Discipline-related worries draw attention to yet another strong Spurs performance against Nottingham Forest.
After the heartbreaking loss to West Ham at the start of the month, Tottenham defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Friday to make it two wins in a row. Spurs are back in the mix for the top four, despite the fact that it was by no means their best game of the year under Ange Postecoglou.
Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski’s goals either side of the half gave the North Londoners three points, but Yves Bissouma’s and Destiny Udogie’s transgressions resulted in Yves being sent off for a straight red card right after Tottenham had taken a two-goal lead.
Spurs seem to have bounced back nicely from their October and November stumble, as they head into the weekend six points clear of Manchester United and with second-place Arsenal squarely in their sights. It wasn’t all plain sailing, though, as Steve Cooper’s team forced their rivals to exert a lot of effort for prolonged stretches of time at the City Ground.
In the Midlands, Guglielmo Vicario had to perform at the highest level to keep the score clean, as the hosts were let down by careless finishing. Spurs’ techniques and mentality have come under scrutiny after their recent bad run, so now it’s all about the outcome.
Sky Sports
“These kinds of challenges are something we haven’t seen in years,” remarked Gary Neville following the game. These must end. It’s a clear red, suspended for three games, and I have none sympathy for it. These difficulties are no longer present. Ten or fifteen years ago, they were banned! It appears that they have returned during the previous two to three months.
“They’re so talented, these players, [Cristian] Romero, [Destiny] Udogie, probably a couple more that I could name. They’re so talented and [it’s] so important to Spurs that they’re available and they’re fit and in the team. For them to lose them constantly through all this, look, I got sent off two or three times in my career and made some mistakes. But these are getting sent off two or three times a season, some of these players, and it’s the same players.
“They’ve got to stop it because they’re going to cost Tottenham. Spurs will drop points without these players. If they’re injured, you can’t do anything about it. But if they’re continually being rash and reckless with these challenges, it becomes stupidity, it’s madness.”
“I bet he’s angry inside [Postecoglou]. I bet the Spurs fans are angry. I’m a little bit angry because I’ve not watched a team play football for a few years that have excited me as much as this team in terms of knowing that I’m going to get a good game of football. They’ve got to stop those little bits of ill-discipline. I accept that it’s commitment but they just seem to do it regularly. They have got to stop it.”
The Telegraph
John Percy writes: “Even the pigeon dance, a fixture of Tottenham’s Richarlison renaissance, has returned.” After leaving Everton for £60 million in July of last year, the Brazilian has found it difficult to perform on a regular basis. However, he showed more proof that Ange Postecoglou can help him succeed with his third goal in seven days.
“With captain Son Heung-min expected to miss up to six weeks early next year with the Asia Cup tournament, the emergence of Richarlison and consistency of the excellent Dejan Kulusevski will be crucial.”
He added: “Yet Richarlison appears transformed and, after two goals against Newcastle last weekend, he has now scored in consecutive games for the club for the first time. No wonder he performed the pigeon to celebrate.”
The Athletic
“Nottingham Forest did, for extended stretches, frustrate Spurs by occupying a deep block, giving up possession, then, when the chance presented itself, swiftly and purposefully counterattacking. In general, the game lacked Postecoglou’s preferred flow and was niggly and scrappy overall. Nevertheless, Spurs prevailed thanks to two flawless finishes.
“At the other end, Spurs’ back line dealt with most of the tasks they were set and ended a run of seven games without a clean sheet. Davies continues to impress as a makeshift left centre-back, and their high line shows no signs of relenting despite the enforced changes to their personnel.”
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