Roberto De Zerbi: "I am not angry"
“I think for 60-65 minutes we play better than Newcastle,” says Tottenham’s head coach in an interview with Sky. “We had chances to score but we didn’t score and then after the goal we lost the distances. If you analyse the numbers of the game, we had more chances. We are not a team yet, we are improving a lot of things. The result is important but I am not angry. I think we are working well and we were unlucky today, especially for the result.”
Anthony Elanga: “Since Day One I feel like we’ve clicked,” says the Newcastle winger of his new head coach. “He spoke to me and he spoke to all the lads as well. We know what he expects from us and he pushes us every single day. I feel you can see in the performances that we really want to keep a clean sheet and pushing forward we have the speed and the quality to hurt teams. There’s a lot of external noise but we’ve got to focus on what we can do. We believe in ourselves, we believe in our qualities and all we can do now is just let our football do the talking really.”
Matthias Jaissle: “Incredible, I’m really proud,” says Newcastle’s head coach in an interview with Sky. “We are really proud as a club and coaching staff to see a team on the pitch delivering already on a high level the match plan but also totally committed to what we are doing. This is a good start so I’m really, really proud and it’s a moment to enjoy.”
On players following and understanding his match plan: “We did well also last week. This was another step in the right direction against a strong opponent with huge signings during the window. This was something we were aware of but how we handled that challenge was amazing.”
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Yoane Wissa: “Of course we lost so many players but the club worked well,” he told Sky. “It is challenging and we need players to step up, like me for instance. I didn’t play last year and now I have a chance to play. So many players have to step up and enjoy the challenge and with the fans behind us nobody can stop us.
“I am not injured and I feel confident now. I trust myself and I trust the manager and even though I didn’t play last year I have trained a lot with the players and they know my movements.
“Eddie Howe did a top job and the new manager [Matthias Jaissle] came with a new identity and that [first goal] is something we have been working on. Every part of the game we are really precise. He is a really dynamic manager, so we have to give everything and I think he is the best signing of Newcastle so far.”
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Nico Gonzalez: “It was amazing,” said Newcastle’s new midfield maestro in an interview with the BBC. “I have been four days here so it wasn’t easy for me to start but I am really happy for the work I have done and the team has done.
“The idea [in the second half] was the same but we made a few adjustments and were a little more aggressive on them. I think that this group has so much potential, we are really young and have so much space to improve and even today I felt like we kept on improving and feeling more comfortable and that is the way we need to keep going.”
On his precision pass to Amar Dedic for Newcastle’s opener: “It is something I spoke a lot about with the coach,” he says. “He wants me to see these kind of balls and I tried a few in the first half and the second half and we scored. It is something we have tried to work on. In the second half we said: ‘We have to keep doing this because it is really hard to defend these types of players’. I hope it gives us many more goals this season.”
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Newcastle United
Premier League match report: “If ever you wanted to understand the distinction between ‘winning the transfer market’ and winning an actual football match, then this was the game for you,” writes Paul MacInnes from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
An email: Seeing Sandro Tonali getting spun around by Elanga for the first goal and then playing Wissa onside for the second,” writes Tanay Padhi. “Oh to be a Newcastle fan today.” While I appreciate they will have loved it, as a Sunderland fan, can I say: let’s not go mad.
Tottenham Hotspur: Tottenham have now lost their last three top flight matches at home against Newcastle and are without a league goal after their opening two games of this season. It’s obviously not time to sound the crisis klaxon and while there’s little or no point in perusing the league table until 10 matches have been played, Arsenal and Hull City fans – among others – may enjoy clicking the link below.
Some correspondence: “After playing one match, it’s nice to see Arsenal three points and eight goals clear of Tottenham already,” writes Daniel Rice, who may be Declan in disguisse. “I’m almost glad they weren’t relegated last season.”
“Loving the Jaissle chest bumps,” writes Mags fan Chris Paraskevas from Down Under, where it’s way past everyone’s bedtime. “Nothing wrong with a bit of positive testosterone. Good to see some mongrel back into us. If nothing else, Elanga and Wissa look like completely different players. Even everyone’s favourite N’Sync backup dancer/ Car Yard Tube Man/Dude, Where’s My Car extra (Nick Woltemade) managed a positive attacking contribution. Can you believe Pedro Porro is a World Cup winner?”
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A word on Nico Gonzalez: He may only have arrived on Thursday but Nico Gonzalez was outstanding on his debut for Newcastle today. Matthias Jaissle had a clear plan to isolate Andy Robertson against Dedic and Elanga by attacking down the right flank with long balls pinged from deep by the Spaniard. Having tried it several times without success, the move led directly to Newcastle’s opening goal.
Yoane Wissa: “These fans, they are so lovely,” he says in an interview with Sky, gesturing towards an away end in which his wife and child are sitting. “They love their club, they love their players. What they want is for us to give them everything we have in our bodies. We try and it’s been difficult today but they never stopped singing, shouting. So today is for them today. Today is for them.”
Full time: Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle
It’s an outstanding result for Newcastle, who rode their luck in the first half before putting in a much better shift after the break to win courtesy of goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa. It’s two league defeats on the bounce for sorry Spurs, who were much improved from last weekend’s showing against Brentford but still contrived to lose from a position of almost total first-half dominance.
90+4 min: Toure wins a throw-in off Porro deep in Tottenham territory and then beams beatifically as the Tottenham defender jabbers in his ear at length trying to wind him up. Not today, Pedro. The referee blows the final whistle and Tottenham have been put to the Geordie sword for the third time in as many meetings at their own stadium.
90+2 min: Lewis Hall hacks clear from a yard out as Solanke tries to steer an Udogie pull-back home from close range. Newcaslte substituion: Bazoumana Toure on for Barnes.
90+1 min: Jacob Ramsey sends Harvey Barnes away on his bike with a weighted ball in behind but Kinsky is quick off his line to smother it at the winger’s feet.
90 min: Another cross from Fernandes but it’s too deep and sails out for a throw-in on the other side of the pitch. We’re into four minutes of add-ons.
87 min: Marmoush tries to guid a volley towards the corner of the Newcastle goal but doesn’t get enough welly behind his effort to trouble Hornicek.
86 min: The exodus from the stadium has begun in earnest, as home fans try to get a head start on the stampede down Seven Sisters Road towards the Underground station. Oh Spurs.
84 min: Spurs are huffing and puffing but appear to have run out of ideas beyond slinging cross after cross into the Newcastle box. As things stand, Bottman and Thiaw can head those away all night, albeit not as far as their absent captain Dan Burn.
Newcastle double-substitution: Jacobs Ramsey and Murphy replace the goalscorers, Elanga and Wissa.
80 min: Spurs corner. Porro sends a cross into the penalty area, where Botman rises to clear. Now it’s Kudus’s turn to send a cross into the box. His delivery hits a defender and he appeals for a penalty for handball. VAR aren’t interested.
78 min: Mateus Fernandes curls a cross into the Newcastle box but is unable to pick out a teammate. The visitors head clear.
76 min: While there’s time for them to turn this around, it has to be said that while there may be loads of expensive new clowns in the well-appointed Big Top, we’re seeing early signs that is the same old Spurs circus. In complete control of this game at half-time despite having squandered several good chances, they now find themselves two goals down and looking down the barrel of their second defeat of the season after two league games.
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75 min: Tottenham substitution: Sandro Tonali goes off to a chorus of boos and rude hand gestures from the away end and is replaced by Dom Solanke.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle (Wissa 73)
Lads, it’s Tottenham: From a corner, the ball’s floated to Woltemade at the far post. HIs downward header hits the ground and bounces up. Standing unmarked with his back to goal, Wissa gets down to hook the waist-high ball over his shoulder and past Kinsky into the Tottenham goal.
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71 min: Newcastle substitutions: Nick Woltemade and Sean Steur on for Willock and Gonzalez.
Tottenham substitutions: Mikey Moore, Mohammed Kudus and Destiny Udogie on for Robertson, Gray and Tel.
67 min: While Tottenham haven’t been as dominant in the second half as they were in the first, it would be fair to say that goal has come against the run of play. Spurs get a chance to restore parity with a free-kick in a good position straight in front of goal but after a long wait, Mathys Tel’s effort is dismal.
64 min: Nico Gonzalez picked out Dedic with a brilliant diagonal pass from deep and the right-back knocked the ball into the path of Elanga’s run with a neat header. Newcastle’s winger turned Tonali with aplomb before unleashing a low shot that went in … eventually. That’s the Swede’s second league goal in as many league games – and two more than he scored in the top flight last season.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Newcastle (Elanga 62)
Crikey! Anthony Elanga scores with a low shot that goes in off the foot of the far post after rolling along the goalline.
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60 min: A promising and largely unopposed cross-field run from Omar Marmoush ends with the Spurs debutant sending a dipping diagonal effort flashing just wide of the far post.
58 min: Mateus Fernandes plays a lovely weighted pass in behind for Gray to chase but the Spurs right-back doesn’t have the legs to beat both Botman and Thiaw, who gets across to give his teammate a helping hand.
56 min: Porro clears the set-piece, putting the ball out for a throw-in, which Lewis Hall takes, combining with Willock down by the corner. As the duo try to work the ball into the box, Willock is penalised for a foul on somebody or other and Spurs get to clear their lines.
54 min: Sven Botman tries his luck with a low shot from a long way out. The ball goes out for a corner off Rodrigo Bentancur.
52 min: Tonali is penalised after catching Elanga on the side of the head with his arm as the former teammates contested the ball. He avoids a booking because there was no real aggression on his part.
51 min: There’s hesitation from Kinsky and a loose ball rolls towasrds the byline with Tottenham’s goalkeeper in no-man’s land. Despite his best efforts, Anthony Elanga is unable to get to it in time to steer it goalwards.
47 min: Omar Marmoush goes down under a challenge from Malick Thiaw in the Newcastle penalty area. The Newcastle skipper missed the ball and appeared to kick the Egyptian’s boot instead after being beaten to it. Computer says “referee’s call” and Newcastle seem to have got away with one there. I’ll need to see it again.
46 min: Kinsky launches the ball upfield towards the Newcastle left-back position, where Lewis Hall wins the aerial battle against Archie Gray.
Second half: Tottenham 0-0 Newcastle
46 min: Play resumes with the game scoreless, Tottenham on the ball and no changes in personnel on either side.
Half-time correspondence: “So ‘Savio’ is suffering from muscle fatigue,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Who knew that shortening your name could be that much of a stretch? Careful with those nicknames now, kids.”
“It’s vital Spurs win today to try to close the six-point gap to Hull City,” writes Phil Moseley.
“Spurs have gone Double Dutch in central defence, so it’s no wonder that Newcastle’s attackers are struggling to find space in or near the Tottenham box without getting caught up in a tangle of ropes,” writes Peter Oh.
Half-time: Tottenham 0-0 Newcastle
The deadlock remains resolutely unbroken at the break but Tottenham will wonder how on earth they aren’t at least one goal ahead. After a slow start, Pedro Porro (x2), Mathys Tel, Omar Marmoush, Andy Robertson and Sandro Tonali will all go in for their half-time brew feeling they should have scored against a Newcastle side whose only chance of note fell to Yoane Wissa.
45 min: Mathys Tel picks up the ball on the left side of the Newcastle penalty area after good work by Robertson but is promptly dispossessed by Amar Dedic.
43 min: Out on the right wing on this occasion, Tel jinks this way and that before sending a waist-high cross fizzing across the edge of the six-yard box. Positioned at the near post, Sandro Tonali is unable to make the necessary contact to steer it goalwards.
41 min: Tottenham are in control of the game but have yet to make their obvious superiority count. They’ve had several presentable chances to score and ought to be a be a couple of goals ahead.
39 min: A scything back-to-front move from Tottenham involving Fernandes, Tonali and Porro almost results in a goal, only for it to break down courtesy of a rogue final pass that fails to pick out Mathys Tel and is too close to Hornicek.
37 min: Another Spurs corner and this time Van Hecke rises to head goalwards. Hornicek does well to parry his effort up in the air and then leap to win the second ball amongst a thicket of bodies.
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34 min: Lewis Hall blocks an attempted cross from Gray and the ball goes out for another Tottenham corner. Robertson steps up, raising both arms in the air, a signal that appears he plans to send the ball drifting on to the head of Newcastle’s Lewis Miley in the middle of the penalty area. He clears, the ball’s recycled and Robertson has a low diagonal effort saved by Hornicek.
32 min: Tottenham corner. Andy Robertson’s delivery sails to the far post, where an unmarked Omar Marmoush leathers a volley wide from close range and a tight angle. It was a decent chance and the Egyptian’s reaction suggests he knows he should have done better.
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31 min: Archie Gray and then Andy Robertson send low crosses into the Newcastle box in quick succession but both are cleared with a minimum of fuss.
28 min: Lucas Hornicek leathers the ball upfield as hard as he can, bypassing Archie Gray, who was positioned near the halfway line. Jan Paul van Hecke shuffles across from centre-back to clear the ball with a thumping header.
26 min: On a yellow card, Van de Ven lunges in to deny Wissa with an expertly-timed, goal-saving challenge after an Elanga header had dropped kindly for the Newcastle striker in the six-yard box.
25 min: It’s an absorbing contest where good chances have been at a premium, with the pick of them falling to Tottenham’s Mathys Tel and Pedro Porro.
24 min: Either I for got Sandro Tonali doesn’t play for Newcastle any more or he did, but I’m going to guess the error was mine and it wasn’t him who challenged Porro on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area two entries ago. That’s a yellow card for me.
21 min: Spurs take a short corner and the ball finds its way to Porro, who lets rip with a left-footed volley from distance. It dips on it’s way over the bar, but not low enough to trouble Hornicek.
19 min: Antonin Kinsky sends the ball long upfield, where it finds its way to Porro just outside the Newcastle penalty area. He goes down under a challenge from – I think _ Tonali – and appeals for a free-kick but the referee waves play on.
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17 min: Andy Robertson squares the ball from the left to prompt something of a goalmouth scramble. The ball breaks to Pedro Porro, who looks certain to smash it home home from about 12 yards out, only for Lewis Hall to deny him with an excellent block.
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15 min: Mathys Tel receives a pass out wide from Marmoush, cuts inside and unleashes a curled effort. In the Newcastle goal, Lucas Hornicek dives to his left to make the save and it’s a good one.
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14 min: I’m not quite sure wherther Gonzalez was booked for fouling van Heckje or preventing him from taking a free-kick after the initial foul on Gray but either way, his name has gone into the book.
12 min: After an inauspicious opening few minutes, Tottenham are growing into the game. Archie Gray is felled by Gonzalez, who goes on to foul Jan Paul van Hecke and receive a booking for his trouble.
10 min: Mateus Fernandes picks out Mathys Tel on the left wing with an excellent cross-field pass but the Spurs winger cuts inside and runs into traffic.
7 min: Spurs get forward for the first time and Porro explodes with anger when he’s denied a corner after contesting a ball that goes out of play with Hall. His fury was justified because the ball clanked out of play off the Newcastle left-back’s shin. That decision would have been overturned by VAR at the World Cup!
5 min: Spurs try to play out from the back in the face of a high press from Newcastle that their hosts struggle to play through. Miley wins the ball on the edge of the final third and plays it to Gonzalez, who promptly loses it to Mathys Tel.
3 min: Micky van de Ven gets a yellow card for flying into a challenge on Yoane Wissa after a poor pass from Sandro Tonali. Lewis Hall’s free-kick from wide on the right is slightly over-cooked and Wissa is unable to head the ball across the face of goal. Newcastle have roared out of the traps.
2 min: More early pressure from Newcastle as Anthony Elanga sends a nice cross from the left drifting towards Yoane Wissa. It threatens to beat Antonin Kinsky but Spurs put the ball out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set-piece.
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle is go ...
1 min: Newcastle get the ball rolling and immediately put Archie Gray under pressure down by the byline. Playing at right-back again, the youngster clears upfield.
Not long now: Micky van de Ven and Malick Thiaw lead out the sides, with the German handed the Newcastle armband in the absence of Dan “Big Dan Burn” Burn. The last of the pre-match formalities are under way and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
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Newcastle: “Quality,” says Matthias Jaissle in a pre-match interview with Sky Sports, upon being asked what Nico Gonzalez will add to his team. “I think he’s a real complete player. I can mention for sure that he is able to dominate in possession but he also the ability to be aggressive out of possession. He can also be a player that is leading the team, even though he is young.”
Fun fact: Tottenham and Newcastle have met 61 times in the Premier League era without ever playing out a scoreless draw. Today could be the day for a dreary stalemate but it seems unlikely – fingers crossed for a glut of goals.
Premier League: Hull City have made it back-to-back wins upon their return to the top flight, with Liam Millar scoring the only goal of their game at Coventry City to deposit another three precious points in the bank. James Tarkowski left it until added time to cancel out Alex Scott’s opener as Bournemouth were held by Everton at the Vitality Stadium. In today’s early game, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest served up an entertaining 2-2 draw at Anfield, where the hosts had to come from behind twice to rescue a point.
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Tottenham Hotspur: Roberto De Zerbi is keen to add one more signing to his Tottenham squad and has said outgoing deals are also possible before Tuesday night’s transfer deadline. David Hytner reports …
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Peter Bankes
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Referee’s assistants: Ian Hussin and Nick Hopton
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Fourth official: Tom Bramall
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VAR: Darren England
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Assistant VAR: Nick Greenhalgh
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Newcastle United: Matthias Jaissle is convinced new arrival Nico González will not take long to hit the ground running after his big-money arrival from Manchester City. The Spaniard could make his Newcastle debut today after a move from City that could rise to £52m this week, with the head coach excited by the 24-year-old’s ceiling.
“He trained with us and he looks sharp,” Jaissle said. “It will take time [to adapt] and I can not tell you how long it takes but he’s a smart player, he has huge potential and already brings so much quality in the squad. He will adapt fast into our way of playing and then we can enjoy.”
Jaissle is hopeful that Gonzalez will not be the last player through the door at St James’ Park in this summer’s window, with the Belgium wideman Matias Fernandez-Pardo tipped to move to Tyneside from Lille. “It’s the first message of the morning – to push,” Jaissle said. “The management and Ross [Wilson], the sporting director, they’re doing an amazing job, trying everything. “We want to be smart, we don’t want to act in panic, so I’m really optimistic things will happen.” Press Association
More on that Savio absence: “There was bad news yesterday before training in the afternoon,” his head coach Roberto De Zerbi has explained. “He suffered muscle fatigue and the medical staff didn’t want to take a risk. I agree with them.” So now we know.
Those teams: Savio is a conspicuous absentee from today’s Tottenham Hotspur squad following his excellent midweek debut, while Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven all come into the side that performed so feebly against Brentford last weekend.
There’s a debut up front for Omar Marmoush, while Mikey Moore, Marco Senesi, Richarlison,Conor Gallagher, and Lucas Bergvall all drop out. Neither Richarlsion nor Kevin Danso, who is being linked with a move to Sunderland, are in the matchday squad. Pape Sarr is also left out, amid links with a move to Juventus.
Nico Gonzalez comes straight into Newcastle’s midfield following his midweek £50m move from Manchester City, while Joe Willock comes in for the injured William Osula.
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Tottenham v Newcastle line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky, Gray, van Hecke, van de Ven, Robertson, Tonali, Bentancur, Porro, Fernandes, Tel, Marmoush.
Subs: Dubravka, Senesi, Gallagher, Udogie, Bergvall, Solanke, Kudus, Davies, Moore.
Newcastle United: Hornicek, Dedic, Botman, Thiaw, Hall, Gonzalez, Miley, Elanga, Willock, Barnes, Wissa.
Subs: Jaouen, Schar, Bamba, Steur, Toure, Murphy, Woltemade, Ramsey, Shahar.
Early team news
Sandro Tonali is expected to start in midfield for Tottenham against his formner club, while Omar Marmoush could also find himself in Tottenham’s line-up following his arrival from Manchester City. Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro could also come into the side after coming off the bench against Charlton in midweek, while Savio’s excellent cameo off the bench may earn him a start.
James Maddison is a doubt after injuring his shoulder in Tottenham’s defeat at the hands of Brentford last weekend, while Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are all sidelined with knee injuries.
New signing Nico Gonzalez could make his club debut in midfield for Newcastle, while Bazoumana Toure is expected to be available despite coming off at half-time in Newcastle’s midweek Carabao Cup win over West Brom with a knock. Tino Livramento, Will Osula, Dan Burn and Joelinton are all ruled out.
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United
It’s been a summer of much change at both Tottenham and Newcastle, whose respective fans have both seen plenty of high profile departures and arrivals. Despite losing their head coach and three of their most influential players, Newcastle 2.0 provided grounds for fan optimism in their season-opener, despite proving unable to close out the win against Liverpool.
Having sent the expectations of their supporters soaring sky-high with a high profile summer trolley-dash that’s been the envy of most of their rivals, Spurs promptly brought them crashing back to earth with a resounding thud in miserable defeat at Brentford. While De Zerbi’s side went some way towards redeeming themselves with a midweek Carabao Cup thrashing of a second string Charlton side, much better will be expected of them in their first home league game of the season, against visitors who have won on their past two visits to this particular corner of North London. Kick-off in this intriguing fixture is at 5.30pm (BST) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
