Tottenham crashed out of the Capital One Cup at White Hart Lane against Arsenal, falling to a 2-1 defeat.
Mathieu Flamini opened the scoring in the first half before a Calum Chambers own goal levelled things up after the break. Flamini broke Spurs hearts with 15 minutes remaining, smashing in a volley to win it for the visitors.
Tottenham weren’t bad – in fact, they were the better team for large spells of the game. Federico Fazio, though, was dreadful at the back. It’s a shame Mauricio Pochettino didn’t start one of Jan Vertonghen or Toby Alderweireld next to Kevin Wimmer.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the result…
All 14 Spurs players have given 100% tonight. Whatever happens, we can be happy about that. #COYS
— Liquid Spurs (@LiquidSpurs) September 23, 2015
Please, if we learn one thing from this tonight, let it be to NEVER put Fazio in a Spurs shirt again.
— Sam Ramm (@SamRamm) September 23, 2015
Well, at least we shouldn't have to endure a minute more of Fazio & Vorm after tonight. Fazio is one of the worst players I've seen at WHL.
— Charlie Parrish (@charlieparrish) September 23, 2015
Well fewer more games to play this year if it ends like this. #COYS
— Mark Futter (@TheBigMan_N17) September 23, 2015
Being knocked out of the #CapitalOneCup early, gives everyone a chance to concentrate more on our balance sheet. #COYS
— Steve Heffernan (@SteveHef) September 23, 2015
Cannot stand losing to those lot. Similar number of positives as there are negatives. Not much in the game at all, very even overall.
— Nikhil Saglani (@Nikhil_Saglani) September 23, 2015
Fazio made huge blunders but the fact he was even selected for such an important game has to be questioned. Poch doesn't even rate him.
— Alan (@hotspur423) September 23, 2015
We deserved more from that. Had we played Lloris we'd have probably won. Gutted. #THFC #COYS
— Chris Miller (@WindyCOYS) September 23, 2015
Never nice to lose to them lot but plenty of positives to take from the game. Thought Spurs controlled practically all of the second half.
— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) September 23, 2015
Not being funny but Poch has a missed a trick there. We're resting players for Man City in a league game where we can't finish with a trophy
— Paul O Keefe (@pokeefe1) September 23, 2015
Just cant work out why Poch decided to change the whole defence and GK. If Lloris jan toby all started it would've been a different story
— Dave Cheevers (@dcheevers11) September 23, 2015
Pochettino really hasn't done himself any favours this evening, and just as it seemed he was starting to win people around again.
— Bankrupt (@bankruptspurs) September 23, 2015
Fazio cost us that game he is an accident waiting to happen #COYS
— Harry Charalambous⚽️ (@TransitionTHFC) September 23, 2015
Deflated. I'd say 'at least we gave it a good go', but we didn't. It's no good throwing everything at it when the game's already gone.
— Tom Edwards (@tomedwards) September 23, 2015
Didn't play badly. Difficult with ten men though.
— Tom (@Tomfoins87) September 23, 2015
Disgusting Arsenal fans ripping our boardings down, no class whatsoever, you do your club a big diservice, SHOCKING BEHAVIOUR,
— Micky Hazard (@1MickyHazard) September 23, 2015
@KOwriting But given his employer's priorities, sort-of logical
— Adam Powley (@adampowley) September 23, 2015
You won? Great. Sing your songs all you like, fair enough. You don't go ripping things off – what a sad bunch of people. Disappointing.
— Spurs In The Blood (@SpursInTheBlood) September 23, 2015
The derby is the fans’ game. Play your best team. For us. But you didn’t. And that’s what you really think about us.
— Alan Fisher (@spursblogger) September 23, 2015
If we win do people moan about the line up? cleared off the line (2inches) from going 2-1 up & it being different. Just putting out there.
— O'Boogie (@drwinston001) September 23, 2015
Again poor team selection & tactics have cost us a cup game.
A GK doesn’t suffer from being overplayed, so why wasn’t Lorris in goal? Carrol is a light weight in such company. Fazio wasn’t even in Poch’s plans 3 weeks ago, offered to West Brom at a cut price & hasn’t played, but was dropped in for a derby. Townsend is just a shadow of his formal self. Why wasn’t help brought on for Kane once we went behind? again he was left isolated upfront for too long.
As for tactics, we play with no width but with tippy tippy football down the middle, that relies on such precision passing which we just can’t do. On the odd occasion we do get wide, Kane is isolated in the box and is easily marked.
Yes we’ve tightened the defence, but by continuing to play slow & through the crowded middle without creativity will not allow us to score.
We just haven’t got the players to open up organised defences.
We only look dangerous on the break or a set play.
Southampton played very much on the break when Poch was there. This is how they scored their goals. Their team played very narrow with no wingers, relying on overlapping fullbacks and players willing to run at pace all day. This is not happening at Spurs. Slow build up with no width makes the team very easy to defend against, as you only need to defend the width of the penalty box, which becomes very crowded.
Until we change tactics we will be easy to keep at bay & tonight was a prime example of this.
I also feel Poch does not understand what cup competitions mean to Spurs & he needs to get his head around this, or he will loose the backing of the supporters.
Let’s be honest, top four is probably out if the question again this season, so success will only come in cup competitions & already we have thrown away one chance.
I know lets play Fazio the guy we couldn’t
Get rid of 3weeks ago..
And put him at centre back against Arsenal in the cup!!.
What the hell is that all about??
Potts ain’t got a clue!!!!
Alan
The better team won I feel. With a few more world beaters we could achieve something but I feel we should do better against a team fielding Flamini and Gibbs. Giroud is awful if they signed Benzema they would be dangerous I feel.
Pochettino is an idiot and all this resting players is a load of bollocks.In 1961/2 season, before substitutes were in existence,and please don’t tell me that the game has changed since then,7 of our players were ever present.That was 42 league games,plus a successful defence of the FA Cup with replays,plus the European Cup.Also many of these players took part in the then home internationals.If a player cannot play twice a week,then he should look for a different profession.I am tired of driving on successive days to my office,so on the 3rd I shall get a chauffeur to take me.Do me a favour,so called men wrapped in cotton wool, more like little fairies.