An Attempt was Made
It's the hope that kills you.
It's been a while since that phrase, too often evergreen for Spurs fans, has felt relevant to what's happening this season. The Men's team has been vacillating between predictably poor results in a league campaign that was written off long ago, and the complicated progress through the Europa League—complicated in the sense that Angeball disappeared many weeks ago, so every win feels somewhat conditional, at least from my perspective of wondering how we could possibly extrapolate this European success into a better league table finish next year. If fans have gone through a gamut of emotions, I can only imagine what the players are experiencing.
The match at Villa Park should have followed the usual pattern and not given us any reason to believe we could get something out of another "meaningless" Premier League game. But the first half performance provided just enough kindling to relight the fire.
And then, well, the second half happened. We'll get on to it shortly.
But I appreciated that this penultimate league match had a little bit of life to it, if not any real jeopardy (for Spurs, that is—Aston Villa very much needed the win for their Champions League hopes). That's been sorely lacking for a long time, and it was nice to feel something watching the game. I believe that feeling is usually described as "hope".
In this issue: Aston Villa recap | Previewing the Europa League final | News from around the Lane
Now it's time for the big one, the Europa League final against Manchester United. The whole season has been building to this moment—the good and the bad. Let's see how it ends.
PL Matchday 37 recap | Aston Villa 2 - 0 Tottenham
Konsa 59', Kamara 73'
To be clear, I wasn't actually that down on the team for losing this one. I appreciated that we saw more signs of life from the second string than we have in weeks, and it was always going to be difficult to beat a highly-motivated Aston Villa team at this crucial stage of the season, even if we'd had our strongest side facing them. So jokes about it being the hope that kills you aside, I moved on fairly quickly from this result emotionally, just as I have from the several Premier League games preceding it.
We can only hope that everyone involved on the pitch was able to move on from the game physically, though there are a few concerns; Pape Sarr was subbed off precautionarily after feeling discomfort in his back, and Mikey Moore may have had a cramp. But Son Heung-min appears to have gotten through unscathed after making his first start since April 10.
Starting XI:
Antonín Kinský got a second-straight start in goal and looked fairly capable for the most part. He could have commanded the box better on Ezri Konsa's corner kick goal, but nearly managed to save Boubacar Kamara's tricky shot. No complaints from me here, especially since Guglielmo Vicario was spared any risk of injury before the final.
There are a few members of the forward line who are in realistic contention to start against United, but otherwise, it was a fully rotated side. Ben Davies and Kevin Danso put in a better shift as the centerback duo that we'd been seeing from them lately, perhaps with the help of a spirited Sergio Reguilón making a very rare appearance (let alone start). Djed Spence did not contribute as much from the other flank, and I'm starting to feel concerned about his morale as we approach the summer transfer window.
It was exciting to see Mikey Moore get a start as well, though he faded as the game went on.
Top three things:
- The Tel & Odobert connection. A lot has been made of the duo's previous experience playing together on the France U23s, and it's definitely made a difference in their linkup ability, especially compared to the rather disjointed lineup alongside them. There wasn't tons of pre-existing chemistry in this XI, so it's no surprise that they combined for the most promising goal chance of the game for Spurs.
- Midfield drop-off. While it wasn't perfect, the midfield performance from the first half was at least more lively than we could have expected. It's a shame we couldn't stick with it and try to remain competitive in the match, but Sarr's premature exit and then Son's pre-planned substitution necessitated bringing on Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, neither of whom looked motivated or mentally prepared to contribute.
- Son might be back. And just in time! Even though I was anxious to see him play more than just the half of football that Ange Postecoglou had guaranteed, it's obvious that the run-out did him a world of good. Twice we saw him looking very close to vintage Sonny with his sprinting ability down the left wing, and he even made a decent attempt on his signature long-range curler. Ahead of this match, I was dubious that he could be ready to start in the final, but now it almost seems foolish not to let the captain lead the team out when he's not showing any clear signs of diminished fitness. This is quite a relief.
SAtP Player of the Match: Wilson Odobert
The initial lineup formation was a bit deceptive because Odobert wasn't always playing as a true #10, but I liked the initiative he showed in facilitating the attack. And I swear, if that backheel volley attempt had gone in... Well, we'll never know, but I love that he tried it. This stop-start debut season for Wilson has only given us a small glimpse of his talent, and I think we're going to be extremely pleased with the signing in seasons to come.
Notable & quotable:
• This was Sergio Reguilón's first (and likely only?) start of the PL campaign.
• Mikey Moore made just his third start in the league.
• On his 27th appearance in the PL, Archie Gray finally picked up a yellow card.
• Spurs equalled the club record for most losses across all competitions in a single season with 25.
• We've also equalled the record for most PL losses by a team that avoided relegation—ironically matched by Aston Villa in the 2019/20 season (nothing controversial about the fact that they stayed up that year by a single point, of course...). We could yet break the record if we lose on the final matchday to Brighton, but fingers crossed that we only have to share the ignominy.
• Remember how our positive goal difference was a small silver lining in this terrible league season? Well, it's at risk on the final matchday; a loss by two goals or more to Brighton would see us drop to or below zero in GD.
• Ange Postecoglou commented on Wilson Odobert's performance:
I thought Wilson was good. The issue with Wilson is he has just missed so much of the season. You can see he lacks match sharpness, but he is an intelligent player. I thought at times tonight, in tight areas, he found his way forward and a couple of things didn’t fall his way. He was unlucky with his finish which I thought was an outstanding finish but it fell straight at Emi Martinez. I think with Wilson, at least we have got him some significant minutes again. With the way we are in that midfield area, he might be one we need to rely come Wednesday, so it’s good for him to play.
• He also observed that Son Heung-min's experience is just as helpful to the team as his play on the pitch:
It's important, especially when we've lost some key players in recent times. Madders is also one of the leaders, and Deki, and Lucas, in the last three weeks. Now getting Sonny back at least gives us another experienced player. I think the last two or three fixtures our average age has been three or four years younger than the opposition. You can see that at times so just having another experienced player available is great for the team.
• Son confirmed that he feels strong after his first start back:
I feel good, a little tired, first game back, but physically I feel good and ready to go. Today, 70 minutes, it was good to get that game time in my legs. The most important thing is everybody got fit for Wednesday. I’ll be ready for Wednesday.
Previewing Europa League Final — Manchester United
Brace yourselves for Bilbao! It's finally time to see if Spurs can break the long and painful trophy drought and become European champions again.
We have a few things going for us in the matchup with Manchester United:
- We have beaten them three times already this season.
- We have the relative rest advantage for likely starters, since United played a stronger team against Chelsea on Friday than we did against Aston Villa.
- We have a better goalkeeper, and I refuse to hear any Vicario slander that says otherwise.
- We don't have Harry Maguire's head, but we do have Richarlison's.
On the downside, controversial referee Felix Zwayer has been named as the head official for the game. I guess that's technically only a downside if something goes awry with the officiating.
There's also the very real obstacle of missing three, possibly four key midfielders through injury.
We did get a positive team news update that Pape Sarr is "fine," but that doesn't necessarily mean fit to start. We'll have to wait and see. And to the disappointment of everyone hoping for a miraculous return, Lucas Bergvall is still going to miss the final, definitively. So Ange Postecoglou has some tough selection decisions to make in the midfield and forward line, balancing a mix of players with the needed experience for a final with those who are most in form.
For United, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez were the only two players not to make the traveling squad. Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, and Joshua Zirkzee are all coming back from injury but made the trip.
United captain Bruno Fernandes had at least one goal contribution in each of their last four Europa League games but has otherwise been quiet, failing to make a mark in the Premier League since the March 16 blowout of Leicester City. The same goes for Casemiro.
It seems clear that both United and Spurs have had full focus on the European title for a long time now. To that point, neither team has scored in their last two PL matches ahead of the final. So neither team comes in with a clear form advantage.
Whatever team lines up tomorrow, we have to get behind them and hope for a swift, regular time victory with no extra time or penalties needed!
The club has a live blog that they'll be updating all through the build-up if you need something to take your mind (slightly) off the nerves.
A note on the discourse of it all
Sure, it is indeed ridiculous that Spurs and Manchester United have reached the Europa League final in the same season that we've both crashed and burned in the Premier League. But as my Tottenham Depot host, Andrew, pointed out on our latest episode, we were always the betting favorites to reach the final. The poor performance from both teams in the league provides an interesting contextual layer to the journey to the final, but ultimately, they're separate competitions, and you can only beat the teams in front of you in any given league/cup. Both teams did a poor job of doing so in the PL but have made it to the EL final with relatively little drama, as expected.
There's also been a lot of disgruntled chatter from fans of other clubs (including those on the cusp of Champions League qualification through the PL standings) that the winner of this final matchup doesn't "deserve" to qualify for the CL. Well, folks, that's one of the long-established benefits of winning the EL. It's not going to change after the fact simply because the two eligible teams made a mockery of their league campaigns. That's not how competitive integrity works, changing the rules midway through. So the Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa fans don't have to like it, but that's reality. If there's a genuine interest in changing the outcome of winning the EL for future seasons, fine, go right ahead, but it won't apply to this year's winners, regardless. Haters can stay mad.
A podcast(ish) plug
We're doing something a little different at the Tottenham Depot for the final. A few hours after the match, at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET, join us for a special live show on our YouTube page. We're going to give our almost instant reactions to the result (probably involving tears either way), read out comments from the livestream, and possibly figure out how to get some impromptu guests on (though I'm leaving it up to Andrew to figure out that technical bit, so no promises).
This episode won't be available on the podcast feed, but you can catch the replay later on YouTube if you're in a tricky time zone (i.e, not stateside).
News from around the Lane
• Spurs Men have another pre-season friendly confirmed: a match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on August 7. Hopefully Mathys Tel will have switched alliances permanently by then. Not that I wouldn't be happy to see him back at Bayern, but I think it's better for his career at this point to stick with Spurs, especially if Harry Kane lingers for another season.
• It was also announced that Spurs Men will be participating in the Coupang Play Series in South Korea for the third time. No word yet on who our opponents will be.
• George Abbott's loan season with Notts County has come to a close after they were knocked out of the League Two promotion playoff in the semi-finals, losing 0-2 on aggregate to Wimbledon. Abbott ended the league campaign with five goals and six assists, playing in all but six matches, and also scored a memorable goal in the FA Cup. Well done, George!
• Mikey Moore has been called up to the England U19s for the Under-19 Euro in Romania.
• The club has a new interview up on YouTube with the Women's Academy Technical Coaching Manager, Nick Hardy. It's worth a watch to hear about the progress of the program. I also recommend this profile on U21s breakout star Mia Endacott.
• Speaking of youngsters, I loved this feature on the contributions from Academy players to the Europa League campaign. Fun fact: 10 different Academy players have featured in a matchday squad throughout the competition.
• I saved the best news for last: Lenna Gunning-Williams has signed a new contract until 2028. Although she struggled for game time and wasn't able to impact the results in the second half of the season, the majority of the squad saw a drop-off in the spring, so I'm not too concerned about her downturn in form; we have to remember that she's still only 20 years old and developing her game—or should have been, as was the case. It was disappointing not to see her go out on loan for the second half of the season to get the regular football that she needed, but that's still a possibility for next season, particularly if there's no change in manager. Regardless, it's good to see the club locking down a promising young talent for Spurs Women. Ella Morris next, please!
Lenna commented on her new deal and her personal affinity for Spurs:
Growing up around the corner from the training centre, this badge means so much to me... It has obviously been a hard season for everyone involved but, for me, just the personal gains, I have spent the whole season in the WSL, my first full campaign in the WSL, so I’m just excited to get going again. I just want to keep developing, learning from the players around, take my opportunities when they come and just focus on my development.
In the words of the infamous football documentary series, it's all or nothing now.
COYS
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