Post by staggerstag on Sept 20, 2020 10:43:49 GMT
Tottenham start as favourites for some reason, probably for the same reason I've backed them to win, and that's that there's a nagging expectation that they must rediscover the form shown towards the end of last season where the last six games saw them unbeaten, winning 4 and drawing 2, including taking the spoils in the North London derby. A handful of pre-season friendlies (in which Son scored in each of the 4 games) was the run-up to a poor home defeat to a bright Everton and a dreadful Europa outing to Bulgaria's Lokomotiv Plovdiv which Spurs saved only in the last 12 minutes following the dismissal of two Plovdiv players, a Kane penalty and a scruffy winner on '86 versus the nine men.
Southampton crashed out of the League Cup to Brentford on Monday and before that lost narrowly to a Zaha goal at Palace. With no recorded pre-season friendlies, their form book from the end of last season is not unimpressive, winning 4 and drawing 3 of their final seven games. They can give a good account of themselves today against a ropey looking Spurs. So why back Spurs to win? Like I mentioned before, you just expect something from a team now and again, and this is that now and again. A loss here for Mourinho and he can stockpile the dressing room with ten Gareth Bales for all the good it'll do his already frayed profile.
Southampton (4-2-2-2) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Armstrong, Djenepo; Adams, Ings.
Substitutes: Forster, Vestergaard, Vokins, Smallbone, Long, Obafemi, Tella.
Spurs (4-3-3) Lloris; Doherty, Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Winks, Ndombele, Hojbjerg; Lucas Moura, Kane, Son.
Substitutes: Hart, Alderweireld, Aurier, Lamela, Sissoko, Lo Celso, Bergwijn.
Referee David Coote (he does like a card or two, this fellow, so Mourinho look out)
Southampton 23/10
Tottenham 5/4
Draw 23/10
Preamble by Rob Smyth -
Southampton crashed out of the League Cup to Brentford on Monday and before that lost narrowly to a Zaha goal at Palace. With no recorded pre-season friendlies, their form book from the end of last season is not unimpressive, winning 4 and drawing 3 of their final seven games. They can give a good account of themselves today against a ropey looking Spurs. So why back Spurs to win? Like I mentioned before, you just expect something from a team now and again, and this is that now and again. A loss here for Mourinho and he can stockpile the dressing room with ten Gareth Bales for all the good it'll do his already frayed profile.
Southampton (4-2-2-2) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Armstrong, Djenepo; Adams, Ings.
Substitutes: Forster, Vestergaard, Vokins, Smallbone, Long, Obafemi, Tella.
Spurs (4-3-3) Lloris; Doherty, Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Winks, Ndombele, Hojbjerg; Lucas Moura, Kane, Son.
Substitutes: Hart, Alderweireld, Aurier, Lamela, Sissoko, Lo Celso, Bergwijn.
Referee David Coote (he does like a card or two, this fellow, so Mourinho look out)
Southampton 23/10
Tottenham 5/4
Draw 23/10
Preamble by Rob Smyth -
He’s back! And he’s not playing! Gareth Bale’s signing was not registered in time for him to take part in Spurs’ trip to Southampton today, though he has still dominated the pre-match chatter. It’s almost a shame there’s a football match to get in the way of more talk about what Bale might achieve when he starts playing in football matches for Spurs again.
Both teams started the Premier League season with 1-0 defeats, Southampton at Crystal Palace and Spurs at home to Everton. A strong-looking Southampton side was then beaten at home by Brentford in the Carabao Cup, while Spurs edged past Lokomotiv Plovdiv in their Europa League qualifier. Ralph Hasenhuttl and Jose Mourinho have both bemoaned their teams’ fitness levels, and neither can really afford another defeat today. In the Premier League you’re never far away from a perceived crisis, with or without Gareth Bale.
Both teams started the Premier League season with 1-0 defeats, Southampton at Crystal Palace and Spurs at home to Everton. A strong-looking Southampton side was then beaten at home by Brentford in the Carabao Cup, while Spurs edged past Lokomotiv Plovdiv in their Europa League qualifier. Ralph Hasenhuttl and Jose Mourinho have both bemoaned their teams’ fitness levels, and neither can really afford another defeat today. In the Premier League you’re never far away from a perceived crisis, with or without Gareth Bale.