Here are our Tottenham talking points after their frustrating 1-1 draw against Leeds United in the Premier League on Monday evening
Roberto De Zerbi will already be well aware of the sliding scale of Mathys Tel’s magic moments.
The 21-year-old can produce something sublime out of nothing as he did five minutes into the second half of Monday night’s match with a sumptuous side-footed curling finish into the top right corner of Karl Darlow’s net.
It felt like the big moment everyone had been waiting for from Tel. It was the spectacular finish in front of that big south stand that this dark and dingy Spurs season desperately needed to light it up just in time. Captain Micky van de Ven was so happy that he grabbed Randal Kolo Muani around the waist from behind and lifted the Frenchman up in the air as the ball hit the net while others ran off celebrating.
The problem was, apart from Tottenham’s inability get various other efforts on target, Tel also has an inexperienced streak, mostly borne of confidence in his own abilities. That confidence brings eye-catching moments like his goal but the Spurs fans will also recount of numerous occasions when the young Frenchman will drift back down the left wing towards his own area and hit speculative passes across his own half.
He served De Zerbi an early warning of what might come later in the match with a run back to his own touchline and then what ended up almost being the perfect cross into his own box for Leeds’ James Justin to head into the Spurs net, only for Kevin Danso to bail him out with a last-gasp headed interception.
Then came Tel’s decision in the 69th minute which nobody could bail him out of. Ethan Ampadu’s long throw bounced around the Tottenham box until Richarlison headed it up into the air and then proceeded to kick it even higher.
That left Tel with a header to jump for to nod the ball away, anywhere would do. Instead he decided that inside his own penalty area was the place for an overhead kick. He had not counted though on Ampadu running into the box after his throw and the Frenchman duly caught the Leeds captain’s head with his studs.
VAR soon sent Jarred Gillett to his pitch side monitor and any doubt over the contact would have been removed by looking at the stud marks on Ampadu’s head. Dominic Calvert-Lewin dispatched the penalty just above the grasp of Antonin Kinsky and Spurs went from looking in control to chasing a win that now would not come.
For De Zerbi, he has seen two loose defensive moments prevent him from winning four games in a row and Tottenham being safe from relegation.
There was Danso being caught in possession in the final moments against Brighton and now Tel’s strange decision against Leeds. Both moments came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ensure that winless Premier League run there continues to stretch back to early December.
As Danso had been excellent against Brighton, so Tel created chances galore for Spurs before his mad moment. He jinked past challenges into the Leeds area in the first half and saw an effort deflected over near the six yard box. His corner should have been hit home by Richarlison before Pedro Porro’s shot struck Struijk in front of goal. Then it was also Tel’s cross that ended up falling to Joao Palhinha to fire over when it was easier to hit it under the crossbar.
football.london asked De Zerbi what he said to Tel after a match that brought such wild extremes for the Frenchman.
“A big hug and a big kiss,” he replied. “Nothing more because he is a young player, he is a big talent and he scored a great goal. He made a mistake for the experience because he has not the right experience and he has not played too many games in his career and we have to accept, but I am proud and I am happy for the mentality we show.
“We didn’t play a great game like in Villa Park, we played a good game and did enough to win. We could lose the game at the end because before the last 15 to 20 minutes, they didn’t shoot on our goal and just one in the first half. We had 14 corners against two, five chances to score against two, we came inside of the goal area 50 times against 27 but we didn’t score two goals.”
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Spurs were indebted to Kinsky for preventing Leeds from taking all three points. The Czech’s remarkable renaissance continued first with a terrific save from former Tottenham defender Joe Rodon’s header just as it was about to cross the goal line.
That had the fans singing Kinsky’s name and they were left in disbelief and gratitude for the late remarkable right-handed reaction save that pushed Sean Longstaff’s powerful close range effort on to he crossbar and away to safety.
“He’s improving a lot. He’s a good goalkeeper. I had no doubt in my first days in Tottenham because I knew him before coming here,” De Zerbi said of Kinsky. “He played in Madrid, he made that mistake, and it was tough for him. He has great personality, strong character and he deserves to play a game like today.”
It’s difficult to see the point of bringing Guglielmo Vicario back in at this point if he does come back to full fitness. The Italian looks set to depart back home this summer and will not be sharp if he returns in the coming weeks, whereas Kinsky is in the groove now and has the kicking ability and calmness that Vicario lacks.
The Italian is a more vocal goalkeeper and had the edge with his reaction saves but Kinsky’s recent efforts have closed that gap.
The match also brought the return of James Maddison, nine-and-a-half months after that tear in his ACL fully ruptured in pre-season.
This time it was clear that the 29-year-old would no longer be an unused substitute as in the previous three matches and the clue was in his socks. In recent games, Maddison had worn only normal sort white Nike sports socks when warming up before and during matches.
That was also the case in the first half against Leeds but anyone who spotted the midfielder in the second half would have noticed that for the first time since that night in Seoul, Maddison had changed into his match socks as he warmed up.
The crowd rose as he entered the fray in the 85th minute alongside Djed Spence for what should have been a handful of minutes on his return. Instead 13 minutes of added time were announced along with another two played for good measure.
Those extra couple of minutes came because of a VAR check on Lukas Nmecha’s challenge on Maddison in the final moments of the recommended added time. Craig Pawson decided there was the slightest of touches on the ball in the challenge.
It was one of those decisions where there was not enough clear evidence to rule out a penalty had Gillett given it or make him take another look after he had not.
De Zerbi was not interested in discussing the penalty claim, simply saying: “No, no, no, I don’t want to come inside the polemic, I didn’t see and I didn’t watch again. I don’t know. Ask me a question about football if you want.”
The Spurs head coach had cut a frustrated figure on the touchline throughout the game with the officials, who were booed off the pitch by the Spurs fans at the final whistle.
The Italian was booked for the second home game in a row by the referee. He will no doubt be wondering why managers such as his north London counterpart Mikel Arteta spend so much time out of the technical area but rarely get yellow cards – such as his one for celebrating against Atletico Madrid – while De Zerbi seems to be a watched man. One more card and he will already be suspended from the dugout for the next game.
“The first minute until the end of the game the referee went to me ‘if you go out, yellow card’ and I think they were not calm today,” the Spurs boss told football.london .
“Maybe they suffered the pressure of yesterday the West Ham-Arsenal game and VAR. For sure we suffer the pressure today for the speed of the ball, for the order of the pitch and we didn’t play with patience on the ball. Frenetic and we were rushed but also the referee was not calm.
“I don’t know, I can’t understand the polemic about yesterday and the VAR because it was a foul, 200 per cent, not 100 per cent if you want to talk about football.”
De Zerbi was delighted at least with the return of Maddison to the pitch and so was Leeds boss Daniel Farke, who coached the midfielder as a youngster at Norwich.
“Yes I’m so happy and delighted for him. It’s great to see him back because if you love football and you love a baller then you also love James Maddison,” said the German.
“He can be unbelievable and is one of the most creative players in this country. Of course it was difficult for him after being out for so long to come into this crunch moment, but the effect he can have, he has shown in the last minutes.
“He was smart, he knows how to win a free-kick or what he has to do in the box, perhaps to win a penalty. Great set pieces, great delivery, a top character. Fingers crossed he can stay fit and healthy.”
De Zerbi added to football.london : “Great news for us. He is a different player as a quality, as a guy and he will be I hope crucial for us. Yesterday I spoke with him about his physical condition and about how many minutes he could play. He played more than what he said yesterday. We are happy for him but I think we are in the right way.”
The Spurs boss needs attacking help in these final matches against Chelsea and Everton for that end of the pitch faltered on Monday night.
Richarlison fluffed his lines with various efforts and it looked to be that kind of night for the Brazilian from the moment he took a heavy touch on Porro’s through ball to him in the opening minutes that should have set him away on goal.
Kolo Muani continues to be an enigma that can’t be solved. The 27-year-old occasionally shows a great touch and can beat a man at will in one moment but can’t find a nearby team-mate with a pass in the next. Also for someone who has scored goals wherever else he’s been, he never looks confident to take a shot.
When put through by Porro not long after Tel’s goal, the Frenchman could have fired a shot into the far corner to put Spurs in control, but pulled it back at shin height for Richarlison to volley over the crossbar.
De Zerbi called Kolo Muani “one of my problems” a couple of weeks ago and he looks no closer to solving that particular one, other than getting the Frenchman working harder in his tracking back.
Tottenham’s destiny remains in their own clutches even if a two-point gap is far scarier than a four-point one from the drop zone. They know that they must better West Ham’s result in at least one of the remaining matches and they have been a far better team under De Zerbi than under his predecessors, despite the lack of available players.
The Hammers travel to Newcastle next Sunday with Eddie Howe’s side still holding a slim hope of European football next season in their final home game of the campaign as the various permutations could bring Conference League football all the way down to 10th spot in the Premier League.
Two days later, Spurs will then head to Stamford Bridge to take on a Chelsea side that will have played in the FA Cup final three days earlier.
The final day brings home games for both clubs. Spurs welcome Everton, who are also chasing European football, while Nuno Espirito Santo’s side host Leeds and De Zerbi is hoping Farke’s side show as much spirit that day as they have in recent months and on Monday night despite being safe from relegation.
“It will be tough until the last minute against Everton, for sure but after the Sunderland game, it was a difficult to imagine ourselves before the last two games to stay up two points of West Ham because I remember very well the game in Sunderland was my first game and we can’t forget what was the situation just 15 days ago,” he told football.london .
“We can’t forget after four games in a row we made eight points and we can’t forget Leeds the last defeat in Premier League was the 1st of March at home I think. And West Ham they have to also play Leeds at home. I think Leeds they will play like today with the same spirit, with the same qualities because they are doing a great season.”
De Zerbi could have Dominic Solanke back as an attacking option for the game at Stamford Bridge while Maddison will be able to take on more minutes eight days after his 20 minute showing. He understandably looked like a player after almost 10 months out trying to find the pace of the game again and the required strength in which to hit corners and crosses.
It has been difficult for the midfielder to watch on as Tottenham have struggled without him.
“Definitely it’s tough because you watch through a lens of ‘what would I be doing? What could I do differently?’ It’s been a tough season for Tottenham. Really tough for the fans, really tough for the players. Lots of manager changes. It’s been a season to forget really. Not being able to affect it and help the club has been difficult,” said Maddison.
Monday night was yet another missed opportunity in a season of such moments both on and off the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur. Their destiny remains in their hands but sometimes with the north London club, that can be a dangerous thing.
