right now?
The first post Conte match for Spurs turned out to be much like most of the Conte matches for Spurs as they did that Spursy thing and coughed up a victory against Everton.
Usual situation, most of those around Spurs in the league had dropped points over the weekend, Spurs had a chance to move up to third, yes having played more games, but blew it, with the sort of performance, especially after they took the lead, that became the norm under Conte.
I suppose, what should we expect. It was Conte’s number two who was in charge. Even with those decent games they had when Stellini stood in for his absent mate, his 100% record had gone and the final games of that stand in role were poor.
Things that happened and decisions that were made in the game were pure Conte.
It did though start a bit more brightly than of late. Would there be that sacked manager lift? Spurs did seem to go forward with more intent, though they still insisted on that fannying about at the back, and the returning Lloris in goal isn’t any better with the ball at his feet.
I don’t understand it, you’ve seen playing it about at the back not work all season, you see it invite pressure which results in someone panicking and either coughing the ball up in a dangerous area or aimlessly humping the ball up the pitch to anyone. Why not cut out the middlemen and do the latter from the off? Hugo boots the ball up, it’s fifty/fifty but at least they don’t have it on the edge of your box.
It was a first half that saw Spurs have all the ball but have half the number of attempts as the home side, with both teams managing only one on target. While Everton were doing that clogging thing that Dyche’s teams do and getting away with it. Perisic was finally having a decent game, actually getting crosses in and not getting in the road of Son, and vice versa.
As per, the second half they were slow out of the blocks and Everton were pressing and winning. Winning every second ball, every lose ball, winning. It got even worse after Spurs took the lead.
That lead was taken 10 minutes after Everton had been reduced to 10 men. A ridiculous gouging smack to the face by Doucoure on Kane that of course saw the victim blamed for his reaction…
— no context tottenham (@nocontextspurs) April 3, 2023
…the likes of Danny Murphy and Chris Sutton, who both headed a lot of footballs. And Henry Winter who I see is still touching himself over everything Scouse, red or blue.
Dyche could, though he did at the time, complain about the red card for his player, or the penalty which followed those 10 minutes later. Up steps Kane, who with that previous incident, replaced Son as the villain for the home crowd. Pickford wasn’t stopping that pen, even if he’d gone the right way.
At that point Spurs just shut up shop. It was as if… lads, it’s Everton… we can hold onto this and not really bother. Against 10 men who now had to come out, in what was a pretty open game, they didn’t have another shot on target in over 20 minutes. Hell, they only had three more attempts of any kind. While Everton, had 6 more attempts with four of them on target. With 10 men for most of that.
It was Contesque. As was Stellini’s first substitution of the night, a defender for a defender. Couldn’t get more Conte if he tried. 15 minutes to go, you’re just one up and you’re playing like you’re the one with a man down, hell with two men down and you bring on Davinson Sanchez. What the hell did he expect to happen?
That just said “we give up”.
The second sub was that Conte one of bringing on Moura. While Danjuma sat on the bench wonder why he chose Spurs in January when he could quite possibly have actually got on the pitch if he’d stuck to Everton. Moura of course lasted four minutes, of doing nothing but his headless chicken routine, before his headless chicken routine saw him put his foot into Keane’s leg. A proper ankle breaker of a challenge, that luckily for Keane didn’t. Thankfully it means Moura won’t feature for at least three games.
Keane who gave away the penalty, then was on the end of that bad challenge, then had the final say. Well into the six minutes of added time it got Spursy. Spurs repeatedly giving the ball away while camped just around their own area, when Keane received the ball halfway in the Spurs half, unopposed he sauntered forward before having a bang while Sanchez did that back turning “I’m looking like I’m trying to block the shot while in reality and cowering out of blocking the shot” thing. As the ball flies past Lloris into the top corner of the net.
It was no surprise, the only surprise was that Everton didn’t grab the winner in the few moments left in the game.
It was an awful performance, against a bottom three side who have the joint lowest goals tally in the league. A performance that say the players aren’t gonna put any more effort in for Stellini and Mason than they did for Conte. A season’s over performance, with a clueless performance from the new management duo. Season can’t end quick enough but with more of this where will they end in the league because it doesn’t look promising so who would want to take over this shitshow…