Mohammed Kudus has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur struggled in two main aspects of their game against Bournemouth, with the winger taking the blame for one of those failings.
The mood surrounding Spurs was very positive coming into Saturday’s game, as not only had they won their first two Premier League matches of the season, but the club had also announced a new signing less than 24 hours before the game.
Xavi Simons received a rousing ovation when he was presented to Spurs fans ahead of kick-off against the Cherries, and the atmosphere in the stadium was electric at the start of the game.
However, the away side managed to silence the home fans quickly and dominated proceedings. Bournemouth could have won the game much more comfortably if they had been more clinical in front of goal, with the Lilywhites having no answers to Andoni Iraola’s men.
Mohammed Kudus admits Tottenham’s forwards had an off day
Thomas Frank admitted after the game that Spurs struggled to cope with second balls, even though they knew Bournemouth would look to play in-behind them.
That is something Kudus seconded, confessing that Tottenham could not deal with the Cherries’ direct approach. The winger also admitted that the attackers, including himself, also had an off day.
Kudus told Tottenham’s official channel: “We know they are a very tough team to play against and a bit of a different kind of game, with long balls in behind and winning second balls.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“The game was more about winning the dual and the challenges, we knew they were coming to play against us like that.
“I don’t think we created enough today, including myself, as forward players. We could have created a lot more, but I don’t think we created enough chances. We learn from games like this and focus on the next game after the international break.”
Was this performance a necessary reality check or a concerning sign for Spurs?
The positive spin on what was an extremely poor performance is that it serves as a necessary reality check for Thomas Frank.
It exposed the shortcomings of having a workmanlike midfield, and the Dane and his coaching staff would learn from these missteps.
However, the slightly more alarming lens on this would be that this performance was as bad as any we have seen at home for a long time, with Tottenham registering just one shot on target through the entire 90 minutes.
While these kinds of displays from Frank’s Brentford side were brushed off, he will not get that same luxury at Spurs.