TBR Football

Everton were denied an equaliser in the first half against Tottenham Hotspur, and Mark Clattenburg has shared his opinion on whether the referee made the right decision.

A goal from stand-in Spurs skipper Micky van de Ven gave the Lilywhites the lead after 19 minutes at Hill Dickinson Stadium but Everton didn’t take long to reply.

An inswinging corner from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was nodded home by Jake O’Brien just five minutes later, but after a lengthy VAR review and a visit to the monitor for Craig Pawson, the goal was chalked off.

Everton fans were furious with the decision, with both Iliman Ndiaye adjudged to have impeded Guglielmo Vicario from an offside position as the ball came into the box. So, should the goal have stood?

Mark Clattenburg’s verdict on Everton’s disallowed goal

We asked former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg what his thoughts on the matter were, and he told TBR Football exclusively that Pawson made the right decision.

Clattenburg said: “It was a correct decision to disallow the goal after Ndiaye was judged to have interfered with Spurs goalkeeper Vicario. There was a clear contact which impacted the goalkeeper’s ability to save the ball.”

While some will say this is something of a subjective call, there is certainly precedent for such a situation and the FA rules are pretty clear on the matter, too.

As per Law 11 in the FA’s rulebook, it is stated: “A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by: interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or interfering with an opponent by preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision.”

Guglielmo Vicario has always struggled to deal with set-pieces

Tottenham Hotspur fans know all about Guglielmo Vicario’s weaknesses when it comes to dealing with set-pieces.

Vicario played a starring role in Spurs’ last outing in the Champions League, but his command of his area leaves a lot to be desired.

In many ways, the Italian is the main reason that referees have started to clamp down on opposition players being too intrusive and aggressive in the box in terms of interfering with goalkeepers.

Vicario has been caught out time and time again over the last two seasons, and it’s the one area of his game he must improve. He may well be a little bit lucky to have got away with that one today against Everton.

The Thomas Frank era at Tottenham Hotspur is off to a pretty positive start, but there are still some things he needs to fix, including one obvious mistake he keeps making.

Under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs were criticised for being too disorganised and cavalier, while the manager himself was repeatedly told to be more adaptable in his tactical approach.

He refused to do so, at least in the league, and it cost him his job despite ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a trophy with that Europa League triumph.

Now, with Thomas Frank at the helm, the Lilywhites are far more solid and consistent. But, one pattern has continued across the tenure of both Spurs bosses, and even an unbeaten start in the Champions League is not disguising it.

Archie Gray needs to be played in midfield

Frank was told he’s using Mathys Tel wrong just a few days ago, but it’s actually the repeated insistence on playing Archie Gray in defence that is a crime against football.

The youngster has proven himself more than dependable wherever he’s played. Last season, Postecoglou employed the former Leeds starlet all the way across the back four, and he never let Spurs down.

Indeed, playing at left-back against Monaco last night, Gray was tireless, composed, did the dirty work, and made efforts to progress the ball forward at every opportunity — something that cannot be said of his teammate, Rodrigo Bentancur.

However, his natural position is in midfield, and yet Tottenham fans have hardly ever actually seen him play there. He’s shown time and time again that he has all the attributes needed to unlock the best out of this Spurs midfield, so when will Frank realise he needs to be playing higher up the pitch?

The balance of the Spurs midfield is all wrong

I’ll go back to Rodrigo Bentancur and reiterate that he is quite clearly the weak link in this Thomas Frank system right now. The Uruguayan midfielder has plenty of positive attributes — he’s good at breaking up play and is always calm on the ball — but the problem is, he seems terrified of making progressive passes.

While that’s great for maintaining possession, it seriously harms the attacking momentum and Spurs look blunt in that regard lately.

Despite injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, Thomas Frank still has very exciting options in the middle of the park, but he just seems to be using them in the wrong combination.

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Lucas Bergvall was poor in the number 10 role against Monaco, a role which should be reserved for Xavi Simons. Instead, the Swedish star needs to drop a little deeper into the pivot role.

Pape Sarr has been inexplicably absent of late, and that needs to change, with the athletic Senegalese star offering much-needed energy in the midfield.

Lucas Bergvall featured for Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League clash against AS Monaco, but it was a night to forget for the young Swedish star.

Bergvall has been magnificent for Tottenham this season, with the wonderkid quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Frank has acknowledged Bergvall’s talents, and for that reason, at just 19 years old, he’s becoming a regular starter under his new manager.

That said, there are always going to be games where he looks a little out of his depth.

Lucas Bergvall was poor for Tottenham against Monaco

Bergvall started in the number 10 role on Wednesday evening, with Frank opting for the youngster over major summer coup Xavi Simons.

The usually ever-elegant midfielder was anything but on Wednesday evening. Fans noted that Bergvall looked chaotic in his role, rushing many of Spurs’ attacks against the French opposition and losing the ball on several occasions.

For this reason, the teenager only managed 60 minutes on the pitch before being hooked by Frank and replaced by the Dutchman, Simons.

Football London cited that he looked “weak in possession” and subsequently “was substituted after an hour and never looked really comfortable positionally.”

Lucas Bergvall’s stats reflect bad day at the office in Champions League

The proof is in the pudding – and Bergvall’s stats do him no favours. Sourced from FOTMOB.

It’s safe to say that in his short Tottenham career, this was his worst outing. That said, it happens. With Bergvall’s immense talent, some forget just how young the creative midfielder is.

Bergvall will bounce back at Tottenham, with no better time than this weekend as Spurs face a tough trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to take on Everton.

Thomas Frank watched his Tottenham side move up to five points in the UEFA Champions League table after three games with a 0-0 draw against Monaco.

Guglielmo Vicario was the hero – making eight saves in total to deny the French side and save his defence – but it was undoubtedly a concerning display from an attacking perspective as well for Spurs, who are now 15th.

Thomas Frank therefore has work to do at Hotspur Way – but the Dane can take some comfort from making a bit of Tottenham history in Monaco.

History made as Thomas Frank sets a Tottenham first

The 52-year-old has now become the first Tottenham manager ever to go unbeaten in their first three UEFA Champions League matches.

Spurs recorded a 1-0 win over Villarreal in their opening match of the 2025/26 European campaign, before fighting back from 2-0 down to claim a 2-2 draw against Bodo/Glimt in the second outing.

Tottenham undoubtedly need to improve on the attacking front if they want to have a memorable season in Europe, but Frank – who benched Pape Sarr again – can be proud of his solid start to life in the UEFA Champions League with Spurs.

Thomas Frank also did something not witnessed since Antonio Conte 959 days ago

The draw against Monaco could represent something of a reset for Tottenham, after several chaotic matches during the reign of Ange Postecoglou – who Nottingham Forest just sacked.

Not since Antonio Conte on 8th March 2023 have Tottenham been involved in a 0-0 draw, which came against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

For too long under Postecoglou, the backline was stretched and clean sheets were all too rare, so it should actually bring an element of calm to Tottenham that a 0-0 draw has finally occurred.

It gives Frank a foundation to work on his attack, and hopefully start to turn these draws – four of which have now occurred across all competitions this term – into wins.

Thomas Frank continued his peculiar treatment of Pape Sarr as Tottenham faced Monaco in the UEFA Champions League.

The Senegal international was a key man under the Dane at the start of the season, playing 90 minutes in the UEFA Super Cup against PSG and a further 90 minutes in three of Tottenham’s opening four Premier League games.

However, since being left on the bench for the 2-2 draw at Brighton in September, the Spurs No.29 has only been given 12, 17 and four minutes respectively in the last three Premier League outings.

Thomas Frank snubbed Pape Sarr once again when naming his lineup for the UEFA Champions League clash against Monaco – frustrating Tottenham fans on social media in doing so – but there is one positive they can take from the situation.

Spurs will need to get used to coping without Pape Sarr

While it is admittedly odd to see Sarr left out lately – despite being heavily involved at the start of the season – Tottenham do need to get used to life without the man born in Thiaroye.

The 23-year-old is set to jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations this winter, with the tournament starting on 21st December and ending on 18th January.

Given the fact Senegal can boast the likes of Sarr, Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mane, Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye, Ismaila Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, many expect them to go all the way.

Should that happen, it would see Sarr miss seven games for Tottenham, as well as the FA Cup third round (draw yet to take place) and a potential Carabao Cup game if Spurs progress.

We appreciate the games against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund do not fall between the 21st December and the 18th January, although Sarr – who has impressed Ally McCoist – is likely to miss these encounters as he travels to and from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Thomas Frank might just be taking a very cautious approach over Pape Sarr

Sarr did miss the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Doncaster back on 24th September due to a thigh issue Frank described as a “minor” problem.

The 52-year-old said: “It was a minor precaution. A minor, how can you say… a little stretch to the thigh, so we didn’t want to take any risks today. There is a good chance that he could be ready for Saturday (the 1-1 draw against Wolves).”

Sarr did actually start the 2-2 draw against Bodo/Glimt on 30th September, playing 69 minutes, so it is possible that a setback occurred in that match and Tottenham are just easing him back into action, but that is merely speculation.

There is no player doing it like Harry Kane right now, with the Bayern Munich forward in scintillating form. But, he owes a lot to a former Tottenham striker who he idolised as a youngster.

Since Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, he has taken the Bundesliga by storm. He’s already racked up over 100 goals for Bayern, broken all kinds of records, and finally landed his first trophy.

Even Kane himself said he’s playing the best football of his life right now. With 19 goals in 11 matches this season, it’s hard to disagree.

There are now rumours Kane could return to Spurs in the near future, and given how he feels about one Tottenham legend, there’s a good chance he will want to come back home and pick up where he left off.

Harry Kane reveals his four best strikers, including Spurs legend

In a recent TikTok on the GOAL account, Kane was asked for his Mount Rushmore of retired strikers. Among the four choices, he picked out Ronaldo (the Brazil legend), England superstar Wayne Rooney, whom he described as “one of the best strikers to do it”, and former Real Madrid icon Raul.

Then, in a bit of a surprise choice, Kane named former Spurs man Teddy Sheringham as the fourth and final pick.

On Sheringham, Kane said: “I watched him growing up. A very clever footballer. He had an amazing career. He’s someone who I watched a lot and learned a lot from when I was younger.”

Sheringham is a member of the Premier League Hall of Fame, was part of Manchester United’s famous treble-winning side of 1999, and made a whopping 277 appearances for Spurs during his time there.

He scored 125 goals for the Lilywhites and has remained strongly connected with the club since retiring.

Teddy Sheringham and Harry Kane are incredibly similar players

In many ways, it’s obvious that Kane idolised Sheringham and drew influences from his game. They’re both strikers who know where the back of the net is, of course, and who were able to use both physicality and intelligence to create chances.

Sheringham was a brilliant aerial threat, just like Kane, but was also wonderfully nimble and tricky with his feet, too. The only main difference, really, is that Kane is arguably more mobile and covers more ground, with a willingness to drop deep to make things happen.

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That’s not to say Sheringham wouldn’t put in the hard yards, but he was a more old-fashioned forward; the type that would hang around in the box and find space, with an impeccable knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Bournemouth are not expecting to lose Antoine Semenyo in January, but they are already working on potential replacements, knowing he is almost certain to leave in the summer of 2026, TBR Football understands.

Semenyo signed a new contract with The Cherries last summer, but as previously revealed, it does include a release clause.

While the number of Semenyo suitors seems to increase week by week, Bournemouth and their recruitment team – led by president of football operations Tiago Pinto – are already considering how they might replace him.

Sources have confirmed to TBR Football that the club have been impressed by a number of different players, but they could once again turn to the Championship – something they have done successfully in recent years.

Exclusive: Bournemouth like Ipswich Town’s Jaden Philogene

The likes of Marcus Tavernier, Alex Scott, and indeed Semenyo himself were all recruited from the Championship.

Now, TBR Football can reveal that one player Bournemouth rate very highly is Ipswich Town’s Jaden Philogene.

Philogene is one of the Championship’s standout forwards and has started the season in superb form, scoring five goals so far.

We can confirm that Bournemouth are one of several Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Philogene, with Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Brentford also monitoring the 23-year-old.

TBR Football also understands that Bournemouth have been keeping an eye on other potential options this season, including Real Sociedad’s Barrene, Roma’s Mathias Soule, Rio Ave’s Andre Luiz, and Bodo/Glimt’s Jens Petter Hauge.

Chief correspondent Graeme Bailey said: “Bournemouth have confirmed Semenyo has a clause, but they are really are insistent that he won’t be leaving in January.

“Nobody at this point knows if the clause can be activated in January or not, but I am led to believe it is more than than the Dominic Solanke clause which was £65million and is someone willing to do that in the January window? It is unlikely.

“Semenyo for his part is keeping quiet, but Bournemouth are making sure that the message is out there that Semenyo is not available.

“But off the back of the Semenyo interest, Tiago and his team are doing work on potential replacements but again they see that for the summer rather than January.

“Whilst I believe what Bournemouth are saying, within football, the noises are getting louder and some think he could move.”

Tottenham suffered their second defeat of the Premier League season on Sunday.

Spurs were stung by goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia after Rodrigo Bentancur put Tottenham ahead, ultimately losing 2-1 to drop down to sixth in the Premier League.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – who made 391 appearances for Aston Villa – was inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the game, where he was “shocked” by the lack of atmosphere and spotted Richarlison thinking likewise.

Tottenham fans slammed for staying “silent” against Aston Villa

Speaking to Jeff Stelling on talkSPORT, the 39-year-old said: “I was like, what’s going on? What am I hearing?

“Jeff, it was silent. They only sang when they scored the first goal… Richarlison when he came on kept throwing his arms up saying come on, give us a bit more. I was so shocked. I’ve been to the Etihad where it’s been quiet but Spurs fans cannot banter Manchester City for atmosphere because it was silent.”

It was eerily quiet inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, almost as if the north Londoners were right at the bottom of the Premier League.

We appreciate the fact Thomas Frank is yet to get his Tottenham side playing scintillating football, but Spurs were third in the table heading into this game and also boasted a goal difference of eight – the best in the league behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Therefore, it was quite a surprise to see Tottenham fans give the Dane and his side so little backing, and the silence seemed to give Aston Villa confidence to go on and secure all three points.

Thomas Frank deserves backing

We would understand silence around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium if Daniel Levy was still at the helm, given how little was accomplished in his 25 years at Spurs and the pessimism that surrounded his very existence.

However, the 63-year-old is now gone, with Tottenham embarking on a new era after further changes were made to the footballing structure.

Fabio Paratici is back working alongside Johan Lange, a positive, honest coach is in place in Frank, and Spurs can boast some of the most exciting talents in Europe such as Lucas Bergvall, Micky van de Ven, Pape Sarr and Xavi Simons.

There is so much to be excited about at Spurs right now, but the vast potential of the club may not be realised if Tottenham fans needlessly create a negative atmosphere.

Alan Shearer has named two Aston Villa players in his Premier League Team of the Week after their win over Tottenham Hotspur.

After zero wins in five, Unai Emery’s men have now picked up nine points in their last three Premier League matches.

Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday thanks to goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers.

The result moved the Villans up to 12th in the Premier League table and saw Alan Shearer waxing lyrical about two of their stars.

Alan Shearer names Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne in Premier League Team of the Week

Speaking to the Premier League’s official website, Shearer selected Rogers and Lucas Digne in his Team of the Week.

On Rogers, he said: “What a way to open your account for the season! An outstanding goal. He was just too hot for Spurs to handle.”

Shearer was also quick to praise Digne for how he handled one of Tottenham’s big-money summer signings, Mohammed Kudus.

He said: “Kept Spurs’ in-form winger Mohammed Kudus quiet and was a constant outlet on the left channel.”

While Digne was solid defensively, Rogers was one of the best performers on the day and earned a ‘quality’ verdict from Thomas Frank post-match.

He said: “If you said to me before the game, ‘they will shoot from there, Rogers and Buendia’, from that situation, I would say, ‘of course, it’s not dangerous’, but fantastic quality shot from Rogers.

How much is Morgan Rogers worth

Sunday’s strike against Spurs was Rogers’ first of the season in all competitions.

Despite a slow start on the goal front, TBR Football’s chief correspondent, Graeme Bailey, revealed recently that Villa are pleased with the midfielder’s development.

He said: “Aston Villa are massively happy with Rogers, he has gone from strength to strength under Unai Emery.

“However, he has become a prominent figure for England and Villa know they need to reward him again, and he is in line to become their highest earner.”

Bailey also mentioned transfer interest from Chelsea and PSG, but it looks like any potentially interested parties would have to break the bank to land the 23-year-old.

Peter Crouch has been asked to build his perfect footballer, and selected one of his former Tottenham Hotspur teammates alongside some world-class talent.

After a prolific spell at Portsmouth, Crouch followed Harry Redknapp to Tottenham in the summer of 2009.

The 44-year-old spent two seasons at White Hart Lane before signing for Stoke City.

Crouch featured alongside some top talent, including the likes of Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe, but it is another ex-Spurs man who he has now name-dropped.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the former England international was asked six questions to build his dream player. Here are his answers:

A year after Crouch’s exit, Modric also departed North London, signing for Real Madrid in 2012.

During their two years at Spurs, the duo played together on 66 occasions.

Jermaine Jenas disagrees with Peter Crouch’s Luka Modric verdict

Zinedine Zidane has been left similarly in awe of Modric, dubbing him the best long-distance shooter in the world.

But while Crouch and Zidane have been quick to praise the Croatian, Jermaine Jenas actually believes he played with somebody better at Tottenham.

When naming his best midfield teammates for club and country, Jenas opted for Michael Carrick as his number one and put Modric in second place.

On Carrick, he said: “I think from playing with him at Spurs, seeing Michael at the peak of his powers controlling midfields in the way that he did, it gave everyone else more freedom.

“It gave Davids more freedom, it gave me more freedom. He absorbed so much pressure.”

Carrick has now become a manager, but has been out of work since the summer following his Middlesbrough exit.