Tag: Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have had, by their own standards, a very sluggish season. Their campaign has been mired with false starts and encouraging wins that have only served as false dawns and failed to get the momentum going. This led to them being in the unfamiliar land that is the middle of the table, and ultimately became Pochettino’s downfall.

Now, while his replacement Jose Mourinho hasn’t exactly brought the team back to its best, the signs of recuperation are encouraging.

Spurs have now has consistently collected points in their past few matches, and yesterday’s thrilling match against Aston Villa will be a massive shot in the arm.

The match started off in the most horrendous fashion for Spurs, with defender Toby Alderweireld unfortunately conceding an own goal in the ninth minute.

However, the Belgian made up for it eighteen minutes later with a goal at the other side. Son Heung-min put them into the lead late in the first half, but Villa’s Bjorn Engels equalised early in the second. At that point the match was very evenly poised.

With pressure mounting on both sides, Spurs were searching desperately for a breakthrough. They needed a win here to even be in contention for the Champions League spot. And finally, deep into extra time, Son struck again, sending the packed away end at Villa Park into raptures.

As Tottenham players mobbed the South Korean near the away end, Serge Aurier, Spurs’ right back, got too involved with the celebrations and decided to jump into the stands.

This proved to be rather unfortunate for the stewards standing pitchside as they were simply pushed away by the player like they were nothing.

Check out the scenes below –

The most underrated aspect of sport, perhaps, lies in how it brings together folks from around the world, irrespective of their nationality amd creed.

And, of all sports known to mankind, it is safe to say that football is the most popular of them all. A truly global game, it is played at a national level in over a hundred and ninety countries, and the clubs at the playing at the highest level have highly dedicated fans in every nook and cranny.

One of those fans decided to make his loyalties very clear a few days ago. This caught a lot of attention because this man is quite famous and is a representative of another very famous sport in his home country, which has brought him a lot of fans.

We are, of course, talking about Josh Jacobs, star rookie for the American football team Las Vegas Raiders (also known as the Oakland Raiders) in the National Football League. The talented running back, who turned 22 on the eleventh of February, decided to show some love for his favourite football club – Tottenham Hotspur.

The lad wore a custom-made Spurs Nike home kit for the current season, with his surname and the number 28 (which otherwise belongs to Spurs’ Tanguy Ndombele) etched across the back. Having worn it on his birthday, it was clear the club meant a lot to him.

Of course, the Alabama native, whose state has a lot of Tottenham supporters, has a lot of good memories linked to the North London side, the most recent being a one off match between the Raiders and Chicago Bears in October last year at the new Tottenham stadium.

Jacobs played a starring role in the game, and that would only have made his experience as a Spurs supporter better.

Needless to say Spurs fans loved the display of support from one of the hottest properties in American football right now.

The Premier League might be head and shoulders beyond every other league in world football, but it cannot be denied that it has fallen behind on one aspect of the sport: the team kits.

At first glance, team kits might seem like a trivial facet of football: a novice might assume that it is what is done on the pitch that counts, and not what the players are wearing.

On the contrary, kits are the visual armour of a football team; they are known to make or break the support for a club. New/incoming fans are oftentimes attracted or driven away from a team based on how their jerseys turn out. And this is something the massive sportswear companies know very well.

Realizing that the Premier League is too much of a cash cow to risk experimenting with bold, thematic jerseys, they instead opt for boring kits that are changed only incrementally every year, putting out exciting new concepts only elsewhere, like South America and Africa.

Only the away and third kits show any hint of flavour (think Tottenham’s away attire from last season) and the results have been very mixed. At this point, the fans have had it with the lifeless efforts and have taken matters into their own hands.

In a semi-viral Reddit post with over two hundred upvotes, user loouie17 showcased a concept kit that he made for Tottenham, based off of Nigeria’s smashing 2020 kits. And as far as fan made concepts go, this one is right up there at the top.

Beautifully incorporating a larger version of the Spurs’ cockerel crest in the center, it has the same angular tribal patterns running on each side of the shirt as the Nigerian kit. Only, in this one, the colour has been switched from the dark green of the African super eagles to the familiar navy blue of the Londoners, with white accents. The simplistic patterns exude minimalism and the concept has been very neatly done.

All in all, it’s a solid effort, and looking at the comments, the Spurs faithful definitely approve.

Throughout all of footballing history, there has never been a truer cliche than this: a picture speaks more than a thousand ruddy words.

And boy, have Spurs fans been absolutely gutted by the photo we’re talking about.

The picture shows Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham’s talismanic defender, absolutely heartbroken and clutching his shirt while sitting on the bench.

Why was this man looking so forlorn, you ask?

He was brought off the game, seemingly for no apparent reason, against Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round replay. Not even an hour had elapsed in the match.

Yes, the man was a bit of a mess defensively, and made a few small blunders during the entirety of his time on the pitch. It hasn’t helped his case that he is clearly past his prime, no longer the “Super Jan” that fans came to adore.

He is no longer that centre-back who started off life in the Premier League with a goal against Manchester United, and is still a far cry from the imposing giant whose wonder goal kickstarted an incredible 3-0 demolition of Dortmund in the Champion’s League at Wembley.

Yet, he is by no means the only culprit. Tottenham have been lacking, especially in the left-back spot, the flak for which Jan has almost always caught, rather unfairly.

Recent form has made matters worse, with the mid field massively lacking in creativity following Eriksen’s departure. So why is Jan being singled out, fans wonder.

Now, for those of you confounded over why it’s such a big deal: Vertonghen is a top, top player who’s definitely been a massive part of his club for more than seven years now.

At the highest level of football, you no longer focus on your salary; it is the love of the beautiful game that fuels your successes.

And this substitution is a sign of something big, as Jan well knows. It’s a change of the old guard. Japhet Tanganga seems a more than capable replacement, while Vertonghen’s trusty lieutenant, Toby Alderweireld, seems to be coming into a class of his own.

They have even looked to plug the gaps at LB, with Sessegnon being a fantastic lad and one to watch for the future.

As hard as it is to stomach, Jan’s time as top dog in the club is coming to an end.

Quite understandable, really, that he would be so hard done by this, especially when he’s fit and raring to go.

Later, in the after-match presser, Jose admitted as much, that he had only thought of the change as a tactical one, as he believed Gedson would have been a better attacking fit.

He even went as far as to say that he felt for his Belgian centre-back, but then went on to justify his change, talking about other instances of players having been “sacrificed” for the team’s interests.

Yes, Southampton looked the better team in the first half. Yes, after Gedson came on, Tottenham were injected with a burst of energy and attacking prowess. And yes, Spurs managed an incredible 3-2 victory after twice having fallen behind to the visitors. All of this will still be little more than scant consolation to Jan.

The big game on Sunday witnessed a fierce battle between Manchester City, long lost in the title race against Liverpool, and Spurs, who are fighting for a spot in the top four.

The desperation of both the sides for the valuable three points made the match entertaining and eventful from the start to the last whistle.

Tottenham stole the match from City with the help of two late goals from Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min after the hour mark, following City’s reduction to 10 men after Oleksandr Zinchenko was given his marching orders.

Spurs fans inside the stadium would have loved the way Harry Winks celebrated the red card received by Zinchenko in the 60th minute of the match.

The Ukrainian was fined for his shoulder challenge on Winks, who was in the midst of a classy run towards the goal. It was a not-so-serious tackle, but the referee showed a second yellow to the City man.

Winks, exalted by the occurrence, punched the air and celebrated it like a goal, just like any passionate Spurs fan would do.

The red card became the turning point of the match as debutant Bergwijn scored after two minutes and Son struck the second for Spurs at the 71st minute.

The zealousness exhibited by Winks would have impressed the Spurs fans to a great extent as the moment brought to light his genuineness and dedication towards the club.

He was as passionate as any other Spurs supporter. Moreover, the sheer display of passion did not go to waste as Spurs struck their first blow of the match two minutes later. It was as if Winks foresaw the victory that was about to be theirs.

Viewers around the globe that tuned in to watch Spurs v City were in for a treat as they witnessed a vintage Mourinho moment.

After the initially awarded penalty to City was saved by Hugo Lloris, his following challenge on Raheem Sterling was judged not a foul by VAR after initially been given by referee Mike Dean.

It all seemed calm and happy at the bench for Jose until his assistant reminded him of the yellow card not given to the already cautioned Raheem Sterling.

Mou’s brain chemicals spontaneously burst into a reaction, as José and his assistant charged towards the official over the touchline in tormenting fashion, asking for a yellow card for simulation.

Although it turned out just fine for Spurs afterwards as Steven Bergwijn and Son capitalized on Zinchenko’s red card as Tottenham came out with a 2-0 win.

While Spurs maintain 5th spot, the gap between Liverpool and the champions looks towering with 22 points separating the two.

More pressure builds on Pep as the league title looks to slip away from City’s hands. Nevertheless, the internet has been provided with another classic Jose meme format.

Looking at Tottenham Hotspur you cannot discount 2019 out of their history.

After an year playing at Wembley, Spurs shifted to their new stadium on 3rd April, 2019 and since then they have played and lost a Champions League final, got their hands busy in the summer transfer window, sacked Mauricio Pochettino and roped in Jose Mourinho to change their dwindling fortunes on the field.

One would logically assume that Daniel Levy has done everything in his capability to fill in the rather scantily populated trophy cabinet at the newly built stadium. However, the outcome of Daniel Levy’s investment has not bore the fruit he would have wanted, with his club desperately fighting for a Champions League spot in the Premier League and his new signings not hitting it off at all.

Spurs finished 2019 with a 2-0 loss to Chelsea at home on 22nd December, winning 2-1 against Brighton on Boxing day and drawing the final game of the year against Norwich 2-2 at Carrow Road.

Their fortunes didn’t change much as they started the year with a 1-0 defeat against Southampton at St. Mary’s and could only manage a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

Spurs fan and a popular YouTuber Expressions Oozing recently went on Sky Sports to discuss the transfer possibilities for Spurs in the January window and with a little pinch of humor said on air what might resonate with entire Spurs fanbase at the moment.

Starting the show, the Youtuber clearly expressed his opinions on the ‘Christian Eriksen’ situation.

Expressions reiterated that even though he acknowledges and thanks Eriksen for his contribution, but his time is all but over at Spurs owing to his lack of energy and hunger on the field.

With a host of clubs pursuing Eriksen’s signature and Inter Milan chief Giuseppe Marotta confirming their interest in the Danish midfielder, it is set to be an interesting transfer window for Spurs fans as they wait to see how much they can earn from the star midfielder’s sale should he choose to go.

After having a detailed discussion about Christian Eriksen, Expressions quickly moved onto Jan Vertonghen and how the defenders contract situation is delicately poised.

Expressions opined that he believes that Jan Vertonghen is one of the best defenders in Spurs squad and he would quite like for the Belgian to stay as a squad player.

Expressions ended the segment with his opinions and wishes on the areas Tottenham need to strengthen and he suggested a host of areas including full backs on either wing, centre backs, a defensive midfielder and a forward.

To sum it up Expressions’ segment was highly entertaining, quite sensible from a footballing perspective and football fans loved the humorous way with which he explained and kept his opinions.

While Tottenham Hotspur have been making significant strides on the pitch following Jose Mourinho’s appointment, it now seems that the club has been doing quite well off the pitch as well after the Special One arrived in North London.

According to a recent study by KPMG Football Benchmark, Spurs were found to have experienced the most drastic jump in social media presence over the last month including a massive 21 % increase in YouTube viewership.

The growth has been attributed to the performance boost the club has witnessed after Jose’s appointment, with the North Londoners regaining their foothold in the race for the Champions League spots after getting off to a disastrous start to the season under Pochettino.

But while the massive improvements in the performance of the side can be considered to be the main reason for the recent upsurge in the social media presence of the club, Jose’s impact on the same simply cannot be ignored.

Spurs fans will be hoping for more of the same from their club when Chelsea visit this weekend with the Blues currently occupying the last Champions League qualification spot and just 3 points above Tottenham in the league table. 

Tottenham Hotspur leapfrogged Wolves in the Premier League table with a dramatic 2-1 win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to pile the pressure on Frank Lampard’s Chelsea ahead of their visit next weekend.

The home side looked set to extend their 11-game unbeaten run after Adama Traore’s stunning equaliser but Jan Vertonghen headed Jose’s side to victory in stoppage time.

While there were no arguments about the nature of the winner from Spurs, most Wolves supporters were far from happy with some of the antics pulled at the Molineux by the visitors.

One particular Wolves Youtuber seems to be especially upset by Harry Kane’s antics against her team and held no blows back in a scathing assessment of the England skipper’s attitude during her last video.

I AM DONE. WOLVES FANS ARE NOW MY FAVOURITE IN THE LEAGUE😂😭 “HE KICKED THE BALL AWAY” THE EMOTION IN HER VOICE AS SHE TRIES TO ACT LIKE SHE NOT HURT🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/75F1yvlbGr

— George (@NoyCoysGeorge) December 16, 2019

While Wolves fans were always bound to agree with her she even surprisingly managed to find support from a Spurs supporter who seemed to agree with some of the points she made during the video with a detailed comment on YouTube and even went on to state that Kane’s behaviour at times “does his head in “.

His comment on the video hasn’t obviously gone down well with other Spurs supporters after a screenshot made it to Twitter –

Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to the Allianz Arena would have been earmarked by many fans as the match to judge Jose Mourinho’s progress so far with Spurs being absolutely demolished 7-2 by the Germans during their previous meeting in the UCL.

While the Special One couldn’t prevent another defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich , his team did put in a visibly improved performance during the 3-1 loss yesterday.

After choosing to rest several starters, Mourinho would have been impressed by the performance put in by several fringe players with youngster Ryan Sessengon especially impressing on his first start for the club.

While the young England international would have perhaps forced himself into the Portuguese’s plans for the rest of the season, Moussa Sissoko definitely did himself no favor with a horrendous miss during their last UCL group stage fixture.

After finding himself clean through on Bayern’s goal, the Frenchman somehow made a mess of a clear opportunity to beat Manuel Neuer to leave the entire Tottenham bench shocked.

Mourinho and Son seemed the most devastated on the touchlines with pretty much everyone on the Tottenham bench giving an exasperated reaction to the horror miss.

Check out the reaction from Spurs bench below –

Source

After a stint away from the sidelines, Jose Mourinho was appointed Spurs’ new boss. The excitement surrounding the Special One’s arrival was imminent and North London managed to get a good taste of it.

As the Portuguese veteran conducted his first press conference wearing the Spurs jacket, journalists from multiple organizations huddled in the press room.

They were reportedly more in number than those that had attended the press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League final last season.

There are apparently more media here than for the Champions League final press day.

— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) November 21, 2019

Over the years, Mourinho has not only developed a reputation for his tactics but also for his remarks to the media. Be it witty or controversial, his name is almost always found making the headlines.

This time too he did not disappoint, entertaining everyone with his off-the-cuff comebacks. He tactfully handled questions about his former clubs while also paying a tribute to Pochettino. It remains to be seen whether he can bring the same entertainment to the field.

Having taken over as Tottenham’s gaffer following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho seemed determined to get things going the right away.

The Special One has often been picked upon by the media and fans for not promoting enough youth from the academy to his starting XI, but this time around he seems to already be on the path of silencing his critics.

In his very first training session at the club, he was spotted making a coach take note of Japhet Tanganga’s potential.

Does Jose say to another coach about Tanganga. He marked Cristiano Ronaldo, make him known. pic.twitter.com/j0eTTLJX7u

— Jack.A (@thfcjack_) November 20, 2019

The 20-year-old central defender first caught attention when he started alongside Toby Alderweireld against Juventus in a pre-season friendly, managing to keep footballing royalty Cristiano Ronaldo relatively quiet. However, he has since struggled to make his way into the first team setup.

The England U-20 international is yet to feature in the league for Spurs and it would be interesting to see what role the Portuguese mastermind assigns him through the course of the season.