Tottenham Hotspur were outclassed yet again on Saturday afternoon, eliminated from the FA Cup in the latest humiliation that clearly proves to Tottenham Hotspur fans that Thomas Frank is not the right man to lead this now sinking ship.
But despite the poor all around performance of Spurs as a team, there were a few individuals who did distinguish themselves positively in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa that, once again, really underscores the differing trajectories of these two clubs.
Xavi Simons was obviously the main positive for Tottenham and is a star of the future at the N17, but a more veteran acquisition from the Bundesliga this summer was also a standout in the middle of the park in the second half.
Joao Palhinha was falling off
Joao Palhinha started the season hot but recently fell off, casting his future in doubt with the option to buy him on loan from Bayern Munich for about 25 million pounds. While his defensive prowess earned him praise, the Portuguese international also received wide spread criticism for his poor play on the ball and lack of progressive carrying or passing.
Well, after a jaw dropping bicycle kick in the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, Palhinha once again distinguished himself positively on Saturday afternoon with a grand all around performance against Aston Villa, particularly in the second half when Tottenham Hotspur were finally starting to claw their way back into the game.
Palhinha was obviously magnificent defensively with a whopping five interceptions and so much hard work to try and break up play as everything else was falling apart. But he was also quite good offensively, which was a positive change of pace for the veteran midfielder. He had two key passes, two dribbles completed, and two fouls drawn in an all around performance that was all parts active, progressive, and, yes, even creative.
Tottenham have a tough decision to make with Joao Palhinha whenever the 2025/26 season ends, because he is 30 but is still showing he has plenty in the tank athletically. And while it is debatable the trade off between offense and defense, there should be little doubt that his highs have been higher than either Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur as veteran Tottenham midfielders - and his lows are far less low than Bentancur's disaster classes or Bissouma's inane laughing gas antics.
Palhinha has to keep playing like this and showing offensive involvement, but between the bicycle kicks and this show of determination and heart in an otherwise dreary defeat, the man is absolutely on the right track to changing his course back to a positive one.