Defenders Win Games

It's a strange turn of events when Spurs Men win a game 3-1 and not a single forward gets on the scoresheet—but we'll take it!

I'll be honest, my Spurs brain is almost entirely focused on the Women's FA Cup semi-final match on Sunday, but I'll do my best to cast back in my memory for some takeaways from the Men's Nottingham Forest game first, plus a preview of the next Premier League game. There are also a few news items to round up and I'll give a quick recap of my experience watching Charli Grant play for Australia midweek.

In this issue: Nottingham Forest recap | Previewing the weekend matches | News from around the Lane | Pub chat

PL Matchday 31 recap | Tottenham 3 - 1 Nottingham Forest

Murillo (OG) 15', Van de Ven 52', Porro 58' | Wood 27'

This ended up feeling like a pretty comfortable win despite the tense end to the first half. After Chris Wood equalized for Nottingham Forest, he had a couple of other big chances to influence the game in Forest's favor. But for the second time in three games, Ange Postecoglou acted decisively with halftime substitutions to get Spurs back on track. The goals came from uncommon sources, but they all count—and what goals they were!

Starting XI:

Ange opted for just one change from the team that drew with West Ham, swapping Rodrigo Bentancur out and bringing Pape Sarr into the midfield pivot.

Key highlights & takeaways:

• Our first goal was another example of the wingers' ability to force own goals with dangerous crosses, this time from Timo Werner. Forest's Murillo must have seen how many goals we've scored later with the winger-to-winger combination and panicked when such a delivery arrived in the box; our players crashing the box weren't even particularly close to him when he turned the ball into his own net.

• Unfortunately, the midfield struggled again and Sarr and Yves Bissouma only lasted til halftime. Bentancur came in for the second half alongside Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and immediately sparked the offense into action.

• After a very strong first half defensively—including cleaning up a threatening through ball from Morgan Gibbs-White—Micky van de Ven decided to contribute on the other end as well. A lot of the work to set up his shot was done by Son Heung-min, taking his time on the ball at the edge of the box to wait for the Forest defense to gravitate towards him, freeing up space for him to pass into Van de Ven's path. Matz Sels had almost no chance of saving the rocket strike from Micky. Who knew he had that kind of shot in his locker?

This was Van de Ven's second goal of the season; not bad for a centerback who's missed 11 games total through injury. Perhaps he can manage an assist before the end of the season to complete the strong start to his Premier League career.

• After that game-winner, we scored a decisive third goal just six minutes later through Pedro Porro. In similar fashion, he took his opportunity in the box and came away with his first PL goal of the season. It was also the first PL assist for Bentancur of the season, an inventive, headed flick-on in the box.

• It's encouraging to see players taking more shots in general after so many games of attempting the perfect set up and squandering opportunities. One reason we were able to create more of those open looks, however, comes down to the aforementioned midfield changes. Both Bentancur and Højbjerg did a better job of playing centrally and keeping the Forest defense with a more varied pass selection. Giovani Lo Celso also contributed positively in this regard when he subbed on in the 76th minute.

• Brennan Johnson wasn't able to get on the scoresheet against his old club, but at least he got to play the majority of the game unlike in the reverse fixture, when he exited early due to injury. He did have one close attempt that was saved at close range by Sels.

• The less said about Forest's goal, the better. I have been joking in my group chat about the possibility of Spurs Men not getting another clean sheet this season, but maybe it's not such a joke after all...

• I was trying to manifest a first PL goal for Dane Scarlett, who made an appearance off the bench in Richarlison's absence, but it wasn't to be.

The point picked up the midweek prior against West Ham looks a lot better after this matchday, with Spurs able to leapfrog Aston Villa in the table on goal difference to return to 4th place. With a game left in hand against a floundering Chelsea side, our chances of securing qualification for the Champions League are looking better and better. But much like this game against Forest, we have another must-win fixture ahead of the more difficult top 4 clashes in the following weeks.

SAtP Player of the Match: Micky van de Ven

Who am I to argue with the Premier League?

Notable and quotable:

• Spurs Men have now equaled their points total from last season with 60 points (h/t Rob Daly), and seven games still to play.

• As Simon Yemane noted on Twitter, we've had 22 goals and assists from the defense so far in all competitions. We're also on track to meet or exceed our goal tally in the PL from last season.

• The 11 PL goals from defenders put us joint-top in the league for defender goals (I won't say which club we're tied with).

• Micky reflected on scoring his first goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

It was a nice evening. It was a really important game for us and a huge three points. I saw Sonny get the ball and thought if he passes it to me then I will just bang it. It was unbelievable noise. It was my first goal in this stadium and I won't forget it. We have to build on this.

• Apparently he had some pre-match encouragement (albeit teasing) from his fellow German speaker, Timo:

I am very happy that Micky van de Ven scored today. I am enjoying my time here a lot. I have to smile a lot next to Micky because I am spending a lot of time with him. I joked yesterday that he would score. I am loving it here.

• No hard feelings from Nuno, it would appear.

After greeting some of the players he coached at Spurs, he commented on the reunion:

It's another game. It was a pleasure to work here at Spurs. It was an honour. Things didn't work out, didn't finish well. I keep on going, Spurs keep on going. It was special to come here, it's always special to come to a place where you worked but that doesn't take away the focus and the focus is on Forest and we have to do much better next week because we're in a tough fight.

I don't have any particular animus toward Nottingham Forest (except maybe Ryan Yates, what a whiner), so good luck to Nuno and his team in their fight for PL survival.

Previewing PL Matchday 32 — Newcastle United

In addition to really needing to pick up these three points before taking on the gauntlet of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool back-to-back-to-back, we need to get revenge for last season's away fixture at St. James' Park. It's hard to imagine this game going any worse than that one, at least.

And Newcastle are still carrying heavy injuries. Whereas our squad has become increasingly healthy since the reverse fixture, the Magpies have only had a few returnees and suffered a few more knocks along the way. Most pertinently, Kieran Trippier remains out as does Sven Botman. Their vulnerable (and aging, with an average age of 31) defense can be targeted by the pacy likes of Werner and Johnson. They still have some decent pieces in their attack even with Callum Wilson injured, but if we can tighten up the mistakes we've been making in losing possession from the midfield positions, we should be able to handle them.

For Spurs, Richarlison is still being held out precautionarily with an extra week's rest ahead. There weren't any new injury concerns from the Forest match.

Let's hope the forwards get firing again and we don't leave the result too late.

Previewing Women's FA Cup semi-final — Leicester

Finally, it's almost here. The big one, at the big stadium. A win would send Spurs Women to Wembley for the first-ever cup final in the team's history.

So, you know, no pressure!

We face a familiar opponent, Leicester City. Although it's been three weeks since our last match, we played Leicester just two games ago in WSL play, beating them 1-0 at home thanks to Matilda Vinberg's 2nd-minute goal. I had remarked at the time that it felt like neither team wanted to give away too much tactically ahead of this cup semi-final, but in general, our matchups with Leicester are low-scoring, tight-margined results. And we have played them before at THS; Ash Neville scored the sole goal in that 1-0 win.

Robert Vilahamn shared his thoughts on playing Leicester again so soon in his most recent press conference:

Every new game is new and lives its own life. But we know that we are a good team that can beat Leicester of course and that’s what we focus on: To have a really good performance because then we’re probably gonna win the game. [If] they’re having a really good day and we have a bad day, we can lose this game as well. So we need to focus on having a good day and make sure we play the way we want to.

At the risk of sounding overconfident, I do believe that we should and will win this game.

We have seen so much improvement in the defense in recent weeks, partially due to Amy James-Turner's ascendant form and partially due to increased possession across the pitch relieving pressure on the defense. Set pieces are still a concern, but if we can limit them I feel good about our ability to solve the problems Leicester may pose in their attack (namely: pacy wingers and the Deanne Rose wildcard factor). Becky Spencer's return between the sticks has also contributed to the defensive solidity of late, and she's secured two clean sheets in a row now in the league. There's a good chance we shut out Leicester in this game as well.

This is my predicted lineup for the game, a blend of my preferred picks along with who I think Robert Vilahamn will actually select:

Spencer in goal is a given at this point, especially for a cup game after her penalty shootout heroics against Manchester City.

I opted for an unchanged backline from the last game against Bristol City, not just because Luana Bühler and James-Turner have had a solid run of games to build up their partnership, but also because Molly Bartrip is still a fitness concern after missing over a month due to an illness. The latest team news indicated that the whole squad is available for selection, but it's unclear if Bartrip could play a full 90 yet.

The midfield pivot was the hardest for me to guess at, because we've seen Vilahamn use so many different combinations this season already, with each option making a good argument for their inclusion in different games. Kit Graham would be unlucky to miss out at this point, and I do wonder if Olga Ahtinen will be fit enough to start after the international break, but I just have a hunch that Vilahamn will favor this combination that worked so well at the beginning of the season—including Drew Spence up in the #10 position. Spence has looked great since returning from injury and brings much-needed creativity to the playmaker role. But one last note on the benefit of the Finnish double pivot: they know better than anyone how to shut down their Finland teammate, Jutta Rantala, who has been a key player for Leicester all season.

We're also spoiled for choices in the forward line, but I went for a mix of experience and youthful potential. Celin Bizet bridges those two categories since she's been a mainstay in the lineup reaching back to last season. Beth England has not been ever-present this campaign as she started the season recovering from hip surgery, but she appears to be hitting her stride at just the right time—and she's our captain. I trust her to lead out the team and make history. If anyone in the squad has a knack for scoring a big goal in a big moment, it's her. As for Grace Clinton, we simply have to utilize her in what could be her last game of the cup run if we were to face Manchester United in the final. Jess Naz is the first player off the bench for me, and it's great to have Martha Thomas back from her hamstring injury as another impact sub.

I probably don't need to state the obvious, but this is the last chance for the club to win a trophy this season across the two senior teams. It's clear that Robert and the players are taking this responsibility very seriously, and as fans, we have to do our part to support them in that quest.

If you are lucky enough to be attending the match in-person (consider me jealous), make sure you check out this songsheet resource that THWFCSC put together so you can participate in all the chants. The team needs lots of energy from the crowd to get over the line!

I'm sure the nerves will come soon, but for now, I am mostly just excited and looking forward to watching the team compete in a game with such huge stakes. These are the games you live for as a fan.

News from around the Lane

• A sad yet celebratory note to start with: Ria Percival has announced her retirement from international football. It can't be overstated how much she has done to grow the sport in New Zealand. Congrats on a long and storied international career, Ria!

• Wrapping up the women's international break, these were the two most important moments from the second round of games:

• Luana Bühler scored on her 50th appearance for Switzerland, her second goal of the break.
• Rosella Ayane and Morocco were eliminated from Olympic qualification after losing the second leg to Zambia. She had scored a crucial game-winner in the first leg but the Atlas Lionnesses couldn't hold on to their early advantage.

• The Men's team have a new fixture date for the home matchup with Manchester City, May 14. It's now sandwiched between the Burnley match and the season-closer against Sheffield United. So much for the (relatively) easy final run-in.

• Hugo Lloris and Gareth Bale reunited at a match for their second joint club, Los Angeles FC. From the photos, you couldn't easily guess which one was already retired—and I mean that as a compliment to Gareth, not a slight to Hugo, to be clear.

Pub chat: Matildas edition

To close, I thought I would share a few notes about my experience watching Charli Grant play for her national team this week. On Tuesday, Australia took on Mexico at Toyota Field, the home of my local USL club, San Antonio FC. There isn't a professional women's club team in San Antonio, so this was a rare treat—although hopefully a sign of more such games to come. The word on the street is that NWSL had representatives at the stadium observing this international friendly...

It was technically a Mexico home game as part of their "MexTour W," and the crowd was heavily skewed in Mexico's favor. I was basically supporting Australia, not just because of Charli but also because Australia has a couple of players from the San Diego Wave (my NWSL club), Emily van Egmond and Kaitlin Torpey. My mom and I were both sporting the Ange-inspired kangaroo cockerel shirts we ordered from Digital Spurs for the occasion.

The crowd filtered in slowly as the game kicked off, probably because there have been a lot of issues with parking delays lately (a long story y'all don't need to hear about). The official attendance was 7,163; for context, this stadium has an 8,296-seat capacity, so it was pretty close to full in the end. The crowd felt very engaged throughout and both managers commented in their press conferences afterward about how nice the atmosphere was.

Mexico is lower in the FIFA rankings than Australia, but the playing field was evened out a bit by a few key injuries for Australia (Sam Kerr being the most notable one, of course, and I was gutted not to get to see her play). I thought it was a competitive game overall and even though Australia won 0-2, they didn't get a ton of big chances outside of the two goals. The defensive effort was really impressive though, especially Ellie Carpenter and newcomer Torpey. I should also note that former Spurs player Alanna Kennedy started at centerback for the Matildas.

Charli did eventually sub in for the final 10 minutes of the game, although not for Carpenter as I expected, but for Torpey. Therefore she was playing as fullback on the left side, not on the right as she has in all her appearances for Spurs so far. This was a pleasant surprise for me, though; she was playing right in front of me as a result! After a slightly dodgy incident in the box where she nearly got called for a penalty that the ref ended up waving off, Charli had a great game and asserted herself physically in some duels as she got forward into the attack. She almost pulled off a cross after beating her defender down the wing, but it was played out for a corner kick.

I dawdled in the stands long after the ushers had tried to, well, usher us all out so that I could say hi to Charli after she completed her warm-down. While I waited, I got to chat to Kaitlyn Torpey and welcome her to the San Diego Wave, but just missed Emily van Egmond and our West Ham nemesis, Mackenzie Arnold (whom I am not-so-secretly a fan of). As you can imagine, the Arsenal-based Aussie players were getting a lot of attention from fans, and when Charli made her way over to us she said she was happy to see our Spurs shirts after seeing so many Arsenal shirts in the stands. I can report that Charli's sunny disposition is 100% genuine and she was so delightful to meet. I wished her luck in the semi-final this weekend, grabbed a quick picture, and then skedaddled before the usher returned to eject me.

All in all, it was a fabulous night of women's football and made me even more excited for the Olympics this summer. As this game was playing out, we learned that Zambia had defeated Morocco in the playoff to join the US, Australia, and Germany in group B. Normally I would say that's a group of death, but to be honest, all three of the groups are daunting!

And not to be cheesy, but one of the best parts of being a women's football fan is that it's totally normalized to appreciate the talent of players on other club teams and other nations than the ones you support. I was just as happy getting to see players like Diana Ordóñez (surprisingly tall!), Jaqueline Ovalle, and Maria Sánchez (who was mere feet away from me in the first half since our seats were right behind the Mexico bench). Of course, I am ride-or-die COYS and team USA, but I can still enjoy watching these incredible athletes without it having to devolve into tribal banter or aggression with opposition fans. It was just a good time and good football.

Thanks for indulging me in that sentimental digression, but again, this was a rare experience of professional women's football in my hometown! Those of y'all who get to watch Spurs Women week in and week out have my supreme envy. So in that spirit, I would love for everyone to try to bring an extra friend or family member out to the semi-final on Sunday. Take them in my stead!

Here's to a successful weekend for both Spurs teams, hopefully of the history-making variety for Spurs Women.

COYS

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