Opinion: Spurs fans – It’s not the time to hit the panic button

“3 Wins, 3 goals, 3 clean sheets… Nuno Espirito Santo is your @Barclaysfooty Manager of the Month” read the Premier League tweet just over a week ago.

3⃣ wins, 3⃣ goals, 3⃣ clean sheets

Nuno Espirito Santo is your @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Month#PLAwards pic.twitter.com/LjImoj0MNk

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 10, 2021

 

Tottenham fans were over the moon over our start to the Premier League campaign heading into the international break.

First place, three clean sheets and a ton of optimism surrounding the club to start the season. Who can blame us? In a summer that had as much drama as a Love Island episode, Tottenham started the campaign with a point to prove.

However, on September 11^th against Crystal Palace, the pendulum swung and the great mood surrounding the club quickly soured.

Tactically, we all agree that mistakes were made, even Nuno. However, the manager was not the reason we lost that game; the lack of creativity or ideas on and off the ball were the reason for our first loss of the season. Still, that did not stop people from calling for Nuno’s sacking and once again the #NunoOut hashtag reared its ugly head on social media.

One loss in the first four games is hardly something to be reactionary over. In fact, according to transfermarkt, only 23 teams had enjoyed a 4-0 start in the Premier League era. A bad game and tactical mistakes were bound to happen. However, that did not stop the negative reaction to seep into the conversations amongst our fan base.

Of course, this result was followed up by a draw in our first group stage game in the UEFA Conference League at Rennes. Again, after the 2-2 match, some people called for Nuno to be sacked and were already comparing his tenure to the failed Mourinho regime (something that is tactically, unfair).

What critics fail to point out is that Rennes have been involved in European Football for the past three seasons and last year participated in the Champions League, something our club cannot match. On top of that, this was by far the hardest game of the group stage, managing to get a point is not a bad result for the team.

Our injury problems coupled with the recent international break made this a difficult game, with the players showing adversity. We should applaud them for their effort and be cautiously optimistic over the point on Thursday.

Tottenham fans have become what we rightfully attack other fan bases for being, reactionary. This doesn’t provide the appropriate pressure on the club and coaching staff, it causes unnecessary problems.

Instead, we should recognise that we have had a good start to the season. One loss in the Premier League, one goal conceded and wins against teams including Man City and Wolves. On top of that, many of our key players were not around for pre-season, due to arriving late after the Euros.

Let’s not forget, Mauricio Pochettino only won three games of his first eight with the club and people were questioning him. If Poch started the season like this, we would be singing his name throughout the stadium. Do I believe that Nuno will be our new Poch? No. However, this squad is still very capable of doing great things.

We have the most complete number nine in the world, one of the best wingers in the world, a world-class midfielder who was part of team of the tournament at the Euros, a world-class goalkeeper and a RB and LB who not long ago were a part of Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.

On top of that, Lucas Moura looks like a player with a point to prove, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier have been playing lights out and Skipp has more than held his own in the early stages of the campaign. Add in Romero, Ndombele and an in-form Dele and there should be no doubt that this team is good enough to challenge for trophies.

Give Nuno time, he deserves that from our fans. We gave Poch time, we gave Mourinho time, now it is time to give Nuno a fair run to get his ideas across to the team. As fans, we are always cynical when it comes to watching this team, some of it rightfully so. A trophy is long overdue and the pressure of silverware continues to mount every season.

Let’s cheer our squad on in the best stadium in the world. We can achieve great things this season, but we need to support as a collective. Rivals fans are constantly creating negative narratives around their players, let’s be better than that for our club.

Support the boys and push them on when they need it. We will lose again this season, perhaps even later this afternoon. That doesn’t directly correlate to our success this season. Let’s get behind the project and solidify our position as the best fans in the premier league.

After all, we are the mighty Tottenham from the Lane!

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