Theo Walcott and Danny Murphy talk about how Tottenham Hotspur’s set pieces helped them defeat Everton and how they can get creative when some of their injured players come back from injury.
Tottenham beat Everton 2-0; Van de Ven scores twice.
Danny Murphy, a pundit for Match of the Day, claims that Aston Villa should have taken advantage of Manchester City’s unorthodox defensive midfielder.
Watch MORE: Cash secures victory against Man City as the Haaland scoring run comes to an end.
Danny Murphy, a pundit for Match of the Day, claims that Aston Villa should have taken advantage of Manchester City’s unorthodox defensive midfielder.
Watch MORE: Cash secures victory against Man City as the Haaland scoring run comes to an end.
I would add Tottenham to the list of over-achieving clubs, which is a breath of fresh air to see teams like Bournemouth and Sunderland surpass expectations at the top of the Premier League.
Not many Spurs fans would have anticipated them to be in third place now that they have had the odd depressing performance under Thomas Frank, especially at home, but I don’t believe anyone thought it would be so easy for him to quickly change this squad.
I am aware that there have still been some criticisms from their supporters, especially with calls for more creative play in open play, but sometimes you have to walk before you can run.
When Frank arrived at Tottenham last year, he probably said, “let’s fix that first” because they conceded too many goals and were too easy to play against.
We can all agree that he has done that because of how well the team has progressed since the beginning of the season up to now.
Yes, there have been instances in which their approach to the ball has appeared a little one-dimensional, and they have relied heavily on Mohammed Kudus’ magic to create chances out of nothing.
However, I have faith that some of their injured players, including Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, and, over the long term, James Maddison, will improve that aspect of their game.
There is a lot of positive energy around what Frank is doing, and there is also a lot to look forward to, despite the fact that things haven’t been perfect so far.
Spurs are probably the strongest squad they have had in a while, they are picking up points without playing particularly well, and they are currently in a very good position at the top with some very important signings on the horizon.
After fewer than ten league games, supporters want their team to have a identity, and I’m already seeing one at Spurs.
They are currently a team that has been well trained, has a great work ethic, and isn’t preoccupied with giving away foolish chances.
There is nothing wrong with them, despite the fact that they are reasonably pragmatic and heavily rely on set-plays, as we saw in their 3-0 win over Everton on Sunday.
Spurs has some big players to aim for, along with some talented deliverymen, despite the fact that many other teams are the same.
It seems more like they are trying to find individual brilliance in open play than a system to force through the opposition at the moment.
Kudus needs some assistance in that area, but that assistance is coming, as I look at them.
Because we saw how Brentford developed under him over the course of several seasons and he is only just beginning to get started here, I don’t think Tottenham’s current identity is a piece of cake.
Brentford had a very direct style when they first entered the Premier League, and their actions were also quite predictable or obvious.
However, if you watched them last season, you would have seen a completely different approach. Although Christian Norgaard could mix things up, they were not a one-trick pony when they played out back.
This Tottenham team will continue to evolve, but Frank has first and foremost provided them with a solid foundation like he did at Brentford. For instance, with their slightly more home-like full-backs than they did under Ange Postecoglou, as they did with Ange Postecoglou.
On Sunday, Spurs again received some criticism for allowing Everton to play on them in the second half.
You have to consider what had happened before that game, despite the fact that I was thinking to myself, “Come on, get out of your half because you are putting yourself under pressure.”
The majority of the team from that game also started on Sunday, and Everton were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to a strong performance.
I understand why Frank made the decision to try to maintain their lead after the break when you consider the distance and intensity of that game against Monaco.
Looking back, I’m sure he would have desired for them to be a little more talented on the ball when they actually broke away because they gave the ball up too easily and put themselves under too much pressure.
If they give away as much of their possession and sit off as deeply as they did, they might be punished in the coming weeks against perhaps higher-quality opposition.
In the end, Frank will have to strike a balance between playing an attacking front-footed side that the fans find entertaining and one that wins games because of his or her lack of experience.
Tottenham have always struggled to find that, which is why they have undergone so many managerial changes. Postecoglou was at one extreme and Jose Mourinho was at the other.
However, I believe Frank will deliver results and give the fans the type of football they want from Brentford, as opposed to what we saw at Brentford.
It’s naive to think this team won’t advance and become more eye-catching because he has a much better squad at Spurs than he has ever been with Brentford, which I totally agree with.
After his no-showessel-up title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-fight, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is in need of more eye testing.
In the middle of Gane’s headline performance in Abu Dhabi, Gane accidentally poked the Briton in the both eyes.
Aspinall was unable to continue, quoting Jason Herzog as “I can’t see,” and the incident was dismissed as a no-show with the Mancunian holding on to his belt.
He did not appear for the post-fight press conference after the fight and was taken to the hospital.
The 32-year-old spent a year recovering from surgery after suffering a serious knee injury in 2022, which damaged his meniscus and medial collateral ligament (MCL) and caused damage to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Aspinall stated, “It’s a dangerous sport.”
After being elevated from interim status following the retirement of former champion Jon Jones, Aspinall was defending his title for the first time.
On Sunday, he returned to England, where he will have further tests to determine the extent of the damage.
After the eye poke, UFC President Dana White stated in the post-fight press conference that Aspinall “didn’t want to continue.”
Steve Smith will take the starting Ashes Test in his absence, and Australia have confirmed that captain Pat Cummins won’t be fit.
Cummins, a talismanic fast bowler, has been out for a while and earlier this month declared he was “less than likely” to play in the first Test against Perth on November 21.
With the series opener less than a month away, Cricket Australia announced on Sunday that the 32-year-old has not yet played since July and has not yet returned to bowling.
Cummins is anticipated to be able to bowl “shortly,” with the goal of being ready for the second Test in Brisbane, which will start on December 4.
Australia’s renowned fast bowler and captain are losing a significant amount of money.
Cummins was initially ruled out of the white-ball series against India and New Zealand because of reports of a lumbar stress fracture.
Cummins claimed time was starting to get “tight” for the first Test because he needed at least a month to practice for the match-fit test two weeks prior.
Cummins was named captain just before the final Ashes series against Australia in 2021-22. Despite having to miss the second Test due to a Covid scare, the home side won 4-0.
Smith is a more than capable replacement for the captaincy.
The 36-year-old is the Ashes-winning skipper, and the “sandpapergate” ball-tampering scandal cost him the captaincy in 2018. He only lost the captaincy in 2018 as a result.
The batter, who has been a top Ashes run-scorer all-time, has six previous starts in place of Cummins as captain.
Scott Boland, who has a peerless average of 12.63 in Tests in Australia, is likely to take Cummins’ place in the bowling attack.
In a seam attack for the exhausting five-Test series that was squeezed into just over seven weeks, Boland, 36, is likely to join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom are in their mid-30s.