Key events
There’s already been one big result today. Bolton Wanderers have made it back to the Championship after a seven-year absence. Billy Munday was at Wembley to watch the Trotters thrash Stockport County 4-1 in the League One play-off final, and here’s his report.
Pre-match postbag. One email is enough, when it crystallises the mood of Spurs fans as succinctly as this does. “I will be watching the thriller in N17 in Copenhagen, with 100 other Danish nervous wrecks known as White Heart Danes,” writes Lars Bøgegaard. “For months I have tried to come to peace with the Spurs relegation and then came the six points at Wolves and Villa. Now it’s crystal clear: It really is hope that kills you.”
Roberto De Zerbi speaks to Sky Sports. “I believe in my players … they are good players … good guys … we have to play a football game with our qualities and our values … and let’s hope … [Djed Spence] can give us more energy … the fans are incredible … you have to play for them … keep our energy just on this game [and not West Ham v Leeds] … it is tough to stay focused on this game … but we have to play a normal game with everything we need.”
Roberto De Zerbi has been out on the pitch waving his arms about in an extremely exuberant style, exhorting the fans to make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a cauldron in terms of atmosphere as well as temperature. It’s 30 degrees out there, with little or no wind. UV level high. Seek shade, wear sunscreen. And stay hydrated!
… and at the risk of turning this MBM into some sort of retro-relegation compendium, here’s Gary Naylor. “I was there in 1994,” he writes of Everton’s 1994 scrape with ignominy, requiring to beat Wimbledon on the last day only to go two down after ten minutes. “It was, and is, my favourite game. You’ve got to embrace it. There’ll be Tottenham or West Ham fans feeling the same come 6pm.”
… and here are two more entertaining old articles that are extremely relevant today. Tottenham fans may wish to give them the bodyswerve, to be fair, it’s far too hot to be getting your dander up.
Speaking of relegation battles involving Everton … this is always worth revisiting. And if not today, then when?
The stakes aren’t quite as high for Everton. Their hopes of European football were jiggered last weekend by that home defeat to Sunderland. But they can still finish in the top half of the table for the first time in five years if they win today, providing Newcastle and Sunderland fail to beat Fulham away and Chelsea at home respectively. That’d represent some welcome upward momentum following a few years hovering over the relegation places, and it’d set the seal on an acceptable return for the first season of the new post-Goodison era.
Whatever fate befalls Spurs this afternoon, their new manager Roberto De Zerbi has doubled down on his commitment to the club. When the Italian took over in April, he said he would remain in charge regardless of results, and when asked on Friday if he stood by that, he said: “Yeah, I confirm everything. It’s still an honour to be a coach for Tottenham. Even if on Sunday we play for the relegation fight, it’s not a problem. I consider football something more than the table.”
Tottenham Hotspur make just one change following the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea. Djed Spence replaces Randal Kolo Muani. James Maddison, who gave Spurs a boost when coming on at Stamford Bridge, is again on the bench.
Everton also make just the one change to their starting XI after their 3-1 home loss to Sunderland. Thierno Barry replaces Beto up front. Seamus Coleman, hoping to make his 435th and final appearance for the club, starts on the bench.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky, Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie, Palhinha, Gallagher, Bentancur, Porro, Richarlison, Tel.
Subs: Vicario, Dragusin, Bissouma, Maddison, Gray, Bergvall, Solanke, Sarr, Kolo Muani.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Garner, Röhl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Barry.
Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, George, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Aznou, Armstrong.
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: Paul Tierney
Team buses trundling up to stadiums are these days afforded the same amount of coverage, and imbued with similar levels of importance, as red-carpet arrivals at Cannes. So we can exclusively reveal that the Tottenham Hostpur carriage has made it through a thousands-strong throng of wellwishers to dispatch the team at the front door, ready for work. Some atmosphere outside the ground. Expect similar inside it.
Preamble
Oh Tottenham. How has it come to this? Champions League finalists in 2019, and Europa League winners just 12 months ago, one of the grandest clubs in England are now possibly 90 minutes plus fingernail-and-artery-bothering add-ons away from relegation to the second tier for the first time in nearly half a century.
Ah but let’s leave those questions for later. And they’ll be a lot less pointed should Spurs escape the executioner this afternoon. The maths are simple: beat Everton and they stay up. A draw will almost certainly be enough, unless West Ham beat Leeds 12-0, which, given that scoreline would tie a top-flight record set 134 years ago* and matched only once since, 117 years ago†, is not going to happen. But a defeat … hoo boy.
The good news for Spurs: under Roberto de Zerbi, they’ve lost just one of their last five fixtures. And even if the worst was to happen, West Ham would still need to win to leapfrog them to safety. However, Spurs have only won two matches at home all season, against Burnley and Brentford, while Everton have the sixth-best away record in the division, winning seven of 18. Also in David Moyes, Everton have a manager who is on record saying he’d “love to keep West Ham in the league if I can”, having previously managed them to European glory.
So imagine the tension in N17 should Everton score first this afternoon. But Spurs beat the Toffees 3-0 on their own patch last October, so glee is as likely an outcome for the hosts as misery. At least that’s what they’ve got to tell themselves as they go into their most important game for a generation … and the bean counters will tell you that yes, that does include last year’s Europa League final. Kick-off is at 4pm BST. It’s on!
*: West Bromwich Albion 12-0 Darwen (April 1892)
†: Nottingham Forest 12–0 Leicester Fosse (April 1909)
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