Tottenham make sensible decision in sacking Nuno Espirito Santo

Fabio Paratici and Tottenham Hotspur did the only sensible thing to try and salvage a quickly deteriorating season, in pulling the plug on Nuno Espirito Santo’s brief reign at N17 on Monday.

The club made the announcement of Santo and his entire staff’s departure, early Monday morning, with a further coaching update to follow in due course.

Spurs and Santo a match never made

After an arduous search for a manager over the summer, Spurs hierarchy made what seemed a strange decision in hiring Nuno Santo, who was far down the list of preferred candidates. The match seemed destined to fail on many levels before it even got started and after a good but not great start, a few injuries and absences saw the wheels quickly fall off.

On Saturday fans were questioning Nuno before the game even commenced, with his decision to play Ben Davies over Sergio Reguilon. Would Reguilon have been beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo for that first goal? We will never know but we do know that was one of many decisions over Nuno’s brief but rocky tenure that simply did not sit well with fans.

From the beginning, the idea of Santo being the right man for the job took many fans by surprise and he was going to have to be exceptional to win them over. Santo was not starting from the same deficit as Jose Mourinho but the similarities between the two left many fans bewildered.

Santo was known for an aggressive team with Wolves, however, that aggression never really turned into consistent Premier League scoring. Given Daniel Levy had promised open, free-flowing, attacking football, hiring Santo just did not seem to fit.

Finally, Nuno’s personality was not the right match following Mourinho and Pochettino. Pochettino had been the big brother and confidant. Mourinho gave players plenty of tongue lashings but did not push them enough physically. Then Santo’s stand-offish demeanor was not the right one for the squad.

Santo lacked the credentials to get some to buy in and lacked the bravery to bench those who were not giving it all for the club. This team needs more to get back on track.

Tottenham heading in the wrong direction under Nuno

Some may argue Santo did not get a full chance and even produced 1 more point than Pochettino at this point in their tenure. The difference was that players were putting it on the line for Pochettino to make it whereas Saturday players simply showed up.

Worse, the 3-goal defeat to Manchester United was not the first such total humiliation of the season. Tottenham is winless against other London squads and has conceded three goals five times, all in losses.

Add in all the areas where Spurs are bottom or near the bottom of the league, such as shots, chances, and distance covered, this season was headed nowhere and fast. Just how much damage the club has suffered remains to be seen but you can try to take stock.

As the crowd chanted about Nuno’s lack of competence and the desire for Daniel Levy to leave, there was no doubt change was forthcoming. Now the question goes back to the one we faced all summer, can Tottenham make the right decision and step up to get the right coach for this club?

The days of coddling and caving to the whims of the players need to be over, this team needs a coach that demands everything, where to dare is to do. The question is, does the club dare to do it?