Sputtering Out of the Cup

Tottenham were knocked out of the FA Cup in a performance lacking both energy and sharpness | Previewing the weekend(ish) matches

*elongated sigh*

Well, Spurs are officially out of all the cup competitions this season (both Men and Women). There's nothing left to fight for except securing European competition next season. Another season will end without a trophy.

It's not the end of the world (with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Man City still in contention, it was never going to be an easy path to winning the FA Cup), but it is disappointing--mostly because of the lackluster manner in which we were eliminated.

The underlying issue that stifled Spurs was fatigue. With a largely unchanged lineup over the last four matches (with the notable exception being Bentancur, who was injured halfway through the Burnley match), the minutes were really adding up for key players. Son and Deki were looking particularly affected, and a lot had been asked of the wingbacks (Sessegnon and Doherty) as well. Between the four of them, they created our best chances of the game (besides the overruled Kane goal), but there was a clear lack of sharpness in the finishing. If only one of those chances had gone in, we could have advanced in regular time and spared the squad the added exhaustion of extra time. Since there wasn't VAR and we didn't get the best review angle, it's hard to say if Kane really was offside for his disallowed goal. But it did seem like there should have been a penalty called regardless. Alas, no VAR.

Our defense honestly wasn't bad overall, just the one error from Royal keeping Middlesbrough's Coburn onside. On the other hand, it's kind of alarming how often Hugo has felt compelled to play sweeper keeper lately. He was dangerously close to a red card.

The midfield was probably the biggest issue in the formation; Winks and Højbjerg were very ineffective. Winks was especially poor, but it's not like anyone really shined, so it's a moot point. Most of the attacking potential was coming from the wingbacks, and we lost a lot of our ability to threaten Middlesbrough's low block defense when the starting wingbacks were subbed out.

This brings me to my final comment on the match (because seriously, let's just move on after this). Conte's man-management was very poor. There haven't been too many games yet where I felt like he got it completely wrong, but this was one of them. I know we are constrained by injuries right now and that limited his options for the starting lineup (I was especially disappointed that Lucas wasn't available), but there were still a few tweaks he could have made for the sake of fitness. Bergwijn certainly should have started; he was the only real spark on the pitch in his short cameo, and he (along with Lucas) is one of the few players capable of creating something out of nothing against a low block style of team. He can really be a secret weapon in the team going into the last 13 matches of the PL season. I also would have liked to see Reguilón and Royal start as the wingback pairing, and have Sessegnon and Doherty come on as impact subs if needed. They seem to be the preferred starters at the moment (rightly so, in my opinion), so keeping them fresh for the more important PL matches should have been a priority. We know this squad doesn't have the depth required for true rotation, but Conte needs to do what he can to avoid running key players into the ground.

So that's basically where I fall on this match and the result. Perhaps things could have gone differently with just a bit of rotation and at least attempting a different attacking plan for Middlesbrough's low block, but at the same time, we tend to do poorly in away cup matches as a rule (frustratingly, bizarrely, etc.) so maybe it was already written in the stars. If we're honest with ourselves, it is probably for the best that we exited early rather than having to face Liverpool or Man City later down the road--or god forbid, Chelsea again. No thank you!

Now the focus is solely on getting into Europe next season, which is no small task. It has kind of seemed like nobody wants to get top 4 this season, so it remains to be seen who fumbles the bag the least. Arsenal don't have any other games to worry about, like Spurs, but West Ham and Manchester United will both have that distraction to deal with since they're still in European comps (and West Ham doesn't really have the squad depth to weather the extra matches). If they both put all their eggs in the European trophy basket and Arsenal reverts to type, Tottenham will have the advantage. But Spurs still have to get their business done each matchday. No pressure.

Let's try to keep the faith and not get too down on individual players--or Conte for that matter. He's had a lot of obstacles thrown his way in his short time as Tottenham manager, but hopefully the injury situation will clear up soon and the team can put together some consistent performances.

On the topic of chasing European competition...

Spurs Women are finally back in action after one of the most interminable-seeming international breaks I can remember (mostly because I had no interest in watching the mini cups, especially since Asheigh Neville was snubbed for the England call-up once again). Spurs take on Reading in an away match on Sunday, and this one is definitely a must-win--because it is winnable. As we continue fighting for the third Champions League spot (which we currently hold, as the table stands), there will be some matches that are going to be a big ask to win or even draw (Man City, Arsenal, and Chelsea--twice), so we absolutely have to secure all three points from the games that are favorable matchups.

Not long ago Reading were actually involved in the top 3 chase, but they've fallen out of contention thanks to a couple of losses on either side of the break. They did pull off an upset 1-0 win over Chelsea earlier in the season, however, so they are definitely capable of a quality performance.

Reading usually play a 4-4-2, with a front two comprised of the experienced Natasha Dowie (their lead scorer) alongside either Deanne Rose or Emma Harries, both promising young talents. Earlier in the season this formation from an opponent would have concerned me more, since we struggled early on to break down more defensive-minded setups, but the addition of Eveliina Summanen has brought more creativity to the side, along with Ashleigh Neville playing a more advanced role in recent matches. Plus, Rehanne Skinner has shown a lot of flexibility in how she sets up the team, and she's had the long international break to prepare, so I have no doubt we'll get the tactics right. Let's hope we can continue our recent streak of winning by more than just a one-goal margin, since goal difference could be crucial in the final table standings this season.

The dreaded Monday fixture

It's dreaded not so much for who Spurs Men are playing (Dele's Everton!), but just the Monday-ness of it. Or is it just me? I much prefer a traditional weekend fixture, especially since we'll know all the results from our top 4 rivals ahead of this one, and that just feels like a jinx.

At least we have bounced back in most cases after a loss under Conte (the Southampton to Wolverhampton double whammy being the notable exception). And Everton are a pretty favorable matchup for us, all things considered. I can't imagine they've gotten more defensive under Lampard, and Everton don't have the strongest defense to begin with. And it continually cracks me up how poor Jordan Pickford can be in goal for them when he plays so well for England. The mysteries of football... We'll also have the rest advantage over them, for what it's worth, since they play their FA Cup match on Thursday.

Injury-wise, Everton have a lot of misses and potential misses, including game-time decisions for both Donny Van De Beek and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. We will be hoping to have Bentancur back, but honestly, I would rather Conte play it safe and bring him on as a sub, or at least limit his minutes if he does start. He's too important to risk re-aggravating his injury. The same goes for easing Skipp back into the lineup when he returns, much as we are missing him on the pitch every game. Against a team that plays as openly (or haplessly, if I'm being brutally honest) as Everton tend to do, we can utilize Winks and Højbjerg's long-range passing skills to good effect. Bentancur and Skipp will be needed for the low block teams, for sure, since they are better on the ball and working in tight spaces. Just trying to think strategically here, as Conte hopefully is, too. Don't be stubborn, Antonio.

And on the Dele of it all... of course I wish him the best in this new stage of his career, just not against Spurs.

It's wild to think that we played out such a goal-heavy FA Cup loss to Everton at the end of last season, and then had a scoreless draw at the beginning of this season. I suspect there will definitely be more goals in it on Monday, and since our defense has improved a lot since then, I expect them to be in our favor. I do grow weary of saying a match is a must-win, but... *shrug*. It is what it is!

COYS