il cattivo.
You got all of the Spurs as they cruised to a tight victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in their Champions League return fixture, which sees them now topping their group.
Conte went with his usual suspects, so Emerson at RWB meaning there’ll be someone rusty there at the weekend, and back to the old 3-4-3 formation. It could have payed early dividends when Richarlison challenged the keeper. Surprised the ref didn’t blow for a foul, what with the useless way he reffed the rest of the game.
The Dier had a mental two minutes. First up a stupid, needless challenge saw him n an early yellow. Then a couple of minutes later a classic Spurs omniclusterfuckshambles to concede the opener. It kicked off with Romero not wanting to pass to Emerson, can you really blame him, instead he squared it to Dier, whose first touch was Sissokoesque. That allows the Frankfurt player to get the ball, his cross nutmegs Dier, there’s a bit of a mess when Hugo and another Frankfurt player go for the ball, another Frankfurt player squares it for what isn’t much more than a tap-in.
Classic Spurs. They really weren’t at the races but weren’t behind long. Kane to Son, like Fred and Ginger. Kane’s through ball, found Sonny, he looked like he was struggling to get the ball under control, like so many times the season, but he got the shot off perfectly.
Not long after a free-kick was won and you’re thinking up steps a confident Sonny with a goal under his belt. But no, up steps Harry Kane and well, he missed the wall at least, by ballooning it over the bar. Well, at least he can take penalties. Which he needed to do not long after.
Running into the box he was taken out. The ref needed to be told by VAR to have a look at the video. No one knows why, it was so bleeding obvious. Though maybe Son’s dive not long before might have put the doubt in his head.
It wasn’t long after that it was three. Hojbjerg’s ball to Richy wasn’t the greatest but he followed up to get the return, then out wide of the box he put the perfect cross in for Sonny, to volley a beauty.
Going forward Spurs were looking good, especially for a team with only 9 players, the wingbacks having not turned up again. It wasn’t long into the second half they were playing against 10 men. Another howler for the ref as he forgot he’d already booked the Frankfurt player just two minutes before showing him a second yellow but not the red.
Conte made a couple of changes, going a more 3-5-2 or was it 5-4-1? That old inviting them on routine. Then he went did something you couldn’t understand. Yes, I understood Dier on a yellow, and this ref being flaky, replacing the England man but Sanchez, really? Then he brought on Gil for man-of-the-match Hojbjerg – I’m guessing Son got it for the goals, but the viking deserved it for the all round performance. Son then went of for the lesser spotted Moura.
Now it wasn’t their fault, more Conte’s favourite right wingback, that Frankfurt got one back. It was a pretty free header in the middle of the box. Oh the classic last five minutes of panic after being comfortable. That’s Spurs. They should have also be playing against 9 men, a definite second yellow was just ignored by the ref as Frankfurt had just turned to kicking Son and Kane.
It could have been a little easier. Gil was all arms and legs scampering, like a frog in a blender. Weaving in and out he was tripped in the box.
What was that I said about Kane taking penalties. He must have thought it was a free-kick as it flew high above the bar.
They did see out the final few minutes to take the three points.
Il buono was good. Il brutto was ugly and il cattivo was bad. Now imagine all those good bits but with Kulusevski in there, maybe as one of a functioning pair of wingbacks.