Reguilon own goal not the only thing that didn’t make sense in Tottenham loss

Just when you thought Tottenham are heading in the right direction, a collection of strange decisions and occurrences — headlined by Sergio Reguilon’s outrageous own goal — bring you harshly back to reality.  

The harsh reality, no matter how much we don’t want it to admit it, is that Tottenham are closer to a middling side than an elite one. There, I’ve admitted it. And it pained me to do so.

That’s the sole reason Harry Kane will leave his beloved club in the summer. The current collective is nowhere near good enough to challenge for silverware. Their hapless, rather infuriating, performance yesterday in front of 10,000 outraged supporters highlighted in a nutshell the side’s extensive list of deficiencies.

A number of perplexing events from the 2-1 loss to Villa exacerbated Spurs’ discernible shortcomings.

 1. Outrageous Sergio Reguilon own goal

I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed an own-goal shank executed with such an acute level of difficulty. To knock it into your own net from 14 yards out with an attempted volleyed clearance takes some doing.

Reguilon’s weaker right foot got it completely wrong, slicing it so badly the spin took it over the unaware Hugo Lloris. Had the Frenchman been paying attention, he might have been able to keep it out. Unfortunately Lloris was as surprised as the rest of us and reacted a split second too late.

It looked like Reguilon was on uppers from the off. The Spaniard actually started well, darting about the pitch with assertiveness and desire. He unofficially assisted on Steven Bergwijn’s goal by anticipating Villa’s outlet pass.

Reguilon wasn’t able to harness in a productive way that excessive energy. His own goal was just the start of a horrifying first half he won’t soon forget. Reguilon coughed up possession twice on Villa’s second, completely handing the game to the visitors.

Even more bizarrely, or fittingly depending on which way you look at it, Reguilon’s own goal was the 1000th scored in Premier League history. Mind-boggling stuff.

The curious case of Steven Bergwijn

Steven Bergwijn was unequivocally Tottenham’s most dangerous attacker. He won possession and fended off two Villa defenders before almost taking the goal of its stanchion with a fierce half-volley. It was his first goal in 41 games. The last time he bagged a goal was against Manchester United in June 2020.

He could have scored a couple more and made a nuisance of himself all evening. More strange than the goal was his second half withdrawal. Ryan Mason’s decision to sub Bergwijn, Spurs’ only consistent threat, was, in a word, peculiar. Bergwijn was also bemused by the decision, which he had every right to be. Mason would have been better off withdrawing Sonny or Dele, both of whom were off the pace.

Bergwijn deserved better. When you’re struggling with confidence the way the Dutchman is, you need all the help you can get. After scoring a magnificent goal, Bergwijn would have felt a massive adrenaline burst, an astronomical surge in confidence. By taking the Dutchman off prematurely, Mason basically extinguished Bergwijn’s flame he’s been waiting over a year to ignite.

Supporters turn on Spurs in first game back

There is a palpable angst blanketing Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and its supporters. Fans were welcomed back to the ground for the first time in about 14 months. What should have been a commemorative, celebratory event turned sour quickly, with large swaths of the 10,000-strong crowd audibly jeering and booing their beloved Spurs.

The match, admittedly and begrudgingly, was an absolute howler. One would have expected Tottenham to come out, with the galvanizing effect of supporters, guns blazing. And while portions of Spurs’ performance was particularly abject, it was slightly premature to deride a team in dire need of support.

Emotions are running extremely high at the moment. People are pissed off with the owners and how they’ve handled every matter under the sun since the onset of the pandemic. Some players are underperforming while others are deadweight.

"And to pour Himalayan salt on an already gangrene, puss-filled wound, Harry Kane is reportedly planning his future elsewhere."

That, along with the exorbitant £60 base-rate ticket price, was enough to push violently Tottenham’s faithful off the edge. They aired their collective frustration, upset by a litany of on-field failures.

So there’s no judgement either way. Supporters want nothing more than to see their club succeed, which after this season’s precipitous regression, seems a mere pipe dream.

Hojberg wasn’t immune from the nonsensical

Pierre Hojberg has patrolled the midfield and protected the back four like a robot all season. He is a player Spurs cannot afford to rest, which was blatantly evident last night. Hojberg looked more exhausted than a 40-year-old pill popper on a four-day Ibiza binge.

Watching Hojberg unable to close down with his usual rabid-dog tenacity was almost as strange as Reguilon’s audaciously rare own goal. Everything that could have gone wrong, did go awry against an Aston Villa side with nothing to play for.

Hojberg’s off night was confirmation of that. The Dane, who has started every one of Tottenham’s 37 top flight matches this season, is clearly run off his feet. With one of their most influential players running on empty, don’t expect amazing things from Denmark in the forthcoming European Championships. Hojberg would be better off getting a few winks of sleep before being called upon unrelentingly again next season.

The only thing that did go as expected in what turned out to be depressingly bizarre 90 minutes of football was yet another poor Eric Dier performance.