It is pretty clear that the less said about that Spurs performance, the better. It was a bitterly disappointing reaction to the midweek defeat against table-toppers Liverpool, which was an awfully hard one to take.
After letting the chance to put daylight between us and the ever-chasing pack in midweek slip through our grasp, a bounce-back performance against challengers Leicester was more than expected from Jose Mourinho’s men. Instead, we’re left wondering where it all went wrong.
Let us be clear though, this situation is not a complete right off by any means. Spurs still sit six points off the pinnacle of English football and losing to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and a resurgent Foxes side does not rule us out of the title race.
Having said that, the game today was far away from showing any encouraging signs going forward. In fact, it is a relief there is Carabao Cup action to take some attention away from us slipping down the Premier League table.
After sitting through the first 45 minutes, all Spurs fans would have been content with taking a goalless draw into the break.
All in all, Mourinho’s side was the better team, but all of the hard work to contain the threats posed by Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes was undone by a moment of pure madness and lack of professionalism.
Serge Aurier was the culprit, and it was crushing to see him slip back into his old ways after showcasing his talent on so many occasions this campaign, leading many to believe a corner in his Spurs career had been turned.
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Under the pure emotion of frustration of witnessing one of the clumsiest challenges you will see in the Premier League this season, many would have wanted him to be dropped but should Mourinho give him the benefit of the doubt?
The penalty being scored on the stroke of halftime completely changed the game’s complexion and with Mourinho already heading down the tunnel when the ball hit the back of the net, the game plan was turned completely on its head.
Additionally a midfield trio of Pierre-Emile Hojberg, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko was not ideal when trying to claw back a two-goal deficit but that is a story for another day.
The point being, Aurier severely let the side down today and he will know precisely that but now is not the point in the season to question the tactics or the team selection that got us mentioned in the title challenge conversation to begin with.
Let’s not resort to heaping the blame all onto the shoulders of Aurier, who has been stellar in every game up until today, keeping Sadio Mane quiet at Anfield being one of the major achievements for Aurier this season.
Our main issue of late has not been defending but creating chances and relying too heavily on Harry Kane and Heung Min Son.
Throughout the game, not to mention many other times this season, we did not look threatening or dominant, and that comes with Mourinho’s style of play.
When it works, it looks like a masterclass but if one cog in the machine gets jammed the whole process comes to a halt.
We now have three very winnable games on the horizon in the Premier League and a haul of nine points is not unlikely by any stretch.
The festive fixture schedule is notorious for unexpected points being dropped so as long as we are in touching distance of the top, there is no reason why we cannot dream.
Not to mention the other three trophies we still have to play for. Back the team, back the manager and up the Spurs!
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