Challenges and Controversies

Just a totally normal weekend for Tottenham Hotspur, eh?

In all seriousness, both teams were fortunate to have a legitimate goal against them not given, but only the Men's team took full advantage to come out of their match with full points. Still, it was an encouraging start to the season for the Women's team despite the loss.

Read on for recaps of both matches and a preview of the upcoming matches at the weekend. And that's it! No need for a news roundup, for once.

In this issue: Liverpool recap | Chelsea recap | Previewing the weekend fixtures

PL Matchday 7 recap | Tottenham 2 - 1 Liverpool

Son 36', Matip (OG) 90+6' | Gakpo 45+4'

There's no getting around the fact that this result was overshadowed by the ensuing VAR controversy. And I do understand why Liverpool fans feel aggrieved; they should. It was a ridiculous mistake from the VAR booth.

But I also want to point out that:

a) Giving them the goal wouldn't necessarily have changed the result, because there was still a lot of football left to be played—with Liverpool a man down already—and Spurs had been the dominant team up until that point.

b) I just don't care that much in the grand scheme of things. There have been so many times that Spurs ourselves have suffered from bad officiating, including several notable examples against Liverpool alone. We are always told that these things even out, so my advice to Liverpool fans is to accept that it was simply their turn. Is it fair? No, but it is what it is until the officiating standard improves and the VAR protocol is ammended.

Of course, like everyone else who watches the Premier League, I do hope that the obvious issues in the VAR protocol are fixed ASAP because it's important for the health of the league in the long run.

Moving swiftly on, the rest of the game was quite interesting, as Spurs/Liverpool fixtures usually are.

Starting XI:

With Brennan Johnson injured, Richarlison got the start at left winger, while Son Heung-min retained his striker role. The rest of the lineup was unchanged from the previous Arsenal fixture.

This was another big test for our young backline, and they rose to the occasion once again, limiting Liverpool to just four shots on target and one big chance.

Guglielmo Vicario made an early double save that helped settle the nerves, and then Big Game Sonny™ got us on the scoresheet with a first-touch shot. But the buildup to the goal was even more impressive, with a superb defense-splitting through ball from Maddison finding Richarlison in plenty of space to cooly cross the ball backward to Son. Richy then came close with a strike of his own that ricocheted off the post.

At this point Liverpool were already down a man due to Curtis Jones' straight red card for a reckless challenge on Yves Bissouma—and yes, it was a deserved red. I was pretty surprised there was as much debate around this decision as there was, and the club's appeal to have the red card overturned was rightfully unsuccessful.

The mood deflated a little with Liverpool's equalizer just before halftime. PL newcomer Dominik Szoboszlai picked out Virgil van Dijk over the top for a headed assist to Cody Gakpo. Gakpo got injured in the play and had to be subbed off at halftime for our old nemesis, Diogo Jota.

It felt like we lost some momentum after Son was subbed off in the 69th minute. He was a fitness concern heading into the game, along with Maddison, so I suppose we should be glad they played as long as they did—Maddison made it all the way to the 90th minute. But just after that substitution, we got another lucky break with Jota picking up a second yellow card just a minute after his first yellow. The first yellow was pretty harsh, but he still should have known better than to make the second challenge on a yellow card.

Perhaps Liverpool going down to nine men wasn't as fortunate as we first thought, though, because after that point they essentially hunkered down and made it very difficult to create chances in the box. This was a game where we greatly missed a player like Ivan Perišić for his set-piece expertise. Alejo Véliz made his Premier League debut in the 90th minute to relieve the fatigued Maddison, but he didn't get much service to speak of. Our attacks were too unvaried (particularly from the wingers, Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski) and weren't testing the Liverpool defense as much as we would have liked to see.

Liverpool are very effective on the counter, so they were still getting the occasional opportunity to attack. And to be fair, Allison had to make some huge saves in the second half to keep his team in the game. The saves on Maddison's curling shot and Sonny's twisting volley were particularly impressive.

And then, another stoppage time miracle.

Pedro Porro came in clutch with a dangerous cross from just inside the box, which didn't find a Spurs foot but did find Joël Matip's. He turned the ball into his own net and it was absolute bedlam in the stadium.

That's the second own goal we've drawn this season, by the way. Sometimes you just have to keep asking questions of the opposition's defense and Porro did just that. There's a decent chance that Oliver Skipp may have been able to get on the end of the cross if Matip hadn't, as well as a couple of other players who were arriving farther back in the box like Véliz. The important thing is that we kept at it and got the deserved win after thoroughly discomposing Liverpool.

It's time to give Ange Postecoglou some praise, for several reasons. I think it's smart that he's stuck with Son as striker and gave Richarlison a chance to shine out on the wing instead. I also admire his unceasing trust in all of the young players in the squad. That includes giving Véliz a shot at his debut in such a delicately poised game. It will have given Alejo a world of confidence that could be important if he plays more minutes in the upcoming Luton match. Being able to rely on young players is crucial toward giving older players like Son opportunities for rest over the course of the season. But overall, I just think Ange has instilled a refreshing feeling of optimism in the squad that's allowed them to keep pushing for the full 90+ minutes to earn a result in games like this one and the Arsenal match prior.

Let's face it, as fans we would have been wildly optimistic to predict the team would gain four points across the last two fixtures. Yet here we are, against the odds. It's very clear that injuries to key players like Son and Maddison could easily derail the season, but for now, it is starting to feel appropriate to dream. Thank you, Ange.

SAtP Player of the Match: Guglielmo Vicario

I'm going with a bit of a wild card choice here, but genuinely, he kept us in the game at an early juncture that made a huge difference to the tide of the game.

I don't think it can be overstated what a coup it was to sign him this summer. Vicario was a relatively under-the-radar pick, at least in English football circles, but he's transformed the stability of our defense. Because he can be trusted to make a routine save (as well as the occasional spectacular save), we're seeing less of the last-ditch tackles and panicked passing that got us into trouble in the past with Hugo Lloris in goal. And Vicario's own calmness on the ball has been integral to being able to play out of the back, which was never a strong suit of Lloris'.

Plus, he had the best celebration after the stoppage time own-goal winner (a close second was Micky Van de Ven falling to the floor in utter relief):

Notable and quotable:

• Sticking with Venom for a moment, I also enjoyed the cheeky caption on his Instagram post after the game:

That was another very relaxing evening at N17,
We just do it so you don’t leave the stadium early 😂

• Spurs ended Liverpool's 17-game unbeaten run stretching back to last season.

• ...whilst Ange's home unbeaten streak still lives!

• Ange reflecting on another stoppage time win:

Winning it late always adds belief. We are going to have some major challenges and in those moments we need to have that spirit within the group and days like today help build that.

...and on the progress this season so far:

We remain in our infancy...

I am [happy] but these things can unravel quickly. My role is to keep pushing them. These results allow me to keep pushing.

• An interesting stat about our performance against the traditional Top Six (plus Newcastle) clubs last season and this season so far:

Like Ange said, it's still early days, but that's an encouraging sign for sure.

• And a bonus meme:

WSL Matchday 1 recap | Chelsea 2 - 1 Tottenham

Fishel 28', James 51' | Thomas 76'

This match was always going to be about the level of performance more than the result, not just because Spurs Women have a new manager but because it's Chelsea—the closest thing women's football has to a super team. I think it's fair to say that Robert Vilahamn and his players exceeded expectations; I already feel a lot more optimistic about the season ahead than I did at the end of the pre-season.

Starting XI:

The first, very pleasant surprise when the lineup released was to see Becky Spencer in goal. Lots to say on her performance later! And while many of us had assumed that Angharad James had been filling in at left fullback during pre-season friendlies, she was actually at right fullback. Ash Neville returned to her traditional left fullback role from earlier in her Spurs career. As expected, Molly Bartrip and new signing Luana Bühler made up the centerback pairing, and Bartrip served as captain in Beth England's absence.

Another new signing, Olga Ahtinen, was generally the deepest-lying midfielder but still found plenty of opportunity to get forward and distribute the ball with her strong passing vision. Eveliina Summanen and Drew Spence were both regulars in the midfield last season and had a promising start to this season, Spence especially.

Maybe the biggest surprise was Grace Clinton making her debut with a start, but she made an immediate impact. Martha Thomas started at striker in lieu of the injured England, while Celin Bizet took up her preferred right winger position. The three of them already appear to be building strong partnerships across the forward line.

It was apparent very early on that we weren't going to sit back and absorb pressure from Chelsea but rather were going to play some actual football. In addition, there were some clear attacking patterns at work—and varied strategies, too. This performance was quite a contrast to the football we were playing last season in the relegation fight, which was simultaneously predictable yet lacking a clear identity. I guess you could say we were predictably bad in that campaign.

A big factor in the turnaround has to be the return to form for Becky Spencer. I was cynical in thinking she wouldn't get the start since the club had brought in a new keeper, despite Spencer's outrageously good form for Jamaica at the World Cup, but start she did. And we definitely got Jamaica!Becky in this game—which hopefully will just be regular Becky again soon.

Beyond some of the vital saves that Becky made, we really needed her bravery on the ball as well. We looked much more confident building up play from the back and the keeper was a big part of it. Her leadership was also important alongside Bartrip's vocal guidance.

Speaking of the experienced centerback, Molly made several goalline clearances that kept us in the game. Hopefully, her partnership with newcomer Luana Bühler will develop quickly because the Swiss player seemed to be struggling to adjust to the WSL pace at times. Luana is not particularly strong in the air, and that weakness was evident as Chelsea's Mia Fishel rose above her to head in the home team's first goal. (Forgive me for highlighting a Chelsea player here, but I'm still salty about Vlatko Andonovski leaving her out of the USWNT squad just because she was scoring all her goals in Liga MX Femenil.)

It was hard not to feel optimistic going into halftime after such a spirited first-half performance, but the team did come out of the break looking a little leggy. Chelsea extended their lead through a 51st-minute Lauren James goal, just after an undeniable ghost goal. Ash Neville tried to clear the ball but it had already crossed the line. Alas, the sideline ref wasn't doing their job and the WSL still doesn't have goalline technology in the year of our lord 2023, so the goal was not given. So in a way, it's fortunate that James found the back of the net right away so that the mild controversy didn't boil over into a full-on officiating kerfuffle like we saw with the Men's team.

Robert responded with some quick substitutions in the 61st minute, which unfortunately had to include Olga, who'd suffered several heavy challenges and was clearly unable to play the full 90. Drew was also taken off for what I presume are fitness reasons, because she had been another top performer up until that point. With Asmita Ale and Jessica Naz coming on, there was some shuffling across the formation as Asmita moved to RB and Angharad shifted into the midfield in place of Olga while Jess took up the LW spot and Grace adopted the playmaker role in place of Drew. Celin also needed an early sub, exiting in the 72nd minute for a straight swap with Rosella Ayane.

Spurs finally got a goal over the line shortly after the changes. Clinton took a shot from the edge of the box that was saved but not captured by Zećira Mušović, allowing Thomas to sneak a shot from under the keeper's foot at close range. She had played so well on her Spurs debut that it would have been a shame for her not to get on the scoresheet, and Chelsea are lucky that she didn't add another goal to her tally. Not longer after, Jess won the ball by pressing Chelsea's backline and sent a cross into the box, which deflected right into Martha's path—but her shot went just wide, glancing off the post.

The final sub of the match was a late change of Kit Graham for Grace, who had certainly made the most of her 90-minute shift. Personally, I would love to see Kit getting more minutes this season, but she does have a lot of potential as a super sub.

Chelsea did have a goal ruled out for offside (somewhat debatably, to be fair), but otherwise, Spurs saw out the game very efficiently. Fishel resorted to keeping the ball in our defensive corner while waiting for the final whistle to blow, choosing not to push for a third goal as we were still looking for an equalizer. We had a decent shout for a penalty by Millie Bright earlier in the game, as well.

Considering the ghost goal, the Chelsea win was probably a fair result, but it's encouraging that we more than held our own against the reigning champions. And most importantly, the team already appears to have a clear playing style and identity under the new manager. Much like it was with the Men's team's first game of the season, the result wasn't ideal but the effort was. There's plenty to build on over the course of the season.

SAtP Player of the Match: Martha Thomas

I honestly feel bad now for being underwhelmed when the club announced her signing. Thomas really showed the value she can bring to the team in England's absence, but it's also reassuring to know we'll have a strong option off the bench when our star striker does eventually return.

In this match, Martha's tenacity was on full display as she grew into the game and tightened up her finishing. There was never an issue with getting into the right positions and making the right runs, just the final touch. So it's perhaps a bit ironic that her goal came not from a run onto one of the many superb through balls served up from the midfield, but a poacher's goal capitalizing on a mistake from Mušović. They all count! She also came within inches of finding an equalizer and worked hard the entire 90 minutes+.

Notable and quotable:

• The club shared Vilahamn's pre-game talk and it's worth a watch:

• Thomas had nearly half of our shots on target (5/11).

• According to Spurs' match report, Chelsea faced the most shots on their goal in a WSL game in a decade. From lil' ol' Tottenham! What a time to be alive.

• Angharad James is not a right fullback. Just thought that was notable...

Previewing PL Matchday 8 — Luton Town

The Men's team is up first again this weekend, taking on PL newcomers Luton Town in an away fixture.

Glancing at their squad list today, I had several "oh, so that's where he is now" moments. Our old nemesis Tim Krul, for example! So far this season he has only featured for Luton in the League Cup, however, so we're unlikely to face his force field this time. The other two players I'm familiar with, Ross Barkley (yes, really) and Albert Sambi Lokonga both appear to be injured, so again, moot points.

All of that is to say that I honestly cannot tell you a single thing about our opposition this week. I'm sorry, I have failed in my duty. I simply haven't had a chance to watch any of their games with true attention. I may have had them on in the background once or twice but believe me, absolutely nothing penetrated my consciousness. I just know they have a tiny stadium.

But judging by their current position in the table and recent move up from the Championship, it's probably fair to predict they aren't a huge goal-scoring threat from open play, nor will they be leaving us much space in behind their defense in which to attack. We're going to need some creativity in this match, or at the very least a step up in the set piece department in the post-Perišić-injury portion of the season (which is to say, most of it).

I have a sneaky hunch that we could see a wild card start for Alejo Véliz. Word coming out of the training ground is that Sonny is doing okay with his injury concerns, but I still would prefer to see him mostly rested ahead of the international break (since Jürgen Klinsmann betrayed his COYS roots by calling Son up despite the obvious injury concern) if possible. Limited minutes for Sonny, please.

We have fewer options for shuffling at the striker position since it was just announced that Manor Solomon had surgery for a meniscus injury to his right knee and will be out for several weeks at a minimum—meaning Richarlison is needed more on the left wing than in the center. Brennan Johnson is still out with his hamstring issue. Luckily, Bryan Gil has been stepping up his rehab lately and could be available for selection on Saturday. I just wouldn't count on him getting a start and freeing Richy up to play striker.

That's all I've got for this matchup. Fingers crossed it will be a routine win after two challenging games.

Previewing WSL Matchday 2 — Bristol City

It's working out nicely so far to have the Men's team play on Saturday and the Women's team on Sunday. No two-screen mornings yet!

Sadly, this opponent is another team I'm not too familiar with. I just don't get around to watching much Championship football.

There is some Spurs-related interest when it comes to Bristol City's manager, Kelly Smith. After being an assistant with the Wales Women's National Team, she joined Spurs for a half season as assistant coach. She was then named Bristol City manager and led the team to the Championship title in her second season. That title-winning team featured both Grace Clinton and Gracie Pearse on loan, so she'll be very familiar with those two players of ours at least.

As far as their squad goes, former Brighton midfielder Megan Connolly and former Leicester City forward Carrie Jones are ones to watch, as well as Jamie-Lee Napier, whom y'all may remember from our FA Cup game against London City Lionesses last season.

They conceded four goals in their first match against Leicester City, and if our attack looks as good as it did against Chelsea then there is some potential to feast in this fixture.

The only real change I would like to see to our starting XI is for Ale to replace James at right fullback. Otherwise, I would like to see Graham get a start but it's hard to argue that either Summanen or Spence did anything to warrant being dropped. Perhaps better to keep her as an impact sub for now, as well as Naz. I'm also hoping Ria Percival gets her first minutes of the season. It'll be interesting to see if Pearse features against her previous loan team. Robert noted today that there are no new injuries, so presumably Ahtinen isn't worse for the wear after taking a few knocks against Chelsea.

This is a fixture where getting the full three points is not negotiable—it's the expectation. We should use this game and the following match against Reading in the Conti Cup to build up some momentum ahead of tougher fixtures against Brighton and Aston Villa before the next break.

Bonus link: WSL commentator Michael McCann is part of a project to document correct name pronunciations for WSL players. A helpful resource for new and old fans alike!

And a bonus Spurs alumni fun fact:

Looks like his move to Galatasaray is bearing fruit!

COYS

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