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PENALTY TO SPURS!
A ball in behind and Alderete slides in on Kolo Muani, seems to win the ball, then O’Nien also challenges but he’s on the way down by then, and the ref points to the spot. I’m not sure this’ll be upheld by VAR.
Sunderland are coming. Again, Le Fee provides the impetus, picking his way to the by-line before standing up a cross … that Brobbey heads over the top. I’d like another look at it, not currently possible because my SkyGo has again forsaken me, but on first look, that seemed a very bad miss.
Sunderland lock-on as Spurs play out and just when it looks like they’ve got them, Brobbey fouls Romero unnecessarily. Regis Le Bris won’t be chuffed with that ill discipline because, prior to it, his players were doing exactly what he wants them to. But, as I type, Le Fee feeds a pass into the box where, with typical measure, Romero seeks to backheel a clearance, instead megging himself; he’ll be relieved to see the ball run away from Brobbey.
Villa are playing nicely at Forest, moving the ball quickly and dominating possession. This feels a lot like a first-goal match.
OK, we’re back with pictures from Sunderland – fuzzy ones, but nevertheless.
At Falkirk, by the way, Rangers won 6-3, so now trail Hearts by a point.
The corner comes to nothing and I’ve now lost coverage at Sunderland, apologies.
At Forest, Anderson carries forwards and finds Hudson-Odoi, who sets back to Williams on the edge; the shot looks to be going wide of the near post, but Bizot decides he can’t chance it, tipping around the post … and the corner eventually yields another.
Kolo Muani carries forward, moving from in to out before finding Richarlison, who opts to take on the shot first time, seeking to curl low from the edge, left of centre, only to shoot straight at Roefs.
Nice from Villa around the edge of the box, short passes creating a shooting opportunity for McGinn, who digs out an effort from the edge, curling low and just wide of the far post.
My SkyGo is currently misbehaving, so I’ve not got pictures from Palace, but rest assured I’m working on it.
Sours are knocking the ball about from keeper to defender, on which point this is a huge day for Kinsky, who suffered so miserably in Spain. But in the meantime, Solanke hits the by-line, narrowly missing Bergvall with his cut-back, then Porro leathers wide.
…and everywhere else.
We’re away at the City Ground…
Out come our various teams at our various grounds.
It’s absolutely hosing down in Nottingham, where there’s a late change to the Villa XI: Emi Martinez has hurt himself in the warm-up, so Marco Bozxit comes in.
“Why isn’t Xavi Simons starting for Spurs?” wonders Mike Nagle. “He’s their most creative midfielder. Why also leave out Palhinha, the most experienced defensive midfielder? It’s baffling. I hope the manager knows what he’s doing.”
I think the answer is as we discuss below: against Sunderland, De Zerbi wants legs and physicality, with Simon likely to come on once things slow down. I’d have played him myself, perhaps instead of Kolo Muani, because, as you say, he has the class their starting XI lacks, but Palhinha is probably a bit one-dimensional and immobile for what the manager wants.
Forest v Villa promises to be an absolute banger. I keep saying this in blogs of this ilk, but I struggle to believe a team with a midfield of Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White can possibly go down. The problem they have today is Villa are really strong in that area – Onana and Tielemans will be in front of the back four, but McGinn, Barkley and Rogers and all drop in.
For that reason, I wonder if Forest’s likeliest route to goal is a set-piece, but I also fancy them down the flanks, where Aina and Williams, backing up Hutchinson and Hudson-Odoi, have a really good chance of mithering Cash and Digne.
So how do Spurs beat Sunderland? Well, that midfield offers a big clue: they must match their hosts for endeavour, running hard but also running smart. Otherwise, they’ve got to serve Solanke with crosses and cut-backs, while he must hit the front post and look for one-touch finishes. Otherwise, I quite like Richarlison in the air and, as Everton fans can testify, few are as adept as he at allaying relegation fears.
And there looks to be a more solid look about the side he’s sent out, with players in their natural positions. In particular, I like the legs in midfield, though I’m still concerned about where the goals might come from – none of the front three can reliably create for themselves, and there’s a lack of wingers and invention around and behind them.
All that said, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Spurs look, having had a couple of weeks to absorb new instructions. I very much doubt De Zerbi leaves things alone for fear of confusing them – I’d expect his instructions to be the pro forma, from now.
Email! “I know little to nothing about football tactics,” writes Niall Mullen, “but I think I can solve your ‘bait the press’ blues and maybe, in the process, become the greatest coach ever. My idea is that a player passes to another player, and then, using their athletic ability and spatial awareness, they run into a position beyond their teammate, who, using their skill, passes the ball back to them. This will take the opposing player out of action and get the ball rapidly up the field. I call this move the to-me-to-you aka the Chuckle Brothers’ triangle.”
That sounds far too basic.
Finally to Sunderland, where Robin Roefs is back in net, so Melker Ellborg drops out; otherwise, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo and Enzo Le Fee replace Lutsharel Geetruida, Trai Hume and Chemsidine Talbi.
Otherwise, De Zerbi uses Antonin Kinsky in goal, with Guglielmo Vicario still out, while in front of him, Djed Spence and Kevin Danso are replaced by Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, whose spot in midfield goes to Conor Gallagher; in midfield, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani replace Pape Matar Sarr and Mathys Tel.
At the City Ground, Vitor Pereiera picks the same side that beat Spurs last time out in the league; Elliot Anderson, suspended in Europe, returns to the starting XI, while Chris Wood, who started in midweek after missing most of the season, is on the bench.
As for Villa, Youri Tielemans starts in the league for the first time since the end of January – he played the full 90 in midweek – while Ezri Konsa is rested, Victor Lindelof coming in, and Ross Barkley taking the place of Emi Buendia.
Oliver Glasner makes five changes to the side which won so well against Fiorentina, and understandably so, with the return coming up in midweek. Out go Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Evann Guessand Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr; in come Jefferson Lerma, Will Hughes, Brennan Johnson, Yeremy Pino and Jorgen Strand-Larsen.
And Eddie Howe also makes changes, but his are more punitive than precautionary. Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade and Jacob Ramsey are benched, with Sandro Tonali, Lewis Miley. Malick Thiaw, Will Osula, Tino Livramento and Jacob Murphy promoted.
But before we do, news from Scotland: after Celtic and Hearts won yesterday, Rangers were in trouble, trailing Falkirt 2-0 after 26 minutes. But they’ve since hit a seam, scoring four times between 42 and 58, and now look certain to close the gap at the top.
Right, let’s dig into those teams…
Teams
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Muñoz, Lerma, Hughes, Mitchell,; Johnson, Pino; Strand-Larsen. Subs: Matthews, Benitez, Clyne, Sosa, Riad, Kamada, Wharton, Devenny, Sarr, Mateta.
Newcastle (4-3-3-): Ramsdale; Livramento, Botman, Thiaw, Hall; Miley, Joelinton, Tonali; Gordon, Osula, Murphy. Subs: Pope, Trippier, Wissa, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Willock, Burn, Ramsey
**
Nottingham Forest (4-3-3): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, William;, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Hutchinson, Jesus, Hudson-Odoi. Subs: Bakwa, Dominguez, McAtee, Ndoye, Netz, Ortega, Morato, Wood, Yates.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Barkley,Rogers; Watkins. Subs: Bailey, Abraham, Bizot, Bogarde, Buendia, Andres Garcia, Konsa, Maatsen, Douglas Luiz.
**
Sunderland (4-3-3): Roefs; Mukiele, O’Nien, Alderete, Reinildo; Xhaka, Sadiki, Diarra; Rigg, Brobbey, Le Fee. Subs: Ellborg, Hume, Geertruida, Cirkin, J. Jones, H. Jones, Talbi, Mayenda, Isidor.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher, Bergvall; Kolo Muani, Solanke, Richarlison. Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Danso, Palhinha, Xavi, Bissouma, Tel, Spence, Sarr.
Preamble
Generally speaking, I quite enjoy having ADHD, which I appreciate is a peculiar place to begin a Clockwatch. But one time I absolutely hate it is when I’m watching a Roberto De Zerbi team, knocking the ball about at the back backwards, forwards and side to side until the opposition lose the will to live and do exactly what they know he wants them to do, pressing his defenders just to get things moving. For those who struggle with impulsivity and sensation, frustration and concentration, this turns an antidote – football – into a poison – also football. Such is the beauty of the game.
And we can be certain that even the most inattentive, antsy and compulsive Spurs fan will be delighted to suffer such behaviour if it keeps them in the Premier League – a situation looking less likely by the day. If it’s not Mohammed Kudus suffering a setback it’s West Ham slapping Wolves, the cosmos seeming rounding on the club and with good reason; years of parsimony, arrogance and mismanagement have brought us to here, here being 13 in 2026 of which they’ve lost eight and drawn five, scoring 13 and conceding 27. Rarely, if ever, has a plight been so comprehensively earned.
Sunderland, on the other hand, have been a revelation, intelligent research allowing them to pick their perfect manager, then furnish him with the players he needs – the exact opposite of their visitors today. Safety secure, they dropped off a little towards the end of winter, but after completing their first league double over Newcastle in over a decade, they arrive at today’s match in carefree disposition.
If that was all we had this afternoon, it’d be plenty – dayenu, one might say – but it’s not even the half of things. At the City Ground, Nottingham Forest, two points and two places above Tottenham, entertain Aston Villa, in the hunt for a Champions League spot, with both sides coming off decent Europa results and a potential semi-final between the two on the horizon. It’s going to be a helluva ruckus.
Meantime, at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace, also pursuing European glory in the Conference, meet Newcastle, with Eddie Howe’s position under serious threat. Another defeat to follow that derby embarrassment, and he’s ten to gone – so somewhere else to focus for those less than thrilled by De Zerbi’s tipping and tapping.
Kick-offs: 2pm BST
