Daring Debut

The narrative is ratcheting up!

Spurs Men's League Cup run is starting to take on a similar feel to Spurs Women's surprise run to the FA Cup final last season. There have been so many times it looked like the cup journey would (or should) come to an end, but fate intervened. We're only halfway through the semi-final since it's a two-legged tie, but we'll now be traveling up to Liverpool with a 1-0 aggregate lead. I can't believe it either.

I know the "magic of the cup" is more commonly known as an FA Cup phenomenon, but there was a fair amount of magic happening on the pitch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday. We witnessed a stellar debut from brand-new signing Antonín Kinský, another statement-making performance from Djed Spence, and a first-ever Spurs goal for Lucas Bergvall—and what a time to score it!

Spurs' chances of success were nearly derailed just 15 minutes into the game when Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a scary and confusing injury and had to be stretchered off, but the entire squad rallied to give themselves a fighting chance of knocking out Liverpool at Anfield on February 6.

In this issue: Liverpool recap | Previewing Tamworth | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane

There's more cup action to enjoy ahead, this time in the FA Cup. This weekend would have marked Spurs Women's return from the winter break, as well as the entrance to the FA Cup for both senior teams, but unfortunately, the Women's match was postponed due to a frozen pitch at Walton Hall Park. The Men's match at Tamworth also looked to be in doubt due to the weather but is currently set to go ahead.

Men's League Cup Semi-final (Home Leg) recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Liverpool

Bergvall 86'

I think it's fair to say that most of us weren't feeling very confident going into this game, but much like in the 4th Round win over Manchester City, the players gave everything to pull out a narrow win over much stronger opposition—especially when you factor in Spurs' numerous injuries and suspensions.

I'm just going to jump straight into the team selections because that's where the intrigue started for this dramatic result.

Starting XI:

Ange Postecoglou threw the opposition (and spectators) a curveball when he named new signing Antonín Kinský to the lineup for his Spurs debut. The gamble paid off with him earning his first clean sheet against arguably the best team in the world.

The rest of Spurs' lineup basically picked itself with the injury and suspension absences, but there was that surprise inclusion of Yang Min-hyeok on the bench for the first time. Mikey Moore also made the matchday squad for the first time since missing a large chunk of the season through illness.

Arne Slot opted for a stronger side than expected, including red-hot (until this game!) Mo Salah and first-choice keeper Alisson.

Key highlights & takeaways:

• Speaking of Salah, Djed Spence did an admirable job of shutting him down on Spurs' left defensive flank, limiting the Golden Boot winner to just a couple of off-target shots. In fact, this was the first game Salah was kept off the scoresheet entirely after eight straight games of making a goal contribution across all competitions.

• Spence wasn't just making an impact in the defense; he was key to Spurs' press and managed to hold onto possession in several tricky moments thanks to his strong technical skills on the ball. I lost track of how many times I shouted "Yes, Djed!" at my TV.

• I'm not going to speculate about what exactly happened to Rodrigo Bentancur, but whatever it was, it can't be good since he had a bad concussion on the opening matchday of the season as well. The club is going to have to be cautious about returning him to play.

• Moments before Bentancur's collapse, Radu Drăgușin came close to scoring off the set piece. He also made an effort to get involved in the attack from open play during this game, in addition to executing a crucial goal-line clearance late on. Some of his limitations were on display again, but you can't criticize his effort or spirit.

• Spurs survived a late push from Liverpool to enter the break still even at 0-0, though some players were already showing signs of fatigue—Son Heung-min most notably. He'd been very active in the first half, partnering well with Spence on the left side of the pitch. But his efficacy dwindled after about the 40th minute, and I wasn't surprised to see him be the first player subbed off in the 72nd minute. That was Postecoglou's only voluntary substitution of the match, with Bentancur's departure obviously a necessity.

•  Throughout the game, Kinský got to show off his wide-ranging skill set. He proved to be a capable shot-stopper, but also adept at playing with the ball at his feet and even distributing through long passes. His composure in high-pressure moments was notable. The defenders all put in a great shift, but the credit must certainly be shared with Kinský for the clean sheet.

• On the topic of long passes, Archie Gray is making the most of being temporarily played out of position at centerback by pinging some exceptional through balls past the opposition's defensive line. There was one with the outside of his boot that had me exclaiming out loud. What a talent! It's going to be exciting to see him play in the midfield eventually... we hope. This does seem to be a common origin story for centerbacks, that they preferred to play higher up the pitch but were slowly transitioned into the backline because of their undeniable knack for the defensive positions. If he does return to the midfield, the experience of playing farther back can only be a benefit to his overall game and improve his understanding with his teammates.

• Spurs nearly opened the scoring through Dominik Solanke after he beat Alisson in a one-on-one, but he was just offside. Pedro Porro had also had two back-to-back chances to score earlier in the second half but saw the first blocked and the second saved.

• There was some slight controversy with the officiating, as per usual, but it was entirely avoidable if Stuart Atwell had made the first call correctly. Lucas Bergvall was given a yellow card for an attempted tackle although he never actually touched Luis Díaz. He then avoided a second yellow because advantage was played. I'll admit that I didn't realize that was a new (maybe?) rule as far as the PGMOL is concerned, but Postecoglou confirmed that he'd been informed of it previously to explain opposition players getting away with yellow card fouls against Spurs in past games. Regardless, it should have been a non-issue since the first challenge Bergvall did receive a caution for never should have resulted in a card. I can understand Liverpool fans feeling aggrieved about Bergvall still being on the pitch to score after this incident, but I think if they're honest with themselves, he had not done enough to be sent off for two cautionable offenses.

• So yes, he scored! And what a great goal it was. Porro sent a looping pass up into the box. Solanke did extremely well to control the ball after bodying Ibrahima Konaté away, deftly squaring the ball to Bergvall arriving in the center. Bergvall put just enough spin on his shot to send it past Alisson to score his first goal for the club.

• I literally groaned when I saw there was going to be seven minutes of stoppage time, and it was indeed stressful, but the team held on to the narrow lead to win the first leg.

SAtP Player of the Match: Antonín Kinský

It is rarely this difficult to choose my personal pick for player of the match. Bergvall, Spence, and Solanke were all extremely honorable mentions. But I have to give the nod to Kinský for showing such incredible confidence and composure on his club debut. I'm in awe of how much maturity he's shown for being so young, much like the other young players at Spurs who have stepped up over the last few weeks. And he apparently only had two training sessions before being called into action, so he's clearly a quick learner; he looked totally familiar with the system and has already linked up well with his backline.

For everyone predicting Kinský is going to immediately replace Guglielmo Vicario as the #1 keeper, let's not get ahead of ourselves. And remember that this is the same Vicario who said "I would have signed in blood, I would have walked from Italy" to join the club. He's going to handle this competition for his spot just fine and use Kinský's statement debut as motivation for his own improvement. I guarantee it. And he's already back in training working hard on his comeback.

Still, we can be very excited about the prospect of having two equally capable keepers and not having to worry about a drop in quality when rotation is required, as we saw earlier this season when Fraser Forster was called in to deputize.

Notable & quotable:

• This was only Liverpool's second loss in all competitions this season (the other being a 0-1 loss to Nottingham Forest).

• For Spurs, the result broke a four-game winless streak, all in the Premier League.

• Some comments from "Toni" on his debut:

I'm a big dreamer, but still with the legs on the ground.

He credited the support of his family in his journey to signing for Spurs, especially his sister, whom he was able to find in the stands for a heartfelt hug after the game. The coaching staff also got a shoutout for preparing him on such short notice for a high-pressure fixture.

Everyone is so kind and everyone helped me so much that I felt confident from the beginning.

He also tempered some of the hype about him being the next Manuel Neuer by explaining that he approaches the game with a certain pragmatism:

I like to play a lot, I would say, with confidence but I don't like to risk, because I still think there is a difference between playing smart, playing with confidence, and playing with risk.

Previewing Men's FA Cup Round 3 — Tamworth

I thought I had heard the name of every English football club by now, but when we were first drawn with Tamworth in the FA Cup draw it was a real "whomst?" moment. Here are some fun facts about our opponents, mostly gleaned from this Athletic article (and good old Wikipedia):

• The club was founded in 1933
• They are known as "the Lambs" and their ground is also called The Lamb, after the pub that used to share the car park; they've played there since their second season of existence
• Their crest includes what I first thought was a pretzel, but is apparently called a "Staffordshire knot", which has a grim backstory
• They compete in the National League, the fifth tier of English football and a semi-professional league; this is their first season back in the National League since 2013/14 after winning back-to-back promotions
• They play on artificial turf and the pitch has a slight slope
• This will be their fourth time competing in the third round proper in club history

Tamworth have already shown themselves to have giant-killing capacity by beating Huddersfield Town from League One in the first round, then did it again in the second round with another League One team, Burton Albion (albeit winning on penalties that time). But Tottenham is undoubtedly their most prestigious cup opponent in a long time—it's been over a decade since they last faced a Premier League team—and they're pulling out all the stops for the fixture. They even painted the away dressing room (technically a portable) in Spurs colors to make the team feel welcome.

For my fellow Americans, there is one American player on the Tamworth squad, their starting striker, Chris Wreh. Tom Tonks is another notable player in the Lambs' squad; the midfielder has a long throw in his arsenal that will test our set piece defense.

The only new injury news for Spurs is that Rodrigo Bentancur will be out for a couple of weeks with concussion protocol. James Maddison and Pape Sarr will both return to the matchday squad after serving their suspensions in the League Cup, and Mikey Moore is likely to get his first minutes since coming back from an illness-related absence (he missed 14 matches in total).

As for who is likely to start, Ange Postecoglou went so far as to confirm that Antonín Kinský will start. He explained that the timing of his joining Spurs meant that he requires more match minutes to get fully up to speed:

The Czech league shut down in the middle of December and he hadn’t played a competitive game in three weeks and he felt pretty rusty so it’s a good opportunity for us to get some more game time into him.

He didn't look particularly rusty against Liverpool, but sure!

Otherwise, it sounds like Ange will be favoring a mix of experience and youth to ensure the tie is taken care of handily while also providing some rest or limited minutes for players who have put in heavy shifts recently. He also needs to be cautious about playing some of the more injury-prone players on artificial turf.

I really hope this is going to be as straightforward as it should be and we get to see some of the Academy kids make their debuts. There's also the small matter of the away NLD looming, so let's get in and get out unscathed.

Transfer talk

It's been quieter on the transfer front since the last issue, with just a couple of outgoing loans to report.

• Araya Dennis is going on loan to Southampton for the second half of the season. Southampton are currently in 6th place in the Championship but only five points off the sole promotion spot, so Dennis could potentially help a team get promoted for the second season in a row after doing so with Crystal Palace last campaign. She's only made two senior appearances for Spurs so far but has already scored her first goal for the club. This loan should be useful experience and put her on the path to contend for minutes with Spurs next season.

• Matthew Craig has been recalled from his loan at Barnsley but will be going right back out on loan to Mansfield Town in League One. Although he previously made his Premier League debut with Spurs a couple of seasons ago, he's been on loans ever since.

News from around the Lane

There was only one significant news item this week, but it's an intriguing one:

• According to Tom Garry at The Guardian, the club is beginning the recruitment process to hire a technical director for the Women’s team. The technical director will work alongside existing senior staff to “modernise [Spurs Women’s] off-pitch structures in aspects such as the recruitment of players and staff” and “enhance the expertise within their women’s football department.”

This hire seems long overdue for the supposed ambitions the club has for the Women's team, but welcome nonetheless. Hopefully the new technical director will help diversify the team's recruitment scope beyond Australia and the Swedish league.

Coupled with the news of the new assistant coach hire (Bri Campos) I mentioned in the last issue, it appears the club is doubling down on Robert Vilahamn's project. Olivia Holdt was also a promising first signing of the January window (albeit unlikely to play in the first match of 2025 since she's coming back from a leg fracture). But it feels like the club has been hesitant to fully commit to investing in the Women's squad, with Beth England still the team's record signing three transfer windows later (four if you include the current window); a more intentional and focused transfer strategy will be the final step to ensure Vilahamn has the proper backing.

I'll close with a delightful photo of Antonín Kinský meeting club legend Pat Jennings, captured by photographer Kieran McManus:

COYS

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