For the first hour of last night’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham clicked into gear impressively.
Heung-min Son scored twice, including a sumptuous volley, in a performance which suggested he has turned a corner, and Harry Kane was sharp, winning and scoring a penalty between the South Korean’s goals.
In contrast to last week’s 0-0 draw in Germany, Spurs were full of zip and menace going forward. Then, at 3-1 up and with Frankfurt a man down, Antonio Conte’s side stopped playing.
From a position of complete control, Spurs failed to have a single shot on target after Tuta was sent off for two fouls on Son, and they nearly threw away the win, as Farride Alidou headed home in the 87th-minute and Kane blazed a second spot-kick over the bar.
Conte described the game as “a big lesson for everybody” and reminded his side to play to the final whistle. Hugo Lloris admitted Spurs thought the match was won and stopped trying in the second half.
In assessing what was nearly an embarrassing collapse, it would be easy to question Spurs’s mentality and focus, and clearly they should have seen out the game more comfortably.
Conte constantly preaches to his players about the need to finish off wounded opponents, but in the final 30 minutes his side showed the killer instinct of a pussy cat.
In an attempt to save energy, they actually expended more in a late rearguard to prevent an equaliser.
More than any innate failing of character, however, their performance in the second half felt primarily like a consequence of the schedule.
Spurs have played every three or four days since late August, with the exception of the international break, when most of the squad represented their countries, and they are in the midst of a run of 13 games in 43 days before the World Cup. In the circumstances, who can blame Conte’s players for seizing an opportunity to coast?
Conte has barely rotated this season and his preferred 12 or 13 players have been in action non-stop since mid-August and are now preparing for what could be the pinnacle of their careers in Qatar. Set a ridiculous schedule, expect some ridiculous performances.
Kane’s careless late penalty, his second miss this season, may alarm Gareth Southgate, but if the England captain checked out in the final third of the match, it is understandable. He completed 90 minutes again, despite being one of four Spurs players to have started every game, and is set to lead his country against Iran in 39 days’ time.
“He’s a killer and at the end he was really tired because he ran a lot,” Conte said of Kane. “He played for the team and I think he played in a fantastic way.”
Perhaps there should be no excuses for complacency at this level, but being forced to compete in the most relentless season in history feels like a good one. These strange performances are only like to increase in frequency as the World Cup edges closer. Disjointed displays are a consequence of cramming the greatest show on earth into the middle of a domestic campaign.
The pattern of the game was also influenced by a raft of Spurs changes, with Yves Bissouma, Oliver Skipp, Davinson Sanchez, Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil, who won Kane’s second penalty, all coming off the bench.
Conte was left with mixed feelings but insisted that overall his side played “a really good game”, and in the first hour Spurs were arguably better than they have been all season.
Eric Dier’s mistake — another moment to leave Southgate shifting uncomfortably — helped gift Frankfurt an opener, but Spurs responded magnificently, scoring three times in 16 minutes.
A classic Kane-Son combination restored parity, the latter composing himself after a hesitant touch from Kane’s pass to finish coolly, and his second was a thumping left-foot volley from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s cross. Son might have had another hat-trick but Kevin Trapp twice made smart saves.
Kane was menacing, too, afterwards drawing praise from Conte for playing a “specific position” and “making our system [work]”.
If Spurs’s front two can maintain this form, Conte’s side should again find themselves in positions of strength in the next nine games, although the head coach will demand they learn the lessons of last night.
With the schedule as it is and the World Cup looming, however, even the Italian may find it hard to stop his players from easing off when they can.
