Spence and Johnson save Postecoglou, Moore ignored - 5 things spotted in Coventry vs Tottenham
Brennan Johnson was the hero for Tottenham as they survived a major scare to beat Coventry City 2-1 in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Following last Sunday's North London Derby defeat, Ange Postecoglou made a total of eight changes to his Spurs side as players such as Fraser Forster, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall came into the side.
A game many had Tottenham down to comfortably get the better of their opponents, the hosts actually gave the Lilywhites a couple of worries in the first half with Jack Rudoni going close with two attempts on goal. Tottenham didn't have a shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes but they did threaten inside the first 15 minutes of the second half through Johnson and Ben Davies.
Prior to Davies' header that Ben Wilson saved, the Welshman produced a heroic block to stop Haji Wright finding an empty net following a mix-up from Tottenham in defence. Coventry deservedly opened the scoring in the 63rd minute as Brandon Thomas-Asante finished off a really good move to find the bottom corner in style from inside the area.
Tottenham pushed for an equaliser after the striker's goal and they finally got it in the 88th minute as substitute Djed Spence prodded home from close range. There was to be one more surprise in stoppage time as Johnson scored a winner with a cool finish to ensure Spurs went through and avoided another early cup exit.
Here are five things we spotted in the game at the CBS Arena.
Ange's team selection
Coming in for criticism from supporters 13 month ago after making nine alterations at Fulham and subsequently exiting the Carabao Cup at the first time of asking, Postecoglou this time made eight changes to his side. Always an opportunity to rotate his team with such a busy schedule coming up due to the team's return to Europe, the head coach opted to start with first-team regulars Son Heung-min, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench as Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero missed out on the squad altogether
That presented opportunities for young trio Gray, Bergvall and Wilson Odobert, with players such as Timo Werner, Davies and Pape Matar Sarr getting the nod from the off. Due to Spurs' desire to win silverware, a fixture pile-up to come in the weeks ahead and not wanting to be victims of a cup shock, it was always going to be a balancing act for the 59-year-old but he believed it was right to give those on the periphery of his team a shot in the starting XI.
He may have felt rather different having watched his Tottenham team really struggle to trouble Coventry in the first half. Things weren't much better for Tottenham in the second half but they somehow found a way to advance to round four following those Spence and Johnson goals.
Tottenham may have won on the day but they were extremely lucky to get out of jail after serving up a rotten performance for the vast majority of the contest.
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A familiar face returns
It appeared that the summer of 2024 would see Sergio Reguilon exit Tottenham for a fresh challenge elsewhere. Not involved in the team's first couple of pre-season friendlies and left out of the squad for the tour of Japan and South Korea to explore a potential transfer away, the Spaniard still remained at Spurs beyond the closure of the transfer window with a move not coming to fruition.
Looking like Reguilon would train with the first team but have to watch on from the stands for fixtures in the months ahead prior to the transfer window reopening in January, the ex-Real Madrid man was a surprise selection in Postecoglou's 20-man playing squad to face Coventry. It was in fact Reguilon's first appearance in a Tottenham squad for a competitive game since the 0-0 draw away at Brentford in April 2022, with the 27-year-old spending the previous two seasons on loan with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford respectively.
Injury scare
Postecoglou was handed an injury blow inside the first 18 minutes of Wednesday's cup tie after Odobert went to ground after competing for the ball with Jake Bidwell. The France Under-21s international could be seen sat on the turf holding his hamstring and it immediately looked as if he would have to make way.
That's exactly what happened as Johnson replaced the summer signing on 18 minutes. At a time when Tottenham are struggling in the league to make things happen in the final third, it's the last thing Postecoglou would have wanted for one of his wingers to go off injured.
In his extremely limited game time at the CBS Arena, Odobert did struggle to make an impact on the game with a very quiet performance.
More attacking woes
Tottenham's struggles in the final third have been well documented since the 2024/25 season kicked off. Heading to Coventry with the chance to really kickstart their season and get things up and running in those attacking areas, Spurs actually finished the first half with no shots on goal.
Dominic Solanke didn't get a sight of goal at all, with wingers Odobert and Werner having no say on the game and the same going for substitute Johnson before the break. Spurs did fashion an opening for Johnson not long after the restart but Postecoglou had no other option but to bring on Son and Maddison just past the hour mark with Coventry on top and eventually scoring a couple of minutes after their introduction.
Catching the eye last campaign with Postecoglou's attacking football philosophy really troubling teams, Spurs look a totally different team at present and they must find a way to put things right. Saturday's game away at Brentford is already looking like a big match in their season.
Moore ignored
It was no surprise to see Maddison, Son and Kulusevski introduced in the second half with Tottenham just not laying a glove on Coventry. Forcing a couple of efforts on goal through Johnson and Davies, it was the Sky Blues who looked to be the Premier League side compared to Tottenham as they dominated proceedings and created the better chances overall.
Even after those attacking changes, Spurs still found it extremely difficult to make things happen until Kulusevski called Wilson into action in the 80th minute. One player who could only watch on from the sidelines as Tottenham laboured was teenager Mikey Moore.
At a time when Spurs needed a spark in the final third and someone to try something different, the 17-year-old, who has proved in his game time with the first team that he has no fear and he is a very special talent, was glued to the bench as the team had already made all their changes. The game was made for Moore but Postecoglou instead opted to ignore him.
The calls for the starlet to get some game time will only grow louder from the Tottenham faithful if their current woes continue over the coming games.
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