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(Credit: Imago)

Jack Heath

Wed 13 August 2025 22:47, UK

Tottenham could not hold on to a 2-0 lead to PSG as they lost on penalties in a gut-wrenching turn of events in the UEFA Super Cup final.

Despite leading the UEFA Super Cup final for 85 minutes courtesy of two set-piece goals scored by Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, the Lilywhites could not hold on.

A late headed equaliser by super-sub Goncalo Ramos forced the game to penalties where Spurs unfortunately continued to fall apart.

Not the ideal result for Thomas Frank‘s side, yet we learnt a lot from the match which can be used going forward into the new Premier League season, despite the loss on the night.

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Known for turning Brentford from a defence first side when they first came up to the Premier League to transitioning to a free-scoring attacking unit, the Dane is one of the most tactically astute managers in the English top-flight.

Setting up in a 5-3-2, the Lilywhites were compact and hard to break down, pressing the French outfit at precise times to step up the pitch.

The Scandinavian showed his tactical flexibility to play both pragmatic and attacking football (Credit: Imago)

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I’m a huge fan of how, even without much of the ball, Spurs still made found ways to be efficient with the ball when they had the opportunity in a clinical manner.

Under Ange Postecoglou, goals for Tottenham from corners and free-kicks were a rarity, whilst north London rivals Arsenal were the kings from set-pieces last year.

Yet, the Dane has clearly brought his tactical knowhow to White Hart Lane with the Lilywhites looking much more prepared and structured from dead-ball situations.

Both goals came from these types of scenarios and were superbly taken by Romero and Van de Ven when the ball popped up.

Expect a greater number of goals from this source this season, adding another weapon to the Tottenham arsenal.

Scoring on his “captain debut” as the official designated leader of the team, the Argentine put in a resolute performance at the heart of the Spurs defence.

He won the vast majority of his duels whilst maintaining a tight structure with Kevin Danso and Van de Ven either side of him.

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I was unsure about whether the World Cup winner had what it takes to change his mentality and attitude for the better, but he certainly put the doubts to bed tonight.

All the build up before the game focused on who would step up to fill in as the midfield maestro in the centre-attacking midfield role.

After Frank opted to play with three defensive midfielders, that question still remains unanswered as the Dane decided to go for defensive solidity rather than attacking freedom.

The Ghanian had been tipped by Football Insider to be deployed in a new role (Credit: Imago)

Mohammed Kudus did operate up top with Richarlison and was given licence to roam which saw him deliver three key passes, highlighting his potential as the creative hub.

The Wilson Odobert experiment had the potential to be reignited but clearly that was not to be the case tonight for Tottenham.

This means that we will have to wait until Spurs’ first game against Burnley to see who will fill the void of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, although the north London side didn’t struggle to trouble the PSG defence.

With a 2-0 lead and looking defensively imperious, I genuinely thought my side were about to win another trophy, well and truly putting the “Spursy” term to bed.

It is back to the drawing board for the Dane as he looks to improve his sides psychological frailties (Credit: Imago)

I was wrong.

Lapses in concentration gave PSG a way back in to the tie through Lee Kang-in after 85 minutes before Ramos’ 94th-minute leveller, when we confidently kept the French side out for large portions of the match, barely laying a glove on Guglielmo Vicario.

Yet, it is evident that the “bottle-job” mentality has not been fully shaken as missing two penalties was a huge punch to the stomach, especially after Vitinha’s miss had also put us ahead in the shootout.
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