Never a Dull Moment in Tottenham

One comeback win and one blowout made for a successful Spurs weekend overall | Previewing the Men's final CL group stage match

...or outside of Tottenham, as was the case with the two away matches this weekend.

As always, I'm going in chronological order, but it also worked out this time to save the best for last.

Bournemouth 2 - 3 Tottenham

The Men's team had us bracing for another disaster in the first half at Vitality stadium, but it all worked out in the end.

I would be lying if I said the starting XI filled me with hope, even though I had predicted a lot of rotation (and agree with Conte that it was necessary). We all know that Davinson Sánchez and Emerson Royal being on the pitch at the same time is a bad idea. Nevertheless, Conte persists. Perhaps the more shocking lineup change was Clément Lenglet starting in the center of the back three, with Eric Dier on the bench. That naturally meant that Ben Davies kept his spot from the Sporting game as the only other natural left-sided center back in the squad.  Within the 3-5-2 formation, we saw Ryan Sessegnon take up the other wingback spot and a midfield three of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Yves Bissouma, and Oliver Skipp (making his second start of the season). Son Heung-min and Harry Kane made up the front two.

As expected, Bournemouth targeted our weaker right defensive flank and we are able to put two past Hugo Lloris, both goals by Welsh international Kieffer Moore, one in the 22nd minute and the other just after halftime in the 49th minute. The less that is said about the lackluster first half (which has been a worrying trend all season) the better, but I do think it's worth noting that Skipp wasn't able to play to his best ability since he was forced to compensate for some of Sánchez' and Royal's defensive issues. I wasn't too upset that he was subbed out at halftime since he's likely still on restricted minutes (though Lucas Moura would not have been my choice to replace him), but I hope he gets a run out soon with the preferred backing of Cristian Romero and Matt Doherty so his offensive capabilities can shine. I also didn't think Bissouma had a great game, and he still seems to be finding his feet at Spurs. He was also subbed out fairly early in the 58th minute along with Sánchez, and Rodrigo Bentancur and Eric Dier came on to replace them. We had already shifted to the 3-4-3 formation with the halftime switch, and Dier was tasked with playing at right center back instead of his usual central role since Lenglet is not as comfortable on the right.

Sessegnon was another player who'd had a fairly quiet—bordering on disappointing—night and was at risk of being substituted. Instead, he ended up scoring Spurs' first goal of the night in the 57th minute after getting on the end of a superb through pass from PEH. I admired his complete (and I mean complete!) lack of celebration as he quickly gathered the ball from the net and got it back to center circle so Spurs could start searching for an equalizer right away. We found that equalizer in the 73rd minute from an unlikely source, Ben Davies, who pounced on a corner delivery from Ivan Perišić (who had replaced Royal ten minutes prior) to head the ball into the net. The run of play was firmly on Spurs' side by this point, and a game-winning goal looked increasingly likely.

Sessegnon finally made way for everyone's favorite mop-topped youngster, Bryan Gil, in the 84th minute. This was Bryan's first PL appearance of the season, and I will take this time to note that everyone's other favorite youngster, Djed Spence, has already had three (albeit short) cameos, so if everyone could stop barking "PLAY DJED SPENCE, CONTE" at the official Spurs Twitter account that would be nice. I think both of them will have a role to play in these last couple of weeks before the World Cup break (most likely in the cup game), but I definitely give Bryan the edge in terms of how much he can reasonably contribute at this stage in their respective developments.

Anyway, Bryan brought that little extra boost to the forward line that was needed (Lucas shifted back to the wingback spot vacated by Emerson) and Spurs continued to push for a third goal. We'd already scored off one corner, so it seemed a wise strategy to keep trying to win more corner kick opportunities. All told, Spurs took 19 corners by the final whistle. And with our last shot on target of the match, in the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Bentancur made an initial header off Son's corner delivery then got his own rebound to shoot past Bournemouth's Mark Travers and into the net. There was no possibility of VAR ruling this goal out, so we got to keep celebrating.

Here is an extra moment of celebration, just because:

Spurs came uncomfortably close to a third PL defeat in a row, but instead, we maintain the 3rd spot in the table. I'm relieved that the team was able to recover from the disappointment of the VAR injustice in the Sporting match so quickly (if you enjoyed my rant on this topic last issue, give the latest Tottenham Depot episode a listen for more firm opinions—tinfoil hat not included).

Antonio Conte deserves a lot of credit for this victory, because while he has often been slow to make adjustments mid-match, he got the substitute timings and tactical shifts just right against Bournemouth.

Of course, he won't be on the touchline to influence the match against Marseille, thanks to his red card from the Sporting debacle. More on that later in the match preview.

But now, let's relive the glorious second Spurs match of the weekend.

Brighton 0 - 8 Tottenham

This match felt like a bit of a fever dream, in the best way possible. If you'll allow my obligatory Bayern mention of the issue, it reminded me of the Bayern Men's team's 2-8 away win over Barcelona at Camp Nou in the Champions League. It was hard to believe it was really happening in the moment, and I had the same emotions on Sunday watching the blowout at Broadfield Stadium. And hey, Spurs Women did one better than that record-breaking Bayern team—they kept a clean sheet!

It was such a complete performance from the team, from Tinni Korpela in goal all the way up to Nikola Karczewska at striker. We lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with the usual back four of Asmita Ale, Shelina Zadorsky, Molly Bartrip, and Amy Turner, followed by a midfield three of Drew Spence, Angharad James, and Eveliina Summanen, and finally an attacking line of Ash Neville, the aforementioned Karczewska, and Celin Bizet. From defense to offense, there were no weak links, and nobody gave less than 100%.

I'm going to try to do justice to each of the goals in my recap, but since there were so many that means I don't have room for the numerous near-goals. Rest assured that the scoreline could easily have been even uglier for poor Brighton.

I actually missed the first goal trying to get my stream up and going (I thought it was on Paramount+ but alas, 'twas the FA Player), but luckily the broadcast team obliged me with a replay not long after. Bartrip got her first-ever WSL goal (yes, you read that right) by capitalizing on a short corner from James, firing an absolute rocket over the head of Brighton's keeper, Megan Walsh, in the 2nd minute. Who doesn't love an early goal?

Funnily, Brighton looked the most likely to score in the immediate aftermath of Molly's goal, and we had to weather some pressure for a good fifteen minutes. Niki stayed vigilant though and was able to pounce on a sloppy backpass to Walsh and dispossess the keeper, slotting the ball cooly into the net in the 19th minute and ending Brighton's bright spell.

Spence and Neville combined for four goals on either side of halftime, both notching one in each half. While Ash's brace featured assists from Summanen and Bizet, she assisted both of Drew's goals. The first Neville goal in the 29th minute was a perfectly placed volley from a flicked-on corner, and her knee slide celebration was pure joy. I nearly lost my head when she set up Drew's first goal in the 45th minute with a cheeky back heel pass, and the run from Drew to complete the play was just as satisfying.

We entered halftime up 0-4, and although there were a couple of personnel changes at the break (Jess Naz and Cho So-hyun came in for Niki and Eveliina), we got straight back to the business of scoring goals. Ash scored a powerful header in the 56th minute off a cross into the box from Celin, then assisted Drew for her second goal two minutes later, opting to pass back to Drew when her own path into the box was impeded. I had barely caught my breath from celebrating that goal when Jess got her first goal—of the match and of the season—in the 60th minute. Spurs regained possession straight after Brighton got the ball back into play after Drew's goal thanks to Cho's awareness to press, and she picked out Jess about to make a run into the attacking third. She didn't go far, however, and showed no hesitation in taking an immediate shot to chip Walsh. Jess then scored her second and the final team goal of the game by collecting a short-range pass from Cho in the box to once again shoot over Walsh's head in the 83rd minute.

It's not that Brighton didn't have a few chances to at least score a consolation goal, particularly in that early period of pressure. Each keeper had to make six saves in the match. Veatriki Sarri and Elisabeth Terland both had some decent chances, and Korpela had to make a big save on one of Terland's shots. But Spurs' defense was stalwart, led by captain Zadorsky, and every player was committed to keeping the clean sheet. And most crucially, in contrast with recent matches, each time we came under attack we had an answer for how to convert those blocks, interceptions, and saves into a fresh attacking foray of our own. The team truly didn't give up on scoring more until the final whistle, and we were so close to getting a goal from Rosella Ayane on her return from injury, as well as a first WSL goal for Chioma Ubogagu. Soon!

As for the final substitution of the match, Gracie Pearse got a much longer cameo than debutants usually do (twenty whole minutes!) and made the most of it with a tidy and confident performance at the wingback position (not, as I had expected, at center back). I have to admit I wasn't quite sure where all the hype was coming from for this young player, since I don't have the benefit of seeing her during warmups like those of you at the games do, but she certainly impressed me in her first WSL appearance. Most importantly, she didn't seem at all intimidated to be playing amongst seasoned professionals and veterans of the league. We'll see how much playing time Rehanne gives her in the coming weeks, but it was a promising start for the youngster.

It was good to see players who have been on restricted minutes (like Niki) able to get some rest early on in the match, while other players who have already logged heavy minutes (Ash and Eveliina) had their first real opportunity for rotation. And while I would have liked to see Kerys Harrop make her first appearance of the season after being injured to start (she was finally on the bench for this match), I understand that it was better not to risk her too early or unnecessarily.

A few stray observations and facts from the match:

• we had five different goal-scorers, one of whom was a substitute

• said substitute, Jess Naz, recorded a brace!

• another substitute, Cho So-hyun, notched a brace of assists (both to Jess)

• the clean sheet was a huge boost for Spurs' goal difference, which went from -5 to +3 and was the difference between ending the matchday in 5th or staying below West Ham in 8th

• all three players that scored a brace narrowly missed chances to complete a hat trick

• the club noted that Shelina is the only player to have played every minute of the WSL campaign so far—not sure if that's just for Spurs or across all the teams

We learned today that Hope Powell resigned from her post as Brighton's manager, and it's kind of a shame to see such a legendary manager stepping down, even if it seemed like the right time for a change. But the match was also significant from a Spurs perspective because it was our record victory margin for a WSL game. As Angharad remarked in her post-game interview, Spurs were so successful in this match because we were able to "set the pace of the game and play our game." It's an unfortunate loss for Brighton, who are already having a tough season, but we need to be able to win maximum points from these kinds of teams. It was good to see the entire squad playing with the confidence that such a goal could be achieved by sticking to Rehanne Skinner's game plan and living up to the team's full potential.

On an individual note, you do have to wonder what more Ash could possibly do to earn her first England call-up. But then again, she's kind of on the Rachel Daly journey of converting from a defender into an out-and-out attacker, so who knows if Sarina Wiegman would even utilize Ash to her full potential. Other countries have already started to announce their squads for the next international break match window (November 7-November 19), so surely the England squad list will be coming out soon...

I don't think it can be overstated how important this result was in the context of Spurs' season so far. It would have been easy to fall further into a slump after the big loss to Manchester City—well, not 0-8 level big, but still disappointing. But remember how much optimism we had at the beginning of the season after all the transfer business was done? I don't think that optimism was entirely unfounded. The early (and heavy) injury crisis threw a few curveballs Spurs' way and it's understandable that things haven't gone to plan as a result—up until this match. And while it was undeniably a bad day for Brighton, I think it's more indicative of how strong Spurs can be when playing at our best, now that the new transfers are finally bedding in. We have a wonderful manager in Rehanne Skinner, and I feel confident that she will get a lot more statement performances out of the team this season. #believe

The next Spurs Women match is on Sunday against Everton back at Brisbane Road. I'll preview that game in the Thursday issue (which may end up being a Wednesday issue since the CL game is earlier this week).

Win (or draw) or go home

Let's shift our focus back to the Men's team, who will hopefully be carrying some positive momentum of their own into tomorrow's match at Marseille in the Champions League. It's the last group stage game, and it's basically do-or-die. We need a result to advance to the knockout stages, and while just a point will do, I am hoping Conte's men will be aiming for a decisive win.

Of course, Conte won't actually be leading them on this occasion. Thanks to his red card from the Sporting match, he has a full touchline ban—and apparently, UEFA is much more strict about it than the PL is. It's not just that he can't give instructions from the technical box; he can't be in contact with the team at all during the match. No delivering substitution requests to his assistants via earpiece or demanding a formation change in the locker room at halftime.

We can't even go off the blueprint for the last game against Marseille, a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, because the scorer of both goals was Richarlison, who won't be available for the away leg.

After previously being pretty firmly in favor of a 3-5-2 formation until Richarlison and/or Dejan Kulusevski are back from injury (as far as I've heard, Deki is also still a doubt), I have now come around to the idea of sticking with the 3-4-3... but with the caveat that I much prefer Bryan in the right-winger role than Lucas. Even Bryan starting at winger with Lucas at right wingback instead of Royal would be fine. However, I'm not sure Conte trusts Bryan to play a full 90 yet, so it probably will be Lucas getting the nod to start. In the defense, I expect to see Dier back in the central role with his relatively fresh legs, although with Romero still out it's possible Conte could try the same defensive line we saw at the end of the Bournemouth game, with Dier on the right, Lenglet in the center, and Davies on the left. Højbjerg and Bentancur are both pretty much undroppable at this juncture, as are Son and Kane, so the only remaining question is the wingbacks. In this kind of high-stakes game, I kind of think you want Perišić for his experience and steady leadership. Whether Sess or Doherty gets the other spot is less easy to predict.

Is it too much to hope we get off to a better start than we have in recent games? It would be nice to not get into a situation where we have to make a comeback, as we have too many times already this season. It's really unfortunate to be in a situation where we have to get at least a point to advance, since the Liverpool PL match is coming up on the weekend. Yes, Liverpool are in a bad run of form, but these are two games back-to-back where Conte is going to want to field as strong a team as possible (injuries permitting). Not ideal.

I at least feel sure that the players know exactly what is at stake and will be feeling confident and motivated after the Bournemouth comeback win. We can only hope that confidence lasts and doesn't sputter out after a poor first half.

COYS

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