The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Monday, February 23
Well yesterday’s matched sucked.
There were so many comments in the hoddle that I don’t feel it’s worth adding my quiet voice to such a booming chorus.
We shouldn’t let that drown out the reception Dele got during halftime, though.
I’m not sure if any of us watching the game were able to watch his halftime address or presentation (they certainly didn’t show it on Telemundo), so we have to rely on social media and some Tottenham journos to do the check for us. Here’s Alasdair Gold:
“I hope you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you.”
I have, Dele, I have.
And here’s Matt Law, who believes that Dele’s speech showed he hasn’t quite given up yet on his professional football career:
Dele is 29 years old now? Can you believe that.
It’s been a long time Dele’s made a professional appearance. Como gave him a chance early last year on an 18-month contract, where he made just one appearance before he was released in September. There are no indications he’s anywhere near joining another club, but I hope he finds a new home soon where he can jump-start his career.
His appearance on Sunday makes two recent iconic players making half-time appearances at Tottenham Hotspur home matches lately, with the other being Jan Vertonghen. It’s a shame they had to be such ugly affairs.
And the the timing couldn’t be any worse. While I love these players so much, it makes it hurt even more knowing that era is gone while Spurs remain dangerously close to relegation.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Peggy’s Blue Skylight, by Charles Mingus
And now for your links:
BBC: “’They were attacking from every angle in the end’ – why Spurs couldn’t keep Arsenal out”
The Independent: “Arsenal’s derby dominance jolts their title bid to life – and makes Tottenham’s relegation danger feel very real”
The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham 1 Arsenal 4 – Gyokeres and Eze spare Rice’s blushes to get title charge back on track”
Alasdair Gold: “Every word Igor Tudor said on what he told Tottenham stars after Arsenal defeat with two set to return”
Matt Law: “Tottenham’s plight is the result of years of transfer mismanagement”
The Standard: “Igor Tudor fires Tottenham players warning amid Arsenal verdict after north London derby defeat”
ESPN: “Arteta says ‘ashamed’ Arsenal showed grit in Tottenham win”
Kenan Yildiz dealing with calf contusion ahead of Juventus’ UCL play-off decider
If you watched any portion of Juventus loss to Como over the weekend, you would have noticed that Kenan Yildiz was hacked at by opposing players — a lot. Some were called fouls, others weren’t, but either way Como players who had the task of trying to slow down Yildiz were doing just that by being just about as physical as any team has been with the young Turkish No. 10 this season.
The result of that was that Yildiz was hurting — and a little bit more than usual somebody like him might be after a regular game.
Yildiz didn’t participate in Sunday’s recovery session at Continassa alongside his teammates due to a bruised calf, according to reports from IlBianconero.com and La Gazzetta dello Sport. That might not be a huge deal at other points in the season, but considering the fact that Juventus have not won in the month of February and there’s now only three days to go before the second leg of the Bianconeri’s Champions League play-off round tie against Galatasaray and a huge game against Roma a few days after that on the first day of March and you’ve got Luciano Spalletti’s most important attacking player now a bit of a doubt for at least the midweek fixture.
Gazzetta added that Spalletti’s decision to sub out Yildiz late in the loss to Como was directly a result of a precautionary measure to try and prevent the contusion from becoming more of an issue than it already was.
A reason that it’s not much of a problem is the fact that Yildiz didn’t necessarily go straight for J Medical come Sunday morning and get tests like we’ve seen following other players having to be taken off due to potential injuries, most notably Gleison Bremer following the first leg against Galatasaray last week.
Gazzetta said that the hope is that Yildiz will be available to face the Turkish giants on Wednesday night’s second leg at the Allianz Stadium. However, at this point, it’s hard to truly know how Spalletti might play things considering the 5-2 deficit Juve face after the first leg and how the matchup against Roma four days later might take on even more importance than trying to pull off a minor miracle considering Juve’s now four points off a Champions League qualification place in the Serie A standings.
Real Madrid injury blow opens unexpected door for academy talent
Real Madrid have been hit with another injury setback at a crucial stage of the season, and this time it concerns Dani Ceballos.
Yesterday, we confirmed that there is a new injury at Real Madrid, with Dani Ceballos diagnosed with a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg.
The timing could not have been worse for the Spanish midfielder, as Ceballos had started to play a more active role in the rotation.
Now, however, he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Ceballos could be out for about seven weeks, which is a serious setback for the player who will be sidelined until the end of next April.
For Real Madrid, this is another problem to manage in a midfield that is already stretched.
Jude Bellingham is still recovering and is not expected back until April, leaving Alvaro Arbeloa with limited options during a demanding period of fixtures.
Unexpected opportunity
But football always creates opportunities when least expected. While this is indeed a blow for Real Madrid, it is often the case in football that one man’s pain is another man’s pleasure.
Thiago Pitarch could play a strong role. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
And this time, that opportunity may belong to Thiago Pitarch. The young Castilla midfielder made a strong impression recently.
His debut with the first team was one of the highlights of the Benfica-Real Madrid match.
Despite the pressure of the occasion, he looked composed and confident, showing personality in possession and willingness to compete physically, and now, circumstances could work in his favour.
As such, the midfielder could now be facing his great opportunity to accumulate more minutes with the first team due to the injuries of Bellingham, who will not return until April, and Ceballos, who will also be out for approximately a month.
Arbeloa’s approach also plays a key role here, as the Real Madrid coach has shown that he is not afraid to trust academy players when needed.
All of this, coupled with Arbeloa’s apparent willingness to use youth academy players, makes Pitarch the top choice to refresh the midfield if he opts for the quartet of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, and Federico Valverde.
Shields beats Crews-Dezurn to retain title
Claressa Shields defended her undisputed heavyweight crown by beating fellow American Franchon Crews-Dezurn by unanimous points decision at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
In her first outing of an $8m (£6.1m) multi-fight deal, Shields was a 100-90 victor on the scorecards of all three judges as she retained her WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC titles.
The 30-year-old is unbeaten in 18 professional outings following the 10-round bout, which included plenty of fiery exchanges between Shields and 38-yer-old Crews-Dezurn.
"I felt like I had to take my time. Franchon hits hard and she's tough," said Shields.
"She was trying to cause an upset and got me with some shots.
"She's a heavy-hitting diva and that's one of the best fights I've been in my professional career, especially at 10 rounds. It was fun. I had to watch my ass every round.
"I think today I showcased my skills, my offence, my defence and body shots. I almost had her out in round seven, but she just wouldn't go."
Shields beat Crews-Dezurn three times as an amateur and on their professional debuts in 2016.
Loftus-Cheek carried off after collision
England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was carried off on a stretcher with a head injury during AC Milan's 1-0 defeat by Parma.
He collided with Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi when challenging for a cross early in the Serie A game at the San Siro on Sunday.
Loftus-Cheek's head and neck were put in a brace before he was taken off.
Sky Italia reported that he broke his jaw and several teeth.
A significant injury could affect Loftus-Cheek's chances of making England's squad for the World Cup, which starts in June.
He made his first England appearance in seven years when he came on as a substitute against Wales in October, having been recalled by manager Thomas Tuchel.
Milan are second in the table, 10 points behind rivals Inter Milan, who beat Lecce 2-0 on Saturday to claim their seventh successive league win.
Mariano Troilo scored the winner for Parma in the 80th minute to leave them 12th in the table.