Sport
Under pressure Nuno needs a new plan at Tottenham
A few weeks into his time at Tottenham, everything looked good for Nuno Espirito Santo. A 100 per cent winning record after his first three games left Spurs top of the Premier League and the Portuguese scooped the Manager of the Month award for August as a result. But that award’s old curse appears to have returned with Spurs having largely been rotten since.
A 3-1 derby defeat to Arsenal leaves Tottenham in the bottom half of the table, with rumours already starting to grow that some Spurs players are unhappy with Nuno’s management style. So why isn’t it working for Nuno at Tottenham?
Unhappy Kane making little impact
With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Tottenham should have sold Harry Kane after all. Manchester City’s failure to meet the asking price for England’s captain – widely reported to be £150 million – left Kane stuck at the club due to the long contract he signed a few years back.
Most onlookers expected Kane to knuckle down and show the sort of form that has carried him to a trio of Golden Boots during his Premier League career, but that has not happened yet.
There has been no lack of effort from Kane but something is not quite right with him. The striker is playing with no verve and was culpable for Arsenal’s crucial third goal on Sunday afternoon. Replacing Kane was always going to be a tough task but the Spurs squad looks to be in need of a serious rebuild.
Mauricio Pochettino was calling for that towards the end of his period in charge but, with a shiny new stadium to pay for, there is nowhere near enough cash in the bank to do it. Selling the crown jewels would have made Spurs fans uncomfortable but a squad lacking quality throughout could have benefited from the major investment his sale could have provided.
The increasingly unpopular chairman Daniel Levy was keen to avoid being the man who allowed Kane to walk out the door, but Spurs’ main man looks utterly miserable.
Club legend Glenn Hoddle has suggested Nuno and Kane will have to sit down and chat about his form. But man-management is not believed to be a strong suit for the 47-year-old, who has a reputation for being stand-offish with his players rather than using an arm around the shoulder. Getting Kane happy and back to his best has to be the top priority if Nuno is to turn things round at Tottenham.
Negative tactics failing to pass muster
Spurs are one of the few Premier League clubs to insist on having their own specific style.
A club statement released back in the summer said: “We are acutely aware of the need to select someone whose values reflect those of our great club and return to playing football with the style for which we are known – free-flowing, attacking and entertaining.”
They somewhat departed from that path with the appointment of Jose Mourinho in a desperate bid to bring trophies to Tottenham but Nuno is regarded in a similar vein to his compatriot.
At Wolves, Nuno’s team often set up to soak up pressure and break at speed on the counter. The raw pace of Adama Traore and Diogo Jota’s cleverness, coupled with Raul Jimenez’s skill at leading the line, made that a successful tactic for the majority of his time at Molineux. They finished seventh in the league twice, though Nuno was always backed very well with transfers.
But Jota’s sale to Liverpool, coupled with a fractured skull for Jimenez, exposed Nuno’s plans. There was no real back-up tactic and a sense of drift and inaction became pervasive at Wolves.
Just as the Mourinho third-season breakdown came ahead of schedule at Spurs, Nuno’s lack of alternative strategy is rapidly coming into focus. Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele looked lost with Oliver Skipp brought on to steady the ship. The former goalkeeper admitted he got his team selection wrong for the Arsenal game, but there was more to it than an ill-suited XI being named.
Spurs were incredibly passive, appearing to lack motivation and drive in one of their biggest games of the season, with no pressing from the front to hurry Arsenal up when on the ball. The damning fact was Arsenal were 3-0 up at the break without really having had to break sweat.
There is nothing wrong with defensive football if it gets results. But after starting the reign of Nuno with a run of clean sheets, Tottenham have shipped an alarming 13 goals in their past five games.
Data shows Spurs rank rock bottom of the Premier League, or close to bottom, in key metrics. They are covering less ground than any other team and recording the fewest shots per game. But they are also conceding a worrying number of shots, the second highest in the league. The negativity of Nuno might need to change if Tottenham are to avoid plummeting down the table.
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