the Spursy.
After last weekend and Spurs doing their best not to be Spurs, to take advantage of other teams losing, they tricked us all but the return of the Spursy wasn’t far away.
A totally limp performance that maybe showed they shouldn’t have given the team the week off, letting Kane jet off to America to watch the Masters.
The first half was much like that in the previous game, where Spurs didn’t show up either. Starting lethargically not getting any better and looking like they needed that half time rollicking from Conte they got last time.
The main differences being Spurs didn’t get that early goal, which would eventually open up space, while Brighton didn’t look anywhere near likely to score as Villa did. While Villa muffed good chances, Brighton are a bit toothless.
But they weren’t as toothless as the lacklustre Spurs. I couldn’t even use my Harry Doyle “one goddamn hit” video. They didn’t even have a goddamn hit. Not one shot on target for the whole game as the rollicking may have come at half time but it didn’t produce any results.
Neither did anything Conte did. Yeah, I was shocked too that the introduction of Winks 72 minutes in didn’t result in a upturn in Spurs play. The problem there wasn’t just… well… it was Winks… but also it was a positional like for like change, replacing Bentancur. When Brighton’s midfield three was bossing the midfield.
While Kane might as well have stayed in the US. Of all the players that started, Spurs front three had the fewest touches of the. Kulusevski being the only one with less than Kane’s number, Son’s was the same and neither of them played the full 90 minutes as Kane did.
And there was the problem. Spurs were back to their fannying about passing between each other in defence and the midfield. Too slow, too many touches and too sideways.
And as it went on like this there was that growing feeling that it was gonna be a Spursy day, not a new Spurs day. Not late smash and grab from Kane but a late winner from the opposition. And so it came to pass. The only surprise was it didn’t come from Welbeck.
They kinda got away with it this time though, with Woolwich losing they can only draw level on points if they win their game in hand, while Spurs have a far greater goal difference than them and Man U.
Of course they weren’t helped by the officiating, again. Yes, Kulusevski could have gone early for his violent elbow, that luckily for both players didn’t make any real contact. If it had Kulu would have been banned for a few games and Cucurella would still be looking for his teeth. But after that the ref really bottled it. Brighton’s Mwepu got a yellow card but followed it up with kicking Davies in the head and then stamping on Hojbjerg’s foot, neither seeing a second yellow produced. Even though that latter foul was exactly the same one that saw him get his first yellow. Then as the half came to an end Cucurella went down Kulu’s Achilles with his studs, well after the ball had gone. Spurs should maybe be down to ten, Brighton to nine. That might have made a difference.
They can’t put in any more performances – was it even a performance – like that, I mean the first home loss to Brighton in over 40 years…