Five things that went wrong in Tottenham loss to Saints

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 05, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images) /

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4. Too much containment, not enough pressing

For some incomprehensible reason, Tottenham appeared content to contain rather than press. Southampton, for what seemed like an eternity, knocked the ball around in Tottenham’s final third, easily picking out open teammates.

The high-intensity press Antonio Conte is a huge advocate of was completely absent. Tottenham looked ran off their feet, exhausted well before the halftime whistle. I’m surprised Conte didn’t make any changes to his starting 11, with the Italian gaffer deciding to play the same personnel that beat Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, four days prior.

While that cannot be used as an excuse, one has to wonder why the Italian maestro didn’t tinker slightly with his starting team. He probably didn’t want to change anything due to Spurs’ excellent all-round display against the Seagulls on Saturday. But the decision backfired, as Tottenham were flat throughout.

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