Sloppy Spurs Dumped Out the Cup  | OneFootball

Tottenham’s positive away form took a dent on Wednesday night, as they exited the Carabao Cup to holders Newcastle United. 

Both goals were particularly sloppy ones to concede from the visitors. For the opener Djed Spence took what seemed an age to do his laces back up. As he was jogging back to defend, the corner was taken and Fabian Schar rose above Lucas Bergvall to head home. The Spurs players protested to the referee, but their pleas were in vain.

For the second header Nick Woltemade met Joe Willock’s cross to make it 2-0 on 50 minutes. Tottenham’s second choice goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky came for the ball but he was nowhere near it, showing why he’s probably not the number one choice at the club. 

Strong starting IX

Thomas Frank made only four changes to the team that beat Everton three days previously. This could’ve been a potential statement from the Dane that he was taking the League Cup seriously. Many Premier League sides don’t have this trophy high up of their list of priorities and that is often reflected in their starting line up selections. 

Archie Gray sustained a calf injury in training before this match, which added to the growing list of players in the treatment room at the moment. With two games a week being played almost consistently for the rest of the year, Frank will be hoping no one else is added to that dreaded list.

Joao Palhinha was filling in at centre-back for the missing skipper Cristian Romero, other than that the team was pretty strong on paper. Unfortunately for Spurs Richarlison and Brennan Johnson were particularly poor on the night. The jury also seems to be out on Xavi Simons at the moment. Many pundits suggest that he’s too lightweight for the Premier League. However, I remember that being said about a certain Luca Modrić when he came to North London and look how he turned out! 

London derby next

As I’ve probably mentioned before, there’s no time to dwell on defeats. Next up for Frank’s men is a mouthwatering London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. 

Chelsea may be just as inconsistent as Tottenham at the moment, meaning this match could go either way. Saying that the Blues normally get the right results against their London rivals. The crazy 4-3 victory in N17 last season marked their fifth Premier League victory at that stadium. No visiting team has won more. 

Chelsea’s recent form will give Spurs fans a bit of hope. They lost 2-1 at home to Premier League dark horses Sunderland last week. They also lost 3-1 at home to Brighton and 2-1 away to Manchester United, meaning they’ve lost three league games out of five.

Chelsea’s Last 10 Fixtures. Source: Sofascore

Enzo Maresca changed his team considerably for the 4-3 win against Wolves in the cup. This was slightly overshadowed by a red card for the returning Liam Delap, who will now miss this game through suspension.

No home advantage

Tottenham’s home form is a stark contrast to their performances on the road. They only have one point from the last three top-flight games on home soil and just one win from five games in all competitions. 

They’ve only managed to beat a promoted Burnley on the opening day of the season. The other two home games were a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth and a 1-1 draw with Wolves, where they equalised right at the death. 

Some have suggested that because Tottenham have one of the best stadiums in the world, if not the best stadium, teams don’t find it very intimidating. It’s comfortable, luxurious, with amazing facilities. With this in mind the job of the Tottenham supporters is even bigger. They need to make the atmosphere as hostile as possible.

If they become a 12th man there’s a slight chance the team will up their game. If they do so and come out victorious, this could be a significant result in the unraveling tale of the season so far.