Spurs under 23’s versus Arsenal: (match preview)

Wayne Burnett’s development side will contest the first north London derby of the season on Friday evening, when they face arch rivals Arsenal at the Emirates, in their fourth PL2 game of the season. Still in search of their first win of the new campaign, Burnett’s side will be hoping to change that on Friday when they take on the reigning PL2 champions in their own back yard. After grinding out 1-1 draws against both Liverpool and Brighton respectively, in their last two games, our under 23’s have been much more positive in both of those games then in our disappointing season opener with West Ham on game week one. I’m writing this preview earlier then usual this week and with the EFL loan window still open until Friday evening I would expect a couple of our players to head out on loan to EFL clubs before then. One player who headed out on loan at the weekend was Samuel Shashoua, the technically gifted playmaker has joined Spanish segunda division B club Atlético Baleares. The Balearic club ply their trade in the third tier of Spanish football and compete in the same league as the likes of Barcelona B and Villarreal B. Whilst he will be a massive loss for our under 23 side, this is a great opportunity for Shashoua to develop his game in a league where they play cultured attacking football. Shashoua will also get to play regular first team football, something which will stand him in really good stead for next season once he returns to Spurs. Regardless of how many players head out on loan before Fridays game, I am sure Burnett will still field a very strong squad for the north London derby. The gunners who are now managed by former Arsenal star Freddie Ljunberg enjoyed an excellent 2017/18 campaign. Winning the PL2 division one, Arsenal’s development side also made the final of the premier league international cup where they lost to Porto B.

The gunners academy set up has always been star studded and the side which they had to choose from last season was rich with talent. The likes of Reiss Nelson (who is incidentally on the verge of a move to German club Hoffenheim), prolific centre forward Eddie Nketiah and playmaker Emile Smith Rowe where just some of those who played an instrumental part in the gunners title winning success. Despite Arsenal’s success on the domestic stage, Burnett’s relegation stricken side did manage to do the double over them last season. Beating them 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at Hotspur Way, Spurs then went and beat Arsenal 3-1 in the reverse fixture which was played at Boreham Wood’s ground. That particular game was our best performance of the season, as Burnett’s side fought back from an early Arsenal goal to put in a sparkling attacking performance which blew away the home team. Oliver Skipp netted a glorious volley on that day and the excellent Keanan Bennett’s scored the most glorious free kick from long range. Having said that however, it’s important to mention that the talented duo of Nelson and Nketiah were sat in the stands, they also missed the reverse fixture at Hotspur Way back in October. I fear Arsenal’s attacking might ahead of Fridays encounter, apart from the previously mentioned players, they also have potent attacking players such as Xavier Amaechi, Bukayo Saka and Tyreece John-Jules to choose from. However, on a more positive note they have already conceded eight goals from their opening three PL2 games this season. During their title winning season of 2017/18 they conceded 32 goals. Whilst I think it will be a tough game for our lads on Friday, If we play with the attacking intensity that we showed against the gunners last season then they we will trouble their defence and create chances.

In addition, the pitch at the Emirates stadium will provide our speedy players with the width needed to exploit the Arsenal defence. I would love to see the electric J’Neil Bennett make his under 23 debut on Friday, Bennett (16) has started the season in excellent form for our under 18’s. His incredible speed and skill would definitely ask questions of the Arsenal defence. It’s difficult to predict how Burnett will lineup on Friday evening, will young Troy Parrott lead the line once again? will we see more players from the under 18 side make the step up? And how will we approach the game? One things for sure and that is that it promises to be a fascinating evening and an incredible experience for our young lads. Playing at the Emirates stadium is one thing but to have 500 traveling Spurs supporters cheering them on is something that many of them won’t have experienced before, and will likely never forget. Let’s hope it will be a memorable evening in more than one way for Burnett’s side, and let’s hope we can pick up our first three points of the season against our bitter rivals from down the road. I will be reporting on Friday evenings game before jetting off to Southampton to cover our under 18’s league game with the saints the following morning.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Whiteman, Eyoma, Dinzeyi, Tanganga, Brown, Marsh (c), Skipp, Edwards, Maghoma, Harrison, Parrott.

Subs from: Freeman, Hinds, Duncan, Bennett, Roles.

Doubtful: Shilow Tracey and Brandon Austin.

Injured/unavailable: Jamie Reynolds (leg), Kazaiah Sterling (leg), Tom Glover (Glover has recently been trialing for other clubs), Samuel Shashoua (on loan to Spanish side Atlético Baleares for the remainder of the season).

Previous meeting: Spurs 3-1.

My score prediction: Spurs 2-1.

My one to watch: Arsenal’s teenage sensation Eddie Nketiah became an instant hit with the Arsenal fans after making his first team debut for the gunners in the league cup last season. Nketiah made an instant impact scoring twice against Norwich in the league cup. The 19 year old forward also made several more appearances for the gunners first team that season. Pacy, good in the air and clinical in front of goal, Nketiah scored 12 league goals from 13 games during the 2017/18 campaign.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/08/26/spurs-under-23s-1-1-brighton-match-report/

Spurs under 18’s versus Chelsea: (match preview)

After a great start to the new season with two wins from their opening two league games under new head coach Matt Wells. Spurs will be hoping to keep up their 100% record when reigning champions Chelsea come to Hotspur Way on Saturday morning. Our old nemesis Chelsea have gone under a period of transition over the summer. The highly regarded Jody Morris left his role as the blues head coach to link up with Frank Lampard at Derby. In addition Chelsea lost talented centre half Jonathan Panzo to French club Monaco, with a whole host of talented players from that age group having made the step up to the blues development side. One could argue that this new crop of players won’t continue the trend of dominating youth football at least on the domestic stage. Chelsea won the premier league south last season, including the national final after they beat northern winners Manchester United. The blues also won the inaugural edition of the premier league cup (against us!) and the FA youth cup to cap off another season of domination from the west London club on the domestic stage. You know what you’re going to get when you play Chelsea and that is possession based attacking football. Chelsea under 18’s last league game against Leicester City, for example saw them have a remarkable 73% of the possession. During our four meetings with the blues last season there was a total of 15 goals scored as we contested some thrilling matches with our London rivals. They knocked us out of the FA youth cup and defeated us 2-0 in the final of the premier league cup. However, they didn’t manage to beat us in the league, and Spurs managed to beat Chelsea at Cobham 3-0. And in doing so became the first team to beat the blues under 18 side at their training ground in over three years.

The players Chelsea head coach Alan Myers has to choose from ahead of Saturdays game is quite frankly ridiculous. He could choose from any of the following: Hudson-Odoi, Ampadu and Gilmour. However, even if Chelsea do field that trio on Saturday even though I highly doubt they will, we can still easily match their quality. Our sparkling high intensity attacking football could beat any youth team in Europe on their day. And if Wells goes with a strong lineup for the London derby on Saturday then we’ll have a fighting chance of getting one over on our old rivals. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the talented Brooklyn Lyons-Foster start in defence, with Paris Maghoma and Jamie Bowden starting in midfield and Troy Parrott starting up top. Parrott was one wonder kid who Chelsea weren’t able to sign! It should be an enthralling game on Saturday morning and one in which should provide our young players (especially our first years) with a great experience. I wish our lads all the very best of luck ahead of this Saturday’s league game. My in-depth match report will be out on Sunday evening.

My predicted lineup: (4-3-3) De Bie (OG), Statham, Lyons-Foster (c), Binks, Cirkin, Bowden, A.Shashoua, Maghoma, Markanday, Parrott, Bennett.

Subs from: Oluwayemi, Okedina, White, Mukendi, Asante.

OG* = Overage goalkeeper.

Doubtful: Rodel Richards and Rayan Clarke.

Injured/unavailable: None (as far as I am aware).

Previous meeting: Spurs 3-0.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-2.

My one to watch: Signed from Crewe Alexandra this summer for a fee believed to be around £300,000, centre forward George Nunn (16) attracted the attention of a whole host of top clubs including Spurs who were rumoured to have been in for him. The clinical finisher has already scored one goal from the two games that he has played for Chelsea’s under 18 side this season, that is despite the fact that he has been playing out wide. I look forward to seeing him in action, he is very highly rated.

Spurs under 23’s versus Liverpool: (match preview)

Our under 23’s started the new PL2 season with a disappointing and frankly unexpected defeat at home to West Ham on Monday evening. Wayne Burnett’s experienced side were marginally the better side during the first half, they passed the ball around well and defended competently. However, a slight lapse in concentration allowed the similarly strong Hammers side to score an equaliser on the stroke of halftime. Portuguese forward Xande Silva’s quick fire brace to secure his hat-trick shortly after the restart wrecked Spurs’ confidence, and they were unable to recover from it. Hardly creating anything of note throughout the second half Spurs were totally shutdown by the resolute West Ham defence with the likes of Reece Oxford and Ben Johnson putting in really strong defensive performances for the Hammers. Our first away game of the new season will take place at the majestic Anfield stadium on Friday evening, as Spurs take on last years division one runners up, Liverpool. This will be the third time in three consecutive seasons that our under 23’s will take on Liverpool at Anfield. The previous two encounters have ended in defeat for Spurs (2-3 and 2-4). Last seasons game was a particularly enthralling one, after an explosive start from Neil Critchley’s Liverpool side, which saw them take the lead inside the first minute. Spurs looked like a fish out of water as the reds soon doubled their advantage through Harry Wilson who netted his second on 16 minutes. Seemingly heading for a thumping Burnett’s side upped their tempo and had a brilliant 15 minute spell which saw them score two goals to draw level. They were however, unable to keep that up and they were beaten comfortably by Liverpool in the end.

Tomorrow evening Wayne Burnett’s side will be hoping end that bad run with a positive result at Anfield. However, with a thousand or so Liverpool fans cheering on their team in the world renowned stadium, under the lights on a fine summers evening, it will be a tough ask for our youngsters. Critchley’s side got their PL2 season underway with a goalless draw against Brighton last Friday. They enjoyed an impressive 64% of the possession, making an impressive 507 passes in the process. Burnett’s side will have to be alert if they are to deal with the reds explosive attacking style of football. Jürgen Klopp’s footballing philosophy has clearly been passed down through the youth ranks at the Merseyside club, with fast attacking football such a big part of how Critchley’s side operate. Whilst they won’t be able to rely on the services of their top last seasons top scorer Harry Wilson (on loan at Derby) Critchley has players such as Solanke, Pedro Chirivella and the experienced attacking midfielder Sheyi Ojo to choose from. He may also be able to field fringe first team players such as Lazar Marković and Marko Grujić. It will be really interesting to see how Burnett approaches tomorrows game, whether he will go with an offensive or defensive formation is yet to be seen. But if we can involve our quality attacking players such as Georgiou, Shashoua and Edwards into the game then we could really trouble the Liverpool defence. I’m expecting us too see a much different team to the one that lost to West Ham earlier in the week, I could see us shifting Georgiou to left wing back, with Paris Maghoma making the step up from the under 18’s to feature in the middle of the park. Goalscoring midfielder Jack Roles could also featured in the middle of the park as Spurs look to break down the Liverpool defence.

I am anticipating an enthralling game of football tomorrow evening, and one in which should provide a real test for our young lads. I will be reporting on tomorrows game from Anfield but for those of you who want to watch the game live, it is being shown on Liverpool TV. Meanwhile our under 18’s travel to South Wales for their league fixture with Swansea on Saturday morning, they thrashed the Swans 5-2 in this fixture last season. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make that game as I will be at Wembley for the Fulham game.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Austin, Hinds, Dinzeyi, Tanganga (c), Georgiou, Marsh, Maghoma, Edwards, Roles, S.Shashoua, Harrison.

Subs from: Freeman, Brown, Eyoma, Duncan, Tracey.

Doubtful: Connor Ogilvie (leg), Shilow Tracey (leg), Tashan Oakley-Boothe and Samuel Shashoua (back).

Injured/unavailable: Kazaiah Sterling and Jamie Reynolds.

Previous meeting: Spurs 1-0.

My score prediction: 3-3.

My one to watch: A player who was has been on the fringes of the first team squad since signing for Liverpool, from Chelsea back in the summer of 2017. Towering centre forward Dominic Solanke also featured for the reds development side on numerous occasions last season. We have been on the receiving end of some excellent performances from the centre forward since
his Chelsea days (the 2015 FA youth cup semifinal springs to mind!). A traditional centre forward in many ways, Solanke’s physical and aerial presence will cause trouble for the Spurs defenders.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/08/14/spurs-under-23s-1-3-west-ham-united-match-report/

Spurs under 21/23’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: Samuel Shashoua – 1

Assists: None.

Spurs under 23’s versus West Ham United: (match preview)

Our under 23’s play their first PL2 game of the new season later today when they host London rivals West Ham at Broadhall Way (kick off 7pm). After an interesting pre-season which saw them travel to France to compete in this years Tournoi Europeen. Burnett’s side albeit not at full strength have played some really decent football during pre-season. Looking to build on their ninth place finish in division one last season, Spurs who are bolstered by some older and experienced players will be desperate to avoid another relegation battle this season. This evenings game will also serve as an audition for many of the older players in the squad (eg: Ogilvie) who will be wanting to impress the many football league scouts and managers that will be in attendance. Players such as Ogilvie, Georgiou and Harrison in particular will most likely have scouts watching them ahead of the close of the loan window at the end of the month. We played out three thrilling games with Terry Westley’s West Ham side last season, most memorable of which came in the PL international cup when we beat them 7-2. West Ham finished last season in fifth place in division one. They’ll be no push overs for Burnett’s young side and if Westley chooses to field the likes of Toni Martinez, Reece Oxford and Josh Cullen then it will make things a lot tougher for our lads. But after all this league is about experience and development. One final word, I noticed that Jaden Brown was back training with the development side on Saturday, Brown had been on trial with NEC Nijmegen last month. As always I shall be reporting on this evenings game and shall have my in-depth match report published by the following day.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Austin, Hinds, Tanganga, Dinzeyi, Ogilvie (c), Duncan, Roles, Edwards, Harrison, Georgiou, Tracey.

Subs from: Freeman, Brown, Oakley-Boothe, Maghoma, S.Shashoua.

Doubtful: None.

Injured/unavailable: Kazaiah Sterling, Jamie Reynolds (leg) and Tom Glover (out on trial).

Previous meeting: 2-2.

My score prediction: Spurs 1-0.

My one to watch: The hammers experienced Spanish centre forward Toni Martinez (21). The clinical target man scored 11 goals for West Ham’s development side last season before heading out on loan to Spanish side Real Valladolid in January. If he is involved tonight then his physical presence and aerial prowess will pose a big threat to Burnett’s side.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/08/12/spurs-under-18s-6-4-brighton-match-report/

Spurs under 18’s versus Brighton: (match preview)

After a long summer our under 18’s return to domestic action tomorrow when they host Brighton and Hove Albion at Hotspur Way (11:30 AM KO), in their first under 18 league game of the new 2018/19 season. It’s fair to say that it’s been an eventful summer of outgoings as far as the Tottenham academy is concerned. We’ve lost some of our most promising youth prospects this summer to overseas clubs with Keanan Bennetts, Reo Griffiths and Noni Madeuke all opting to try their luck on mainland Europe. Madeuke was one of our most promising under 16’s, a skilful midfielder the former Crystal Palace schoolboy was extremely highly rated at Spurs. That’s why it was a major loss for Spurs when he decided to join Dutch giants PSV earlier on this summer. Another high profile departure was that of our under 18’s head coach Scott Parker. Parker linked up with his former club Fulham where he is now a first team coach. Former youth team player and long time academy coach (former u23 assistant manager) Matt Wells has taken Parker’s place and will be in charge of the under 18’s for the 2018/19 campaign. Over the course of the domestic season Wells side will compete in the u18 premier league south, the u18 premier league cup which they made the final of last season, and the most prestigious competition of them all the FA youth cup. A lot of this seasons under 18’s will also get game time in the UEFA youth league over the course of the season, I presume Wells will be in charge for that as well. We’ve got another really exciting pool of players in the under 18’s this season, with ten first year scholars joining last seasons unusually large intake.

Matt Wells’ sides first opponents of the new season are Mark Beard’s Brighton. We contested two fiercely competitive games with the seagulls last season, including a nine goal thriller down on the south coast. Known for producing some exciting talents over the last five or so years Brighton’s current under 18 side boasts some impressive young players. Of which includes England u17 international Tareq Shihab, midfielder Teddy Hoare and the seagulls second top scorer last season, Dan Cashman. It will be a tough opener for the young Lilywhites and I’m intrigued to see what team Wells will pick. It will also be fascinating to see which first year scholars are included, I would suspect Irish prodigy Troy Parrott will lead the line after his pre-season involvement with the development side. I would also expect Dennis Cirkin to start at left back due to the lack of players we have in that position. However, I’m really looking forward to seeing the lads in action this season and reporting on my first under 18 game of the new season. I wish all of our players the very best of luck for the new campaign and I must say I will be astounded if anyone can match or even beat Reo Griffiths’ (now of Lyon) extremely impressive goal tally of 33 goals at this level last season! My in-depth match report of tomorrows opening game of the season will be published on Saturday night.

OAG* = Overage goalkeeper.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Freeman (OAG*), Tainio, Lyons-Foster (c), Statham, Cirkin, Bowden, Patterson, Richards, A.Shashoua, Bennett, Parrott.

Subs from: Kurylowicz, Okedina, Cooper, Thorpe, Asante.

Doubtful: None (as far as I am aware).

Injured/unavailable: None (as far as I am aware).

Previous meeting: Spurs 6-3.

My score prediction: Spurs 2-1.

My one to watch: The seagulls 17 year old forward Dan Cashman, Brighton’s second top scorer with six goals last season. Cashman impressed me during both our encounters with Brighton last season.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/07/19/a-piece-on-spurs-new-first-year-scholars/

My preview of Spurs U21’s participation in the forthcoming Tournoi Europeen:

Our development side will be traveling to north western France in the next day or so to compete in the annual Tournoi Europeen in Ploufragan, Britanny. Wayne Burnett’s side are defending the competition after winning it in a dramatic penalty shootout against Standard Liege back in 2017. However, due to the amount of development squad regulars that are out in the states with Mauricio Pochettino’s first team, Tottenham’s task will be a lot tougher this time around, with a lot more u18 players likely to travel. The majority of that cup winning side of last season have either left or are in America with the first team, Burnett will be missing several key players such as Oliver Skipp, Kazaiah Sterling and TJ Eyoma. However, this younger more inexperienced side are just as talented and they impressed me during our recent pre-season outing at Enfield Town on Monday evening in which they ran out 2-1 winners. Players such as Jonathan De Bie, Jamie Bowden (17), Dylan Duncan and Connor Ogilvie all stood out in that game. The inclusion of Ogilvie, Edwards and Harrison in this squad will greatly bolster our chances of topping our group as will the inclusion of players such as Samuel Shashoua and Japhet Tanganga. There are two groups in this tournament and we have been drawn in group A alongside three top French sides. PSG, OGC Nice and Stade Rennais will all be competing with Spurs to try and top the group. The Parisians have a renowned academy set up and have brought through players to the first team such as Adrien Rabiot and Timothy Weah in recent seasons. PSG will likely be our toughest test, they have some talented players on their books such as forward Metehan Güçlü, Kévin Rimane and midfielder Yacine Adli. Also in our group is local side Stade Rennais they are another team with a top class academy set up, Stade Rennais’s second team finished the France national 2 group D in 15th place last season.

The final team in our group is OGC Nice, once again they are another side with a world famous academy set up. Nice’s second team finished the France national group A in 11th place last season. Meanwhile group B contains Turkish giants Besiktas JK, French powerhouse AS Monaco and fellow French teams FC Lorient and EA Guingamp. I will be making the long trip down to Brittany by train tomorrow to report on the three day tournament which begins on Friday. As always it will provide our development side with a great experience against some top class opposition. It’s also being held at the world renowned Henri Guérin centre which I’m sure our lads will enjoy playing at. As for Spurs fans unable to make the tournament I don’t believe there are any live streams planned. However, when we reached the final last season a short highlights reel was uploaded on the CTB Henri Guérin Twitter account and Facebook page. As always I will do my absolute best to keep you all informed providing you with in-depth match reports of each Spurs game. I’m really looking forward to seeing how our lads get on at this years edition of the Tournoi Europeen and I wish them the very best of luck!

Our schedule:

Friday: (Both games will last 50 minutes, 2 x 25) At 11:15 Am CET we will face PSG.

At 16:30 PM CET we will play OGC Nice.

Saturday: There’s only the one game for Burnett’s side on the Saturday, they will take on local side Stade Rennais at 12:30 PM CET in their final group game.

Sunday: On Sunday we will be competing in a final play off game (hopefully the final!) that game will last 60 minutes (2 x 30).

The squad that I’m predicting will travel to France: (Estimation of 17 players)

Goalkeepers: Jonathan De Bie and Charlie Freeman.

Defenders: Tariq Hinds, Connor Ogilvie (c), Jonathan Dinzeyi, Japhet Tanganga and Jubril Okedina.

Midfielders: Dylan Duncan, Jack Roles, Jamie Bowden and Paris Maghoma.

Forwards: Samuel Shashoua, Marcus Edwards, Shilow Tracey, Shayon Harrison, Troy Parrott and Dilan Markanday.

Injured: Jamie Reynolds (knee injury)

Doubtful: Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Jaden Brown and Reo Griffiths.

The futures of Jaden Brown and Reo Griffiths remain unclear and I’d be surprised if either of them travel to France.

My message of support to the team: I wish all of our lads the very best of luck as they begin their defence of the Tournoi Europeen on Friday morning. I will be traveling down to France to report on our games but also to support our lads as they look to defend their cup. Burnett’s talented set of players can beat any side on their day with their exciting brand of attacking football, and I hope that they can implement that into their game over the next couple of days, I’m sure they will do the club and us fans proud! COYS

Spurs under 23’s versus Manchester City: (match preview)

After an exhilarating first league campaign under head coach Wayne Burnett, Spurs under 23’s will play their final game of the PL2 season on Wednesday evening, when they host Manchester City at Broadhall Way. A campaign of many ups and downs, from staring relegation right in the face to going on a remarkable run which all started on a chilly evening at Old Trafford in January that saw them beat Manchester United 3-1. Burnett’s side who after beating Chelsea 2-1 in their previous fixture have secured their first division status for another season, will be able to experiment a bit more with his squad for the visit of the sky blues. Man City sit one place above us is in the table in eight after being in and around the middle of the table for the majority of the season, but a win for Spurs would see them leapfrog City in the table and finish the campaign in an impressive eight place, particularly impressive when you consider the fact that we were rock bottom in January. Despite leading by two goals during the reverse fixture up in Manchester in November, Spurs were pegged back by Simon Davies’ side and would go on to lose 4-2. Now looking to avenge that result and finish the season on a high, Burnett will be eager to maintain Spurs’ impressive eight game unbeaten. The visitors who have won their last three away matches, boast a plethora of talent with the likes of U17 World Cup winners Joel Latibeaudiere and Phil Foden on their books, City also have players such as Ian Poveda. A ridiculously skilful winger who they signed from Brentford in 2016, I saw Poveda play for England under 16’s a couple of years ago and was left amazed at what he could do with a football.

In addition to Poveda Man City also have the leagues joint top scorer in Lukas Nmecha who has scored 14 goals this season, as well as the mercurial talent that is Brahim Diaz. It will be a great experience for Burnett’s side who will likely be much changed from their 2-1 win over Chelsea, with game time for a number of under 18’s likely. There are also a fair few of our players out on trial with other clubs. Surely the prolific 34 goal as season Reo Griffiths will be given some game time? My in-depth match report will be out on Thursday. COYS

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Whiteman, Eyoma, Dinzeyi, Tanganga (c), Georgiou, Skipp, Duncan, S.Shashoua, Roles, Bennetts, Griffiths.

Subs from: Austin, Hinds, Edwards, Tracey, Sterling.

Doubtful: Tom Glover.

Injured/unavailable: Nick Tsaroulla, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Christian Maghoma and Joe Pritchard.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-2.

Previous meeting: Spurs 2-4.

One to watch: Due to his recent involvement in Pep Guardiola’s senior side it’s quite unlikely that the Stockport Iniesta will travel down to London for Wednesday evenings PL2 encounter. But if Phil Foden does travel with the City squad down to Stevenage, then the England youth starlet is bound to cause problems for Burnett’s side. A skilful midfielder with a great passing ability and eye for goal Foden is a special, special player.

Spurs under 23’s versus Leicester City: (match preview)

After a lengthy break over the festive period, Wayne Burnett’s development side return to action when they travel to Leicester for a PL2 game on Wednesday night. The game which is being played at Holmes park (a tiny little ground owned by the Leicestershire FA) is the second meeting between these two sides this season after a closely encountered 1-1 draw at Hotspur way in the reverse fixture. And the foxes are flying in the league and are currently on a remarkable 9 game undefeated run in the league which has seen them move up to second in the table only to Liverpool. Steve Beaglehole’s side are mounting a series challenge for the league title, and having already seen Leicester’s youth team three times this season it’s obvious to see why. Whilst they don’t have any outstanding youth prospects, Leicester have a very talented young pool of players as well as being aided by a couple of fringe members of the senior team, are tough to breakdown. As the stats would suggest, they have conceded the least amount of goals in the league this season, a mere 9! Whilst it likely that some of the fringe senior players will be involved such as 30 year old centre half Yohan Benalouane and 25 year old Nigerian international Ahmed Musa, that experience combined with some of the foxes young talents may be too much for Burnett’s young side. But as always it’s an experience and a game which I am very much looking forward to reporting back from. COYS

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Whiteman, Eyoma, Tanganga, C.Maghoma, Brown, Skipp, Pritchard(c), S.Shashoua, Edwards, Georgiou, Harrison.

Subs from: Austin, Bennetts, Marsh, Roles, Sterling.

Doubts: Dylan Duncan and Nick Tsaroulla.

My score prediction: 2-2.

One to watch: Experienced Tunisian centre half Yohan Benalouane is a player who most of you will know. The former Saint Etienne defender has struggled for game time since joining the foxes and this season has found himself playing three times for the development squad. He will be a tough player to play against, if involved.