‘In the stands’: Alasdair Gold shares what Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange were doing during Tottenham vs PSG
Tottenham’s Super Cup Heartbreak Against PSG Leaves Plenty to Reflect On
Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of lifting the UEFA Super Cup ended in bitter disappointment on Wednesday night, as they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in dramatic fashion.
The clash, staged in Udine, brought together the winners of last season’s Europa League and Champions League. On paper, PSG were overwhelming favourites to take home the trophy, boasting a squad brimming with world-class talent. Yet, for much of the night, it was Tottenham who defied expectations and dominated proceedings.
From the opening whistle, Thomas Frank’s men looked sharper, hungrier, and far more organised. Their pressing disrupted PSG’s rhythm, and their attacking play was fluid and incisive. By the 70th minute, Spurs had raced into a deserved 2-0 lead, with their fans beginning to dream of an upset.
But football can be cruel. In the final 20 minutes, Luis Enrique’s side mounted a ruthless comeback, scoring twice to level the contest and force a penalty shootout. The momentum had shifted entirely, and when the spot-kicks came, PSG held their nerve to secure victory — leaving Tottenham players and supporters devastated.
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Paratici’s Presence Raises Questions
One subplot to the evening’s drama unfolded not on the pitch, but in the stands. Fabio Paratici, the club’s former managing director of football, was spotted alongside current technical director Johan Lange.
Paratici’s relationship with Spurs remains strong despite his departure in 2023, when he was forced to resign after FIFA imposed a two-and-a-half-year worldwide ban on football activities. That suspension, related to his time at Juventus, officially ended in July this year.
Reports from TBR Football earlier this summer indicated that chairman Daniel Levy was keen to bring Paratici back into the fold in some capacity. While no formal announcement has yet been made, his regular appearances around the club — including this trip to Udine — have only fuelled speculation about his return.
During the match, football journalist Alasdair Gold noted that Paratici and Lange engaged in “plenty of animated conversations,” sparking curiosity over what the two senior figures were discussing.
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Squad Depth Concerns for Lange and Frank
For all the positives Tottenham could take from their performance against PSG — their controlled pressing, attacking fluency, and ability to outplay one of Europe’s elite for long stretches — the late collapse was telling.
The final 20 minutes exposed a weakness that has plagued Spurs in recent years: a lack of squad depth to see out big games against top-tier opponents. Fatigue, coupled with a lack of quality options off the bench, allowed PSG to seize the initiative and force the game to penalties.
This reality means that Johan Lange, alongside head coach Thomas Frank, has urgent work ahead before the transfer window closes. Reinforcements are needed, both to add competition for places and to ensure Tottenham can sustain their intensity for a full 90 minutes.
Perhaps, as some have speculated, that was exactly what Paratici and Lange were debating so passionately in the stands — the kind of conversations that could shape Spurs’ transfer business in the coming weeks.