3/10 signing is already on borrowed time at Spurs

It was that night against Chelsea in which everything came undone for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, the Aussie arguably never really recovering from that thumping 4-1 defeat.

The central figure for the Blues in that memorable clash was Nicolas Jackson, the hat-trick hero again proving a thorn in the side of the Lilywhites on Saturday afternoon.

Now up to five goals in five career meetings with the north Londoners, Jackson ran Roberto De Zerbi’s men ragged, it must be said, integral to a deserved 3-2 win over Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

A second-half goal was no less than the polarising striker deserved, in truth, although Antonin Kinsky will be rueing the failure to keep out the 25-year-old’s attempt.

Kinsky among Spurs’ poorest performers vs Aston Villa

In the view of journalist Matt Law, the “difference between the two sides” were “the strikers and the keepers”, inferring that while Villa “have a proper out and out striker and a proper keeper”, Spurs do not.

Now, that feels a little harsh on Kinsky, in particular, amid his string of solid performances since De Zerbi took charge, yet even so, there is a feeling that the 22-year-old should have done better to keep out Jackson’s strike.

The former Slavia Prague man has, to his credit, impressively recovered from that night against Atletico Madrid, with Tottenham’s woes certainly not resting on their goalkeeper, that’s for sure.

He’s a far safer pair of hands than Guglielmo Vicario on current evidence, although Villa’s second doesn’t reflect well on the young ‘keeper, as he surely should have pushed Jackson’s effort wide.

Kinsky was at full stretch, with the defenders ahead of him also particularly culpable, yet he could only push the ball onto the post, allowing the Villans to really take control of proceedings.

With Zion Suzuki flourishing at the other end, Kinsky’s flaws were highlighted even further, with it still yet to be seen whether he can be Tottenham’s number one for the long-term.

In any case, as noted above, the key reason behind the home side’s defeat lies with those ahead of him.

Why Spurs signing already looks to be on borrowed time

Following an extensive summer of recruitment at N17, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Spurs have gone for quantity over quality.

There’s been so much upheaval, so much investment, and yet here we are, the north Londoners sat on just two points from their opening five games, having taken until the 86th minute of gameweek five to get off the mark in front of goal.

Eight goals conceded in those five outings makes for grim reading too, with even experienced figures like Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson coming under the microscope of late.

Van Hecke, alongside Micky van de Ven, was given the run around by Jackson, although it’s hard to look past Robertson as the key underperformer, the Scotland skipper completely shifting the momentum of the game.

Spurs appeared to be in real control heading into half-time, with Villa reliant on a string of fine saves from Suzuki to ensure they remained in the contest.

And then, up stepped Robertson to gift the visitors a chance to open the scoring, his slack clearance picking out international teammate, John McGinn, resulting in Johan Manzambi’s close-range finish.

For a man of his experience, it was a poor error from the former Liverpool man, and while McGinn and co still had plenty to do, it was a needless, errant pass at a vital stage of the game.

At 32, the free transfer arrival was meant to be an immediate, ready-made solution, yet it simply hasn’t worked out as expected so far, even if he did provide the assist for Van Hecke at the death.

The left-back’s energy and desire to bomb forward is to his credit, but he was almost a little too enthusiastic at times, caught offside on three occasions, including in the build-up to Mohammed Kudus’ disallowed effort.

Again, for a man with his prior body of work, that isn’t really up to scratch, with Robertson notably losing possession on 18 occasions, albeit while providing four key passes.

There was wisdom in bringing the Scot into the building, amid the need for leaders in the backline, but at present, he hasn’t raised the level as expected.

Again, considering his age, Robertson doesn’t exactly have time to waste when it comes to making a strong first impression, although on current evidence, he might already be on borrowed time.