Opinion: Three players who let Tottenham down in Nottingham Forest defeat
Tottenham Hotspur’s season continues to unravel, and the defeat to Nottingham Forest has once again highlighted a few too many passengers in the squad. Some performances simply weren’t good enough, and these three players in particular let the side down when it mattered most.
Tottenham Hotspur have suffered yet another defeat in the Premier League this season.
Their 2-1 loss against Nottingham Forest marked their 18th league defeat of the season, and should the Lilywhites lose two more games, that would make it their most in a single campaign.
On the balance of things, Spurs could argue they deserved more against Nottingham Forest – the Lilywhites took 22 shots, six were on target, and they managed an xG of 2.14 after creating four big chances.
However, it was not to be, and it could have been better had these three players taken their performances up a notch.
Guglielmo Vicario mistake was costly again for Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario has definitely had his moments in goal for Tottenham – some very good ones, where he’s looked unbeatable. The 4-0 win over Manchester City springs to mind, but he’s had his howlers too.
Just last week, Vicario put in a blunder-filled performance against Wolves, with the Spurs shot-stopper being at fault for two of their four goals.
He then carried on from where he left off by once more making a mess of a cross which led to Forest’s second on the night. A bit of composure, and that goal could’ve been prevented, but Vicario chose to Superman dive into no-man’s land in an attempt to get a glove on it.
Cristian Romero fails to lead Spurs’ defence against Nottingham Forest
With Heung-min Son out, Cristian Romero has been Tottenham’s captain, and although he put in a proper captain’s display against Frankfurt, Monday’s performance was anything but that.
The defending at times against Forest was shambolic, especially when dealing with crosses into the box.
The warning signs were there, particularly after Chris Wood was left unmarked by both Romero and Micky van de Ven when a cross came in – he beat them to it and scored, though the goal was disallowed.
That alone should have kept Romero and co. alert, but there was no improvement, as yet another cross evaded every single defender in the box and found Wood again.
You simply can’t pick the games you turn up to at this level, and when you’ve got the armband on… you’ve got to play with far more passion and determination.
Dejan Kulusevski lacks spark as Tottenham miss James Maddison
James Maddison’s sore injury after a knock against Frankfurt meant he missed out against Forest on Monday. This saw Dejan Kulusevski return to the Tottenham starting XI after a few months away.
The midfielder did try to be a creative spark in this clash, but the chances he created were few and far between.
Of course, as it always is with Kulusevski, the midfielder was all over the pitch looking to make things happen, but his effectiveness down the middle was lacking, and had he offered more, Spurs might have got something from the game.
However, there’s an understanding that he’s only just returned from injury and is lacking match sharpness.
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