Burnley (away) 23.02.2022

Conte started with the team that took to the pitch against Manchester City and no doubt hoped for a similar performance and outcome, but what was to transpire wasn’t to his liking.

Spurs started very quickly from the kick-off, when Harry Kane was put away wide to cross the ball with it taking a deflection and going into the side-netting.  A glancing header by a Burnley defender conceded a second one, but Burnley hit back by winning a couple of corners, which Spurs defended well despite the home team having some giants who feed on set-pieces.  The game settled into a pattern of both sides unsuccessfully trying to break down the other’s defence and lots of midfield passing without much getting behind the respective back lines.

There were a couple of breaks for treatment to players, with Bentancur doing down after he slipped on the wet turf when turning, but he got up and played on, as he is one who Spurs look to play through in midfield.  McNeil put a ball through in the 32nd minute and Rodriguez got on the end of it, but he put the ball a long way wide and he was offside anyway.  Spurs then had an opportunity when Emerson Royal was released, but he fired his effort over the top.

In truth it was a wretched first half and when the team re-emerged, Winks had taken the place of the injured Bentancur, which didn’t please some of the Spurs fans, but it looked like he added a little sharpness with his passing.  Tottenham broke away with Son running 60 yards before he was fouled on the right by Mee.  He took the free-kick, swinging it into the middle where Harry Kane out-jumped the Burnley captain to smash a header against the crossbar.  Spurs had picked up the pace and were getting Burnley on the back foot, but the home side were defending stubbornly to restrict the number of direct efforts on goal.

A foul in the 55th minute gave Burnley their first real sniff of a goal with Mee meeting McNeil’s ball in at the far post, but his header was comfortable for Hugo, as it was straight at him.  Tottenham had a half-hearted shout for a penalty when Sessegnon headed the ball towards the middle of the box, but it wasn’t likely to be given and then Kane tried a shot from way outside the box, but pulled it wide.  Pope was brought in action when Kulusevski shot after a corner had been recycled just after the hour and then Weghorst broke into the Spurs box, but Romero showed good strength to ease him off the ball, but when Rodriguez headed McNeil’s goal-wards, Hugo had to make a sharp save low down to keep the ball out.

As Spurs attacked, the ball moved across the box to the right, where Emerson Royal hooked it back to Ben Davies, who hit a shot at goal that hit Pope more than him saving it.  In the 69th minute, a good move from Kane and Son lined up Kulusevski with a shot from the left that he tried to bend into the far bottom corner, but missed by a foot or so.  It proved to be a costly miss as a foul on the Burnley right gave Brownhill the opportunity to pick out Mee at the far post and he out-jumped Cristian to head the ball  low across Lloris and into the other side of the goal.  It was a sucker punch and one that was the most likely route to the Clarets taking the lead.  

Seven minutes from the end and it could have been worse for Spurs.  The ball got played into the box from a corner for Mee who had a shot blocked before keeping it alive and Rodriguez was alone in front of goal, somehow managing to fire the ball over the bar from three yards out of an unguarded goal.  Spurs hit back with Winks bursting into the box and going down, but nothing was given other than a stern talking to by the referee.  Substitute Moura than had a chance but blazed over when he could have hit the target, Brownhill bent a shot just wide and then Bergwijn – on for Sessegnon – turned on the ball to force Pope to a save.  

Failing to take our chances cost us and the laconic approach in the first half led to the second being much more frantic.  A goal in the first half could have laid the foundations for a better result, but the lack of rhythm in the Spurs play allowed Burnley to deal with most of the attacks, leading to Conte’s comments after the match that he doesn’t feel up to the job, with the side lacking consistency.  His previous teams have all been transfer ready, so perhaps his previous comments about it being a long road are more like the project becoming a cul-de-sac.  And if it is, where do Tottenham turn next ?   

East Stan