The Finnish Foundation

All right, this week kind of got away from me and I definitely dropped the ball on getting out a preview ahead of the midweek Conti Cup fixture. As a result, there are now three (3) matches to recap but a light weekend ahead with the Men's team on international break.

In this issue: Luton Town recap | Bristol City recap | Reading recap | Previewing Brighton | News from around the Lane

PL Matchday 8 recap | Luton Town 0 - 1 Tottenham

Van de Ven 52'

Let's just jump straight into the starting lineup, because after all my speculation about what changes might be made to preserve certain players' fitness, it ended up being unchanged from the previous game against Liverpool.

Starting XI:

So clearly the strategy was to try to get an early goal or two and then see the game out with some smart substitutions. It didn't quite work out that way, with Spurs being pretty wasteful in the box on some quality chances, but we were at least able to find a goal before the pre-planned substitution of key players Son Heung-min and James Maddison, with the latter being integral to the goal.

This wasn't a hugely eventful game, with only two major incidents: the Bissouma second yellow sending-off and Van de Ven's first goal for Spurs. Luton Town were clearly outmatched and were fortunate the scoreline wasn't higher in Tottenham's favor—although they did miss a couple of golden opportunities to score themselves. Otherwise, Guglielmo Vicario was largely untroubled and only had to make two saves.

Luton attempted to break up our play early on with some physical challenges but ended up conceding on a set piece early in the second half. James Maddison received the short corner from Dejan Kulusevski and pulled off some superb footwork along the goal line, cutting the ball back to Van de Ven on the edge of the six-yard box. Micky had to maneuver quickly to get the ball onto his preferred left foot for a clearer shot at goal than he would have had attempting a right-footed shot to the near side of the goal. It's his first goal with the club and well-deserved after an excellent start to his Spurs career.

Ange definitely went for a more defensive approach with his substitutions than we've seen in the past, but considering we were down a player, it was an understandable strategy. After Pierre-Emile Højbjerg replaced Richarlison at halftime, Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal came on for Son and Maddison at the 76th-minute mark, followed by Ben Davies in the 82nd minute for Destiny Udogie. The only out-and-out attacking sub came in stoppage time, with Alejo Véliz making another quick cameo to replace Kulusevski, who had worked incredibly hard to lead the line by himself for a large portion of the second half.

My main takeaway is that our mentality continues to evolve under Ange Postecoglou's management. I can say with almost complete certainty that we would have lost this match last season in the same circumstances (missing a bevy of early chances, going down a man, and dealing with early substitutions due to injury concerns) with Antonio Conte in charge. Instead, the remaining team showed great composure to find a goal and manage the game until the final whistle. I am also reassured that we've handled several different types of challenges so far this season; the resilience has been gratifying to witness.

Thanks to this result, we enter the second international break of the season still unbeaten and on top of the league on the goals-for tiebreaker.

SAtP Player of the Match: James Maddison

This is not to discount Micky's movement to get his shot off, which was remarkably composed for a defender, but that goal was all Madders.

We simply don't have another player like him in the squad in terms of dribbling ability and passing vision, and for that reason, we all need to pray that he gets through England duty unscathed.

Notable and quotable:

• Maddison leads the league in assists—well, tied with Kieran Trippier and Pedro Neto, but still.

• This was the first game in the PL that we haven't scored at least two goals; not a bad stat for eight games into the campaign!

• This win secured the best start to a season for the Men's team since 1960/61, the year we won the double.

• Ange summing up the game perfectly:

We then had to show a different side of ourselves, and I thought we did that awfully well. I thought the guys handled being down a man really well in terms of maintaining our composure. We were always a threat going forward, they had a couple of chances but for the most part, we minimised it and the guys coming on helped us get over the line.

• And another Ange quote that I loved, sort of alluding to the noticeable change in mood and mentality amongst the squad from last season to this season:

The players want to change the destiny of this football club.

I mean, if that doesn't get you fired up I don't know what will!

WSL Matchday 2 recap | Tottenham 3 - 1 Bristol City

Ahtinen 31', Thomas 35', Summanen 45+4' | Thestrup (pen) 64'

Once again, another Spurs game where consistency was prioritized as the new manager aims to further develop partnerships on the pitch. The unchanged lineup paid dividends with the full three points against newly promoted Bristol City.

Starting XI:

That's two straight starts now for Becky Spencer—not that she had as much to do in this game as in the Chelsea match. I still don't love Angharad James playing right fullback but Robert Vilahamn apparently has his reasons for switching up her role. I wasn't surprised to see the rest of the XI maintain their spots, although there could be some shakeups to the status quo after the mid-week cup game (more on that later).

The match began much as the Men's game did, with lots of attacking opportunities but a lack of clinical finishing. That changed in the 31st minute with Olga Ahtinen's long-range goal, assisted by her fellow Finn Eveliina Summanen. Martha Thomas doubled our advantage just four minutes later but in an unusual way, pressing the opposition goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese (not Bristol City's usual first keeper) into a poor kick that ricocheted off Martha's backside slowly into the net. Then it was Eveliina's turn to score during first-half stoppage, converting a free kick opportunity won by Grace Clinton's determined dribbling at the edge of the box.

Sadly, we didn't have quite the same energy in the second half and failed to capitalize on an opportunity to pad the goal differential against a relegation-threatened team (yes, it's only the second matchday, but that still feels like a safe prediction for Bristol, no pun intended). We were also unlucky to concede a penalty due to a handball by Eveliina in the box from close range. That being said, we saw some more promising substitute performances from Jess Naz and Kit Graham, as well as Ria Percival making her season debut. Rosella Ayane also got a few minutes at the end of the game.

Although the midfield pivot of Summanen and Ahtinen will receive most of the plaudits, I think it's worth noting that Molly Bartrip and Luana Bühler's centerback partnership was looking more solid in this game. Molly was able to foray into the attack fairly often, and both players have proven themselves to be capable passers from a range of distances.

Off the pitch, it was interesting to see Zhang Linyan already making the bench despite joining up with the club just a couple of days previously. My N17 Women co-host Rachel also shared a photo of the injured and inactive player contingent sitting in the stands amongst the fans, which is just nice to see. I know on the Men's side they've talked about having everyone who's in and around the first team attending matches to feel like they're part of the effort, and it's good to see the Women's side following that lead and keeping the injured players connected to the fans as well.

So while I would have liked to see the scoreline increase in the second half, it's hard to complain about a comfortable win after a season in which those were few and far between.

SAtP Player of the Match: Eveliina Summanen

With two goal contributions on the day, Eveliina is showing that her marked improvement near the end of last season wasn't a flash in the pan. If anything, playing next to her national teammate Olga has heightened her game. The two of them provide a great balance in the midfield that was sorely missing in the previous campaign.

As for the free kick goal, we've seen her score from such set pieces with Finland before, so it's good to see her bringing that valuable skill back to Spurs. At the moment, her starting spot is looking pretty secure.

Notable and quotable:

• Robert Vilahamn stressed that laying the foundation for the playing style is more important in the long run than this specific result:

Once again it's about how we win it with our style — the 'Tottenham' style. That's the best way to win it. The first-half display showed how we wanted to play and [press] the ball... It is an adjustment as to how we want to dictate games, apply ourselves moving forward, play brave football through the midfield and score a lot of goals.

• Bristol City's manager, Lauren Smith (formerly a Spurs Women assistant coach) noted that her team needed to adjust to the level of the WSL in their promotion season by creating more "high-quality opportunities to [be able to] beat the goalkeepers in this league." And indeed, I don't think they would have been able to get past Becky Spencer if not for the penalty.

• Shelina Zadorsky missed out on making the matchday squad due to illness, allowing Zhang Linyan to make her first appearance on the bench.

League Cup — Group Stage Matchday 1 recap | Tottenham 6 - 0 Reading

Zhang 10', Graham 19', Ale 47', Percival 56', Naz 62', Thomas 72'

This match is where the goals really started flowing—as you would expect against lower-division opposition.

I wasn't able to get a preview out ahead of this fixture but if I had, I would have noted that Reading are not anywhere close to the same team we saw in the WSL and both cup competitions last season. Besides losing several key players after their relegation to the Championship, they also rotated heavily for this League Cup matchup and started a few academy players. So in other words, there was no excuse for us not to have a decisive victory. The first clean sheet of the season was a nice bonus!

Starting XI:

Robert Vilahaman also opted for plenty of rotation for his side, making ten changes from the previous starting lineup altogether. Angharad James was the only player to keep her place—although she changed positions, moving from right fullback in the WSL game into the midfield pivot for this cup game. Ria Percival joined her for her first start of the season. We got our first look at Barbora Votíková in goal. The entire backline got their first starts as well, with Asmita Ale the only player to have had a sub appearance in the league prior and the rest making their first 2023/24 appearances. Kit Graham got her first start in the #10 role, while Rosella Ayane and Jessica Naz got their first starts of the season at left winger and striker, respectively. Zhang Linyan made her Spurs debut at right winger.

As in the previous two matches, there was clear attacking intent from Spurs from the start. Zhang got her first Spurs goal early on, cleverly moving in the box to receive a cutback from Ale for a close-range shot. Asmita deserves a lot of credit for not only winning the ball in the middle third but then driving forward into the box to find the assist past several Reading players.

The second goal came about from quick, decisive passing on the part of Zadorsky and Ayane, who assisted Graham for her shot on the edge of the 18-yard box. Naz had a couple of close chances, but we ended the first half with just a two-goal lead.

Ramona Petzelberger came on at halftime for just her third appearance in a Spurs shirt after missing most of last season through injury; she replaced Zhang. Petz made an immediate impact with a through ball assist for Ale's goal, a nice finish that looked like it could have been scored by a true forward.

As if Asmita getting on the scoresheet wasn't enough, one of the shortest players on the team scored a header on a set piece. Percival pulled off a crouching header from Graham's corner delivery. Ria is the epitome of a utility player, doing whatever is needed to get the job done.

Naz was finely rewarded for her strong performance in the striker role when Ayane's pressing led to her intercepting a poor pass from Reading's keeper, calmly squaring the ball to Naz for the shot. Then two substitutes combined for our last goal; Grace Clinton won the ball off a Reading player before the halfway line and sent an overhead pass into Martha Thomas' path, who managed to pull off a shot even though the ball nearly got tangled up beneath her.

It's good to start the League Cup group stage off with all three points and a significant boost to the goal difference, because we have to remember that Arsenal have parachuted into our group after getting knocked out of the Champions League qualification stage. This gives us an extra game to deal with, as well as a more difficult path to reaching the knockouts. Arsenal haven't played yet, but Southampton and Bristol City played out a 1-1 draw, with Southampton claiming an extra point for winning the penalty shootout (a weird quirk of the Conti Cup). That leaves Spurs currently top of the group.

SAtP Player of the Match: Asmita Ale

Asmita needed to put in a strong performance to make a case for inclusion in the league starting lineups, and she did just that with an all-encompassing effort. Not only did she register an assist and a goal, she also contributed on the defensive end as well. As alluded to in Vilahaman's latest press conference, he has quite the selection dilemma ahead of him for Sunday's game.

Asmita definitely thrives in a role where she can get forward and attack, as we've seen with the fullbacks under Vilahamn. It's just a matter of building up some consistent form, which she's struggled to gain in the past without regular playing time. Hopefully this performance earned her a start in the next match, or at least a significant substitute appearance.

Notable and quotable:

• Robert was full of praise for Zhang Linyan in the pre-Brighton press conference:

She’s gonna be great in the long run. She’s a different kind of player. I don’t think it’s so many players who can play in the pocket, who can do those smaller movements with the ball and actually never lose the balls. I think she has something extra.

• Jess Naz remarked in her post-game interview that because of the positive environment around the team right now, "anyone who comes in feels like family," and new players are able to settle in quickly. It was great to see newcomers and longer-tenured players combining for goals in this match as they continue to build up chemistry on the pitch across the squad.

• Thomas has scored in each match so far, in a variety of ways. If she can keep up this efficiency, we might be able to survive Beth England's injury absence without dropping many points! Other players have stepped up to fulfill the goal-scoring duties, too.

• For a general note, it's good to see the quality of the newly laid pitch at Brisbane Road. I don't think we would have seen such fluid attacking performances if not for the ideal playing surface, a stark contrast to last season's struggles with the soggy and uneven pitch.

Previewing WSL Matchday 3 — Brighton & Hove Albion

While our first two WSL results were as expected, this next matchup with Brighton is going to be a real indicator of where we're at. Can we beat a team that's expected to be near us in the table by season's end?

Last season, we beat Brighton by eight goals in the away fixture but needed two equalizers from Beth England to salvage a 2-2 draw in the home fixture. This year's away fixture will be at the opposition club's main stadium, the Amex, providing a larger pitch on which to demonstrate our improved passing—but also more ground to cover with the press.

Brighton made quite a few smart signings over the summer, including thier new captain Vicky Losada and Pauline Bremer. They brought in a new keeper from Manchester United, Sophie Baggaley, who has started both WSL games over Chelsea loanee Nicky Evrard. Manager Melissa Phillips has also been talking up the two new Australian players they signed from Sydney FC, Mackenzie Hawkesby and Charlize Rule.

I would expect our lineup to be very similar to the XI that's started both WSL games thus far, although Asmita Ale would be a welcome addition in place of Angharad James (though perhaps there would then be a swap of sides between Ale and Ash Neville). Zhang Linyan is going to put real pressure on Celin Bizet's RW spot if she doesn't start getting on the scoresheet in some capacity. I also wouldn't be too surprised to see Kit Graham get a start over Drew Spence for the #10 role, since Spence has barely had a rest since the World Cup. And although Votíková didn't put a foot wrong in the cup game, it still seems like Becky Spencer is preferred in the league games for the time being. Side note: the pre-game report mentions that whoever lines up in goal will be wearing our third keeper shirt, a dark green color that hasn't been seen yet. Intriguing!

On the substitute front, it's nice to finally have a full bench with some real quality options. Long may it last! And as Robert noted in his pre-game press conference:

For me, it's really important to improve and develop all the players in the squad. I think we need that competition, so it's really pleasing to see the players take that chance and try to push themselves into the starting XI and make some problems for me.

Let's hope we can continue building on the early momentum and start to consolidate our status in the top half of the table.

News from around the Lane

Lots of happy news and milestones to share this week!

• Destiny Udogie got his first senior call-up to the Italy national team, while Micky van de Ven has made his senior debut with the Netherlands in their last match.

• Elsewhere in the international break, Ben Davies scored a header for Wales.

• The Men's U21s have continued their perfect start to the season in the Premier League 2 with their latest win against Chelsea's Academy. Jamie Donley scored a brace. The U21s also lead their Premier League Cup group after a Jude Soonsup-Bell penalty secured a comeback win over Bristol City.

• For the second month in a row, Spurs have claimed the Manager of the Month and Player of the Month awards for the Premier League. Ange Postecoglou earned his second win of the season, while Son Heung-min got his first after James Maddison claimed the award for August.

We all know what Ange has done to repeat, but let's recap Sonny's achievements in September:

• a hat trick against Burnley

• the first-ever brace by a Spurs player in the away NLD

• six goals total

He has moved up to joint-second in the Golden Boot race, tied with Newcastle's Alexander Isak.

• Spurs announced that Johan Lange has been appointed Technical Director across all of the club's senior and academy teams. He joins us from Aston Villa.

That's it for today! Everyone tune in to the Women's game tomorrow on the FA Player if you can't make it to the Amex, and keep lighting your prayer candles for our Men's players out on international duty.

COYS

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