Tottenham Hotspur

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We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Tottenham and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Tottenham fans

Phil: As injuries ease and first-choice players return we will see that Spurs remain limited by Ange's one-dimensional tactics. We will still be wide open at the back, still be vulnerable to any half decent transition and still have very few ideas in the final third beyond get it wide and fire it in low. That was the story against Manchester City and it will continue to be the story with this coach at the helm.

William: Ultimately a disappointing performance and result, especially given the momentum we seemed to have been building from the last couple of results. We seemed to lack a cutting edge going forward and rather unusually for us seemed a bit timid in the first half. However, the second half performance was more like it and we should benefit from the return of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison to provide a focal point to our attacks.

Mo: Dominated by City in the first half. Feared a little better in the second half. Bringing on Timo Werner who has offered little this season was perplexing. Fourteen losses and counting is unsustainable and unacceptable.

Steve: Spurs lost it in the first half. Dreadful, passive performance. The team selection and lack of proper tactics were very poor. You have to control midfield against this tired City - the game was winnable for Spurs but Ange got it wrong.

Michelle: To lose 1-0 to City is progress. It goes to show how we have missed the injured players these past months. We just have to believe.

Manchester City fans

Rigs: Both Savinho and Jeremy Doku have brilliant speed and skill, but it's the final pass which lets them down.

Daniel: Another 10 minutes and it would have been two dropped points. Struggling to put games to bed as usual. When is Pep Guardiola going to realise that slow build ups, playing it back, or playing it anywhere other than going direct isn't working anymore?

Lee: City played really well first half and should have scored more goals. We always knew the second half was going to be hard and you need luck in this game and we had a lot of it second half. Tottenham never had their shooting boots on.

Sean: Important three points against a team who we have struggled against over the last few years. We should have been three goals up at half-time but we survived a Tottenham fightback in the second half. Hopefully we gain confidence going forward to make sure we finish in the top four.

Tottenham could make a move for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze in the summer after becoming a "concrete option" for the England winger, 26. (Give Me Sport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Manchester City was Tottenham's 14th defeat of a difficult league campaign, but there were certainly positives to take for Ange Postecoglou.

After a first half completely dominated by the visitors, Spurs attacked with renewed energy after the break and deserved an equaliser that never came.

Ederson's last-gasp save from Son Heung-min was the last of several fine stops the City goalkeeper produced on the night, though with better finishing the story might have been different.

With attackers Dominic Solanke and Richarlison soon to return from injury along with first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, Spurs have every chance of finishing the season strongly both in the Premier League and in Europe.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "First half we had to hang in there, created a couple chances but we were wasteful with the ball.

"Second half we dominated in all areas but missed a goal to get something out of the game.

"We always knew we would finish strong, we always do, but in the first half we turned the ball over too many times, if you do that against city you allow them to get into a rhythm.

"Some cleaner final third entries we could have had some more chances."

On Tottenham struggling to contain Jeremy Doku in the first half: "When you turn the ball over like we did in the first half you allow them to hit those spaces. After that first half I thought we handled Doku well."

On why Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Djed Spence started on the bench: "It was about trying to get our squad up and running again, guys like Destiny [Udogie], and Wilson [Odobert] needed game time. Sonny [Son] Djed and Kulusevski have played a lot of football, they came on and made an impact."

Image source, Getty Images

This was just the fourth time Spurs have lost and failed to score in a home match under Ange Postecoglou,

Three of those defeats have been to Manchester City (0-1 in January 2024, 0-2 in May 2024 and 0-1 tonight).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Tottenham's performance

What did you make of City's display?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Five matches make up Wednesday's Premier League action

• Brentford v Everton

• Man Utd v Ipswich

• Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

• Tottenham v Man City

• Liverpool v Newcastle (20:15)

All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Arguably the high point of a miserable season for Ange Postecoglou came in the Manchester rain in November as his Tottenham side obliterated champions Manchester City's two-year unbeaten run at Etihad Stadium.

In three months of subsequent struggle, Spurs won just one league game in 11 matches and plunged down the table.

However, they enter Wednesday's rematch with Pep Guardiola's side in their best spot since that 4-1 victory at City after three straight Premier League wins.

But what's changed for Spurs? Here are four reasons life suddenly seems a bit rosier.

Schedule

That Manchester City win came after a two-week international break. Since then, Tottenham played every midweek until after the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, 9 February.

The cliche goes that constantly playing Sunday-Thursday wrecks seasons. Given Tottenham's extensive injury list, that old adage has proved accurate.

And, how interesting that given two free midweeks, Spurs have cleaned up the following weekends by beating Manchester United and Ipswich Town.

Personnel

Keeper Guglielmo Vicario missed 12 league games after that win at City and Spurs shipped 24 goals in that time. His calming presence has meant only one goal let in during the past two games.

A huge positive from the injuries has been the flourishing of Djed Spence. With left-back Destiny Udogie fit again to start at Portman Road at the weekend, Spence switched to his more natural right-hand side and is keeping Pedro Porro out of the side. These are simply options Postecoglou has not had.

It has been a strange season for vice-captain James Maddison, starting just 16 games. But a goal and assist in the two recent wins since his comeback from injury have also helped lift Spurs.

And don't underestimate the importance of Brennan Johnson. Missing since the defeat at Arsenal, he bagged two goals at Ipswich to add to his impressive 14 in 34 games this season.

Clearly, he is an important part of how Postecoglou wants his Spurs team to operate.

Pressure

On Sunday, 26 January, a dismal defeat at home by Leicester City dropped Tottenham to 15th in the table and contemplating the abyss.

With the league season untenable, pressure built on subsequent cup games with Liverpool and Villa - and it told, as Spurs were dumped out of both competitions.

However, after finding a way to beat Brentford in the Premier League, that particular pressure valve seems to have been released.

Relegation is not even a remote possibility any more and Tottenham can play with freedom.

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Tactics

Postecoglou has been accused of intransigence - and has at times even welcomed such a label - but there has been variety in recent performances.

The arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich has enabled the Spurs boss to push his strikers forward in the past two games compared with where Richarlison had operated before that.

That has pinned opposition centre-backs and established a foothold further up the pitch.

Having the threat of Tels in behind has stretched the play as well, giving Son Heung-min on one side and either Dejan Kulusevski or Johnson more space down the other.

A progressive Maddison pulled the strings against Manchester United but Kulusevski was deployed differently in midfield on Saturday.

Postecoglou has been able to shuffle his pack and tweaked his tactics accordingly.

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Ange Postecoglou does not expect Tottenham captain Son Heung-min to "slow down" any time soon given his numbers again this season and the way he continues to conduct himself off the pitch.

Son has scored 126 goals in 326 Premier League games and assisted 71 to date during his 10-year stint at Spurs.

And after the club triggered a one-year extension in January to keep him contracted until the summer of 2026, he has shown again his value to Ange Postecoglou's attack.

"His ability to beat players, even in tight areas, is elite," said Tottenham boss Postecoglou. "His finishing is elite.

"Sonny's benefited from the fact he's been able to have a break between games. We saw that on the weekend after being able to recover from one game to another and having a full week to get his energy levels back, he was outstanding, particularly in the first half.

"And he was great before. You never want to try to predict with players like Sonny how long he will go for because those kind of players always defy whatever odds there are because of the way they look after themselves and conduct themselves.

"Even this year, as difficult as it has been for us, I think his numbers still stack up. You weigh him up against any winger in the league, he's still going to be top five.

"He's probably been top five in the nine or 10 years he's been here. Not many would rank with Sonny in terms of output on a consistent basis from his position. He's top 10% of players in his position in the Premier League.

"Those are the facts and if he's continuing to do that, there's nothing to say he should slow down."

How on earth am I supposed to predict what will happen here?

It is a fascinating game but one that is impossible to call because it could end up 3-0 to either team.

Manchester City were subdued against Liverpool. Jeremy Doku looked bright on their left flank, but they did not offer much of a threat elsewhere.

Tottenham put four goals past Ipswich but they could have conceded a few themselves, and you have to think City will have opportunities here.

Spurs thumped Pep Guardiola's side 4-0 in November, but I am going for City to take the points this time. It will be close but they might just nick it.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Tottenham have beaten Manchester City twice and Manchester United three times this season. No team has ever beaten both Manchester sides three times each in the same campaign before.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma could leave Tottenham when the summer transfer window opens. (Give Me Sport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Manchester City (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• First up, there was a team news update: "Everyone who played [against Ipswich at the weekend] got through really well, and it will be a similar sort of squad for tomorrow."

• Ben Davies won't be available for the game but Postecoglou provided a positive update on other members of the squad by saying that Richarlison, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven are "all tracking really well" with returns targeted for the "next seven to 10 days".

• On Manchester City: "You're always looking forward to the challenge. Manchester City are an outstanding football club. Great manager, still got great footballers and still play really challenging football to any opponent."

• Postecoglou added: We've enjoyed our games against them, whether that was this year or last year. They're going to try and win, they're going to try and play expansively and we are going to try and do the same. It's going to be a good test for us."

• Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur's contract expires at the end of next season so Postecoglou was asked about that and also how good he has been for Spurs: "Rodri has been great. In terms of his contract situation, that is handled by other people. In this later period, he is really getting back to the levels he wants to be at. He just needs regular game time and he is getting up to speed. Really good guy around the group and he's experienced now. From our perspective, in this run-in, he's going to be really important."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

Spurs are daring me to dream again.

After a woeful few months full of injuries and some abysmal results, glimmers of light are starting to shine in this team.

For the first time in what feels like forever, there is hope on the horizon.

One player who knows a lot about not giving up is Djed Spence. His impressive performance against Ipswich Town brimmed with creativity, courage and perseverance. No room for doubt or time for haters here, this is the reward of years of hard work and learning the lessons – even when some teachers deliberately make it difficult.

In fact, Spence's own redemption arc could turn out to be a perfect prelude for the wider team's salvation this season. After all, there are still prizes left to play for.

Although it is tempting to think the league is insignificant now, it is more than worth keeping an eye on because a European football spot could be secured for next season.

We have an extremely healthy goal difference compared to a lot of teams around us and, as our players returning from injury, other teams are starting to suffer from losing theirs. A late surge up the table is more than possible.

More excitingly though, and perhaps more importantly for the future of this manager and his team, is the prospect of lifting the Europa League trophy in May.

No competition at this level is ever easy, but looking at the teams left in the Europa League, we have to believe we can beat them. We certainly have to try.

So yes, Spurs are daring me to dream. In turn, I am daring Spurs to do.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Tottenham have opened talks with Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur over a new deal, with the 27-year-old's current contract set to expire at the end of next season. (Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Sam Ashoo
Final Score reporter

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Who doesn't love a good redemption story? The protagonist in this one is Djed Spence. The right-back was Tottenham's standout performer on Saturday, yet again balancing tough tackling with gliding, twinkle-toed runs down the wing.

Spence's move to Spurs looked destined to be a failure. He barely featured under previous managers and even Ange Postecoglu admitted making it "difficult for him" earlier this season.

But the former Nottingham Forest player is now rapidly becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet.

His ability to drive forward opens up space for the right-sided attacker, which was Brennan Johnson at Ipswich.

The problems posed by Spence allowed Johnson freedom to drift inside, scoring twice in the first half and ultimately killing the game before the half-hour mark.

His first Premier League goal, and the celebrations in front of the away fans that followed, capped a perfect afternoon for Spence.

The next chapter of the story? Quite possibly an England debut next month.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich and Tottenham..

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich fans

Paul: Too many changes every game and Kieran McKenna needs to find a settled first XI. Defence is weak though and we are not scoring enough so that is a recipe for relegation. A step too far this season after two amazing seasons but proud of the club and we will bounce back next year.

Tony: Ipswich have to play with a back three, if only to accommodate Leif Davis at left-back. There is an argument to use a traditional left-back in both away and home matches but needs must. We have a good right-back in Axel Tuanzebe once he is back in the fold. Once Sammie Szmodics is back, it will strengthen the left but Omari Hutchinson is far more effective on the right.

Oscar: £130m spent to attempt to stay in the Premier League is an obscene amount of money and proves you need more than money to create a winning team. This is a disjointed squad with McKenna not knowing how to manage them all. Ben Godfrey would run through trees at Norwich and Everton and their fans loved him. Here he looks clueless - that has to come from the coaching team.

Alex: For all his good work, Liam Delap needs to pass. Should have been two up in the first five minutes and then twice we allowed Son Heung-min too much time. Criminal. Have to question the team selection.

Spurs fans

Richard: Nervy start, and never comfortable until the third goal, but winning becomes a habit. High energy from Destiny Udogie, great finishing from Brennan Johnson and Son was close to his impactful best. Three more first-teamers to come back. Let's think positively.

Andy: Wow - a run of three wins in a row! But I don't care about the league table anymore. What's important is that we have most of our players back with plenty to choose from as we go into the serious phase of the Europa League knockouts. It's good to see us being sharper and putting chances away, which we will need to if we are to get that trophy. I now feel it is well within reach.

John: A win is a win. But Ipswich had 17 shots and five on target. It's a lottery how Spurs play. Both teams have loads of shots and it just depends who gets lucky. Sorry Ange - nothing has changed.

Paul: From the abyss, we have seen Djed Spence and Archie Gray step up and be counted. We have a long way to go to compete with the elite, but what a foundation. So, it's 'One small step for Ange - one giant leap for Tottenham'.

Tottenham are willing to sell Manor Solomon this summer, with Leeds United - where the winger is currently on loan - and Everton interested. (Givemesport), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea