Sweet Relief

Finally, the guys are getting some help with players back in the matchday squad and ready to contribute. It's fair to say we may have seen a different outcome in the match against Manchester United without the strong performances of Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison. It was also refreshing to see some experienced substitutes for the forward line for the first time in quite a while.

Ange Postecoglou will have to be shrewd about how he rotates players in and out of the starting lineup with an eye to the Europa League Round of 16 kicking off in just under two weeks.

In this issue: Arsenal recap | Manchester United recap | Previewing Ipswich Town | News from around the Lane

But before the relief of getting a much-needed win in the Premier League, we had to suffer through another humiliatingly heavy NLD defeat in the Women's Super League. Truly, the less said about this game the better—and it's probably a good time for an international break to regroup.

PL Matchday 25 recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Manchester United

Maddison 13'

I obviously need to get back into the habit of writing up the match recap sections of the newsletter shortly after the games when there's no midweek fixture to force my hand. I'm finding it difficult to recall the finer details of this game now!

But the main takeaway was the long-awaited return of several players. No tactical adjustment from Ange or a lucky break from the opposition could matter more than sheer availability at this point of the season. The players starting week in and week out needed some relief and finally got it.

It wasn't a perfect performance, but it was sufficient for three points and a couple of places higher in the league table.

Starting XI:

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who cheered at the teamsheet when it dropped. It had been heavily hinted that both Vicario and Maddison would start, but seeing Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, and Destiny Udogie on the bench was a pleasant surprise. The latter didn't end up making it onto the pitch after all, but it was good to see the other two get a chance to shake off some rust—not that Odobert looked rusty at all!

There was nary an Academy kid in sight among the substitutes. We appreciated their efforts during the injury crisis, but if we're going to salvage something from the season it's imperative to have experienced players who can come on and change games consistently.

Top three things:

1. Tel trusted at striker. No, Mathys Tel didn't score this time, but he did get three shots on target and created one chance. His smart positioning was on display from the central role and he looked much better-suited to connect with his new teammates than he had on the wing in his previous two appearances. It's also worth noting that this was his first Premier League game and he didn't look out of place at all. Not bad for the player that Bayern Munich decided was surplus to requirements (yes, I am still salty about it, especially now that Harry Kane is injured).
2. Saves and supervision. Vicario's elite shot-stopping was a sight for sore eyes, but his leadership from between the sticks was just as important, especially with a knock to Kevin Danso necessitating a centerback substitution in the second half. He also closed out the game with the captain's armband.
3. Djedvolution. The Djed Spence comeback continues apace, with the fullback earning his second-straight PL Player of the Match award. The majority of his performances have been played on his less-favored side, no less.

SAtP Player of the Match: Guglielmo Vicario

As much as I appreciated another strong performance from Spence and a scrappy goal from Maddison, we don't keep the clean sheet (and all three points) without Vicario's multiple saves.

Notable & quotable:

• This was the first Spurs league double over Manchester United since the 1989/90 season.

• James Maddison is now tied with Son Heung-min for most goal contributions in the PL for Spurs.

• With Mathys Tel making his Premier League debut, Spurs have now had seven teenagers feature in the competition this season—matching a club record.

• Ange's assessment of the game:

I think the important thing is that we did win today. It was an important game for us and an important week. We needed to put in a performance today to get us the result and I think we did that. That coupled with the fact that we've got some significant players back and they got through the game. They got through unscathed and really contributed, it was important for us. It signals a little bit of an opportunity for us to push on from here.

He also spoke on the constraints the team has been working under during the injury crisis and how much of a mood boost there's been from players returning:

We have hardly trained the last two months. We have just gone out there and tried to work on things without putting a physical toll on the players because of the game schedule... This week all of a sudden we have had 20 senior fit players which gives everyone a boost. Training is more energetic and up tempo. The players and the coaches all respond to that and feeds in.

As much as all players want to play, they also knew they needed help and they got it this week.

WSL Matchday 14 recap | Arsenal 5 - 0 Tottenham

Hunt (OG) 15', Caldentey 36, Maanum 52', Russo 58', Fox 90'

This game was utterly deflating, there's no other way of putting it.

Although we survived far longer without conceding a goal than we have in other recent games against the top 4 teams, the nature of the first goal conceded almost felt worse than an early concession. It was our second own goal of the league campaign and was just the start of a rough night for Clare Hunt. I still think it was managerial malpractice from Robert Vilahamn to keep her on the pitch for the full 90 minutes; if ever there was a player in need of a mercy substitution, it was her.

Things only went downhill from there defensively, but the bigger issue was that we presented hardly any attacking threat. At no point did we look like getting back into the game, which makes the lack of damage limitation on the goal difference front even more frustrating. If we can't challenge these teams for possession and chances on goal we should at least be organized defensively. Instead, it felt like a forgettable performance all around.

Starting XI:

I haven't seen enough from Anna Csiki yet to actually be excited to see her in the starting lineup. It was also baffling to see the complete lack of a true DM in the XI; Josefine Rybrink didn't impress much on her debut, but at least she has some experience in the position. Olga Ahtinen could also do a job in that role but is seemingly being frozen out; she didn't feature at all in the last two matches.

Up front, it was another attempt from Vilahamn to make the same combination of forwards work that hasn't been working for many months now. And much like the DM situation, we also lacked a true playmaker. Olivia Holdt has yet to make her first WSL start. Drew Spence was thankfully available on the bench but couldn't turn the tide in the second half.

Top three things:

1. Missing midfield. I mean, yeah. This is what happens when you only have two actual midfielders in the lineup and they're both new signings for the season. From a pure numbers perspective we were being overrun by Arsenal's midfield, and it left our defense horribly exposed.
2. Kop did her best. It sounds counterintuitive to say that a goalkeeper who let in five goals had a good game, but truly, the majority of the goals were not savable. Lize Kop was hung out to dry by her backline. But she still managed to make several big saves to prevent the scoreline from becoming historic levels of embarrassing.
3. Loss of identity. Whereas last season we had 1-1-1 record against Arsenal in all competitions (with an aggregate score of 4-4, not including the Conti Cup penalty shootout loss), we lost both of the WSL fixtures this season while conceding eight unanswered goals. So what has changed? Simply, the exciting, free-flowing identity of "RV Ball" has all but disappeared. We can barely string three passes together, our ability to play out from the back has been stifled, and the distinct patterns of play seem to have been forgotten. There have been some changes to the squad, sure, but the new players have not adapted well, and returning players look to have regressed. It's bleak, y'all.

SAtP Player of the Match: Lize Kop

Another goalkeeper pick, but very different vibes. Poor Kop was on an island fighting for her life (or at least dignity), not part of a cohesive defense. Still, it's encouraging that she seems to have settled in fairly well since signing in January. On current form, she's probably one of the more confident players in the squad at the moment.

Notable & quotable:

• In a bit of awkward timing, Ash Neville reached a big milestone with her 100th WSL appearance. She is the first player to do so solely playing for Spurs in the competition.

This wasn't her best performance by any means, but one bad game doesn't change the fact that she's been one of the team's most consistent performers, season in and season out.

We talked in depth about Neville (and her contract status!) on the latest N17 Women episode, so feel free to check that out for more thoughts on one of our longest-tenured players.

• Ash was blunt when reflecting on the game:

It’s a difficult one to take. We knew it would be a tough game but to concede five goals, we know that’s not good enough.

• Robert Vilahamn was equally honest when asked about fans questioning the team's progress (long quote incoming):

That question should come and those people should say that. 8-0 on aggregate is not a good goal difference against them, but we had glimpses in the game where we looked good. They are better than us.

The balance is extremely important to make sure we have an organic journey with quality on the pitch. We have a strong fanbase. We have a strong brand with Tottenham. You do not want to lose 5-0. You need to find a strong team to compete yet also grow organically. The technical director [coming in] is a big thing to make sure we can find the right players in the right category. We need to invest money, absolutely, but we are doing that more now. When other teams are investing more money and raising the bar, then we need to follow that. That's on the board to make decisions, but they are showing what they want to do. The organic journey needs to be with quality.

If you look at how we're going to close the gap, it's by developing the players to make sure we are sharp and how we improve our facilities, but we are also aware that Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are signing world-class players. The gap is not always closing. That's the reality right now.

They are better than us, and the gap is not always closing. That just about sums it up, depressingly. The incoming (but not yet announced) technical director is going to have their work cut out for them.

• Spurs Women are now on international break, but will be taking on another difficult opponent in Manchester City after the pause.

Previewing PL Matchday 26 — Ipswich Town

I'm going to keep this preview super short in the interest of time. I had a bit of a WiFi snafu midway through writing this issue and now it's late!

For Spurs, everyone escaped the last game unscathed (well, in the long term sense–there were a few small knocks that players recovered from quickly), but we aren't expected to have anyone else come off the injury list for this fixture. Looking ahead though, we did receive the positive news that both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could feature in our first knockout round of the Europa League.

Ipswich will be without Julio Enciso, but have a handful of players coming back into contention, including striker Sam Szmodics. Szmodics scored against us in the reverse fixture, which Ipswich memorably won 1-2 as the away team. Axel Tuanzebe is suspended due to a second-yellow red card in their previous match against Aston Villa.

On a minor note, I got somewhat re-invested in Jack Clarke's career post-Spurs when he visited my local team for a friendly SAFC derby (San Antonio FC vs Sunderland AFC). I was a bit surprised that he made the move to Ipswich and think he might come to regret it now that Ipswich are looking likely to go straight back down to the Championship and Sunderland have a decent chance of coming up through the playoff route. He's also gone from being a locked-on starter for the Black Cats to being primarily a substitute for the Tractor Boys (he's only started five matches in the PL). We'll see how much game time he gets against his old club.

Form-wise, Ipswich did pick up a point in that game against Villa but lost their previous four games in league play. Although I said they are likely to get relegated, they're technically just two points from safety. They will surely be going all out for three points against Spurs knowing that they beat us once before, and with Ange Postecoglou likely to do some rotation to the starting lineup with Manchester City coming up midweek (and many players in dire need of rest, besides).

Fingers crossed we make this one straightforward and continue our win streak in the PL.

News from around the Lane

• As mentioned above, it's international break time for the Women's team. The club has a full list of the relevant fixtures for your perusal.

I did watch the Japan vs Australia game and can confirm that Japan were as good as Australia were bad. Charli Grant nearly scored, though! I'll keep mum about how the other two Spurs Matildas did. Otherwise, I haven't caught any of our other players in action with their national teams yet.

• The Women's Academy U21s have reached the semi-final of the Capital Cup. Had I heard of this competition before? No. Am I glad the youngsters are making gains? Definitely. Also, it seems like every time we get an update on the U21s, Mia Endacott's name is mentioned, so I look forward to next season when we will hopefully get our first glimpse of her with the senior team in a League Cup game.

• Speaking of youngsters, Yang Min-hyeok made his first assist in English football whilst on loan with Queens Park Rangers. It's been nice to see how wholeheartedly QPR have embraced him, from his teammates to the fans. The club even did a Yang cam for his first start! Excellent vibes.

• The Europa League Round of 16 draw has taken place, and Spurs Men will be taking on AZ Alkmaar once again. The first leg is away on March 6, while the home leg will take place on March 13. Check out the club-provided graphic below to see how we could progress in the bracket:

I think that's everything... I hope that's everything.

The Women's team can't hurt us this weekend, and I'm pumped to see Vicario play again. He's like a really intense human security blanket.

COYS

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