Tottenham Hotspur unhappy at home

When he transferred to Bayern Munich for £86.4 million in the summer of 2023, Harry Kane left behind 213 goals in 317 appearances for Tottenham. One of the club's greatest goalscorers, he was England's humble, gentle captain. He continued his scoring streak in the Bundesliga. The 32-year-old played a key role in his team's 2024-25 title victory, scoring 103 goals in 106 appearances for the German club. This was the first championship trophy of his career. In a recent interview with the BBC, Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank stated that he wanted Kane to return to England and that he needed to score 48 goals to surpass Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 260 goals. However, Kane maintains that he has no plans to return to England and is happy in Bavaria, continuing: “If you had asked me when I transferred to Bayern, I would have said I would definitely come back. But I'm happy here now, and of course, that depends on how next year goes and what we can achieve together. I can say we're in a fantastic period right now, and I can't think of anything else.” Kane is the all-time leading scorer for both Tottenham and England, and recently became the fastest player to reach 100 goals in one of Europe's top five leagues this century. It seems likely that watching him in a Tottenham shirt will be impossible for now, but who knows what the future holds.

After the international break, Kane's former team, Tottenham, face Aston Villa at home. Villa have won four of their last six league games against Tottenham (L2), while their previous record of only four wins in 29 matches is a testament to their improvement in recent seasons. Morgan Rogers, the team's standout, is top of the league table with nine assists in 2025, and has two in his last two league matches. None of the last 20 league matches between Tottenham and Villa since the 1-1 draw in May 2012 have ended in a draw, with Tottenham winning 14 and Villa winning 6. Tottenham's home record is poor, having won only three of their last 17 home league matches (D4, L10). Indeed, since the first match of this series (November 10, 2024), no team has lost more home games (10) or collected fewer home points (13) in the league than Tottenham.

The hosts, Tottenham, are in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Vicario in goal, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, and Spence in defense, Bentancur and Palhinha in midfield, Kudus, Simons, and Odobert in front of them with goal hopes in Tel. The visitors, Villa, are in the same formation, with Martinez in goal, Cash, Konsa, Torres, and Digne in defense, Onana and Kamara in midfield, Guessand, Rogers, and McGinn in forwards, and Malen in front of them with striker. Villa, who established the game from the back in the first half, are pressing with many men in the third zone, with Dano replacing Romero, who was injured in the Tottenham defense before the match. Number 4 is in the starting eleven for the first time since last May. In the 5th minute, Tottenham scored after the first corner from the left. Kudus's cross from the right was met with a delightful header from Van de Van, who sent Bentancur into the net with a half-volley. The Villa defense was flawed in their manning. After falling behind, they crowded the third area. In the 12th minute, they couldn't create any chances with two consecutive corners from the right. In the 15th minute, Cash, having lost the ball while leaving the opposition defense, misfired in a demarked position. They had 48 percent of possession in the first 15 minutes, but twice looked for the opponent's goal. After the 15th minute, the visitors increased the tempo, and they crowded the third area. In the 22nd minute, Van de Van received a yellow card in the Tottenham defense. He couldn't break through the opposition defense with three corners until the 25th minute. Kudus, on the right wing, is a standout player with his quickness and ability to eliminate men, but he can be a bit too busy with the ball at times. They were closing in on a second goal in the 27th minute, but Odobert's shot from Bentancur's pass into the far right corner was blocked by Martinez in Villa's goal. After the 30th minute, Villa were searching for goals with long balls behind the opposition's defense. The absence of Youri Tielemans, who was out of the squad due to injury, was negatively impacting the team in the second half. They equalized in the 38th minute, with Rogers firing a shot into the top right corner from approximately 23 meters. Vicario, in the Tottenham goal, was helpless. Villa scored with their first shot on target, leveling the score at 1-1. A five-minute period of extra time, in which Tottenham had 48 percent of possession and twice tested the opponent's goal, ended with both teams trading goals.

At the start of the second half, the teams are on the pitch with the same lineups. Tottenham start the half on the offensive in the 50th minute, with Danso's challenge on Digne being harsh, despite the play not being deliberate, and earning a red card for dangerous play. Martinez then clears Palhina's shot from the right corner in a potential turning point in the match. In the 60th minute, Tel is replaced by Richarlison for Tottenham. Villa make two changes, with Buendía and Watklns replacing Guessand and Malen. Malen's inability to counter aggressive Tottenham defenders Danso and Van de Ven negatively impacted the team's offensive potential. The 26-year-old Dutchman, who has been trained through the Arsenal and Ajax youth academy, has been replaced by McGinn on the right and Buendia on the left of midfield. The tempo picks up after the 70th minute, but neither team can create clear chances in the third. In the 77th minute, Villa took the lead after a corner from the right. Buendia, who had just entered the game, struck hard from the right diagonal into the left corner. The Tottenham defense was late in dealing with the ball, and the visitors fell behind, taking a 2-1 lead. Rogers was likely in goalkeeper Vicario's sights in the game, but teammate Danso broke the offside call, so the goal was awarded. In the 82nd minute, Bergvall and Muani replaced Simons and Odobert for Tottenham. The 26-year-old French striker, on loan from PSG, was making his Tottenham debut. With seven minutes of added time, no further goals were scored, and Villa secured their third win of the season, a 2-1 victory witnessed by 61,291 fans, securing the three points. Tottenham have only won three of their last 17 home league matches, and their home performance is a cause for concern for manager Thomas Frank. Man of the match: Morgan Rogers, Able to play in multiple attacking positions, Rogers has become a key part of both the Aston Villa and England national team, playing in all eight matches since Thomas Tuchel took charge of the national team.