Tottenham’s defensive lapses were punished ruthlessly by Nottingham Forest in the 3-0 win.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at home saw their opponents leapfrog them in the table. The pressure is building on Igor Tudor as he searches for his search for first Premier League victory as Spurs boss continued.
Nottingham Forest, led by Vitor Pereira, got their tactics absolutely spot on. After keeping the hosts at bay in the opening 20-25 minutes, they started getting more on the ball and threatening Igor Tudor’s side on the counter attack. The likes of Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ibrahima Sangare bossed the midfield, disrupting any kind of rhythm of the Lilywhites. And moments before half-time, Nottingham Forest provided the first blow.
Igor Jesus leapt well to meet Nico William’s corner and bury his header past Guglielmo Vicario. Igor Tudor’s double substitution failed to stem the tide, as defensive lapses allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to double Forest’s lead after 62 minutes, before Taiwo Awoniyi sealed a vital win for the Tricky Trees three minutes from time.
Darren Bent slams Tottenham’s defending vs. Nottingham Forest
Tottenham have been woeful defensively under Tudor. They have leaked 20 goals in just seven games, which is quite worrying for a team battling relegation. The Croatian and his coaching staff have not managed to tighten their team’s defence, which was the need of the hour.
In the wake of Spurs’ defeat to Forest, Darren Bent slammed his former club’s defensive woes. He highlighted the Lilywhites’ failure to stem the flow of goals and keep clean sheets, especially at home.
“Defensively, that has been their problem. Can’t keep clean sheets, too easy to play against and awful at home,” Darren Bent said on the talkSPORT show (h/t Inside Futbol).
Spurs are easy to play against
Indeed, Tottenham have been very easy to play against at home. They have lacked the fear factor, with opponents not intimidated to face the Lilywhites at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fans have done their bit to create an atmosphere and make it difficult for the visitors, but the team has barely given them anything back this season.
Spurs’ soft underbelly has been one of the primary reasons for their awful record at home. Their last clean sheet in N17 came in January- a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. As for the Premier League, they have not kept a clean sheet in 12 games. Tottenham holding Brentford to a 0-0 draw at the Gtech Community at the start of January was the last time our boys managed to shut out the opponent.
For a relegation-battling team, having such poor defensive organisation is a mighty cause for concern.