Three reasons Cristian Stellini was the wrong choice to see out Tottenham season

2. Poor substitution decisions

Conte was heavily criticized for bringing on Davinson Sanchez in the dying embers of the Champions League return leg at home against AC Milan. Spurs were down a man and a goal on aggregate, and Conte turned to a defensive option whose form this season has been abject.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Stellini made an even worse decision when he brought on an out-of-form and out-of-practice Lucas Moura for Son Heung-min.

Spurs were up a man and a goal when Stellini pulled the trigger, a decision that infamously backfired almost immediately.

Moura was sent off six minutes later for a cynical late challenge on Everton’s eventual hero Michael Keane.

That was his first egregious substitution as Tottenham’s interim boss but certainly not his last. In Saturday’s defeat to Bournemouth, Stellini brought Sanchez on when Clement Lenglet went off injured.

As Sanchez was Stellini’s only realistic defensive option — aside from a rusty-as-nails Japhet Tanganga — off the bench, the interim boss can’t be blamed for introducing the beleaguered Colombian.

However, he can be held fully accountable for withdrawing Sanchez after just 20 minutes of introducing him.

While Sanchez’s inexcusable mistake led to Bournemouth’s second goal, the knee-jerk reaction to take him off might be more detrimental to the Colombian in the long run. Supporters booed Sanchez after his costly mistake, but taking him off did more damage than good.

Whether Stellini thought he was protecting, even insulating, Sanchez from the jeers of his own supporters, it was still the wrong decision.

Sanchez was humiliated by his mistake, the embarrassment of which was immeasurably compounded by Stellini’s decision to withdraw him.