this season?
Another game where Spurs didn’t need to get into third, as they beat newly promoted Nottingham Forest, who seemed unable to hit a cow’s arse with a banjo.
It was another poor, sloppy, display from Spurs where again, chameleon like, they drop to the level of the team they’re playing. Seemingly of the opinion, it’s only Forest, we don’t have to really bother.
Forest have bought literally thousands of players since gaining promotion and have played most of them, yet again Spurs went into the game with most of the same old faces, only Perisic of the new boys making the starting XI.
Luckily Spurs got a very early goal, which really opened the game up. Forest would probably have attacked anyway and not done a flat back 10 job, but being a goal down so early in the game meant they had to come out and attack.
Even that opener came from a misplaced ball, that bounced off a Forest player into the path of Kulusevski, coming across the pitch he then played the perfect, no real look, reverse ball through the red shirts to Kane, whose bouncing scuffer left the keeper flat-footed.
Forest then proceed to camp in and around the Spurs box for a lot of the first half. They just had no real end product. In total they had 17 shots but only one of them was on target. Lost count the number of crosses they put in that flashed across the face of the Spurs goal, without a Forest player there to tap in an easy one. Hell, even Sterling couldn’t have failed to score some of those chances.
Spurs were trying the counter attacking game but screwing it up with poor passing. The number of Forest crosses was matched by the number of times Spurs just passed the ball straight to someone in red. Then if they did get a break it was let down by dithering or a poor first touch.
Forest could well have been in front by the time Spurs should have finished it off, ten minutes after the break. A Perisic cross for Kane, instead found the hand of A Forest defender, who knocked it away from the striker. Definite penalty, though it took VAR long enough.
The Forest keeper had saved the last penalty he faced, while Kane had score his last 21. So when he hit probably his worst penalty in the last 23. It wasn’t just in the post like his best, it was too far out and just the right height for a keeper who knew which direction he was heading.
At that point you’re first thought turns to inevitable Forest equaliser.
Conte hadn’t made any changes at the break and what wasn’t working in the first half still wasn’t working in the second. Again as last week I called for a radical overhaul, that would see the unproductive Emerson taken off for Bissouma. Pack the midfield, where Forest were matching Spurs with a pair, move Kulusevski to right wingback, where he could play as a winger really. And take the even more unproductive Son off for Richarlison.
What is wrong with Sonny? He had done very little before getting seeing his number come up with about 15 minutes of normal time to go. His slow head down trudge off the pitched was followed by him gesticulating and moaning on the bench.
A few minutes later and Richarlison had provided more tan the man he’d replaced. A quick break was let down by Sessegnon dithering – this was Conte’s first choice of sub to come on. Don’t know why, of all the places on the field it wasn’t working, LWB wasn’t one of them. But when the ball was seemingly heading out for a throw Richarlison chased it down, gt past his man and put the perfect cross, with the outside of his right foot, right on Kane’s head.
The opener was Kane’s 200th league goal, the second moved him into joint third on the Premier League all time scoring list, level with Andy Cole on 1987.
Only time left for Richarlison to wind up the natives. A few keepy-ups got ’em enraged, after playing the ball off and going for the returned he was smashed by one of the Forest players. Whereupon commentator Jamie Carragher says you can’t condone that, directly after condoning it and then following that up with more condoning. Who knew Carragher had headed so many footballs?
Bentancur went of with a head injury, looks like concussion. So much so they’ve stopped any moves for Sarr to leave. So maybe Bissouma will get a start midweek, he made late appearance here, as did Forest old boy Jed Spence. That right wingback area is of concern as is the middle, where Hojbjerg has been good but they still lack that creative touch. It seems strange that they’re talking about more wingers, when it’s a creative midfielder that is required.
Can the luck hold for two London derbies this week, Wet Spam midweek, Fulham at the weekend – the former haven’t been scoring, like Forest here and Wolves previously but the latter have? Or will they finally get out of second gear…