do the double over him.
Yet another defeat, the 18th in the league this season, another home defeat in the league, another one goal defeat as they went down 2-1 to Champions League chasing Nuno led Nottingham Forest.
Brentford and Man U are the only non-relegated teams Spurs have beaten in the league since they put four past City. In fact those two teams represent over a third of Spurs’ 11 victories in the league. If you take out the relegated teams or those currently below Spurs then they have 7 victories and I mean there’s every chance Man U could finish below them, in their pursuit of Europa League glory, which would knock two wins off that stat.
And hell, that win over Everton was a Dyche Everton who was losing week in week out at the time, not the Moyes Everton that’s turned it around. Just look at Leicester. A run of 18 games with just one victory, against Ange.
So over less than two seasons, Ange has already racked up his 30th league defeat. His second of the season to former Spurs’ boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
And it started oh so Ange. He really must have gone over the opening goal they conceded to Wolves last time out in the Prem. I mean for the second week running you wouldn’t concede to a ball played out to the edge of the box from a set piece? You wouldn’t would you? Surely you’d do some coaching to prevent that? OK maybe that’s asking too much. Far too much.
That was five minutes in. Shortly after it could have been two but for Wood being offside. He wasn’t not long later when Spurs again failed to even bother stopping a ball into the box, while no one bothered with Woods. You know, that big lumper, hard to miss, the one they were all talking about before, the one who was scoring his 19th league goal of the season. The one you’d think they’d pay special attention to, especially in a heading situation.
But no. I suppose that requires coaching.
Vicario was flying and flapping. Yes, he can be blamed but if they were coached then maybe it wouldn’t be left to him to save they day so often.
The half finished with Spurs having two thirds of the ball and over three times as many attempts as the visitors. But Forest had three shots on target, to Spurs two, and were successful with two of them to Spurs zero. People talking up Tel, as he swipes and misses with shots. Talking up Richarlison as he fluffs things, except looking Solankeesque.
It carried on into the second half. Amazingly Ange made changes at the break. The central defensive pair, Romero and van de Ven – remember when the Angesexuals said it would be oh so better when he had his full squad, especially this pair, back? – made way for Danso and Davies.
It didn’t matter much because Forest, who brought on an extra defender, went all sit and back and give us your best shot. They had one attempt in the second half and basically just backed their defence, which has the third best goals against record in the league, against an attacking force that is more miss than hit.
And they were more miss. More shots than the first half but only four of the 12 they managed were on target. Richarlison managed most of those on target, well he had the most shots of anyone. Forest of course clear the ball of the line, like they did in the last seconds in their win over Man U a few weeks back, while Spurs just watch these type of balls go in.
Ange then went two up as he brought on Solanke and Johnson, with Odobert and Kulusevski – neither of which did much, you know the guys who having back would make all the difference – came off.
The 87th minute when Porro’s cross was met by Richarlison and was finally out of reach of the Forest keeper. But that’s all they could manage and so another one in the loss column.
It is what it is mate. Hanging on in sheer desperation of a Europa win, though with results at the weekend it does mean they are safe from relegation but as someone pointed out they’re in the Ten Hag zone now. They need to get rid of Ange but if he wins something they’ll keep him. That’s of course if he wins and I can’t imagine anyone left in the Europa is losing sleep after watching this, even Man U.
30 league defeats. Poch only lost 29 league games in his first four years at the club…