The Treble was in Danger

(Sorry, I couldn't resist the Bayern reference. Poor Mathys. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.)

It's still cups or bust, but we're down to just two possible trophies now.

Holding onto a narrow 1-0 aggregate lead heading to Anfield was always going to be a tough ask, but the performance left a lot to be desired. The players are going to have to compartmentalize this loss and quickly move on so we can put our best foot forward in the FA Cup match against Aston Villa.

In this issue: Liverpool recap | Previewing Aston Villa | News from around the Lane

Men's League Cup Semi-final (Away Leg) recap | Liverpool 4 - 0 Tottenham (4-1 on aggregate)

Gakpo 34', Salah (Pen) 51', Szoboszlai 75', Van Dijk 80'

I'm sure y'all don't want to dwell on this one, and neither do I, so I'll keep it short and to the point.

It's been difficult during this injury crisis to string two wins together, and it usually involves having favorable opposition. A high-flying Liverpool team with only one notable injury is not such an opponent. It's likely they'll go on to win multiple titles this season so there's truly no shame in losing to them, but I can't pretend we made it difficult for them to reach the League Cup final.

Starting XI:

I think many of us were raising our eyebrows when we saw the team sheet. Micky van de Ven's absence had been forewarned, but it still stung, and it was further disappointing to see James Maddison wouldn't be involved at all, even from the bench. None of the other players who are rumored to be returning soon made the matchday squad either, so it was slim pickings on the bench beyond the four eventual substitutes.

Ange Postecoglou had little choice but to give Kevin Danso his club debut in such a high-pressure game, much like Antonín Kinský before him in the first leg. In the circumstances, he did all right, but it was a tall ask.

Then there was the bold—perhaps foolhardy—decision to play the midfield trio of Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr, and Rodrigo Bentancur all together. Nary a creative playmaker in sight!—unless you count Dejan Kulusevski playing on the wing, or Danso making a surprise charging run down the center of the pitch (hey, at least he tried). I can understand Postecoglou's rationale for not wanting to start Lucas Bergvall again in the second leg since he'd so nearly gotten sent off in the first, but Bergvall surely would have been chomping at the bit to get on the pitch as a substitute.

The injury situation went from bad to worse when Richarlison pulled up just before halftime clutching his calf. He couldn't make it to halftime for the free substitution window, so Postecoglou was forced to bring on Mathys Tel for an earlier-than-expected debut.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the midfield situation was just bad. We couldn't get a toehold in the game at all. We didn't have many shots, period—zero on target, in fact—but the few we got off were speculative efforts (at least one from Son Heung-min managed to hit the woodwork). Postecoglou even tried to get creative in the second half and move Djed Spence to right winger, but nobody seemed to be on the same page after that positional shift, Spence included.

I've said my piece on #8 many times and there's no need to repeat it. But hopefully this match will end the wider fanbase's insistence that he's a "baller" and integral to the midfield. I will be glad to see the back of him in the summer, transfer window willing. It's possible that Rodrigo Bentancur could still be useful as a squad player, but it's clear he's not starting quality for the level of team we want to be.

Tel had an uninspiring debut, but I will cut him some slack since he barely had any time to train with the team after his loan move was struck and he's really not had much game time at all in recent weeks thanks to Vincent Kompany. He's going to need to get up to speed very quickly now, however, what with Richarlison's injury and Dominic Solanke's return still tbd.

There's not too much else to say. We were played off the park and crumbled under the pressure (and, to be fair, a lot of built-up fatigue). My only hope is that the players can recover mentally from this missed opportunity to reach a final and make sure we at least progress further in the FA Cup.

SAtP Player of the Match: Richarlison?

I mean, he probably was the best player up until he went off injured and it all kind of fell apart after that. So I guess he takes it by default.

Notable & quotable:

• We managed to still be drawing on aggregate at halftime. There's an alternate universe where we don't give up that penalty early in the second and maybe the tie goes differently... Hush, let me cope!

• Kevin Danso on his debut, via his Instagram:

Yesterday marked my debut for Tottenham Hotspur in the cup and, although we fell short against a strong side, I couldn’t have been prouder to have worn this shirt for the first time. The loss stings, but I truly believe in this team and our journey ahead.

• Ange Postecoglou on Richarlison's latest injury:

It’s disappointing for him. He was emotional last night because he’d worked really hard to get himself back, but again it’s another setback that he’s going to have to deal with and we’ll hopefully get him back as soon as possible.

• On a general note, I was shocked to learn this was a legitimate quote from Ange about Mathys Tel because it sounded exactly like something a Twitter aggregator account would make up, but is, in fact, real:

He’ll be a Tottenham player… I didn’t bring him here for six months.

Well all right, let's go!

Previewing Men's FA Cup Round 4 — Aston Villa

Personally, I don't think it's fair to have the teams in the League Cup semi-finals have to turn around and compete in the FA Cup mere days later, but here we are. Nothing about this season has felt fair, at least on an existential level. Why always us?

I usually try not to feed into the Tottenham doomerism but the Liverpool game was a blow to my resolve. We had all felt so hopeful about getting some players back and giving it a good go only to fizzle out with very little fight. So just this once, I will admit that that situation is very demoralizing and that I wish we could catch a break.

So, about that... No, our injury crisis hasn't magically disappeared, but Aston Villa are joining us in having constrained squad availability. Unai Emery will be without the services of Pau Torres; Ross Barkley; Tyrone Mings; Ollie Watkins; and our favorite enemy, Matty Cash. Marcus Rashford didn't feature for Manchester United in the FA Cup and is therefore eligible to play in the competition for Aston Villa, as is Marco Asensio recently signed on loan from Real Madrid. Donyell Malen, formerly of Dortmund, is another intriguing January signing for the Villans.

As for Spurs, we won't have any players coming back from injury until at least the Manchester United game next weekend. And Richarlison is confirmed to be out, meaning Mathys Tel will likely start at striker since Dane Scarlett is cup-tied.

Hopefully Ange Postecoglou learned some lessons about the midfield in the Liverpool game and gives Lucas Bergvall a chance to provide a different dimension. Otherwise, the lineup is basically picking itself and we'll need a big push from these tired players ahead of a rare full week of rest.

News from around the Lane

• The club announced the three changes to the Europa League squad for the remainder of the competition.

In:

• Djed Spence
• Kevin Danso
• Mathys Tel

Out:

• Fraser Forster
• Radu Drăgușin
• Timo Werner

These swaps seem like no-brainers, especially Drăgușin since he's on the season-ending injury list. Antonín Kinský misses out, but with Guglielmo Vicario nearing a return it made sense to prioritize outfield players.

I really hope I'm not writing about a second cup exit in a week in the next issue... we already went through that with Spurs Women.

But remember, there's always the Europa League for Spurs Men.

Hold on to hope!

COYS

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