Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-3 defeat to Bournemouth

Tottenham Hotspur returned to their normality this weekend, scoring first and then throwing points away in the Premier League. This time, it was a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.

Let’s take a look at five things we learned:

Davinson Sanchez –

That Sanchez cameo was hard to watch for many reasons. Coming off the bench and contributing to two goals conceded within 15 minutes, then being subbed off after 20 – it’s the most embarrassing thing for a pro footballer. To make matters worse, he was getting booed by his own fans.

As poor as he was, and his Spurs career will clearly end this summer, you never want to see that on a human level. It was tough to watch.

Lenglet Injury –

Another week, another injury for Spurs. This time, it was Clement Lenglet who had to come off. Of course, it was this injury that led to the Sanchez cameo too. You can’t help but wonder whether the back three would have had a lot more balance had he not picked up that problem. Fingers crossed one of Lenglet or Davies is fit to play next week.

Son Back In Form –

One positive to take from the match, if we really try to get blood from that stone, was the performance of Heung-min Son. It was much more like the Sonny we know and love. Quick on the turn, electric with the ball at his feet, and a goal to top it off. If he can keep this form up, at least we might be able to watch a few goals between now and the blissful end of the season.

Top Four Hunt –

Tottenham clearly just aren’t good enough. It doesn’t go much deeper than that. They keep pace for weeks, then when the chance comes to close the gap (like today after Newcastle lost), they choke. You can’t get Champions League like that.

Short of beating Man United, Newcastle, and Liverpool, while also being consistent in other games, Spurs stand no chance. They may even miss out on European football altogether.

New Manager Bounce –

Half the reason you sack a manager mid-season is to try and get things back on track as quickly as possible. We all know about the famous new manager bounce. Just look at Crystal Palace with Roy Hodgson coming back in – three wins from three and loads of goals.

Spurs, on the other hand, sacked Conte and gave the job to his assistant. While I have nothing against Stellini, it meant that nothing changed tactically. Spurs literally would have been better off going for a random morale-boosting short-term hire like Harry Redknapp.

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