Treading in the Top Four

I had good intentions of getting an issue out before the Men's Champions League game, but that obviously didn't happen, so there are lots of recaps for today! But first, some thoughts on the big picture.

It's worth noting that this was an undefeated week across the senior teams, despite what all the angst starting to bubble up in the fanbase would suggest. I'd hoped we might get further into the season with two new managers before patience ran out, but I suppose that's not how the football timeline works anymore.

From my perspective, it's never a bad thing to have both teams end the previous matchweek in 4th place in their respective league tables and remain undefeated in cup play so far. Do those positions necessarily feel secure? Not exactly, but again, this early-season success (in results if not always in performances) is coming at a time of great change in the club, both at the team level and the executive level. For now, the warning signs could just as easily be interpreted as growing pains.

It will probably be a while yet until we see the puzzle pieces start to come together into a cohesive vision of what these new look teams can achieve. Spurs Men, in particular, still have a lot of missing pieces due to injuries to key players. Squad fitness is looking better for Spurs Women, but they also had less turnover to deal with after only making two incoming summer transfers.

So while there are some clear issues and weaknesses to be addressed for both teams, I don't think it's time to be manning the panic stations, by any means.

In this issue: Wolves recap | Leicester City recap | Bodø/Glimt recap | News from around the Lane

Unfortunately, Spurs Men won't have long to work on those issues before the next international break, with only one more league game before the players disperse to their national teams. Spurs Women have a trio of fixtures before their next break.

PL MD 6 | Tottenham 1 - 1 Wolves

Palhinha 90+4' | Bueno 54'

My brain has sadly memory-holed most of this game, besides the, ahem, provocative sight of João Palhinha's bare chest. It literally provoked a lot of discourse, which I will get into shortly.

In lieu of a more comprehensive recap of the game, let's do some simple pros and cons:

Pros

• Destiny Udogie's return to fitness has been a boon in many ways, including the prospect of regular rest for Pedro Porro. There weren't a lot of standouts from this game in terms of individual performances, but I continue to feel heartened by Udogie's progress.

• Lucas Bergvall is cementing his place in the starting XI—at least until the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison get back to the pitch (still a long way away, particularly in the latter's case).

• There are strong options on the bench, especially in games like this one where some regular starters were getting rest (the aforementioned Porro, Pape Sarr, Brennan Johnson). Sarr contributed an assist in his substitute cameo of just over fifteen minutes.

Cons

• Xavi Simons has cut a frustrated figure in the early stages of his Premier League career. This carried over into the Champions League game on Tuesday as well, but was heightened in the Wolves match by some of the suspect officiating.

• This was a winnable game, and there's no getting around the fact that the two dropped points could come back to haunt us.

• Production from the forwards has been scant in recent games, especially if you take out the stoppage-time bonus goal from Brennan Johnson against League One opposition Doncaster Rovers. On the flipside, you can't complain too much about a new signing (Palhinha) scoring his third goal of the season in all competitions.

So about that shirtless goal celebration... While I think it's fair to criticize Palhinha for not immediately grabbing the ball to go to the center circle and resume play quickly so we could try to push for the win, I can't begrudge him the obvious joy on display in his celebration. After having such a tough season in his first year at Bayern Munich, it seems like Palhinha's loan at Spurs has been rejuvenating for him. I definitely thought of him as a player who played with a lot of passion from his time at Fulham, and that spark was somewhat lacking in his Bundesliga season. Plus, we hadn't created much on the attacking end in this game, and he was likely aware of the fact that he had just rescued a point, going against the logical conclusion of the game.

And honestly, we watch this sport for moments just as much as results—and the results don't mean much without the moments. Let's leave the cringe factor and potential for banter aside and let João enjoy this one.

Notable & quotable:

• This was the second draw in a row in Premier League play.

• Mohammed Kudus nearly scored his first Spurs goal, but it was called back for offside.

• Thomas Frank was pleased with the mentality to salvage a point:

In the end, we get a deserved point and, yes, we'd love to win, but if we can't win, don't lose and keep a little bit of momentum.

WSL MD 4 | Leicester City 1 - 2 Tottenham

Tierney 40' | Tandberg 15', Holdt 21'

Less than a quarter of the way into this game, it really looked like we might run away with it (and recover some more of the damage done to the goal difference in the Manchester City loss), but it turned into a game of two halves that required some game management to see out.

It was two of the more recent signings that made the difference again—and I'm counting Olivia Holdt in this category since she very much has the "like a new signing" feel after missing so much of her first six months in the Women's Super League, managing an existing injury. She and Cathinka Tandberg both got on the scoresheet again and have two goals each in four WSL games to start the season.

It's not that we didn't have other opportunities to extend the lead (Beth England and Jess Naz were both looking lively), and when Leicester got a goal back not long before halftime, it very much felt against the run of play.

Fatigue became a factor in the second half since this was the final game of a three-game matchweek. Tandberg lasted the full 90, likely helped by joining the club already in mid-season form from the Damallsvenskan, but the rest of the forward line was replaced. Drew Spence got the earliest substitution, at halftime, but I fully support Martin Ho in being proactive about managing her minutes; we can't afford to have her fade at the end of the season, as we have seen in the past when she's lacked rest.

In addition to Araya Dennis getting some more valuable WSL minutes for her development, it was exciting to see Ashleigh Neville make her season debut. She missed the first four games of the season in all competitions with a pre-season injury. Although she showed some signs of rust going forward in her 25-minute substitute appearance, she made a few important defensive contributions.

As for Leicester, I have to commend Asmita Ale for her strong performance in dealing with her former teammate Beth England. It's good to see her thriving.

Notable & quotable:

• Eveliina Summanen registered her first assist of the WSL campaign.

• With two goals each, Tinka Tandberg and Olivia Holdt have both equalled or bettered the goal total for every player last season except for Drew Spence (3) and Beth England (8).

• Martin Ho was pleased with the efforts of the entire squad over the long week:

I said to the players afterwards that it shows big character as a group—not just those on the pitch but also those who didn’t feature. It was a real squad effort to get the result.

He also reflected on the season so far:

If you’d offered me nine from twelve at the start, I’d have taken it. It’s a really good start, gives us a strong platform, and puts us in a good position.

Finally, he credited Ash Neville's experience for helping to see out the win:

She’s aggressive off the ball and has the ability to carry the ball through the pitch when we have it.  Ash added a lot in that game against Leicester. Her experience of the league helped us, she slowed the game down and took the sting out at times when she needed to. I was delighted to see her back on the pitch.

• Olivia Holdt, who described her chipped goal as instinctual, also remarked on the positive start:

Martin [Ho] has come in with a lot of ideas and new energy—and I think the whole squad needed that. We’re building something very special, and it feels good.

CL MD 2 | Bodø/Glimt 2 - 2 Tottenham

Hauge 53' • 66' | Van de Ven 68', Gundersen (OG) 89'

This match felt like the kind of game we were supposed to have against Bodø/Glimt last season in the Europa League (minus wintery weather). They had players this week who weren't available because of injury in the spring, and we saw a much more accurate reflection of how organized and difficult to beat they can be.

It turned out to be quite a different scenario than needing to beat a resolute team, however, as we went down two goals fairly early in the second half and had to come from behind rather than force a breakthrough. Jens Petter Hauge scored the brace for the Norwegians, and as he was in the side that Spurs knocked out of the Europa League in the semi-final, he probably thought he was going to get some revenge. It only ended up being partial revenge, thanks to a goal from Spurs captain for the night, Micky van de Ven, and an own-goal equalizer (forced by a dangerous cross from substitute Archie Gray).

Regarding Van de Ven's first match wearing the captain's armband... it could have gone better, despite the goal. He committed the shirt tug foul that saw our first goal ruled out, then risked a red card when he lost his cool moments after in a defensive action. But players scoring (or nearly scoring) after making a mistake earlier in a game has been a curious trend for Spurs so far this season. In another instance, the disallowed goal was scored by Rodrigo Bentancur, who had given up a penalty in the first half that Kasper Høgh fortunately skied.

Although it was far from a good performance by the team, a result away from home can be valuable in the long term; the comeback draw keeps Spurs solidly in contention for automatic qualification to the Champions League knockouts after going unbeaten in the first two games of the league phase.

Notable & quotable:

• Micky van de Ven scored his first Champions League goal.

• Richarlison made his 100th appearance in all competitions for Spurs.

• After acknowledging that the artificial surface made things challenging for Spurs on Bodø/Glimt's home turf, Kevin Danso commented on the mentality of the team:

We want to keep a clean sheet. As a defender, that’s one of the most important things, but if you do go a goal down, the really important thing – and something we’ve integrated into our game—is that mentality to come back, whatever the situation, to stay in the game and give ourselves every opportunity to come back or win.

News from around the Lane

• Thomas Frank has (finally!) announced the leadership team for Spurs Men.

• Cristian Romero (captain)
• Ben Davies
• James Maddison
• Guglielmo Vicario
• Micky van de Ven

At the risk of overthinking it... I have a couple of thoughts. The one inclusion I was surprised by was Maddison, not just because his ACL injury will keep him sidelined until late in the season, but also because he was perhaps the player who best represented the high highs and low lows of "Angeball". So it seems strange to me that Frank wouldn't want to make a cleaner break from that brief but salient era of the team. The most surprising exclusion was Pedro Porro, who has already captained the side once this season in the League Cup match against Doncaster Rovers. You would think, since he's starting just as often as Van de Ven and has a clear edge in maturity and experience over his fellow defender, that Porro would be the more obvious choice. At least Ben Davies' experience is not being overlooked.

• Dominic Solanke has undergone "minor" surgery for an ankle problem. We should get an update on his timetable for return after the international break.

• Fixture details have been confirmed for Spurs Men's League Cup fourth round tie at Newcastle United. The match will be on Wednesday, October 29.

• Luca Williams-Barnett, newly 17 years old, has signed his first professional contract with the club after recently making his first-team debut against Doncaster Rovers.

• Rodrigo Bentancur has signed a new "long-term" contract. Sure, whatever.

• Lucas Bergvall has been nominated for PL Goal of the Month for September.

• Fresh off winning the club's Goal of the Month award for September, Cathinka Tandberg is nominated for WSL Player of the Month. She is also nominated for WSL Goal of the Month alongside her teammate Olivia Holdt, while Martin Ho got his first nomination for WSL Manager of the Month. Please do your COYS duty and VOTE.

Martin Ho commented, on Tinka's instant impact in her first WSL season at Spurs:

She’s had a big impact, personally and professionally. A very infectious player around the group and a really good individual. She adds a lot of quality to us as a team, she gives us different dimensions as a player, in terms of how we want to attack and defend. Her goal against Everton was wonderful, instinctive, very creative, and very aware of her surroundings. Someone shooting from just inside the opposition’s half is very brave—I’m glad it went in.

• Lawrence Shamieh has rejoined the club as Women's First Team Assistant Coach. He was previously Women’s Lead Performance Analyst at Spurs, then worked alongside Martin Ho at Manchester United as Coach Analyst and Lead Performance Analyst.

• The next fan forum will be coming up on October 16. Should be an interesting event with all the recent changes at the club!

Up next:

October 4 | Spurs Men @ Leeds United
Team news — Cristian Romero available after missing last match with a knock; Dominic Solanke out after surgery; Randal Kolo Muani out with a dead leg but back in training; James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Radu Drăgușin remain out.

October 5 | Spurs Women vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Team news — Matilda Vinberg available after missing last match with illness; Molly Bartrip back in full team training on Monday, not available for selection against Brighton; Luana Bühler and Ella Morris remain out.

I'll close on a pertinent reminder from Martin Ho in his latest press conference:

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

COYS

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