The Europa League round of 16 is off to a good start. Home leg down, away leg to go, and a 2-0 aggregate score so far to favor Tottenham. Most crucially, Spurs did not concede an away goal, so Dinamo Zagreb have quite a deficit to overcome to pull off an upset in the second match.
The game did get off to a bit of a shaky start, with chances for both teams and nobody really controlling the flow of play. But Spurs did eventually get the ball settled and the win was never in doubt after Kane scored his first of two goals in the 25th minute. He was playing the role of poacher for both goals, cleaning up a (just barely!) missed shot from Lamela for the first goal and capitalizing on a defensive deflection for the second in the 70th minute. It is a bit of a pity that Lamela didn’t get the first goal himself after working so hard for it, but he’s definitely made the most of his last few appearances and is a clear contender to start against Arsenal tomorrow.
There were solid performances all across the squad, particularly from the defense (although they were not overly tested). Dier did well on his return to the lineup for the first time in weeks and looked much better with Sánchez as his center back partner than they have in the past. Kane had another big defensive block once again to top off his dominant game, because of course he did. Gareth Bale also had an immediate impact straight off the bench, firing off an impressive cross from the outside of his foot to Bergwijn at the far post, who unfortunately wasn’t able to finish at a tough angle. Mourinho was pretty smart with all of his subs for once, though I would have preferred to see Kane brought off earlier, hat trick possibility or not. That moment seeing him on the ground in pain, later receiving an ice pack for his knee on the bench, was not the scare any of us wanted going into the NLD weekend!
We should also be grateful that Ndombele (as far as we know) escaped unscathed from the match, because he was a constant target of the Croatian team’s, ahem, aggressive tactics. Ndombele was involved in the only real controversy of the match, a stonewall penalty on the Frenchman that was neither awarded by the on-field ref nor checked by VAR. How it wasn’t checked, I will never understand, because it looked like the definition of a “clear and obvious error” by the ref to me (and anyone with eyes). So even though we have a good advantage going into the reverse fixture, we’ll need to be wary of Zagreb’s borderline dirty style of play. Højbjerg will be missing out on the match due to yellow card accumulation after a tactical foul, and it will be a disappointment not having his sturdy presence in the midfield, even though he could definitely use the rest.
Today’s special topic: Ben Davies. I bring him up because I saw a lot of divided opinion over his performance on Twitter after this game. I don’t think anyone would disagree that he has value as a squad player, in the true sense of the term, but also… is he really as bad offensively as many fans seem to think he is? Early on this season, I had observed that he had made a lot of strides in his attacking play from last season. The fact that he even registered as an offensive presence at times was a marked improvement from his formerly conservative approach to the game (ironic, what with the presumed defensive influence of José Mourinho). The way I see it, he’s not any worse than Doherty going forward. I know, I know—that’s a low bar. And there’s no denying that Aurier and Reguilón are superior crossers to the both of them. But I do think Davies is somewhat underrated for his pace, if his crucial sliding block in this game can serve as evidence. I don’t see him as a liability defensively the way Doherty so often is. And most importantly, I never doubt his commitment when he’s on the pitch; he is playing for the badge every game, 100%. That makes him good in my book.
What do y’all think—does Davies contribute enough to deserve his place in the squad, or would you prefer to see him moved on in the summer?
North London Derby: Round Two
This game! The one we all look forward to as fans of the Lilywhites, as much as we dread it at the same time.
As of this writing, the evening before the match, I’m still feeling confident that Spurs will be victorious. We’ll see if I get more sleep than I usually do the night before a NLD, though. Usually I’m kept awake wondering what the lineups will be, who will score, and which Arsenal player will end up the villain of the day. Inconveniently, Daylight Saving Time starting tomorrow makes this a bad time for football-induced insomnia.
We may actually have to worry about Aubemeyang this time, now that he’s showing signs of finally shaking off his goal-scoring slump. But even as Arsenal have improved offensively of late, they still have major vulnerabilities in defense (see also: the goal they conceded to Olympiakos on Thursday). I genuinely don’t think they can stop an in-form Kane-Son-Bale front line. Assuming they all three start… they better! And anyway, if there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s Kane scoring in the NLD. He’s not going to lose that streak.
I feel less confident about keeping a clean sheet, simply because of the derby factor and it being their home game, albeit without fans at the Emirates to give them that extra boost.
If I had to predict a lineup from José-the-Unknowable, it would be this:
Lloris
Reguilón - Sánchez - Alderweireld - Aurier
Højbjerg - Ndombele
Son - Moura - Bale
Kane
So only two changes from the lineup for the 4-1 Crystal Palace win—Ndombele instead of Winks and Aurier instead of Doherty. I’m less sure about Moura over Lamela since they’ve both made their case in recent games, but I think Mourinho still trusts Lucas just that little bit more (and Lamela is so great as an impact sub; everyone wins).
I’m not bold enough to bring back the score prediction, especially not for this fixture. But I don’t think Kane will be the only Spurs player to score—a Kane-Son-Bale trifecta would really just be *chefs kiss*. Now, if we sit back and don’t press, I will be writing Mourinho a very sternly worded letter.
Spurs Women are also playing tomorrow, against Reading. Due to the aforementioned time change and the fact I am not and never have been a morning person (which should say something about my dedication to Spurs), I cannot in good faith promise that I will be awake and watching, or watching with any kind of awareness other than how much I loathe the early kickoffs on DST weekend. But god, we could really use a win. We have four losses on the bounce, and if the slide continues relegation could be a real concern. I’ll be happy when first keeper Becky Spencer is back in the lineup, though I haven’t been able to find any concrete news on when she and the other injury-sidelined players, including Ashleigh Neville, will be returning—just “sooner rather than later” according to Skinner. Has she been taking mind game tips from José? 👀
Speaking of the NLD, the upcoming Spurs Women vs Arsenal Women home match will once again be taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though sadly without fans this time. So that’s something to look forward to (if only I felt as confident that we would win that derby!).
Hopefully the next newsletter will be discussing two Spurs wins! 🤞🏻
Have y’all seen the supposed leak of next year’s home kit? I would share the photo, but it is quite literally a plain white shirt with one subtle, hidden detail, the vintage Spurs logo on the inside back collar. I am decidedly underwhelmed if that is indeed the real thing. But I loved this fan mockup based off last season’s third kit:
There’s a difference between minimalist/classic and straight up boring, is all I’m saying. And wow, what a difference a color change makes! I did not like the bright blue colorway, though I know I’m in the minority with that opinion. Anyway, I’m glad I got this year’s home kit, which at least makes a statement even if it’s not my favorite jersey ever.
Footballer fashion is endlessly fascinating to me, as is manager fashion. PEH is really making a bold move here with the double denim! 🤐 Can’t blame Tanguy for disowning him.
Anyone else kind of looking forward to the international break this time (still a little less than two weeks away, but it’s close)? I mean, obviously there’s always the injury concerns and now pandemic worries on top of that, but at this point in the PL/EL season it kind of feels like we could use a break from the pressure cooker of the top 4 push and European competition. Not that I’ll be feeling any less stressed about Germany, with Löw officially staying on as manager until after the Euros, but it’s a different kind of stress. I know there are plenty of Spurs fans who don’t even bother with the international competitions, but I always enjoy the peculiar drama/struggle of league rivals having to join forces for the sake of their countries. It’s always interesting to see which relatively anonymous players from the league manage to truly shine on their national teams. And we get to see old friends from Spurs teams of old!
COYS