Hugo Lloris has admitted that Tottenham lacked “fight” and “pride” in their “very embarrassing” defeat against Newcastle on Sunday.
Spurs were thrashed 6-1 by the Magpies in the Premier League in humiliating fashion. They found themselves 5-0 down inside 21 minutes at St James’ Park as Cristian Stellini’s side fell apart in dramatic fashion.
Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak both scored twice, while Joelinton also found the back of the net as Eddie Howe’s side went into the break with a five-goal cushion. Harry Kane pulled one back with a solo run and finish, but substitute Callum Wilson restored the five goal difference later on.
It was a chastening experience for Spurs, who are fifth and six points adrift of the Champions League places. Lloris conceded five goals before being substituted at half-time with a hip injury – and the club captain did not mince his words post-match.
“It’s very embarrassing and the first thing is probably we should apologise to the fans who travelled and the fans who watched the game,” he said. “We didn’t show a great face today. I think we couldn’t match the performance of the Newcastle players, we were late in every aspect and we completely missed the first part of the game. The second half is another story but it’s really painful today.
“It’s not even talking about tactics, it’s just we couldn’t fight. We were late in all aspects. Newcastle had a great performance, very aggressive, very offensive. Every time they had the ball they were looking forward.
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“It’s difficult right now to assess and analyse the performance. But the first thing is to say that there was a lack of pride. To concede four goals in 20 minutes…you can get punched once or twice and concede, but on the pitch was something strange, we could not even react or bounce back into the game and into the performance.
“Newcastle deserve a lot of credit. They started the game at 100 miles per hour and were very dynamic and they knew exactly what to do. And as I said, we were a bit late everywhere on the field and in all aspects of the game.”
Tottenham have been in disarray recently following the sacking of Antonio Conte as manager on March 26. Conte’s former assistant, Stellini, has been in charge since, overseeing a run of one win in four matches.
“We cannot hide behind the problems of the club,” Lloris added. “We are players, we are professional and everytime we go on the field we try to deliver the best. But today there was a different level between Newcastle and Tottenham. There is two more very difficult games this week and we have to bounce back.”
Spurs host Manchester United on Thursday before a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on the following Monday. Lloris is a doubt for those matches, with Fraser Forster likely to replace him because his hip injury is “not good”.
