Ange Postecoglou insists he will relish the prospect of taking injury-hit Tottenham to Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend.
Spurs make the trip to the Etihad on a three-match losing run and with their list of absentees into double figures with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur among those sidelined.
Tottenham boast a good record against Pep Guardiola’s City with five wins from their last eight meetings, but that has come from playing a more pragmatic style compared to Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy.
Even with a growing injury list, the Australian is not about to ditch his possession-based, front-foot tactics any time soon despite a seemingly daunting visit to last season’s treble-winners.
“It’s always a challenge playing against City or any team Pep manages. You love that, you relish that, that’s the arena you want to be in, measuring yourself against the very best,” Postecoglou stated.
“Yeah, great if things were a bit smoother for us but it is what it is and I still think during this period for us, even last week, there were moments in the game when we played some fantastic football.
“We’ve got to crack on, we’ve got to get on with it. We can’t take our eyes off what we’re trying to achieve here. For me that’s always paramount to everything I do, every decision I make.
“Every time we put a team out there it’s about us becoming the team we want to become. Through that process there’s going to be some challenges, as there is now, some tough times and you just have to stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve.
“For me these are the important times because this will show what kind of football team we want to be. You can sort of shy away, say we have injuries, we’re playing Man City away but you’re either going to be a club that tries to knock off the big clubs or you are a big club. You are one or the other.
“My hope and my ambition for this club is to make it a big club and to do that you have to be successful and win things. To win things you have to have a plan, stick to it and believe in it.”
Postecoglou confirmed that Bentancur is set for a “couple of months” on the treatment table with a torn ankle ligament sustained in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
While disappointed for the Uruguay international, Postecoglou has been impressed by his attitude after only returning from an ACL injury last month.
He added: “We’re still getting some information, but it’ll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least.
“Talking to him yesterday, he’s such a positive guy. If it was me I’d be a hell of a lot grumpier around the place.
“He’s got a really positive outlook. He knows that he’s been through a tough time and now he’s got to go through a shorter tough time but he also knows that, and he felt it when he was out there, that he hasn’t lost anything as a footballer.
“That’s the important thing. I think that’s given him the incentive to be back as quickly as possible and again make an impact for us.”
This week has also seen talk of sin bins being introduced in football after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) backed the idea that temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls could be implemented.
But Postecoglou responded: “Bin it mate, bin the whole idea. Just forget about it.”
Manchester United 3-0 Tottenham: Skinner's side stay perfect in WSL
Manchester United made light work of Tottenham as Marc Skinner's side continued their perfect start to the 2024-25 campaign with a 3-0 win.
Skinner's team moved level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Women's Super League thanks to goals from Elisabeth Terland and Maya Le Tissier on Sunday.
Terland, a summer signing from Brighton, opened her account for United with a quickfire double at the end of the first half at Leigh Sports Village.
The Norway international drilled in after Celin Bizet hit the crossbar, and the latter subsequently teed up Terland's second five minutes later.
United captain Le Tissier settled the contest from the penalty spot following Ashleigh Neville's handball just before the hour mark.
The Red Devils thrashed Spurs 4-0 in their last competitive meeting - the FA Cup final in May - and are now unbeaten in 11 WSL matches against them.
Indeed, this was their ninth win over Spurs in the competition, with United having only beaten Everton on as many occasions.
Data Debrief: United's pristine record
As well as picking up three wins from as many WSL matches, United are yet to concede a goal this season - the only team to have shut all of their opponents out so far.
Skinner continued his impressive record against Spurs, and is now unbeaten in his last eight meetings with them.
It has been a poor start for Spurs, meanwhile. After beating Crystal Palace 4-0 in their opener, they are now winless in three (D1 L2). Only in 2020-21 (0) have Tottenham had one or fewer wins across their opening four top-flight matches of a campaign.
Cafu and Dida back Vinicius for Ballon d'Or
Vinicius Junior deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or, in the opinion of two Brazil greats.
Cafu and Dida were part of the Brazil squad that won the World Cup in 2002.
Vinicius was unable to inspire Brazil to glory at this year's Copa America, missing their quarter-final tie against Uruguay due to suspension, but has been in fine form for Real Madrid over the past 12 months.
And with neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo involved in the voting, there will be a new winner of the Ballon d'Or for the first time since Luka Modric collected the 2018 award.
Vinicius is among the favourites, and Cafu feels the award should go to the Madrid star.
"Yes, he deserves to win it, he’s had a great season," Cafu told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"The numbers he had last season were incredible. He deserves it for what he's done and what he will do in the future."
It was a sentiment echoed by Cafu's former national team-mate Dida.
He told Stats Perform: "Vinicius is a great kid, a great player, a top player. He did very well last year, he scored goals, he gave assists, that's why.
"If he wins, it's because he deserves to win it because he did very well, we hope he manages to win this Ballon d'Or."
Vinicius has directly contributed to 42 goals for Madrid in all competitions since the start of the 2023-24 season, scoring 28 times and laying on 14 assists.
Robert Lewandowski is the only player to have played for a Spanish club across all of that time to have registered more direct goal contributions (49 - 31 goals, 18 assists).
No player in Europe's top five leagues comes close to matching Vinicius for attempted dribbles (366), though the 24-year-old ranks seventh for dribbles completed (141).
Maldon High makes history as daCosta Cup second round takes shape
Maldon High secured their first-ever spot in the second round of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup football competition after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Green Pond High on Saturday at the Granville Community Centre. The result marked a significant milestone for Maldon, who will now advance to the second round along with six other teams, leaving only the best third-placed teams to be decided on Monday.
In a thrilling conclusion to their Zone A return game, Garth-Dane Bromwell gave Green Pond the lead in the 85th minute, putting them on course for back-to-back wins and a place in the second round for the first time since 2019. However, Maldon struck late to level the game and secure their historic qualification.
Defending champions Clarendon College also advanced from Zone H despite a 1-2 loss to Denbigh High, who avenged their earlier defeat and joined Clarendon in the second round. Denbigh’s victory was only their second-ever win over the multiple-time champions, further shaking up the group standings. Central High took the lead in Zone H after a 3-2 win over Lennon High, with Clarendon College now in second and Denbigh following closely in third, all with one game remaining.
Former champions Frome Technical, Rusea’s High, and St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) also secured their places in the next round. Stevaughn Spence was the star for Frome, netting a hat-trick in their 3-0 win over Anchovy High, which moved them to 23 points in Zone B. Rusea’s joined them in advancing after a narrow 1-0 victory over Green Island High.
STETHS ended their Zone E campaign on a high note, defeating early qualifiers Munro College 2-1 at the STETHS Sports Complex to claim their spot in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, Glenmuir High, early qualifiers from Zone I who won their first eight games, stumbled with a second consecutive loss, falling 1-2 to Garvey Maceo High. This marked the first time in more than two seasons that Glenmuir has lost back-to-back matches.
In Zone D, Manning’s School continued their dominant form, winning their eighth straight game with a resounding 6-0 victory over Grange Hill High. Gregory Phillips led the way with four goals, while Keandre Ellis and Zachry Clarke added one each, completing a dominant performance.
As the daCosta Cup second round approaches, excitement continues to build, with several powerhouse teams and emerging contenders ready to battle it out for the coveted title.
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