Igor Tudor endured a nightmare – making his Premier League debut as Tottenham Hotspur manager, as Arsenal launched an onslaught against their neighbors on Sunday night.
When Randal Kolo Muani equalized just after Eberechi Eze had put the Gunners’ opener home, the mood inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have been one of optimism as the Frenchman confidently converted his chance after Declan Rice had worked hard on the ball.
Yet such a demoralizing defeat left Spurs just four points clear of the top flight, with Mikel Arteta’s visitors winning 4-1 against their arch-rivals in the second half.
At the end of a heartbreaking defeat, few white shirts took off happy with their overall effort, but Tudor was given plenty of food for thought as to who to select for the crucial games that followed, as he quickly acclimated to the pressure of the Spurs hot seat.
Why Spurs struggled so much against Arsenal
Arteta and his team have won the last five competitive clashes between the bitter north London rivals, with Arsenal now five points clear at the top of the Premier League, while Spurs remain mired in a relegation battle.
Tudor will need to tighten up his defense in the next game if he wants to avoid an embarrassing fall to the championship. While Bukayo Saka ran circles around a leaky Spurs defense throughout the game, players like Micky van de Ven stood out as clear underperformers at the back.
In addition to the Dutchman’s frustration, Archie Gray was also far too light in such an important match. The former Leeds United prodigy won only one of his six encounters and was carelessly given away 16 times. Viktor Gokeres’ final goal of the match was also completely muscled out, but as a consolation, the Swede did the same for the underperforming Radu Dragusin, allowing him to have another unforgettable night in Spurs colors.
Honestly, even if Conor Gallagher failed to make an impact again as a new signing, Arsenal were marginally ahead of their rivals in a one-sided second half. The aforementioned Gokeres elegantly scored a fierce shot in the 45th minute of the second half, setting the tone for the Gunners’ easy victory.
As Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp pointed out, the longer the clash dragged on, it was a “total mismatch”. Due to the poor performance of Dragusin and Gray, Tudor needs to make some important changes immediately.
But they weren’t the worst result for the new coach.
Spurs’ biggest slump vs Arsenal
Such a devastating defeat at home to Arsenal meant Spurs’ last win in the Premier League was against Crystal Palace in late December, and Tottenham’s new manager is doing everything he can to turn the car crash around.
A good starting point to turn this mess around could be to fire Xavi Simmons. The former RB Leipzig attacker was far below his best against Arteta’s side, as the £52m spent on his services last summer still looks like a reckless splurge.
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Simmons has the second-highest five goal contributions to his name during the season, with glimpses of his immense qualities at the forefront across London. In fact, he recorded an assist against Manchester City earlier this month, completing five dribbles as a tricky livewire and winning 11 duels.
But his lackluster No. 7 was much easier to contain against Arsenal, where he produced surprising numbers in a disappointing game, winning just one of his 15 matches on the night.
Simmons vs Arsenal | |
|---|---|
Play time (minutes) | 90 |
Number of points | 0 |
assist | 0 |
touch | 55 |
shot | 1 |
exact path | 21/27 (78%) |
key pass | 1 |
dribbling success | 0/4 |
loss of ownership | 24 times |
Total number of duels won | 1/15 |
Symonds threw himself feebly at the cause, recklessly giving up the ball 24 times, failing to complete a single accurate dribble in four attempts and only once registering a shot on target at David Raya’s goal.
This poor review of his performance could be enough for Tudor to consider leaving him out for the bottom side’s next league game away to Fulham, with Dominic Solanke or Richarlison likely vying for a starting spot in his place.
Despite this worrying display in his first game on the hotseat, Spurs’ new manager showed solidity at the full-time whistle.
In fact, the former Juventus manager confidently ruled out the possibility of relegation in his speech after the 4-1 defeat, even as the North Londoners continue to fight against relegation.
It will be interesting to see what kind of impact Tudor can make on the unfortunate group of players he has at his disposal, but if the Croats decide on a refreshed eleven for the trip to Craven Cottage, Simmons will undoubtedly be the first face on the bench.
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