Skeleton Crew Steps Up
Remember during the height of the pandemic when the phrase "now, more than ever" suddenly became ubiquitous? I feel like we need to bring it back, but for Spurs.
Now, more than ever, we have to commend the players and the manager for carrying on in trying circumstances. It's hard to say how much of the starting XI, if any, were "fully fit" for the matchup against Newcastle United; several squad members were actively ill or still recovering from illness, not to mention the persistent issue of fatigue from the fixture pileup and lack of available rotation substitutes. One of the many players who missed the game outright was Fraser Forster, our second-choice keeper, necessitating a surprise start for Brandon Austin—his very first senior appearance for the club in a competitive match. We also only had one legitimate senior centerback option in the matchday squad, and he lasted just 45 minutes.
So it was interesting that Ange Postecouglu mentioned the concept of a "fair and even playing ground" in his post-game comments. He was referring to the officiating, but I think it's a relevant topic in the sense of player availability, too. We know Spurs as a club are not the type to request a postponement, but I'm sure there was a decent argument to do so. But even if we didn't meet the literal threshold for a mercy postponement, there's no denying that Newcastle were at an advantage before the game had even kicked off.
In this issue: Newcastle United recap | Liverpool preview | Transfer talk
Hopefully we have finally reached the nadir of the season when it comes to lack of player availability and fitness. But we'll still be heading into a high-stakes League Cup semi-final first leg without several key players, in a midweek match no less.
After a recap of the Newcastle game and a preview of the Liverpool clash, I'll touch on a couple of transfer notes from the past few days. Thankfully, it seems like the club isn't sitting still this January and there will be much more transfer news in the weeks to come.
PL Matchday 20 recap | Tottenham 1 - 2 Newcastle
Solanke 4' | Gordon 6', Isak 38'
This was one of the more eventful first 15 minutes of a game that we've had all season—and not for entirely good reasons. An early, beautiful goal for Spurs was immediately followed by a controversial VAR non-call to allow Newcastle's equalizer to stand, as well as a further flurry of questionable referee decisions.
Newcastle's signature dark arts were on full display in the second half as they held onto their narrow lead through a mix of parking the bus and time-wasting. Spurs' substitutes brought a fresh injection of energy—well, as much as the subs could give despite clearly not being 100% themselves—and gave the home side a fighting chance, but the Magpies got to return to the north with three ill-gotten points.
Starting XI:
I'm not a betting person, but if I were, I'd be betting that we never see this particular starting lineup ever again.
There were some rumored warnings of which players might not be able to start, so Brandon Austin coming in for Fraser Forster wasn't a total shock, nor was largely-out-of-favor Timo Werner replacing Son Heung-min. Slightly more surprising was the inclusion of Lucas Bergvall for just his second Premier League start. And since James Maddison had only played one-half of the previous game against Wolves, it stood to reason that he'd be in the starting lineup to face Newcastle, only to begin on the bench for the third league game in a row.
Key highlights and takeaways:
• Ironically, Pedro Porro looked visibly rested after a rare (almost) week off and had one of his better games this season. His looping cross for Dominic Solanke's goal was a glimpse of the talent we haven't seen often enough in recent weeks due to fatigue. And Solanke's diving header for the finish was equally impressive.
• The happiness of the early goal was short-lived as Newcastle equalized about two minutes later. My honest opinion about the handball is that it was, indeed, a handball. I don't buy the reasoning that the moment the ball hit Joelinton's hand wasn't in the "immediate buildup to the goal." Spurs had possession and Newcastle only gained possession because of the handball. It was also the pre-assist—if you will allow me to call it that—and we've seen goals called off in the past for fouls in the buildup even farther back in the assist chain (I know there are some Washington Spirit fans reading this feeling big mad, and I see you). The lack of intervention from VAR for what seems like the definition of a "clear and obvious error" is made even more frustrating by the fact that the handball rule is supposed to be more stringent when it comes to goal-scoring situations. As ever with PL officiating, we just want some consistency.
• The head official quickly lost control of the game after the dubious equalizer and tensions were running high. We're probably fortunate that nobody got hurt in the following ten minutes or so when Andy Madley seemed to forget he was in charge.
• Not long before Radu Drăgușin had to call it a day at halftime because of sickness-induced exhaustion, he struggled to deflect a cross by Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak got the final touch into the goal from close range, giving Newcastle the lead. I think on another day when Drăgușin was feeling a little sharper, he'd have made the clearance successfully.
(Side note: I just happened to watch the Sunderland vs Portsmouth game on Sunday and it turns out Murphy has an identical twin! I thought I was seeing things.)
• It's not that we didn't create any chances to equalize ourselves—there was one particularly maddening sequence when any one of five different Spurs players had a decent opportunity to shoot and nobody could find the back of the net—but most of them are what the pundit class would categorize colloquially as "half chances." Solanke did his best to get on the end of several such chances and may have had a hat trick on another day. Martin Dubravka made three saves for Newcastle and had the benefit of a more experienced centerback pairing in front of him (albeit with Sven Botman making his first appearance of the season on return from an ACL injury), unlike Austin for Spurs.
• Bergvall looked much more comfortable with the pace of the game than he has in past appearances, most of them from off the bench. His fairly early exit from the game was disappointing from that perspective, but we do have to keep in mind that he's likely to get heavy minutes in the coming cup games—especially with two midfielders suspended for the League Cup game on Wednesday. Postecoglou has to be shrewd with his substitutions during this injury crisis and part of that strategy includes not overextending a young player.
• The other pleasant surprise from the game, at least to me, was seeing Sergio Reguilón's positive attitude in his second-half cameo. It would be easy for him to have a poor demeanor on the pitch after the way his season has played out (or not played, for the most part), but he obviously still has some affection for the club if felt compelled to gin up the crowd before a set piece opportunity. He's likely to get some more game time in the next few weeks (unless he is moved on to bring in a new leftback option, which is possible, of course) with Destiny Udogie now injured and Djed Spence being used as a utility man similar to Archie Gray. I'm sure his display of loyalty and motivation didn't go unnoticed by Postecoglou.
SAtP Player of the Match: Brandon Austin
I have a huge amount of respect for the performance that Austin put in on short notice. As far as I can tell, his last competitive senior match (he did feature in several friendlies for Spurs during the most recent pre-season) was way back in 2021 when he was on loan with Orlando City in MLS. Despite having a good excuse for being rusty, he appeared very well-prepared and ready to execute the Angeball tactics. That's a testament to Postecoglou's training sessions, but it also speaks to Austin's mentality.
That unwavering focus was on full display during stoppage time went the result was still in the balance and he made an important save. It would have been understandable for a keeper who was well out of the matchday rhythm to slip up at that moment and drop his guard, but he kept his team in the game. Too bad the attack couldn't manage to equalize thereafter and salvage a point.
Frankly, I still wonder why Austin hasn't been the second keeper all along over Forster. I thought his performances during pre-season were promising and he certainly seemed to have a better grasp of the Postecoglou system (and the ability to actually work within it) than Forster ever has. He's not a perfect fit for Angeball either, but I would argue that he's a solid upgrade over Forster, with all due respect to the experienced keeper.
However, both of them are about to be pushed back in the pecking order by the new goalkeeper signing. It's kind of a shame that this could end up being Austin's only senior appearance for Spurs, but if it was, he did himself and the fans proud.
Notable and quotable:
• Newcastle did the league double over Spurs.
• Despite the contentious nature of the game, Reguilón was the only player to pick up a yellow card, deep in stoppage time.
• Alfie Whiteman is now the only senior member of the Premier League squad not to have made an appearance.
• Some more of the Postecoglou post-game comments I mentioned earlier:
I’m just really, really angry — the angriest I think I have ever been in my career that [the players] were denied the right rewards for a fantastic performance... All I’ll say is that on any other day, on a fair and even playing ground, we would have won that game. Simple as that. Don’t keep asking me about the decision. If you guys have no opinion about it, that’s fine. I know what my opinion is and, as I said, if that was a different day and it was an even and fair playing ground, we would have won that game.
On Thursday, we literally had 11 fit players for training. But I don’t care about that. What I care about is the players put in an unbelievable performance, fantastic football, created chances, denied [Newcastle] and having to defend strongly, which we did. And it’s unfair on them, more than anything else, that they didn’t get the rewards today.
Previewing Men's League Cup Semi-final (Home Leg) — Liverpool
Ready or not, it's happening!
I feel like we almost certainly aren't ready, but you never know when it comes to cup football. There are so many variables that go into knockout games (which this game technically isn't, since it's the first of two legs, but the spirit of jeopardy is still there), from rotation considerations to mental pressures, that upsets can and do happen.
It would definitely be an upset for this depleted Spurs team to beat the league leaders on aggregate over two matches, but we can hope the stars will align in our favor. And one thing you can always count on from an Ange Postecoglou team is that they'll give it a proper go. I feel more confident that the players actually have it in them after seeing such a spirited performance against Newcastle United—who are playing in the other semi-final, coincidentally. Wouldn't it be something to face them in the final and get some sweet revenge?
There's a decent chance that this game won't be Liverpool's priority as they are flying high in the Premier League and lead the Champions League table as well. With the League Cup being a much less prestigious competition—and having won it twice in the past three seasons—perhaps Arne Slot and his players will be fully focused on winning the more coveted trophies. Even a rotated Liverpool side would present a tough challenge, but at least it would then be more of a level playing field with our injury absences and suspensions. However, Liverpool also drew a lower-division opponent (Accrington Stanley) for their FA Cup match, so they could decide to go all-out for our contest and make changes on the weekend instead.
Speaking of Spurs' suspensions, the midfield will be the most constrained area of the lineup. Both James Maddison and Pape Sarr must miss out because they received a second yellow card in the competition during the previous match against Manchester United. This leaves Postecoglou with very few options to start, and only one midfield substitute for the bench (from the senior squad, at least). We struggled to gain any control of the midfield in the league match against Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, so we had better hope they put out a weaker midfield trio for this game.
Goalkeeping could be another interesting tactical matchup. Liverpool's backup keeper, Caoimhín Kelleher, is good enough to be a #1 at many PL teams. It appears that our new goalkeeper signing, Antonín Kinský (more on him shortly), has already received his work visa and is eligible to start, but he is basically an unknown quantity—though I suppose that works in an "element of surprise" way, too. Although I would be interested in seeing him make his debut, I wouldn't blame Postecoglou for relying on Brandon Austin for another game since he's been training with the team all season and was at least on the bench for the previous Liverpool matchup in league play. Again, this isn't win or go home, but it's fairly close since we have to go to Anfield for the second leg—a daunting prospect if we go into it down on aggregate! Risk management might be the move. So of course, Ange will probably opt for the bold option and start the newcomer.
As for injuries, Mikey Moore might return at last from his long injury absence, but only as a bench option. All the other long-term absentees are still out of contention, but Richarlison is the farthest along in his rehab and will likely be back for next week's fixtures. Otherwise, the players who were ill last week are all on the mend and should be in good fitness for matchday.
The good news is that a much easier FA Cup tie with Tamworth is around the corner on the weekend, so the players can give their all knowing that there will be the relief of rotation for the next game. Should we start speculating now on which Academy players will finally get to make their senior debuts? Yang Min-hyeok could also see his first Spurs action.
On a side note, with Austin earning Tottenham Legacy Number 890 in his first appearance, we're rapidly approaching the 900th player to feature for the club. It probably won't happen this season unless Ange really goes all-in on youth players for the Tamworth game and we have more January signings than could reasonably be expected. But that will be a fun milestone to reach regardless of when it occurs.
Liverpool could be missing Dominik Szoboszlai who only recently returned to training, while Joe Gomez is definitely out of contention.
On an officiating note, VAR will be in use, and the EFL & PGMOL will also be trialing the use of in-stadium announcements from the head referee about VAR decisions. The last time I can remember seeing this used was in the 2023 Women's World Cup, but I know it's also become standard in MLS—providing us with an iconic GIF.
You can tell how nervous I am about a fixture by how lengthy my match preview gets, so consider me suitably shook. I'll leave it here, but then we get to go over it all again in early February for the second leg. Personally, I think that's an absurd amount of time between the home and away legs, but nobody did ask me. At least our injury crisis will have lessened considerably by then. We just have to give ourselves a fighting chance by not fumbling the home leg...
Transfer Talk
Just a couple of quick notes from the Women's team:
• Eloise Hall is going on loan to National League Division One South West side AFC Bournemouth under a dual-registration agreement. The forward has been at the club's Academy through various age groups and is in her second season with the U21s.
• In coaching transfer news, Bri Campos is joining Robert Vilahamn's coaching staff as Women's First Team Coach. Meanwhile, longtime Spurs Women assistant Anton Blackwood is leaving the club to pursue a new opportunity. He was most recently serving as the First Team Transitional Coach, helping Academy players make the move up to the senior level, but has been involved with the team since the days of Karen Hills and Juan Carlos Amorós. Best of luck to Anton in his new role, and welcome to Bri!
And two significant updates from the Men's team:
• Antonín Kinský has signed a contract with the club until 2031. The 21-year-old joins us from Slavia Praha in the Czech First League.
By all accounts, Kinský is at Spurs to challenge Guglielmo Vicario for the first keeper spot, and with a contract that lengthy, he's a long-term prospect regardless of how his immediate start goes. In the short term, he should be an exciting backup while Vicario continues his injury rehab.
I recommend reading this profile from The Athletic that highlights Kinský's many strengths (and seeming lack of major weaknesses).
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Ange Postecoglou noted in his most recent press conference that Kinský had been targeted as a summer signing but the club (and Johan Lange in particular) worked hard to get him in early during the January window to help alleviate our keeper issues. Kinský was having a very successful season with Slavia Praha so far, so it was by no means an easy decision for him to make the move.
Ange also shared his thoughts on our new keeper:
We're trying to build a team of people who are very ambitious and have a clear goal in their heads about how they want their career to go. We've seen that already with Lucas and Archie. It's much about their performance, but also the way they've embraced the whole challenge, it's certainly not like your normal 18-year-olds. They've shown a real maturity and also an ambition to make an impact. Talking to Toni and looking into his background, he's very much of a similar mold.
Kinský won't be eligible to play in the last two Europa Leaguephase games, so either Brandon Austin or Fraser Forster will have to deputize for those couple of matches at least. Otherwise, I would expect that we're going to see quite a lot of "Toni" in the coming weeks before Vicario returns.
• In the news we've all been waiting for, the club has picked up the one-year option on Son Heung-min's contract to keep him in Tottenham for a further season.
Postecoglou summed up how I think we're all feeling:
Brilliant. He has already had an outstanding career at this football club. He has played a big role in the last 10 years, made an impact at the club, made an impact in the Premier League. Great to extend his stay, and the aim is to make sure he finishes his Tottenham career with some silverware.
I feel very relieved that we've got a whole other season in which to finally secure a trophy for the squad's most deserving player—if Ange's usual second-season magic doesn't pull through this year. I would be a massive disappointment if Sonny couldn't add a team accomplishment to his many individual accolades over his Spurs career. It's "trophy for the captain or bust" time!
• Regarding additional January signings for the Men's team, Postecoglou noted that the club may choose to stand pat with the leftback position since Ben Davies is nearing his return from injury. He contrasted it to the situation with goalkeeper:
It's a bit of a balancing act of how much we can get through. The beauty of bringing in somebody like Toni was that he was part of our plans anyway. I'm really reluctant just to bring in another body just for the sake of it. It's got to be somebody who either fits into what we're doing or he's going to help us straight away. They're the kind of criteria we're looking at.
In less than a week, Spurs Women will finally return after their winter break. There will be no gentle easing back into league play since the first match back is our entrance into this season's FA Cup, visiting Everton for the Round of 32. Unfortunately, that game is going to overlap with Spurs Men's own FA Cup match at Tamworth in Round 3.
In the meantime, I'm sending everyone (especially the Men's team players) healthy vibes ahead of a stressful cup encounter with Liverpool—part one!
COYS
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