Plucky Spurs
Call them skeptics, call them nonbelievers, but a lot of folks were expecting two losses for Spurs in one day on Saturday—at Manchester City in the Premier League for the Men's team and at Arsenal in a friendly for the Women's team.
Candidly, I was firmly in the skeptics camp myself regarding the friendly NLD, but only because it was just the second run-out under new manager Martin Ho (the first wasn't terribly inspiring), and team selection is always unpredictable during pre-season. I still wasn't sure that this squad could reliably score goals, let alone score multiple goals against a mainstay in the Women's Super League upper echelon.
But picking up points at the Etihad is starting to feel like easy work for the lads, so common has it become. Since 2022, we've only lost one game at City's ground, drawing once and winning the other three times.
In this issue: Manchester City recap | Arsenal recap | Pub chat
Within the space of just a few hours, Spurs fans found reason to harbor hope for the coming season—on both sides of the club. We can always find caveats to explain away a good thing, but we could also choose to just embrace the possibility of optimism for once. I know I'm choosing hope.
Manchester City 0 - 2 Tottenham
Johnson 35', Palhinha 45+2'
One of the most exciting things about the nascent Thomas Frank era is that you can pretty much expect something different in every game—because they are different games. He's all about tweaking and finessing, from the starting lineup to the formation to the substitutions. Game management is an actual practice, not an abstract theory. Am I throwing some not-so-subtle shade at Ange Postecoglou? You bet I am. I can't have complained about his last-resort squad rotation and reluctance to make subs all of last season and not act like I'm delighted by Frank's immediate demonstration of flexibility. It's refreshing.
It's also been refreshing to see new life breathed into Pape Sarr, who was the well-deserved Player of the Match against City. He was everywhere in this game, still making important interventions through stoppage time, his indefatigable work rate on full display. One factor that has helped unleash his full potential is a midfield lineup that complements his skills rather than working at cross purposes.
I have to give a bit of praise to his fellow midfielder João Palhinha on the occasion of his first Spurs goal, coming in his first start for the club in league play. I really wasn't thrilled about his loan signing from Bayern Munich, mostly because he had failed to impress there and never looked fully motivated. But perhaps this is another example of the Frank effect, or rather, his holistic approach to fostering improvement across the whole squad. Whether it's the individual development coach (Cameron Campbell; read more about him here) giving him that extra boost or just the overall mood of positive morale in training, he does look to be a player reenergized after just a few weeks at the club.
Our first goal of the game, and yet another game-winner to add to his tally, came from a player who needs no rejuvenation: Brennan Johnson. All he does is score goals, after all. Timing can be an underappreciated skill in modern football, but he has it in spades.
Speaking of timing, I will also give an honorable mention to Richarlison, who didn't follow up his opening day brace with another goal in matchday 2, but did perfectly time his run to stay onside and assist Johnson's goal.
One of the most encouraging developments over the last year or so is Djed Spence's success at the left fullback position. He's not just adapting to playing on his less-preferred side while merely filling in; he's excelling at it. When Destiny Udogie returns from injury, his starting spot will be far from guaranteed. The two players bring slightly different advantages to the role, and although I think Udogie still has the edge when it comes to contributing to the attacking build-up, it has been thrilling to watch Spence take on some of the best wingers in the world and lock them down defensively. Thankfully, we have a manager who will know which matchups favor which player and rotate them mindfully throughout the season once Udogie is back fit again.
I do understand all of the Sturm und Drang over the lack of signings as we near the end of the window. But something I was thinking about a lot during the pre-season was wanting to see the best out of our existing squad again. They've all shown glimpses of talent and potential (some for more sustained periods than others), and I don't think their capacity for winning games should be written off. Indeed, it feels a bit petulant to suggest this team can't be successful when their first three competitive matches under Frank included a penalty shootout loss to the Champions League winners and two clean sheet, multiple goal wins in the Premier League.
We certainly need at least one #10 signing to bolster the attack until Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison return from injury (both far away prospects, unfortunately), and some more depth for the left side of the defense would be useful insurance against an injury crisis. But any signings we make will be enhancing a squad that is already well-poised to compete in multiple competitions, as we've already seen in just the first couple of weeks of the season. Frank's shown that he can and will utilize the full depth of the squad and expects an equal level of effort and commitment from his starting XI regardless of who makes the cut for any given game.
Notable & quotable:
• Thomas Frank mentioned the importance of the squad's "clean sheet mentality" in his post-game comments:
A clean sheet is so important, because then it's easier to win football matches. We work so, so hard on it, and big, big credit to the staff, the players, Matt Wells [assistant coach] has done a top job on that side - the high pressure, the middle pressure, the lower block, defending the box, the mentality to make blocks, it’s so important.
He also cited Micky van de Ven's crucial recovery tackle as a defining moment of the game.
• This was the eighth time the team has won the first two matches of a Premier League season. In the previous instances, we finished no lower than 7th place. And for what it's worth, our longest unbeaten streak to start a season is 16 games, from the 1960/61 season in Division One. Could we (break it)?
Arsenal 3 - 4 Tottenham
Pelova 6', Grant (OG) 31', Foord 74' | England 14' • (Pen) 59', Vinberg 63', Summanen 77'
Man, it feels good to type out that scoreline, even if it was only a friendly.
Since this game wasn't streaming live, I had to catch the replay, but it was well worth watching on delay. In contrast to the sluggish display in Sevilla, Spurs came out with a lot of energy and intent.
Captain Beth England set the tone with her relentless pressing, which was rewarded with her first goal of a brace and the first of two equalizers for the team. At first, it looked like the give-and-go with Drew Spence was going to fail when Spence's chipped pass fell short, but Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy dawdled on the ball and England poached it to take a quick shot. Her second goal was a penalty that she put enough power on to slide beneath the Arsenal keeper, who did guess the right way.
To rewind to Arsenal's first two goals, the first came from a breakaway effort by Victoria Pelova; Spence lacked the proper recovery pass to shut her down, but I also think Lize Kop could have done better to make a save. Their second goal was an unfortunate own goal by Charli Grant, no other way to put it.
Matilda Vinberg gave us our first lead of the game on another assist from Spence, this one much more purposefully placed. Vinberg ran onto the ball and showed no hesitation in shooting into the far side of the goal. That was the kind of shot that she flubbed far too often last season, so let's hope she keeps her shooting boots on past the pre-season.
We finally got the moment we've all been waiting for: Kit Graham's long-awaited return from her ACL injury. Big congratulations to Kit on making it back, and fingers crossed that it will be a successful season for her. We've missed her creativity and tenacity on the pitch. She looked fairly sharp in her first minutes back, and it was particularly nice to see a renewal of her familiar partnership with Jess Naz, who has had an encouraging pre-season so far herself.
Then it was Arsenal's turn to equalize through Caitlin Foord, who outran Clare Hunt to a ball over the top of Spurs' defense. Kop failed to intervene from close range, and it was 3-3.
Eveliina Summanen got the last word in what is quickly becoming her signature, a free kick goal—though this was decidedly one of her most savable efforts, and ought to have been saved by new Arsenal keeper, Anneke Borbe. But she flubbed it, and Spurs took the final lead. From there on, it was mostly a matter of clinging onto said lead. Arsenal continued to create chances (as did we; Josefine Rybrink missed an absolute sitter off a corner kick in stoppage time), but we managed to hold out.
The main positives for me from this friendly were the commitment to the press and the improved speed of passing. I don't pay a huge amount of attention to the pre-season training content (especially since Spurs Women aren't on Bluesky, where I would be quicker to see it than on my occasional forays onto SpursPlay), but I do recall seeing one training drill where Martin Ho had the players focused on first touches and quickly finding passing options. It seems the message has sunk in.
It's never ideal to concede three goals, but I'm choosing to focus on the positive of putting four goals of our own past a very strong Arsenal team, albeit in pre-season.
Notable & quotable:
• Martin Ho commented on the improvement of the pressing actions in his post-game comments:
I thought for parts in the first half we showed control, but we didn’t really progress much in advance with the ball. That’s just a little bit of confidence and bravery with the ball. We spoke about that at half-time, we adjusted some things tactically to get more aggressive pressure, and I thought in the second half, we were better with that pressure. We were closer together and more connected to the press. In those moments, we regained two or three balls, and we either created from them or scored from them, so that’s really pleasing.
I definitely agree with Ho's assessment. There were a few players excelling individually in the first half, but the team effort looked more cohesive in the second half, and although Borbe's fumbling of Summanen's free kick was a bit of a fluke, the win still felt deserved in the end.
• Ho also spoke to the mentality of the players in twice coming back from behind as well as holding onto a late lead:
The mentality to come back helps you in games when you’re down, knowing that you can do it and have the belief to do it. More importantly, having the quality to do it, which we do. Then to be able to stay in front, see out the lead, and manage the game — these are all things we need to keep growing and evolving.
Much like I was saying about the Men's squad, we know there are some quality players in this Women's team (fewer on the balance for the latter, but I don't want to dwell on that right now). But too often last season, it seemed like they were isolated to their individual efforts and not coming together as a team to show that quality. Finding a collective mentality to succeed will be key this season, no small task for Ho in his first season as manager.
• Kit Graham spoke about her return to football after a long ACL rehab layoff:
It’s been a long time coming. I’ve felt ready for a little while now, so it was a nice feeling to actually get back out there and do what I love doing. I’ve felt ready for a little while, I just needed a bit more time in team training but I’m looking forward to getting back out there, feeling more myself, and hopefully bringing some calm - unlike today, which was a bit hectic.
• The post-game fitness update noted that Molly Bartrip, Olga Ahtinen, and Lenna Gunning-Williams all missed out with minor knocks, but all three could still be in contention to play in the final pre-season match against Southampton on August 31.
Pub chat: Bonus bookmarks
• Eveliina Summanen had a nice interview in the Guardian about her career journey, Finland's Euros disappointment, and Martin Ho's early weeks at Spurs.
Suzanne Wrack
At Spurs I got enough support and time to kind of grow into things. I wasn’t just thrown into the deep end right away. I got the right support, right help on and off the pitch to get to where I am now. It didn’t just happen overnight, I just slowly, slowly kept building and that’s still what I want to do, keep taking steps forward.
• Friend of the newsletter Maryam Clark wrote an informative profile of Spurs Women's newest signing, Tōko Koga.
Women’s Football With Maryam
As Clark highlights, Koga's versatility to play at both right centerback and right fullback makes her a crucial addition to the squad in light of Luana Bühler's persistent injury concerns and Ella Morris' ACL recovery.
Unless there is some major transfer news, there may not be another issue before one or both of the transfer windows close. The Men's window closes on September 1, while the Women's stays open a little longer until September 4.
And one more reminder that the Men's Champions League draw is taking place on Thursday, August 28.
Up next
Spurs Men have a home Premier League fixture against Bournemouth on Saturday, then Spurs Women play the aforementioned friendly at Southampton on Sunday (streaming on SpursPlay).
COYS
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