Once is a problem in isolation, twice is a blip, thrice is a huge concern and as far as Tottenham’s opponents go as of late, three is certainly the magic number. While it is a number which is causing their manager an incredible amount of anguish.
Anguish that has come with the recent defeats to both Crystal Palace and Chelsea and that anguish has now turned to despair, as Tottenham were bested by their most hated rivals at the Emirates last Sunday.
Rivals that obviously come in the shape of Arsenal and when it comes to the topic of shape, it is Tottenham’s midfield in the opening 45 minutes, which has left many of their supporters asking questions.
Questions that primarily ask why Nuno Espirito Santo opted for a 4-3-3 against Arsenal and if he was to opt for such a setup, why did he select the trio of personnel to take up those three berths in the centre of the park.
Because if anything has been learned by Tottenham fans over the first few weeks of the season, it is that Dele Alli is not cut out to play wide in a midfield three and this was all too apparent against Mikel Arteta’s men.
Men who were seemingly given the freedom of North London in the first 45 minutes and with Emile Smith Rowe opening the scoring after 12 of those, it was a goal that only highlighted the hosts’ early dominance.
Dominance that was then doubled 15 minutes later, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired home and with Tottenham already looking out of the game, the objective was to make it to the interval without inflicting further damage on themselves.
An objective that was not met, as Bukayo Saka slammed the ball past Hugo Lloris to make it 3-0 and in that very moment, there was no doubt that North London was now the colour red for the next few months.
Admittedly Tottenham did look better after the break – although it could be argued that their efforts were working from an incredibly low base and with that relative improvement, they did at least find the net before the final whistle.
A goal from Hueng-min Son was nothing more than scant consolation and you would have to say one that Tottenham as a whole did not really deserve. Then again, in the grand scheme of things, the game was already finished by the time the South Korean scored for Spurs.
What is perhaps more worrying is the fact that the team from N17 have now collapsed in three separate halves of football and although they’ve held their own or improved in the opposite 45 minutes, it means little in the grand scheme of things.
Although what does mean a lot, is the fact that this is a team that is going backwards and rather quickly and if Nuno Espirito Santo cannot earn a win over Aston Villa at the weekend, there will already be questions over his long-term employment status at Tottenham.
