Tottenham Hotspur’s winless run at Stamford Bridge stretched to 9 matches and Ange Postecoglou watched bitterly on as his aspect’s Premier League marketing campaign sank additional into the dredges.
It has been a irritating season, a calamitous season, however hope stays. Whereas Spurs are caught in 14th, ten factors behind tenth-place Bournemouth, who’ve misplaced 4 of their previous 5 fixtures and but are unassailably forward, hope stays.
Tottenham face German aspect Eintracht Frankfurt over two legs within the Europa League quarter-finals, the primary of which arrives this Thursday, and whereas the supervisor will maintain on to confidence that his staff can get the job accomplished, this was a bitter show, missing the attacking fizz and vigour that ‘Angeball’ as soon as blessed N17 crowds and tv screens.
One participant’s decline has been emblematic of his squad’s general torpor. Heung-min Son has been a stalwart for Tottenham through the years, however he seems to be reaching the tip of the street.
Heung-min Son’s Spurs struggles
May something typify it greater than that flash of promise within the closing stage? Brennan Johnson, contemporary and off the bench, wooshed a beautiful move throughout the field, however the skipper may solely attain it tamely to drive a stretching save from Robert Sanchez.
Have been this a youthful iteration, he would have coated that additional yard, related with extra emphasis, noticed the online bulge.
However Son, 33 this summer season, lacks his one-time athleticism and was largely marshalled by Chelsea’s defence, failing to create a single key probability regardless of shedding the ball ten instances whereas additionally solely profitable one duel, as per Sofascore.
Nevertheless, he wanted his fellow gamers – the forwards particularly – to drag their weight too, and, frankly, Spurs didn’t muster sufficient in west London, with the person within the center nameless via the vast majority of proceedings.
Son’s not the one one fading away
Dominic Solanke has endured a irritating season within the capital, transferring to Tottenham from Bournemouth in a deal value £65m final summer season.
After a shiny begin, he is flaked away, with a knee harm picked up within the new yr stifling the 27-year-old’s progress and lowering him to a number of disappointing latest performances.
Nevertheless, with 11 objectives and eight assists from simply 25 begins in all competitions, there’s nonetheless hope that he could make the requisite changes to play a giant half over the approaching weeks.
That stated, he was a “bystander” at Stamford Bridge, as was famous by Alan Smith on co-commentary.
Dominic Solanke – Stats vs Chelsea | |
|---|---|
Match Stats | # |
Minutes performed | 88′ |
Objectives | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Touches | 21 |
Photographs (heading in the right direction) | 0 (0) |
Correct passes | 6/10 (60%) |
Key passes | 0 |
Possession misplaced | 11x |
Dribbles | 1/1 |
Duels (gained) | 8 (5) |
Stats through Sofascore | |
Finishing simply six passes, failing to even try a shot on Sanchez’s aim, Solanke can be most pissed off, particularly since he is starting to seem like Postecoglou’s subsequent model of James Maddison, whose nightmarish Lilywhites profession has concerned numerous setbacks after an electrical begin final season.
Maddison gained the Premier League Participant of the Month in August 2023 however has since endured numerous accidents and consequent sappings of kind, leaving him scrambling for that one-time repute as one in all European soccer’s standout playmakers.
Each Englishmen have sufficient about them to make convincing returns to their apex, but when they don’t seem to be on their A-game towards Frankfurt this week, fan tensions would possibly simply boil over.
Solanke, at the very least, labored tirelessly, leaving soccer.london to award him with a 6/10 match ranking, however he was toothless within the last third and must emit extra of a talismanic aura within the coming weeks.
Son huffed and puffed to little avail too, however at the very least the getting old captain discovered house to strike on aim, sought to create with one depraved low cross.
This drop, the newest drop, in kind has not come at a good time for a Spurs aspect whose season hinges on triumph within the Europa League.
However hope stays. Son, Solanke, Maddison. All fading. Now, the massive one is arising, and they should return to color.
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