Sad Synergy

It was another #OneClub weekend, but this time it didn't work in our favor. The scoreline was slightly more respectable for the Men's team, but they didn't have the excuse of playing one of the best teams in their league as the Women's team did; it was an embarrassing defeat to newly-promoted Ipswich Town. Spurs Women suffered their annual defeat away at Manchester City, complete with the traditional Bunny Shaw hat trick.

It would be nice if both teams could remember how to play defense, but we'll have to wait to see if any improvement comes for Spurs Men after the break. The majority of the squad is out on international duty, with one injury scare already (three guesses who, the first two don't count).

Spurs Women have a chance to demonstrate some improvement in a game where staunch defense will be crucial: the North London Derby. Indeed, defense made the biggest difference in the historic first NLD win for Spurs last season. But there have been quite a few changes to the squad since that memorable match. There may need to be a new hero!

In this issue: Manchester City recap | Ipswich Town recap | Previewing the NLD

Do I want to write about those last two matches? No, and I also didn't have much capacity to write about them until tonight because of a busy week, so y'all are getting the truncated recap format again. Hopefully I will find both the time and motivation to go more in-depth after this weekend's match.

WSL Matchday 7 recap | Manchester City 4 - 0 Tottenham

Shaw 1' • 15' • 67', Roord 66'

Deep sigh.

While it is true that Bunny Shaw is just that good and poses multiple attacking threats with her unparalleled pressing, positioning, and physicality, I remain frustrated by Spurs' approach to defending her. Our defense isn't making it difficult for her, nor do we seem to be learning any lessons from our mistakes. And frankly, giving up a goal in the 1st minute is unforgivable no matter who's scoring it.

Clare Hunt had her worst performance so far in a Spurs shirt, and I'm starting to have real concerns about her ability on the ball under pressure—Molly Bartrip and Luana Bühler both seem to have the edge in the centerback pecking order in that regard. And with Amy James-Turner finally back from her lengthy pre-season injury, the competition for CB starting spots is only increasing.

All things considered, Ella Morris did a decent job against one of the best wingers in the league, Lauren Hemp, and it was just the second start for our young fullback. I think there's a lot of potential for her to develop with the team and become a key player. However, with Amanda Nildén about to return from an injury layoff, it will be interesting to see how Robert Vilahamn utilizes her going forward—as a regular starter or an impact substitute.

Elsewhere in the defense(ish), Molly Bartrip was converted into a defensive midfield role. I would be curious to see her operate in this position against a less, well, dominant attack than Man City's. So much was going wrong in this game in our defensive third that I'm wary of drawing any firm conclusions about her efficacy at DM from just this run-out.

There were a few momentary bright spots from our own attack, but we still ended the match with just one shot on target and didn't test Khiara Keating enough.

Starting XI:

My only real note on the starting lineup—besides the aforementioned Bartrip shift into DM—is that Vilahamn still doesn't seem to know what his best forward line is. Players have been in and out (with Jess Naz the one constant, starting all seven WSL games so far) and even lacked consistency in positioning. Nearly every forward has featured at striker, and with the fluidity demanded by the system, you could argue we've basically played without a true striker. Not only is it providing uneven results (no goals, in the case of this game), but it's also preventing individual players from building up some consistent form. I am not a fan!

Subsituttion-wise, I was disappointed that we still haven't seen Wang Shuang off the bench yet, nor did we get the usual second-half spark that Lenna Gunning-Williams would have provided. On the positive side, Hayley Raso returned from injury and got some good minutes under her legs, as did Amy James-Turner.

SAtP Player of the Match: The away fans

They are gluttons for punishment with this fixture, but bless them for their stubborn hope.

Notable and quotable:

• Bunny Shaw became the first player to score three hat tricks against the same opponent in WSL play. Yikes!

• This was Amy James-Turner's first appearance of the season in any competition.

• This was the second time we've been held scoreless in the WSL—both times in Manchester.

• Robert Vilahamn's verdict:

We gave the game away by actually giving them the game in the beginning—that's the truth.

And then he put it more bluntly:

I need to be honest... They are this good, and we are not that good.

PL Matchday 11 recap | Tottenham 1 - 2 Ipswich Town

Bentancur 69' | Szmodics 31', Delap 43'

Hard to say what the most embarrassing part of this result was... Perhaps it was the overhead kick goal from Ipswich's Sammie Szmodics, or maybe the fact that our only goal against a relegation-threatened team with the joint-second worst defense was a set piece header from Rodrigo Bentancur. Nah, it was Omari Hutchinson's flopping.

But I'm not letting Spurs off the hook for failing to adapt to Ipswich's stop-start strategy. We still created plenty of opportunities and should have converted more of them. Especially for a home game! The one effort by Dominic Solanke that did make it into the net was sadly called off for a handball.

Unfortunately, it does seem like several of the players already had their minds on their upcoming national team fixtures. It's a mentality issue we can't seem to shake.

All that being said, this loss was more pitiful than puncturing in terms of our season prospects; we are still just three points off 3rd place in the league table. It hurts that we could have been in 3rd if we'd done the business and won the game as expected, but alas. The fact remains that we're in contention for a Champions League berth and still going strong in both cup competitions we've started so far (with the FA Cup still to come after the turn of the year), so we're technically still on track to meet our goals for the season.

Starting XI:

Cristian Romero was a surprise start, and to be honest, he didn't seem to ever show up. Ben Davies + Radu Drăgușin on his preferred side might have been the better pairing after all.

The subs (Timo Werner, James Maddison, and Yves Bissouma) were kind of what you would expect from Ange Postecoglou, but I personally would have liked to see some youthful enthusiasm and drive from the likes of Archie Gray and Djed Spence, too.

SAtP Player of the Match: Rodrigo Bentancur

I mean, it was a great header. Enjoy it while we can, because his (deserved) FA ban is coming.

Notable and quotable:

• This was Rodrigo Bentancur's first goal of the season.

• It was also Pedro Porro's first PL assist of the season.

• We have scored the most goals in the PL and have the second-best goal difference.

Previewing WSL Matchday 8 — Arsenal

It's the big one, at the big stadium. So no pressure! Seriously though, I am hoping the depressed mood around the club and the Men's international break don't contribute to poor attendance for this marquee matchup on the Women's side. The players definitely need all the support they can get right now as they battle a tough run of form and are just starting to get some key players back from injury.

On that note, Amanda Nildén returns to the matchday squad (still no indication of what her injury was). This gives Robert Vilahamn a difficult decision on the fullback spots, but I suspect he'll lean on Nildén and Ash Neville's experience and put Ella Morris back on the bench for this high-pressured fixture. It would be a big boost if Hayley Raso was fit enough to start. Unfortunately, Maite Oroz is still out.

For Arsenal, they only have two injuries in their squad: Amanda Ilestedt and Victoria Pelova. It will be nice to not have Ilestedt playing with her insider knowledge of her national teammates, Nildén and Matilda Vinberg—although Arsenal have three other Sweden internationals, including promising new signing Rosa Kafaji.

Arsenal have somewhat of a new-manager boost (albeit interim) happening under Renée Slegers, but we'll see how long that lasts. It would be nice if we could be the ones to burst the bubble!

Four of the players who made such a big impact in last season's home NLD win are either no longer with the club (Barbora Votíková, Celin Bizet, and Grace Clinton) or currently injured (Kit Graham). Who's going to step up this time and produce the magic? My bet is on Hayley Raso or Jess Naz, but I wouldn't be shocked by a substitute goal from fully COYS Lenna Gunning-Williams. Wouldn't that be a fairytale ending?

Real talk though... I would be perfectly happy with a draw.

With no Men's team fixture this weekend, it's a great opportunity to get out to see the Women's U21s if you're local to London. They're playing at Millwall Lionesses in the Capital Cup on Sunday. See the club's post for ticket details!

One more news note: Son Heung-min scored his 50th goal for South Korea. Congrats to the skipper!

See y'all on the other side of the derby.

COYS

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