5 Things We Learnt From Spurs VS Newcastle United
With one win, one draw, and one loss, it is hardly a start the Spurs fans would have envisaged. Yet, here we are. Newcastle beat Spurs this weekend, and mind you, it was a deserved win for the Geordies. But what about Spurs? What did we learn from this game?
Son is NOT a central striker.
Granted, Spurs have missed Solanke’s presence up top in the last two games, but that has created an unnecessary issue for Them. With Veliz out on loan and Richarlison out for the Newcastle fixture, Ange put Son up top instead of giving Werner an opportunity. He brought Werner on as a sub, but by then, Newcastle were well-settled and looked more threatening than their counterparts.
Ange Postecoglou repeated the same formula that didn’t quite work even last year. Son is great coming in from the wing rather than starting centrally. Starting Son centrally nullifies his traits and qualities. If last year was not enough to recognize it, hopefully, Ange would have noted it this weekend. Spurs looked blunt.
These are the games to WIN.
If Spurs indeed want to break their trophy hoodoo, then these are the sort of games they need to start winning. For so long, Spurs have slipped up in these sorts of games. Newcastle away is tough, especially in the last three years, but that is why you need to win these games to prove your mettle.
If the Spurs come across Newcastle in one of the cup competitions down the line and perform the way they performed last weekend, it will definitely be another blank year for the North Londoners.
Solanke is a HUGE miss.
We don’t need to say this, and it has been quite evident, but Spurs look clueless up top without the presence of the 65m man. Solanke didn’t score in his debut game, but he was a constant threat for the Leicester defense.
Dominic Solanke will be back for the North London derby against Arsenal, and Spurs will need him to be that critical focal point so that others around him can get to work. Thrashing a sorry Everton side in their second game masked Solanke’s importance to this side, but the Newcastle game opened the can of worms. Spurs will have their talisman fit and firing for the Arsenal game.
Ange Poscteglou needs CONSISTENCY.
Listen, injuries don’t help, and Bissouma’s incident didn’t help either, but Ange needs to settle on his first XI. Son played two games on the wing and then one up top, and the midfield combination has kept changing in the first three games as well. Defense, at least, has been less of a headache, but even they need a settled midfield combination to solidify that spine.
Ange Postecoglou will ultimately have to settle on his first XI just for consistency, or else Spurs won’t click as the fans hoped.
EXPECTATIONS need to be managed.
Ange Postecoglou did say that he generally wins trophies by his second year at the clubs he has been in, and Spurs fans will rightly expect something from his second season, but expectations need to be managed. Even if Ange has talked about winning trophies in his second season, Spurs fans need to keep patience with him.
Pochettino was a game away from being one of the greatest Spurs personalities to have ever lived, and even he required time to build something so good. Spurs need to show the same level of patience with Ange because he is in the midst of creating his own identity and squad, and he will need a bit more time to deliver on the promises.
So, our parting words would be to keep patience and note that Ange needs to start making smart moves because he has a pretty darn good squad at his disposal.