Spurs conceded three goals in a game for the first time since October’s 3-3 draw with West Ham – they had only conceded three times in their previous nine games before tonight.
It feels like José Mourinho is having problems stamping out the last vestiges of the loser mentality that he inherited at Tottenham Hotspur. Which appears a curious accusation to make, given so few players from Pochettino’s era were actually on the pitch. However, the problem here lies squarely with the Portuguese, who is now discovering who he can completely rely upon, and who is no good.
After the game, Mourinho told the BBC of a “difference in intensity, communication and enthusiasm”, but I maintain that you will only be able to get so much out of certain players, and football teams hit a tipping point, where weaker players look at the other 10 and adopt a mindset that they are in a second string side. So you get a second string performance from them.
Davinson Sanchez isn’t a player that is going to win anyone anything any time soon, perhaps not even in this lifetime, and despite the North London Derby on the horizon, I’d have fielded Eric Dier instead. You can’t have Sanchez in the same category as Dele Alli, and yet play one for 96-minutes and the other for just 13. That makes no sense at all.
The real problem is the midfield. Hojbjerg can be relied upon come rain or shine, yet pair him with anyone who isn’t quite at the races and everything falls apart. Tanguy’s passing accuracy was 68% which is embarrassing given his mean average is 88.7%.
A depressing night, and one which we will drill down into across the day.