Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United

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Sunday 2nd May 7.15pm
Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium​

An extremely disappointing final has essentially ended an equally disappointing season.
There are still European places up for grabs though, so Ryan Mason needs to get the team back up for games.
We have five matches left and we need to at least maintain our current position, if not better it.
Sheffield United are already well, well relegated, but they won their last game and will want to build on that.
Can Mason make an impact with the few chances that he has left or will the Blades make us blunt?

Last season was a very impressive one for Chris Wilder's men and it surprised virtually everyone.
Their unusual style and endless graft kept them clear of the expected relegation battle completely.
Europe looked on the cards for a large chunk of the year and they were in 7th before the lockdown.
Their form wasn't as impressive after that break though, which resulted in a still-impressive 9th place finish.
Fans were hopeful that they would build on this for the next season and push on. It was not to be.

An opening day loss to Wolves at home, where they failed to score, set the tone for the campaign.
It took until January for them to get their first league win and they picked up only 2 points from the first 17 games.
Those are still the only two matches that they've drawn, though they have managed five wins overall.
Wilder was replaced in March by ex-Barnsley, Hibs and Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom.
It's unfair to judge him this early, but his appointment wasn't well received by the fans.

This fixture was another in our long list of controversial ones last time out.
They were much the better team on the day and created a number of chances before going behind.
Son's shot was deflected through the keeper's legs to give us a second half lead.
They thought they'd equalised soon after, but VAR ruled it out for a marginal offside in the buildup.
Baldock did pull them level with about ten minutes left, as Dier deflected it beyond Lloris:

The visit to their place this season came just after they'd picked up their first win, rather typically.
We did our usual thing of starting well, taking the lead and then easing off and allowing the opposition back.
Aurier opened the scoring from an early corner, after plenty of pressure and a couple of chances.
Son hit the post and we missed other chances before Kane made it 2-0 with the break looming.
McGoldrick netted to make it nervy, but Ndombele quickly restored the gap with a fantastic finish:

No injury news yet, but it seems likely that Doherty and Davies miss out again.
McBurnie, O'Connell, Sharp and Basham are out for the visitors, while Berge and Robinson may return.
Neither side has any suspensions.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso; Bale, Moura, Son.
Subs: Hart, Sanchez, Tanganga, Winks, Sissoko, Lamela, Alli, Bergwijn, Vinicius.
League form: LWDLDW.

Sheffield Utd: Ramsdale; Baldock, Bryan, Egan; Bogle, Fleck, Norwood, Stevens; Osborn; McGoldrick, Brewster.
Subs: Foderingham, Ampadu, Gordon, Jagielka, Lowe, Brunt, Lundstram, Mousset, Burke.
League form: LLLLLW.

Ref: Andre Marriner. VAR: Peter Bankes.

TV: Sky Sports.

How would you like to line up for this one and what would you change from the City game?
Would you stick with much of the same lineup, make a few changes or go for a wholesale switch?
Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Sheffield United to go with?

 

Just thinking...has Ndombele done anything of note since that goal against Sheff Utd?

Answers on a postage stamp.

 

A bunch of gifable passages of play?

 

Pretty much. Couple of pirouettes here, couple of stepovers there.

He assisted a goal against Newcastle. That's literally it.

1 assist 0 goals in 15 games.

Superb signing.

 

I'm pretty sure I said it at the weekend, but he's become the epicenter of the Lunatic fringe's unhinged takes based on the last week

After the Southampton match: "Look at him strolling about in midfield when we don't have the ball, get the lazy fecker out of MY CLUB"
After the Season Killer Cup Final: "Why didn't he play? He's Modric, Huddlestone and Carrick rolled into one, get Mason out of MY CLUB"

It's almost as if they don't know what they're shouting about, but they have to shout regardless...

 

Mason was 100% right in dropping him and 100% wrong in playing Winks instead.

 

I mean, he had to play one of them...

 

Only Davies out, apparently.

 

Wow, the "ENIC out" mob soon melted away.

 

He's still more likely to play than Vini, though...

 

Kyle Walker

 

So the biggest test will be trying to find the starting xi...

 

Kyle Naughton
Michael Brown
Roger Nilsen

 

Yeah, you definitely looked that up!

 

Nope. Strange but true: I was at WHL for his only start for us. A 1-1 draw with Newcastle. At the time that was regarded as a good result. Nilsen played CB alongside the Traitor.

 

I have forgotten both of those players...

 

Will the delayed start at OT have any impact on our match? Presumably there is some broadcasting rule that says the matches can't overlap (or perhaps there isn't). We will soon be going into overlap time.

 

I think the rule by Sky is any game between Saltypool and manure will take precedence over any other football match , state funeral or alien invasion

 

I’m happy if they wanted to postpone our game too. Can postpone* the season if they like.


*cancel