Cartilage Free Captain - All PostsA 100% Serious Ridiculous Tottenham Hotspur bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48355/cartilagefree-fave.png2024-03-19T06:30:00+00:00http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/rss/current/2024-03-19T06:30:00+00:002024-03-19T06:30:00+00:00The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham News and Links for Tuesday, March 19
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<img alt="Fulham FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/59opiHZVaOcWnL8VCak4PoFFLpA=/45x0:4398x2902/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73217077/2089543723.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Trending Up / Trending Down</p> <p id="GL7y1X"><em>good morning everyone!</em></p>
<p id="pPNgGG">Welcome to another edition of Trending Up / Trending Down, where we at Hoddle Headquarters investigate what around <a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> Football Club is trending up, and what is trending down.</p>
<p id="T2gBwx">Let’s get to it:</p>
<p id="r271AH"><em><strong>Trending Up:</strong></em></p>
<p id="Qn614v"><strong>Tottenham Hotspur women</strong></p>
<p id="lJLsHi">What a couple of weeks for the women’s squad! First, a historic <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> win against <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com">Manchester City</a>. And they backed that up a week later with a win agains <a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester</a>. There are six matches to go this season and Spurs are already four points better off than they were at the end of last season.</p>
<p id="DoD08Q">And the FA Cup semifinal will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Nice.</p>
<p id="SLfmHi"><strong>Tottenham with Micky van de Ven</strong></p>
<p id="nEg12d">This is a different team with Micky van de Ven in the squad.</p>
<p id="S0aPWV">Of the 18 Premier League matches in which he’s participated in, Spurs have only lost two.</p>
<p id="ULQE29">He also set a new Premier League record for fastest-speed recorded during Tottenham’s match against Brentford. Spurs need him and those quick legs of his on the pitch.</p>
<p id="Ay3FDp"><em><strong>Trending Down:</strong></em></p>
<p id="TSRvV6"><strong>Tottenham without Micky van de Ven</strong></p>
<p id="0PhbcT">Now, without van de Ven? After Saturday’s loss, I believe they’ve lost 5 of 10. That’s not to pin any blame on Radu Dragusin, who seemed okay.</p>
<p id="dTucsL">It’s more of a, “Tottenham Hotspur can afford to lose just about any player, but please don’t let that player be van de Ven.”</p>
<p id="H4ia7E"><strong>Yves Bissouma</strong></p>
<p id="pqTrbR">A rough couple of days (weeks? months?) for Yve Bissouma. I’m not quite sure what’s become of him lately. But I think I join others in thinking it could do him and the squad a little bit of good if he’s on the bench when Spurs return from international break.</p>
<p id="Vk0fGc"><em><strong>Fitzie’s track of the day: Magic, by Jordan Mackampa</strong></em></p>
<div id="Vt4Gv0"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bEFDQT7mJhE?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="mbzmwR"><strong>And now for your links:</strong></p>
<p id="qUph1J"><a href="https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/players/djed-spence-praise-against-juventus-28842510"><strong>Alasdair Gold’s latest Tottenham loanee roundup</strong></a><strong> </strong>with Djed Spence and more</p>
<p id="Bkurk8"><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5346628%2F2024%2F03%2F18%2Fspurs-fulham-performance-postecoglou%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fcartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com%2F2024%2F3%2F19%2F24104362%2Fthe-hoddle-of-coffee-tottenham-news-and-links-for-tuesday-march-19" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Charlie Eccleshare ($$)</strong></a>: How Spurs went from best to worst performance within a week</p>
<p id="2nE6oD">Long read: <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/insider/story/_/id/39727122/is-usmnt-manager-gregg-berhalter-good-coach"><strong>ESPN with a deep dive on USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter</strong></a></p>
<p id="11Atn3">Legislation for <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68602074"><strong>independent football regulator</strong></a> in UK introduced</p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/19/24104362/the-hoddle-of-coffee-tottenham-news-and-links-for-tuesday-march-19Fitzie2024-03-18T22:09:39+00:002024-03-18T22:09:39+00:00Tottenham confirms post-season friendly vs. Newcastle in Melbourne
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<figcaption>Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Spurs are heading Down Under to play in Big Ange’s adopted home town.</p> <p id="cy3bwr">Today, <a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> confirmed plans for the team to travel Down Under at the conclusion of this current Premier League season. Spurs will travel to Melbourne to play against <a href="https://cominghomenewcastle.sbnation.com">Newcastle United</a> in a friendly at the 100k-seater Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">We will return Down Under in May as we head to Melbourne, Australia for a post-season visit, capped off by a friendly against Newcastle United <br><br> ️ Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)<br> ️ Wednesday 22 May, kick-off 7:45pm local time</p>— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/1769831375283114123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="e8FBUd">This has apparently been in the works since late January after Tottenham crashed out of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a>, <a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/1/29/24054230/tottenham-hotspur-news-post-season-friendly-melbourne-australia">and we wrote about it then</a>. It’s an opportunity to take the team on the road to Melbourne, Ange Postecoglou’s adopted hometown, and a place where he is wildly popular with the locals. (There are apparently Ange murals... plural... in Melbourne.) The Melbourne Cricket Ground is a massive stadium, home to the Australian Football League Grand Final every year. Considering Postecoglou’s (and Tottenham’s) popularity in Australia, I bet Spurs can attract a pretty decent crowd to see a match against Geordia Arabia. </p>
<p id="eELDP6">It’s also the last opportunity to see this current Spurs team play football before everyone disperses, including to their national teams for the European Championships. This will be the first post-season tour for Spurs since their trip to Hong Kong after the 2016-17 season; Tottenham have already announced another international trip to Korea and other parts of Asia in the 2024-25 preseason.</p>
<p id="ogiBs7">I know we have a pretty decent Aussie contingent on this website, and so I’d like to know — if you’re currently upside down relative to me, are you planning to go? </p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/18/24105300/tottenham-hotspur-news-post-season-friendly-newcastle-united-melbourne-australiaDustin George-Miller2024-03-18T18:16:11+00:002024-03-18T18:16:11+00:00Fulham 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Player ratings to the theme of getting hit by a bus
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham FC - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2fYjiuKowOAAN9RVzR9AJhXexvE=/0x0:3545x2363/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215798/1753994782.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>WATCH OUT</p> <p id="vRpABo"><a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> lost 3-0 at Fulham on Saturday. It was Spurs’ worst performance under Ange Postecoglou and wasn’t very much fun. Often I rewatch matches so I can say intelligent things about the matches in these player ratings and elsewhere. I did not do that this time. Who wants to watch that again? I’d rather get hit by a bus.</p>
<p id="x2C53R">...Hey.</p>
<p id="DBSIHy">Here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings to the theme of getting hit by a bus.</p>
<p id="DmEvUP"></p>
<h2 id="TlfRN8">Whatever stars: <em>Not</em> getting hit by a bus</h2>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Q7TTJJ">
<p id="13nZS5"><strong>Cuti Romero (Community — 3.0): </strong>He was ok I guess</p>
<p id="32RUS5"><strong>Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 3.0): </strong>¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p>
<p id="hPixeq"></p>
<h2 id="iFWXiF">2 stars: Getting hit by a bus</h2>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="5VNV1O">
<p id="GMK1XF">Look, everyone was bad. I could go player by player and point out all the interesting and unique ways that that singular person had a bad match (or in some cases had some individual moments where they did ok) but why would I subject myself to that? Or to you? We’ve got two weeks now to lick our wounds and move on from... whatever the hell that was. I intend to use every moment.</p>
<p id="zMn9fX"><strong>Rodrigo Bentancur (Community – 2.5)</strong></p>
<p id="vW6oas"><strong>Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Community – 2.5)</strong></p>
<p id="WQX4YA"><strong>Pedro Porro (Community – 2.5)</strong></p>
<p id="csj2os"><strong>Timo Werner (Community – 2.5)</strong></p>
<p id="TgONtJ"><strong>Radu Dragusin (Community – 2.5)</strong></p>
<p id="nW0LIj"><strong>Destiny Udogie (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="Dr3RiQ"><strong>Son Heung-Min (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="eQd0ya"><strong>Dejan Kulusevski (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="6job6a"><strong>Pape Matar Sarr (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="dbcDSU"><strong>James Maddison (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="y1YrI6"><strong>Brennan Johnson (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="sK6WsR"><strong>Ange Postecoglou (Community – 2.0)</strong></p>
<p id="yoIVC8"><strong>Yves Bissouma (Community – 1.5)</strong></p>
<p id="IkWiAs"></p>
<h2 id="tOkJzB">1 star: Getting hit by the Chelsea bus driven by Mauricio Pochettino en route to the Arsenal Premier League title celebration after Bayern Munich wins the Champions League behind a hat trick from Harry Kane</h2>
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<p id="ST5WBT">No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as... oh god did I speak that into existence</p>
<p id="5JNhYg"></p>
<h2 id="WjBOsB">Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating:</h2>
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<p id="VELKvL"><strong>Richarlison, Giovani Lo Celso</strong></p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/18/24104862/fulham-3-0-tottenham-hotspur-player-ratings-to-the-theme-of-getting-hit-by-a-busDustin George-Miller2024-03-18T06:30:00+00:002024-03-18T06:30:00+00:00The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham News and Links for Monday, March 18
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City - Barclays Women´s Super League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I1sI8RdxOpicQCgMgj-aIHSTagc=/0x0:3115x2077/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214507/2091630159.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It’s March. It’s Madness!</p> <p id="lFWawc"><em>good morning </em></p>
<p id="HTFlnC">Now with the niceties out of the way, let me say: St John’s were robbed of a spot in the NCAA men’s tournament.</p>
<p id="or5eOk">What is the tournament, you ask? A collegiate basketball tournament featuring 68 universities in a single knockout format. Think of it like the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league">Champions League</a>.</p>
<p id="gV32tF">Sometimes the committee deciding which 68 teams makes a mistake. They made one by excluding Fitzie’s Johnnies. Of course, the bid-stealers didn’t help. Saturday was essentially a worst-case scenario.</p>
<p id="8JMc3F">Anyways, enough talk about St John’s. Let’s get to the tournament.</p>
<p id="cVqWBV"><strong>Teams primed to be upset?</strong></p>
<p id="IWWiWJ">I don’t like <strong>Duke</strong>. They looked awful in the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/acc-basketball-tournament">ACC tournament</a>. And I don’t trust a team that put so little in one tournament game to suddenly turn it on in the next. The Vermont Catamounts bounce em.</p>
<p id="boFMOg">For similar reasons, I don’t like <strong>Kansas</strong>. At least one #4 seed has lost to a 13 seed in 14 of the last 15 years. Kansas and Duke continue that trend.</p>
<p id="M6HUKq">I know little about <strong>Arizona</strong>, but I know little enough to pick them as the first #2 seed to leave the tournament.</p>
<p id="SyCHms"><strong>Which 12 seed makes the Sweet 16?</strong></p>
<p id="7j7soI">A lot of people like <strong>McNeese State</strong> to beat Gonzage. I’m one of them, and I like them enough to go one round further. I’m gonna put <strong>James Maddison</strong> there too because COYS.</p>
<p id="NCsInH"><strong>Who makes the Final Four, and who wins?</strong></p>
<p id="eFlNXT"><a href="https://www.theuconnblog.com"><strong>UConn</strong></a><strong> </strong>appears to be everyone’s pick to win, so I’m staying away from them. And they’re in a tough region, especially with<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.widerightnattylite.com">Iowa State</a><strong> </strong>on the number 2 line. Still, I’m tempted to pick ‘em. And ya, know what? Gimme the Big East!</p>
<p id="k3f9VA">Arizona losing to Nevada opens thins up for <strong>UNC</strong>, so why not them? Purdue up against another arguable no. 1 seed in Tennessee? I’ll take <strong>Tennessee </strong>please.</p>
<p id="DOc8DD">As for Houston’s region, I like them over the field. But, again, tempted to pick the Big East. And this time I give in! Gimme Marquette or gimme death!</p>
<p id="pn4Niw"><em>Final four predictions: </em></p>
<ul>
<li id="lXmIcK">UConn vs North Carolina</li>
<li id="FLj2ro">Marquette vs Tennessee</li>
</ul>
<p id="0k0hyD">Champion: UNC over Tennessee</p>
<p id="pv21OB"><em><strong>Fitzie’s track of the day: Breathless, by Todd Rundgren</strong></em></p>
<div id="IkYGoU"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FJC1wlduXPU?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="l86UAW"><strong>And now for your links:</strong></p>
<p id="tie00s"><a href="https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/news/postecoglou-laughed-twice-after-tottenham-28834115"><strong>Alasdair Gold’s talking points</strong></a><strong> </strong>from Tottenham’s loss to Fulham</p>
<p id="9jUHBX"><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5341310%2F2024%2F03%2F15%2Fantonio-contes-spurs-rant-one-year-on-now-this-team-looks-anything-but-unmanageable%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fcartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com%2F2024%2F3%2F18%2F24104361%2Fthe-hoddle-of-coffee-tottenham-news-and-links-for-monday-march-18" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><strong>Jack P-B ($$)</strong></a> on a year since that Antonio Conte outburst</p>
<p id="RECAC0"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68573308"><strong>Man United</strong></a> beat Liverpool in seven-goal FA Cup thriller</p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/18/24104361/the-hoddle-of-coffee-tottenham-news-and-links-for-monday-march-18Fitzie2024-03-17T19:09:41+00:002024-03-17T19:09:41+00:00Tottenham Hotspur Women 1 - 0 Leicester City: team goal secures all three points
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City - Barclays Women´s Super League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LCXWAfnrKxVfqFTM6hODOuWlnrk=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213515/2091397095.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>If you look under the dictionary definition of counterattack, there’s already a video of this goal</p> <p id="Svg5pU"><a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> Women defeated <a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> to retain sixth place in the WSL. Matilda Vinberg finished off a glorious counterattacking team goal on her full WSL debut, and Spurs managed to hold off Leicester City for the remaining 90 minutes.</p>
<p id="Pouzh2">Robert Vilahamn made a few changes to his typical WSL lineup, with Matilda Vinebrg coming into the side after an impressive cameo against <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com">Manchester City</a> in the cup. Drew Spence also returned from the injury that’s kept her out since December. Notably, neither Martha Thomas or Beth England started the game, and it was later reported that Martha is dealing with a hamstring injury that will keep her out for the next few weeks. </p>
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<p id="Tg7OOj">Spurs started about as strongly as it’s possible to start–Becky Spencer played the ball out of the back, and Spurs worked it incisively through the middle of the pitch. Matilda Vinberg arrived in the box to finish off Jess Naz’s perfectly placed looping cross. If you haven’t watched this goal yet for some reason, you really should. <a href="https://x.com/BarclaysWSL/status/1769366153254556049?s=20">I cannot possibly undersell how phenomenal it was.</a></p>
<p id="9JPWFM">The excitement and intensity of that opening play diminished throughout the half. Spurs missed a few chances to double the lead, notably Drew Spence hit the crossbar, and Vinberg and Bizet. Spence was excellent throughout the half, providing great defensive work and creative passing all over the pitch. By the end of the half, Spurs seemed scrambled under Leicester’s continued pressure, and the constant threats of Jutta Rantala and Yuka Momiki.</p>
<p id="Pz7p5L">At half time, Vilahamn took off the excellent Drew Spence for Kit Graham, likely because Drew is still on managed minutes due to injury recovery. Beth England and Rosella Ayane replaced Celin Bizet and Matilda Vinberg in the 54th minute. Both sides continued to trade chances, including several whack-fests in each box. Beth England still looked a bit frustrated in her continued search for her old scoring boots, though some of this was certainly down to bad luck and the fact that Spurs couldn’t seem to link control in defense and midfield up to the attackers.</p>
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City - Barclays Women´s Super League" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/03DXkVLHrJ6w1vdoVjqUr9seDvk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25341046/2091625504.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="LK6aYO">In the end, the match devolved into a cagey, pushy affair, with Jess, Kit and Beth involved in some time-wasting at the corner flag to see things out. The game that started with a bang ended with a whimper, but I won’t complain about that because Spurs did smartly secure all three points. </p>
<p id="EjkUMW">Jess Naz had a solidly great game, and Matilda Vinberg also continued to look bright, though there were a few moments when she got bullied off the ball or took too long to make a decision. I see no reason to think those blips won’t get ironed out of her game quickly. Drew Spence was also back to her best which is great news considering how much we seem to need creativity and service in midfield.</p>
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City - Barclays Women´s Super League" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-ryyl8hIZmfjzzpmefC9EaZ7QVs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25341048/2091619260.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>Jess you were fabulous</figcaption>
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<p id="CNz1g7">Spurs face Bristol City next weekend. We’ll want to win this one as <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com">Aston Villa</a> are crawling their way up the table and are starting to nip at our heels. Though Bristol are bottom of the table and look likely to go down, they could be a potential stumbling block. They’ve shown they’re still dangerous on their day–although they haven’t won a game since November, they’ve scored eleven goals in their last six. </p>
<p id="5KrJsv">Here’s hoping we continue to see such lovely attacking football, and that we get the work done!</p>
<p id="sqQhZs"></p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/17/24104124/tottenham-hotspur-women-1-0-leicester-city-team-goal-secures-all-three-pointsAbbie Rose2024-03-17T12:53:39+00:002024-03-17T12:53:39+00:00Tottenham Women vs. Leicester City: game time, match thread and how to watch
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City - Adobe Women’s FA Cup Quarter Final" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PRpfIyM64qTuQmIPykbK-kxV_9o=/0x0:3131x2087/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213002/2075278101.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It’s a preview of the FA Cup semifinal in April!</p> <p id="4DrRi8"><a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> Women host <a href="https://fosseposse.sbnation.com">Leicester City</a> today in WSL league action at Brisbane Road. We’ve been talking about Leicester lately because that’s also whom Spurs will face in the semifinals of the Adobe Women’s <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fa-cup">FA Cup</a> in April, though that match will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.</p>
<p id="VOTktC">So if you’re curious about what Leicester City will look like in April, this is a pretty good match for you to watch! Spurs drew 1-1 against the Foxes in the teams’ only other meeting this season at the King Power Stadium. </p>
<p id="2cEHYf">You can also use this thread to talk about West Ham vs. <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com">Aston Villa</a>, or the Men’s FA Cup semifinals if that’s more your jam. It’s ok, no judgement.</p>
<h2 id="OZWHwi">Lineups</h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A couple changes to today's starting XI <br><br>COYS <a href="https://t.co/CGust8szVd">pic.twitter.com/CGust8szVd</a></p>— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpursWomen/status/1769348021639094371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TOTLEI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TOTLEI</a> team news! <a href="https://t.co/AdP424IPVu">pic.twitter.com/AdP424IPVu</a></p>— LCFC Women (@LCFC_Women) <a href="https://twitter.com/LCFC_Women/status/1769347966064906468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="HlzrtJ">How to Watch</h2>
<p id="zgvwec"><strong>Tottenham Hotspur Women vs. Leicester City Women</strong><br>Women’s Super League<br>Sunday, March 17, 2024<br>10:00 a.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. GMT<br>Brisbane Road, London, UK</p>
<p id="8BFDIL">TV: not televised (USA/UK), Optus Sport (Australia)<br>Stream: <a href="http://faplayer.thefa.com">The FA Player</a></p>
<p id="OyiBpi">The usual match stream rules apply. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rph_1DODXDU">Be excellent to each other (and party on, dudes!)</a></p>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/17/24103762/tottenham-women-vs-leicester-city-game-time-match-thread-and-how-to-watchDustin George-Miller2024-03-16T20:00:00+00:002024-03-16T20:00:00+00:00Fulham 3-0 Tottenham: Community Player Ratings
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<img alt="Fulham FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HuCrWG2m-X5vY09ijnSf-u6jRPU=/89x0:2971x1921/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73212154/2089389850.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Hahahahahaha. This sucks, man.</p> <p id="mMppPC">Here’s my full and entire commentary:</p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hRsWwJVrpEmFkochKeZ2gHTVPI8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25339829/sucks.jpeg">
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<p id="O1OEjo">It’s time to rate the players.</p>
<p id="FH09Ox">Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. <strong>If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK.</strong> I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.</p>
<p id="VPZOvM">If you’re on mobile or found this via AMP and the survey isn’t appearing below, <a href="https://goshen.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bJggnCWLbycgeN0"><strong>he</strong></a><a href="https://goshen.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FDfuPQxcGfANz8"><strong>re’s a direct link</strong></a>.</p>
<div id="RW8fbX"><iframe src="https://goshen.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FDfuPQxcGfANz8" name="Qualtrics" scrolling="auto" frameborder="no" align="center" height="800px" width="100%"></iframe></div>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/16/24103117/fulham-3-0-tottenham-community-player-ratingsDustin George-Miller2024-03-16T19:33:23+00:002024-03-16T19:33:23+00:00Fulham 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Courageous Cottagers crush substandard Spurs
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<img alt="Fulham FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XfdDgPCVC5FA6v7jM2qs-eNVSWU=/0x0:4724x3149/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73212106/2089396205.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>That is not a match I ever want to watch again.</p> <p id="W0wLEh">They say streaks are made to be broken.</p>
<p id="pHSWXt">That was the case for <a href="https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com">Tottenham Hotspur</a> in their match today against Fulham. The Lilywhites had been undefeated in nine matches in the league against their London opponents, with Fulham’s last victory over Spurs a fateful one in the 2012/13 season that prevented Tottenham finishing in the top four.</p>
<p id="W6LVlS">Expectations were high for Spurs, with a strong squad at Ange Postecoglou’s disposal. He made one enforced change from the win over <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com">Aston Villa</a>, with Mickey van de Ven unavailable due to a hamstring issue. Radu Dragusin was handed his first Premier League start in the Dutchman’s place, and there was also a return to the squad for Richarlison, making the bench after recovering from injury.</p>
<p id="rKJcBQ">Spurs were nearly the architects of their own demise early, with a poor giveaway by James Maddison leading to a shot that Cristian Romero did very well to block. The Lilywhites seemed almost half-asleep, with a number of turnovers and misplaced passes ceding possession to Fulham. The Cottagers put Guglielmo Vicario and the Tottenham backline under pressure, with the Italian called into action multiple times and Romero coming up big once more with a close-range block on Andreas Pereira. </p>
<p id="dEr83O">Tottenham’s best chance came after Fulham should have scored. Pape Matar Sarr was the culprit this time, giving the ball away with Pereira then squaring across the face of goal. It was almost a tap-in for Rodrigo Muniz, but he somehow missed the ball, with Spurs then sweeping up the other end and finding Son in the box. The Tottenham captain couldn’t keep his effort goal-bound, shooting over the bar. A chance for Brennan Johnson down the left soon followed, but he couldn’t find any power in his strike and hit it tamely at Bernd Leno. James Maddison was the next Tottenham player to have a chance: Destiny Udogie burst forward after Johnson won the ball and fed the English attacking midfielder. His low shot almost looked like it was heading inside the near post, but instead the ball took out Leno’s drink bottle just outside the goal. </p>
<p id="HSAxqF">Instead, it was Fulham who took a lead into the half. Antonee Robinson delivered an excellent ball from the left in behind the Spurs backline, where it found Muniz, given perhaps too much space by Dragusin. Muniz’s touch was excellent, and he cut the ball back across past Vicario to put the Cottagers 1-0 up.</p>
<p id="jo13r1">It was the same story in the second half, with Fulham doubling their lead early. Iwobi drew the defense out of shape before playing in Timothy Castagne down the left. His square ball would have been a tough one to control, but rather than control it, Sasa Lukic used his thigh to guide the ball first time past Vicario. The Italian had no chance, and all of a sudden the score was 2-0.</p>
<p id="pzqIWB">From there, things went from bad to worse. Calvin Bassey won a second ball on a corner kick, before taking a shot from an extremely tight angle. Vicario was forced into a save, but a combination of his palm and the post conspired to take the ball directly back into the danger area. Muniz was first on the scene, knocking the ball over the goal-line despite the despairing efforts of Dragusin to clear. </p>
<p id="IozuQ5">The Cottagers had the ball in the net a fourth time, while Spurs readied a triple change. An offside flag this time saved their blushes, and Timo Werner, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Rodrigo Bentancur entered the fray for Sarr, Bissouma, and Maddison. Tottenham looked almost immediately better, with Werner nearly getting one back for Spurs as he somehow managed to miss a point-blank tap-in off a low Johnson cross. A late cameo for Richarlison wasn’t enough to move the needle for Spurs, as they continued to hustle and bustle in search of a comeback, and the Lilywhites slumped to a 3-0 defeat.</p>
<h2 id="SCILoN">Reactions</h2>
<ul>
<li id="g1Jwrp">Boy, that was a bad performance by Spurs; possibly their worst this season. None of the starting XI were good at all, and Postecoglou was comprehensively out-managed. These are the sort of matches you have to win if you want <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league">Champions League</a> football.</li>
<li id="qQUINk">The midfield trio of Sarr, Bissouma, and Maddison were particularly bad. They continually gave the ball away, were ponderous in possession, and non-existent defensively.</li>
<li id="pYNyVs">It was therefore a surprise that Postecoglou took so long to make substitutions in the second half. Spurs have taken somewhat of a rope-a-dope approach to recent matches, upping the pressure late in the match, but this wasn’t that. Things weren’t working, and Postecoglou should have realized that sooner.</li>
<li id="YSHcua">Some sides have the ability to play through the press; instead, Fulham played around it. Their midfielders and defenders would routinely invite pressure before playing quick switches across to the other side of the pitch. This would result in situations where the Cottagers were driving forward in the wide areas with a 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 numerical advantage, and they would then use this advantage to pull the defense totally out of shape, unlocking space in the box. Switch to a proper 4-2-3-1 would have potentially given the fullbacks some midfield support.</li>
<li id="kQxO5G">Speaking of which, it was an inauspicious debut for Dragusin, who wasn’t terrible per se - but was often left on an island by Destiny Udogie thanks to the above tactics. While looking comfortable on the ball, his lack of a left foot also hurt Spurs in the build-up, with our left side often frustrated not to receive quick ball in space from the back.</li>
<li id="Sg0e1P">What a way to head into the international break!</li>
</ul>
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2024/3/16/24103209/fulham-3-0-tottenham-hotspur-courageous-cottagers-crush-substandard-spursMattyFlatt