and had to come to an end.
An all around poor performance by Spurs from De Zerbi down through the officials saw Spurs winning run end with a one nil defeat to Leeds United.
Spurs winning run saw them overcome a team that was on the up, with Coventry, it managed to overcome Chelsea, it managed to overcome a team that was crying out for Dr. Tottenham, Palace but it fell at the game before the international break.
While many of the fanbase will rightly point at officialdom helping the loss, many won’t admit that Spurs were not helped by the manager, his starting line up and his substitutions. While the Leeds manager went for the win De Zerbi went for the try not to lose.
The Italian had lucked into the winning formula by Bentancur’s three match ban. He’d tried them before but now a bit into the season, Fernandes and Tonali worked well over the last couple of games, in the 4-2-3-1 formation, but de Zerbi changed tack here. Why? With bringing back Porro was it to keep Gray in against his old club or was it because of the Leeds formation?
Either way it was wrong. The former was just needless, while the latter is starting on the back foot. Defensively, saying my coaching isn’t as good as yours, so I have to change things to combat you. Instead of dictating your style on the opposition, you let them do it to you. Weak.
I was surprised early on that the officials didn’t give the handball against Fernandes. What with VAR going Spurs way last time out, though not initially the game before. There was no clear evidence that it touched the arm – actually the opposite – but it’s never stopped them before.
But when the ref didn’t give anything for the challenge that eventually saw Tel hobble off, minutes later, and VAR didn’t even tell him to look at the screen, you just knew they were making up for that Mateta red after the media told them it was wrong.
Of course the media didn’t think it was a red. They would have done so if it had been a Spurs player stamping on someone’s ankle. Imagine it was Romero, they would have been screaming for a lifelong ban. But then we had the original screeching bint of commentary Jonathan Pearce caterwauling about “the game’s gone” and “it’s a contact sport”, for the red card handed out for a forearm smash to the face in another game. Sentiments echoed by pundits sat in front of this image…
Pearce prattled on about Franny Lee and Norman Hunter, well they were sent off for fighting, carried on fighting, well Franny did and that’s why he was given an extra lengthy ban. So no different because the game has never been about contact with the arm and hands.
So with Tel going off de Zerbi had a chance to give the youngster Williams-Barnett a good run out. But no, he chose to bring on Solanke. Solanke who was nonexistent for the half and a couple of minutes he was on. So much so that he touched the ball less than everyone who wasn’t brought on in the last 10 minutes.
The Leeds subs were brought on then and they contributed, one laid the ball on, the other scored. Because Farke sent on players to win the game, while de Zerbi sent on Bentancur and Gallagher. Players to not lose and that worked out so well.
Bentancur, played in those loses at the start of the season. Not available and Spurs win the three games he’s missing for, why would you bring him on? And what’s with Maddison, he was sat on the bench again for the second straight game. He wasn’t required against Palace but was desperately needed here but no. If he’s not fit enough to come on, why is he on the bench and if you don’t think he’s required in this game, how are you a manager?
Porro, who like pretty much everyone else wasn’t up to much, had made way, with Gray going back to rightback, where he was touch tight on the Leeds scorer at the throw in but by the time the goal had been scored he was yards away. Why?
The red would have made a difference, though Leeds would have put up more of a fight than Palace but de Zerbi was the main contributor to Spurs downfall.
Or we could just blame the international break…