defensively. Matar Sarr is a decent passer, too. Hence, by having him in the team, Tottenham will still continue to be quite a threat offensively.

Involving Dominic Solanke to Play More Ground passes

Solanke’s inability to score a goal on his debut for the Spurs was subject to a lot of criticism. However, it has to be kept in mind that he scored 21 goals in 42 matches last season. Moreover, he was up against the best back-four in Premier League against Arsenal.

Hence, the criticism he has got seems to be a bit harsh. However, he should be ready to get himself involved more often in ground passes with the wingers and the No. 10. With Tottenham Hotspur’s fluid style of play, Solanke cannot afford to always wait for the crosses to come to him. A lot of aerial balls were played to him against Arsenal, but most of those crosses were ill-directed and some of them were consumed easily by Gabriel and William Saliba.

Defending Set-pieces Better

Arsenal was not the only team that hurt Tottenham through set-pieces. Much has been said about Tottenham’s weakness in defending against set-pieces. Both Christian Romero and Micky Van de Ven are good in the air, but there needs to be more application on their part while defending aerial balls.

The same goes about Tottenham’s goalkeeper Gugliermo Vicario, who should marshal the six-yard box better than he has been doing. Postecoglou has himself said in the past that he did not focus too much about opposition’s set-pieces, but those words seem to have come back to haunt him and his team. It remains to be seen whether his team manages able to learn from the mistakes of the past.