Tag Archives: Tottenham Hotspur

Football, Transfers

How Dele Alli can revive his dwindling career in January

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There was a period in time where Dele Alli was one of the most feared goalscoring midfielders in the country, but that time has long gone.

Dele is currently a bit part player at best for Tottenham after losing that goalscoring touch, and reports suggest he is now likely to leave the club in January either on loan or permanently.

But how can the former England star reignite the flame on his dwindling career? There are a few clubs that could provide the platform for him to do it.

Newcastle United

This seems to be the consensus among many, but Newcastle could do with someone of the profile of Dele and Dele could do with a brand new environment.

Newcastle are in a relegation battle but have got the funds for January to be able to completely turn their fortunes around. Dele would likely come on considerable wages, but if Eddie Howe can get the best out of him once more he could be huge for their season.

Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli and Newcastle United's Jamaal Lascelles during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle...

With Callum Wilson the club’s only real source for goals, Dele would be given the chance to re-find his taste for the back of the net and the fans would absolutely adore him from the first minute he pulled the shirt on.

Everton

Another team that is desperate for new blood is Rafa Benitez’s Everton side, who have just one win in their last ten Premier League games.

Injuries have plagued them, especially in forward areas, and they have scored only 20 goals in 16 games so far this season. Dele will be seen by any potential signings as a source for goals despite his poor record in recent years, but they know that it is there to be unlocked once again.

Richarlison of Everton challenges for the ball with Dele Alli during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison...

Some fresh blood would be good for them and a potential loan deal would suit all parties, with Rafa Benitez having a natural option to play in the number ten role he likes using.

West Ham

It worked for Jesse Lingard, so why not Dele?

The Hammers are in the hunt for a top four place once again this season, currently occupying the position in the league table as we approach the halfway point of the season.

Jesse Lingard of England celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-0 during the International Friendly match between England and United States at...

Last year the arrival of Lingard gave the whole club a boost and his goals and form pushed them to a Europa League spot and revived his career to the point where he got back in the England squad and Manchester United opted to keep him around in the summer.

Dele could have a similar effect in a new squad with great spirit and a style of play that suits him. The rivalry between the clubs could see a deal never materialise, especially with Spurs hopeful of top four themselves, but it could be the perfect move for Dele.

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Football, News

Antonio Conte to replace Nuno Espirito Santo as Tottenham manager

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Antonio Conte is set to become the new Tottenham manager after agreeing to take over from Nuno Espirito Santo.

The north London club parted ways with Santo after just 17 games in charge of the club on Monday morning, with the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend the final straw for chairman Daniel Levy.

Santo was dismissed with the club in eighth place, having lost five of their last seven games in charge of the club in the Premier League.

Tottenham attempted to hire Antonio Conte in the summer after their dismissal of Jose Mourinho in April, only for the Italian coach to reject their offer citing concerns over the club’s project.

However after further talks over the last 24 hours with director of football Fabio Paratici, it’s believed that he is now very open to taking the job after receiving some assurances.

According to reports in Italy, Conte has demanded several signings be made during the January transfer window in order to improve the squad and also a contract until 2023.

It’s believed that the former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss will fly to London on Monday afternoon to complete the deal and then take training on Tuesday morning ahead of his first game in charge against Vitesse on Thursday in the Europa Conference League, before a trip to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

The news is a huge boost to Spurs fans who were vocal about their dislike towards Santo, who was appointed in the summer after a host of failed attempts to lure other managers to the club left him as the only viable option.

But with the board acting quickly to try and correct the bad decision made in the summer, Conte is a sure-fire way to boost the morale of fans and get the club buzzing again before it’s too late.

Conte has won the Premier League, FA Cup, four Serie A titles and two Italian Super Cups during his managerial career and will be trying to win Spurs their first trophy since 2008 when they won the League Cup under Juande Ramos.

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Nuno Espirito Santo sacked by Tottenham Hotspur

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Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after just 17 games in charge.

The Portuguese manager took over from the sacked Jose Mourinho in the summer after leaving Wolves by mutual consent.

However after starting the season with three wins from three with zero goals conceded, the north London side’s season has fallen off a cliff and they have now lost five of their last seven games in the Premier League.

The fans have been vocal about not wanting the former Porto goalkeeper in charge because of his negative style of play, but that climaxed at the weekend after they were thumped 3-0 at home by Manchester United.

Spurs failed to register a single shot on target in the game, marking the first time since 2013 that that has happened at their home ground.

Santo was audibly booed when he chose to substitute Lucas Moura for Steven Bergwijn during the game, with chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” going around the stadium during the game.

Reports in the media now state that chairman Daniel Levy was furious with the performance and the club have sacked him as a result.

It’s believed that the club now believe that while it was clear that he was never the first choice option for the job, it’s a decision that has now come back to bite the club as he has only added to the turmoil surrounding the board’s decision making.

Reports in Italy suggest they will retry for Antonio Conte to take over although it is unknown if he is interested after turning the position down in the summer.

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Football, Match Previews, Opinion

Harry Kane’s poor form continues as England held at Wembley

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Harry Kane is just not the same footballer this season after failing to get his move to Man City in the summer.

His poor form for the season continued at Wembley in an England shirt as he turned in another horror-show with the Three Lions being held to a 1-1 draw by Hungary in a World Cup qualifier.

Gareth Southgate opted for an attacking lineup with all of Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Kane starting in a 4-3-3 formation.

However it was Hungary who took the lead in the first half, after Luke Shaw’s high foot to clear the ball was deemed dangerous play and a penalty was awarded. Striker Roland Sallai sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way and England were up against it.

They struggled to create many openings with the visitors very organised, before Phil Foden whipped a free-kick onto the head of John Stones to equalise before the break.

In the second half England looked to their talisman Kane for inspiration, but he was more interested in dropping deep to get on the ball than actually getting into dangerous positions to affect the result of the game.

His touch was off all night, his passing wayward for most of it and physically he just doesn’t quite look at the races again.

Harry Kane of England interacts with Gareth Southgate, Manager of England as he is substituted during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between...

He did create a good chance for Sterling in the second half when the City winger won the ball back high up the pitch, with Kane putting a great through ball into his path only for Sterling to hit the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

Kane’s poor performance was summarised by Southgate who with the game deadlocked at 1-1 and England pushing for a winning goal, decided to bring Tammy Abraham on in place of the skipper.

It means that in 10 appearances for England and Tottenham (in the Premier League) this season Kane has scored just three times, with all of them coming for the national team.

His only goals this season have come in the Europa Conference League and Carabao Cup, adding six more goals to his tally.

Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 03,...

He looks disinterested and unhappy and his unmotivated state seems to be rubbing off on those around him.

Spurs have struggled this season with some poor attacking performances despite earning some victories, while England’s attacking options haven’t looked particularly in gear despite their wins over lowly opposition.

It’s a problem for club and country if it continues, but it shows no signs of stopping.

Spurs refused to sell him and the opportunity could be gone forever now. If so, we may have already seen the absolute best of Harry Kane’s career.

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Football, Opinion

Antonio Conte to Tottenham is a marriage destined to end in flames

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It seems as though Tottenham Hotspur have finally settled upon their new manager as they close in on appointing Antonio Conte.

Spurs have been without a manager since sacking Jose Mourinho in April, with former midfielder Ryan Mason fulfilling a caretaker role until the end of the season.

Chairman Daniel Levy has been linked with several different coaches including Erik Ten Haag, Eddie Howe, Max Allegri and Nuno Espirito Santo since the end of the campaign but it seems now that none of those men will become the next boss.

Allegri returned to Juventus following a two-year spell away from management, replacing Andrea Pirlo who was sacked after leading the Turin side to a fourth placed finish in Serie A.

After originally attempting to bring back former manager Mauricio Pochettino from Paris Saint-Germain, the Ligue 1 side completely refused to release the Argentine from his contract and insist that he is happy to continue with them despite reports to the contrary.

Because of that, it seems Spurs have now moved on after spending a short while prioritising Pochettino and that search has now taken them to former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte.

Conte won Serie A with Inter Milan last season, ending an 11 year run without a title for the club. He walked away from the club at the end of the season however after a dispute with the board, who informed him that they needed to sell at least one key player to bring in around €70m to help balance the books.

That meant he would have no money to spend to continue building the team to challenge next season and decided that was reason enough to leave, with their visions no longer aligned.

It’s not the first time that Conte has walked out on a job after disagreements with the board, as he resigned from his post as Juventus manager for similar reasons before being sacked by Chelsea despite winning the Premier League and FA Cup in his two seasons due to fall outs with the squad and board.

So joining up with notoriously tough chairman Daniel Levy seems like a marriage destined to end by going up in flames.

Conte is without a doubt a world class manager, who has a phenomenal ability to get the absolute maximum out of average. Spurs’ squad at the moment is strong, but is also at the tail end of it’s run and without much cash to spend Conte is unlikely to have free reign in the transfer market.

With Harry Kane desperate to leave this summer, that’s something that will surely come up in conversations between the two parties’ negotiations.

If Conte is promised that Kane will stay and then he doesn’t, the relationship will start off on the wrong foot immediately while if he does stay he’ll be beginning his tenure with his best player far from happy.

Spurs fans are also notorious for wanting to play exciting, attacking football which is not something Conte is particularly known for. The Italian has always had most of his success with a three-at-the-back formation that is centred around being structurally sound and as solid as possible defensively so as to not lose games easily.

He’s also known to be quite confrontational with his squad if necessary, and considering the squad of players didn’t take so well to Mourinho’s style of management it’s hard to know how they’d react to Conte’s way.

Despite that, he is without doubt the best manager on the market right now and would prove to be a real coup.

I think many teams in the Premier League would be wary of coming up against a Conte-led Spurs side next season and he would put a real fighters mentality into the squad. But ultimately, this is a partnership that won’t work long-term.

Conte is too volatile and Levy isn’t the type to stand for much nonsense or be pushed around by his manager, so while there would likely be some short-term progress and success it would all come burning down by the end of his tenure.

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Football, Transfers

Harry Kane tells Tottenham he wants to leave this summer

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It’s finally happened. The nightmare that all Tottenham fans hoped would never happen, Harry Kane has told the club he wants to leave this summer.

As we enter the final week of the season, the England captain has reportedly told Tottenham that he wants to be allowed to leave the club this summer as he looks to win the first trophies of his career.

Kane has featured in two cup finals for Spurs but fought back from injury to play in them and was completely nullified in both as they lost the Champions League final to Liverpool in 2019 before losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City last month.

It seems as though a campaign with no European football and no manager heading into next season has been the final straw for the 27-year-old former golden boot winner.

According to Sky Sports, Spurs have begun making enquiries for a new striker across the market in anticipation that he could leave this summer although a transfer isn’t set in stone yet just because he’s made his wishes known.

Kane currently has three-years remaining on his contract in north London and with his standing as one of the best strikers in the world, chairman Daniel Levy is sure to ask for upwards of ÂŁ150million from any potential suitors.

That would rule out several clubs, but the biggest of big boys will surely still be interested with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain linked with him. It’s believed that his preference is to stay in the Premier League due to his family and wish to break Alan Shearer’s all-time goal record.

Manchester United recently tied Edinson Cavani to a new one-year deal, but Kane’s new availability could force them into a move for the player such is his quality in a position they will be desperate for a world class ability in.

The club have a long-running interest in the player but his loyalty to Tottenham has always seen him negotiate a new deal to stay rather than leave, until now. While they should prioritise Jadon Sancho for their right-win position, if a deal for him becomes too difficult Kane is the man they should be aiming for to bolster their attack.

Chelsea are said to be looking at refreshing their front line once again, just one year after spending over ÂŁ50million on Timo Werner after the German struggled for goals this season under both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel.

Despite their interest and standing though, it’s unlikely Kane would agree a move to Stamford Bridge considering his love for the club and their rivalry, as he’d hope to leave on good terms with the fans as much as possible.

Mauricio Pochettino head coach / manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Everton FC...

PSG have the pulling power and finances to bring Kane, as well as his former manager Mauricio Pochettino in charge. Kane could be tempted to move to Paris to partner Kylian Mbappe and Neymar with the idea that he would be reunited with Pochettino and have a much better chance of winning domestic trophies and getting European glory.

But with his preference said to be a Premier League stay, it’s Manchester City who have the advantage in the race.

They have the funds, they’re the current champions of the division, have shown they can hang with the absolute best by getting to the Champions League final for the first time and also have a gaping hole in their squad for a top quality striker with Sergio Aguero leaving this summer.

Pep Guardiola has been keen on Kane for years and the fact he is now available when City are in the market for a striker is surely not a coincidence.

The most likely outcome though is that Spurs will look to keep hold of him this summer, despite his wish to leave. Kane loves the club and is highly unlikely to look to force a move and with his contract situation and the fact it’s still a COVID-19 market it’s hard for anyone to pay the amount Spurs will look for. While it’s should be now or never for him, he may not have a choice.

A new manager will give Spurs the chance to make another push next season and maybe strike a deal with the front man to wait it out, before a big bidding war next year if Spurs fail to be successful yet again.

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Football, Opinion

Julien Nagelsmann agrees to take charge at Bayern Munich

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Bayern Munich’s chase for a new manager for next season is complete as they have agreed terms with Julien Nagelsmann to take over.

The Bundesliga champions officially announced the deal on Tuesday morning, after current boss Hansi Flick confirmed in a recent press conference that he wanted to leave the club at the end of the season – with many believing he will take the role of German national team coach after Euro 2020.

Bayern were interested in bringing Nagelsmann to the club as a replacement and it now they have got their man ahead of the end of the season.

According to BILD, the Bavarian giants have agreed a deal that will see Nagelsmann become their next manager after he led RB Leipzig to a second placed finish in the Bundesliga. They have agreed a compensation package with Leipzig, with a fee of around €25million agreed upon including bonuses.

Nagelsmann has been highly rated for a long time, taking over as Hoffenheim coach as a 28-year-old and guiding them to safety before a fourth-placed finish in his first full season with the team.

In June 2019 he took over at RB Leipzig at the end of his Hoffenheim contract and led them to a Champions League semi-final in his first season, before a last 16 exit this season to Liverpool. This season he has led them to currently sit in second place in the Bundesliga table behind Bayern Munich, seven points behind top spot with just three games to play.

His attacking style of football, taste in player and attitude towards young players have seen him attract the attention of some of the top teams in the world in the past but he has turned them down in order to continue his own development.

It was reported that he turned down a move to Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane left the first time around, while Tottenham Hotspur were said to have made him their top target to replace Jose Mourinho this summer too.

Bayern’s stranglehold on Germany continues into next season now, as they look set to win their ninth successive Bundesliga title this season.

They have developed a reputation for poaching their rivals’ biggest assets with the likes of Manuel Neuer, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Nicklas Sule, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry all part of their current squad signed from rivals while the likes of Mario Gotze have also made the move in the past.

RB Leipzig v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg : News Photo

RB Leipzig central defender Dayot Upamecano has already agreed to join the club this summer in a deal announced earlier this year and they have now snapped up his current manager too.

Nagelsmann is one of the best young coaches in the world and Bayern are undoubtedly making the best appointment for their club, but it’s a real shame to see the monopoly they have on their domestic league.

Any time a team becomes a credible threat, they get picked apart with Bayern at the head of the queue and the challenge fades away as they become even stronger. It’s a shame for the neutral who’d like to see them challenged, but you can’t blame them when there are obvious upgrades that are seen as easy pickings for them.

For Nagelsmann, it’s a chance for him to now step up to the biggest stage and continue the fine work he has done throughout his career up to this point.

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Football, Match Previews, Opinion

Manchester City make it four-in-a-row but it’s no shock they keep winning the cup

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Manchester City made it four Carabao Cup wins in a row thanks to a late Aymeric Laporte header at Wembley as they beat Tottenham 1-0.

Pep Guardiola’s side were dominant in the early exchanges but couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the net, with two goal bound shots blocked on the line by Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld as City registered just one shot on target.

The second half was more of a non-event with both teams largely cancelling each other out and no real chances created, until Kevin De Bruyne drilled a free-kick across goal and Laporte rose above Moussa Sissoko to squeeze the ball past Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the post and into the net.

The win means that not only have City now won the last four instalments of the competition, but they’re now level with Liverpool for the most wins in history on eight. Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho lifted their sixth titles, meaning they have won more on their own than any other club not named Manchester City or Liverpool.

While the success is obviously worth talking about, is it any real surprise that they win it so regularly?

It’s a competition where the vast majority of the top sides rest their strongest lineup until the latter stages since the games are in midweek between league games and often against lower league opposition in the early rounds.

It’s easy to say that the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer don’t take the competition seriously, but they rotate just as much if not more than Guardiola does. The big difference is the strength in depth that City have available to them.

City’s squad is so deep that you could make an argument that you could field two different starting lineups using just players from the Etihad Stadium that could qualify for the top four.

When you have such insane depth, it makes progressing through the competition almost expected no matter the opposition they come up against. Even once they get to the latter rounds and get paired against top teams, they have the ability to mix and match their squad and just out-gun everyone.

Now it’s not fair to just give the credit to their depth, because the players that play always perform and have made it their own personal mission to collect as many trophies as possible but it certainly plays a part.

FBL-ENG-LCUP-MAN CITY-SPURS : News Photo

Guardiola addressed it himself before this final, when questioned by Sky Sports about the strength of his starting lineup.

“Every team we play is a strong team. We play to win in every game. Are you saying the other players not playing today aren’t strong? No, every team we play is a strong team because we want to win every game.”

Manchester City deserve every bit of success they get. They play great football, with great players and run the club excellently. Yes they spend a tonne of money to do it, but at least they actually perform to the standard you’d expect for a team like that.

They will now look to seal a variation of a treble, with just six points needed from the final five Premier League games to officially seal the title while they prepare for a huge Champions League semi-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain across the next fortnight.

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Football, Opinion

Brendan Rodgers deserves another chance at the big time but not with Tottenham

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As Leicester continue to prepare for yet another top four face in the final stretch of the season, there is plenty of talk around the players that have got them there.

Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Kasper Schmeichel, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison are the spine of a side that have managed to break into the so-called ‘big six’ for two consecutive seasons and are challenging once again to get into Europe’s premiere club competition.

Talent only gets you so far in football though, and therefore a lot credit must go to the manager too – Brendan Rodgers.

Rodgers came into the game as an assistant coach at Chelsea to Jose Mourinho and has since gone on to become one of the best coaches in the Premier League.

He was excellent at Watford, Reading and Swansea as he entered the Premier League for the time and then moved on to the biggest job of his career to date, Liverpool.

Rodgers took a largely inexperienced squad, filled it with hungry, young talent merged with solid defensive players and was able to draft together a system to pushed them to within a Steven Gerrard slip from the Premier League title.

While it quickly came down and he was sacked, he moved on to Celtic and continued his good coaching performances as he led them to unprecedented success during his tenure in Scotland. During his two-and-a-half seasons at the club, Rodgers led the Bhoys to back-to-back trebles and a third would’ve followed had he not up and left for Leicester in the middle of the campaign.

Since joining Leicester in February 2019, Rodgers has overseen two full seasons with the club once this year ends. Last year they narrowly missed out on the top four following a collapse post-COVID break, culminating in a final day defeat to Manchester United to see them drop out.

This year though, they have bounced back from that disappointment to be right back in the race once more. As it stands they currently sit in third place in the table with six games to play, seven points off second placed Manchester United and four points clear of fifth place West Ham United.

They’ve also reached their first FA Cup final since 1969 and Rodgers has the chance to win the competition for the first time ever when they face Chelsea in the final in May.

But aside from all the milestones and achievements, if you look a bit deeper into it he seems to do everything properly at every club.

He integrates youth players when he believes they’re good enough, he plays attacking football, he is flexible tactically, he has a great eye for talent in the transfer market and he is adaptable when it comes to systems to get the best out of his players.

Add to that with the fact he is very good with the media, calm under pressure and says all the right things to get fans on side, he is among the gold standard of coaches in the Premier League now.

His chance at Liverpool came too early. He stepped up to a club in transition from a team fighting relegation and managed to get them competing at the highest level domestically, but couldn’t stabilise it after it went spiralling out of control following that.

He’s clearly now learnt how to stabilise a ship after disappointment as he has done with Leicester and it is surely now the right time to see him back in the hot seat at one of the top clubs in the country.

Spurs are now in the hunt for a new manager, but Rodgers has denied that he is interested in taking the role and rightly so. As it stands, both Spurs and Leicester are in very similar positions. Neither have won a trophy in a long time and they are the outsiders when it comes to making the Champions League places. While one are considered to be part of a ‘big six’ one has won the Premier League title and the move would just be sideways at best for Rodgers.

A return to Liverpool once Jurgen Klopp eventually leaves seems unlikely, while Manchester City likely have plans in place already for who they want to replace Pep Guardiola with once he leaves, but clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea could do much worse than look to him to take over if the current project falls on it’s face.

Right now, Rodgers is doing a perfect job at the King Power and doesn’t need to leave immediately to do it. But at some point the opportunity will come along, whether it be in the Premier League or Europe and it will be fully deserved.

remembering greatness: cesc fabregas
Football, Match Previews

Ryan Mason leads charge for trophy and top four with win in first game as Spurs boss

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Tottenham prepared themselves for the Carabao Cup final with a 2-1 win over Southampton in Ryan Mason’s first game as caretaker manager.

The Saints took the lead in the first half when Danny Ings headed in from a corner, but Spurs fought back in the second half in a much improved performance. Gareth Bale scored a wonderful curling effort from a tight angle to equalise, before Heung-Min Son scored a late penalty to seal all three points.

The win moved the north London side to within just two points of the top four, having played a game more and with five games remaining in their season.

It was a mixed performance from Tottenham, who for the first time this season failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.

Their passing was sloppy and Southampton threatened them several times, with Hugo Lloris making a huge double save early on in the game. It was clear they missed their star man Harry Kane on the pitch but Mason made some slight positional changes at half-time too help get his side higher up the pitch and it worked a treat.

Having started with Giovani Lo Celso in the 10 and with Tanguy Ndombele in the double pivot alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, he opted to move Ndombele higher to essentially have two options between the lines and Lucas Moura dropped deeper to almost create a diamond. Bale and Son made their inverted runs like centre-forwards and Southampton couldn’t cope with the way Spurs were able to move the ball around.

It was the first time that Spurs have come from behind to win a game they were losing at half-time this season and there seemed to be a togetherness at the end of the game between the players that we haven’t seen in a while.

While Kane is described as 50/50 as being available for Sunday’s cup final, the likelihood that he sits out is low. With that said it means Lucas Moura is likely to be the man to step out of the lineup, while Moussa Sissoko or Dele Alli could come in for Lo Celso too to beef the midfield up a bit.

With just a handful of games left plus the cup final, Mason is unlikely to be able to earn himself the role of manager on a permanent basis. But he has kept his side in with a chance of the top four should teams around them continue to drop points randomly, while also affording himself the chance to win the club a trophy for the first time in 13 years.

Tactically he seems astute with the changes he made in this game and Bale was quick to comment on the “great team talk” at half-time that he gave them to prep them up and improve them.

Obviously it’s just one game and I don’t think he ripped up any trees to beat a team who have now lost 12 of their last 15 games in the Premier League, but it’s a start to get them back to winning ways after just two wins in nine prior to the game.

The cup final now is a huge moment for the club, but a pressureless moment largely because of the decision made by Daniel Levy to sack Jose Mourinho prior to it. Nobody now expects Spurs to even challenge Manchester City on the pitch, but if they show up and perform well they have every chance of causing the upset.

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