Cristian Stellini said he hoped Tottenham’s humiliation at Newcastle was solely down to his decision to change formation, but the truth is that a capitulation on this scale goes far deeper than naive tactics.
There is something rotten at the heart of Tottenham, and the opening 21 minutes of yesterday’s 6-1 defeat were remarkable and wholly predictable in equal measure — a long overdue consequence of years of mismanagement from the top down, overseen by chairman Daniel Levy.
Deep down, Stellini must know this, and the acting head coach hinted at “many problems” beyond his own disastrous switch to a back four, while taking responsibility for the result and apologising to supporters.
The travelling fans, who chanted for Levy’s head again, certainly know it and few really blame Stellini for this mess, even if he is clearly out his depth and has now presided over the two worst results of the season consecutively. The players must sense it, too, though they also bear responsibility for an embarrassing display and surely the worst-ever start by a top-flight team.
The only people who do not seem to know it are Levy himself and those around him, but it is probably wishful thinking to hope that a chastening afternoon on Tyneside might prompt some reflection from the chairman on the mistakes which have led the club to this point.
Spurs have lurched from one bad decision to the next over the past four years, but of all the lows they have experienced since losing the Champions League Final in 2019, this was the nadir: a shameful capitulation against a supposed rival by a group of hollowed-out, disillusioned and under-coached players, without a proper boss in the dugout nor sporting director in the stands.
This was the result of failing to heed the warnings of Mauricio Pochettino, before sacking the Argentine and ripping up everything that made the club so prosperous in his five-and-a-half year tenure. It was the result of a club which has since had no discernible culture or strategy and no obvious plan beyond having a famous ‘winner’ in the dugout.
It was the result of failing to go all-in on Antonio Conte and then persisting with the Italian long after it was obvious he had checked out.
It was the result of finally sacking Conte for torching the confidence of the squad and losing the dressing room, but keeping on his entire backroom staff to persist with the same approach.
It was the result of handing the reins of one of Europe’s most valuable clubs in the midst of a tight top-four battle to a rookie, whose only managerial experience amounted to a handful of games in the Italian third tier. And much more.
On the day, Stellini got it wrong by switching to a four-man defence, none of whom is proven in the system at club level, and the players appeared neither willing nor able to adapt, though he afterwards insisted they had worked on the approach in the week.
In January, Conte warned that he did not have players with the “characteristics” to play a back four, although any suggestions that the former head coach has been somehow vindicated is misguided. Conte was part of the problem, even if he was not the root cause.
That is the worry: there is every chance the situation gets bleaker.
Many of the side, including World Cup winners Hugo Lloris and Cristian Romero, were appalling and it was notable that five of the squad were veterans of the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on the final day of the 2015-16 season. The Magpies did not have a single player remaining from that day. Lloris was replaced at half-time after apparently suffering an injury, sparing his blushes after a display in which the Spurs captain was beaten over and over again.
It was embarrassingly easy for the hosts: Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak scored twice and Joelinton was also on the scoresheet before Davinson Sanchez was introduced and Spurs reverted to Conte’s back five and a strategy of damage limitation with less than a quarter of the game gone. It scarcely mattered that Harry Kane pulled a goal back after the break before Callum Wilson restored Newcastle’s sumptuous cushion.
What now for Levy and Spurs? It feels increasingly implausible that Stellini sees out the season, potentially leaving Spurs needing to accelerate their search for a new permanent manager or turn to another interim.
Pochettino remains, just about, still available, but is on the cusp of joining Chelsea, a move which would only further sour the mood among fans and increase the fury at Levy, for failing to act on supporters’ desire for the Argentine to return to the club.
And that is the worry for Spurs: there is every chance the situation gets bleaker. Last weekend’s 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth felt like a low point at the time, as had the 3-3 draw at Southampton in Conte’s final game in charge, after which he eviscerated the dressing room.
Next up are Manchester United on Thursday and a visit to Liverpool next weekend, just as Spurs keep finding news ways to bottom out.
