Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs PSV Eindhoven (UEFA Champions League)

Tottenham Hotspur return to UEFA Champions League action tonight on the back of consecutive victories over West Ham United in the Carabao Cup and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.

Despite their domestic success, Spurs have struggled in the European top-tier tournament, losing to Inter Milan and FC Barcelona before suffering a late draw against PSV Eindhoven.

Tottenham Hotspur were held to a draw after Hugo Lloris was sent off

Tonight’s match is a must-win for Tottenham Hotspur as they sit 8 points behind Barcelona and 5 behind Inter Milan.

Besides the need to pick up all 3 points against PSV, Spurs must also hope for Barcelona to beat Inter Milan again, as a victory or draw for Inter would present an uphill task for Spurs to chase a runners-up spot.

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Team News and Predicted Starting Lineup:

The Spurs first team is looking shattered right now, with Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele all out injured.

Hugo Lloris is suspended for this match following his red card at Eindhoven.

Juan Foyth and Georges-Kevin N’koudou, who were not named in Spurs’ Champions League squad, brings the first team absentee tally up to 8.

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Coupled with an injury to Luke Amos at the early stage of the season, Mauricio Pochettino only has Harry Winks left in the central midfield position behind the attacking midfielders.

Winks may, thus, partner with Moussa Sissoko in the center of the field with talented youngster, Oliver Skipp, who made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup, to be named on the bench.

Oliver Skipp may have another chance to play for the first team today

With Foyth not eligible to take part in tonight’s match, Spurs have only two center backs in Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld.

This could provide a chance for youngster George Marsh, who was pictured training along with the first team, to make it to the bench tonight.

Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli should both start, having not started against Wolves.

George Marsh may have his chance to make his first team debut today

Son Heung Min, who played the full match in the Carabao Cup, was substituted on for the injured Mousa Dembele in the opening matches against Wolves. However, the South Korean was replaced later in the match, implying that he may be rested with PSV in mind.

Given the importance of today’s match, Harry Kane should start once again, despite playing the full match against Wolves.

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Spurs Fan Prediction:

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 PSV (Harry Kane to score first)

How Tottenham Hotspur can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League Knockout Stage

Tottenham Hotspur desperately needed a win over Eredivisie side, PSV Eindhoven, yesterday in the UEFA Champions League in order to have a chance of making it to the competition’s knockout stage.

PSV went ahead in the match first before goals from Lucas Moura and Harry Kane placed Spurs in a prime position to take all 3 points.

However, a poor back pass from Christian Eriksen forced Hugo Lloris to rush off his line, and in the process, committing a mistimed challenge which resulted in the Spurs skipper being sent off.

Hugo Lloris was sent off against PSV

PSV took full advantage of the numerical difference as they scored an equaliser in the dying minutes of the game.

The results meant that Spurs are now 3rd in their group, 8 points behind FC Barcelona and 5 points behind Inter Milan.

With the teams halfway through the Group Stage matches, we take a look at how Tottenham Hotspur may still qualify for the knockout stage.

Barcelona is within numerical reach of Tottenham Hotspur but realistically Spurs can never catch up to them, so we will only look at how Spurs can overtake Inter Milan to take the runners-up spot in their remaining matches.

1. Tottenham Hotspur beats Inter Milan and PSV but loses to Barcelona (finishes with 7 points).
   a. Inter Milan loses to both PSV and Barcelona
   b. Inter Milan loses to Barcelona and draws with PSV
2. Tottenham Hotspur beats Inter Milan, PSV and Barcelona (finishes with 10 points).
   a. Inter Milan beats either PSV or Barcelona and loses to the other
   b. Inter Milan beats either PSV or Barcelona and draws with the other
   c. Inter Milan loses or draws with both PSV and Barcelona
3. Tottenham Hotspur beats Inter Milan and Barcelona but loses to PSV (finishes with 7 points).
   a. Inter Milan loses to both PSV and Barcelona AND PSV loses to Barcelona
   b. Inter Milan loses to PSV and draws with Barcelona AND PSV loses to Barcelona
4. Tottenham Hotspur draws with Inter Milan and beats both Barcelona and PSV (finishes with 8 points).
   a. Inter Milan loses to both PSV and Barcelona

Scenario 1a: Inter Milan has 6 points, 1 behind Spurs.

Scenario 1b: Inter Milan has 7 points, same as that of Spurs.

Since Inter Milan beat Spurs 2-1 at home, Spurs can qualify by either beating Inter Milan with a bigger goal difference than +1 or beating Inter Milan 1-0, thus, qualifying with one away goal in the head-to-head matches.

If Spurs also beat Inter Milan 2-1 at home, then the rest of the tiebreaker rules involving other matches will apply.

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Scenario 2a: Inter Milan has 9 points, 1 behind Spurs.

Scenario 2b: Inter Milan has 10 points, same as that of Spurs (refer to scenario 1b).

Scenario 2c: Inter Milan has 6 or 8 points, behind Spurs’ tally of 10 points.

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Scenario 3a: Inter Milan has 6 points, 1 behind Spurs. PSV has 7 points, same as Spurs (refer to scenario 1b for tiebreaker rules).

Scenario 3b: Inter Milan, Spurs and PSV all have 7 points (refer to scenario 1b).

Scenario 4a: Inter Milan finishes with 7 points, 1 behind Spurs.

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As can be seen, there are 8 ways that Spurs can still qualify for the knockout stage. However, the common point between these 8 ways is that Spurs CANNOT lose to Inter Milan.

Among all the scenarios, 1b seems to be Spurs’ best bet and they would have to rely on PSV to deny Inter Milan of the win.

Should Tottenham Hotspur move for Shinji Okazaki in January?

Tottenham Hotspur became the first Premier League club not to make any new signings in the summer transfer window and now look set to make it up in January.

While many players such as Wilmar Barrios (Boca Juniors), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Bradley Dack (Blackburn Rovers), Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax) and Malcolm (FC Barcelona) have been speculated in recent weeks, none of them can really relieve the duties of Harry Kane.

Kane is one of the most worked strikers in Europe, with Spurs unable to find a suitable backup or strike partner to the England captain, thus, resulting in Kane bearing the goal-scoring burden for the club.

Unlike with England, Harry Kane does not have much strike support at Spurs

Signings in recent years include Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar and Fernando Llorente from Swansea City, but none of them were able to step into the boots of Kane when needed.

However, that being said, it is extremely difficult for any club to find a proficient striker who is willing to play as the second choice behind one of the best strikers in the world, and if one is found, the wages demanded will probably not come cheap.

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Should Tottenham Hotspur then try to move for Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki in January then?

The Japanese international moved from Mainz 05 to Leicester City in 2015 and was an integral part of the Foxes’ Premier League winning campaign in the 2015-16 season.

Shinji Okazaki won the Premier League in his debut season

Okazaki typically partners Jamie Vardy upfront but usually drops deep to help the midfield and defence if needed, springing back upfront in counterattacks or to assist Vardy.

His tremendous work rate throughout the entire length of the pitch not only helps Leicester City in creating counterattacks but also presses hard at the opposition’s defence, forcing them into quick passes which may lead to mistakes.

Okazaki also holds up the ball well and likes to play short passes, qualities that will help him fit in with a Spurs side that plays patiently to look for openings.

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Tactics wise, he can come on to either replace Kane or to partner him in a two-man strike force. He also has Premier League experience with the Foxes, making him an ideal candidate to replace Fernando Llorente.

The main point that will prevent Spurs from signing Okazaki is his age. At 32-years old, he does not have much fuel left in his tanks and may only be at Spurs for 2 or 3 years. However, that should give Spurs plenty of time to sign a new striker and test him out in the Premier League before Okazaki’s departure.

Okazaki is likely to come cheap as well, with him not part of Leicester City manager Claude Puel’s plans, thus, Leicester City is unlikely to offer him a new contract before his current one expires in the coming summer.

Turkish club Galatasaray is also monitoring Okazaki’s situation at Leicester City and is reportedly going to come in with a £2 million bid in January.

Galatasaray is monitoring Shinji Okazaki closely

Spurs can easily match that bid and Okazaki may well choose Spurs over Galatasaray in order to stay in the Premier League.

It will be a low cost gamble for Spurs to sign the Japanese international, and with Okazaki’s current wages at £60,000 per week, it is also comfortably within Spurs’ wage structure.

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Overall, with no other strike targets in sight, Spurs should consider signing Shinji Okazaki in January.

Spurs Weekly Roundup #3 – 15 to 21 Oct 2018

This past week saw the return of Premier League action as the international break drew to a close.

Tottenham Hotspur players had a relative good international break, with many of them playing a part in their countries’ victories.

The return to the Premier League yielded an equally good result as Spurs beat West Ham United 1-0 at the London Stadium.

Spurs defy statistics to beat West Ham

Playing away at West Ham United has not always been a strong point on Spurs’ record.

In the past 5 seasons, Spurs have only won twice and lost thrice away at West Ham United, but Spurs had a strong start to a season and carried on that momentum to beat West Ham, tying it at 3 wins and 3 defeats in 6 seasons.

This result also meant that Spurs have now won their last 5 London derbies in a row, a feat that has not been achieved since 1961.

With Manchester City and Liverpool also winning their respective matches, Spurs are maintaining the 2 points gap between the leaders, and if this fine vein of form continues, the Lilywhites may just have a crack at the title this season.

Lamela at his best

Erik Lamela has not been the most consistent player for Tottenham Hotspur in the past seasons.

However, this looks to be changed this season as the Argentine has now scored 5 goals in only 8 appearances, 1 more goal than he managed last season in 32 appearances and equaling his goal tally from the 2014-15 season in 46 appearances.

Lamela’s best goal-scoring record for Spurs was in the 2015-16 season where he scored 11 goals in 44 appearances and he looks to be on track to beating that tally this season.

While Lamela started the season behind Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son Heung Min and Lucas Moura in the pecking order, he has since earned the trust of Pochettino and could be ahead of Son now.

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Moussa Sissoko to rediscover his best form

Another player who has not lived up to his price tag in the past seasons is Moussa Sissoko.

The Frenchman signed from Newcastle United in 2016 for £30 million, a club-record fee than that was tied with that of Lamela.

Sissoko impressed during the UEFA Euro 2016 and was brought into Spurs with high expectations, which he failed to achieve.

Mauricio Pochettino typically plays Sissoko in a two-man holding midfield position, or on the right of the three attacking midfielders behind Harry Kane, but Sissoko was always off-synch with his teammates and give away possession cheaply despite his strength.

However, Sissoko was given a new role in the match against West Ham where he was deployed in the centre of the field between the holding midfield duo of Harry Winks and Eric Dier.

This position apparently suits Sissoko better as he floated in between the holding midfielders and attacking midfielders, maintaining possession and cutting out threats in the middle.

If Sissoko keeps this up, he may just be an important player for Spurs this season.

Spurs looking downwards for January signings

After a summer transfer window which saw no new signings for Tottenham Hotspur, the club is now looking determined to do business in January with multiple transfer rumours.

Among the players linked with Spurs are the EFL Championship trio: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Ollie Watkins (Brentford) and Bradley Dack (Blackburn Rovers).

Spurs were strongly linked with Grealish in the summer, only to fail in their pursuit after Aston Villa solved their financial crisis with a takeover, preventing Grealish to leave on a cheap.

Ollie Watkins plays on the left of an attacking midfield trio at Brentford and Spurs seem to be keen to bring him in despite their wealth of options in that position.

Bradley Dack is another player who plays as an attacking midfielder but he has claimed that he is happy to stay at Blackburn Rovers if the club wants him to stay, putting a dent on Spurs’ hopes to sign him.

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Cameron Carter-Vickers hitting another roadblock

USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers was sent on loan to Championship club, Swansea City to gain more experience.

However, after just 1 start and 1 substitute appearance, Carter-Vickers have now spent the last 5 matches on the bench.

With his playing time limited at Swansea City, it is less than ideal for the development of Spurs’ promising youngster and he may well return to Spurs in January or be sent on loan to another club.

However, with Jan Vertonghen out injured and transfer rumours surrounding that of Toby Alderweireld and Juan Foyth, Carter-Vickers may just take a gamble for a shot at first team action at Spurs.

Malcolm rumours intensifies

Tottenham Hotspur were strongly linked with Malcolm in the summer.

The Brazilian forward, then a player at French club Bordeaux, looked set to be joining Roma after the Italian club outbid Spurs. However, a late call from FC Barcelona changed Malcolm’s mind as he joined the Catalan giants.

This seemed to be a wrong decision by Malcolm as the return to form of Ousmane Dembele meant that Malcolm’s playing time has been limited and he is now pushing for a move away from Barcelona in January.

Spurs are reportedly ready with a £44 million bid, with Barcelona able to earn a £2 million profit of this deal.

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Dier on Barcelona’s radar

After Spurs’ win at West Ham United, a rumour surfaced that FC Barcelona are now keeping tabs on Eric Dier.

The center-back turned holding midfielder has been an integral member for Tottenham Hotspur in the past few seasons and have been defensively solid for Spurs.

Barcelona seems to value the multi-facet aspect of Dier’s game and is keen to bring him to Nou Camp.

With Malcolm in the sights of Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona may just attempt to test the Lilywhites’ resolve with a deal involving both players, and Spurs may find this deal hard to resist with Malcolm also on Arsenal’s radar.

However, Eric Dier looks to be too important a player to replace unless Spurs are able to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United. Until then, a deal looks less than likely.

Spurs Weekly Roundup #1 – 01 to 07 Oct 2018

Welcome to my new blog series, the “Spurs Weekly Roundup” where I discuss the major talking points of Tottenham Hotspur over the past week.

Champions League Crisis

Tottenham Hotspur is finding themselves in a mini UEFA Champions League crisis after a 2-4 defeat at home by FC Barcelona.

This is Spurs’ second defeat in as many Champions League games after a 2-1 away defeat to Inter Milan.

It has become somewhat apparent that Tottenham Hotspur has to win it’s remaining 4 Champions League fixture to topple either FC Barcelona or Inter Milan to qualify for the knockout stage.

However, with PSV in the same predicament as them and a trip to Nou Camp in the pipeline, this may prove a daunting task for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Goalkeeper Dilemma

With Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm both fit and back in the squad, Paulo Gazzaniga may find his first team experience limited to the training ground again.

While Gazzaniga has impressed with 3 wins in 3 appearances this season, Lloris’ status as first-choice goalkeeper and captain will shadow his accomplishments thus far.

However, with Michel Vorm at the end of the spectrum with 3 defeats in 3 appearances, public sentiment echoes the axing of Vorm from the matchday squad altogether.

Should Pochettino heed the ever-growing voices, Gazzaniga should find himself on the bench soon enough, but with Vorm trusted by his gaffer, the spot for No. 2 should be a pretty interesting race.

End of the Road for Georges-Kevin N’koudou

With injuries to both Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, leaving Pochettino with only Son Heung Min, Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko to fill the attacking 3 behind Harry Kane, it seems natural for N’koudou to be in the matchday squad as well.

However, even with the squad thinning through injuries, N’koudou is still unable to make his way to the bench.

With Son, Lamela, Lucas and Sissoko ahead, Pochettino has opted to play Victor Wanyama as a backup, shunning N’koudou altogether.

Even youngster Oliver Skipp has made more bench appearances than the Frenchman this season, rubbing salt into the wound.

With January fast approaching, perhaps the best move for N’koudou is out.

Toby The Man

Jan Vertonghen’s recent injuries has once again highlighted the importance of his compatriot, Toby Alderweireld.

With Eric Dier preferred as a holding midfielder, Juan Foyth too inexperienced to be trusted yet, Alderweireld has shown yet again that he is worthy of a big paycheck.

Spurs have Alderweireld to thank for the win over Cardiff City on the weekend when his goal line clearance of Josh Murphy’s lob not only saved Lloris the brushes, but also ensured that the game ended 1-0 in the Lilywhites’ favour.

In comparison, Davinson Sanchez’s contributions has dwarfed in respect to Alderweireld’s and Daniel Levy may be pressured into breaking the bank to fund Alderweireld’s wage demands.

1-0 not enough

While Tottenham Hotspur may feel relieved to win 1-0 over Cardiff City, they may be kicking themselves after witnessing Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing of Fulham to take them ahead of Spurs on goal difference.

Spurs did not utilised their man advantage over the Bluebirds and has now been punished with a fifth place spot on the table.

With Arsenal scoring more goals than Tottenham as well, Spurs will need to beat West Ham after the international break with a goal margin of +2 greater than that of Arsenal’s to ensure that they leapfrog the Gunners.

Timely International Break

Injuries have certainly ravaged Spurs’ squad and momentum, but the international break has came just in time to let Spurs catch their breath.

Dele, Eriksen, Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Serge Aurier now have 12 days to get back to fitness before the clash with West Ham at the London Stadium.

However, with a large chunk of Spurs’ healthy squad being called up for international duty, including that of Kane, Dier, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Harry Winks for England, Pochettino will be praying hard that international matches will be friendlier than that of club matches.

Countdown to Dembele’s Departure

The Sun has reported that Mousa Dembele intends to run down his contract and join either a Middle Eastern or Chinese club in the summer.

With Dier, Winks and Wanyama being the other holding midfielders in the team, but none with the Belgian’s “dancing” capabilities, Pochettino may struggle to replace Dembele.

However, with Dembele’s departure, it should give an opportunity for Luke Amos to find more first team experience, but whether he can step into Dembele’s shoes is another question altogether.

 

That wraps up the first part of the Spurs Weekly Roundup! DM me on Twitter, Instagram or Weibo (for Mandarin speakers) if you like this series or would like to see other types of blog series.