Mandem from the Ends.

[James]

Still holding strong even if they aren't the most convincing wins. A point is a point, right?

[Soapy]

thanks brodie

i might need to make it smaller

Still holding strong even if they aren't the most convincing wins. A point is a point, right?

i think that late goal made it look closer than it was. we really dominated (without possession) with that high press. they had one shot on goal the entire game

[Soapy]

[Soapy]

[Soapy]

Kwamele Owusu has the Spurs firing on all cylinders
So much was made of Kwamele Owusu's lack of experience as a first-team manager when Tottenham Hotspur appointed him to be their next manager. Owusu, 64, had never been a manager before and unlike other first-time managers, wasn't a high profile former player that many were already familiar with.

It hasn't taken long for Owusu to win the hearts and minds of the Spurs fateful as Wednesday night's draw against Dortmund, Owusu's most recent team, extended a nine match unbeaten streak for the Spurs.

They've done it in a variety of ways with the attacking surges against West Ham, Brighton and Reading or defensive showcases against Franfkurt, Burnley and Bournemouth. They beat Manchester City earlier this season in what has been perhaps the marquee performance of Owusu's brief tenure. He's also done it with different lineups, showing a willingness to adjust and perhaps more important, adjust to his adjustments.

Against Dortmund, the Spurs started a trio of Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson up front for the first time all season. Johnson scored an early goal but by then, it was clear that the team needed more of a threatening presence. In one decisive swoop, he brought in Randall Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus and took out Lucas Bergvall, arguably the best surprise of the season, and inserted Xavi Simons.

All three would be involved in Kolo Muani's equalizer. All three were acquisitions this past summer, brought in by Owusu.

Through his flexibility, Owusu has still managed to establish an identity for the Spurs and it's a straight forward one, effective in its simplicity while also malleable. He wants to play with three central midfielders, deployed at various depths throughout the match and depending on the opponent. Against Manchester City, he played with two defensive midfielders. Against West Ham, he played with two attacking midfielders.

The center piece of 'Owusu ball' are the attacking front three which we've seen multiple variations already. Early on, it was Richarlison as the top striker with two early league goals but we've also seen the likes of Mathys Tel and Kolo Muani start to come into form as well. Tel and Kolo Muani bring some flexibility as well with their abilities to play out wide with Owusu at times placing Kudus in a more central role.

He'll also move Simons around as well, capable of playing both centrally as either an attacking midfielder, out wide or a false nine, which Owusu, through Simons' first six games, has played him in all of those roles with varying successs.

Owusu's fate and the Spurs' season won't be decided by these initial ten games. They play Chelsea twice in four days next month and then have a stretch of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Arsenal and Fulham in the month of November as the schedule toughen. But if those ten games are any indication, we can expect to see some exciting football from Owusu's Spurs.

Goalkeepers
No. 1 • Guglielmo Vicario • Age 28 • 82 OVR: 9 Apps, 4 CS, 7.20 Avg
No. 31 • Antonín Kinský • Age 22 • 75 OVR: 1 App, 1 CS, 6.80 Avg

Centre-Backs
No. 17 • Cristian Romero • Age 27 • 82 OVR: 8 App, 4 CS, 6.75 Avg
No. 37 • Micky van de Ven • Age 24 • 82 OVR: 9 App, 4 CS, 6.61 Avg
No. 4 • Kevin Danso • Age 27 • 79 OVR: 6 App, 1 CS, 6.35 Avg

Fullbacks / Wingbacks
No. 13 • Destiny Udogie • Age 22 • 80 OVR: 4 App, 6.13 Avg
No. 23 • Pedro Porro • Age 26 • 82 OVR: 10 App, 5 CS, 7.34 Avg
No. 24 • Djed Spence • Age 25 • 78 OVR: 10 App, 5 CS, 6.40 Avg

Central Midfielders
No. 6 • João Palhinha • Age 30 • 83 OVR: 10 App, G, 2 CS, 6.40 Avg
No. 7 • Xavi Simons • Age 22 • 84 OVR: 6 App, G, A, 3 CS, 7.15 Avg
No. 29 • Pape Matar Sarr • Age 22 • 79 OVR: 9 App, A, 4 CS, 7.02 Avg
No. 30 • Rodrigo Bentancur • Age 28 • 80 OVR: 7 App, 3 CS, 6.87 Avg
No. 14 • Archie Gray • Age 19 • 75 OVR: 3 App, 2 CS, 6.83 Avg
No. 15 • Lucas Bergvall • Age 19 • 77 OVR: 10 App, 4 A, 4 CS, 6.94 Avg

Forwards
No. 28 • Wilson Odobert • Age 21 • 75 OVR: 7 App, G, CS, 6.17 Avg
No. 20 • Mohammed Kudus • Age 25 • 80 OVR: 9 App, 3 G, 3 A, 5 CS, 7.26 Avg
No. 19 • Dominic Solanke • Age 28 • 80 OVR: 3 App, 5.43 Avg
No. 22 • Brennan Johnson • Age 24 • 79 OVR: 9 App, 3 G, A, 2 CS, 6.68 Avg
No. 11 • Mathys Tel • Age 20 • 77 OVR: 7 App, 3 G, A, 2 CS, 6.90 Avg
No. 9 • Richarlison • Age 28 • 78 OVR: 10 App, 2 G, 2 A, 2 CS, 6.42 Avg
No. 39 • Randal Kolo Muani • Age 26 • 81 OVR: 4 App, 3 G, 7.20 Avg

[James]

You are going to have to boost up the defense.

You start getting some injuries and playing in all those competitions will not be fun.