Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are struggling in the final third of the pitch and it was even more apparent in their 1-0 defeat against West Ham, with the team registering no shots in the second half of the defeat. Harry Kane is the Lilywhites’ only senior striker, despite fans calling for a back-up striker to be bought during the summer transfer window. Dane Scarlett is the other option, but at just 17-years-old it is too much to expect the teenager to take on such a big responsibility in the Premier League, at such a young age. Kane scored 18 league goals in the 2019/20 season and 23 last campaign, but has so far only scored one league goal, which came in the victory at St James’ Park. The three time Golden Boot winner gave his verdict after the defeat at the London Stadium.
Harry Kane said: “We [were] pleased with how we were playing and if anyone looked like scoring, it was us. We have to learn from it and move on from it.”
After the uncertainty over his future at the club during the summer, many Spurs fans are continuing to question his dedication to the badge and if he really wants to be playing for Tottenham. Although he is who Espirito Santo and supporters rely on to get goals, it is clear that not enough service is being provided to the striker in order to net those goals. The N17 club’s top scorer this season is Son Heung-min, who has registered four goals so far, with none of his other teammates getting more than one. For a team that is looking to battle for top four and end their 13 year trophy drought, it is just not good enough. And members of the squad and the head coach himself are slightly divided on the issue. In his post match press conference, the Portuguese head coach didn’t think every part of the game had gone too badly when asked what went wrong.
Nuno Espirito Santo said: “The way we conceded but apart from I think that we had a good game.”
However, captain Hugo Lloris did highlight the attacking problem.
Hugo Lloris said: “I felt we did good and stayed calm with the ball, but we still need to improve in the final third.”
Tottenham did have 62% possession of the ball but that doesn’t win you games, and their seven shots with only four on target was not enough to register any goals in east London.
Nuno Espirito Santo added: “We had possession, we had control of the game, we created, besides the counter attacks of West Ham we didn’t allow many situations. We should be better in the offensive box, the chance to be aggressive in that moment of the game. This is my thought.”
