After Brighton meltdown, do Spurs usually bounce back from thrashings?

In the wake of the most disappointing result of the Postecoglou era, we take a look at Tottenham’s response to some other harrowing losses of recent years.

Newcastle 6 – 1 Tottenham 23/04/2023

In one of the first matches since the dramatic departure of Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini made the decision to play a back four at Tottenham for the first time in over a year. 

The effectiveness of the decision could be seen on the scoreline and in the concourse at the 22-minute mark, with Spurs fans already heading for the exit with their team trailing 5-0. The rest of that match was nothing more than a formality with the match finishing at an extraordinary scoreline of 6-1, a Harry Kane consolation goal the only bright spot in an otherwise humiliating performance. 

It is difficult to evaluate the response from this match, given the challenging nature of the following fixtures and the uncertainty surrounding the managerial situation.

The first match came just four days later and saw Tottenham play host to Manchester United. Down 2-0 at half-time, a spirited Tottenham fightback saw the points shared.

Three days later Tottenham made the most difficult journey the Premier League has to offer, facing a Liverpool side whose title hopes were on the line. Despite going down 3-0 in the first 15 minutes, a 93rd-minute equaliser by Richarlison meant the match would surely end in a draw. Tragically, a sloppy Moura backpass meant that a late Jota goal would see Liverpool win 4-3.

While a single point in two games doesn’t suggest there was much of a Tottenham response to the Newcastle match, the desire shown by the players to erase deficits against two of the league’s strongest sides shows, in my eyes, a team who were hungry to compete and make things right.

West Ham 3 – 3 Tottenham 18/10/2020

Amidst a COVID-19-ravaged season, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son seemed to make quick work of a talented West Ham side, putting three past Fabianski in the first quarter of an hour. 

Tottenham controlled the rest of the match and seemed headed for a comfortable victory. Two West Ham goals in four minutes saw this lead evaporate to just one kick, and as time wound down Manuel Lanzini produced the strike of his life from well outside the 18-yard box, resulting in a very ‘Spursy’ 3-3 draw.

On this occasion the response from Mourinho’s side was impressive, losing just one of their following 13 matches (9W-3D-1L) (FBRef.com), with notable 2-0 victories against both Manchester City and Arsenal.

Chelsea 4 – 1 Tottenham 6/11/2023

There was a special energy around the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club as they approached a massive London derby against rivals Chelsea, as Spurs hadn’t lost any of their first 11 matches in regular time with Postecoglou at the helm.

Tottenham started well, and their control of the ball and directness in attack led to a Kulusevski goal just 6 minutes into the match, with Son a whisker away from making it 2-0 within 15 minutes. Chelsea didn’t look to be anywhere near the level of Postecoglou’s Spurs, and it seemed like a matter of time before Tottenham put the game to bed.

What ensued was 15 minutes of carnage that derailed Spurs’ season. VAR sent Cristian Romero off and awarded the Blues a penalty, which Cole Palmer buried. Just 8 minutes later James Maddison and Micky van de Ven were substituted with injuries that would see the pair miss multiple months each.

A rush of blood from Destiny Udogie saw him join Romero on the sidelines early into the second half, and despite a spirited Tottenham effort, a Nicolas Jackson hattrick saw Chelsea leave N17 with 3 points.

It is again difficult to evaluate the Tottenham response to the Chelsea defeat due to the number and quality of key players unavailable. Regardless of personnel, the 1 point taken from the four games that followed was below the standard expected by the supporters, even if that point was taken against eventual title winners Manchester City in a thrilling comeback.

The other three matches, all 2-1 losses to Wolverhampton, Aston Villa and West Ham, each saw Tottenham take and eventually squander early 1-0 leads. The dominant starts that saw these leads materialise suggest a squad that is hungry to right the ship, and to be fair to Postecoglou relying on the centre-back pairing of Ben Davies and Emerson Royal cannot have been fun.

The Bottom Line

Although this is a small sample size, there is reason for Spurs fans to be encouraged as the international break ends, as in recent times Tottenham have shown ambition and hunger in the matches following disappointing defeats.

While injuries, suspension and challenging fixtures have contributed to lacklustre results historically, none of these factors are likely to pose much of a threat in the immediate future.

The post After Brighton meltdown, do Spurs usually bounce back from thrashings? appeared first on Spurs Web.