Opinion: Five things we learned about Spurs from the awful 1-0 defeat to Everton

Tottenham Hotspur fell to an opening day defeat today at the hands of Everton, although Jose Mourinho will likely be […]

The post Opinion: Five things we learned about Spurs from the awful 1-0 defeat to Everton appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to an opening day defeat today at the hands of Everton, although Jose Mourinho will likely be more concerned with the manner of the loss.

Spurs were never able to get a foothold in the match and looked lethargic in the second half when fans would have been crying out for effort and desire.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the defeat:

No dream debuts in sight – 

For a moment, it looked as if Matt Doherty could mark his debut with a superb goal after some nice link-up play with Kane, but it was not to be. Both the right-back and Hojbjerg endured pretty lacklustre displays at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, each looking more than a little leggy in the second half.

Jose determined with formation – 

At no point did it look as though Spurs were comfortable in or out of possession against the Toffees. However, no matter who Jose brought on in the second half, he seemed determined to stick with the same lop-sided formation. Sissoko came on and played at right-mid, centre-mid, and right-back. Moura played across midfield and up front. Bergwijn played as a striker and then a left-mid. It was all over the place.

Sonny should have passed – 

Perhaps Tottenham’s best chance of the game was a chance that never materialised. When Son was charging down on the Everton goal, Kane running unmarked alongside him, it seemed inevitable that the former would roll in his teammate to score. However, Sonny opted instead to pick out Dele Alli who was eventually denied by Pickford. Kane failed to get in any better positions for the rest of the match.

The mentality? 

We have heard Jose Mourinho talk again and again about the mentality of his team and turning them into winners, yet there was nothing to back that up today. At no point did it seem as though Spurs would get back into that match. Heads dropped, legs looked weary, and there was no fight or desire about any Spurs performance out there.

Tanguy test drive – 

Ndombele finally got his run out under Jose Mourinho in the Premier League, with the gaffer trusting the club’s record signing to come on a change the game. Unfortunately for Tanguy, the Frenchman failed to get up to speed with the match. His passing was extremely hit and miss, he repeatedly got caught in possession, and he certainly didn’t put in a cameo that begged for a start next time out.

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