Claudio Ranieri has the sign over them.
In Spurs fifth Europa League outing they again got away with it for the most part, it ended in a a last second draw with lowly Roma, under their new boss the former Chelsea and Leicester thorn in Spurs’ side.
Coming off that four goal thumping of City, facing a mid Serie A table Roma side, who in their league and Europa games average a goal a game, if anything was the guarantee Spurs not winning.
And like three of the previous four games in this tournament they should have been soundly beaten. They’ve played five games now and for all but one they’ve got lucky with the opposition letting them off the hook. Roma were no different. How many did they have chalked off for offside? Offsides by a slight margin. Offsides that didn’t need to be.
That said Spurs had their chances, good chances to seal another undeserved win.
I don’t know what game Glenn Hoddle was watching but he needed numerous different angles before admitting that Spurs should have had a penalty, when Hummels obviously stretched out across Sarr’s run to take him down in the box. It seemed like only Hoddle and the ref thought it wasn’t, until another view persuaded them otherwise. Sonny took his time and netted the spot kick.
Five minutes in. What followed was Roma banging on the door for an equaliser for the next 15 minutes. It came from a free-kick, Spurs doing that set piece failure thing of theirs again. The scorer not really marked by anyone as Solanke ducked under the ball.
Solanke eh. Come on lads, talk him up. A few tap ins and he’s the best thing the happy clappers had seen. A game in which apparently he didn’t win an aerial duel and only 3/13 ground duels, and saw him again make the wrong decision after wrong decision will see them making excuses. He’s never in the right spots. The times he was hiding behind a defender, when a smart striker would have dropped back and opened up a great chance for themselves.
Half an hour in and Spurs best bit of football brought their second, a ball out of his own half by Sarr to Kulusevski on the left, he makes for the byline for once and cuts the ball back for Johnson to slam home another one – he offers nothing they say. Solanke was hiding behind a defender.
Kulusevski got greedy a little later and his shot came back off the post, a rebound that saw Son totally Sissoko his attempt which flew over the bar.
Roma came out after the break without their star player, Dybala, and proceeded to run the game. Yup, it was one of those only managing one half from Spurs jobs. Shots were level, 11 each with both managing 4 shots on target but Roma had two thirds of the ball and looked the more likely to score. Forster having to make some saves to save the day.
Spurs could have wrapped it up but. Solanke. A four on two and as against City at he weekend he had the option to pass it right or pass it left. Both times the best option was left. Both times he passed it right. And killed the chance. Then a cross that he just let him hit the woodwork. Hoddle asked “how did that not go in?”. Well. Solanke, mate. He is useless. A bum. But you keep happy clapping and telling yourself how great he is because running about.
Then in the first minute of the five added on. Hummels is at the back post as a cross is smashed across the face of goal, from a corner. And they get their deserved equaliser.
Two games and Spurs have gone from unbeaten and on the top, to 9th, outside the qualifying places. Behind Rangers, who the play next in the competition.
Ange got angry in the second half, it looked like they weren’t going forward enough for his liking. God forbid they try and hold onto a lead to help him bolster his second season boasting.