It was a disappointing day for Tottenham Hotspur, who lost their first home match of the season to Newcastle; in a search for a silver lining, here are three positives from the loss.
After only one loss in their first ten games, Tottenham Hotspur lost for the second consecutive match in the League on Sunday, falling 1-2 at home to Newcastle. A couple of moments of madness left Spurs on the short end of a tough match in, at times, brutal conditions. Of course, no loss is a good loss. However, there were a few positives Tottenham fans can take away from the game, and here are three.
Positive 1 – Oliver Skipp returned for Tottenham Hotspur
After not starting a game for more than eight months following a January injury, it was great to see Oliver Skipp back in the starting line-up for Tottenham. Skipp, a starter for much of last season before his injury, seems to be number four on the current depth chart but started with Pierre Hojbjerg out injured.
Skipp was not great on Sunday, although he did start brightly and showed he could be a player who can get forward from the midfield for Spurs. Skippy had three shot assists in his jaunts forward but seemed to tire and disappeared from the match as things went on.
More important than the start was the 66 minutes Skipp got under his belt, which were more minutes than the 18 the English midfielder had seen in his previous four ‘appearances’. It was not a great return for Skippy, but it was a return, and hopefully, he can stay healthy and get back to form from here, as Spurs need his forward-thinking play.
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.