Ben Pearce
40,790 followers
InterSystems 
Youvia Women Football Club 
LazerEYES 
#thfc A few moments that stood out with Bale where I saw him differently, at a new level: FA Cup tie v Peterborough in Jan 2010, where he stood out as the back-up left-back. Inter Milan obviously (x2). Late winning FK v Lyon in Feb 2013, because it felt inevitable he would score.
#thfc When people ask what’s been the best thing about covering Spurs, I say: Following the rise of Bale & Kane. Whether Bale was tearing down the wing or scoring 30-yarders from the middle of the pitch, he was a joy to watch. By the time he left Spurs, he had it all.
#thfc The lack of creativity was utterly predictable when Kulusevski and Bentancur were missing, and you now expect Spurs to concede at least once in every game. They’re going backwards, at a time when rivals for the Champions League are quickly improving.
“It is what it is.” Literally means nothing. twitter.com/NoContextBrits…
Even when we don’t lose on penalties, it’s about a penalty. Such a shame because we went toe to toe with the world champions there. No big structural issues in this England team now. We’re right there, and the big games against the top sides are being decided by fine margins.
How have Brazil got caught in that position, being counter-attacked 4 v 4 when they’re 1-0 up with three minutes to go?! Crazy game management.
Credit to Southgate for his team selection - not only because Henderson and Saka scored, but also because Henderson’s inclusion gave Bellingham more freedom. Every chance it’ll be a back five v France though.
Enjoyed Andros Townsend’s co-commentary for Ecuador v Senegal. He provides an insight into what the players are thinking & trying to do, which is surprisingly rare among pundits who are supposed to be offering that very insight. He was a good interviewee too. All the best to him.
#thfc I’ve enjoyed contributing to the latest edition of the 1882 Fanzine, writing an article about the difficulty of squaring a successful first year under Conte with the feeling that Spurs haven’t been fulfilling their potential this season. twitter.com/1882fanzine/st…
Nice to see Grealish doing the celebration he promised to Finlay. twitter.com/premierleague/…
Kane won’t get the headlines (understandably) but he’s been great. Fine cross for Sterling goal and brilliant assist for Rashford, turning a nothing long ball into a big chance. At 4-1, how many other strikers would have gone for goal themselves instead? No ego. All for the team.
Not wearing One Love armband still puts captains in a tricky place. If they’re booked for something silly/maybe unnecessary (a dive/a shirt pull to stop a break) many will say: “Just think what else could have been achieved with that booking!” Will that affect their decisions?
#thfc I’ve spent most of the season so far trying to work out if Spurs’ ability to get results while not at their best has been a sign of growing maturity under Conte, or whether it’s been unsustainable. Last 2 games suggest the latter. They’re about where they deserve to be now.
#thfc I don’t think it was a foul on Lloris for the goal. He & Wilson bump into each other pretty equally. It’s a 50/50. Wilson stays on his feet, Lloris goes down - either because he’s weaker or because he thinks his best chance of escape is to buy a foul. Either way it’s a goal
Steven Gerrard minutes before being sacked tonight: “I’m a fighter, I’ll never ever quit anything….” Probably not the best choice of words, given Liz Truss said almost exactly the same thing yesterday before losing her job 😬
Credit to Liverpool, I really didn’t see that coming. Couldn’t imagine Liverpool keeping a clean sheet, with their recent frailties and injuries, against Man City’s attacking power. Great game and a good result for the league in terms of having a competitive title race.
#thfc Very good night for Spurs, especially given this game came between a CL match & a big trip to Man Utd. 1pt off the top with plenty of room for improvement. Interesting to note that Spurs improved after the injury to Richarlison and the switch to 3-5-2...
#thfc Kane's certainly getting plenty of penalty practice at the moment. I reckon that's his fifth in 20 days, for club and country.
#thfc And then of course there's the fact that the defence can suddenly disappear and give up really big chances.
#thfc This is shaping up to be exactly the kind of game Spurs fans probably feared. The start was good but Everton have slowed Spurs down, and the worry is it will become harder & harder to raise the tempo as the legs tire. Plus it's Man Utd in midweek so there's an eye on that.
#thfc He just continues to be such a fantastic role model. It’s so easy to take that for granted. Spurs and England are lucky to have him. twitter.com/HKane/status/1…
#thfc A switch to 3-5-2, Bissouma and Doherty starting, and Son taking free-kicks. Conte seems keen to please the fans today!
A truly remarkable man. I’m devastated by the passing of our coach Gian Piero. My love and strength is with his family at this time. His words and wisdom will live on with me for the rest of my life and I’m just grateful I had the opportunity to spend time with him. RIP Prof 💙�IH
Retweeted by Ben Pearce Devastating news. Son, Sessegnon, Doherty & Hojbjerg are among the players who have spoken in glowing terms about working under Ventrone, who was one of Italian football's most colourful characters. twitter.com/SpursOfficial/…
Retweeted by Ben Pearce #thfc It continues to be a strange season for Son. The hat-trick against Leicester looked like it would be a turning point (two incredible finishes) but now it’s like it never happened. His confidence looks really low again. Simple passes going astray and he can’t hit the target.
#thfc Missed opportunity. Similarly to the north London derby, there was a lack of quality in the final third. This time there were more clear chances, but when they came the finishing was poor. The only consolation is Frankfurt also wasted their opportunities.
Everton look much better, with Coady, Tarkowski & Obana making a big difference. But they’re obviously not used to being ahead with 15mins to go. So many basic errors in seeing out a game, losing the ball doing dumb things. A better team than West Ham may well have punished them.
Heung-Min Son has mastered the art of shooting with both feet. Since the start of last season he’s scored 26 Premier League goals: 13 with his right, 13 with his left. 📷
Retweeted by Ben Pearce #thfc Another manager might consider a switch to 4-3-3, with Bissouma starting, while you still keep the front three (you wouldn’t want to lose any of them). Are Spurs’ wing-backs doing enough to justify the continued use of 3-4-3 & keep a third CM out of the team? I’d suggest no
#thfc It seems unlikely that Conte’s going to make a long-term change to his favoured system but the introduction of a third central midfielder has changed the game. It stopped Leicester dominating as much and enabled Bentancur to go and win the ball to enable Son’s goal.
#thfc A game where both defences look horribly vulnerable. Spurs look like they could score from every set-piece, but they could also easily have conceded more than two. Four goals conceded in just over a half of football - a growing concern.
#thfc Hugo Lloris says Richarlison the team-mate is entirely different to the opponent Spurs faced v Watford & Everton: "Honestly, we discover a new player. We used to face him, and when you face an opponent you have no idea who they are really." capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/ll…
#thfc FT 2-0 to Spurs. A lot of that performance was below par but Richarlison’s aerial ability was the difference. So far it’s generally been Kulusevski or Richarlison, but on tonight’s evidence they can play together & boost Spurs’ attack. Kulusevski was a threat at wing-back.
#thfc 81’ 2-0 to Spurs and Richarlison has done it again. Again it comes from an inswinging cross from the left (this time Hojbjerg’s the crosser). Richarlison again gets up about 8yds out & heads in, this time winning an aerial duel & with the ball kissing the post. Clinical.
#thfc 76’ 1-0 to Spurs! Perisic crosses right-footed and Richarlison jumps eight yards out to score with a powerful header. The Brazilian nearly scored a number of times v Fulham on Saturday. He and everyone at the club will be glad he saved his first goal for tonight instead!
#thfc 70’ 0-0. Kulusevski’s made an impact, getting to the byline and being denied by Lopez at the near post before delivering a wicked inswinging cross which was deflected over. Son’s having another off night (apart from role in red card). Crowd groaning when he loses the ball.
#thfc 60’ Kulusevski now on as a right wing-back, replacing Royal and playing outside Richarlison.
#thfc There have been a few curious decisions from Lloris tonight: punching the ball when under no pressure. Throwing the ball too far down the right touchline and allowing Marseille to take possession. Now he kicks long as Dier urges his keeper to give him a simple short pass.
#thfc 47’ Marseille down to 10 men. Brilliant Spurs passing move to escape under real pressure from their own right corner. Dier and Royal involved, and Kane freed Son, who was brought down from behind by Mbemba just outside the box. Straight red - right call.
#thfc HT: 0-0. Marseille have increasingly dominated possession and have grown as a threat, with Guendouzi having two shots blocked. The best chance has fallen to Kane, who shot just wide of the far post, but Marseille will be by far the happier team so far.
#thfc 23’ Richarlison, who is quickly growing in popularity with every appearance, gives his approval rating another bump with a late challenge on Guendouzi.
#thfc 20’ After a bright start, Spurs have had a sloppy spell, misplacing passes. Now Kane loses the ball in his own half. 0-0
#thfc Kane looks like he’s been itching to get back on to this stage. Immaculate start. Close control & a pass out of a tight spot. Stunning crossfield pass to Royal. Neat first-time flick behind him. Meanwhile, Guendouzi’s getting the reception he probably expected.
#thfc Perisic set for a very advanced role according to UEFA’s teamsheet (in a rather un-Conte-like system...)
#thfc Here for Spurs v Marseille, where there are fewer changes than maybe expected (just Perisic coming in). I thought Kulusevski would come back in & accidentally said so to Dier on Saturday, in a Q about rotation - which amused him. “You know that do you? Am I starting?!”
#thfc Here's Harry Kane discussing Richarlison's impact, the differences in playing with the Brazilian vs Kulusevski, Spurs' return to the Champions League and the prospect of facing Erling Haaland next weekend. bit.ly/3RD7neU
Looks like a foul on Eriksen to me. He's done the right thing by getting his body between Odegaard and the ball. Odegaard then fouls him both with his leg/hip and his arm (push) without making any contact with the ball. So on that basis you have to rule the goal out, right?
Twiends™ uses the Twitter™ API, displays it's logo & trademarks, and is not endorsed or certified by them. These items remain the property of Twitter.
We do not sell followers, we only provide display advertising. Bots & fake accounts are not permitted on twiends. © 2009