Tottenham’s missing piece, Newcastle frustration with Brennan Johnson and Radu Dragusin’s impact

The result is a gut punch (again) but I can't be mad at the 3 performances on the whole. Very confident we're going to have a good season

Projects do take time. This is the first time I've had to take a break from X. I'm genuinely bemused by how many fans are already having meltdowns after 3 GAMES! Anyway thanks for the video Ali. I'm still really happy with Ange and can see so many improvements. Onwards and upwards.

I'm not about knocking Young players but if theyre not ready to start theyre are not ready. But i feel Odobert wasnt ready and was partly to blame for the reason we didnt get three points. We can't sugar coat this, he had some golden chances in that first half. maybe he'll become good but the damage is done for now.

He's not the only one to blame Sonny and Kulu were both poor. BJ came on and was done really well, so not sure why he's getting stick again.

Had written this reply to someone that deleted their message. Enjoy.

When I see comments about how many more positions should have been brought in, I wonder who are your viable arrivals in those positions? Rarely any names. I am interested if you would do anything to get that player in each position and whether you would do the same for the 2nd/3rd option etc Also how you would handle the squad requirements.

I personally don’t think Levy is saying no to someone Lange and Postecoglu is asking for. What would be happening, if anything, is that personal terms and club terms could not be met.

Hard not to go into pecking orders (Sorry Ange), you would be trying to sign a fourth CB (who will see three players ahead and two/three youngsters under contract), trying to force Richarlison out the door (refused Saudi move), finding a backup LB who can invert or play another position like CB and a backup goalkeeper (would you have paid €30m for Joan Garcia?).

This is the extra business people are asking for on top of what has been done over the last year. The departures are a hugely underrated piece and nearly completed as quickly as possible. Wanting more and getting it done the way Lange and Postecoglu want to, are two different things.

Take a look at the goals Werner used to score at his peak at Leipzig.

Spurs had a lot of possession but if you look at the stats. Newcastle had a higher xG and created more clear cut chances.

53:00 That’s not what happened. Son did not ask Postecoglou to decide who takes the free kicks at all… Bissouma, Porro, and Maddison were fighting over it and Son was calming down Bissouma when Postecoglou called out to him on his own.

Thanks Ali! Level headed and sports fans don't go well together. We are on the right path, but we are chasing teams years into their programs and with the title clout to recruit 4 deep in a role without players turning away. There is no fast, and that is why we've failed the last few managers. Everyone wants a trophy and we haven't even started all competitions yet. Thank you for the calm response.

Might as well play micky as a DM if we wanna play ange ball
We need a proper DM if we wanna stop conceding stupid goals

Thanks Ali appreciate your videos especially after a defeat like that

I understand Odebert is new to the system. But I find Son (as a winger) doesn’t run to back post enough either.

What better way for Solanke to announce himself to Spurs fans than scoring in a North London derby win? Thanks again Alasdair.😊

Nothing has changed.

Today I will be Ali Gold's TLDR and summary bot 🙂

TLDR – Seeing a lot of positives in the first three games, despite the scorelines. Better things will come once we have a FIT dedicated striker back on the pitch. General squad fitness should improve after international break. Favorite quote of the video – "Need to turn domination into obliteration".

0:00 – Some general frustrations about the outcome of the game. General irritation about the result rather than anger and embarrassment. "Football is weird!" Lots of positives, but also some negatives.

2:00 – "Solanke would have finished that off". Alasdair is certain that having a striker we would have finished all the chances created in the box. Reviews Solanke stats. Goes over the drilling that Spurs have been going through where we "don't even look up and ping the ball across the edge of the 6 yard box", and a striker should be there.

6:00 – Review of current injuries of Spurs strikers and general uptick in hamstring injuries. Also, apparently Richy didn't have many injures while at Everton. Only missed 15 games over 4 years. Lankshear expected to be back by the international break.

9:30 – Unpopular opinion – Gold has seen "more positives things in the first 3 matches of the season" than he's seen across the entire second half of last season.

12:00 – Review of game. Performance was light years better than previous trips to SJP. Newcastle might be in a weird place, but having the 12th player at home helped. Spurs 66% possession, 415 passes to Newcastle's 180, 20 shots to 9. Unfortunately, all we will remember is the scoreline. Gold has happy to see Spurs "have a shot" when we couldn't find a way through the low block.

19:20 – Defense. Prep seemed to revolve around turning as a group and dealing with high balls. Set pieces are getting better. Montgomery having a positive impact. Weaker in the air players are picking up midfielders. Big guys are marking big guys. Dragusin height helped in the air.

24:00 – Dragusin. Really good game. Remember his age (22), still a lot of time to improve. Also, he chose Spurs over the likes of Bayern Munich and whatnot. Two great slide tackles in the game, although one could have been a penalty. 4 clearances, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 blocked shot. 86% pass success rate from 44 attempts. Good passing efforts in general. Ange thought he did well and stayed concentrated. Romero on the left not as good as when on the right.

29:00 – Romero still looks like a player that got to training late. He's still not as sharp as he could be. His decision making looks a bit tired. 2 tackles, 2 clearances, 1 blocked shot. Romero's movement on the second goal seemed a bit desynched. Not sure if he was trying to play the offsides. Romero unfortunately involved in all goals scored against Spurs this season. He needs to show more consistency, but international break should be good for him if he doesn't get injured.

33:50 – Midfield – Above average. Biss looked pretty good. Maybe a little tired towards the end of the game. Still building up his fitness. Angeball system requires good fitness. Madisson looked pretty good form most of the game. Had some great chances, looking more like the Madisson of start of last season.

38:30 – Porro and Udogie – Porro was very busy. 4 tackles, 2 interceptions 2 clearances. Porro had a great preseason and looks to be in good fitness. Udogie looks not as sharp as he should be. Still recovering from the injury (mentally and physically). As our defense's fitness improves, we should see great improvement in conceding less goals.

43:30 – Brennan Johnson. Feels sorry for him because he seems to have become the scapegoat. His 50m price tag at 22 weighs a lot on him. However, he is delivering exactly what Ange is asking, but occasionally needs a bit of a kick or some time on the bench. Social media criticism has been pretty bad, and he has limited his use of it. Ali thinks that Johnson needs some more confidence, and the social media isn't helping. Johnson always looks strong when he comes back from the bench. Ali believes that Johnson will become the chief creator for Solanke, will be a key player.

54:00 – Attackers had a good game, although Son's position was a bit undefined – really belongs more on the left. Talked about a heatmap from previous games where none of our front players really showed up in the opposition box. Odobert needs to get used to the new system. Kulu had good stats as well, but the attackers just need a striker in the middle. This would change the entire dynamic of the game.

57:00 – "Need to turn domination into obliteration". Lots of games coming after international break, lots of opportunities to score and win games. "It will come". Ali expected this season to be the reverse of last season in terms of performance. Feels the squad IS stronger than last year.

1:02:00 – Few more outgoings expected because other leagues are still in their transfer windows. Sergio Reguilon not a part of Ange’s plan.

1:04:30 – Not a lot of players left at the training ground during international break. Ange needs to register Europa League squad by Sept 3rd. Current numbers dictate that Reguillon + one other can't be included. Ali thinks it's Forrester.

1:07:15 – NLD coming up. Gooners without Rice is a help. We should hopefully have Richy and Solanke back by then. Toughest game all season. If we get a good result, this could be a great kick off point to a great season. If it's a loss, it will be tough.

1:10:00 – Ali sees more good in the first three games this season than in all the second half of last season. We need at least one striker to be fit. Spurs need to continue to back Ange. Ange oversees one of our biggest rebuilds in a long time. Every job Ange has been in there have been bumps along the way, but he's steered them in the right direction. That's part of the process. Let's stick to it and back the manager.

1:18:30 – "It's time for dinner." :). International break sucks.

You have to laugh at these "fans" who expect us to be as good as Man City after 3 windows.