then is there hope for Forest?
Spurs travelled to Nottingham Forest and despite the visitors best efforts they didn’t help the home side end that run of five games without a victory.
Forest might get lucky in that the three promoted teams are so poor they might avoid relegation, amazing all three might actually beat the lowest Premier League points tally, they have after all got 20+ games to get the three or four points required but then again, they are bad.
Spurs tried to help out all they could.
Everything that Spurs did against Newcastle in the previous game to cruise to a comfortable victory, with exactly the same starting line-up, was missing here. It was back to the old routine. Yes Forest lined up differently that the Toon with what was basically a back five but there was space out there to attack. The space they attacked against Newcastle, stay wide get to the byline and bang crosses in. Yes, there was a back five but it was mainly crammed in the middle, where Spurs kept heading into.
Why? Why when there’s space do they cut cut down their options by running into defenders?
We also knew early on that the ref was gonna be a wrong’un. When Son was given a shoeing on the floor and was penalised for it.
Spurs were also doing that missing chances thing, Son started it, then Johnson had a toe poke that was brilliantly saved. But things changed a bit when Johnson had to go off with a cut to his head, though it was done as a concussion substitute. Bizarrely Ange chose Skipp has his replacement which created a lopsided look and didn’t help keeping any width or getting to the byline n the right.
Then we had the ref doing his homer routine. Udogie with a needless charge into the back of Yates, saw him get a stupid yellow – that means he’s suspended for the next game – while Yates stood up and waved an imaginary card, which is a yellow card offence but of course saw no action.
Then just into added time Kulusevski decided to actually put a ball into the box, instead of fannying about and running into trouble. Excellent cross, perfect put onto Richarlison’s head for him to score in his second straight game for the first time for the club. He’s now got more goals in the last two games than in the previous season and a half, in the league.
We know that Richarlison is decent with his head, all his previous goals for the club came that way before the two against Newcastle, but of course we never saw another cross like that from Kulusevski again.
He did score the next one, twenty minutes into the second half, when after watching Spurs fanny about at the back and almost give it away. Forest having clear cut chances to equalise, before having the ball in the back of the net, luckily chalked off by VAR for offside. The home side decided to follow suit but go one better, as the keeper played it out straight to the Swede, who when running into the box, made to cut inside but a step-over kept him wider with a bad touch and on his right when he banged it through the keeper’s hands.
Yes, he can kick the ball with his right. I mean he put his foot through that. Why doesn’t he do it more often? That’s my problem with him. He’s being talked up this season, basically because he’s played nearly every single minute of every single game but no he hasn’t been outstanding. He hasn’t been anywhere near what he was in those first few months at the club. Because he’s just repeated himself over an over again. Here he did two things that weren’t cutting inside and losing the ball or passing back and it led to two goals. Do that. Do more of that.
Shortly after Spurs were back fannying about leading to a great chance for the home side but also a challenge by Bissouma that would see him receive his second yellow card of the season, after a VAR review. A ridiculous challenge by Bissouma, that could only end up with a red. Which means he’ll now be banned for four games, with it being his second red. Banned for seven matches so far.
Of course it was Yates he fouled. A player who shouldn’t have actually been on the park what with his numerous clogging fouls and at least two times waving an imaginary card at the ref. Ange brought off Richarlison for Hojbjerg.
There was time for another Vicario miracle save. He palmed a ball out earlier that he could have caught, should have caught but other than that he was outstanding yet again.
Spurs saw it out. It was another never mind the quality feel the points performance. But why? Why when if they’d just played like they did against Newcastle it would have been comfortable did they have to revert to doing it all wrong? Why Ange? Why?