Spurs on Sunday, something on salary caps and match facts from the BBC

Time for copy and paste. You know what I'm going to write, so I'll just skip right past. But it's great that proper football is back and that's all I'm going to think about this afternoon. 

But before Spurs on Sunday, there was news this week about a proposal to create some new financial rules to replace or become part of the current Profitability & Sustainability Rules (PSR). I haven't read all I probably should, but this would put a cap on how much clubs can spend on wages, transfers and agent fees, relative to revenue but with additional constraints, something I think they're calling anchoring.

It means there is a ceiling, still a high ceiling but a ceiling nonetheless. And not really knowing the details it's hard to have a firm opinion, but that written, if the most a Club could spend each season on wages, transfer fees and agents is lets say £400mn a season, it would be a start to making things a little fairer.

But it's only a step in the right direction and I can imagine quite a few loopholes and I don't imagine it would stop the bigger Clubs from getting the best players and finding different ways to pay the players. But something has to change and hopefully this starts the conversation.

Spurs on Sunday

But this post is about Spurs on Sunday and it's a big match. Frank has done well so far after taking over and they're currently two points from top spot. You could point to new manager syndrome for that, but Spurs also have a very good squad. Ask a Spurs supporter where they expect to finish and they'll all be optimistic thinking top six every season.

And you can't blame them. But they are there for the taking. This League is so competitive that if a team doesn't play as a team and a single player has a bad day or makes a silly mistake, that's it.

If a team goes to Spurs and plays their best football there is a chance. Spurs are a decent side with a decent manager, but it's not like going to Old Trafford under Sir Alex.

And that written, directly after us it's Manchester United at Anfield and with me now living in town, I think that's an afternoon at the pub. It's going to be a good Sunday and maybe there is hope for football after all.

Match facts from the BBC

• None of the last 20 Premier League matches between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have been drawn (14 Spurs wins, 6 Villa wins) since a 1-1 stalemate in May 2012. Only two fixtures in the competition’s history have ever had more successive games without a draw: Newcastle v Spurs (21 from Aug 1999 to Dec 2010) and Chelsea v Crystal Palace (26 from Sep 1997 to Feb 2024).

• Aston Villa have won four of their last six Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (L2), as many as their previous 29 beforehand (D7 L18).

• Tottenham Hotspur have won just three of their last 17 Premier League home games (D4 L10). Indeed, since the first game of this run (Nov 10th 2024 v Ipswich), no ever-present side has lost more home games (10) or picked up fewer home points (13) in the competition than Spurs.

• Aston Villa have won eight of their last 10 Premier League games that have come the matchday after an international break (D2) – including a win away at Tottenham in November 2023 (2-1). They drew their first match after this September’s international break 0-0 at Everton, however.

• After failing to win each of their opening five league games this season (D3 L2), Aston Villa have since won their last two. Indeed, since the beginning of March, only Manchester City have enjoyed more Premier League wins (11) than Unai Emery’s side (10).

• Tottenham Hotspur have scored 13 goals from an expected goals tally of 7.5 in the Premier League this season, the biggest overperformance of any side (+5.5). Indeed, their shot conversion rate of 16.9% is second only to Manchester City (17.4%).

• 25% of Aston Villa’s shots in the Premier League this season have been from corner situations (19/76); only West Ham (26%) have a higher ratio. Indeed, only Arsenal (26) and Chelsea (22) have registered more efforts from corners overall than Unai Emery’s side (19).

• Tottenham Hotspur’s Thomas Frank has never beaten Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side in the Premier League in five attempts (D2 L3, all with Brentford). It’s the most he’s faced an opposing manager in the competition without ever winning.

• Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohammed Kudus has completed 30 dribbles in the Premier League this season, with no other player completing 20 or more. Indeed, he has completed 246 dribbles in his 72 Premier League appearances overall; the only player to record 250+ successful dribbles within his first 73 games on Opta’s records in the competition (from 2006-07) is Allan Saint-Maximin (250 in first 58).

• Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has assisted more goals in the Premier League in 2025 (9) than any other player. Rogers has assisted in his last two league games, but has never recorded one in three successive Premier League appearances before.