Three reasons Tottenham Hotspur struggled with Morecambe in FA Cup

By Aaron Coe | Jan 9, 2022

Tottenham Hotspur's English midfielder Dele Alli (R) vies with Morecambe's English defender Ryan Cooney during the FA Cup third round football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Morecambe at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on January 9, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Dan Scarlett of Tottenham vs Paços de Ferreira

PACOS DE FERREIRA, PORTUGAL – AUGUST 19: Dane Scarlett of Tottenham Hotspur FC with Fernando Fonseca of FC Pacos de Ferreira in action during the UEFA Europa Conference League match between FC Pacos de Ferreira and Tottenham Hotspur at Estadio Municipal da Capital do Movel on August 19, 2021 in Pacos de Ferreira, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images) /

Spurs lacked that injection of youthful energy

One of the things that endear a player like Oliver Skipp to fans and coaches alike is his insatiable drive to play hard for the shirt. From the moment Skipp stepped on and started making tackles, the intensity of the match grew. Part of that drive is the fact that is who Oliver Skipp is and part of it is the youthful desire to prove himself.

On Sunday against Morecambe, there simply were not enough hungry players in the line-up for Tottenham Hotspur. Having not shown the real desire to play at a top-level for more than a season now, was there really a reason to think that Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso were suddenly going to bring the intensity?

Anyone associated with Tottenham has seen that the team has played down to their opponents’ level for some time now. To think that suddenly because it is the transfer window or the FA Cup players that have never brought it are going to bring it is folly.

If you look at Liverpool, they started a team that was an average age of 22 and included four teenagers. One of the things that used to make Dele great was his youthful exuberance. Tottenham could sure go for that now instead of hoping for something different from the same people.

Until Tottenham commits to doing something different with the rotation and squad we may be stuck in this same loop.

Tottenham player ratings from FA Cup win over Morecambe. dark. Next