Matchweek Moments: Warning Signs
By Ian Katan
Tottenham Hotspur are a team full of ups and downs. Generally solid contenders in the league, their last finish outside the top seven was back in 2008-09. They nearly tasted Champions League glory in 2019, and consistently performed well in domestic competitions. They are also equally capable of shocking implosions.
Last week, they impressively took down Manchester City thanks to a cool Harry Kane finish that simultaneously won the game and made him Spurs’ all-time leading goal-scorer. They showed hunger and defensive stability, something manager Antonio Conte is known for placing value on in his teams.
It should have been a result that inspired confidence and momentum, as those three points brought them to within a single point of the top four after Newcastle dropped points to West Ham. However, this week, Spurs’ trip to the home of Leicester City was utterly embarrassing.
The North London club looked in control from the start when Rodrigo Bentancur capitalized on a poor clearance in the 14th minute. Leicester got back in the game nine minutes later through a goal of the season contender from Nampalys Mendy. Only Mendy’s second ever career goal, Tottenham could excuse the beautiful equalizer as a lucky strike.
Two minutes after that, there was no such excuse. A risky clearance allowed Foxes defender Wout Faes to convincingly win a 50/50 challenge in midfield, and his clearance fell to Kelechi Iheanacho, who turned and teed up James Maddison to complete Leicester’s comeback. Spurs went from controlling possession to trailing the game in just about 10 seconds.
Spurs’ defense was uncharacteristically disorganized. On that goal, Ben Davies’ speculative ball forward put his teammate under pressure and he lost the ball. Japhet Tanganga was marking open space miles away, and Eric Dier had stepped far too high to recover when the ball went past him.
This lapse from Tottenham’s backline ripped up any momentum to equalize and cost them the game. Leicester continued their rout and finished the game 4-1, and it could even have been worse if not for a disallowed goal from Harvey Barnes.
Dier had an especially poor performance overall, letting Ihenacho dribble completely unopposed to the top of the box and watching as the Leicester forward made it 3-1. Then, when Barnes scored a second time, Dier again didn’t step to prevent the shot from being curved around his stationary figure. Any neutral viewer would think the East Midlands side were pushing for European spots and Spurs were the ones who had spent half this season in the relegation zone.
If Tottenham play like this with any regularity, there is no way they’ll reach their ambitions of top four. Conte’s side runs the risk of falling to the realm of Liverpool and Chelsea, who are serious underperformers for their hugely talented squads. Still near the top of the table, Spurs are surrounded by in-form sides like Manchester United and deserved high-performers like Brighton and Newcastle, where there is no room for defensive displays like this. Distracted and weak, Spurs’ backline cost them the game and will cost their team a European spot if it continues. The lackluster defense may even cost Conte his job.
On the other hand, Leicester are equally surprising. If they’re this good, why are they so low in the table? While the weak defense against Spurs allowed them to attack virtually unopposed, they still displayed the energy and determination of a team further up the table. Many called for the Foxes to sack Brendan Rogers after a string of poor results earlier in the season, but they stuck with him. Now unbeaten in three games and six points safe, their faith looks to be paying off.
This loss is a massive warning sign for Tottenham. There are still 15 games to go and anything can happen in that time, but unless their backline makes significant changes to not let another dismal display happen again, Spurs will certainly fall short of the top four. They are clearly good enough to take points off better teams like Manchester City, and there is no reason they should be dropping points so easily.