The Monkey's Paw Curls

I usually try to avoid feeding into the doomerism that is so prevalent in our fanbase (especially since a lot of y'all have been dealing with the highs and lows for a lot longer than I have), but I will admit that the news of Guglielmo Vicario's broken ankle kind of broke me. We are cursed. There's no other explanation for why we are simply never allowed to be happy for a sustained period of time.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows with the Women's team either, although we did get a much-needed cup win—and witnessed the long-awaited debut of Academy product goalkeeper Eleanor Heeps. Still, there are some lingering worries under the surface of the positive result, and there's no chance to build on the slight momentum due to the international break.

In this issue: Aston Villa recap | Manchester City recap | Previewing the next two Spurs Men fixtures

Due to the American holiday and a weekend trip for a wedding, I'm going to be out of commission for the usual post-Europa League mid-week issue. So today I'll be sharing previews for that match as well as the weekend Premier League fixture (which I am hoping to watch with Austin Spurs if they're having a meetup... must inquire!). Since I'm going a little early with the latter preview I obviously won't know the injury report for the weekend yet, so keep that in mind. Knock on wood there aren't any new additions between now and the end of the Europa League game.

Women's League Cup Group Stage Matchday 2 recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Aston Villa

Summanen 60'

I did end up mostly sleeping through this one since it wasn't streaming live, but I blearily checked the score mid-game and saw the goal highlight. My sleepy early morning first impression was, "Wow, what a goal, but we need more than wonder goals right now!" I still think my sleep-addled takeaway is correct in the big picture sense, but in a literal sense, Eveliina Summanen's rocket from nearly 40 yards out was sufficient for a vital three points in the League Cup group stage.

Starting XI:

The big surprise from the starting lineup was that Eleanor Heeps was finally getting her senior debut for the club. On-loan keeper Katelin Talbert, who started the previous League Cup game, dropped to the bench alongside Becky Spencer. I can only assume we had two keepers on the bench because of the three additions to the injury list, two of which were announced prior to the game (Drew Spence with illness, Luana Bühler with a knock), and one of which was unexpected (Olga Ahtinen with... tbd).

Elsewhere in the lineup, Amy James-Turner got her first start of the season in all competitions, and Anna Csiki made her second start in the League Cup. Ella Morris provided an opportunity for Ash Neville to get some much-needed rest.

Top three things:

1. Poor passing. It wasn't that we didn't create chances, but it could have been a much more dominant performance with cleaner passing. The left side of the pitch in particular (Amanda Nildén and Jess Naz) struggled to maintain possession. Things looked a little brighter on the right side with Morris and Hayley Raso, both of whom stood out as top performers in the match in general—Morris for her defensive positioning, and Raso for her penetration into the box. But it's also worth noting that the midfield continues to be an area that needs improvement, despite a more promising performance from new signing Csiki than we've previously seen—perhaps because she was playing in central midfield rather than on the wing this time. Sumannen's superb goal aside, she too fell prey to the woeful passing bug.
2. That goal. But let's talk about the game-winner! For one thing, Sumannen absolutely meant it. That was no shross or speculative effort. After receiving the ball from a Naz throw-in, she quickly assessed her options and noticed that Aston Villa's keeper, Sabrina D'Angelo, was off her line to the near side. There was just enough power and a slight lift on the ball to make it kiss into the net off the crossbar, eluding D'Angelo. You could say this was further evidence of Eveliina cementing her role as the team's set piece specialist, with the goal technically counting as one with a throw-in assist. Her technical ability can sometimes go under the radar, but this was a great example of her exceptional shooting skills and judgment.
3. Two strikers are not better than one. Meanwhile, our actual forwards did not have their shooting boots on. Beth England and Martha Thomas looked to be playing in more of a straight-up striker partnership than they have in previous games where one of them would drop back into the #10 role. Although England in particular made the most of the arrangement by setting Thomas up for several chances on goal, the latter scuffed or under-hit all of her attempts. It's frustrating to see her struggling at Spurs when she's been producing many goals at the international level, but hopefully she will regain her form soon.

SAtP Player of the Match: Eleanor Heeps

This is my award, so instead of throwing more praise Eveliina's way, I want to commend Eleanor on a job well done for her debut. She put in a very solid shift, showcasing her smart positioning and calm distribution. I almost wish she'd had more to do in the shot-stopping department just to see how she performed, but she handled all of Villa's (onside) efforts on goal capably.

We may never know why it took so long for her to finally make her first senior appearance with the club, but it appeared to be worth the wait. Here's to more appearances and more development for the homegrown player, who will likely be the long-term successor to rumored January signing Jennifer Falk when Becky Spencer's short-term contract extension comes to an end.

Notable and quotable:

• Spurs only need a draw in the final group stage game to progress as group winners.

• Eveliina Summanen leads the team in goals with three (two in WSL play, one in the League Cup).

• This was just the second clean sheet for the team across all competitions this season, and the first for Eleanor Heeps.

• Heeps reflected on her debut:

I'm so proud to have made my debut for the club. Everyone made me feel so calm and relaxed.

She also noted that her goalkeeper teammates told her to "just do you... and that's what I did."

PL Matchday 12 recap | Manchester City 0 - 4 Tottenham

Maddison 13' • 20', Porro 52', Johnson 90+3'

It's hard to look back on this result now, knowing what we know about Guglielmo Vicario playing with a broken ankle for 60 minutes. The joy of the performance is still there, but it's tinged with the coming consequences. Maybe the saddest bit is knowing that Vicario can't build on his strong personal performance (and the rare team clean sheet) now that he's out injured for several months.

But putting that aside, this was a promising rally from the disappointing loss to Ipswich Town prior to the international break. And we can take some encouragement from the fact that the backup central defense of Ben Davies and Radu Drăgușin showed they can compete against the best—albeit an injury-weakened version of the reigning champions. We'll need them to keep putting in solid performances for at least a few more games as we await the return of the usual starters, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Oh, and James Maddison scored a brace on his birthday. That was fun!

Starting XI:

With Rodrigo Bentancur beginning his seven-game suspension, Yves Bissouma got the nod to start in his place. He was alongside his familiar midfield partner Pape Sarr, while Maddison took on the playmaker role. Ironic, since he finished two chances and created none himself. We'll call it a positive outcome regardless.

Since Maddison returned to the midfield, Dejan Kulusevski resumed his old right winger role; he operated centrally quite often, however, and was integral to the overall attacking performance, including one assist for Maddison's opener. It truly is the Dekihad at this point.

Top three things:

1. More presence in the box. This one is specifically for Maddison, who made the kinds of runs we don't see him make often enough. It could be down to the presence of Kulusevski on the wing, as Madders himself acknowledged during his post-game interview. But the attack was really ticking in general, and he had the solidity of the Bissouma-Sarr duo behind him, which I'm sure gave him the confidence to get forward without worrying about leaving the defense in a lurch. But Dominic Solanke also deserves a shoutout for being in the right place at the right time in the box... to provide an assist for the onrushing Pedro Porro, who had the better angle to shoot. Ederson had no chance of anticipating Porro's shot since he was so occupied with Solanke's threat.
2. City's bruised and broken defense. If it wasn't barely-fit defenders playing out of necessity (John Stones), it was aging players struggling against slightly less aged legs (Kyle Walker vs his old Spurs teammate, Son Heung-min). No part of Manchester City's defense felt set up for success (except for Joško Gvardiol, who just had a poor game), and Spurs took full advantage. The press-vulnerable midfield of Rico Lewis, İlkay Gündoğan, and Bernardo Silva also contributed to the porous City defense.
3. Reinforcements from the bench. Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson put the nail in the coffin for City with their stoppage-time goal combination. It was a reminder of their fruitful linkup in the second half of last season when Werner had just joined on loan. It never hurts to have a pair of attackers with such a strong connection to bring on as substitutes.

SAtP Player of the Match: Guglielmo Vicario

Got to get his name in there for the last time in a long while. Heal up, my Italian prince.

Notable and quotable:

• This was Guglielmo Vicario's 50th Premier League appearance. Sigh.

• Ben Davies had his first league start of the season.

• Callum Olusesi and Malachi Hardy made the bench for the first time with the senior team in the Premier League.

• Maddison became our top goal contributor in the league so far this season, with five goals and three assists.

• Spurs still lead the league in goals scored (27), but are second in goal difference behind Liverpool.

(According to Maddison, this goal celebration was inspired by the squad's love of Mario Kart.)

• Spurs ended a 52-game home unbeaten streak for Manchester City, and also handed Pep Guardiola his first-ever five-game losing streak as a manager, as well as his 9th loss specifically to Spurs (the most of any opponent he's faced).

• Another fun fact: Son Heung-min joined Mo Salah as the only players to have made 10+ PL goal contributions against Guardiola's City team.

• Ange Postecoglou's verdict on the performance:

City test you in every football way possible. You've got to do a bit of everything. You've got to defend, you've got to work hard, be disciplined and you've got to play football. I thought in all four areas we really got to a really strong level today where the players were really determined, after a really disappointing game last time and we just got back to our core beliefs as a team.

Previewing Europa League Matchday 5 — Roma

We are officially in the "games are coming thick and fast" portion of the schedule as we rapidly approach the festive fixtures. But first, it's back to the Europa Leaguephase for another home game in the competition, this one against Serie A's Roma.

The good news is that they no longer have José Mourinho as their coach to bring cursèd vibes to the matchup. I am curious to see how Mats Hummels is getting on post-Dortmund.

Roma have not been in a good run of form recently, although they've gotten at least a point in all but one Europa League game so far. Still, they will be coming off two losses in their last two domestic fixtures.

You would like to see some rotation from Spurs in light of the fixture congestion, but it's really not possible across several positions. I'm including goalkeeper in that bucket, because we have very little evidence to suggest that it will be anyone but Fraser Forster in the net for the foreseeable future—unless the club makes an emergency signing, of course. But that would be too late for this game anyway. A January loan is another possibility, though Ange Postecoglou seems to be downplaying that option in his recent press.

Elsewhere in the lineup, the defense is still missing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero (the latter is more likely to return in the next couple of games), while Mikey Moore's illness is still ailing him. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert also remain out of action. Plus, Will Lankshear is suspended due to his second yellow sending-off in the Galatasaray match.

So a lot of the starting lineup is picking itself at the moment, though there are some intriguing rotation options like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, and of course, Brennan Johnson—who is arguably a starter more so than a super sub unless the tactics call for Kulusevski on the wing. Djed Spence will have to provide some rest relief in the league games only since he wasn't registered for the Europa League squad.

We're currently at the lower end of the automatic qualification spots for the knockout rounds, so a home win would be very useful here to shore up our chances of avoiding the playoff, with three more games left to go after this one.

Previewing PL Matchday 13 — Fulham

I'm not usually a superstitious person, but seeing the number 13 next to Fulham— an occasional bogey team for Spurs—sent a prickle up my spine. Although, could our luck get any worse than it already has been lately? I sure hope not.

Anyway, Fulham. They're solidly midtable, though this season that doesn't mean much with the table so condensed nearly a third of the way through the campaign. Their form certainly looks like a midtable team though; they never go on a winning or losing streak longer than a couple of games. But since they've already been knocked out of the League Cup and aren't in European competition they are solely focused on the league. And the derby vibes continue to increase year on year, at least from my faraway perspective.

Bernd Leno is still hanging on in between the sticks for the Cottagers, though maybe not after dropping four goals to relegation-threatened Wolves. They haven't had a ton of squad turnover in general since we last faced them, mostly in the midfield contingent. Ryan Sessegnon will be a familiar face, if he makes it off the bench—he hasn't featured in the last six games he was in the Fulham matchday squad. I'm curious as to the reasoning there since he registered an assist in his last (and only second) appearance for his new/old club, a full 90 in the League Cup tie where they got knocked out on penalties by Preston North End. Another former Spurs player, Carlos Vinícius, is a doubt to feature due to a knock.

As noted above, it's hard to predict what Spurs' own availability will be like. There might be a slight chance of Cristian Romero returning, but more likely he will just be getting back to training and this match will come too soon. The other current injury absences are not in contention to come back yet. Fingers crossed nobody else joins them after the midweek match.

I'm a little bummed that I'll be missing the marquee matchup of the Women's international break (England vs USA at Wembley), so please feel free to share your thoughts on that game in the comments for me to enjoy after my weekend in Austin. For what it's worth, I'm also missing der Klassiker. That leadup to that fixture always makes me nauseous, no matter what kind of form Bayern is in, so perhaps that's for the best.

I hope y'all have a happy Spurs Thanksgiving if you're celebrating, or just a happy Spurs Thursday if you're not!

COYS

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