Abysmal defensive performance leads to 4-0 defeat at Newcastle for Spurs

You would think that Tottenham would have learned their lesson by now.

Of course this shouldn't matter, but maybe stop wearing those awful dark beige kits? Maybe start defending those wide areas better so Micky van de Ven isn't the sole defender on every counter attack? Maybe start utilizing fullbacks Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro (and Emerson Royal, for that matter) in transition when the team is multiple goals down?

Perhaps, those are lessons that will never be learned as long as Angeball is in effect at Hotspur Way.

When the system works, it's beautiful! The away win at Aston Villa is a prime example. However, when it doesn't... well, results like today happen.

Newcastle dominated basically the entire match, as Spurs looked woefully inept on both sides of the pitch. Two goals in 90 seconds from striker Alexander Isak and winger Anthony Gordon gave the home team a first-half lead they would never relinquish, as two more goals in the second led to the final tally of 4-0.

The home crowd at St. James' Park certainly left the stadium ringing with joy, while The Lilywhites' supporters were sent back to North London early, scurrying from the building as quickly as they could, following the final goal of the match.

You have to feel for Van de Ven. Yes, he got beat on the first two goals of the match. However, his incredible speed was the only thing that allowed him to be in position, and at the end of the day he is almost always the sole defender expected to make that stop.

For as good as the young Dutchman is, he's not going to be able to do everything. So the blame for the first two goals shouldn't be placed solely at his feet. After a man of the match display last week, not his best outing. Yet, it's not the end of the world for Micky, as he has a very bright future head of him.

Spurs' struggles against set pieces were apparent once again, as Newcastle had numerous good looks on goal before Schar's late in the matchup.

One of the areas of emphasis moving forward has to include better defending on set pieces, whether. We've seen that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has struggled with them all season, and the defense isn't doing him any favors. Where's Gianni Vio when you need him?

We will go into further detail about the squad's struggles today in the player ratings, but it's safe to say that this team still has a very long road to travel before being worthy of championship contention.

Six matches remain in this season's Premier League campaign, and three of them are against the three teams currently ahead of us in the standings (at home versus Arsenal in the North London Derby, away at Liverpool and at home against Manchester City).

At this point, for Spurs to come away with anything more than three points from all three matches would be a miracle. Let's hope that miracles come more often than not for the rest of the season.