Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, plunging the club into back-to-back Premier League losses under manager Roberto De Zerbi to start the season.
The home opener brought familiar frustration for Spurs supporters as the team struggled to convert chances before conceding two second-half goals. Anthony Elanga opened the scoring for Newcastle, and Yoane Wissa doubled the lead to secure a 2-0 victory in the Premier League fixture. The result leaves Tottenham winless through two matches, compounding the pressure on De Zerbi’s side following an opening-weekend defeat. Well, the very least you can say is that it was an improved performance to last week.
Tactical Experiments and Debut Struggles Against Newcastle
De Zerbi rolled the dice ahead of kickoff by handing new signing Omar Marmoush his debut leading the line up front for the Lilywhites, as the Italian eyed a positive response from his side. Yet, the manager’s decision to shift Pedro Porro out to the right wing—prompted by an injury to Savio—proved costly. Porro managed four shots with just one on target—a 25 per cent accuracy, as per FotMob—failed to create any chances from out wide, and attempted only one cross, which was unsuccessful.
Porro can be one of the best full-backs in the world on his day, but he certainly is not a forward,
the outlet reported, emphasizing that the tactical gamble backfired. De Zerbi must not put square pegs into circle holes.
Mathys Tel and the Search for Wide Options
With new signing Savio missing the match due to what was called “muscle fatigue” before kickoff, and Mohammed Kudus not ready to start, Mathys Tel was the only real wide option available. The Frenchman failed to take the most of an opportunity that could very well be one of his last in the starting lineup in the Premier League. Against Newcastle, he failed to take his chance, turning in a display that simply lacked substance.
As per FotMob, while Tel had the joint-most touches in the opposition box (seven) by the time he went off, he did little with it. He created zero chances and had just one shot on target. Additionally, he failed with both of his attempted dribbles and won just one out of six duels, making it a terrible display all around for the forward.
Managerial Assessment and Squad Integration Challenges
Spurs played Newcastle pretty even but failed to convert their chances, and conceded two second half goals en route to a 0-2 loss in what was Omar Marmoush’s Spurs debut. Spurs’ motley group of new and recovering players couldn’t gel enough to get a result.
Individual Player Ratings from the Home Defeat
Here are the ratings from the defeat to Newcastle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: Antonin Kinsky – 5, Archie Gray – 5, Jan Paul van Hecke – 6, Micky van de Ven – 5, Andrew Robertson – 5, Sandro Tonali – 5, Rodrigo Bentancur – 6, Pedro Porro – 4, Mateus Fernandes – 6, Mathys Tel – 3, Omar Marmoush – 7. Substitutes included Destiny Udogie – 5, Mohammed Kudus – 5, Mikey Moore – 5, and Dominic Solanke – 5.
| Player | Position/Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Omar Marmoush | Forward (Debut) | 7 |
| Rodrigo Bentancur | Midfield | 6 |
| Mateus Fernandes | Midfield | 6 |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | Defense | 6 |
| Pedro Porro | Defense/Winger | 4 |
| Mathys Tel | Forward | 3 |
| Antonin Kinsky | Player | 5 |
| Archie Gray | Player | 5 |
| Micky van de Ven | Player | 5 |
| Andrew Robertson | Player | 5 |
| Sandro Tonali | Player | 5 |
As Spurs are now 0-2 in the Premier League—not the way you want to start—the integration of new signings and recovering players remains the primary hurdle for the coaching staff.
Продолжение темы
