Cartilage Free Captain

Well, I certainly didn’t expect THAT result! Tottenham Hotspur hosted a dangerous and resurgent Aston Villa side today and started the match a bit flat, conceding a corner kick goal to Morgan Rogers and taking a 1-0 deficit into halftime. But they roared back in the second half — Brennan Johnson leveled the match 4 minutes into the second half, Dominic Solanke added a brace, and James Maddison put the cherry on top of this Tottenham sundae in what turned into a dominant 4-1 win.

But it wasn’t all good news. Spurs got bit by the injury bug after Cuti Romero limped off the pitch in the second half, while substitute Richarlison appeared to pull his hamstring moments after assisting Solanke for his second goal.

Some really impressive performances in this one. It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

A second-half surge by Tottenham Hotspur saw the home side collect all three points in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.

The first half between Villa and Spurs was not a fun watch as the away side fought off Spurs early press and won more of the 50/50 balls to be on the front foot early on.

Dealing with Ollie Watkins and needing to fix the back post defense, Spurs fans were riddled with fear in the first 30 minutes as the away side missed their chances to get that first goal.

But, an annoyance that has stayed with Spurs is their set-piece defending as Aston Villa got the first goal from a corner. Guglielmo Vicario tussled with Morgan Rogers for positioning inside his six-yard box. Still, a corner ball left the goalkeeper having to make a save from a potential own goal on Rodrigo Bentancur that allowed Rogers to get the second ball and finish for a 1-0 lead.

Still not having answers for defending the near post or getting the ball out to have a breath of relief, Spurs kept the game at a 1-0 deficit into the break.

From then on, it was all Spurs.

Tottenham tied the game three minutes into the second half as Son Heung-min was alone on the far touchline. Getting the ball and carrying it down his left side, Son made a few moves to open space for a Sonsational left-footed cross to the back post for Brennan Johnson to run on it and tap it past Emi Martinez.

Ange Postecoglou made the change a few minutes after the tying goal by taking Son off for precautionary reasons to save his star man. Although Son was frustrated by the decision, others stepped up.

One player in particular who made it his game was Pape Sarr, who helped the side get the lead with two vital bits of play.

Spurs grabbed the lead on a strong challenge from Ben Davies — who came on for the injured Cristian Romero — to break a potential Villa counter-attack. With the ball meeting Sarr’s feet, the midfield slotted a ball around Johnson in the 18-yard box. Johnson took one touch for Kulusevski to lay a weighted pass away from Diego Carlos for Dominic Solanke to get a one-on-one chance with Martinez and chip him for the lead.

Spurs added another goal, up 2-1, with Sarr leading the break again. Picking off a loose pass from Pau Torres, Sarr led the short counter in Villa’s half with Solanke and Richarlison on either side of him. Driving the ball and setting up Richarlison on his left, the Brazilian squared a pass in the box for a run-on from Solanke to get his brace.

Richarlison was subbed off after the moment. The second he laid the pass off for Solanke’s goal, he pulled up, holding his hamstring.

Spurs added one more goal for good measure as James Maddison curled his free kick around the Villa wall and left Martinez frozen for a fishing touch to a stellar 4-1 second-half comeback.

Notes:

An awful loss against cellar-dwellers Crystal Palace, following by an impressive victory against Premier League defending champions Manchester City in the League Cup.

It’s hard to know what to expect from Tottenham Hotspur these days, and Sunday’s match against Aston Villa poses an interesting challenge.

Calling Spurs inconsistent is probably an unfair assertion, though. Spurs’ home form has been excellent, and they have taken 8 wins from their last 10 fixtures. While you wouldn’t quite call Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a fortress, the atmosphere there has been building all season and Spurs have been generally excellent - even though the Premier League points table doesn’t quite reflect that.

Aston Villa is a tricky opponent though, and the Lilywhites will go into the match missing some key players. Though the hope is that captain Son Heung-min could make his return, a hamstring injury to Micky van de Ven ensures Spurs will be playing a rotated backline, at least in part, and Cristian Romero and Timo Werner both left the field in midweek with what looked like niggles. Villa, who have had a bit of a topsy-turvy season of their own, will be keen to prove a point against a strong opponent, and Spurs will need to make sure they embrace the fullness of Ange-ball to ensure the points stay where they belong.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Time: 9:00 a.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. UK

TV: USA Network, Sky Sports Premier League (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: nbcsports.com

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:

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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.

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Have fun, and COYS!

Time marches inextricably onward, or at least as we perceive it as three-dimensional beings who perceive time as a linear phenomenon. Sometimes I wish that were not the case, as it’d be so tempting to just skip ahead to when Tottenham Hotspur inevitably win a trophy.

Alas this is not to be, so we must content ourselves with injury news as it comes in. And it has come in. Ange Postecoglou held a press conference ahead of Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa, and while there is good news about Son Heung-Min, the news is a little less good for Micky van de Ven.

But let’s start with the good news — Sonny is back! After being held out as a precaution in Tottenham’s midweek League Cup victory over Manchester City, Big Ange has confirmed that he should be ready to return from a hamstring injury vs. Villa, a pernicious little soft tissue injury that’s kept him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. Van de Ven’s news isn’t good, but it falls squarely in the “could be a lot worse” category — he picked up a minor hamstring injury that Ange says “is not too serious” but will likely keep him sidelined through the upcoming international break.

“Main one is Micky, he has sort of strained his hamstring. its not too serious, but probably after the international break for him. [Cuti] Romero, [Timo] Werner - at the moment, still a chance for the weekend. Sonny has trained today, so if he gets through training tomorrow he should be okay.”

Postecoglou also had a brief update on Wilson Odobert, who sustained an injury setback in training this past week; Ange implied that we won’t be seeing him on the pitch for a while yet, likely at least another month.

“It’s a re-occurrence, we’re going to have to be conservative. I’d say a similar time to his last one.”

Sonny coming back is huge, as Spurs are suddenly thin at the left wide forward position assuming Timo Werner isn’t fit enough to play or start. Speaking of Timo, that’s also unexpectedly good news for him — he left the City match limping and holding his groin, and that’s never a good sign. But if he’s in line to potentially play this weekend even as a reserve, it’s a better outcome than I had anticipated in the moment. Romero’s substitution always had the feel of something planned as opposed to something reactive, so it’s also good that he got a bit of a rest in that match with Ben Davies putting in a very good shift.

I think we can probably pencil Sonny into the starting lineup, along with Radu Dragusin, who will replace Micky in the back line. That might result in some minor defensive tactical tweaks; Radu is a solid on-the-ball defender but doesn’t have Micky’s recovery pace in the high line.

There was no word on Djed Spence’s recovery either — Destiny Udogie has put in some significant minutes lately and could probably use a breather, and Djed has more than earned the opportunity to play Premier League football if he’s healthy. We’ll see about that.

Wednesday’s success over Manchester City kept Tottenham Hotspur perfect in tournament competitions this season, which has an argument for being the club’s biggest priority. However, last weekend’s stinker against Palace means Spurs have won just four of nine Premier League contests, which is frankly unacceptable for a team of this quality, regardless of where its ambitions lie.

Now Tottenham welcomes in an Aston Villa side that should again contend for a top-four spot by the end of the year. The biggest story for Villa this campaign is not domestic though, as three wins through three Champions League matchweeks is equaled on the continent only by Liverpool. Spurs need a big bounce back after last weekend; this one is not straightforward by any means, but at least it is at home.

Tottenham Hotspur (t-8th, 13pts) vs. Aston Villa (t-3rd, 18pts)

Date: Sunday, November 3

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

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: USA Network (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK)

Villa is actually slumping a bit in the league, having drawn three of the past four after four wins in the first five. That hot start has kept the side near the top of the table, but it will be difficult to juggle two demanding competitions. The 1-0 win over Bayern Munich last month was certainly the biggest result thus far, while none of the domestic wins have come against the big six.

The home-road narrative for Tottenham is worth discussing, making last season’s results all the more confusing. Spurs squandered a Giovani Lo Celso opener to fall 1-2 in North London last November, but then had maybe their best performance under Ange Postecoglou to date in the reverse fixture, with an emphatic four-goal rout at Villa Park with James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Heung-Min Son, and Timo Werner all finding the net in the second half.

Assessing the inventory

The premise of what looks like the deepest Spurs squad on paper in some time continues to be tested. Son is rarely 100 percent, and the win over City saw multiple players pick up a knock, including Micky van de Ven, who is unfortunately acquiring that dreaded injury-prone label. While rotation is a necessity given the modern schedule, it is frustrating to seemingly never have the best XI all available at once.

With multiple competitions still in scope, this depth is really going to be tested. The issue is how stark the drop-off seems to be when reserves come in, as seen with last week’s front three without Son. Now, the back line loses van de Ven with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran charging forward, boasting 13 total goals between them already. For a defense that continues to make fatal mistakes, having to reshuffle the components is the last thing anyone wants to see, and slip-ups against Villa will be punished.

Tempered aggression

Though it was not full-strength City, Tottenham’s victory Wednesday was still a notable conquest. Spurs had just 32 percent possession but showed tons of energy pressing and charging forward on the counter. This is obviously a change from how Postecoglou typically sets up, and while Sunday is unlikely to follow this exact pattern, there are some relevant takeaways.

The last two goals Villa conceded were from a keeper longball to Raul Jimenez down the length of the entire pitch and a late equalizer off a Bournemouth free kick that came from a foul on the break. Tottenham continues to struggle breaking down low blocks, but fluid play certainly yielded chances against City and should be available again this weekend. Giving up some possession to stay aggressive defensively and pounce in transition is something I would welcome, especially in this sort of fixture.

good morning and happy November -

Today marks the beginning of the month, and you all know what that means: It’s time to take a look at the month ahead.

Yes welcome back to your montly edition of A Look at the Month Ahead, where we at Hoddle Headquarters take a look at what’s to come in the coming month for Tottenham Hotspur football. It’s all in the name baby!

Tottenham Hotspur men’s squad:

Tottenham’s reward for beating City at home on Wednesday? Well, a trip to City later this month. It’ll be the second of two huge matches for Spurs if they want to make a serious push for the top 4-6 this year.

But before then comes a home game agaisnt Aston Villa on Sunday. The clubs split the matches last year, with each winning the away fixture. Let’s hope Spurs put an end to that.

Plus, Spurs will be continuing their unbeaten run in the Europa League with matches against Galatasaray (hello Davinson Sanchez) and a Thanksgiving Day game against Roma.

Tottenham Hotspur men’s schedule: Aston Villa (3 Nov), at Galatasaray (7 Nov, Europa League), Ipswich Town (10 Nov), at City (23 Nov), Roma (28 Nov, Europa League)

Tottenham Hotspur women’s squad:

Speaking of City, they feature again. Only this time in the women’s competition.

It’ll be a tough month for the women, who lost against United, Chelsea and Liverpool recently. All three clubs are above them. This month they face both City and Arsenal. Very tough.

Maybe a home fixture against West Ham this weekend will do some good to boost their confidence.

Tottenham Hotspur women’s schedule: West Ham (3 Nov), at City (8 Nov), Arsenal (16 Nov), Aston Villa (23 Nov, WSL Cup)

Fitzie’s track of the day: Una Vez Mas, by Juanpalitoschinos

And now for your links:

Are there links here? Or have the links been inside you this whole time?

A fantastic win by Tottenham Hotspur over Manchester City has the Lilywhites through to a quarterfinal tie against Manchester United; unfortunately (for Spurs), sans-Erik ten Hag. A bruising and nail-biting encounter, both sides had chances to progress, but two early goals created enough of a cushion for Ange Postecoglou’s squad to see out a notable victory.

Both sides rotated, and both were hit by injury both through and before the match, but that didn’t stop Pep Guardiola’s side piling on the pressure as the fixture threatened to feel like an away match for Spurs. A strong home crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium helped silence any potential nerves, however, and with so many moments of interest it’s hard to narrow a piece like this down... but I will make an attempt.

What did we learn from this tough 2-1 League Cup win? Let’s dive in.

Tottenham Hotspur still have City’s number

Look, let’s be real - this was a match Spurs could have easily lost. City outshot Spurs 15 to 11, with xG sitting at 1.42 - 0.88 to the away team. Spurs could have also put the match to bed earlier, with several dangerous breaks unrealized due to misplaced passes and Timo embracing the Timo paradox™.

Weirdly, though, it doesn’t seem to matter how the balance of play goes when Spurs play City.

Manchester City seem to almost be cursed when they play Tottenham; in certain sporting vernacular, one might call it a hoodoo. Alongside Liverpool and (funnily enough) Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur have won the most matches against City since the start of Guardiola’s reign. If you narrow that down to the last 6 seasons, Spurs are clear leaders in that metric.

It’s strange - Spurs have had multiple managers through that period, varied tactical setups, and a complete overhaul of the players, so it’s hard to say exactly goes wrong (or rather, right) when City face Spurs. As for Ange Postecoglou, his record hasn’t been exactly great against the other top clubs in the league either; but that didn’t stop Spurs from chalking up another win yesterday against the Citizens. At least Spurs didn’t hand a Premier League title to Arsenal by doing it late last season.

Postecoglou can be pragmatic

We all love Ange Postecoglou’s commitment to his aggressive style of play - if you don’t, maybe Spurs are the wrong club to follow (and to be clear, that is not me judging anyone’s fandom) - attacking, vibrant football is part of the DNA of this club. In this match, though, Postecoglou took a slightly different approach.

While Spurs still employed their intense high press, once this was bypassed, they would immediately drop into a low block, looking to hit City on the counter. This isn’t totally unusual for Spurs, but the shape was slightly different too, with Pape Matar Sarr playing in a more reserved role alongside Rodrigo Bentancur at the base of midfield, each supporting the defensive efforts of the fullbacks and wingers out wide at times while Dejan Kulusevski often acted as an outlet in more of a true #10 role. It was almost more of a 4-4-1-1 shape employed, and the manner of the defensive shape and subsequent counter attacks almost (and I absolutely don’t say this to be perjorative) brought to mind the football of Jose Mourinho.

Now, it’s hard to say how much of this was pre-planned and how much was a response to the technical passing of the City XI and their ability to dominate the ball, but I’d hazard to say a bit of both - with fixture congestion hitting the side, Ange probably planned for some periods to drop, and his choice to bring on Yves Bissouma for Sarr to shore up the midfield also reflects this.

Whatever the reason, it got Spurs the win, and it’s nice to see that Ange does have another string to his bow to pull out when necessary.

Spurs’ defense is about to be tested

The Tottenham Hotspur powers-that-be made some strange decisions leading into this season with regards to the defensive makeup of the squad. Not investing in left back depth with Destiny Udogie coming off a significant injury; not naming Djed Spence in the Europa League squad; and expecting both Udogie and the likes of Micky van de Ven to cover that minute shortfall, with the Dutchman also suffering multiple hamstring injuries in recent years.

Well, it looks like those chickens may be coming home to roost now, with van de Ven limping off in tears with another apparent hamstring problem and Cristian Romero being subbed early due to “fatigue”. Destiny Udogie is already playing a LOT of minutes, and it looks like that won’t be changing any time soon, and we need to hope against hope that he stays fit - because if he doesn’t, Spurs are in trouble.

Additionally, Spurs haven’t exactly been defensively solid this season. Though the underlying numbers have improved so far this year, there is a notable problem defending the far post. It’s something Ange needs to address, with multiple goals in recent weeks being created due to an unmarked player being found by a cross or cutback from the opposite side of the 18-yard box. It’s hard to know exactly what the tactical instructions are in these scenarios; is the fullback coming too narrow, or dropping off too early? Is the fullback supposed to be doing that, and if so, is it the winger’s or midfielder’s job to cover? Is the spacing across the backline in general not quite right?

good morning and Happy Halloween !

Following Halloween tradition from years past, we’re celebrating the Big Day with a special spooky Track of the Day.

Today’s spooky Track of the Day comes from a familiar song - Eleanor Rigby.

“Eleanor Rigby?” you say. “That can’t possibly be spooky.”

Oh but it is dear hoddlers, it is. The song, stretching just over two minutes, is an exploration into the pitfalls of loneliness and isolation.

Now that we’ve got you proper scared, we’re going to go a little bit deeper because today’s Track of the Day doesn’t come from the Beatles. It comes from Vanilla Fudge.

“Fuge can’t be that spooky,” you say.

Oh but dear hoddlers, it is!

The psychadelic outfit can make just about anything spooky if they want to, and did so to brilliant degree on their debut album. I still remember when I first heard them cover Donovan’s Season of the Witch, which we covered in a spooky Track of the Day two years ago.

If you ever get the chance you should also check out Ticket To Ride and You Keep Me Hangin’ On.

Truly spooky stuff!

But today is about Eleanor Rigby. Truly, truly spooky.

Vanilla Fudge stretch out the song to over eight minutes, having the dear listener on pins and needles the whole. A sharp, dramatic organ reels you in further and further in before you realise you’re trapped, with no way out but to face the rest of the song.

So brew your witchiest coffee, sit back and strap in for today’s spooky Track of the Day.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Eleanor Rigby, by Vanilla Fudge

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$): Spurs shouldn’t write off Tmo Werner just yet

Dan KP: Ange Postecoglou vindicated in big night for Tottenham

We didn’t have to wait long to find out Tottenham Hotspur’s opponent in the next round of the Carabao Cup. Minutes after a hard-fought (and ultimately pyrrhic?) 2-1 win over Manchester City, they’ll now stay at home again and host the OTHER Manchester club. Spurs were drawn home to Manchester United in the quarterfinals, which will take place the week of December 17.

All in all — not too bad of a draw! This quarterfinal featured all Premier League teams so there’s not a ton of drama to be pulled from this draw, although I fully expected karma to draw Spurs away to Arsenal in this round. United are a pretty poor team as far as major Premier League clubs go, though who knows what will happen now that they’ve sacked Erik ten Hag and are close to appointing Rubin Amorim from Sporting. There’s a good two months for them to figure stuff out before this match takes place, but it’s certainly not the most dangerous team Tottenham could’ve drawn in this event.

Here’s the full draw:

Tottenham Hotspurs quest for a trophy is still on as the side put together a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Coming into the game, the hope was for Ange Postecglou to put forth an XI that was worth it to gun for the win despite the nagging injuries that are absent so far. On the other side, Pep Guardiola had stated after the third-round win that he would field a team of kids.

Starting six senior players and a few kids in the lineup for the Blues, Tottenham took its opportunity to leave its mark in front of the fans.

It took five minutes into the game for the first goal to be scored as Spurs led a beautiful counter from Archie Gray at right back. Sending a pass down the right touchline to Brennan Johnson, the Welshman hit a quick first-time flick to Dejan Kulusevski to run onto the ball and lead a 3-on-2 charge with Dominic Solanke and Timo Werner in both channels.

Kulusevski took three dribbles before sending a perfect low driven cross through the middle of the field for Werner to roll up on the ball for a first-time shot into the far post before Rico Lewis could get his sliding challenge in.

Leading 1-0, Spurs faced its first big challenge of the night in the 10th minute when Micky Van de Ven put in a sliding challenge on Savinho but came up holding his right hamstring. Dealing with hamstring issues his entire career, Van de Ven went down and looked distraught and teary-eyed as another hamstring injury took him off the pitch as fans sang his name loud and proud.

Knowing the importance Van de Ven presents for the defense, it was important for Tottenham to get another goal and find a way to hold down after. The team did just that in the 24th minute on a short corner routine.

Werner and Kulusevski played a little one-two before Kuluevski left the ball about 25-yard out rolling for Pape Sarr to take a first-time curler outside the frame of the goal and tucked inside the post with Stefan Ortega late to the shot.

Spurs allowed a goal late in the first half extra time with another mis lapse at the back post with Matheus Nunes getting a strike to fire past Vicario for a 2-1 deficit at the half.

In the second half, both sides squandered chances as Werner went for a far post shot that missed the frame, Kulusevski went for a shot instead of squaring up Solanke, and the worst of them all came from a gift on a plate to Richarlison.

Winning the ball off a Man City throw-in that just was errant into the City box, Richarlison had the chance to pick either side of the net and instead fired it right into the sprawled legs of Ortega.

Only holding onto a 2-1 lead the entire second half with that chance and others that could have sealed the win, Man City had one last chance in the final minutes.

Sending a left-sided corner to the back post, Vicario charged off his spot and to the crowd for a punch but was lodge jammed by teammates and left the net open for a free second chance strike by a Man City academy product in Nico O’Reilly. Taking the strike and believing he had the tying goal, Yves Bissouma saved it off the line with a lunging effort before letting a big celebration to keep Spurs on top.

Spurs held on in the end for a 2-1 win and the first win over Man City for Ange Postecoglou. With the win, Spurs enter the quarter finals of the EFL Cup with all remaining sides being Premier League sides.