Spurs Subdued in the South of France and Super-Van saves Sunday

Vicario became the saviour for Tottenham on a dull night in Monaco, but Sunday provided 3 points in Merseyside.

Nothing to Write Home About

An alluring visit to Monaco for Spurs on Wednesday seemed like the perfect chance for redemption after Sunday's disappointing loss to Aston Villa. A dark, familiar cloud seemed to fall over the fans with the news of Romero and Udogie being unavailable for the fixture and the team selection was definitely unusual.

The inclusion of Archie Gray at full back seemed to take me back to last season's woes of a makeshift defence for most of the campaign. Meanwhile, Bentancur and Palhinha continued their partnership in midfield much to the criticism of some supporters, who believed the gaps in the centre of the pitch on Sunday would be a similar theme that against Monaco.

🇩🇰🎙️ Thomas Frank on Pape Matar Sarr: “There is nothing wrong with him. He was a very good player for us in the first six games.

We rested him as a precaution before but competition, other players have done well. He has impressed me a lot though.” @SpursOfficial ‼️ pic.twitter.com/IRcKEQKZoA

— Spurs Global (@spurssglobal) October 24, 2025

Frank still clearly has praise for Sarr and his starting position against Everton seemed inevitable. More on that soon...

Apologies to Vicario

In a game with little attacking threat from Spurs, the man to save us from conceding was Vicario. It would be wrong to say that fans (myself included) haven't questioned his start to this season, but on Wednesday he proved his worth with a spectacular performance, probably the only player from the visiting team that could hold their heads high.

On the other hand, the attack continues to lack threat, with the absence of Maddison, Kulusevski and Solanke becoming more apparent as our attacking threat becomes worse. Odobert had a strong first half I thought, but fatigue grew in as well as a lack of support from teammates.

Ultimately, Wednesday shone a light on the issues at Spurs, mainly the current inability to consistently test a defence. Monaco are by no means pushovers, but you'd like to think we could've just shown a bit more... umph.

'Micky Again Ole Ole'

The teatime Sunday game provided a satisfying end to the week for Spurs fans as 3 goals at Everton's new home saw them end October in 3rd place. A fixture that initially didn't provide much hope given some poor recent performances, once again involved that Palhinha/Bentancur pivot. I seriously feel for Sarr and Bergvall, who have no real excuse to be dropped and we can only hope that they get some minutes in the cup.

But fear not, the visitors more than made up for some sloppy build-up play with 2 excellent set piece goals in the first half, with captain Van De Ven grabbing a headed brace thanks to some excellent deliveries from Porro and Kudus. Other than that, it was Everton who showed more optimism when attacking and a disallowed goal from O'Brien could have changed the game completely if it stood. Vicario proved his first team position with an excellent couple of saves.

The second half didn't provide much entertainment and instead, Spurs focused on a mature defensive display eventually capped off by substitute Pape Sarr. Our away form doesn't seem to be the issue at the moment, what seems more important is looking confident offensively without set pieces. Simons didn't have his greatest performance, but when you have Van De Ven, we clearly don't need anyone else to score! Also a special mention to Danso, who looked absolutely brilliant today. I have full confidence in him covering for Romero until the Argentine returns.

Kevin Danso deep block defending , MONSTER

— L👁️sty (@lxstlosty) October 26, 2025

Looking ahead, a difficult week is coming, with a trip to Newcastle in the cup and a dreaded game against Chelsea on Saturday. I've watched us for long enough that I wouldn't even bother predicting these results, but what is important is fans continuing to back the manager and the squad.

Thomas Frank, Premier League:

Position: 3rd
Goals Scored: 17 (Joint 1st)
Goals Conceded: 7 (Joint 2nd)

Still missing Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison. pic.twitter.com/u5MpC0sIyf

— B. (@InvertTheWing) October 26, 2025

COYS!