then you’re in real trouble.
Spurs looked to help bottom of the league club, Leicester, out of their funk, but even they couldn’t manage it with what looks like a doomed team, thanks to thirteen minutes of Sonny magic.
When Leicester sold their captain and keeper, Schmeichel, a man who had saved them on many an occasion, and hadn’t actually bought anyone in the transfer window at that point, something they didn’t remedy, I looked up their relegation odds…
12-14/1 on Leicester going down…
— Токсическая сеть (@Toxic_Web) August 3, 2022
It looked like free money. Two monarchs and two PMs latter, seven games into the league they are plum bottom of the league with one point, the only top flight team without a win. One of only four teams in the whole league pyramid without a win and the lowest points total of those four teams. Having conceded 22 goal, 11 in the last two defeats.
So a visit to Spurs, still the only doctors seeing patients, was surely the moment to kick start their campaign. No. Even with those healing Tottenham hands.
And the treatment started early, Spurs had looked active in the first five minutes for a change, then Sanchez, in for Romero, made a poor pass into the middle of the park, from their it went wide down Sanchez’s side, before he slid in and took out the Leicester fullback on the edge of the area, for a penalty. Hugo saved the first attempt but was off his line and VAR kicked in. He didn’t get the retake.
This shows the precarious state, one centre-back injury from having to reply on Sanchez not doing a Sanchez.
The lead didn’t last long because there’s one team worse than everyone, including Spurs, at defending corners and that’s Leicester. From the corner, won from Perisic’s cross from the right where he was playing at wingback, he received the ball short from Kulusevski – restored to the starting XI – and played it back to the Swede, who made some space for himself and put the perfect cross in, right on Kane’s head at the back post.
Richarlison still hasn’t scored but again he was chasing down lost causes that led to a goal. Here he won a corner, taken by Perisic which was met by Dier’s head and glanced inside the far post.
But again from being on the up and on top of a team, whose heads should have dropped, their let their foot off the gas or Leicester’s throats. No, they went slack again, with some more poor defending. This time weakness from Sessegnon, at LWB, then an excellent finish from Maddison. You just knew he’d score, after Spurs were linked to him in the summer.
They could have taken a lead going into the break, again Leicester’s weakness at corners but the ref went soft and denied Sanchez a bit of redemption, as his arm touched the keeper.
Spurs did look up for it after the break, another Conte blast? Of course, no changes at that break. The winner came just after the restart when the visitors did their benevolent doctor routine. Playing about at the back, all of a sudden Bentancur was charging in on Ndidi, taking the ball off him he kept on running before curling the ball past the keeper from the edge of the box for his first goal for the club.
It capped of what would probably have been a man-of-the-match performance but for someone else.
Perisic had already made way for Emerson – nope, no idea either – then Son entered with Romero for Richarlison and Sanchez. A bit later Kulusevski was brought off for Bissouma and Conte went to a more 3-5-2 formation. Now whose been calling for that, though with a different personnel?
Three minutes after that shift and Bentancur was at it again, winning the ball then this time playing Son though. The Korean was faced by two defenders, a situation he’s been in numerous times this season. Previously it’s normally resulted in him running into a cul-de-sac and bouncing the ball off one of their shins. Here he stopped and allowed the defenders to continue, just giving him that bit of space to get his shot off. Curled into the top corner, the type of goal he was putting in week in week out last season, it was his first for this. Relief for everyone.
And you just knew, with the class that Son has that his second goal of the season wouldn’t take anywhere near as long to arrive and so it was less than 10 minutes later. The Kane Son link up together again. Kane out to Son in a similar position from where he scored his first but this time with the left he put it in the far corner, keeper had no hope. This was a better goal and a goal born of the confidence that first one brought. It’s the old class and form cliche.
Two minutes later and the comeback was complete. It took a while due to VAR deciding if it was onside or not and it was the scruffiest of the three but I don’t Sonny cared. This time it was Bissouma that made the tackle and Hojbjerg who made the break, playing the ball through the channel to the left, from where Son scored so many over the years, his shot scuffed under the keeper and went in. Before that first goal went in this type of of effort would have been saved.
Sonny’s back. Does that 3-5-2 formation suit him better? As it stands it’s the best way to go, don’t get outmanned in the middle, need to play Kulusevski at RWB though or you lose a lot of delivery, especially if his place is taken by Emerson. That end lineup here just with the wingbacks changed, looks perfect. Richy can then come on when things have maybe opened up and exploit the space and some tiredness.
So if Doctor Tottenham are handing you a 6-2 whipping, then what hope is there for your club. Perfect opportunity with the international break for Leicester to sack Rodgers. Can you imagine, there were some who wanted him to be the Spurs manager…