Tottenham Hotspur were completely shut out again, falling 2-0 in the League Cup, as Nick Woltemade and Newcastle eliminated Thomas Frank's men early from the competition, taking one trophy off the table for Spurs already.
Following a 3-0 win over Everton, Totenham were hoping to have a strong showing against the Magpies on Wednesday night, but, instead, Spurs supporters watched as the same issues plagued the Champions League side.
Telling were the absences of superstar center backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. The latter has been out for a few games with an injury since being pulled at the last second from the previous weekend's Premier League fixture against Aston Villa, which ended up being a 2-1 loss for Spurs.
Romero isn't ready yet, and with Chelsea looming on the horizon this coming Premier League weekend, the Argentinian international was held out of the XI again. Meanwhile, Spurs also decided to give Micky van de Ven some rest for the League Cup encounter, even though he was vital to the last victory over Everton with a brace from the center back position.
Tottenham were worse than expected
Without one of the best center back partnerships in world football available, Spurs predictably struggled, but the extent to which they struggled without Romero and Van de Ven may have surprised even their biggest supporters.
Though the scoreline didn't fully reflect how the game went, Tottenham did visibly suffer without the central defenders in the lineup. They were noticeably worse defensively without the same quality, organization, and athleticism to make up for mistakes. And on the ball, they just didn't have that oomph, and it's obvious that even though Romero and Van de Ven are center backs, Spurs are miles better offensively and carry more of a goal threat with them.
Tottenham are essentially a lock to lose if Romero and Van de Ven are both out. That's not anything Kevin Danso can be blamed for, because he's a fabulous third center back, and both he and Van de Ven delivered weekend monsterclasses in that 3-0 win over Everton.
The thing is, if both Romero and Van de Ven are out of the lineup, Tottenham just don't have the stability and star power. They can't miss these two guys who control the game, paper over mistakes, and carry the ball wonderfully. Spurs were beaten from the moment they stepped onto the pitch without VDV and Romero.