Many of the domestic cups throughout Europe are coming to a close soon, including England’s League Cup, known as the “Carabao Cup” for sponsorship purposes. The four semi-finalists are Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham, and Liverpool.
Arsenal had a fairly easy draw to make it to the semifinal, having to beat Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, and Crystal Palace to book a berth in the semifinal against Newcastle. The Geordies made it past Nottingham Forest, AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea, and Brentford. The first leg, held at the Emirates, involved a lot of wasteful shooting from the Gunners, some clinical Newcastle counter-attacking, and… Mikel Arteta blaming the ball?
After Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak both punished Arsenal en route to a 2-0 away win for Newcastle, the talking point of Arteta’s press conference were his comments on how the Carabao Cup ball is very different from the Premier League or Champions League ball. I get it Mikel, you’re a glass half full kind of guy. If I saw my team miss tens of shots over the crossbar, I might want to blame the ball too. He might’ve forgotten that Newcastle was playing with the same ball though.
Newcastle are set up well for the return leg at Saint James’ Park in a month’s time.
On the other side of the draw, Spurs had to beat Coventry City, Manchester City, and then Manchester United, to set up a semi-final against top-of-the-league Liverpool. Pretty easy draw, right? The Red’s cruised past West Ham, Brighton, and Southampton to make it to this semi-final. The first leg was held at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. Spurs have had a glut of injuries over the past month, including the first choice GK, LB, and both CB’s. 18 year old Archie Gray has been filling in at centreback and has done a very solid job to be fair, and it was Radu Dragusin partnering Gray in the Spurs backline today. There was an early scare in the match, with Rodrigo Bentancur inexplicably collapsing to the pitch while attempting to head a ball in from the corner. It was unclear what exactly happened, but wishing Bentancur a speedy recovery.
New signing Antonin Kinsky started in net for Spurs and looked very confident, commanding his box and making several good saves. Archie Gray had one of his best performances at CB, frequently winning the ball back and then driving forward before setting up a teammate. Dominic Solanke appeared to put Spurs up 1-0 in the 77th minute, before VAR disallowed it by the slimmest of margins. I’m sure the ref was happy that the FA decided to trial a new system where VAR decisions are communicated to the crowd, leaving him personally letting the Spurs fans know the goal wouldn’t stand. Not too long after, Solanke bullies Konaté off of a long ball, holds it up before laying it off to Lucas Bergvall to smash past Alisson to give Spurs the lead. Liverpool fans will argue Bergvall should’ve been sent off for a 2nd yellow card, but the balancing factor is Bergvall’s first yellow card was never a yellow, so in the end there can be no real complaints.
Liverpool sent everything they had for the final few minutes and stoppage time, but couldn’t break through Antonin Kinsky, who won MOTM with a stellar debut performance. Next month will be the second leg at Anfield, with Spurs holding a 1-0 lead going into it.
Hey Everyone, quick post here. It’s pretty clear to anyone who’s been paying attention to the Premier League that the past few weeks haven’t exactly been incredible for Tottenham Hotspur. Two wins from their last eleven games in all competitions, four draws, five losses. Perhaps it was a really tough schedule? I’ll let you decide, here are the opponents from the past twelve matches, and whether Spurs were home (H) or away (A):
Wins: Southampton (A), Manchester United (H)
Draws: Roma (H), Fulham (H), Rangers (A), Wolves(H)
Losses: Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Liverpool (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Newcastle (H)
When you look at the opposition, its clear that the only wins have been against teams who would self-identify as “struggling” this season, and even against Man United, Spurs nearly threw the win away (albeit from two shocking errors by Fraser Forster). Several of the draws involved late goals as well! Mats Hummels scored a 91′ equalizer for Roma, Kulusevski was needed with a 75′ contribution to rescue a point against Rangers, Jorgen Strand Larsen executed a brilliant finish in the 87′ to tie the game for Wolves most recently. With a few chances going a different way, we might not even be having this conversation now.
Injuries have also been somewhat of a crisis. An overall lack of proper squad depth (players who are ready to compete in the Premier League right now) has forced several first-choice players to play far too many minutes, leading to a pileup of injuries. As it stands, Spurs are without Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Guglielmo Vicario for most if not all of the month of January before the first of them could return. Spurs might as well be without their captain Son Heung-Min, as he is showing signs of having played too much this season, and could do with a rest. However, the top 3 candidates to step into his position on the pitch and contribute, being Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, and Mikey Moore, are actually all currently injured. It’s a huge mess, and Ange Postecoglou has his work cut out for him to try and navigate this stretch, as it is going to be crucial for him to keep his job.
Most people can agree that Ange has so far done a pretty good job at Spurs. Sure you can criticize some things, like perhaps the high intensity training and tactics are causing some of this injury crisis, but overall he has moved Spurs in the right direction. However, the modern football world is not very patient with managers. The average manager at Spurs over the last few years has gotten about 18 months on the job before results hit a poor stretch, Daniel Levy feels the heat on his neck, and then makes a rash change. Reminder: he sacked Jose Mourinho the week of the League Cup final, which would’ve been Spurs first trophy since 2008.
It is due to this history in the league, and at Spurs specifically, that I worry for Ange’s position. December and January are probably the worst two months to have players injured in, due to the intense fixture congestion. Spurs need more players in January – I’m talking the busiest January window the club has ever had. The foundations for a bright future with Ange are there, but Spurs need to bring in reinforcements in January so that results don’t drop so far that Levy makes yet another managerial change.
As I’m writing this, it has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano that Spurs are closing up a deal to sign a young Czech keeper from Slavia Prague, Antonin Kinsky, to challenge Vicario for the future #1 keeper role. This is already a step in the right direction, but more is needed, and specifically an established player or two to help all the youth on this team.
I’ll keep you updated on what goes on this January, hope you all have a great day!
Hello football fans, I hope you’re all having a solid morning and are ready for another weekend of English Premier League action! While the title race came to a head at the Etihad with Manchester City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal, there is still much more left undecided with only 4 games to play. Today, I’ll be looking at a few of the more interesting stories as the season comes to a close. Before we get into it, here’s the current league table for reference as we go.
Are Brighton going to Europe?
One word answer? Yes. The seagulls from the south coast have had a remarkable season under Graham Potter and Roberto de Zerbi, and now look to be locking themselves into the Europa League places (5th and 6th). Winning their 2 games in hand over Liverpool would see Brighton move level with the Reds on points, and likely ahead on Goal Differential into 5th place. Behind Brighton are Spurs, Aston Villa, and Brentford. Brighton also have 2 games in hand over all of these teams, and currently sit higher on points, meaning finishing ahead of the clubs currently in 7th or lower is entirely in Brighton’s control. Finishing in the Top 4 is still possible for the Seagulls, but would require overcoming a 6 point deficit to Manchester United, provided Brighton win their game in hand.
A major collapse from Manchester United or Newcastle with 4 games to play could open the door for one of Liverpool or Brighton, or both(?) to sneak into the Top 4. However, Brighton recently won all 3 points hosting Man U off of Alexis Mac Allister’s last minute penalty, and this could be a knock to United’s confidence. I believe with the way de Zerbi’s team has played this season, I cannot see them finishing any lower than 6th. Tottenham are an uninspiring outfit at the moment, and Villa have already overachieved to be in 8th at this point of the year.
So, what stops Brighton from qualifying to Europe?
Not to leave you under the impression that nothing could go wrong, Brighton’s remaining schedule has some difficult fixtures: Everton (H), Arsenal (A), Newcastle (A), Southampton (H), Man City (H), Aston Villa (A). That’s 3 Top 4 clubs, and their rivals for European qualification Aston Villa. To make things worse, only Manchester City is a home game for Brighton. Expecting them to pick up 6 points against relegation candidates Everton and Southampton (although Southampton are a bit more than a candidate at this point), the biggest fixtures will be Newcastle (A), and Aston Villa (A) on the final day of the season. My prediction is that wins against both Newcastle and Villa will result in Brighton finishing Top 5. If they can also somehow manage to steal 3-4 points from the Arsenal and City fixtures, they will finish the season on 70/71 points, which would put pressure on Man United to match, who would need 7/8 points from their final 5 matches to finish ahead of Brighton.
Ok, wrap it up already. I’ve never watched a Brighton game in my life, move on to the Big 6.
In conclusion, if you haven’t been watching Brighton play this season, you’ve made mistakes. Possibly the most exciting team in the Premier League, only 4 games stand between the seagulls and finishing out their best ever season in club history. For a club that only got promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 2018, going to European competition is pretty darn impressive.
2. Mason at the Wheel?
Let’s face it: Tottenham’s season has not gone according to plan. This was supposed to be the year Antonio Conte took the next step forward from the Top 4 finish he engineered at the end of last season, to push Spurs closer to the top of the table. This did not happen. Spurs tactics under Conte this season were inflexible and uninspiring, his 5-2-3 being oh-so constant through his departure following the 3-3 Southampton draw. In many press conferences, Conte gave off the impression that he was not doing anything wrong, and that it was the players and club who were letting him down. This closed-mindedness from Conte and unwillingness to deviate from his original plan was the main reason for his failure at Tottenham. It takes a different type of manager to succeed at Spurs than one to succeed at Chelsea, as Daniel Levy could not be more different from free-spending counterparts Roman Abramovich and Todd Boehly. Conte made several mistakes in the transfer market this season as well, which Spurs will feel the effect of for another few years. Bringing in Ivan Perisic, planning for him to start the majority of the season at LWB, at age 34, after having spent most of his playing career playing LW (not defending), was abysmal. Perisic shouldn’t have been more than a squad player to provide cover at LW and LWB, and to mentor the younger players on the squad. Ryan Sessegnon was only given 6 starts all season, and following a hamstring injury picked up in February, he has not been back in the squad. Conte’s tendency to prefer older, more experienced players also hurt Spurs this season, with exciting young midfielder Pape Sarr barely seeing the field, Djed Spence being ousted from the squad and sent out on loan, and after telling the press he would have a place in the squad for the rest of the season, Conte sent Bryan Gil away on loan as well. All of this is to say, Antonio Conte is a great football manager, but he was absolutely not the right person for the Spurs job.
So who is?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s Ryan Mason. For those of you that don’t know, Ryan Mason is a former Spurs player who’s career was tragically cut short due to a skull injury sustained in a match while playing for Hull City. Originally a Spurs academy graduate, Mason debuted for the first team in 2008 (the last year Spurs won a trophy), after scoring 29 in 31 matches for Spurs academy in the Premier Academy League. After several loan spells, he broke into the first team in 2014 and spent 2 years in the first team before moving to Hull City for a then club record 13 million pounds. On the 22nd of January 2017, Ryan Mason played his last professional match as a footballer, retiring from professional football following medical advice.
Following his playing career, Mason rejoined Tottenham as a member of the coaching staff in 2018, was appointed official academy coach for the 2019 UEFA Youth League, and went on to be Spurs’ head of U-17 to U-23 player development in 2020. This is a manager who’s learned and worked his way up through the ranks, and who received his first appointment as interim first team manager following the departure of José Mourinho in 2021, making him the youngest ever Premier League manager at age 29. Now that you know how he got here, let’s talk about why he might be the perfect fit for Spurs.
He’s one of their own. Tottenham love an academy graduate, and even more so love telling the world that a player was once part of the Spurs academy. Imagine appointing a former academy player as head coach? The club’s philosophy would be consistent from the top down, and you would have a manager who understands Tottenham Hotspur, the club, better than any past managers. This is extremely important in my opinion. The biggest reasons why Mourinho and Conte couldn’t succeed at Tottenham is due to differences with the ownership group, and Daniel Levy. Both of these managers most recent EPL experience was at Chelsea, and both won titles at Chelsea. Arriving at Tottenham only to find out that you can’t create the starting XI of your dreams due to self-imposed transfer restrictions might cause a bit of a disagreement. One of Ryan Mason’s best strengths would be that it’s unlikely he would expect Spurs to act like anyone else besides Spurs, the club he’s known since he was a child. This would almost certainly eliminate the chance of him leaving the club in the same way Mourinho and Conte did (in chaos).
Not a Bus Driver. After consecutive defense-first managers, Spurs fans are crying out for some offensive creativity. Heung-min Son has been a shadow of himself for large portions of the season under Conte, as Conte insisted that Son take most of his touches centrally with back-to-goal in hold-up play, while the LWB makes the run behind the defense. Son scored a large chunk of his Golden Boot-winning tally last season off of fast runs behind the defence where he could be picked out by Harry Kane or Kulusevski with a pass. This season, it’s not even that he isn’t able to perform this as well, it’s that Conte actively tried coaching this out of his game, wanting him to play more like an Italian centre-forward than the Inverted Winger/Inside Forward role Son thrives in. While just one player as an example, it is indicative of Spurs season as a whole. After just two games of all Conte influence gone (after Stellini left), Ryan Mason’s Tottenham have scored 5 goals against Manchester United and Liverpool (and deserved at least a point at Anfield). Additionally, Son has scored in both games off his trademark runs behind the defence, running to celebrate with Mason in likely appreciation of the tactical change.
Low-ego, open-minded thinker. Mason has shown an open-mind, which I believe is paramount to designing and adjusting a tactic. Instead of there being set ideas for what each player must do in the game, Mason has shown that he is more open to making changes to find the right formula. In a recent press conference he commented on Harry Kane dropping deeper in buildup, something Spurs fans have seen him do very very well in the past, but something that was absent under Conte, who wanted Kane to stay as far forward as possible in his system. Under Mason, the players look to have rediscovered some of their freedom and creativity, which is a welcome sight to any Spurs fan.
Today’s match against Crystal Palace will be the best test yet for if Ryan Mason is suited for the full-time manager role next season. 2-2 vs. Man United and the 3-4 loss to Liverpool were both decent results, great results to some fans given the way the season’s gone, but now there is the first game Spurs will be looking at as a “Should-Win”. With the heaviest criticism of Spurs style of play in recent years being an overreliance on counter-attacking football, seeing what Mason chooses to do vs. Crystal Palace will be very telling as to what his overall approach to managing a full season would be. You’ll always have to play the Big 6, but you’ll also always have to play the bottom half of the table, and to compete for the top places, you need to win those games.
To conclude, Ryan Mason is the breath of fresh air that Tottenham Hotspur so desperately needed after what seemed like a bad break-up with Antonio Conte. Whether he will remain as manager longer than just a breath of fresh air will be determined by his approach in the final 4 games of the season. As a human being, he is the perfect person for Spurs. The biggest criticism will be his inexperience, which will only become less of a flaw over time. I’d like to see Daniel Levy give Mason a proper look if he can lead Spurs to a strong finish to the season.
(Note: Lineups for the Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace game just released, and Mason’s going with Emerson at LWB instead of Perisic for defence. This is great, should allow Son to play with freedom down the left today. Will be interesting to see how Richarlison and Porro link up on the right.)
futbird 