and less of that first half please.
Ange made a shocking move which led to Spurs managing to overcome relegation fodder Luton after another unsurprising first half of ineptitude but will he learn from it because he hasn’t previously.
It was the standard wash, rinse, repeat routine from Spurs in the first half as yet again they had all the ball and didn’t manage to put the ball in the opposition net. While going in at half-time behind thinks entirely to themselves.
For once they actually managed some shots but despite having nearly three quarters of possession they had the same number of shots on target as the opposition. One.
The Luton shot on goal, led to the opening goal just three minutes in. It came from an excellent Spurs chance, a ball over the top from Porro released Kulusevski, Udogie, Sarr and Son where heading towards the Luton box in the middle, while Werner was making his way o the left. With Udogie and Werner in the box, Son and Sarr on the edge of it, Kulusevski lined it up, took aim and fired his pass behind the lot of them.
Of all of the awful things the ginger Swede has done this season, this was the worst.
People blaming Bissouma for not stopping Townsend’s cross. But can you blame him, ever since Townsend scored that screamer for Spurs in Europe, then do so again for England, that’s all he’s ever done, cut inside on his left and had a shot which since those goals has normally gone high and wide. So when he stayed on his right and put a cross in it surely should have come as much of a surprise to the onlooking Spurs fans as it did Bissouma. There was still plenty of opportunity to stop the goal as Barkley passed it on in the box but as per usual Spurs were defending narrow.
It seems to be an Ange thing, a narrow defence, or is it? I mean we keep being told how they are trained to keep wide in attack and put crosses in for the opposite winger. Apparently he gets his coaches Chris Davies and Ryan Mason to drill it into them daily. But then he picks Kulusevski who cuts inside all the time and we never see this crossing.
After their goal it was looking to be one of those days, when Werner just missed with a good chance, then when Kulusevski finally played the right ball, Son was through but his shot hit the near post then ran across the face of the goal before rebounding off the far post to Werner whose shot was blocked, rebounding to Sarr whose shot was blocked.
The great shock came at the break. Has Ange ever made a tactical change at the break? He normally waits until well over the hour before finally figuring out this ain’t working. Well, it came at the break and it was Kulusevski that made way. Which just goes to show you how piss poor he’d been. I mean he did this for most of the first 19 games in which he played nearly every minute. Done it for five of the last seven games in which he’s played every minute.
But finally Spurs had width. With Johnson on the right and straight away it started paying dividends as crosses were put in and chances, good chances were created. Bringing the equaliser just over five minutes in. Johnson wide plays a one-two with Porro – Triangles. How long have I been banging on about triangles on here? – then bangs in a low dangerous cross which the Luton defender put in his own net.
From then on crosses went in and chances were spurned. Spurs should have been out of sight well before the go ahead goal was scored. Most of it was coming down the right, from Johnson or Porro or Son or anyone, now it was a Kulusevski free zone. But the best chance came from the right, starting with a Dragusin run, then Werner and Lo Celso had their triangle, with the Argentine getting into the box and squaring it for Johnson. The keeper got just enough of a hand on the Welshman’s shot to slow it down so it could be cleared off the line. Off the back of the line.
It was about as close to going over the line as is possible without registering a goal…
#COYS #THFC… https://t.co/l3lGuu1NTO pic.twitter.com/JVqYXxfZOj
— Toxic Web (@Toxic_Web) March 30, 2024
Again elements of… one of those days.
The Spurs winner came from one of those situations that in the first half would have resulted in Kulusevski cutting inside and passing back, thus killing a great breakaway chance. Here from a Luton corner, Spurs broke and kept on going. First Son, then through to Werner, the German kept wide and put a right footed cross into the box, where Johnson stabbed the ball back to Son for him to score his 160th goal for the club, taking him into sole possession of fifth spot on Spurs all time scorers list.
It was late on and yet again as soon as a player does something – score, assist or start a break that results in a goal – Ange quickly replaced Son. There was still time, still time for a Luton equaliser. This is Spurs after all and nine minutes were added on.
Luckily this didn’t come back to haunt Ange or us.
Why can’t we have that second half instead of that first half Ange? Why? Is it this notion of Spurs running around like headless chickens for 45 minutes means the opposition will be tired come the end of the second 45? It can’t be? Imagine playing like that for the first half and taking your chances, then being able to cruise through the second, Ange, just imagine.
But what will happen midweek? Will Kulusevski be back in? More than likely. Will after praising that performance will Ange shift Johnson to the left and completely negate him? Probably, after all he’s done it before. Unlike the opposition who have learned how to cramp up Spurs, Ange doesn’t seem to learn from what he sees…