same outcome.
Spurs lacklustre loss to Citeh in the Carabao Cup final held no surprises to anyone. I didn’t exactly want Jose to stick around much longer at the club but it couldn’t have been any worse if he’d stayed for the one trophy left in the season.
Of course the slight possibility of a victory is probably one of the reasons Levy pulled the trigger when he did. No doubt there was a trophy bonus. Daniel wouldn’t want to take that risk, to go with the severance package.
Another motivation for Levy was confirmed when Ryan Mason made his predictable team selection. As soon as he was announced as stand in coach I said he’s the type to pick Winks. I was surprised that he didn’t start in Mason’s first game, the midweek struggle to beat Southampton, but after giving him a run out as a sub i just knew he’d start in the final. It’s what Levy wanted. Levy has this little love affair with Winks, while Jose finally figured the waste of space for what he is. One of the few things he got right. Eventually.
Winks playing being on the field for the full 90 minutes pretty much sums up Ryan Mason’s attempt at being a manager and Spurs in the final. Along with Mason’s laughable substitutions.
People seemed surprised that Spurs struggled to get out of their own half in the first 45 minutes. Well, they so midweek against the worst team of 2021, so why are you surprised when they play the same against a side that’s just a couple of games away from buying another title.
There was a couple of surprises in that half. One that City didn’t score. The second being the identity of the City player who the ref bottled from giving a card to. Everyone figured it would be Fernandinho, turns out it was Laporte. Moura skinned the City defender, who brought him down in true City/Fernandinho style and as with most of the Brazilian’s professional fouls the ref let him off, what is an automatic yellow card. Tierney is a pathetic ref and he bottled it. Too short and no doubt that bald patch will be plugged up soon. He seems that type.
Almost exactly the same thing happened a little later in the half, Moura past Laporte and down he’s hacked but this time the card was shown which should have meant his marching orders. Did read some gullible journo say it didn’t make a difference as Laporte wouldn’t have made the second challenge if he’d got a cad for the first. Awe bless. Yeah because Fernandinho getting away with it game after game would make the other players think twice, knowing the refs bottle it because they don’t want the criticism that would come from sending someone off.
It was no surprise that the player who shouldn’t be on the park would then be involved in the winning goal – scoring it. It was also no surprise that Spurs would help City get that goal. Aurier with a stupid foul on Sterling who was going no where. The Sissoko doing absolutely nothing while Laporte jumped above him to head home the winner.
Sissoko. Another indication that Mason isn’t up to the job. There’s been some strange substitutions over the last few years. Poch had his head-scratchers on the hour. Jose was always bringing on another defender that didn’t end in defending a lead. But Mason’s changes were the bizarrest and worst I think I’ve seen.
Moura was Spurs only out going forward. He was the only Spurs player that committed City players. Mason brought him off just after the hour, along with Lo Celso. The latter was poor in the first half but had come into it when Spurs had more ball in the second and had their only attempt on goal. Mason brought on Sissoko. Who like his sidekick in mediocrity, Winks, produced nothing. I get bringing Bale on… actually I don’t, because I don’t get not starting him. I didn’t get a lot about that starting XI. The fact that Ndombele, who has caused City all kinds of problems before sat on the bench for the whole game, while Winks played the full 90.
The worst part of all this is that City aren’t as great as the pundits are making out. They’ve been handed the title by everyone dropping off, Spurs being amongst the worst culprits. City can be outstanding but you stop Mahrez getting on his left, you let Sterling run into trouble and miss sitters, you attack that defence – I mean Walker for god sake still can’t use his feet, you cut off De Bruyne who wasn’t all that on the day, you let Guardiola out think himself with no striker. Yes Hugo kept them in it in that first half with some outstanding saves but they weren’t all that. It was a chance for a trophy and they just never turned up.
While Son is left crying after the game, you’re left thinking… “oh… he was playing, then”. As Harry trudges off the Wembley pitch thinking he’s playing for England with the lack of service he got. Not a single touch in the City box.
It wouldn’t… couldn’t have been any worse under Jose. Thank you Daniel Levy…