***OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Saturday August 29th, 5.30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium***

[Bedfordspurs]

There were audible boos at full time today, and the stadium was half empty by that stage too.

We need to keep calm for 10 games minimum, but the media are going to be all over us already.

The fans though, in the main, will give anyone time when they can see what is meant to happen
When we saw the line up last week it was a bit meh… ok let’s see
Seeing the line up today ig was more like how the hell are we even lining up
Still not sure having watched it
that’s not a good look imo and quickly stains patience of paying fans

 

[Mikey10]

The fans though, in the main, will give anyone time when they can see what is meant to happen
When we saw the line up last week it was a bit meh… ok let’s see
Seeing the line up today ig was more like how the hell are we even lining up
Still not sure having watched it
that’s not a good look imo and quickly stains patience of paying fans

Yeah, agree. The general consensus around us in the stadium when the line-up was announced was WTF?

 

[Bedfordspurs]

See above, I think his contribution is blown out of proportion because he’s not currently on the pitch

As opposed to the guy playing who has now conceded 5 goals in 2 games vs average but we’ll organised sides
Maybe
But you never know if you don’t see the alternative so you judge on what you see
Danso wins headers and tackles
JPVH has struggled to do that so far

 

[Robspur12]

Its been two games and I think by halfway point of the season we will be wondering what all this fuss was about ....

I know it's a drum I've been beating for 2 seasons now but in the PL, our fortunes will only change if we can defend properly as a team. We have already lost one aggressive dueler in Palhinha and it looks like we are losing another in Danso. It's likely we will score more goals now but bloody hell it looks like we will need to score at least 2 every game to win.

Of course we could just see these 2 losses in isolation while we gel. But tbh losing in the league has become a habit over the last 2 seasons. Brentford's loss was down to poor team selection. Today was not far off our best 11. And yet we lost again conceding soft goals.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Yeah, agree. The general consensus around us in the stadium when the line-up was announced was WTF?

Was an odd team
I’m fine with even cautious with injury risks
I mean out history on that front is toxic
But surely a manager as smart as RDZ can create a plan that means he has his best players in their best positions (Porro at RB) and adjust the rest around

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I know it's a drum I've been beating for 2 seasons now but in the PL, our fortunes will only change if we can defend properly as a team. We have already lost one aggressive dueler in Palhinha and it looks like we are losing another in Danso. It's likely we will score more goals now but bloody hell it looks like we will need to score at least 2 every game to win.

Of course we could just see these 2 losses in isolation while we gel. But tbh losing in the league has become a habit over the last 2 seasons. Brentford's loss was down to poor team selection. Today was not far off our best 11. And yet we lost again conceding soft goals.

Not sure how you can say we will score more based on what you have seen

 

[Robspur12]

We lost 2 points v Brighton because of him at a crucial moment in the run in.

We did, and all defenders make mistakes. But the stats point to him being the defender whose presence generally leads to fewer goals conceded. The eye test says the same.

 

[Mikey10]

Just had something strike the window of our train carriage. Think it might have been Tel’s free kick coming back down.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

There were audible boos at full time today, and the stadium was half empty by that stage too.

We need to keep calm for 10 games minimum, but the media are going to be all over us already.

I really didn’t like the booing. it’s the first home PL game ffs. Yes it was a pretty poor performance, second half especially and I understand the frustration. I felt it too.
I just think we need to have a bit of patience for the new set up to gel. Can’t say I’m not a bit concerned at how disjointed we looked (2nd half) and at how wasteful we were with some of our passing and the few scoring opportunities we had but we’ve had a rubbish pre-season, a good few new signings, a shift in the manager’s preferred style compared to the necessary get-us-over-the-line of last season. There’s a lot to juggle. I don’t know, maybe I’m just making excuses. I’m certainly tempering my expectations (which was a European spot (but not CL)) but we are going to improve.
We desperately need to score next week though.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Just had something strike the window of our train carriage. Think it might have been Tel’s free kick coming back down.

It was bad
But when you see the reverse angle you can see how badly he slips

 

[spurspinter1]

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VAR should be able to give a yellow for this. Or a post match one game ban.

Can't comment on the rest of the game as I've only just seen the MOTD highlights, but doesn't look great...Points, goals, and or clean sheets would be great but it's early days of course. Form seems to be worse after a pre season and big investment but it's only 6 points dropped so far, are we calling this a transitional season yet?

 

[robp135]

We did, and all defenders make mistakes. But the stats point to him being the defender whose presence generally leads to fewer goals conceded. The eye test says the same.

Kevin Danso 2025/2026
26 Games
7 Wins 7 Draws 11 Losses
38 GC

No Kevin Danso 2025/2026
26 Games
9 Wins 6 Draws 10 Losses
38 GC

 

[DeanoAustin]

VAR should be able to give a yellow for this. Or a post match one game ban.

Can't comment on the rest of the game as I've only just seen the MOTD highlights, but doesn't look great...Points, goals, and or clean sheets would be great but it's early days of course. Form seems to be worse after a pre season and big investment but it's only 6 points dropped so far, are we calling this a transitional season yet?

It’s currently transitioning from a “let’s wait and be patient” to overstating how good the lads who aren’t starting are and questioning the managers decisions. Not sure how far we are from “can we get Poch back?” but think that’s the next step in the cycle.

 

[Aldo]

Just not clicking yet. It’ll happen soon enough.

 

[thfcsteff]

It’s currently transitioning from a “let’s wait and be patient” to overstating how good the lads who aren’t starting are and questioning the managers decisions. Not sure how far we are from “can we get Poch back?” but think that’s the next step in the cycle.

His hair looks naff these days and he's given in to the, err, American diet. Plus he likes the chainsaw-wielder. So in my case, you're safe hahahahaha!!!

 

[Baleforce]

Just not clicking yet. It’ll happen soon enough.

It ain’t going to click with defenders who can’t defend.

 

[DeanoAustin]

It ain’t going to click with defenders who can’t defend.

The defence is a worry. Going from a back 4 of Porro, VDV, Romero, Udogie/Spence to Porro, VDV, JPVH, Robertson/Udogie doesn’t look clever at the moment. Throw in Kinsky behind them and I have concerns.

What’s Senesi like?

 

[Robspur12]

Kevin Danso 2025/2026
26 Games
7 Wins 7 Draws 11 Losses
38 GC

No Kevin Danso 2025/2026
26 Games
9 Wins 6 Draws 10 Losses
38 GC

Quantitative data imho tells only part of the story. Here's a more qualitative analysis :-

Danso became an absolute foundational piece for De Zerbi’s structural turnaround. [1]

• • The Crucial Run-In: Danso started six of De Zerbi's final seven matches.
  • Defensive Resilience: In those crucial matches, Spurs clawed their way out of danger, picking up three wins and two draws.
  • Standout Performance: He notably marshaled a dominant 2-1 victory away at Aston Villa, limiting their opponents to zero shots on target for the first 62 minutes of the match. [1, 2]

Defensive Volume and Leadership
When comparing the defense with and without him, Danso provided a level of penalty-box security that Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke struggled to replicate consistently on their own. [1, 2]

• • Clearance Machine: Danso led Tottenham in clearances for the 2025/26 Premier League season with 131 clearances (averaging 6.24 per game), edge-casing Van de Ven who had 129. [1]
  • The "Chaos-Slayer": Media and fan reviews from Spurs Web heavily praised him for stepping up at Anfield and dealing with high-pressure games, making him the defender who could make a "chaotic game feel survivable". [1, 2]

Without Danso's robust, "heart on his sleeve" interventions during the spring of 2026, Tottenham's defensive unit lacked the raw aerial dominance and clearance volume needed to hold onto narrow margins. His presence directly coincided with the team finding the defensive calm required to salvage their season. [1, 2, 3, 4]

 

[Raziel]

odd team selection and subs

- On one hand, some neat and tidy stuff, some good passing
- On other hand, not enough threat.

Surely Tel right, Marmoush left and Solanke through middle would have been a smarter start?

Letting Danso go feels like a mistake (offers something different to the others, better in scrappy games), also would be a tell that we have no intention of playing 3 atb with any real frequency.

 

[Daisuk]

The defence is a worry. Going from a back 4 of Porro, VDV, Romero, Udogie/Spence to Porro, VDV, JPVH, Robertson/Udogie doesn’t look clever at the moment. Throw in Kinsky behind them and I have concerns.

What’s Senesi like?

Same profile as JPVH. Great passer.