Tottenham: Jekyll and Hyde | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are currently playing out the soccer equivalent of the Victorian novella with their own Jekyll and Hyde duality at the their home stadium. Domestically, their home form is abysmal, while their European exploits stand in stark contrast.

The Hyde side

In what was one of the worst Premier League contests in recent memory, Spurs lost 1-0 last weekend to London rivals Chelsea. The home fans were left extremely frustrated, as players looked void of any ideas or fighting spirit, particularly in front of goal.

The only goal of the game summed up the frustration, as Brazilian striker João Pedro ended his 10-game goal drought after some sloppy defending. The disappointing Xavi Simons, who was subbed on for Lucas Bergvall on 7 minutes, left Micky van de Ven short and Moises Caicedo dispossessed him to set up Pedro for the deciding goal.

Simons was then hooked off on 73 minutes for Wilson Odobert. Being subbed on then off again is the last thing the Dutchman needed and surely would’ve knocked his confidence. He seems to be struggling with the physical demands of the English game and will need to get to grips with it fast before the next league game against Manchester United. 

Stats for sore eyes

Tottenham now have just three wins in their past 19 games at home across former manager Ange Postecoglou and now Thomas Frank’s leadership. For a fanbase that pays some of the most expensive ticket prices in Europe this is quite simply unacceptable. Thousands of supporters made this abundantly clear, with boos ringing around the ground at half-time and full-time.

Spurs registered an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.05, which is their lowest on record in a Premier League game. The North London outfit could only manage three shots on goal, all coming from Mohamed Kudus. One was blocked, one went over the bar and one was saved. The Ghanian international also picked up a knock to compound his team’s woes. 

The Spurs faithful are so desperate for their fortunes to turn around against the Blues. They’ve now lost 10 out of past 12 meetings against them. Spurs never seem to turn up at Stamford Bridge and the same seems to be happening all too frequently on home soil. 

The better Jekyll side

Many were expecting the worse on Tuesday night, after that toothless performance last Saturday. FK København were the visitors in the Champions League, but Spurs looked brighter from the off. 

Simons had a second bite of the cherry to impress, with Bergvall missing for concussion protocol and he took it with both hands.

The tricky playmaker played a clever pass to Brennan Johnson on 19 minutes and the Welshman slotted home his first Champions League goal. Things turned sour for Johnson in the second half though. With Spurs cruising at 2-0 to the good, a VAR red card was issued for a sliding challenge on Marcos Lopez. 

The consequence of this also meant that Simons had to be subbed off in a tactical change, adding to his recent frustrations. It could’ve been a difficult 35 minutes for Tottenham’s 10 men, but it was quite the opposite….

A magical moment

On 64 minutes Micky van de Ven picked up the ball on the edge of his own box. He then started to run with the ball down the pitch. Much like Forrest Gump he didn’t stop running and found himself in his opponents box. He then finished with aplomb, as the Spurs fans went wild. 

Heung-min Son scored a carbon copy of this goal against Burnley five years ago. The South-Korean’s effort won the prestigious Puskas award, so surely van de Ven’s strike will also be nominated.

João Palhinha wrapped up a convincing 4-0 victory and it could’ve been more if Richarlison’s penalty didn’t rattle the crossbar. Despite the emphatic scoreline problems still remain in Frank’s frontline. 

Healthier stats

Spurs now have 8 points from 4 games in Europe’s premium competition. This was a much needed result, not only to quickly forget the Chelsea disaster, but to get points on the board before a tough trip to PSG. 

The healthy victory was the first time the team has scored four goals under Frank. A much improved display which saw 13 attempts on goal, with 6 of them on target.

Still riding on the high of the Europa League wave, Tottenham’s home form in Europe is a polar opposite to their home form in the league. Out of 22 games in Europe they’ve won 17, had 12 clean sheets, 0 losses and a +47 goal difference. Can someone convert the Premier League into a European competition please!? 

Another home hurdle

Next up for Tottenham is a mouthwatering lunchtime kick-off against Manchester United on Saturday. The Red Devils are currently on their best run under Ruben Amorim, unbeaten in four games (W3 D1).

The Red Devils’ last match was a 2-2 draw away at Nottingham Forest, but they’ve recently beaten bitter rivals Liverpool 2-1 on the road. Spurs completed a Premier League double over United last season. They last won three consecutive league games against the Reds in 1959/1960, so they’ll be hoping to finally achieve that feat again and avoid yet another winless match in N17.