to keep up his boast?
Spurs had a great chance to seal the deal on a place in the Europa League semi-final but could only manage a draw in the home leg of their quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ange says the “footballing gods” have abandoned Spurs as they managed just one goal from their six shots on target and one that hit the woodwork. Maybe, or maybe they’re looking on and think Spurs need a break from this berk, as he stood there impassively doing nowt.
Spurs got off to a great start, while having all of the ball they still managed to repeatedly it the ball away and looking useless. The Maddison for some unknown reason decided to cut inside into a Frankfurt player, when there was plenty of room in front of him to run into, losing the ball, one pass and it was at the feet of their danger man.
Now everyone knows what he wants to do, he’s out wide left, he wants to cut inside and have a pop with his right. So Porro shows him down the line doesn’t he? No of course not, Porro lets him cut inside, while that’s happening, Romero is meandering back not covering the Frankfurt player charging forward, nor doing anything to stop the player with the ball, as he does some sort of Argentinian Irish dancing. Arms behind his back sticking his leg up, nowhere near blocking anything. Bang and it’s one nil.
People were saying the lead didn’t last long, well, it lasted 20 minutes. It wasn’t like bang bang and Spurs were level withing seconds. It was Spurs having two thirds of the ball and doing nowt with it. Usual stuff. The equaliser came the one time they just didn’t cough up possession.
Solanke actually did something, made a run down the channel for Son to curl a ball over the top to him. Maddison was running into the box, went to the byline and got his cross in for Porro to be running across the face of goal and back heel in an excellent finish.
Great play all round. Movement and forward passing. All it really took. Not rocket surgery nor brain science. The rest of the half saw the return to rubbish. Two thirds of the ball yet the same amount of shots on target, from roughly the same attempted. Frankfurt had the best chance to take the lead but for a weak finish.
Well, something strange happened after the break. That post Ange half-time team-talk slump didn’t arrive and in the second half they put a performance in. It just didn’t lead anywhere. From Bergvall’s strike hitting the woodwork to the Frankfurt keeper having his highlight reel day in goal – the flying fingertip save to deny Micky van de Ven’s header.
Frankfurt had minimal chances and didn’t have a shot on target in the half but while to an extent it was working for Spurs there was no goal – Solanke was his usual absent self. Ange needed to do something. But did those chants scare him. His pathetic response at the time and his pathetic response after saying he wanted to hear the fans cheer the non-goal.
Ange waited and waited. And you just knew, he’d get it wrong when he acted, if he ever would. Non of the midfield trio should have been taken off, it really was screaming out for the wide pair, Son and Johnson, and maybe Udogie to depart. But when it came it was Udogie and Son but also Maddison. Maddison was not happy bunny, sat on the bench with a face like thunder and rightly so. Stupid decision to take him off. Maddison was playing a big part in the best football Spurs had played in some while.
Frankfurt were there for the taking in this half. Spurs didn’t manage it. Will the Germans be so passive in their home arena? Will Spurs rue all those missed chances. Will those missed chances rid us of this turbulent Greek…