Cartilage Free Captain

good morning - It’s been too many days without Tottenham Hotspur football.

Your hoddler-in-chief is spending the day scraping the bottom of the barrel to deliver the commentariat the content it deserves.

Today’s hoddle actually was inspired by a commenter, who posited during a recent Tottenham Hotspur Player Rankings that there is no such thing as a bad red panda.

We won’t revisit the player rankings (who needs to be reminded of that?) but we will revisit the red panda. Because, truth is, there is no such thing as a bad red panda.

Red pandas are great.

Take a look at these ones:

Look at them! So adorable. Especially the one on the arm swings.

Those red pandas are all a 10/10.

Here’s another couple of red pandas:

That precious video is of a mama red panda with her new red panda cub at the San Diego Zoo.

Freaking adorable.

Mondays are tough. Mondays without a Tottenham win are tougher. Least we got the red pandas.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Pandas Unite / Nobody Like You (Reprise), by Ludwig Goransson

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold on Ange Postecoglou’s January decisions

Dan KP: Harry Kane sends timely reminder to incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel

Joe Rodon to win his 50th cap for Wales

More great Tottenham news! Remember how Cuti Romero was substituted in the second half of Argentina’s most recent CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier a couple days ago? Well, just in case you were holding out hope that it wasn’t a significant injury, we now have this from Gaston Edul.

Cuti Romero was released from the Argentina national time. He will not play against Peru. He is returning to Europe.

Well... shit. Returning to London doesn’t mean that it’s a SERIOUS serious injury, but it’s significant enough that he can’t play for Argentina again in this international cycle, which makes it less likely that Cuti will be fit to play against City next weekend.

I hate it here, this is the worst timeline.

If Cuti can’t go then we’re looking at another central defensive pairing of Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies. And while Davies has been actually pretty okay as a defensive sub, it’s not exactly the pairing you’d want against the preseason presumptive Premier League champions, is it?

Remember Wilson Odobert? Yeah, I hardly do too. He came in as a late Tottenham Hotspur signing this summer, played a couple of games, got injured, recovered, reinjured himself in training, and has been out ever since. Ange Postecoglou called the re-injury “a pretty serious one” after it happened in a press conference, so you know it’d be a while before he was back.

But now we have something of an update on his situation from the man himself, and unfortunately it’s an Instagram story taken from his hospital bed.

So, uh, hospital bed almost certainly means surgery, and considering Odobert was nursing what seemed like a hamstring injury, I’m going to go out on a limb and flex the medical degree I got from the University of Holiday Inn Express–Indianapolis and suggest we might not see him suit up for us for another 3-4 months.

Me, right now:

Now, I could be wrong about this (it was an associate’s degree from UHIE-INDY), and I sincerely hope I am. Maybe it was a minor procedure and not hamstring or knee surgery. But no matter what, it’s not the update we wanted over this international break. The only positive thing we can hang our hat on is that surgery was clearly needed and now that he’s had it he can start to heal and hopefully make a full recovery.

Whether his recovery is this season or next season remains to be seen. Rest well, Wilson.

Filed under:

Tottenham Hotspur Match Reports

Tottenham Hotspur Women

Tottenham Women 0-3 Arsenal: We reap what we sow

One year after a historic win over Arsenal, Spurs are dominated at home in the Women’s NLD.

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A year ago in this same fixture, Tottenham Hotspur Women showed a real sign of intent and improvement in the WSL, nicking a late goal against Arsenal and holding off a fury of attacks en route to their first ever Women’s North London Derby win.

They could not recreate that same magic this season. Arsenal got a goal after just 65 seconds from Alessia Russo, another from Frida Maanum, and added a third midway through the second half Stina Blackstenius as the Gunners rolled to a comfortable 3-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. Tottenham, by contrast, were on the back foot the entire match, barely had a sniff at goal, and did not look anything like a team trying to push into the upper tier of the WSL.

It was not easy viewing. Arsenal dominated possession 60%-40%, had a 13-3 shot advantage, and pressed Spurs into oblivion from the opening kick. Spurs were able to claw their way back into the match somewhat in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent another dispiriting NLD loss.

Sorry this is such a depress-o-thon today, but there really weren’t very many positives to take from this match. Here are my reactions.

Match Reactions

For the second match in a row, Tottenham gave up a big goal against a big opponent on a big stage inside two minutes. This time it was Russo taking advantage of a lucky deflection, splitting the defensive line, and slotting past Becky Spencer. Spurs have been plagued by defensive lapses this season. This was another one as Clare Hunt didn’t close Russo down.

Arsenal’s press is exceptional but the early goal left Spurs shell-shocked. At one point Jessica Naz picked off a loose ball in midfield and immediately passed it backwards to Becky Spencer, which doesn’t bode well when you’re already behind a goal.

A few small signs of life late in the first half when Beth England forced a quality save from a long shot and then earned a couple of corners.

Tottenham worked themselves back into the match somewhat late into the first half, but by that time they had already shipped two goals. You’re not going to win too many matches if you do that.

One of the big differences between last year’s team and this year’s is the presence of a playmaking midfield. Without Grace Clinton or Kit Graham, and with Maite Oroz injured, Spurs have nobody who can effectively facilitate attacks from the midfield. Drew Spence had a particularly awful game. And the lack of a decent midfield press means the back line and keeper are under a lot more pressure. You really saw that today. Spurs could not get the ball to Beth England, Hayley Raso or Jessica Naz in space or even NOT in space, which killed any potential attacks early on.

Even if they’re a tick below where they often are, Arsenal are still a very good team and that gulf between them and Spurs was incredibly evident on Saturday. You don’t necessarily expect a win against the teams at the top of the table, but you would at least want them to look competitive. Spurs did not.

This is a really depressing list of match reactions and I wish it weren’t, but Spurs really haven’t given fans much to cheer about this season, reflective of the club’s lack of squad reinforcement in the summer. Arsenal were able to bring Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius off the bench today; they’d be Spurs’ best players this season. We reap what we sow.

One year ago in this same fixture, Tottenham Hotspur Women did the unthinkable: it defeated archrivals Arsenal for the first time in club history. The significance of that victory is hard to overstate: while Arsenal dominated English woso for years, Tottenham toiled in the lower divisions. In the rare times when the two clubs met, the gulf between them was massive and the lopsided results of these matches reflected that chasm. Over time, as Tottenham promoted up the pyramid and eventually to the WSL, the gap between the clubs started to narrow, but never quite enough.

Until last season. In a match played, like today’s, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Martha Thomas scored a second half goal and Spurs held on for a historic 1-0 win. Today, Spurs will attempt to achieve the impossible again.

Or is it? Tottenham have struggled this season, with just two wins from their first seven and losses already to both Manchester clubs and Chelsea. But this is also not the same Arsenal, with three draws and a loss in their opening seven matches, the Gunners parted ways with their head coach Jonas Eidvall, with Renee Slegers assuming interim leadership. The gulf between the clubs is still there — Arsenal are fourth and are insanely talented — but with some good play and against a rival in front of a boisterous home crowd, and considering last year’s fixture, is there anyone who would doubt that Tottenham Hotspur could again do the unlikely?

Tottenham welcome Amanda Nilden back from injury, though Spurs will still be without Kit Graham and Maite Oroz.

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur Women vs. Arsenal Women

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, North London

TV: not televised (USA), BBC One (UK)

Stream: ESPN+ (USA), BBC iPlayer (UK)

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

It’s an international break, and that means time to catch up on some things we may have missed. In this case, it’s not positive news.

After receiving punishment due to perhaps unfair charges stemming from players failing to conduct themselves in a proper manner against West Ham, a rather more deserved charge has followed. During the 3-0 win away at Manchester United in late September, travelling Tottenham Hotspur fans were purported to engage in chants that were homophobic, and the club has been charged by the FA as a result:

Social media was apparently awash with posts condemning the chants immediately following the match, with reporting breaking that the claims were being investigated and the furor growing to a level that the club felt it necessary to release a statement:

Look, I don’t know what the chants were, nor if I did would I feel like repeating them for this audience; and again, we’re a bit behind the 8-ball on this one. The long and the short of it though is that the FA feel they have the evidence to lay charges against the club due to its away fans engaging in “support” of this nature. Which means this absolutely happened.

And that is simply not good enough.

I would like to say it’s scarcely believable in this day and age that chants and jeers that are homophobic, racist, or discriminatory in any way would be acceptable within the context of a sporting crowd. I really would like to say that. Unfortunately, it’s not.

These sorts of incidents are still somewhat commonplace, and the fact that no active Premier League footballer has ever come out as gay speaks to the level of homophobia still found both within the sport itself and its support base. That’s why it’s important to address the situations seriously, and it’s good that the club see that as paramount as well.

It’s also why the FA will likely hand down a hefty fine. It could be more than that; severe breaches of the E21 rule can lead to playing behind closed doors or points deductions, but I doubt that’s the avenue down which the FA will pursue. Who knows, though?

Whatever is doled out, I’m sure it’s deserved. Do better, guys.

Death, taxes, a Tottenham Hotspur player injuring themselves while playing for Argentina. Bad news today out of CONMEBOL — apparently Tottenham Hotspur central defender Cuti Romero was substituted due to an injury concern in the second half of Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup Qualifying win over Paraguay on Thursday evening.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

According to Football.London, the injury appears to be to his right foot, the same one he injured earlier in the season playing for Tottenham against Aston Villa. It’s not clear if this is a different injury or if he reaggravated the one he just recuperated from, but either way it appears to be real and it SUCKS.

But there’s still a lot we don’t know. We don’t know the severity of the injury and whether the substitution was precautionary or not. We also don’t know the expected length of his recovery, or whether that same injury will impact his ability to play in Tottenham’s next match against Manchester City on November 23. But the long-tail impact is significant — with Micky van de Ven still out of action with a hamstring injury, Cuti sitting out the City game would likely mean a central defensive pairing of Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies, and more match minutes for Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro.

But on the other hand, it’s City and I’m starting to be convinced we could play academy players in the back line and still somehow get a win against Pep.

Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea captain Son Heung-Min hit another personal and professional milestone today, scoring from the penalty spot in South Korea’s 3-1 win at Kuwait in World Cup qualifying.

The goal itself isn’t anything special, but the significance of it certainly is. Sonny also nearly got his 51st goal, flashing a shot just wide of the post later on in the match.

Son is just the third Korean player to hit that 50 goal milestone for his country (he’s currently level with Hwang Sun Hong) and Sonny is now just eight goals behind the Taeguk Warriors’ legendary striker Cha Bum-Kun, a record he’s held since the 1980s. In addition, Son is only seven Korea matches away from becoming his nation’s most capped international player, a record held by Cha and Hong Myung-Bo.

There is very little doubt that Son will quite easily break both of those records before his international football career finishes; the only question is how far beyond both of those standards he will set the new benchmark. I don’t think it’s at all hyperbole to say that Son will end his career as the best player to ever suit up for the nation of South Korea, and it’s a privilege to have him also captaining our favorite club, Tottenham Hotspur. It may be a long time before his eventual records will be eclipsed (or maybe not if Yang Min-Hyeok has anything to say about it).

One of the more intriguing signings in Tottenham Hotspur’s summer 2024 transfer window was the (future) acquisition of Yang Min-Hyeok, an 18 year old South Korean forward from Gangwon FC, widely considered to be one of the breakout stars in the next generation of Korean football. Spurs agreed to sign him for a Korean league record £3.3m in the upcoming January transfer window after he completed the K-League season, which will wrap up just after the international break

Gangwon finished third in the K-League this season, with Yang netting 12 goals and five assists in 37 appearances.

Now it appears that he’ll be reporting for duty in North London a bit earlier. Multiple outlets, including Football.London, are reporting that Tottenham want to bring Yang in to begin training with his future teammates next month in December ahead of his formal registration in January.

Yang reporting early unfortunately does not mean he can play for Spurs during the holiday fixture period. As stated before, he’s not registered and won’t be until the January transfer window opens. Instead, this is viewed as an opportunity for Yang to get his feet wet in English football and start to acclimate to life in London. Football.London claims that, whatever else was reported earlier, this was always the plan with Yang, and that he will be slowly brought into the first team as he gets used to a dramatic change of lifestyle and culture.

Fans, meanwhile, should take this as a sign that it’s unlikely Yang will make an immediate splash in the Premier League this spring. There’s always the CHANCE he could, but it’s much more likely that he’ll need time to get used to everything that’s going on around him. Heck, to me it seems likely that we won’t even see him on the bench for a while, and despite a ton of promise he’s still only 18, younger than Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. He’s probably not going to be a panacea for Tottenham’s problems this season (though wouldn’t it be great if he was?).

Still, it’s pretty exciting. Tottenham have swung for the fences this summer by targeting and acquiring a lot of young talent, and Yang is expected to be part of the next generation of Tottenham stars. But even with Tottenham and Korea captain Son Heung-Min there to mentor him through the transition, it might be a while before that star starts to rise, if it ever does.

We’re in the international break now (boo!), which means there’s little football to watch. Of course, there is League One and League Two football (but we’ll get to that tomorrow).

Instead let’s take a look across some of the other leagues in Europe.

La Liga:

Spoiler alert: Barcelona and Real Madrid occupy the top two spots in the league, respectively. BORING! Less boring? Osasuna making a top-four run. Know nothing about them, though, so I can’t offer any analysis. Mauricio Pochettino’s boyhood club Espanyol is at risk of getting relegated.

Serie A:

Speaking of former Tottenham managers, Antonio Conte’s Napoli is currently top of the table in Serie A. But if you’re looking to see who the goals leader is, that would be Mateo Retegui at Atalanta.

Ligue 1:

Not much to say here. PSG are first.

Bundesliga:

Leverkusen’s undefeated days are gone. Last year’s champs currently sit fourth in the table. Bayern Munich unsurprisingly are first, with an 8-2-0 record and Harry Kane as the league’s top scorer so far with 11 goals. Eric Dier was on the bench in the most recent 1-0 win against St Pauli. Also I nearly forgot Michael Olise is there now.

Eredevisie:

I guess any season in which Ajax aren’t on top is a bad season for Ajax. So consier this a bad season for Ajax, seven points back of PSV. I haven’t seen Utrecht near the top of the table in a while, so that’s kinda neat.

Turkish Super League:

In another league with former Spurs players, Galatasaray are on top. And you might have seen this strange clip of some super dribbling (and a bicycle kick) from Davinson Sanchez lately.

Pretty happy for him. And how could we neglect Jose Mourinho, whose Fenerbahce are currently five points adrift of Big Dav’s club?

Belgian Pro League:

I hate Genk. They and West Brom produced two of my least favourite Spurs matches I ever attended. The one with Genk, of course, was the 2017 Europa League aggregate defeat at Wembley Stadium when Dele was given a straight red card. I’d much rather Vincent Janssen’s Antwerp win the title.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Bad Self Portraits, by Lake Street Dive

And now for your links:

Harry Kane disappointed after nine withdrawals from Nations League squad

Dan KP: Lee Carsley responds after Kane criticies Nations League dropouts