Colchester 0 Spurs 0: Tottenham Dumped out on Penalties
Well this is getting embarrassing and it’s starting to get a little tedious too. Post match round ups are rarely fun when the result goes against you and now Spurs have given much entertainment to fans of other Premier League clubs around the country.
It could be fair to say that the start of our season had produced some mixed results: The only real shocker was the home defeat to Newcastle United and while we’ve only managed to win twice, draws at Manchester City and Arsenal are creditable efforts in any situation.
Sadly, things are starting to look dismal and last night’s penalty defeat to Colchester United has rather added to the gloom on a wet and grey Wednesday morning.
Chance to Shine
Mauricio Pochettino made a number of changes to the side but any Spurs starting XI should have had enough to see off League Two opponents. Troy Parrot and Japhet Tanganga were handed their first team debuts while Paulo Gazzaniga continued in goal and there were starts for Oliver Skipp, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier.
Parrot appeared lively in the first half but played a lone role and appeared to lack service from midfield. In the second period, when we had the potential for Christian Eriksen to come on and serve the striker a little better, Parrot went off in his place.
Son Heung-Min also came on but the game drifted into full time and with no extra period available, it was down to the penalty shoot out. Now, anyone can lose to a team three divisions below them when it comes to a near-lottery but it should never have got that far.
In the grand scheme of things, the EFL Cup may not be a priority but it represents the chance for silverware and, having been eliminated, it could be some time before we see the likes of Skipp, Parrot and Tanganga again. Moreover, the loss just adds to the general gloom around the new White Hart Lane right now.
Disappointed
Mauricio Pochettino
The club’s official website recorded the thoughts of Mauricio Pochettino after the game.
I’m disappointed like all the team.
Poch said.
We feel bad because after 90 minutes, we couldn’t find a way through to score the one goal to beat them. It’s tough – I think the commitment and effort were very good. The effort was there but we didn’t have the capacity to break them down. They defended well – all I can say is that I’m disappointed.
We’re all disappointed and, although the U’s had come with a sole purpose to defend, the absence of too many clear cut chances was a poor return. The closest we came to opening the scoring came from a Kyle Walker-Peters cross that hit the inside of the post and that’s about as good as it got.
The fans are in desperate need of a lift when Spurs host Southampton this Saturday. Our last home game produced the only real bright spot in this campaign so far with a 4-0 defeat of Crystal Palace and something similar would go some way to providing a tonic.
