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Tottenham’s capitulation at Brighton felt crushingly inevitable. Something needs to change fast

Hopes that the Bayern Munich humbling in midweek would jolt them back into life quickly dissipated as Hugo Lloris fumbled, fell, and Neal Maupay put the home side ahead

Harry Latham-Coyle
Saturday 05 October 2019 14:27 BST
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Tottenham were dismal. Again
Tottenham were dismal. Again

This was a new low. Tottenham were not just beaten by Brighton, but out-competed, out-worked, out-played. Again.

Defeat to Brighton came as no surprise, truly, for this is a Spurs team so lacking in verve and vigour. Hopes that the Bayern Munich humbling in midweek would jolt them back into life quickly dissipated as Hugo Lloris fumbled, fell, and Neal Maupay put the home side ahead.

Lloris will be out for a while, it appears, robbing a side already deficient in leadership and direction of their captain. The international break comes as welcome relief for the club. They have won just three of their last 13 Premier League games.

There is a sense that this sort of run has been coming. Tottenham have largely had upbeat times since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino, stumbling through trickier spells on team spirit and hard work. Eventually, one of those was likely going to slip away. Both have. Hence the predicament Spurs find themselves in.

One wonders where Spurs might be had they not reached the Champions League final. Let’s not forget the streaky nature of that run to the final – Spurs were moments from going out in the group stages. And the quarter-finals. And the semi-finals. The Champions League heroics rather papered over the cracks. This is not a blip.

So how much is Pochettino to blame? The Argentine would point his fingers upstairs to Daniel Levy’s thrift, suggesting this is down to a lack of investment. Which is true, to some extent. Spurs let themselves stagnate, paying for inactivity last summer and failing to refresh their squad. Stagnation has bred complacency. Complacency has bred defeats.

Yet Pochettino is greatly at fault, too, not least for the bizarre alienation of a number of his squad. At some point over the last two seasons, Spurs have publicly suggested that all of Serge Aurier, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier, Lucas Moura and Christian Eriksen may be available. That is virtually half of their first-team squad. Is anyone truly surprised that Spurs are lacking cohesion and togetherness when that great a contingent know they may not have a long-term future at the club?

How else do you explain Hugo Lloris’ form falling off a cliff? Dele Alli looks a shell of his former self; Eric Dier too. Harry Winks is a pacemaker in a team without a beating heart. Already the rumblings about Harry Kane‘s discontent have begun.

The defeats are coming in different ways. The Newcastle game was a study in creativity, or lack thereof. Bayern Munich pounced on tactical naivety and were ruthless in transition.

Combinations and formations have been changed to little avail. Injuries to all three of their summer signings been none have been able to fully bed in and rejuvenate the squad. There is a sense of on-field aimlessness among the playing staff, with nondescript passing, non-definite forward movements, and vagaries at the back.

It is not just the players, either. Pochettino quite outwardly seems to wish he was elsewhere. There are rumours of a dressing room rift, with a section of the squad furious with Pochettino’s lack of commitment.

You can understand why Pochettino wants to move on. He too has stalled, and his managerial portfolio is somewhat losing its lustre. If Pochettino wants to move on, he ought to do it while his stock is still relatively high.

But potential destinations are drying up. Real Madrid now favour Jose Mourinho. Bayern Munich seem unlikely to rekindle their interest in Pochettino after the 7-2. Manchester United is the job nobody should want. If Pochettino is waiting for an offer to be pushed across his table, he might be waiting a while.

Tottenham were dismal. Again

Something needs to change, but Spurs seem incapable of forcing it to happen. They cannot really afford to sack Pochettino, and their squad is so thin – and the players so numerous – that they cannot fully freeze out the discontented contingent.

That leaves the club in a strange scenario, ready to react, but without anything to react to. The longer they drift along like this, the deeper their strife. They need a stimulus from the outside to kick them back into gear, but one does not appear to be forthcoming.

And that is where Tottenham are, waiting on the world to change.

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