Tottenham end 2025 on a high | OneFootball

There’s been plenty of reasons to question the performances of Tottenham Hotspur this year. The scrappy 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace wasn’t a pretty watch, but Thomas Frank’s men got the three points and stumble into 2026 with a bit more hope.

Too much turkey

I’m not a fan of constant negativity in soccer, especially on social media. It’s easy for supporters to have a moan and over analyze everything. 

But this wasn’t the easiest game on the eye. I struggled to stay engaged with it at times during the first half. Richarlison had the first of his two goals disallowed by VAR on 17 minutes as Lucas Bergvall was clearly in an offside position. 

Other than that one, Spurs failed to attempt a shot on goal in the opening 30 minutes. This was the fifth time this has happened to them in a Premier League match this season.

Maybe some of the players had over indulged on Christmas Day, including Pedro Porro. He seemed to give the ball away on a number of occasions. 

Gray matter

Porro ultimately did show his quality on 42 minutes, as he whipped in a corner to the back post. Randal Kolo Muani headed it onto to Richardson, he then flicked it on to Archie Gray who nodded in his first goal for the club.

At only 19 years-old the Englishman already has a senior career that spans 112 games. He almost looked shocked to see his close range header hit the back of the net. This will be encouraging for Spurs though, as he looks to be growing in confidence in his preferred midfield role.

More settled in the middle

The double pivot of Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha was a chess move that didn’t provide any check mates for Frank earlier on in the season.

Since then, the Danish tactician seems to have realised this isn’t a fruitful pairing in the formation and has been leaving Palhinha on the bench. With Gray next to Bentancur in the middle of the park, this could prove more dynamic for the team. With Bergvall in the creative role and two wingers either side of him. This leaves one striker up top and even though Richarlison is frustrating as ever to watch, he’s working hard for the team.

Richarlison’s ready

The Brazilian number 9 had another goal ruled out by VAR in the second half. This time it was little harsh, as it appeared to be his kneecap straying offside.

The 28 year-old has had some stick online this season. Many have poked fun at him only scoring when his side are losing, or equalising/putting his team in front, celebrating wildly, only for the opposition to go down the other end and score quickly afterwards. 

His stats against the Eagles were much more encouraging. He won 9 duels, created 3 chances and provided 1 assist. Whether his goals are important or not, he still has 8 in all competitions this season.

He looked a bit sharper at Selhurst Park and Tottenham fans will be hoping he carries this form into their next match against Brentford.

New Year’s test

With the strange kick off time of 8pm on New Year’s Day, Tottenham travel across London to play the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium. 

It will be a tough test for Spurs, as Keith Andrew’s men have only lost one at home in the league this season and that was against there mighty Manchester City.

Although they boast an impressive home record, Tottenham still have good form on the road, getting back on track after that victory against Palace. 

As always this will be an interesting match up. Spurs have already beaten Brentford 2-0 this season and Frank knows his former employers better than anyone.

The Tottenham head coach will also be hoping that this team are up for the challenge and not suffering a New Year’s Eve hangover. Will we see another drunken mistake or a positive first step into 2026?