Games such as these will be the death of the ‘5 Things I Learned About‘ pieces that tend to crop up after games. If we did learn anything last night, it’s that Mourinho has pretty much nothing but contempt for Pochettino’s “This is futbol. This is belief. Belief in ourselves. Our philosophy” spin. Winners in professional sports don’t talk you through their innermost thought processes, they tend to be too busy …winning
There’s clearly a gulf between the coach’s expectations and what this Spurs squad is capable of delivering. And that all needs to change. My belief is that elements of this squad cannot be nurtured any further, be it technically or emotionally. Some, have hit a ceiling.
All 6 points for having lost his temper with Sonny, great to see our captain wake from his philosophical slumber. Hopefully his replacement comes with adjustable vocal cords.
Ben Davies is the epitome of the loyal servant, translated; just good enough to fill in at a supposed top flight side. Every time he goes forward, it feels like nothing tangible happens.
Not a mind blowing performance, but compared to many of his colleagues, this was a MOTM performance. With any luck, Mourinho has a new captain on his hands.
We spent a lot of money on Davinson Sanchez and after some initial flourishes, it appears he’s still not capable of routinely keeping his place in the side.
Acceptable stuff defensively, but Serge’s offensive play was far too haphazard.
Nice while it lasted. I’m officially in the ‘what does he actually do?’ club. Passing accuracies count for little when they are based upon lateral balls Ray Wilkins would’ve been proud of.
Disappointing. Who knows what his instructions were, perhaps they were too,’appear terrified of his own shadow’?
Another muted performance from a player I wasn’t expecting it from. I honestly think Jose needs to tell certain players to go out and play. Giovani looked far too scripted.
Technically and mentally Lucas isn’t cutting the mustard. Frequently he has no space, and when he does, he frequently makes poor decisions.
From Golden boy to broken toy. Lots of huffing and puffing, but the end product was predictable and hardly ever a massive threat. Paint by numbers football.
Worrying signs. Harry looks more comfortable playing deeper, and defensively was really on point on occasion. Dreadful free kick.
OPINION
Given the financial mess we’re in, I’d be inviting offers for Harry Winks, Serge Aurier and Dele Alli this summer.