TBR Football

Mohamed Salah was one of the senior architects behind Liverpool’s stunning attacking performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Ange Postecoglou was once again without several Tottenham players, meaning a centre-back partnership of Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin were tasked to stop Liverpool.

Put bluntly, the pair were never equipped to deal with the likes of Salah, Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai who were bypassing Spurs’ midfield in front of that centre-back pairing with ease.

Of course, Postecoglou once again refused to change the way Spurs approached the game despite how many players he was missing, particularly at the back.

The result? Spurs were torn defensively, and never stopped conceding chances until the full-time whistle blew.

Mohamed Salah discusses Tottenham’s ‘intense’ approach after Liverpool defeat

After scoring and assisting twice, Salah spoke to Sky Sports after the game and made some interesting comments about Tottenham’s approach.

The Egyptian wasn’t talking negatively about Spurs at all, but noted that their approach never changes – something that might be frustrating fans in N17 at this point.

In fairness, Salah noted that Manchester City struggled on their visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, even if his side didn’t.

Salah said: “We were quite good up front but defensively we need to improve as a team. Conceding three goals is quite hard. It’s a good result, hopefully we just keep going.

“We expected that [a chaotic game], the way they play, they open the game, they enjoy their football, physically tough and mentally we always have to be in the game.

“They don’t change much the way they play, it’s intense. City came here and struggled, other teams too. I’m happy we won because they play an intense game.”

Ange Postecoglou goes on the defensive after Liverpool loss

As mentioned, Tottenham were missing several key players at the back, even if that won’t spare them from any criticism.

Spurs will have to face a few more difficult fixtures over the festive period without their main centre-backs, and they can’t keep shipping goals like they have.

However, when speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Postecoglou was asked if there were any other factors other than injuries behind Spurs’ poor display at the back, a question that seemed to frustrate the manager.

He replied: “I’m just going to stop answering these questions. If people can’t see the obvious I‘m not going to point it out. Make of it what you want, yes we’re conceding goals.

“If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and left-back and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing… I don’t know what to say anymore.”

Tottenham were hammered by Liverpool in front of their own fans and Peter Schmeichel has stuck the boot into manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou looked on as his injury hit defence struggled to contain Liverpool and in the end, the Reds scored six and could have had even more.

Tottenham have now conceded 14 in their last five games and will go into the Christmas period in the bottom half of the table.

However, while some will point to injuries and other factors, former Man United ace Peter Schmeichel has took aim at Postecoglou.

Peter Schmeichel unhappy with Ange Postecoglou after Tottenham v Liverpool

Speaking about the way Tottenham player under Postecoglou, former Man United stopper Schmeichel lamented the Aussie and says the defeat is on him, not his players.

“It’s on [Ange Postecoglou]. He’s playing to his principles. Today it was crazy, the high-line, the space they left behind, they’re not playing with a ‘keeper who’s comfortable cleaning up behind. You can’t play a system the players can’t play because of principle. For that they’ve conceded three on Thursday [in the League Cup] and six today,” Schmeichel said.

“When you look at the table, they’re not on the front page, they’re on the second page. Tottenham are not supposed to be on the second page, it’s because of the way they play.

“The stubbornness of wanting to play that way, they got what they deserved and it could have been a lot worse.”

Tottenham need to replace Fraser Forster

Fraser Forster is an experienced goalkeeper and has had a fine career but he’s simply not the man to do the business in the way Postecoglou wants to play.

That is, of course, not Forster’s fault and the manager has to take responsibility for trying to carry on the same way without the right personnel.

Postecoglou apparently wants to sign James Trafford to replace Forster and in all honesty, that move needs to happen soon.

As for Schmeichel’s comments, well, that’s something a lot of Spurs fans are likely to agree on.

Tottenham have bounced back from a run of five games without a win with two successive victories.

Spurs hammered Southampton 5-0 in the Premier League last Sunday before netting four against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, albeit while conceding three as Fraser Forster delivered a nightmarish performance.

Despite this small upturn in form, there is still a lot of room for improvement under Ange Postecoglou – who could use some fresh faces in his squad to provide added depth.

Now – according to Football Transfers – there is a player Tottenham feel they could sign this January in Julian Brandt.

Tottenham want Julian Brandt

Spurs have now decided to step up their interest in the Germany international – after deeming Crystal Palace No.10 Eberechi Eze as too expensive.

Steve Kay writes that Tottenham feel Brandt – who is best friends with Kai Havertz – could provide cover for James Maddison in the attacking midfield department, while also giving Postecoglou the option to rotate his frontline.

The Borussia Dortmund No.10 is capable of playing on either wing, while he has also been deployed as a striker at times throughout his career.

Football Transfers explain that transfer funds will be limited for Tottenham in the January window, although Spurs feel they have a good chance of signing Brandt for a reasonable fee due to the fact his contract expires in 18 months.

Borussia Dortmund may be open to losing the German – who they signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £22.1m back in May 2019 – in January, rather than wait until his value decreases in the summer due to the contract situation.

Brandt – who has captained Borussia Dortmund six times in the absence of Emre Can this term – has scored two goals and provided five assists in 18 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Julian Brandt was once put above Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho

The 28-year-old is highly rated in Germany. Jurgen Klopp even famously wanted to sign him instead of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.

Interestingly, the aforementioned Havertz once said Brandt was outdoing Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho, a partly biased claim given the fact they are close friends, but an intriguing statement nonetheless.

The Arsenal No.29 said: “I wrote to him (Brandt) on Tuesday after the game. Sancho and Haaland aren’t playing too badly either, but at the moment he’s the best player at Dortmund.”

Soon, the pair could become even closer – at least geographically – if Spurs bring the Borussia Dortmund playmaker to north London.

Heung-min Son oversaw Yang Min-hyeok’s first session at Hotspur Way and the Tottenham Hotspur captain has a message for the club’s supporters.

Yang flew to London last week and was in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch Spurs beat Manchester United. The teenager also started his preparation to become a Tottenham player as he used the club’s state-of-the-art training facilities to complete his first gym work in London.

Having watched his fellow compatriot train at Hotspur Way, Son was keen to get a message across regarding what to expect from the youngster.

Heung-min Son keen to taper Yang Min-hyeok expectations

Heung-min Son has told Tottenham fans not to put too much pressure on the shoulders of Yang Min-hyeok. Yang will officially become a Spurs player on January 1 when he can start playing and training with Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

However, Son claims that people are too quick to pile expectation on the shoulders of young players nowadays and he has called for Tottenham’s latest recruit to be given time. The Lilywhites captain also revealed that he is trying to help the teenagers as much as possible following his arrival in London.

Son told Hayters TV: “I’m trying my best, obviously there are some situations he will have to handle by himself, so I can’t help him like I’m his dad, but I am going to help him on and off the pitch. I hope he can bring some great football and great talent to the club, so I can’t wait to see him with us.”

When asked about what fans can expect from the young winger, Son said: “I don’t want to give him big pressure, he is only 18. I think nowadays people are going too early over their excitement for young players so I want to keep him quiet. I just hope he works hard and helps the team.”

Heung-min Son watches Yang Min-hyeok’s first session at Hotspur Way

The work at Hotspur Way has started for Yang as the young winger was put through his paces in his first session as a player for Tottenham. Yang has revealed he is at about 80 to 90 percent fitness having only just finished his season with Gangwon FC.

Son was there to oversee Yang’s first session at the Enfield training complex. The 18-year-old will only be able to start training with his teammates as of next month.

Ange Postecoglou has decided he is keen to sign a new goalkeeper in January and the Australian manager already knows the one he wants.

Spurs are keen to move in January to replace Fraser Forster following his two blunders against Man United. The 34-year-old is currently standing in for Guglielmo Vicario who is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Forster has proven himself to be a solid shot-stopper, however, Postecoglou is keen to sign a goalkeeper who can play out from the back. Currently, he is stuck with Forster as his number one with Vicario out until February.

Tottenham want to sign James Trafford to replace Fraser Forster

Tottenham are considering a move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, according to The Mirror. The North London club have green-lighted Ange Postecoglou’s plan to sign a goalkeeper in January as he looks to replace Fraser Forster.

Trafford has emerged as a target for Spurs with the North London club looking at homegrown options from the EFL. Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson and Sheffield Wednesday’s Pierce Charles are among the other names on their list.

The 22-year-old is expected to cost around £20 million as Burnley are keen to keep hold of the goalkeeper. The Clarets proved tricky to negotiate with when Newcastle tried to sign Trafford last summer and the same case is expected next month.

Would James Trafford be an ideal Fraser Forster replacement?

The data appears to suggest that Trafford is better in possession than Forster which is something Postecoglou is keen to add to his squad. The former Southampton man cost Tottenham two goals against United trying and failing to play out from the back.

It is clear that this is a significant weakness of Forster’s game and bringing in a shot-stopper like Trafford could be an ideal move for the Lilywhites.

Speaking after the match, Postecoglou admitted his team needed a better understanding of when was the right time to play out from the back against United: “I think we should have waited for him [Zirkzee] to clear the box before we start playing because then he presses from inside the box.

“So we could have handled that situation a little bit better, just some calmness but then when that happens I think us going back to Frase a couple of times probably wasn’t the right decision.”

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to be on the market for a new defender in the January transfer window.

Spurs should’ve signed a new defender last summer, but Ange Postecoglou decided against it. That has come back to haunt his side this season.

Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies have all been sidelined due to injuries, while Destiny Udogie has had his problems as well. That has led to Archie Gray playing as a centre-half.

Postecoglou knows he can’t go through another window without strengthening his backline. His Tottenham side have now been linked with a move to sign a title-winning defender.

Tottenham expected to bid £35m for Yann Bisseck

Yann Bisseck has been linked with a move to Tottenham for a couple of months now.

The versatile German has impressed at Inter Milan whenever he has got an opportunity. He has made a great name for himself and has performed brilliantly in the Champions League as well.

In October, a report claimed that Tottenham could offer Radu Dragusin in a swap deal to sign Bisseck, but it was stated that Inter were not interested in a swap deal.

Bisseck has since extended his contract with the Italian champions, but Tottenham are still eyeing a move to sign him in January.

CaughtOffside claim that both Spurs and West Ham United are interested in signing Bisseck. The two London rivals sent scouts to watch him recently and received very positive reports.

Inter haven’t decided whether they would be open to selling Bisseck, but the report claims that they will find it difficult to turn down a good bid.

It has been claimed that both Tottenham and West Ham are ‘expected’ to offer £35 million for his services once the winter window opens.

Yann Bisseck produced a masterclass against Bukayo Saka in the Champions League

Inter Milan beat Arsenal 1-0 in the Champions League earlier this season, and Bisseck started on the left side of a back three in that game.

Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s main man and tried very hard to hurt the Inter defence. But, Bisseck stopped him with what Fabrizio Romano described as a ‘masterclass‘ at the back.

Bisseck was hailed by the Italian media for keeping Saka ‘quiet’ in that game, and we’re sure that will go down very well if he ends up at Tottenham.

It remains to be seen if Spurs can convince Inter Milan to let him go in the January transfer window.

Ange Postecoglou was delighted to see his Tottenham Hotspur side beat Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-final.

Spurs booked their place in the last four of the competition following a 4-3 victory over the Red Devils. It was a great game to watch for the neutral and there was a lot of drama in the final 30 minutes of the fixture.

Tottenham only have themselves to blame for their problems. They were 3-0 up and cruising, but two avoidable mistakes from Fraser Forster brought Manchester United back into the game.

Postecoglou has now claimed that one of those goals should’ve been ruled out.

Ange Postecoglou says Joshua Zirkzee’s goal for Manchester United vs Tottenham was ‘illegal’

Manchester United weren’t awful by any means, but Tottenham’s clinical finishing put them 3-0 up by the 54th minute of the game.

It looked like it would be a straightforward victory for the Londoners at that point, but Postecoglou’s men decided to create problems for themselves.

Forster made a huge mistake while playing out from the back. He passed the ball to Bruno Fernandes inside the box, who then rolled it into the path of Joshua Zirkzee to score.

It was a terrible mistake by the Tottenham goalkeeper, and Postecoglou has acknowledged that. However, after watching it back, the Spurs boss thinks the goal should have been ruled out.

That’s because Postecoglou noticed that Zirkzee was inside the box when the goal kick was taken – the Australian says that was ‘illegal’ and shouldn’t have counted.

He said, as per Football London: “I think the first goal can happen. Zirkzee was actually in the box pressing when he should have been… actually what he did was illegal.

“But anyway we’ll let that run because there was no VAR last night.

“That was my decision so I’m happy with that. I think we should have waited for him [Zirkzee] to clear the box before we start playing because then he presses from inside the box.”

The referee made another mistake during Tottenham vs Manchester United

Nobody apart from Postecoglou noticed that Zirkzee was inside the box when the goal kick was taken. Even the Tottenham players didn’t complain.

That goal stood and another error from Forster allowed Amad Diallo to bring the game to 3-2. United were right back in it at that stage.

However, in the 88th minute of the game, Son scored directly from a corner to push Tottenham 4-2 up. That ended up being the winner.

Spurs fan and pundit Jamie O’Hara was delighted that his side won, but he pointed out a big refereeing error after the game.

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are set to lock horns in a highly-anticipated Premier League clash in North London on Sunday.

Both Tottenham and Liverpool triumphed in their respective Carabao Cup quarter-finals and will be eager to make it two wins in a row this week.

Ange Postecoglou’s charges ran out 4-3 winners over Manchester United, while Arne Slot’s side overcame Southampton 2-1 at St Mary’s Stadium.

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has now predicted who will come out on top in the Premier League game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Chris Sutton backs Liverpool to run out 3-2 winners at Tottenham

Sutton, writing on BBC Sport, predicted a five-goal thriller with Liverpool running out 3-2 winners over the Lilywhites.

The pundit also said he related to Postecoglou’s comments on how difficult it is to be manager, while also touching upon Liverpool’s draw against Fulham last week.

“Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said this week that management is a harder job than being prime minister and, from my spell in charge of Lincoln, I can testify to that,” said Sutton.

“Postecoglou knows all about the highs and lows that managers can experience from one week to the next, because that has been the story of Spurs’ season.

“The same might apply just to this game too. While I think Tottenham will get some joy because it is going to be action packed, Liverpool will not lie down and I fancy them to come out on top.

“How Spurs deal with Mohamed Salah on the counter-attack is going to be key, but I cannot see them stopping him completely.

“People might look at Liverpool’s draw with Fulham last weekend and think it was not a great result for Arne Slot’s side but I was there and, honestly, the way they played with 10 men was incredible.

“They looked like they were the team with the extra man.”

An exciting encounter could be on the cards, with Slot suggesting criticism of Postecoglou’s attacking style of play is wrong.

Tottenham v Liverpool team news

Destiny Udogie and Timo Werner remain doubts for Sunday’s match against Liverpool after sitting out the Manchester United game.

Werner missed the Carabao Cup quarter-final due to illness, while Udogie was absent after limping off during the 5-0 victory at Southampton last weekend.

Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert remain injured, while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended.

As for Liverpool, they were boosted by the return of Kostas Tsimikas, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa in the midweek win over Southampton.

Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley remain on the sidelines, however.

Tottenham and Chelsea’s rivalry is as fierce in the executive suite as it is in the terraces.

Okay, maybe not quite as fierce. Or, at least, the ferocity is expressed through pointed barbs at Premier League shareholder meetings as opposed to hurled insults from the stands.

Spurs and Chelsea are both members of broad factions – some on social media label them the ‘blue cartel and the ‘red cartel’ – who are at civil war behind the scenes.

They are quite capable of cooperating when it is in their shared interest, but the two London clubs disagree on the philosophy behind the league’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and other issues.

Financially, Chelsea used to have a commanding lead over Spurs. In recent years, however, the scales have tipped the other way.

The catalyst was the construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has thrust the North Londoners into a new dimension both commercially and in terms of matchday income.

Success on the pitch is significant, yes, but a club’s ‘brand’ is now seen as just as if not more important by potential new sponsors and collaborators.

It’s a concept which is completely alien to most bedrock Spurs and Chelsea fans, but it is the commercial reality for clubs in the modern era.

This in turn has a major bearing on the budgets available to Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca respectively, especially as PSR will eventually catch up with Chelsea.

Daniel Levy and Todd Boehly both recognise the power of sponsorship – and Tottenham and Chelsea are competing for one of the biggest deals of them all.

Chelsea and Spurs competing for Nike Air Jordan deal

Paris Saint-Germain’s partnership with Air Jordan, the Nike off-shoot co-signed by NBA legend Michael Jordan, is worth a reported £18m per season.

That was on top of the money they were earning directly from Nike, taking their overall commercial return on the relationship to dizzy heights.

Not only did it provide a huge source of income upfront, but the Air Jordan collaboration has made PSG football’s biggest ‘lifestyle’ brand.

In layman’s terms, people who don’t care about football are still potential buyer of PSG merchandise. They have accessed an entirely new market.

Now, both Chelsea and Spurs, who are both partnered with Nike, are gunning to be the next big club to get the Air Jordan treatment from Nike.

Spurs are under contract with the American sportswear giant until 2033, and an £18m-a-year boost from Air Jordan at that rate would be worth around £162m to them all told.

The brand benefits, although less easily quantifiable, would arguably outstrip the base fee by an order of magnitude.

Chelsea and Spurs both exploring retro badges for 2025-26

Interestingly, when Spurs launched the controversial redesign of their club crest earlier this year, one element of the rebrand was the return of the club’s monogram.

The monogram, an amalgamation of the letters T, H, F and C, was featured on their crest from 1989 to 1995 and 1999 to 2006.

Now, reports are suggesting that they will feature the monogram on their third kit for 2025-26.

Similarly, Chelsea are also considering a retro crest for their third kit next season.

Those consulted by TBR Football invariably see this as an attempt to move in a ‘streetwear’ direction and sell more club-branded merchandise to a new market.

It’s not a new idea, but it is one that is increasingly being trumpeted by the big braings, and clubs like Spurs and Chelsea, whose owners both think their clubs have far more commercial upside, are well aware.

Tottenham Hotspur have done well on the youth transfer market in recent years, signing some of the best young talents in world football.

The likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie arrived at Spurs somewhat under the radar and have developed into Premier League starters.

And this year, Tottenham secured deals for the likes of Yang Min-Hyeok, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray.

Of those, Gray was the most well-known ahead joining Spurs after exploding onto the scene at Leeds United.

The Tottenham summer signing has now taken part in an interview with the Daily Mail in which he spoke about a variety of topics.

Gray shared how he’s finding life at Spurs, including what he thinks of his teammates after initially being “starstruck” upon his arrival at Hotspur Way.

Archie Gray hails ‘completely normal’ Tottenham teammates

Gray admitted that he was initially star-struck by the Tottenham players because he was so used to seeing them on FIFA.

However, the 18-year-old came to realise that, while they are “world-class” footballers on the pitch, they are completely normal people off it.

Gray also stressed that Tottenham have a really good dressing-room atmosphere and that he enjoys being part of a “great group”.

Gray said: “They are world-class players but at the end of the day off the pitch they are just normal people. In the changing room they are normal guys.

“Looking on the outside you think ‘wow, I play with these guys on FIFA’, because that’s how I looked at it when I first went in!

“It sounds a bit weird but I was still a bit star-struck. But they are just normal guys who are really helping me everyday.

“I think the difference is that when work comes to work on the training pitch it’s 100 per cent every single day.

“As soon as they get off the pitch they are really great to have around in the changing room. It’s a great group.”

What Ange Postecoglou thinks of Gray

Gray has been slowly but surely going from strength to strength, doing well in an unfamiliar centre-back position during Spurs’ injury crisis.

Just a few days ago, Postecoglou sung Gray’s praises, saying he’s so excited to be working with the England youth international.

“I am so excited by Archie and that’s another positive for us that we have another 18-year-old who just plays and no one mentions that he is 18,” he said.

“They just measure his performance and, like I said, I am asking him to do different jobs.

“It would probably be more comfortable for him if he was settled in one position but he is playing football at a really high level in Europe and the Premier League.

“That’s going to set us up really well for the player that he is going to become.”