"This was Tottenham's second defeat to Aston Villa this season and it is becoming increasingly hard to imagine Thomas Frank being in charge when the teams come together a third time in May. A performance that put an end to any realistic chance of a trophy this season, it fell well below the expectations of a furious crowd. That their opponents offer the diametric opposite of Tottenham's dysfunction can only have heightened the sting."
"Whether Frank's charges were scared, demoralised or simply disengaged, they lacked assertiveness from the start. Nominally pressing their opponents high, it was all done politely and with barely a challenge made. Unlikely to win their duels against a snarling Villa side on the best of days, Spurs did not even try. Unai Emery's men, meanwhile, looked in the mood and did not need an invitation to stomp all over their hosts."
Tottenham suffered their second defeat to Aston Villa this season, ending realistic hopes of a trophy and increasing pressure on manager Thomas Frank. The home crowd showed little enthusiasm, greeting the team with polite applause, and the players mirrored that lack of intensity on the field. Aston Villa produced a confident, assertive performance that contrasted sharply with Tottenham's disorganization. Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers scored in the first half to settle the tie, and Wilson Odobert's second-half strike narrowed the scoreline without reflecting general play. A scuffle at the final whistle involving Rogers, Joao Palhinha and several Tottenham players added further sourness. Boubacar Kamara's ankle injury led to an early substitution.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]