The Duality of Ange

It was nice to celebrate two wins last weekend even if they weren't safe wins. The Men's team got some revenge on Brighton for the reverse fixture, while the Women's team progressed in the FA Cup thanks to a classic Kit Graham "I'll do it myself" moment.

We need to enjoy this next weekend of Spurs games since both teams will be out of action the following weekend—the Men's team due to a postponed match and the Women's team due to international break. I'm excited for the Women's Gold Cup here in the US so I'll have plenty of soccer to occupy me, but you hate to see either team miss a chance to build up some momentum now that both squads are nearly fully fit.

In this issue: Brighton recap | Charlton Athletic recap | Previewing the weekend matches | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane

Plus, there has been a lot of news out of the Academy this past week—transfer or otherwise.

Read on for recaps, previews, and a roundup of the news.

PL Matchday 24 recap | Tottenham 2 - 1 Brighton

Sarr 61', Johnson 90+6' | Gross (pen) 17'

The Men's team got off to a slow start in this match, with an early penalty concession leaving lots of work to do. Thankfully, Ange had a secret weapon up his sleeve for the second half.

Starting XI:

There were two changes to the lineup from the previous game against Everton. Pape Sarr got his first start since returning from AFCON, replacing Pierre Emile-Højbjerg in the midfield pivot, while Dejan Kulusevski got the nod over Brennan Johnson at right winger.

There were two more tournament returnees available off the bench, captain Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma.

I don't want to dwell too awful long on the penalty incident. Yes, it was a bit clumsy from Micky van de Ven. Yes, it was a bit soft. And yes, it was never going to be overturned under the "clear and obvious error" standard for VAR. Let's move swiftly on.

It was a shame to concede after Guglielmo Vicario had already made a huge save minutes before.

We'd have to wait until the second half to equalize. Kulusevski made a defense-splitting pass to Sarr as he ran into the box and although his first shot was blocked by Lewis Dunk, it deflected off the near post right into Sarr's path for a rebound shot. Pape ran into the stands to receive some hugs from fans, which earned him a yellow card. I seriously hate that rule. Let the players experience joy! Especially since their goals are sometimes taken away after the fact by VAR.

Although the midfield was much improved by Sarr's presence (even as Rodrigo Bentancur continues to struggle for form), the forward line wasn't quite clicking in the first half outside of that brilliant pass from Deki. Despite the equalizer, Ange went ahead with the triple substitution he had teed up to bring in some fresh options and try to kickstart the attack into finding a winner. Sonny got a rapturous reception from the home crowd and certainly brought an immediate boost to the team, even if the final product didn't come until stoppage time. Johnson and Bissouma also came on alongside Son in the 62nd minute.

Let's skip ahead to the winning goal (because I am short on time today myself). Several passes between Richarlison, Son, and Maddison created a beautifully fluid attacking move that culminated in Son eventually crossing the ball into the six-yard box for Johnson to smash home. It had been a while since we had such a late game-winning goal, but it never gets old.

SAtP Player(s) of the Match: Pape Sarr and Brennan Johnson

I'm going to give it to the youngsters for a) their persistence and b) their fearlessness this whole Premier League season. They're making a big impact in a league where experience more often wins the day. And true, it did take an assist from 31-year-old Son to help secure the three points (in the San Antonio Spurs tradition, we would call that "grandpa juice"), but the youth movement is nevertheless alive and well at Tottenham Hotspur.

Notable and quotable:

• Thanks to Aston Villa losing the next day, we ended the matchday back in 4th place by one point.

• We haven't been lower than 5th in the table since matchday 2.

• On a downer note, we've conceded the joint-most number of penalties (six, tied with Fulham and West Ham).

• Per Squawka, "Tottenham are the only side to both win 15+ points from losing positions and lose 15+ points from winning positions in the Premier League this season."

• One last note on Son's super sub performance... it was great man management from Ange not to start him, as I'm sure Sonny was chomping at the bit to do. Ange commented on Son's game-winning assist:

That ball that Sonny plays is a world-class ball from a world-class player in a clutch moment and it's about having him to come in and do that.

• Speaking of the man who did start at left winger, Timo Werner has only good things to say about his time at Tottenham so far:

The fun has completely returned. I've changed a lot as a person, I'm much happier now. After just five games, you can tell that the decision to move has paid off for me. But the season is still long. I want to build on my first performances. Just the fact that I'm playing in our stadium has already made the move worthwhile. It's impressive.

Women's FA Cup Round 5 recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Charlton Athletic

Graham 76'

Spurs Women also needed a clutch moment from a substitute to win their game on the weekend, as Kit Graham knocked out her former club, Charlton Athletic, from the FA Cup.

Starting XI:

There were quite a few changes from the previous Conti Cup match against Manchester City. Becky Spencer got another start in goal, while Luana Bühler finally made her long-awaited return from injury. Olga Ahtinen was back in the midfield pivot and Beth England started up top instead of Martha Thomas.

The first half was mostly a case of missed chances. So many that I have literally forgotten who all squandered them—so they'll get a reprieve from being mentioned. Since we've seen a fair amount of lineup fluctuation lately (some of it enforced rotation due to the fixture pile-up) I think we can cut the players some slack, but when the team gets back to business in the WSL this weekend they will need to be much more efficient. Even though we improved our shot tally from the previous game (a low bar, admittedly), we still only ended with one shot on target—the goal!

And from a simple morale perspective, it would really help if one or both of our usual starting strikers could get on the scoresheet again soon. Jess Naz, sometimes filling in at that role although she has historically played as a winger for the club, has been integral to the attack lately even if she doesn't get the final assist or shot for a goal. But Robert Vilahamn seems reluctant to start her for whatever reason.

Robert made what seemed like pre-planned subs at halftime, with the aforementioned Naz and Thomas coming on for Grace Clinton and Shuang Wang, respectively. Bühler wasn't permitted to play the full 90 on her return and was replaced by Amy James-Turner. Kit Graham made her entrance because Eveliina Summanen was getting the crap beat out of her by Kate Longhurst, and she ended up being the decisive sub, but Matilda Vinberg also put in some solid minutes in place of Celin Bizet (kind of; she and Naz swapped flanks so Tilly could play on her preferred left side).

The goal was not as exciting as a long-range goal usually would be. Kit didn't get a ton of power on it and realistically, Charlton's keeper probably should have saved it. Thankfully she did not and we live to see the quarter-final round.

And just who did we get drawn to for the quarter-final? Manchester City, of course. As if it could be any other team. I have to say, everyone who thinks that we're due a win since we've improved in each match with City so far this season needs to understand that football math defies logic. I will be thrilled if we manage to beat them on the fourth try, but it's going to take a massive effort and probably a little bit of luck to pull it off.

SAtP Player of the Match: Becky Spencer

This is more of a sentimental pick, but I feel like Becky deserves some recognition not just for her second clean sheet of the season, but also for soldiering through after a very rough challenge to her head near the end of the game. She went on to make an important save after receiving treatment and getting the go-ahead to play out the 90 minutes.

On a side note, Becky has looked pretty capable in her cup appearances lately and perhaps we cannot rule out a return to the #1 keeper spot. She undoubtedly has stronger distribution skills than Barbora Votíková. Just something to keep an eye on in the near future!

Notable and quotable:

• We've now reached the quarter-final stage of the competition for just the third time in club history.

• Kit Graham on her winning goal:

I know I have goals in me, it's just about taking the opportunities when they come.

...and Robert on Kit's performance off the bench:

We need to use different player types in different scenarios, so bringing in Kit in the last game as a central midfielder and she can take that shot and score that goal for us.

Previewing PL Matchday 25 — Wolves

This is another matchup where we'll be looking for some redemption from the reverse fixture. In the away game, Wolves scored twice in stoppage time to come from behind and win 2-1. At least the goals weren't late enough to take away Spurs' record for the latest comeback win in the Premier League.

Wolves will be missing Matheus Cunha, who has made 15 goal contributions for them in the PL so far. He misses out with a hamstring injury (yes, players from other teams occasionally get them, too). On the flip side, Hwang Hee-chan is expected to play after sitting out his first game back from the Asian Cup. Pedro Neto is always a threat in Wolves' forward line and Pablo Sarabia scored an absurdly good goal against us last time out.

We've been dealt the dual blow of losing both starting fullbacks, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, for this game—and Porro may also miss the next game after the unplanned bye week. Fraser Forster has fractured his foot and will miss around two months, so it's likely to be Brandon Austin for the goalkeeping backup plan in the meantime. Ryan Sessegnon is back in training but seems unlikely to feature in this weekend's matchday squad. Giovani Lo Celso and Manor Solomon are both still out.

Expect to see Son Heung-min back in the starting XI after proving his post-tournament fitness in last week's sub appearance (and how!), while Ben Davies and Emerson Royal will likely replace the two injured fullbacks. The wild card option is for Radu Drăgușin to get his first start at left centerback and move Micky van de Ven out to fullback, where he does have some experience playing in the past. Ange Postecoglou also has a decision to make with the midfield pivot partner for Pape Sarr: stick with Rodrigo Bentancur and give him a chance to play his way into some form, or give him a rest while Yves Bissouma gets a shot at reclaiming the starting role? Recent history would suggest that Ange prefers the former strategy for helping a player get out of a funk, but we'll see if he switches it up this time. Elsewhere, it'll be refreshing to have two strong options off the bench at the winger positions in Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson.

Previewing WSL Matchday 14 — Aston Villa

Although Aston Villa had started to pick up some important results in the WSL recently, they've been hit with a bit of an injury/suspension crisis this week. Rachel Daly is serving the second game of her three-match ban for a red card, while Kenza Dali and Ebony Salmon are both doubtful to play due to a rib injury and illness, respectively. Dali was also missing for the reverse fixture and that made a huge difference in our ability to play through their midfield. Lucy Staniforth is also injured for Villa, but Dan Turner will be returning to their matchday squad. Laura Blindkilde caused us some issues in October but she has now left Villa on a permanent transfer to Manchester City. Their big January acquisition was Noelle Maritz joining from Arsenal.

For a deep dive into the key players in Aston Villa's squad and why they've been struggling this season compared to last, check out this stats breakdown video from SHE score bangers:

Villa's issues with scoring combined with our recently improved defense bodes well for Spurs—although as I mentioned earlier, we still need to get back on track with our own goal-scoring. Martha Thomas' hat trick was a big part of our success in the away fixture, so it's not ideal that she's currently in a rough patch of form.

We'll still be missing Ash Neville and Drew Spence on the injury front, although Spence is getting closer to a return. Ramona Petzelberger is back in the squad after missing a couple of games with illness.

There was an interesting quote from Robert Vilahamn's press conference about how he's handling the increase in squad depth and having multiple potential starters for some positions:

Sometimes you have different players in the same position and then you can actually make sure that all of them understand that they have an important role in this team and they are starting players, but they don’t might not start every game.

Robert won't have to stress about fixture congestion when he decides on this team selection since the international break gives us a week off after the Villa game. Well, except for the numerous players heading out to play with their national teams. Those ranks seem to be growing every season.

Transfer talk: Men's Academy edition

Just a couple of tidbits out of the Academy this week:

• Brooklyn Lyons Foster is departing the club to join HJK Helsinki in the Finnish top flight. Best of luck to Brooklyn in his future career!

• Per Lilywhite Rose (who is an excellent follow for Academy news in general), keeper Josh Keeley had an option activated in his contract to extend with Spurs for a further year, until summer 2025. He's currently on loan at Barnet.

And speaking of loans, some updates on how Alejo Véliz is doing at Sevilla:

• He's already been taken under Erik Lamela's wing.

With Lamela we have already established a very nice bond, he invited me to his house and we had a great chat.

• Manager Quique Flores had some high praise for him.

He has completed an extraordinary week with the group, he has desire, hunger, enthusiasm... He does what we ask of him. He is a boy who is going to mark a clear path of what the team needs again.

Alejo has yet to feature for Sevilla, having arrived still recovering from his knee injury suffered against Bournemouth, but it sounds like he's close to making his debut.

News from around the Lane

• It was upsetting to hear about the incident at the Asian Cup that left Son with a dislocated finger, but I thought Ange's comments on it were spot on.

I don't know all the details... because it is an internal matter but what I know of the story is Sonny showing leadership. That's what leadership is all about. Leadership is not about being popular and trying to make everybody happy, it's about when you see something that you don't feel is right then you stand up for it because it's the best thing for the group. I see that in Sonny... He wants to win. He doesn't like standards slipping and I've seen him do that around here. If something is not right the will say it. Sometimes it is not the popular thing to do.

Ange also alluded to the fact that Sonny's national team sometimes "works against him" and that was definitely true of the manager, former Spurs striker Jürgen Klinsmann—who has now been sacked.

• In positive Spurs alumni news, Serge Aurier won the Africa Cup of Nations with his country, Côte d'Ivoire (which he captained).

• Back in N17, the club is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Proud Lilywhites at the Wolves game with a halftime presentation and a brand-new banner for the northeast corner of the stadium.

Here's a quote from co-chair Chris Paouros:

We’ve changed people’s lives and that’s why we do all this - the football landscape has changed because of the work we’ve done these last 10 years and the movement we have helped to build, with a network of LGBTQI+ fan groups across the country. This isn’t about tolerance and acceptance - it’s active celebration, purposeful promotion and real inclusion and belonging.

Here's to the next 10 years of the Proud Lilywhites!

• Will Lankshear was named the PL2 Player of the Month for January.

In next week's issue, I'll have recaps of the weekend matches and perhaps a special topic since there won't be any imminent games to preview. There's plenty of international football to enjoy while Spurs are out of action, or you can join me in witnessing the slow-motion trainwreck that is Bayern Munich under Thomas Tuchel.

I'll sign off with Sonny's lovely video message to fans, pulled from his extended interview on SpursPlay:

COYS

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