from Spurs.
Yet again Spurs travelled to the other lot for the North London Derby and tripped over their pants that had been pulled down that again makes you ask what is Conte up to?
With Kulusevski’s injury on international duty and who else was and wasn’t available it was a predictable starting XI from Conte, with the predictable 3-4-3 formation, which brought predictable results.
After seeing that 3-5-2 formation work, it was back to being overrun in the middle and back to camping out on the edge of their own box, going for those breakaways. Breakaways that haven’t been working this year. They certainly were working here. The final ball more often than not being a shocker. Not just a little off but wildly off.
Kulusevski is the man for the killer ball, unless Kane drops deep. Kane wasn’t so it wasn’t working, as Son reverted back to the form seen before his Leicester hat-trick. Getting the ball taken off him with ease, if not that dithering and just playing the wrong pass or the over hit one.
The front three are so separate, there’s no linkage. The width should come from the wingbacks, allowing the strikers to stay closer and link up better. Perisic didn’t get forward much at all, while on the other side it really doesn’t matter if Emerson gets forward, his final ball is inept nine times out of ten. That tenth time he actually played a good ball across the box, of course there was no one there to get on the end of it, because no one expects it.
Emerson was at right wingback, and it was him they went after. Now at times he can defend but you know that mistake is coming. They got past him with ease, most of the time, while Spurs supporters were on tenterhooks.
The opener though didn’t come from there, no it came from the lack of bodies in the middle along a shot from outside the box that Hugo had no chance with. Just give him a free pop, lads.
The equaliser came from one of those misplaced forward balls, this time Sonny had a an easy one for Richarlison, he over hit it and Richy was pushed wide, after his poor cross was cut out he fought for the ball rebounding in their area and was taken out. Yet another penalty in the NLD, yet another Harry Kane goal.
The status quo didn’t last long after the break. Another free shot, this time in the box and this time Hugo decides to do that thing he seems to do quite a bit in big games, cough up the ball. Then Cuti got in on the act as the ball was bundled towards Hugo who now dived over it to allow them a tap in. Omniclusterfuckshambles.
Of course it wasn’t to end there. Not when you have Emerson. Hasn’t got the brains god gave a pigeon but thankfully will now be unavailable to Conte for three league games. His hack deserved a red, even just for the plain stupidity of it. I mean the player was heading further into his own half, almost at level of his 18 yard line, going nowhere, his outlet blocked by Richy and here comes dopey to just foul him.
Conte was preparing to make changes when the third went in, pretty much unchallenged, again. When the changes came it saw real damage limitaion. You can take the Italian out of Italy but you’ll never take the Italian out of him. Two attackers off, Son and Ricky, and on comes some defenders.
A team that was struggling to get away from their own area were now not even bothering. The only surprise was that it worked and they didn’t concede another.
Utter shit show. What happens to them when they go to that place? They lose any sort of fight, proper fight not stupid fight like Emerson. Can’t string two passes together, can’t get out of their own half. Just sit back and take it.
What will Conte do now he can’t pick Emerson? Will he ever go 3-5-2 to start a game? Will he get ’em out of second gear. The only funny thing is that lot thinking they’ve won the league now…