An awful week to be a Spurs fan summed up here
Crashing out of the cup and a derby day loss seemed t0 fit the Halloween theme as a horror show unfolded for Spurs
Same Old St James' Park
Whilst I was unable to fully watch the cup game on Wednesday, it unfortunately didn't surprise me that the performance was below par. St James' Park is by no means a happy hunting ground for Spurs, but with the performance against Everton the week before lifting the mood, I was hoping this would strike some confidence into the players.
The game seemed to be plagued with the usual meltdown about Joelinton's recklessness and Richarlison's inability to score at the moment and unfortunately Spurs bow out the cup earlier than many fans would have hoped. The Carabao Cup always seems somewhat attainable to fans and a recent trophy now being in the cabinet presented supporters with some confidence that this tournament is a perfect chance to start a streak of success. But, this wasn't the case and Newcastle progressed with two pretty sloppy goals on our behalf.
Business as Usual
It was time for the annual 'Three Point Lane' fixture that seems to fill Spurs fans with dread... and this year was no different! Thomas Frank presented a changed side giving starts to Bergvall and Sarr, whilst Romero and Udogie returned from their short term injuries. The game started how it seemed to go on as Bergvall was struck in the head by the ball in the opening stages of the game, unable to continue. Being the warrior he is, the Swede tried to soldier on before he was almost forcibly taken off and replaced by Simons.
The only goal of the game left myself and other Spurs fans as a calamitous set of errors from Van De Ven, Spence and Simons gave Chelsea a free chance to open the scoring, which was kindly taken by Joao Pedro.
To be honest I wish the full time whistle was blown there and then because the rest of the game was a complete waste of time. Chelsea kept on attacking and were unlucky not to put 4 past us, as Vicario continued his fine form saving us from embarrassment. It seemed that this game was the turning point for a lot of people on Xavi Simons, who just isn't clicking at the moment. I am hoping it is just a confidence issue, but yesterday really wasn't promising.
Meanwhile Kudus seriously looks like he needs a rest after relying on him for the past 3 months to be our main creative spark. Genuinely there wasn't much else to discuss during the game because of how awful we were. I think this picture perfectly sums up how we've become bullied by clubs like Chelsea.
There just seems to be a spark missing at the moment creatively, someone who can take the game by the scruff of the neck and make things happen. Maybe that is Kulusevski or Maddison. When I think of players turning up against Chelsea though, its always these two that come to mind.
Post game seemed to be a main highlight for the match as Van De Ven (who had been so excellent last week) and Spence stormed off the pitch at full time, ignoring the fans and the manager. I really don't want to see things become sour with Thomas Frank and the players but that was not an appropriate way to conduct themselves after performances that weren't exactly inspiring. Frank put this behaviour down to 'frustration' and assured the fans that they're just players who want to do well.
I really want to have faith in this team, its a likeable squad and we have good players and a good manager. These upcoming fixtures will be really telling on the type of Spurs this squad wants to be. This week was a shambles, its not getting any easier with a trip to Denmark midweek and a Manchester United side presumably seeking revenge for that night in Bilbao. Are these players willing to dare? Are they willing to do?
COYS!
