Nottingham Forest humiliated Tottenham Hotspur on their own turf, swinging the relegation battle in the Premier League by a full six points while adding a level of emotional damage that has Spurs fans wondering now more than ever if they are 100 percent doomed for the drop.
Spurs were decimated in so many ways, but watching the Nottingham Forest midfield trio of Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Ibrahim Sangare, it really sunk in just how far behind the Spurs midifeld trio is.
Archie Gray had another positive game for Tottenham, but even his star was blighted somewhat by the three men on the other side of the ball. Meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr was poor, as was Lucas Bergvall and the rest of the midfielders who came into the game.
Nottingham Forest's midfield owned Tottenham's
Tottenham have had issues with their midfield all season long. Beyond Gray these last few weeks, nobody has truly impressed. Sarr has his moments but is mediocre overall. Bergvall's been held back by injuries. Xavi Simons goes from world beater to ghost at the drop of a hat. Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur are bang average. Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma are not even worth rostering.
Meanwhile, the Nottingham Forest trio complements each other so well. Gibbs-White and Anderson were both creating real chances for their team, with Gibbs-White bagging a goal and the highly in demand Anderson leading the team with three key passes and six tackles. Even Sangre was passing the ball around better than any of the Spurs midfielders while playing more solid defense for Forest with four tackles.
Tottenham just do not measure up defensively. There is a lot of headless chicken play on that end of the pitch, running for the sake of running with cavernous gaps in transition that lead to clear cut chances every time the opposition, including Forest in this game, are on the break. There is an illusion of control on the ball but no real creativity of progression in their play, aside from Gray.
There is talent in the Spurs ranks among Simons, Bergvall, and Gray. But it does not come around every game, which is a huge problem. And when you watch Anderson dominate in all phases while the Spurs midfielders only do so in a few, the problem is magnified. Forest and Spurs are both in the relegation fight, but Forest were levels above on the road in large part because their midfield is simply better.