Following the jubilation of the dramatic midweek victory against Marseille, which saw Spurs qualify top of their Champions League group, misery has engulfed Spurs' return to Premier League action after they slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Two first half strikes from Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in control and while Antonio Conte's side rallied back in the second half, as they have done many times this season, Harry Kane's goal 20 minutes from time was merely a consolation.
For the third consecutive Premier League game, Spurs went two goals behind before they actually began competing on the pitch, except this time, unlike last weekend's heroics against Bournemouth, the damage was too severe and Liverpool were able to leave north London with their first away league win of the season.
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Salah's first strike was instinctively superb but his second goal came from another defensive mistake, this time from Eric Dier, who attempted to head the ball back to Hugo Lloris but mis-timed the header with it bouncing off his shoulder instead and allowing Salah to delicately chip the ball beyond the Frenchman.
Conte and Spurs have come under heavy criticism this season for their pragmatic set up which has often seen teams, particularly in the first half, dominate games against them. Perhaps the main reason for the annoyance over this tactical decision is because when Spurs attack, they are often impressive, as was the case in the second half of the Liverpool game.
Of course, injuries in the forward areas haven't helped but even when Richarlison, Heung-Min Son and Dejan Kulusevski were all firing alongside Kane, very rarely have we seen Spurs comfortably beat teams the way they did under Mauricio Pochettino.
While that is partly down to Conte and his set up, not that many complaints can be had as it's common knowledge that's how the Italian sets up his teams. It appears he feels he does not have the players - in this case defenders - capable of playing the way he wants to play, which is why Spurs often just batten down the hatches at the back and hope to catch teams on the counter or from a set-piece.
Multiple times this season unforced errors from the defence have cost Spurs goals, with Jamie Carragher on Twitter alluding to exactly what Spurs are in need of and who is to blame when results aren't going to plan.
Prior to the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo, Conte was in talks with Spurs but their description of what they wanted from their next manager being “free-flowing, attacking and entertaining" was the total opposite of Conte's methods.
To play and accept his style of football you need quality in every position, with depth and a willingness from those on the pitch to the boardroom to buy into his methods, which according to Carragher, Spurs do not currently have.
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