Three Tottenham positives from tough home loss to Newcastle
By Aaron Coe
Positive 2 – Spurs showed some spirit in the comeback effort
After two bad mistakes put Spurs behind the eight-ball in the first half, Tottenham came out fighting in the second half. The goal from Kane less than 10 minutes into the second half gave Tottenham a fighting chance.
Although Spurs could not fully capitalize and complete the comeback, considering how things looked at the end of the first half, the character the team showed was good.
By the time the first half had ended, most of the Spurs players’ heads were down, and it seemed like the day was going to be about controlling the bleeding like it was against Manchester United. Instead, Tottenham showed they had more resolve than trying not to get humiliated and worked their way back into the game.
No, the work and effort were not enough, and lacking any real attacking options off the bench did not help, but the fact Spurs did not just throw in the towel is a good sign that this team still has better days ahead.
Positive 3 – If Tottenham was going to lose, this was a good weekend for it
It is never good to lose; let me start by getting that out there. A win or even a draw would have been preferable to the loss to Newcastle. However, of all the weekends for Tottenham to lose, it was actually a good one for it to happen.
As it ended up, seven of the top 10 teams in the Premier League dropped points this past weekend. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United drew their games, and Liverpool lost. Across the top 10, only Manchester City, Newcastle, and Fulham won, meaning Spurs only lost ground to City.
Further, given Newcastle is one of the teams in the top six right now, the loss is not nearly as bad as it could be, although you never want to lose at home. Thus, despite losing at home, Spurs did not drop in the standings, maintaining their hold on third place.
It was not a good day by any stretch of the imagination, and Tottenham will have to do better. However, the return of Skipp, the resolve shown by the team, and losing when seven of the top 10 dropped points gave us a few silver linings on a very cloudy day.