Nuno Espirito Santo raises alarm on Tottenham problems
For any Tottenham fan, hearing that the club has problems is just part of the territory. Outside of the key few years of the Mauricio Pochettino reign, Spurs are a club that has spent much of the last thirty years in a state of flux. Aside from the odd moment of glory in the League Cup and a surprise run to the UEFA Champions League Final, Spurs are a poster boy for underachievement in the top-flight.
Under new coach Nuno Espirito Santo, things have started well before the customary unravelling has taken place. This has left most Spurs fans worried about what is wrong. Is the Portuguese simply being found out having already shown his hand at Wolverhampton? Is the squad too focused on the Harry Kane scenario? Are they simply not very good?
When speaking about the problems Spurs face, though, Nuno raised the alarm on just how serious the clubs issues are. Indeed, the coach was clear that he does not know when – or even if – a solution can be sought for just about any issue they are facing.
Spurs fans hoping that the fast start under Nuno would continue, then, have endured a very rude awakening. The worries of the pre-season have resurfaced, and it looks like finding solutions to the armada of problems holding the club back might be tough work indeed.
What did Nuno Espirito Santo say about Spurs?
Speaking about the number of problems that Spurs are facing before a reunion with old club Wolves tonight, Nuno was clear that the issues go far beyond Kane. While most of the talk in the summer revolved around the soap opera that has engulfed the club captain, Nuno was clear that the problems are much larger than a wantaway striker.
In his press conference prior to the Wolves game, Nuno responded to a question to explain the clubs issues. There, he opened up, saying: “Problems are the situation, the momentum we are in, problems are what we suffered during the international break, problems are the absence of players, problems are levels of performance, problems are we concede goals from set-pieces and that we could not sustain a good first-half (against rivals Chelsea). So many problems that we have to solve.”
He was asked if Kane, who has a habit of dropping deeper into play when not involved, was an issue. The coach, though, tried to find a diplomatic answer, saying: “The realisation that we are not able to build enough situations is the problem that we have. All individual situations that happen with the players – touches, actions – are a product of the team. At the same time, we’ve got to analyse and we look at the problems we have in defence. It’s the same approach in terms of analysing the situation. It has to do with the team. Our main focus must and always be the team.
“I would like to see all our players (attacking the box). If I can put our players six, seven in the box, it is where games are decided, I will do so.”
For now, then, it looks like the issues at Spurs might take even longer to solve than even the most optimistic fan would have hoped.
