but at least they would have tried.
Spurs in a shambles of a display became the first English side to lose to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions league, as they conceded two goals in stoppage time.
Honestly there is no reporting of the game, it lasted a couple of minutes near the end, what went before no one remembers, it was so dull and uninspiring.
Antonio Conte is reported to have ripped into the players, after their first loss of the season. I wonder what he said, did he question why Royal was on the pitch? Did he ask why they keep playing like this? I expect not because well, he picked Emerson, he can’t be surprised that yet again they play this way.
To sum it up a Tweet pooped up saying there was 30 minutes to go and I couldn’t believe only an hour had passed. It seemed like days. It felt like the game had started when Boris was PM and the Queen was still on the throne.
A clueless display, bereft of any craft and guile, Spurs at least had some attempts and indeed even ones on target. They had some decent chances and even had the ball in the net, while the opposition even though they put four past Frankfurt in the previous week, looked toothless up front.
It didn’t look like that when Spurs old boy Marcus Edwards slalomed through the Spurs defence, looking every bit the Messi, right up until he looked like this season’s Sonny, when he shot straight at Hugo.
Yup Sonny’s troubles continue. Again picked to start, in the hope that something will kick start his season. He looked crestfallen from the off, while it looks like others are feeling sorry for him. Richarlison through on goal but squares it to Son, who messes it up but blushes saved as both were offside. They were both offside when Richarlison was played through by Kane and put to ball in the net.
A couple of times Spurs put decent crosses in but no one got on the end. Well, one of them was from Emerson and as it blazed across the face of goal there was no one there at all but in their defence, who would actually expect a good cross from him. No, more likely they were expecting a ball like the one that came a little later when with acres of space he kicked the ball to the byline for the keeper to collect unhindered.
Finally Kulusevski was introduced. It took 72 minutes for Conte to do it, taking off the beleaguered Son. In his first five minutes on the pitch he provided more life than the others had managed between them in the previous 72. He provided some chances but none were taken.
The only player who did well for the whole of the game was Hugo, who just into added time made a cracking save, not his first of the night. Only for them to switch off at the corner and have no chance from the resultant header.
Just minutes later the lead was double after some atrocious defending from Emerson and Romero. First the fullback with a lame attempt at a tackle, seeing the ball go between his legs, then the Argentinian doing a Kyle Walker, trying to push the player off the ball instead of actual defending.
It was an awful performance. Last week when it was announced that the Premier League games wouldn’t go ahead at the weekend, I said it was a Brucie Bonus because Spurs wouldn’t have to play Man City. Who knows maybe they would have lifted their game because of the opposition as it feels like that chameleon thing they do when they play to the level of what they think of the opposition. It’s only Lisbon, don’t really have to bother, so don’t. And this is what you get.