After winning three straight games and genuinely looking like they had turned the corner since the last international break with not a bad performance in the four since those weeks off, Tottenham Hotspur came crashing back down to earth, losing all of their positive momentum with a 1-0 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road that was nothin short of unacceptable.
Here are three Tottenham players who carry the most blame for the defeat.
DM Sandro Tonali
Tottenham's most important player, in a more twisted way, reminded fans of that importance by performing horribly in Spurs loss. He was completely overwhelmed by the Leeds press and the way they condensed the midfield, and Tonali really set the tone for how Spurs played in a much more negative way.
He barely completed 70 percent of his passes and was completely overrun defensively. Tonali did not do well enough to win the ball or diagnose counterattacks in what was his worst defensive performance of the season. And then on the ball, he was a disaster, failing to progress the ball or create anything. He was the worst player on the pitch.
CF Omar Marmoush
But Omar Marmoush was a close second. Dominic Solanke was more invisible when he came into the match after Mathys Tel's injury, but given the chances Marmoush had on the ball, he really disappointed. Marmoush is starting to look like a 60 million pound flop transfer already. He has to be more effective on the ball, and he has to take up better positions. At striker, Marmoush, materially, isn't much better than Solanke, which is to say that he's not good enough either.
LB Andy Robertson
While Andy Robertson was not as weak as Omar Marmoush and Sandro Tonali and there were other bad performers on Spurs, he absolutely deserves mention. Yet again, Robbo was a weak link for Spurs, and even though he generally plays well against teams Spurs can dominate like Leeds, he was still poor in this game. He offered no outlet or support on the left wing, he didn't have a single good cross, and he did not win the ball to help his team out defensively. Robertson might as well have let Spurs play with 10 men and not have taken the field. Spurs needed more from their fullbacks to take the width of the pitch and let the wingers truly invert. Robbo ensured the entire left flank for Spurs was non-existent after Tel left injured.