Latest news with #PapeMatarSarr
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tottenham player ratings vs Manchester United: Micky van de Ven commanding as Spurs win Europa League
Tottenham Hotspur were crowned Europa League champions after a scrappy 1-0 win over Manchester United here in Bilbao. Brennan Johnson bundled home the only goal of a low-quality final on 42 minutes, meeting Pape Matar Sarr's cross with help from Luke Shaw's arm. The closest United came to an equaliser was a Rasmus Hojlund header spectacularly hooked off the line by Micky van de Ven. Spurs defended resolutely through the final 25 minutes and held on to win a first European trophy in 41 years. Here's how we rated the Spurs players at San Mames... Guglielmo Vicario 8 Stepped up when needed, drawing a fine, one-handed save from Alejandro Garnacho and saving from Shaw in stoppage-time. Otherwise unconvincing, and fumbed a high ball which led to a huge chance for Hojlund, only for van de Ven to clear spectacularly. Pedro Porro 7 His delivery from open play and set pieces was always a threat in a game conscipuously lacking good technicians. Cristian Romero 8 Outstanding in another final, sweeping up United's attacks and setting the tone with his aggression. He was lucky, though, that Bruno Fernandes headed wide after he was drawn out of defence in the second half. Micky van de Ven 9 Saved a certain goal when he leapt to clear Hojlund's header from the goal-line. Composed and commanding at the back again. Destiny Udogie 7 Amad Diallo stretched him down the right but he made a crucial tackle to deny the winger in a dangerous position in the second half and was an outlet on the counter. Rodrigo Bentancur 7 Kept it simple at the base of midfield. The Uruguayan has been one of Postecoglou's most trusted lieutenants during this European campaign. Yves Bissouma 8 Mopped upped in front of the back four impressively and occasionally opened up the game with his passing. Pape Matar Sarr 7 He was under pressure to provide some creativity and delivered with the cross for the opening goal. Brennan Johnson 8 Claimed the opening goal, as well he might after a dart to the near post. Unsettled Shaw from the off with his pressing and direct running. Dominic Solanke 7 Starved of proper service but did his bit to occupy United's back three, especially Harry Maguire, allowing Spurs to profit from the second balls. Richarlison 8 Worked tirelessly for the team in an excellent, selfless display from the left, justifying his selection ahead of Heung-min Son. Subs Heung-min Son (Richarlison 67') 6 Largely played a defensive role, as Spurs held on to see out the win. Kevin Danso (Johnson 79') 7 Enable Spurs to move to a back five for the final 10 minutes plus stoppages and made a couple of important interventions. Archie Gray (Sarr 90') 6 Provided fresh legs for stoppage-time and deserved an appearance after his efforts this term. Djed Spence (Udogie 90') 6 Filled in at left-back for stoppage-time and was disciplined. Not used: Austin, Whiteman, Tel, Odobert, Davies, Scarlett, Moore, Ajayi.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why was Brennan Johnson credited with Tottenham's winning goal?
Brennan Johnson will go down in history as the winning goalscorer in Tottenham Hotspur 's Europa League triumph - even though it appeared that Manchester United defender Luke Shaw got the final touch. Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought and delivered success as they defeated Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao. The final was low of quality, with the winning goal proving a fitting end to a scrappy affair. Tottenham won't care, though, with their winning moment coming shortly before half time. Pape Matar Sarr's cross from the right was met by Johnson though the forward's touch went straight into Shaw and bounced towards the line. Johnson made a second attempt to force the ball over the line and swung his leg as it bobbled past Andre Onana. Replays did not show that Johnson made a meaningful touch, but the forward was credited with the goal by Uefa. 'I knew I touched it,' Johnson told TNT Sports when asked if he knew whether he got the final touch. 'And then I looked up because I didn't catch it clean. The ball was trickling in the goal and then... I can't describe the feeling.' Tottenham had lost their last three finals without scoring, so Johnson is the first Spurs player to score in a cup final since Jonathan Woodgate score in the League Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2008 "I'm so happy right now,' Johnson added. 'This season has not been good at all, not one of us players care about that now. This team has not won a trophy for 17 years, it means so much. "All the fans get battered, we get battered for not winning a trophy. We had to get the first one, I'm so happy. Ever since I came here it has been 'Tottenham, good team but can't get it done', but we got it done. "Tottenham Hotspur being 17th in the Premier League is not good enough. We had an unbelievable Europa run. The fans have been so good, home and away and they had the edge over the United fans. They were all here an hour before the game, they got us through the game."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three ways Tottenham could line up without Dejan Kulusevski in Europa League final
The news every Tottenham supporter was dreading arrived on Wednesday with the club's announcement that Dejan Kulusevski's knee surgery will rule him out of next week's season-defining Europa League final against Manchester United. Kulusevski has been off the boil since returning from a foot injury last month but, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall already sidelined, Spurs will be without a creative midfielder for their biggest game since 2019. Pape Matar Sarr is the favourite to deputise at No10, as he did with limited impact in the 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace last weekend, but Ange Postecoglou has said he is considering "creative ways" to solve his side's creativity problem and suggested he will experiment in Friday's Premier League game at Aston Villa. The head coach has played down the chances of anything "radical", such as a completely new system, but said he could make a "positional change", suggesting someone could be in a new role in Bilbao to help fill the void at No10. The game at Villa Park should offer some clues as to Postecoglou's thinking but here are three possible solutions to solve Spurs' creative shortage. Wilson Odobert played the final half-hour against Palace as an auxiliary No10 and did... OK. The Frenchman did not exactly change the course of a one-sided game but he linked play smartly on a couple of occasions, made a chance for Heung-min Son and saw a low shot blocked. Odobert is yet to make a major impact for Spurs during an injury-hit first season at the club but he has played as a No10 before and, on paper at least, is a more exciting option than Sarr, who is a runner rather than an inventor. Postecoglou, though, appeared to play down the chances of Odobert starting centrally, saying after the Palace game that his deployment at No10 was a case of "needs must". So how about Son? The South Korean has almost never played as a 10 before but his dribbling and shooting ability may worry United. If, however, Son is deemed fully fit in Bilbao, it would be strange if Postecoglou did not deploy one of his most experienced and impactful players in his preferred position from the left wing. Possible XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma, Odobert; Johnson, Son, Solanke. Switching to 4-4-2 may not count as the kind of "radical" change that Postecoglou is unwilling to consider, largely because the head coach effectively used a front two in the semi-final decider against Bodo/Glimt. With Spurs protecting a two-goal lead from the first leg, Richarlison pushed closer to centre-forward and Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson tucked in from the right wing, with Spurs defending with a compact midfield diamond. In Norway, Kulusevski played as an advanced midfielder but Postecoglou could try a variation of the approach against United, with Solanke and Richarlison as high-pressing forwards and the full-backs and wingers providing the service. Both strikers can link play and hold up the ball, so there is potentially genuine merit in the system, which was effective against Glimt (who were admittedly limited opposition). However, with Richarlison better suited to pulling left, it may be hard to fit Son into this system from the off, and leaving out Spurs' captain and a credible match-winner would be an enormous call from Postecoglou. Possible XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Johnson, Bentancur, Sarr, Bissouma; Richarlison, Solanke. Asked on Thursday about playing Solanke or even right-back Pedro Porro in midfield, Postecoglou insisted "all options" were still on the table. And Porro is, after all, the best progressive passer now available to the manager, underlined by his excellent assist for Maddison in the first leg of the semi-final against Glimt (he also scored in the decider in Norway, although that was surely a mishit cross). Pushing Porro higher up the pitch, into a middle three or the right of a four-man midfield, may be a means of Spurs being more dangerous and expansive in the attacking third. Ultimately, though, there is little to suggest that Porro would be able to replicate his creativity from right-back in a new role (just ask Gareth Southgate and Trent Alexander-Arnold), so this seems the most far-fetched solution of the three. A better bet would be to ensure that Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma offer Porro plenty of cover to get forward, ensuring he is not bogged down with defensive responsibilities and can concentrate on trying to hurt United with his delivery. Possible XI: Vicario; Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bissouma, Porro; Johnson, Son, Solanke.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou offers first look at new tactic ahead of Europa League final
Tottenham will go into Wednesday's Europa League Final against Manchester United on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa after suffering a 21st Premier League defeat of the season on Friday night. With full focus firmly on Europe, Ange Postecoglou named a weakened XI against Unai Emery's side and second-half goals from Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara boosted Villa's Champions League hopes. Here are three Spurs talking points from the game... With Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall all ruled out of Bilbao through injury, Pape Matar Sarr appears the likeliest pick to deputise in an advanced midfield role against United. So Postecoglou's decision to withdraw the Senegalese for Yves Bissouma in the 51st minute here was no great surprise, with Sarr seemingly being saved for a prominent role in the Final. But Sarr did not take up his place on the bench after being substituted and instead walked (a little gingerly) straight down the touchline and into the tunnel, ominously flanked by a member of Spurs' medical staff. It was an alarming sight for Spurs fans and Postecoglou, given the lengths the manager had taken to avoid injuries ahead of Wednesday. In fact, Sarr was one of just two players in Postecoglou's XI who would appear to have a realistic chance of starting against United, along with Heung-min Son. Asked for an update after the game, Postecoglou said: "Pape felt something in his back, we don't think it's anything significant having spoken to him, but we'll see." Even so, Spurs will now face an anxious wait to discover if Spurs is their latest midfield to suffer an injury at the worst possible time. The biggest takeaway for Spurs is that Son appeared to come through his first start since April 10 unscathed and produced a couple of trademark runs down the left. This was not Son at his explosive and clinical best but the South Korean showed enough here to suggest that he deserves to start the Final. Another big takeaway was in Postecoglou's selections. Defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all sat out entirely, which means they will go into the Final having not played in a fortnight since the semi-final decider against Bodo/Glimt. The decision not to pick them was risk-averse, but sending them into such a big game cold is arguably a gamble in itself. There may also have been some clues in Postecoglou's set up, which was effectively a compact 4-4-2, with Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert in a front two and Son and Mikey Moore as wingers. That suggests Postecoglou could be preparing to mitigate for the absence of his three most creative midfielders with a tweak to his system against United, when Richarlison could play up top with Dominic Solanke, with Son and Brennan Johnson either side of Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur. Back-up goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky's last appearance at Villa Park in February saw the end of the young Czech's promising run in the team. In a 2-1 defeat for Spurs in the FA Cup, Kinsky made a mistake inside a minute to concede to Jacob Ramsey and looked jittery, suggesting his initial form after arriving from Slavia Prague in January had been overblown. But the 21-year-old was impressive on his return to this ground, in spite of conceding twice, making outstanding saves either side of half-time to deny Ollie Watkins. Even more impressive was his command of his area and distribution, and he set Odobert clear in the second half with a throw, only for the forward to take a heavy touch. Plainly, Kinsky is not going to start ahead of Guglielmo Vicario on Wednesday but if he continues to play like this when he is called upon, he could put pressure on the Italian next season.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Ange Postecoglou confirms huge Tottenham injury blow for Europa League final
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Lucas Bergvall will be absent from the Europa League final at a press conference on the eve of the clash with Manchester United. The midfielder has been missing since the end of April due to a significant ankle ligament injury and missed the semi-final victory over Bodo/Glimt. He was initially ruled out for the rest of the season but travelled with the Tottenham squad to Bilbao and was seen in training with the team. Despite hopes of a last minute return, Bergvall lacks match fitness and won't be involved in the game confirmed Postecoglou. The Tottenham boss said: "Team news is pretty much the same as last week. Lucas [Bergvall] isn't available so it's pretty much the same as last week." Bergvall will be a big miss for Tottenham after impressing in his breakthrough season at the club. The 19-year-old has only provided two assists in the Europa League this term but his impact in the middle of the pitch, winning possession, transitioning forward and tracking back has made him a favourite of Postecoglou's. However, there was a slight boost to Spurs as Pape Matar Sarr, another midfield injury doubt, was confirmed to be fit after he was taken off early against Aston Villa in the Premier League last Friday. Postecoglou has the opportunity to lead Tottenham to their first trophy since 2008 when his team take on Man Utd in Bilbao tomorrow but after their terrible Premier League campaign - they are 17th with one match left to play - rumours abound that the Australian will be sacked regardless of Wednesday's result. When asked for his thoughts on those rumours Postecoglou added: 'It doesn't matter really. The reality of it is, the opportunity is the same. For me and more importantly for the club. "Whatever happens beyond tomorrow is irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now and that is to provide something special for this football club, its supporters and everyone that has worked so hard for a trophy. I'm pretty good at ensuring my focus is on giving this football club its best opportunity that it has had for a while to do something special.
