please log in to view this image Saturday 14th September 3pm Premier League Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Another international break is out of the way and we're back to our rather mixed league campaign. We go from one South London team to another, as we welcome back the side that opened our new stadium. The need to get back to winning ways is clear and our visitors are sure to make it a tough task. Palace have been playing well for a while under Hodgson and can be very difficult to break down. Will a rejuvenated Pochettino inspire the troops or will weary legs disappoint after their travels? Roy Hodgson's first full season at Selhurst Park started badly, but picked up dramatically towards the end. A few rough patches had them eyeing the relegation battle early on and it continued until the end of January. The last 15 games saw them win 8, draw 3 and lose only 4 though, as they found a successful formula. 3 of those 4 losses came to us, City and Utd too, making their run particularly impressive. The close season saw them lose one of their better players and significantly trim the squad. A poor pre-season will have worried some, but their additions seem sensible and they've started well. A respectable draw at Goodison opened the campaign, but it was followed by a loss to Sheffield United. They've bounced back since, winning at Old Trafford late on, before beating ten-man Villa. Defeat to Colchester in the League Cup may suggest depth issues, though. Last season's home game was the aforementioned christening of the stadium. The day won't really be remembered for the match, but it was a tense and testing one. We dominated possession, territory and chances, while Palace were composed and resilient. Son finally broke the deadlock about ten minutes after the break, as his shot deflected into the net. Eriksen added a second late on, as Kane was taken down in the box and it fell kindly to the Dane: The trip to Selhurt Park was a similar grind, as the November gloom tipped Palace towards the drop. We found chances difficult to come by and Trippier was forced off due to injury early on, limiting our options. An injury for Palace seemed to turn the game in the second half though, as Tomkins left the field on the hour. The former West Ham man had been very strong at the back and his absence allowed Juan Foyth to score. The Argentinian gave away two penalties earlier in the week at Wolves, so it clearly meant a lot to him: Lo Celso, Foyth and Sanchez are all unavailable due to injury. Ndombele, Sessegnon, Walker-Peters and Dier are all training with the squad and will be assessed. Kelly is out for the visitors, while Tomkins and Dann face late tests. Neither side has any suspensions. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Lloris; Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Sissoko, Winks; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Kane. Subs: Gazzaniga, Aurier, Davies, Skipp, Lo Celso, Alli, Moura. Palace: Guaita; Ward, Kelly, Cahill, van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate; Zaha, Ayew, Schlupp. Subs: Hennessey, Sakho, McCarthy, Camarasa, Meyer, Townsend, Benteke. Referee: Craig Pawson. VAR: Jonathan Moss. TV: Not televised. How would you like to line up for this one and what would you change from the Arsenal game? Would you return Aurier to the starting lineup or try someone else at right-back? Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Palace to go with?
I suggested that we should be hosting these conferences ourselves and now we are. The club should also give me a million pounds...
Sounds like there are quite a few late fitness tests to be had, but provisionally I'd go with: Hugo Aurier Toby Jan Davies Goat Tanguy Son Eriksen Alli Kane Subs: Gazza, Dier, Rose, Winks, Lamela, Sess, Parrott.
Hopefully Townsend still has a few more floodlight-botherers to get out of his system before the one inevitable thunderbastard...
So Zaha FC become the first team to make a return visit to the new WHL. They will be gutted that Trippier is acting like a jilted love island wannabe in Madrid rather that giving them a laugh with another inept performance. However Aurier is available as a ready made comic replacement. Fortunately no one signed Eriksen so he is available to sit on the bench until the 65th minute before coming on and emphatically not changing the game. Ndombele and Sessegnon are available for selection as is Dele so we can at least have some other options on the bench to come on when we are not creating any chances. Zaha is clearly in love with Palace and feels he owes it to the fans to repay their loyalty towards him since he returned from United and will only leave to play in the CL ... unless a CL club do not come calling...in which case he wants to join his boyhood club, Arsenal in the EL... unless they don't have their highest bid of £4.20 and a pack of monster munch accepted... in which case he will put in s transfer request to go to Everton... You just can not buy loyalty like this! We have only won 1 out of our last 5 matches at home...failing to score in 3 of them...losing 3...and only scoring 5 goals and conceding 6. Not so much a fortress as a three little pigs straw house We have concede first or gone behind in 9 out of our last 10 matches so Pochettino's tactic is to pretend we are one down and only have 20 minutes left to play. Palace's main tactic will be to give the ball to our midfielders so they csn try and win it back as we go back towards our own goal. The smart money is on Pochettino being sacked and going to join Madrid or United or Juventus or Chelsea or PSG or Dortmund so me and my daughters are prepared for Benteke's annual goal and Andros's biannual thunderbolt that misses the floodlights and nestles in the back of the net.
Will never forget that Dele goal. Got tickets for that game and was right in line with him as he took the shot. Probably best goal I’ve seen live. Just had everything... skill, outrageous audacity and the shot to finish it off.