Neville was involved in a heated debate with fellow pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher within the Sky studio following Manchester City’s comfortable 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

Carragher questioned the style of football which United boss Erik ten Hag is operating in comparison to the likes of Aston Villa’s Unai Emery and Postecoglou, who has helped to renergise the Tottenham Hotspur faithful with a return to the high-pressing, attack-minded tactics which have seen them top the Premier League table.

(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

Gary Neville makes another claim about Ange Postecoglou

Carragher told Sky Sports: “He has been here now nearly 18 months. We’ve seen Unai Emery come in at Aston Villa, we’ve seen Ange Postecoglou come in at Tottenham. In a short space of time, it doesn’t mean you win every week, but when you go to the games you know what you’re going to see.

“We still don’t know what we’re going to see with Manchester United. You tell me how they play with the ball.”

Neville replied, suggesting that the two aforementioned managers had inherited stable environments after taking the managerial reins at their respective clubs, he said: “Look, Carra, to be honest with you I can’t disagree with you. But those managers you talk about come into stable environments. They’ve currently got over their heads a guy all over the news who is going to own 25 per cent…”

We decided to question Neville on X yesterday about his claim of Postecoglou having walked into a football club with a stable environment considering it was far from the case, considering Tottenham had just finished in their lowest league position in ten years, the resignation of director of football Fabio Paratici, the protests by some fans towards Daniel Levy and ENIC along with the legal situation surrounding former owner Joe Lewis in the USA.

Neville, responded to our question by instead insisting that the ownership situation at Tottenham was stable.

Ownership is stable!

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) October 30, 2023

SpursWeb Opinion

Neville has done Postecoglou’s efforts an injustice once again with his newest claim.   The Australian inherited a fanbase who had become disenchanted with the club considering the lack of enjoyment which had been witnessed on the pitch following the Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte eras.

Daniel Levy and the board will be thanking their lucky stars that the appointment proven to be a shrewd one, with huge pressure mounting on the senior figures at the club after how last season panned out.

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Van de Ven was a relative unknown to Premier League fans when he arrived at Spurs in the summer and some eyebrows would have been raised when the North London club paid £43m for the defender on the back of just one good season in the Bundesliga.

However, the decision has proven to be a masterstroke by Tottenham, with the Dutchman settling in seamlessly into Premier League football and looking like someone who has 100 matches in the competition under his belt.

The 22-year-old has formed a formidable partnership with Cristian Romero and shown his quality on the ball, but what stands out about him is undoubtedly his electric pace and tremendous acceleration, which one would not expect for a player of his size.

(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

Micky Van de Ven is proving doubters wrong at Spurs

Neville said that he thought Van de Ven looked a little robotic the first time he saw him but admitted that the defender is much more mobile than he initially seemed.

The former Man Utd defender told Sky Sports (29/10/23): “Van de Ven when I watched him in that game, and I saw him live against (Manchester United), and I think we commented after. He looked really stiff, he looked quite robotic a little bit on the turn.

“But then you watch him since, and you think, he is quick, he is a really good defender, he is a lot better than you think.”

Spurs Web Opinion

What is particularly deceptive about Van de Ven is that he does not look like he is pushing hard when he is sprinting but just seems to gather pace as he starts gliding across the grass. Quite a few strikers have already been caught by surprise when the Dutchman turns on his afterburners.

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Tottenham appeared to be in turmoil at the start of the summer, which is why pundits could be forgiven for predicting that the Lilywhites would struggle this season.

There was plenty of friction between parts of the fan base and the club’s ownership while the Lilywhites also lost the best player of their modern history, Harry Kane.

Additionally, Ange Postecoglou was seen by many as a risky appointment, given his lack of experience at the highest level.

It was perhaps due to these reasons that some predicted that Tottenham would struggle to even finish in the top half of the table (Football Insider).

However, a couple of months on, it is not an exaggeration to say that Spurs are a club transformed, with the supporters now fully behind the side and with the team playing some eye-catching football and boasting of several top young players.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 23: James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal with teammate Son Heung-Min during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Tottenham are the Premier League surprise package

Neville admitted that Tottenham have been the surprise package of the campaign so far.

Tottenham https://t.co/qABie58u8k

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) October 26, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

The Tottenham board and Daniel Levy deserve a lot of credit for passing up on Mauricio Pochettino and taking an educated bet on Postecoglou, even though it was not a popular decision among the fan base at the time.

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Tottenham have enjoyed a fantastic start to life under new boss Ange Postecoglou. The Lilywhites remain unbeaten after the first eight games of the season, with six wins and two draws.

As we head into the international break, Spurs are now top of the Premier League, albeit on account of goals scored compared to London rivals Arsenal.

Below them, reigning champions Manchester City are reeling after back-to-back defeats against the Gunners and Wolves.

Liverpool round out the top four and appear to be back to their best, despite a dramatic and controversial defeat to Spurs last weekend.

It may be early in the season, but there is now talk of Tottenham potentially mounting a surprise title challenge this year. With Ange-ball in full swing, and the likes of Heung-min Son, James Maddison, and Cristian Romero in top form, it would seem anything is possible.

(Photo by Visionhaus)

Can Spurs challenge for the title?

While some are putting Spurs in the conversation for a title challenge, Gary Neville certainly isn’t. Speaking on his podcast, the pundit suggested Liverpool are far more likely to be pushing at the top of the table come the end of the season.

On Liverpool’s chances, Neville said: “They could, they could. They are more likely to than Spurs, no doubt about that. I think Liverpool have got something about them.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I don’t think any Spurs fan is allowing themselves to get too carried away just yet. We’ve had a brilliant start, the team is playing nice football, and everyone is happy. The main priority this year is to bring stability and unity back to the club, and that’s already happening. Anything else is a bonus. 

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It is fair to say that even the most optimistic Spurs fan would not have expected the club to start the campaign as well as they have, given that the Lilywhites are at the start of a new project under Ange Postecoglou and had lost their record goalscorer, Harry Kane.

However, eight games into the campaign, Tottenham sit at the summit of the Premier League table, having won six and drawn two so far.

The most encouraging thing about the start has not been the results but rather the performances, with the Spurs players appearing to have adapted seamlessly to Postecoglou’s system.

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Are Tottenham actually in a title race?

Their impressive start to the season has seen some in the media question whether Tottenham can potentially even push for the title (talkSPORT) but Neville believes that they simply don’t have the squad depth to do so.

The pundit bluntly stated on the Gary Neville podcast: “I don’t think Tottenham can stay in it over a 38-game season is my honest opinion.  I think the squad will get found out in the end.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Neville’s point is a fair one as our squad depth is a matter of concern, particularly at centre-back as an injury to Van de Ven or Romero could really cripple us. Postecoglou would be hoping that both players can remain fit until the January window so that the depth issue can be addressed in that area.

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At the start of the week, it is fair to say that Liverpool had the sympathy of many neutrals, given the unprecedented nature of the miscommunication between the VAR and the on-field referee, which meant that the decision to rule Luis Diaz offside was not corrected.

However, any goodwill that the Reds had has now disappeared after Klopp quite outrageously claimed on Wednesday that replaying the game would be the only fair outcome (Guardian).

Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Gary Neville hits out at Jurgen Klopp for replay claim

Multiple reports have since made it clear that despite Liverpool’s attempts to escalate the issue, the Premier League will not consider replaying the game (Football Insider).

Neville has now criticised Klopp’s statement, suggesting that the Merseyside club have grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory.

!! Can’t believe how Liverpool have grabbed defeat from victory in their handling of this ! They were wronged by a shocking mistake.End of! https://t.co/O47oT7gvlw

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) October 4, 2023

The former Manchester United man also labelled Liverpool’s escalating rhetoric about the refereeing mistake as ‘madness’.

Because of Liverpools statement escalating it , mentioning integrity and exploring options. Now we’ve seen they want a replay! Thats madness. https://t.co/AnIzksmKx5

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) October 4, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

The way everyone associated with Liverpool (particularly their supporters) are burning with righteous indignation has been quite revealing.

Wrong decisions have been part of football for a long time, and teams do not always get what they deserve. Not being able to accept that and take the rough with the smooth suggests something is fundamentally wrong with one’s relationship with the sport itself.

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While still not perfect, Richarlison is having a far better time at Tottenham Hotspur under Ange Postecoglou right now.

Richarlison has two goals so far this season – one in the Carabao Cup defeat to Fulham, and a dramatic equaliser in the 2-1 win over Sheffield United last month (Transfermarkt).

The Brazilian picked up a valuable assist in the victory over Liverpool at the weekend, playing the ball into the box for Heung-min Son after a perfect through ball from James Maddison.

It’s a stark contrast to last season, where Richarlison struggled with poor form and injuries, finishing the campaign on just three goals and having to wait until April for his first Premier League goal (Transfermarkt).

(Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Neville spots Richarlison’s weakness

Richarlison was handed a place in the starting line-up against Liverpool on Saturday, and put in a commendable shift to lead the line, press high, and battle for his team. 

Despite a solid start to the season for Richarlison and a good performance at the weekend, Gary Neville has picked up on something the Spurs man could improve on.

Neville told Sky Sports Premier League (30/09/23 at 6:55 pm): “He’s done okay out there Richarlison. He looks a little awkward on his left foot, but still providing the danger.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I know Richarlison is a striker and he will always be judged on the goals he scored, but if you look past his numbers, he is doing an incredible job for Spurs this season.

His work rate is top drawer and he causes all kinds of problems for defenders. A couple more goals and the confidence will start flowing and then we should see a very different Richarlison.

It is also worth mentioning that he put in a devilish ball across the face of the goal towards an onrushing Kulusevski with his weak foot against Liverpool.

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Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed an incredible start to his reign at Tottenham so far. Five wins and two draws have seen Spurs maintain an unbeaten record in the Premier League and the Lilywhites are currently second in the table.

Their latest victory, a dramatic last-minute win against Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening, saw Spurs prevail over a team they had not beaten since 2017.

Improvements have been made, with the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven adding much-needed quality to the Spurs squad.

However, the fact that players like Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and youngster Alejo Veliz were all that Postecoglou could call on from the bench at the weekend is a damning indictment of the strength in depth Tottenham have right now.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: General view of the Premier League logo during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City at Wembley Stadium on December 9, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Can Spurs challenge for the Premier League title?

Speaking on Sky Sports (30/09/23 – 19:30 onwards via Football.London), pundit Gary Neville revealed his appreciation for what Spurs are building right now, but insisted they will be way off challenging for the title this year.

He said: “I don’t think they’re title contenders. When you see the bench coming on at the end, you know they’re not title contenders, I think they’ll be way off that.

“But what they are is spirited, more resilient than I imagined they would be and I say that more out of the North London Derby last week and what I saw.

“They’re in a good place. There’s a spirit in the stadium, on the pitch and there is a connection with the way the manager is, the players on the pitch and the people in the crowd. We’re not talking too much about the boardroom at Spurs as much as we would have been in the last few years. 

“There’s no doubt there’s something happening here for Spurs. It isn’t always as good as it looks and I think there will be challenges down the line, but I think they’ll have a better season than I thought they would.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I have to agree with Neville. We are performing really well right now, but one or two injuries and we are in trouble. Likewise, as we saw on Saturday, we have very little on the bench that can change a game at the moment.

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Tottenham struggled to break down Liverpool’s defence after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota had been sent off, with Klopp playing five at the back and three in midfield, with no apparent attacker.

The Reds looked like they were holding on for a point and almost successfully managed to do so until the 96th minute when Pedro Porro’s cross was turned home by Joel Matip.

Between Jota’s red card and Matip’s own goal, Tottenham found it challenging to make the most of the two-man advantage, with Udogie, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski all having difficulties getting past Liverpool’s defence on the wings.

Liverpool got off to a fast start in the fixture and dominated the proceedings initially, but Jones’ sending-off seemed to give Spurs the impetus to go forward and create chances, which resulted in Son Heung-min’s goal in the 36th minute.

However, a lapse in the North London side’s concentration led to them conceding late on in stoppage time in the first half as Cody Gakpo found the back of the net.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates the win with Pedro Porro and Alejo Veliz at full time during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Did Postecoglou make the right choices?

Speaking on his Sky Sports Premier League podcast on YouTube, the Manchester United legend said he wanted to see the Spurs wide players stretch the Reds, who were down to nine men, instead of cutting inside so often.

Neville said: “The fullbacks, I would have said go to a more traditional system. Don’t go in there looking to actually play. Go wide with your wingers and really stretch that midfield.

“So Liverpool have a five and they have a three, so the two in there in this case, Udogie and Porro, you stretch yourself wide so you’ve got two on each side.

“What you’re doing then is stretching the pitch to its maximum. That’s what we used to do. For me, they weren’t working those positions hard enough.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Klopp’s tactics towards the end of the game stifled Tottenham for a long period and at one point, it looked like the curse of not being able to beat Liverpool at home would continue. However, in the end, Posteoglou and the team, not in the most attractive fashion, managed to get the job done.

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Before the start of the season, there was a lot of pessimism around Tottenham with a new manager and the departure of record goalscorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.

However, the extent to which Ange Postecoglou has managed to turn things around at the North London club is mightily impressive, with Spurs sitting fourth in the Premier League table after six matches.

(Photo by Visionhaus)

What will the score be for Spurs vs Liverpool?

The Lilywhites have managed to beat Manchester United, show resilience with two late goals against Sheffield United and go toe-to-toe with title challengers Arsenal in recent weeks.

It would now be remiss of people to discount Tottenham from the top four conversation and the Liverpool game will be another important test for Postecoglou and his team.

Tottenham’s last win over Liverpool at home was in the 2017/18 season, a 4-1 victory. However, since then, the Lilywhites have not been able to beat Jurgen Klopp’s team in N17 for the last six matches.

Most fans will be optimistic about that changing at the weekend, with Postecoglou bringing attacking and exciting football back to the North London side and Son Heung-min firing on all cylinders.

Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville was asked to predict the score for Spurs versus Liverpool and he went for a 1-1 draw.

Spurs Web Opinion

Liverpool have seen a massive overhaul in the midfield, losing the experience of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in the summer. While Klopp has managed to make his team play better than last season, they are still arguably nowhere near their best.

As for Tottenham, Spurs are on a good run and the positivity looks to be back at Hotspur Way under the Australian head coach. With the home crowd on their side, it feels like the perfect time to take on the Reds and show the world the progress they have made.

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Although Spurs went into the game level on points with their North London rivals and had arguably played the better football in the first five league games of the season, most pundits had backed the Gunners to win comfortably on Sunday (talkSPORT).

That was perhaps due to Tottenham’s poor record at the Emirates Stadium allied with the fact that many expect Mikel Arteta’s side to be Manchester City’s closest challengers again for the Premier League title.

However, Spurs not only emerged with a deserved point from the game but they did so while refusing to abandon their style of play.

(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Spurs went above and beyond Neville’s expectations

The Lilywhites also showed plenty of character as they went behind twice in the game, only to hit back quickly on both occasions, with Neville admitting that he was surprised by the steel that Ange Postecoglou’s men showed.

The pundit said on The Gary Neville Podcast after the 2-2 draw: “I’ll be honest with you today before the game I thought Arsenal were going to win. I thought Arsenal were going to win this match.

“I thought they would win quite comfortably, I thought the quality difference would be too big and I thought we’d see a little bit of the old Spurs in respect of when it really gets tough we’ll see them be overwhelmed and we haven’t done.

“So, I’m pleasantly surprised sat here tonight. I don’t re-write history, I didn’t say that before the game. But the reality is that’s how I felt.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I was fearing the worst before the game and felt that there was a chance that we would get ripped apart if we committed bodies forward. 

It seemed like the game was heading that way in the first 30 minutes as our players looked quite nervous and were making some poor mistakes while building out from the back.

However, we were excellent once we grew into the encounter and controlled large parts of the second half.

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There were certainly some eyebrows raised in the summer when Tottenham decided to appoint Postecoglou as despite the success he had enjoyed in Scotland and Japan, he had not managed at the highest level.

(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Neville was one of those who had doubts about the newcomer, with the pundit even famously suggesting during Tottenham’s clash against Manchester United last month that the 58-year-old was copying Pep Guardiola and that his use of inverted full-backs may not work (Football.London).

However, Postecoglou has certainly silenced his critics with the way he has started at Spurs, who have played some eye-catching football this season and sit in second place in the table with 13 points from their first five games.

Gary Neville is impressed by Postecoglou so far

Neville stated that Tottenham fans will have a lot of fun watching their team play this season and admitted that he can not wait for the North London derby next Sunday.

The pundit said on the Gary Neville Podcast: “I said when we went to watch Tottenham versus Manchester United a good few weeks ago now, that they’re going to have a lot of fun this season, the Tottenham fans, and I think that’s really important, that your team has that cohesion with the manager and has that feeling that he belongs there.

“There’s no doubt with Postecoglou that they believe this is a man that’s a good man, he speaks up in interviews, he’s got an honesty about him, he plays good football, he takes risk – which I think is really important for Spurs fans.

“At this moment, I would say it’s absolutely fantastic but we need to just review it in January because I’m sure that’s what the Tottenham coaching staff will be thinking; very early in the season, not a time to get carried away, a time to keep working and next weekend is a showcase game I can’t wait for.”

Spurs Web Opinion

One can sense that pundits and opposition fans are now starting to come around to the idea that this might not just be a honeymoon period and that Ange might indeed be the real deal. Our upcoming tests against Arsenal and Liverpool will give us an idea of how good we actually are.

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Neville said in the first half of Tottenham’s clash against Manchester United last month that the Spaniard was not good enough to receive the ball on the half-turn, and even mockingly remarking that ‘Porro thinks he’s Rodri meets Xavi’ (Sky Sports).

Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Contributor

The Spurs star responded resoundingly by putting in a superb second-half performance to help the Lilywhites emerge 2-0 winners in that game, and has subsequently impressed in the same role against Bournemouth and Burnley.

This is not the first time that Porro has received scathing criticism at Tottenham, with the former Spurs interim manager Tim Sherwood claiming after the right-back’s Premier League debut that he is ‘so bad it’s unbelievable’ (Guardian).

Pedro Porro is not bothered about outside criticism

When asked about Neville’s words, the former Sporting Lisbon man told Sky Sports: “To be honest, there’s so much said about football and as to how we’re playing.

“At the beginning, there were times where I felt a little unloved in that sense, but not because of anyone in particular, just because of the noise.

“At the end of the day, it’s up to me. I’m the one who has to change people’s minds. The criticism itself, I don’t give it too much importance and I just focus on my own game because I’m the one who can change these things.”

Porro certainly had a difficult first six months at Spurs, owing to the team’s struggles on the pitch and managerial upheavals, but the 24-year-old admitted that he is now enjoying life at the North London club.

When asked about Tottenham’s impressive start to the season, he said: “I think it’s more the work that we’re doing as a team. We’re all together and I think that’s the most important thing.”

“I’m really, really happy with how things are going. Since he [Postecoglou] has got here he’s given us so much positivity to the team and it’s something very important for players to have, and I think you can see that when we’re playing.”

Spurs Web Opinion

In fairness to Neville, he was calling it as he saw it as Porro was giving away the ball a lot in the first half against Man Utd and was struggling to receive it on the half-turn, which led to Spurs being hit on the break time and again.

However, the Sky pundit should have been a lot more measured in his criticism and could have chosen his words carefully rather than aiming insults at Porro or Postecoglou.

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Postecoglou made two changes from the side that drew against Brentford in the opening game of the season, with Porro coming into the team in place of Emerson Royal while Pape Matar Sarr started in midfield over Oliver Skipp.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

While Sarr was one of Tottenham’s standout players on Saturday, Porro had an indifferent outing, with some encouraging moments and other suspect ones.

The 23-year-old was unlucky not to open the scoring for the home side as his shot thundered off the crossbar but he did have some nervy moments in the first-half, giving the ball away in dangerous areas on a couple of occasions.

Gary Neville was not impressed with Pedro Porro

The right-back did grow into the game in the second-half but Neville insisted that the former Sporting Lisbon man is a liability in the inverted full-back role since he is not comfortable on the ball.

When asked about Porro’s role, the pundit told Sky Sports – 19/08, 6:15 pm: “I’m not having it, I’m definitely not having it. Honestly, Porro thinks he’s Rodri meets Xavi! 

“Honestly, all day long, if you’re a Manchester United player pressing, you want him to have that ball played into him and it’s nearly cost them goals. It doesn’t work if you’re not comfortable on the ball.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The jury is definitely still out on whether Porro can adapt to the inverted full-back role but Ange certainly seems to think he can. The Spaniard deserves some time to learn the role, given that he has played almost exclusively as a wing-back over the last few years.

I do not think it is a question of Porro not being comfortable on the ball. The 23-year-old is clearly a very good technician. However, he is evidently not used to receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch on the half-turn and appears to lack awareness of what is around him.

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The 2022/23 season was a dire showing for Spurs. The Lilywhites were defensively vulnerable all year despite playing highly conservative football under Antonio Conte.

Tottenham could only manage an eighth-placed finish by the end of the campaign, missing out on European football for the first time in over a decade.

The club also parted ways with Antonio Conte, before dismissing his temporary replacement, Cristian Stellini and installing Ryan Mason as caretaker until the end of the season.

Now, a brighter dawn shines over the North London club, with new boss Ange Postecoglou promising a return to attacking football. With impressive additions to the squad, there is renewed optimism that Spurs could turn over a new leaf this season.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Gary Neville has Spurs to finish eighth this season

With the new campaign set to begin this weekend, pundits are sharing their Premier League predictions, and Gary Neville doesn’t quite know what to make of this new-look Tottenham side.

On The Overlap podcast, Neville revealed his picks for the top eight in the league this season: “Just because of the three thing and [teams] never winning a fourth [consecutive title] I am going to go Arsenal to win the league, City second. I think Arsenal can beat them.

“I think Arsenal, City, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham. I think Newcastle and Tottenham, I think Newcastle Champions League and Tottenham, I’m not quite sure what is going on there.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Tottenham are arguably the hardest team to read among the top ten in the Premier League this season. We have shown early promise under Postecoglou’s new ways, but it’s difficult to know how quickly the team will be able to implement his wishes in competitive games, and without Harry Kane.

An eighth-placed finish in this transitional year would not be a bad result at all.

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When the Tottenham Hotspur stadium opened in April 2019, the result of years of design and construction had finally been revealed. The 62,300-seat venue was ready for matches and for fans to return to N17.

Image: @snapshotspurs

The centrepiece was the South Stand, formally known as Park Lane. This 17,500-seat wall was set to be the beating heart of the new stadium and due to it being a single-tier stand, the developers wanted it to be a “wall of sound.” (Populous). 

The club has encouraged the use of tifos (stadium visual displays), and the club have produced three of their own for the most momentous games.

For the first champions league game at the new stadium on April 17, 2019, the words ‘to dare is to do’ were plastered along the south stand by fans holding up pieces of card.

The next one came in the 3-0 win over Arsenal in May 2022, three years after the first. The atmosphere needed to be electric and the fans delivered, with every fan playing their role in keeping the volume constant.

After the game, Garry Neville exclaimed, “That atmosphere, I’ve not seen in a stadium in this country” (Sky Sports).

The last club-arranged tifo was done to mark Harry Kane becoming the all-time leading goal scorer for Spurs. ‘Harry’ was the word of choice to be displayed on the South Stand, and every fan held their card high and sang “he’s one of our own” when he walked onto the pitch.

THFC Flags are looking to bring the atmopshere

These, however, have not been the only tifos that Spurs fans have seen in recent years. THFC Flags are a fan-led organisation that was set up in March 2022 in the hope of lifting the atmosphere at the stadium even more. Their goal was to create displays that the fans design and pay for.

Within 7 months, they had arranged for there to be a tifo for the Sporting Lisbon match in the Champions League. This was a must-win game, and they felt that it would be a great occasion to have a fan-led tifo. The tifo read “THFC” with the club emblem in the middle.

This was paid for by the fans and Rapper AJ Tracey, who is also a big Spurs fan. There was no funding from the club, as they wanted to “keep it very separate. So it makes sure that we can be fan-led”.

This was an important aspect of the organisation, as it was an outlet for the fans and not a portal for the club’s messages.

THFC Flags told The Spurs Web that “it showed that fans can just crack on and do something, and they will have an impact”. This has worked as a catalyst for the atmosphere at the games.

The south stand is now engulfed with flags for every game that THFC Flags organises behind the scenes. THFC flags told us that the whole operation usually has “about a couple of people handing flags out. And then there’ll be roughly 30 people holding flags”.

The first home game this season will be against Manchester United on August 19. THFC Flags are currently collecting the funds so there can be a tifo to make the arrival of Postacoglou a special moment. It will be a card tifo that reads: ‘Welcome to N17’.

THFC Flags are working hard to keep this going and reach the four-week deadline set by the manufacturers. They have told Spurs Web, “Yes, we are on track so far.” Most of the money to fund the tifos and flags comes from donations on their site from fans.

When asked what the plans are for the rest of the season, THFC Flags explained: “We’ll get more flags. We’ll probably try for more tifos as well. But I think the big thing for us is trying to get more monthly donors. Because that gives us the flexibility to do stuff at a quicker pace.”

Fans have been asking for a surfer tifo; this is a tifo that is a solid construct rather than individual cards. This would be passed around the south stand instead of being a still-motion display. THFC Flags have noted this and now have a surfer coming –“this time a proper surfer.”

The atmosphere for the first home game will have to be fantastic to welcome Postacoglu. Getting the manager to form a relationship with the fans is a must, and hopefully, a stunning tifo will do just that.

You can check out THFC Flags here.

Image: @snapshotspurs

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Tottenham parted company with head coach Antonio Conte at the end of March in the wake of his brutally honest assessment of his players and was replaced on a temporary basis by his assistant, Cristian Stellini.

A 6-1 thrashing against Newcastle United saw Levy give the Italian his marching orders and instead appointed Ryan Mason for the last six matches, after initially overlooking the former midfielder for the role.

The end of the Mauricio Pochettino era saw Levy jump at the chance to appoint serial-winner Jose Mourinho, however, the Portuguese found himself sacked just days before a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

The hiring of Nuno Espirito Santo proved to be a disaster after he had only been in charge for less than five months, after a drawn-out search for a replacement for Mourinho.

Despite Conte having led Spurs to Champions League qualification last season, his relationship more recently with Levy was said to have turned sour with Fabio Paratici acting as a conduit between the pair (The Athletic).

Neville has blasted Levy over his decision to appoint three confrontational styles of head coach in succession.

The former Manchester United defender was on co-commentary duty for Tottenham’s match at Liverpool yesterday and after the north Londoners found themselves 3-0 down after twenty minutes, Neville told Sky Sports (30/04/2023, 4:50 PM).: “Levy and Conte were basically standing off against each other. It was always going to happen.

“He’s appointed three confrontational managers on the bounce. The appointments of managers in terms of alignments of the club over the last few years have been absolutely shambolic.”

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

SpursWeb Opinion

Tottenham passed up any opportunity to sit down with Mauricio Pochettino to return to the club, which is mindblowing.  There is so much emphasis on ‘how it ended’ for Pochettino during his last spell in charge; but people are overlooking to important factors:

1. Pochettino was not backed in multiple transfer windows before his dismissal despite warning a rebuild needed to take place
2. Why did the club attempt to bring him back as head coach while he was still at PSG?   If he was good enough then, why not now?

The post ‘Shambolic’ – Commentator pulls no punches with his view of Daniel Levy’s decison-making appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.

The clash against Brighton was, for all intents and purposes, a must-win game for Spurs as both Man Utd and Newcastle moved six points clear with wins over Everton and Brentford respectively earlier on Saturday.

(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Although the Lilywhites’ performance was nothing to write home about, they did get the job done, courtesy of goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

The win keeps Tottenham in touching distance of the Magpies and the Red Devils, who now have a three-point advantage with a game in hand over Cristian Stellini’s men.

Neville praised Newcastle on the back of the week they have had and backed Eddie Howe’s men to clinch a top-four spot.

The Man Utd legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast (via Chronicle Live): “What a week. To beat Manchester United, West Ham away and Brentford away – that’s a tough week. To get nine points is a brilliant performance.

“I didn’t have them down as top four three weeks ago. Even after the Manchester United game, I thought, ‘Well, they have got three tough away games now: West Ham, Brentford and Aston Villa on Saturday.

“You will probably drop points in that and it will give Tottenham, maybe Liverpool, a chance.’

“But, looking at them now, watching them closely against Manchester United, where I thought they were absolutely brilliant, I think they will finish in the top four now just because the confidence will be so high.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Newcastle certainly appear to be clicking into gear at the right time and looks like favourites to clinch third spot.

Man Utd certainly look more catchable for Spurs, particularly with Erik Ten Hag’s men set to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the end of April.

The post Gary Neville admits he has changed his mind in top four race – Spurs mentioned appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.

There has been plenty of criticism levelled at Kane over the past couple of days for the manner in which he went down after Doucoure put his arm in the striker’s face.

Danny Murphy accused the Tottenham man of ‘stitching up’ the Everton star and remarked that the England captain ’embarrassed himself’ (talkSPORT).

Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

While discussing the incident on Monday, Neville sympathised with Kane, admitting that it can be quite unsettling when a player puts their hand in your eyes.

The former Man Utd man said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (as relayed by The Daily Mail): “There is no debate on the red card at all. Doucoure puts his hand up, the only debate is whether Harry Kane should go down.

“Harry Kane should never go to ground. But the only thing I’ve had before is when someone puts the clasp of their claw and it goes a little bit on your eye – it does shock you. That (demonstrating what Doucoure did) is very different to a hand in the face.”

Carragher insisted that he would never have gone down in the manner that Kane did and that he would not approve of his son doing that.

The former Liverpool man responded: “The debate isn’t about a red card and Harry Kane shouldn’t be going down like that. It can still be a red card by putting your hand in someone’s face.

“Doucoure is wrong and I am sure [Sean] Dyche will tell him that, but I wouldn’t go down there as a player. There is no way near enough to let you go down.

“If I done that on a pitch I’d be embarrassed and if I watched my son do that, yeah it might help his team win if the opposition are down to 10 men and it gives them an advantage, but when he got back in the car I would say, ‘what are you doing? Don’t ever do that again on a football pitch’.”

However, Neville pointed out that given what was at stake, Kane had to go down to ensure that Everton were reduced to ten men.

He added: “If Harry Kane stands up there, we are talking about Champions League football, if he stands up that might have been a yellow because it is deemed as a hand-off.

“Harry has gone down, whether he should have or not, it is to make sure Doucoure got sent off.

“It is a part of the game people don’t like but in our dressing room, if my forward [does that] we are there to win leagues, win games. You might call it cheating but you can’t put your hand in someone’s eye with your clasp like that.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I think what should be debated here is the larger question as to why referees do not call fouls or hand out bookings if players stay on their feet.

That is not just the case with incidents like these but also when it comes to penalty calls, which is why we see players going down in an exaggerated manner to bring the referee’s attention to a foul.

The post Gary Neville leaps to Harry Kane’s defence after Carragher calls him embarassing appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.

Tottenham wasted another golden opportunity to tighten their grip on a top-four place on Monday as Michael Keane’s late equaliser saw Everton hold the Lilywhites to a draw.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

The result means that Spurs now sit level on points with both Manchester United and Newcastle United, having played two more matches than both sides.

Several ex-Tottenham players expressed their frustration at the performance, with Jamie O’Hara accusing Cristian Stellini of stealing a living and Jenas admitting that he is not able to watch the side play any longer.

Just heard Christian stealing a living stellini interview, I’m done man so done, can’t take anymore

— Jamie Ohara (@Mrjamieohara1) April 3, 2023

I can’t watch this team anymore ffs #spurs

— Jermaine Jenas (@jjenas8) April 3, 2023

Neville insisted that things are not as bad at Spurs as some are making them out to be and questioned why players who could not qualify for the Champions League for years are now having a go at the current side.

Interesting seeing ex-Spurs players that never got near to Champions League places for years when they played for the club saying they can’t watch this current team now. Spurs are in 4th place currently ahead of Chelsea , Manchester United and Liverpool. Perspective!

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) April 4, 2023

Jenas has now responded to the 48-year-old’s comments, remarking that he knows exactly how Spurs fans are feeling.

Perspective.. I actually really enjoy listening to @GNev2 when talking about his club.. utd mainly because of the knowledge he has of the club and how passionate he is.. but I know @SpursOfficial as a club and I know exactly how the fans are feeling. But….

— Jermaine Jenas (@jjenas8) April 4, 2023

… maybe he wasn’t taking about me. Apologies if so @GNev2 pic.twitter.com/kGF7V4v5Ia

— Jermaine Jenas (@jjenas8) April 4, 2023

Spurs Web Opinion

This season has been an extremely disappointing one and the football that the team has served up has been hard to watch.

I think most fans would be slightly more accepting of the results if the team latest looked to press from the front and dominate proceedings.

However, fans have clearly lost their patience with this overly cautious and agricultural style.

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