The nicest thing you could say about Tottenham Hotspur’s demolition by Newcastle United was that it was not quite as bad as their trip here this time last year.
That 6-1 defeat was the worst Spurs performance for a generation. This 4-0 was merely the worst of this season. That game was the final bottoming-out after years of drift and bad decisions, the defeat that cost Cristian Stellini his job as interim manager. This was just a developing team showing all of their flaws and limitations at once. There will be no “Club update from Daniel” announcing a managerial change on Sunday night.
But just because the club’s position is different from 12 months ago, it does not mean we should gloss over how poor this Spurs performance was in almost every aspect.
Of course, any side can have a bad day at the office. This is still Postecoglou’s first season and nobody would expect the team to be perfect yet. Their league position, behind fourth-placed Aston Villa on goal difference, is still a strong base.
The Newcastle vs Tottenham match dashboard, showing how Spurs dominated the ball but failed to threaten consistently
What will worry Spurs fans is that this was not just an inexplicable random disaster. In reality, this was the coinciding of all of the problems that have been lurking beneath the surface. Every little flaw with this team was successfully exposed and exploited by Newcastle. By the end, every red flag was out there on show. “I don’t think it was one person that was at fault today,” as Postecoglou put it. “It was about us as a collective.”
It is difficult to know where to start, but the focus should not solely fall on the defence. To turn our attention straight to Micky van de Ven and co would ignore the struggles of Spurs’ ineffective attack. They were facing a thrown-together Newcastle backline and failed to ask any serious questions of them. When Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner got into promising positions, they routinely wasted them. Werner mis-hit two passable chances in the first half when the game was still in the balance.
Most worrying was Spurs’ complete inability to keep the ball in Newcastle’s half. The first and third goals came from Son losing the ball in the attacking third, Newcastle breaking away and scoring. Son has enjoyed a great season but he is always better running forwards with the ball rather than with his back to goal.
Spurs have missed Harry Kane’s ability to keep the ball under pressure, find a team-mate or win a free kick. Richarlison’s hold-up play has improved this season but he has not started for almost two months as he tries to shake off a knee injury. Without him, Spurs can still attack at pace. But when they need the ball to stick up front, it usually comes straight back.
Van de Ven fell over for the first two goals (George Wood/Getty Images)
This might not have been a problem if Spurs had a solid presence in the middle of the pitch — someone to sit in front of the defence, put out fires and shut down opposition counter-attacks. But they do not have anyone to do that and Saturday underlined Yves Bissouma’s shortcomings in that role.
It was clear from the start that this was a game about transitions — as Postecoglou said, Spurs “allowed Newcastle to dictate the way the game was played” — and it was equally clear that Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes could run through the middle of the pitch facing no real resistance. The first and third goals were from direct breaks, the second from Spurs giving it away at the back. And it was enough to make you wonder whether if Spurs are serious about progressing next season, they need a high-quality defensive-minded No 6 to sit in front of the defence next season. Bissouma has his strengths but games like this are not one of them.
There was plenty of attention on the defence itself afterwards, as Van de Ven suffered the toughest afternoon of his Spurs career. He was left on the ground for the first two Newcastle goals and, though he made a few crucial blocks, he has never looked as unsettled as this. Maybe it was his early booking that threw him or maybe it was because Gordon and Isak are so perfectly geared to exploit a high line with no pressure on the ball.
Whatever the reason, this was a reminder that the way Spurs play is a high-wire act that relies on Van de Ven and Cristian Romero being perfect to defend the huge open spaces behind them. If Tottenham cannot stop the ball over the top, or the defenders are off the game, disaster ensues.
Spurs do, at least, have two weeks off to dust themselves down, work on these issues and prepare for their run-in. But when they come back they have Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in their last six games. Those teams will be even better equipped to exploit Spurs’ flaws than Newcastle were today. Postecoglou laughed when asked in the press conference whether he was worried about those games given how Tottenham performed at St James’ Park. Spurs fans will want to see some improvement.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
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