Stellini's attacking lineup backfires
Ever since taking on the hotseat following Antonio Conte's departure at the end of March, Tottenham fans have been desperate for Cristian Stellini to stamp his own mark on the Tottenham team. Previously resisting the temptation and keeping faith with the 3-4-3 formation that his fellow countryman always deployed, Spurs' acting head coach went his own way in the crucial top-four clash vs Newcastle United.
Switching to a back four with attack-minded duo Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic playing as full-backs, it was the first time that Tottenham had started with four at the back since their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea in January 2022. Even though there was such a radical change in formation for the game at St James' Park, there was only one alteration from the defeat vs Bournemouth with Pape Matar Sarr coming into midfield and Clement Lenglet, following the injury he picked up against the Cherries, taking his place on the bench.
A rare start for Sarr with extremely limited minutes coming his way since his excellent performance against AC Milan in the San Siro, a switch to a midfield three made sense with Newcastle opting for the same number in midfield and having plenty of energy in there. Amid criticism from fans following recent performances and poor results, Stellini clearly wanted to give Tottenham supporters a more attacking team to watch but what was to follow highlighted why Conte never strayed from his three-man defence.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Newcastle: Lloris, Romero, Dier among those dreadful in collapse
How not to start a game
Travelling to Tyneside for a huge fixture with a top-four place still very much up for grabs, the one thing Tottenham needed to do was remain strong in the opening exchanges with Newcastle always going to cause them a host of issues. All at St James' Park were up for the game and it was deafening inside the stadium ahead of kick-off.
The sound levels increased by a few more decibels a minute into the contest with Jacob Murphy giving the hosts a dream start as he tapped home after Hugo Lloris could only palm Joelinton's effort into his path. Easy as you like for the winger, it was also ever so simple for his teammate as he was given so much time and space from Porro and Cristian Romero to waltz into the area.
Newcastle's second after six minutes was also a shocking goal to concede from a Tottenham perspective as one long ball over the top completely opened them up, with Joelinton running off Porro to round Lloris and score. As good as Murphy's second of the afternoon was as he scored with a howitzer from distance that left Tottenham's shot-stopper motionless, it all came after Son had been dispossessed of the ball in the middle of the park after Eric Dier had passed to him.
Spurs were then opened up again by a stunning pass from Joe Willock that set Alexander Isak free in the 19th minute, before the Swede grabbed his second two minutes later as he was afforded more time and space in the box to fire home. It really was schoolboy stuff from Tottenham in the opening 20 minutes with the goals such poor ones to concede.
What Stellini did after fourth goal
Tottenham were in disarray in the opening 20 minutes at St James' Park. It really did feel like Newcastle were going to score with every single attack they mustered as the visitors were all at sea across the pitch.
After Newcastle's fourth goal of the afternoon, Tottenham supporters may have actually noticed Stellini stepping on to the pitch following the capitulation. With head coaches always giving advice from their technical area, the Italian clearly felt the need to step on the field and get his point across.
Straying about ten yards on to the pitch, the acting head coach had a quick word with Oliver Skipp and explained that there would be a change in formation. The players themselves went into a mini huddle of sorts, not that it really mattered anyway with the Lilywhites conceding a fifth two minutes later.
Why Lloris made way at half-time
Having already made one change in the first half with Davinson Sanchez replacing Sarr, Stellini made another alteration at the break. It was quite a surprise one as well for many as Lloris was replaced in goal by Fraser Forster.
The substitution did raise plenty of questions, especially as the acting head coach could have made a number of changes in other areas. The reason for the change was because Lloris couldn't continue in the second half due to an injury sustained in the opening 45 minutes.
Big European football question
Tottenham did fare better after switching to a three-man defence, although Newcastle very much took their foot off the pedal following Isak's second of the afternoon rather than pushing on for a lot more. There was only to be one more Newcastle goal in the contest, which came courtesy of substitute Callum Wilson, with Harry Kane pulling a consolation back for Spurs shortly into the second half.
On a day when Newcastle boosted their top-four aspirations, Spurs' very much came to end in the north east following the 6-1 humbling. The real worry for Tottenham now is that European football will not even be on the cards in 2023/24 if there is a repeat of this performance in the final six games of the campaign.
As things stand, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion could quite easily leapfrog the Lilywhites this time next week. Starting off such a huge week for the club with a dire defeat at St James' Park, it doesn't get any easier for Tottenham with Manchester United and Liverpool on the agenda over the coming days.
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