Cartilage Free Captain

Want some good news? Everyone who played for Tottenham Hotspur in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in the Europa League made it through unscathed and there are no new injury concerns for Ange Postecoglou’s men. However, according to the man himself, who posted his customary injury update video ahead of this weekend’s match vs. Ipswich Town, there are still four injured players who will not feature, and Cristian Romero is questionable.

“Yeah, look last night the brief I got after the game was everyone came through unscathed so there’s no issues from last night. Cristian, we’ll see how he goes the next couple of days, the idea is to try and get him out there and train and he’s pretty keen to so he has a chance for the weekend.

“Mikey [Moore] probably still not right for the weekend, and probably Timo [Werner] as well. Really out of the ones who are out, only Cristian could be back.”

So that’s Wilson Odobert, Richarlison, Timo Werner, Micky van de Ven, and Mikey Moore who are all out and will not feature against the (snicker) Tractor Boys. Mikey at least we know is due to a virus, the same one that ruled him out vs. Galatasaray yesterday. Timo is still dealing with his own injury, and Wilson Odobert is on the long-term injury list.\

The biggest bummer continues to be Richarlison, who had just returned from injury and was starting to round into form before he pulled his hamstring while assisting a goal last weekend. Postecoglou expounded a bit on Richy’s situation in his pre-match press conference.

“He was very disappointed. I think I said in the lead up, we tried to take a different approach, he worked awfully hard on his rehab but also his general fitness. He’d really trimmed down in terms of his conditioning. He was doing everything right, we eased him back into playing we didn’t want to overload him and unfortunately he broke down again.

“He’s disappointed but ultimately, we’ve just got to keep getting him back in there and work with him to get him back up because he’s an important player. You saw last week the impact he had coming off the bench and setting up the goal. Disappointing for him, disappointing for us because we haven’t really had him at our disposal this year. But we’ll just keep working with Richy and try to get him back.

“I’m reticent to put [a time on] it but he’ll be out for a significant amount of time. It’s a significant hamstring injury.”

Postecoglou also declined to put a timeline on Micky van de Ven’s return from a strained hamstring, but for the first time hinted that it might go beyond the upcoming international break.

“Yeah, it will be after the international break. When after will just dictate sort of his progress during that time. I think probably the end of the break will be four weeks, so when exactly after that we’ll have to wait and see.”

With Timo, Mikey, and Richarlison all out, it means Son Heung-Min will again be relied upon at the left forward position, with no real natural backup behind him. And based on his performance in Turkey yesterday and his own recent recovery from injury, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sonny doesn’t go the whole 90 on Sunday either. Postecoglou also suggested that the club is treating Son with kid gloves, making sure they don’t overtax him as he returns to fitness.

“For Sonny where obviously he had the injury we brought him back, he kind of had a relapse and what we don’t want to do is put him back into that cycle. It’s very easy to fall into that cycle by pushing players, particularly when they’re coming back from injury.

“Managing his minutes, building his up. He got a good 55 on the weekend, he got 45 last night. Yeah hopefully we can continue to build that up but ultimately for us its about getting him back and keeping him back because we cant afford any more injuries in that position.

“We’ve already got Wilson [Odebert] with a long-term injury, and we’ve got a Richy with long-term issue. We’ve got Mikey out, we cant afford to lose a player in that area of the park so, I’ll always make decisions that I think are best for the club and for what we’re trying to achieve.”

Tottenham host winless and newly-promoted Ipswich this Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kickoff time is 9 am ET / 2 pm UK. The match will be televised on USA Network in the States.

The collapse at Brighton could almost be excused as such an anomaly for Tottenham Hotspur; a horrendous second half, but one that felt unlikely to be replicated. What cannot be excused, though, is the absolute stinker against Crystal Palace that gifted the Eagles their lone win in the league this season. Spurs must now find a way to avoid history repeating itself, with newly promoted Ipswich Town the opponent on Sunday.

Playing this match at home should be a big boost, as Spurs’ form is significantly worse on the road (see: Thursday night in Istanbul). Still, that should not be the deciding factor against sides like Ipswich and Palace. For as many missed opportunities as the team has already squandered this year, there is still plenty of season left. Securing the three points in fixtures like these is imperative, and another strong victory will keep the vibes rolling.

Tottenham Hotspur (t-7th, 16pts) vs. Ipswich Town (18th, 5pts)

Date: Sunday, November 10

Time: 9:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: USA Network (USA)

It has been a rude welcome to the top flight for the Tractor Boys. Losses to Liverpool and Manchester City to open the season improved to four straight draws, but since then Ipswich has gathered just one point from the past four matches – a draw against Leicester last weekend. League-worst xG and xGA totals succinctly tell the tale, as the numbers are pretty lopsided (4.5 xG to 7.2 xGA) even in the club’s five draws.

These sides have not met since Ipswich’s last stay in the Premier League, when the Tractor Boys did the double in 2001/02 and the home teams each came out ahead in the 2000/01 season. Just as a reference point, Tottenham won all six matches against last year’s promoted trio (Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield). This season is already off that pace with the opening weekend draw against Leicester; Spurs will see Southampton next month.

A cupboard full

Suddenly, Ange Postecoglou has five impressive options for three midfield positions: Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Matar Sarr (assuming Lucas Bergvall is more of a cup stand-in). Each offers their own advantages, and while injuries and suspensions will make some of the decisions for him, I am fascinated to see how he chooses to deploy these pieces depending on the situation.

You can almost talk yourself into any combination from this group working, though I would love to see Postecoglou explicitly pick his starters based on the opponent. Against Ipswich, having Maddison in the side would seemingly allow Spurs to pick apart an opponent content to cede possession and camp out in its own third. Including him over a second No. 6 is worthwhile against the team that is 20th in shots and shot creation.

Lock in

Ipswich was moments away from a win last weekend (despite being down to 10 men), but Jordan Ayew snuck in the equalizer for the Foxes, a week after Brentford scored a stoppage-time winner to take all three points. Contrast this with Spurs, who have had back-to-back masterful second-half onslaughts at home. The objective is to not need a comeback this weekend, but at least in North London, we know the squad is capable of it.

With all of the visitor’s aforementioned struggles finding the back of the net, anything less than a shutdown defensive performance would be a disappointment. Tottenham is dealing with injuries across the back line, but the club has looked much improved on the defensive end and suddenly is on par with some of the league’s best defenses.

However, keeping a clean sheet and fully eliminating the switch-offs and miscues still remains a challenge, as was vividly shown against Galatasaray. Facing Ipswich at home, there might not be a better opportunity than this to show full control for 90 minutes. To really elevate to the next level, Spurs need to find a way to extinguish all threats in fixtures like this.

Good morning!

Matty Flatt again. It’s my last day covering for Fitzie for a while. I said that just a couple of weeks ago as well, so thanks for making me a liar, Fitzie.

Today, you’re in luck. I’m not going to talk about cricket today.

I’m going to talk about guitar effects pedals.

“Okay,” you say, as your eyes glaze over.

I’ve mentioned before I’m a musician; it’s not my main gig, it’s something I do on the side. Kind of like writing for Cartilage Free Captain! But electric guitar in some ways was my first love.

Have you ever wondered how guitarists get some of the crazy sounds they get? Jimi Hendrix, and his intro to Voodoo Chile? Or The Edge, with his crazy echoes bouncing around arenas? Or Jack White, creating the auditory equivalent of a buzzsaw?

It’s all these glorious little things called effects pedals. They make your guitar go quack. They make your guitar go whoosh. They make your guitar go GRRR. They make your guitar go go go go go go go go go go go go

Talk to any guitarist you know. Pedals are like Legos for us. Modular, creative, and just sparking that little part of your brain that wants to invent.

Here’s a rendering of my pedalboard:

One of the fun parts of pedals is deciding how you want to arrange them. It’s like a delicate game of Tetris. Which pedals do you need to quickly access? How do you want your signal to flow? How are you going to fit cabling? Sometimes I spend hours hunched over my board, trying different combinations, arrangements, running cables, to the point where I cause myself back problems. And that’s before I even try to lift the damn thing.

All of these pedals do something to the signal that comes out of my guitar, which eventually is amplified through some sort of playback system. Some of those somethings are subtle; some are intense. I won’t bore you with the specifics (unless somebody asks in the comments) - this isn’t a musician’s forum - but I wanted to let you behind the curtain and give an insight into one of my passions. There’s a lot that goes into these things! And often people are unaware of just how much goes into producing a “sound” - especially with guitar (or synths, but that’s another conversation entirely).

What are some of your hobbies, and what are some of the deeper details that people never know much about?

Matty Flatt’s Track of the Day: Know Your Enemy, by Rage Against the Machine

And now for your links:

Via the Tottenham Hotspur website: Dom Solanke retains his well-deserved place in the England squad

Ange Postecoglou’s take-aways from the loss to Galatasaray, from Football London

Rob Guest has some take-aways of his own

Filed under:

Tottenham Hotspur Match Reports

Europa League 2024-25

Galatasaray 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Welcome to Hell

Ten-man Tottenham couldn’t find a way to earn a late point in Istanbul

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Welcome to Hell. Tottenham took a team of rotated players and youngsters to Istanbul (not Constantinople) to face Galatasaray in the Europa League Group Phase, knowing that with three wins in their previous three they had the rare opportunity to take some chances in what will probably be their toughest group stage fixture. Galatasaray, after all, has Victor Osimhen, one of the best strikers in world football, and also former Tottenham central defender Davinson Sanchez, raising the profile and potential #banter level of this match considerably.

And Galatasaray did show why they’re currently the top scoring team in the competition after Yunus Akgun blasted home a volleyed shot past Fraser Forster to put the home team up 1-0 early on. Tottenham academy product and future star William “BIG WILLY LANKS” Lankshear got Spurs level, tapping in his first senior goal for the club, but Osimhen proved why he’s so highly regarded, scoring a brace and taking Galatasaray into the locker room with a 3-1 lead.

Tottenham brought in a few senior players at halftime, with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur for Son Heung-Min and Brennan Johnson, and later Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke for a mostly-ineffectual Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison. Solanke tapped in a low Pedro Porro cross to cut the lead to 3-2 after Lankshear lost his head and picked up a second yellow to be sent off for a rash challege. Spurs played valiantly down a man but couldn’t quite muster up enough offense to get a third into the back of the net. The match ended with Galatasaray winning 3-2.

Here are my quick hit match notes.

Match reactions:

There are plenty of seething cauldrons of home support in football but away at Galatasaray is definitely up there as one of the most intimidating. What a great experience for Tottenham’s youngsters to play in that environment!

On Yunus’ opening goal — you can maybe make the argument that Vicario makes the save when Forster doesn’t, but there was some serious venom on that shot, so I won’t make that argument. It was just a banger. Pick it out, move on.

BIG WILLY LANKS’ goal was just some nice team play. The ref did well to spot the advantage after Sonny got fouled in the buildup, and it was some excellent passing from Gray to Johnson to Lankshear for the tap-in. What a moment for him. (Shame what happened after.) Archie’s pass to Johnson was exquisite.

You cannot, cannot, CANNOT give Victor Osimhen a chance like the one he scored (first) in the first half. A really poor defensive pass out of the back by Dragusin set it all up, and when Osimhen gets a chance like that he rarely misses.

Osimhen is one of the best strikers in world football and he’s on loan at Galatasaray because... reasons? IDK, it’s inexplicable. Gala’s front three - Yilmaz, Icardi, Osimhen - is just absurd, and Gala dropped off noticeably in the second half when two of them left the pitch.

It’s not really fair to him as this was not a good showcase for his abilities, but Lucas Bergvall looked way, WAY out of his depth on this one. He was probably Spurs’ worst player out there. A harsh assessment, but I’m starting to think he’s just not ready for football at this level. Which is fine! He’s young and will probably be very good! He just maybe isn’t yet.

James Maddison also had a bit of a shocker. Very wayward with his passing and maybe showed why he hasn’t been preferred in recent starting XIs lately.

Dragusin another who did not cover himself with glory. Really struggled to play out of the back and Osimhen had him on skates a number of times. I think he’s a good defender. I’m not sure he’s a good defender for US.

A very immature sending off by Will Lankshear. Big Willy Lanks had gotten fouled with no call a few seconds earlier, saw the red mist, and went in with a wild challenge to get his second yellow. A very “Welcome to top level football, lad” moment for him — a goal and two yellows. He’ll learn from that.

Even after going down to ten men Spurs had chances to earn a draw. Solanke’s tap in goal was nice, and Gala ended up having to sub off both Osimhen and Mauro Icardi, but Spurs couldn’t quite muster enough late offense to get the point. That said, they played very well down a man when they got some of their first team starters into the side.

Even with the loss, Spurs are still (for now) fifth in the EL standings, with Galatasaray on top. That’s why I say this is a free hit — a loss doesn’t really hurt them here, they got some of their fringe players some needed minutes, and comported themselves decently well. Moreover, nobody got injured. I’ll take it.

It’s a succession of Thursday matches for Tottenham Hotspur, as the Spurs squad travel to Turkey to take on Galatasaray in their next Europa League fixture. The Lilywhites have won all their European matches thus far this season, and will look to maintain that perfect record in what will likely be an absolute cauldron of an atmosphere at Istanbul’s RAMS Park.

Spurs are likely to heavily rotate for this match; sitting pretty high in the Europa League standings, there’s little risk to Spurs of elimination at this point, and a combination of injuries and much-needed rest for some tired players means the team could look very different. A number of youngsters have travelled, and could be named in the squad for this match.

Galatasaray, on the other hand, will be looking to make an impression against an English giant. Expect a strong lineup, with some big names making appearances such as Mauro Icardi and Victor Osimhen, who transferred to The Lion in somewhat bizarre circumstances in the summer. Plus, there’s yet another reunion with an ex-Spurs player, with Davinson Sanchez at the heart of the defense for Galatasaray.

This should be fun.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Galatasaray vs. Tottenham Hotspur

RAMS Park, Istanbul, Turkey

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Time: 12:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA; TNT Sports 1 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Paramount+

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!

“Good” news everyone — there will be a Tottenham Hotspur presence in the England squad for this cycle. England interim manager Lee Carsley released the final Three Lions squad for the upcoming international break, and Dominic Solanke has retained his place in the squad.

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I will continue to assert that off-cycle international football sucks and is mostly pointless, but if you’re Dominic Solanke you’re undoubtedly thrilled. Solanke pushed his way back into England’s good graces on the back of some strong performances after making a move to Spurs from Bournemouth this summer, and there’s little question he deserves to be in there, albeit behind Harry Kane in the pecking order.

That said, I’d much rather he stay home and get some deserved rest during the upcoming international break, considering Spurs are a little thin right now due to injury and would be in a world of hurt should he go down with an injury. But that opinion plus £5 gets me a Starbucks latte and I’m screaming into the void, so whatever.

England play two Nations League qualifiers next week — at Greece on November 14, and host Ireland on November 17.

This summer, Tottenham Hotspur sent two of its young players — 20-year-old midfielder Alfie Devine and 17-year-old central defender Luka Vuskovic — on loan to Belgium Jupiler League club Westerlo for the season. Both loans have been a roaring success, particularly that of Vuskovic, who will technically join Spurs this summer from Croatian side Hajduk Split when he turns 18. Vuskovic has been a revelation for Westerlo, locking down a starting position and scoring four goals so far from the back line, all before becoming a legal adult.

Now, according to a press release from Westerlo, things have gone so well with both sides pleased with the loans that the two clubs are working towards arranging a future partnership that will continue to see Spurs send promising young talent to the Belgian club. According to the release, officials from both clubs met recently “to explore deeper and more extensive collaboration opportunities in the future.”

Since the arrival of Vuskovic and Devine, KVC Westerlo’s sports department and Tottenham Hotspur’s have maintained close contact. Thanks to Tottenham’s careful monitoring of their loaned talents, a monthly review meeting is scheduled to go over Luka and Alfie’s performance reports.

An additional meeting between both clubs has now been added to these monthly reviews. Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy, Chief Football Officer Scott Munn, and Technical Director Johan Lange joined our vice-president Hasan Cetinkaya and board member S. Berk Ercan at the table.

The impressive performances of Vuskovic and Devine on the field for Westerlo have proven to be a catalyst for strengthening future collaborations between KVC Westerlo and Tottenham Hotspur off the field as well. As a first gesture of appreciation for the current partnership, both club boards exchanged team jerseys. This may be the first step toward a future exchange of ideas, players, and resources.

— Press release, KVC Westerlo

Now, exchanging team jerseys doesn’t seem like a very big deal, and it isn’t. But it is, as stated, a first step towards establishing a more robust relationship between the clubs that will hopefully be more beneficial. We don’t know yet what a future collaboration will look like. More youngsters heading to Belgium for development is almost certain, but who knows what else — possible preseason friendlies? Academy exchanges? Right of first refusal for any Westerlo talent that may be Premier League level?

Other Premier League clubs have had relationships with continental clubs in smaller leagues — think of Chelsea’s now-defunct relationship with Dutch side Vitesse that saw many of their fringe and academy players shipped there on loan. I doubt we’ll see something that extensive, but having a few clubs like Westerlo in your back pocket that would be interested in developing young players for some mutual benefit is always a good idea. We’ll have to see if anything develops from this new relationship in the future. In the meantime, Vuskovic and Devine both look like solid talents that will help Spurs in the future, and you can draw a line between that development and their loan experience in Belgium this season.

Last week, I advocated for Tottenham Hotspur starting a strong lineup against a weakened Manchester City in the League Cup, imploring the team to take the competition seriously. Ange Postecoglou obliged for the most part, and after that important victory and Sunday’s dominance against Aston Villa, the arrows are once again all pointing up for Spurs.

That positivity extends to the Europa League, where Tottenham has won each of its first three fixtures and remains the (early) favorite to win it all. Despite all of these things, Thursday’s trip to Amsterdam seems like the right time to...ease off the gas for a second. Spurs have done well to build up a little cushion in Europe, and the long trip seems like the right time to rest some regulars. Galatasaray may very well cause the visitors to stumble, but that is a trade-off worth making at this moment.

Galatasaray (t-3rd, 7pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-1st, 9pts)

Date: Thursday, November 7

Time: 12:45 pm ET, 5:45 pm UK

Location: RAMS Park, Istanbul, Turkey

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

Galatasaray has taken seven points from the first three League Phase matches, albeit against lesser competition. Both wins did come at home, though, and Opta ranks this as the 46th-best club in the world — on par with mid-table Premier League sides — meaning this is a legitimate opponent. Additionally, this is by far Spurs’ farthest trip from the first eight matches and comes as the sixth match out of seven in an important three-week span.

Tottenham has not faced Galatasaray previously, having only taken on one Turkish side: Besiktas. Spurs were victorious against Galatasaray’s local rival the in the Group Stage of the 2006/07 UEFA Cup, then went 0-1-1 against them in the Group Stage of the 2014/15 Europa League. Additionally, there are some recent connections with Thursday’s opponents, as Serge Aurier, Tanguy Ndombele, and Davinson Sanchez have all featured for Galatasaray since leaving Spurs; fortunately, only the latter will be amongst the opposition this week.

Ever elusive

Despite very strong recent form, Spurs have kept just one clean sheet in the last seven, coming in the previous Europa League contest against AZ Alkmaar. Even though the defense rarely concedes more than once, having a mistake-free match is far too difficult to come by. Now, the squad hits the road again — where it performs markedly worse — to face a side that has scored nine goals in the League Phase already.

While rotation is the right move anyway, Postecoglou’s hand is forced at the centerback position with both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero dealing with injuries. The Ben Davies-Radu Dragusin pairing held up against Villa, and Archie Gray has performed solidly across multiple positions, but the back line will be tested again in a tough road contest. Regardless of who plays in front of them, the defenders will be the key to this fixture. For Tottenham to continue its campaign across multiple fronts, CB3 and CB4 cannot be liabilities.

Earlier in the season, a game of football threated to break out during a boxing match from which representatives of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United were involved. The FA tends to frown on such things, and so charges were laid in the aftermath of that match, which we covered. Now, though, it’s official: all parties have accepted those charges doled out by the FA and their relevant punishments.

Mohammed Kudus, who took it upon himself to try and fight the entire Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, accepted his charge of violent conduct, taking with it a £60,000 fine and an extension of his ban from three to five matches. West Ham also accepted a fine, totaling £30,000, due to failing to ensure their players didn’t... ya know, throw punches.

As for Spurs... they were also charged with failing to ensure their players acted with the proper decorum after being punched in the face, so were charged as well and accepted their fine of £20,000 late last month, which somehow, we missed reporting.

I don’t have too much to say on this. It feels a bit ridiculous Spurs were even charged in the first place, but as I mentioned in the previous article the FA hates vigilante justice. On the other end of the stick, Kudus’ punishment almost feels too light, with actions that could have landed him an assault charge in other contexts resulting in the same layoff as a mild hamstring injury, with the fine a likely blip with the wages he will be earning.

Whatever. I’m just glad it’s over and dealt with.

Good morning!

One thing that always blows me away is the limitlessness with which a child can think. A couple of days ago, my wife asked our eldest daughter as to what she thought might be a good idea for a business.

Her response?

“We should sell dinosaurs.”

She pretty much just came up with Jurassic Park at age 4. And I was so preoccupied with whether or not she could, I didn’t stop to think if she should.

The fact that dinosaurs are extinct? A mere inconvenience. There is no thought to the fact that there may be no market for dinosaurs, which of course there’s a market, duh. When asked where the dinosaurs should live, she responded, “Here.” When questioned how a dinosaur would fit in our backyard (it absolutely wouldn’t) her answer was, “It could lie down”.

That’s before we even get into what we would feed it.

The way kids’ brains work mean they aren’t limited by the same patterns of thinking as us grown-ups. Sometimes that’s a negative - critical thinking is a valuable skill!

But sometimes you encounter situations in which you just need to throw off any self-imposed limitations with regards to your thinking. Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is. I could use that creativity sometimes.

What’s the craziest idea you’ve ever had, that might just work?

Matty Flatt’s Track of the Day: Child of Vision, by Supertramp

And now for your links:

Check out Ange Postecoglou’s press conference ahead of the match against Galatasaray, courtesy of Alasdair Gold

The Athletic ($$$) on the reasons for optimism after Spurs’ mixed start to the season