Tottenham Hotspur turned in a pathetic performance at Elland Road on Saturday, undoing so much of what was good about their stretch after the September and October international break. Failing to score in this 1-0 loss to the Peacocks obviously not a new challenge for a side desperate to find a real striker who can score goals, but Spurs did not even create chances in this one.
After nearly getting relegated last season before Roberto De Zerbi saved them, their improvement in the relegation fight combined with nearly 400 million pounds spent on new signings had both fans and pundits singing the club's praises and believing in a return to Champions League places.
That optimism dissipated rather quickly when the season started and Spurs began the campaign winless, but that hope returned in a big way with how well Tottenham Hotspur played after the break, particularly when they dominated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, which has been an infrequent feat throughout their history.
Tottenham are cut back down a size
But after this loss to Leeds, Tottenham fans can only help but wonder again if this is their level. Tottenham have not been competing at the top end of the table for a couple of seasons now, and after their winless start, fans were reminded that Spurs are very much a work in progress. And though they may be a Big Six club and finally operating like one this past summer transfer window they made under Roberto De Zerbi, they certainly played like a mid table team.
If there were belief in Tottenham as something more than a mid table side and as a Champions League contender after the three game winning streak, especially after the one over Chelsea, it has wavered again after this totally listless 1-0 loss to Leeds at Elland Road.
That sinking feeling that Tottenham are really just a bloated, expensive mid table team with serious flaws, most namely an inability to actually score goals on a reliable basis, is back and will permeate the club through another international break. But at least it will stave off feelings of complacency, with Spurs meeting a sobering reality at the hands of a Daniel Farke side that pressed and harried them into utter incompetence and embarrassment this weekend.
Tottenham did not go into a hole near the bottom of the table for two seasons overnight, and as much as they thought the winning streak was a normalization and a return to dominance under De Zerbi's bright ideas, it, unfortunately, may not have been so sweet.
Add us as a preferred source on Google