It\u2019s the last day of 2025! Boy, what a year. Not one I\u2019d especially like to redo on a personal level, even though there have been some incredible highs \u2014 it\u2019s been a challenging one for me personally and overall I\u2019m pretty happy to see 2025 in the rear view mirror. Here\u2019s hoping for a better 2026, for me, for you, and for Tottenham Hotspur.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe I\u2019ve never done this theme in 12 years, but apparently I haven\u2019t. Lots of people make New Year\u2019s resolutions. Very few people actually stick to them. But maybe you\u2019re resolved to give it your best shot again? Here are some suggestions on some resolutions. None of them are BAD, per se, but the biggest mistake people make is making them too ambitious. Resolutions are about forming habits, choosing achievable goals, and celebrating your progress along the way.<\/p>\n
So as Tottenham Hotspur closes out 2025 with a rare Premier League win, this time over Crystal Palace, let\u2019s rank the players to the theme of New Year\u2019s resolutions. Put your favorite (or least favorite) ones in the comments and maybe some tips on how best to achieve them.<\/p>\n
Want a NYE resolution you might actually stick to? Keep it simple and contained. Dry January has been a thing for a while now, and is a nice counter after a holiday season likely full of excess and over-indulgence. As someone newly sober (for medical reasons mostly but also by choice) I think it\u2019s a good idea to do a little alcohol-free detox once in a while, even if you plan to go back to the booze later on. It\u2019s not that difficult to do with a little forethought and it\u2019s a resolution that you\u2019ll feel good about completing because you know it\u2019s only a month.<\/p>\n
No Tottenham players in this category<\/p>\n
4 stars: Improve mental health<\/p>\n
Go back in time a decade and I don\u2019t think you\u2019d see this as a major New Year\u2019s resolution, but a lot more people are prioritizing mental health now and that\u2019s a good thing. There are a lot of ways to do this, but it starts by simply making it a priority. Maybe that\u2019s therapy, perhaps meditation, or something as simple as taking a little extra time to do things that make you feel good. But it\u2019s a good thing, easy, and achievable. You can do it, and you\u2019ll feel better just by trying.<\/p>\n
Kevin Danso (Community \u2014 3.5): Solid match. Very commanding and assured performance at the back in Romero\u2019s absence. Rarely put a foot wrong despite an early (and very suspect) yellow.<\/p>\n
Micky van de Ven (Community \u2014 4.0): Another very good performance at the back. Dealt with pretty much everything Palace could throw at him, including Mateta, who can be a load to handle.<\/p>\n
Archie Gray (Community \u2014 4.0): So pleased to see him rewarded with his first senior goal. Thought he looked a little rough in the first half but upped his game, especially late. Rewarding to see him continue his improvement at CM this season, one of the few bright spots.<\/p>\n
Richarlison (Community \u2014 4.0): Scored twice, except he didn\u2019t because of stupid VAR and the stupid offside rule. That said, this was a really nice match from him \u2014 he looked dynamic, was very involved in the offense, and flicked a header on for Archie Gray to poke home on a corner. Well done, Pombo. More of that, please, preferably while onside.<\/p>\n
Wilson Odobert (Community \u2014 4.0): Really impressed by Wilson\u2019s brief cameo. Smacked the post and looked super dangerous in attack late. The joke in the Carty Free writer\u2019s room was that before coming on Frank gave Wilson the speech from \u201cSwingers\u201d for motivation. \u201cYou\u2019re money and you don\u2019t even know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
3.5 stars: Eat better\/lose weight<\/p>\n
I feel like this is a resolution that is so attractive because of guilt, especially after two months of holidays where we are primed to eat to excess with family and friends. A worthwhile goal to be sure and I\u2019ve fallen into that trap, but \u201close 30 pounds\u201d takes a crapload of time and work, and it\u2019s no wonder people bail so quickly. Start smaller and incremental. \u201cMake sure half my meal is vegetables for the next two weeks\u201d is a good first step, or something like \u201cstop eating chips after 9 pm\u201d, and go from there. This also works well with Dry January (see above).<\/p>\n
Djed Spence (Community \u2014 3.5): Looked bright going forward, but was a little loose with the ball at times. Played well in the second half.<\/p>\n
Rodrigo Bentancur (Community \u2014 3.0): Looked characteristically lost in the first half, but stepped it up in the second. One of his better matches this season.<\/p>\n
Joao Palhinha (Community \u2014 3.5): Came in as a defensive substitute in the second half and put in some exquisite and well-timed sliding tackles. Pretty much exactly what the team needed when he came on.<\/p>\n
This is just all about financial discipline, which is a learned skill that I\u2019ve found isn\u2019t taught much anymore. Wanna save a little more for a special occasion, a future purchase, or just an emergency fund? Set up a direct deposit that funnels a small amount out of your paycheck to a bank account (no amount too small) and then DON\u2019T TOUCH IT. It\u2019s better if you forget that you\u2019ve done it along the way. But do it automatically. If you\u2019re like me, transferring money manually every however often will not work and will not stick. Let the machine do it.<\/p>\n
Guglielmo Vicario (Community \u2014 3.5): Vic didn\u2019t have a ton to do despite Palace having a number of decent half chances. Made a couple of decent stops, didn\u2019t barf on his shoes playing out from the back. Not bad.<\/p>\n
Pedro Porro (Community \u2014 3.0): A couple of decent crosses including an \u201cassist\u201d to Richy that was waved off by VAR but struggled defensively especially in the first half.<\/p>\n
Mohammed Kudus (Community \u2014 3.5): Had a virtual assist for Richarlison negated by VAR. Characteristically frustrating with the ball, but didn\u2019t notice him killing attacks in this one (probably because Spurs didn\u2019t have that many to begin with).<\/p>\n
Lucas Bergvall (Community \u2014 3.5): Stupidly caught offside in the buildup to Richy\u2019s first disallowed goal. Worked hard but not a ton to show for it despite a lot of running. Withdrawn for a knock, hopefully he\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n
Thomas Frank (Community \u2014 3.0): As I said in the post-match, I don\u2019t think this win moves the needle on Frank one way or another, nor do I think we learned much from a gritty win off a set piece when so little xG was generated in the first half. Team looked good late, though.<\/p>\n
Unless you live in the southern hemisphere or a warm climate, January is the worst time to start an exercise regime because who wants to go out and exercise when it\u2019s cold? Working out in winter involves a gym membership or home equipment, the weather sucks, and motivation to continue fails when there\u2019s so much already working against you. Not to say you shouldn\u2019t exercise more, you should! But there\u2019s a reason why so many people fail at this resolution in particular. By all means, go get healthier, but set yourself a more achievable goal, at least initially. Try Yoga with Adrienne for a couple of weeks, or park two blocks away from the office and walk to work. You can always give Planet Fitness your money later on when you\u2019ve established a routine that works.<\/p>\n
Randal Kolo Muani (Community \u2014 3.0): Not one of his better games. Never seemed quite in control of himself and struggled (along with everyone else not named Richarlison) to get on the end of the ball. Hooked late.<\/p>\n
Look. I get it. Your life might suck right now. Maybe you\u2019re lonely, or your job sucks, or you want (and don\u2019t have or lost) a partner, or your favorite football club is a hot mess. Maybe it\u2019s all of the above. It\u2019s hard, I know. But resolving to just \u201cbe happy\u201d never works, because it fails to address the underlying issues at the root of your unhappiness. You can\u2019t bootstrap your way to being happy, because the causes are likely numerous, interconnected, and compounded. So start with something small. Find something you like doing, or that gives you a little peace, and lean into it. Maybe that\u2019s read more books, or making time to really listen to music, or getting out into nature a few times a week. Start there, and build on it. Add something else. Join a social club. Learn a new skill, even if it\u2019s not a relevant one. Dedicate one day a week away from social media. Start cooking more. Invite a friend over for coffee. This may not fully cure your unhappiness, but it might at least give you a little bit of respite. Whatever it is, keep it small, and celebrate your accomplishments. Change what you can, endure what you can\u2019t. You can do it.<\/p>\n
No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as trying to bootstrap your way to happiness.<\/p>\n
Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating<\/p>\n
Brennan Johnson, Radu Dragusin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the last day of 2025! Boy, what a year. Not one I\u2019d especially like to redo on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,162099,561,82,45758,162100],"class_list":{"0":"post-380194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-community-player-ratings","11":"tag-soccer","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tottenham-hotspur-analysis","14":"tag-tottenham-hotspur-player-ratings"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}