is entertaining apparently.
Spurs went from cruising into the semi-final of the League Cup to clinging onto a place in possibly Ange’s last hope of maintaining his trophy boast.
Man United’s new manager’s bounce didn’t last long, as the guy’s getting the kind of results that Ten Hag could have got but he was in an enviable position of being able to make a number changes to the team that won at the weekend, while Ange had to make changes for more injuries but put out almost the same side that won so comfortably in the first half against Southampton.
Spurs won the first half here but it wasn’t as comfortably. It was only one goal and everything else was quite equal stats wise, except of the shots on target, both sides having seven attempts, Spurs managed 4 to United’s none. But with the visitors 3-4-2-1 formation to Ange’s 4-2-3-1, United always had an out ball. The long diagonal. Porro was getting the blame but the fullbacks had to cover the wide forward as well as the wingback. Funny that Ange doesn’t get any blame from the happy clappies for just plodding on with his way and not bothering with something that’s not working.
The first half also saw a number of fouls by United that would have seen the player carded if he was wearing white. Even the commentator thought the visitors should have been down to 10, for two yellows.
The half ended with Spurs one up, thanks to one of those keepers. After a Spurs attack broke down, the returning Bissouma cut out a United attack, Maddison then tried to dance past a United player but was hacked down. His resulting free-kick looked to have got a bit wrong, as Son dithered on the ball and didn’t slot it through to Maddison, who had made a run into the box. The ball made its way to Porro who took a shot from way out. It was a good’un and the keeper had to make a save but the ball just ballooned up into the danger area, where no one but Solanke had reacted. For once he wasn’t on his heels. For once he read the situation and he was there to finish it off, which he actually did. The keeper did keep Spurs out for the rest of the half.
Half-time. That half-time team-talk from Ange, how is that going to go? It doesn’t tend to go well, it’s very Southgate. They’re normally rubbish after the break. But a minute in and it was a bit different. This time, Son didn’t dither on the ball to the overlapping Maddison, his cross was just put into the danger area, when Solanke was back hiding behind a defender, whose clearance fell to Kulusevski for the Swede to double the lead.
Less than 10 minutes later and the lead was increased again. Spence with a ball over the top – the happy clappies won’t answer why it’s taken Ange so long to give him a go – and Solanke was on the front foot again and for once when he had to think about it, not just react, he showed a bit of class, controlling, cutting inside and then beating the keeper with his shot.
Up until that point in the half Spurs were well on top. It did a complete 180, from Spurs having 70% of the ball to United having 70%. From then on Spurs managed just one shot to United’s 13. The United manager saw where he needed to make changes and did so. While Ange stood there passively, with his hands in his pockets. United made three intimidate changes. One of them chased down Forster when he was trying to play the ball on his own line and was then on the end of it when the United player that Forster played the ball to in the box crossed it back.
A few minutes later and Forster was again trying to play football when he was closed down and his attempted clearance was blocked into the net. The happy clappies were all claiming you can’t blame Ange for two errors by Forster. But yes you can. Ange wants ’em to play this fannying about at the back. Ange knows Forster is a big dumb lump who is pretty useless with the ball at his feet. Ange still wants them to play this way. Ange won’t change. So it’s all on Ange.
But Ange wants entertainment and go forward football the happy clappies tell us.
And now Spurs are hanging on. Yet Ange does nothing, while his opposite number makes another change. Eventually he did take his hands out of his pocket and took off Maddison, yet again. Not long after and he got lucky. Son’s inswinging corner going straight in at the back post. Funny seeing the United keeper moaning about Bergvall slightly touching him in the process. I mean, Vicario gets shoved from pillar to post at corners and nothing is said or done.
None of the United players seemed to complain when Forster was barged about as they scored their third from a corner. Yeah, can blame Ange. No, not for yet another goal from a corner. How can you blame someone who couldn’t care less about doing some coaching to defend corners.
Ange then decided to take off Solanke and Spence bringing on Johnson and Reguilon. The latter getting his first outing under Ange, his first outing for Spurs since 2022, which was three clubs ago, his last game being again in the League Cup bu for the opposition. but why take Spence off, unless he’s now invaluable?
They hung on. They actually managed not to turn victory into defeat. And Ange thinks we should be grateful because it’s entertaining…