The manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno Espirito Santo has faulted his game plan and poor decision-making for the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
Nuno Espirito Santo led Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of the North London derby and his team performed woefully against Mikel Arteta’s side.
During the Premier League game in the presence of electrifying Arsenal’s fans, the host took the lead in the 12th minute through the boots of Emile Smith Rowe.
The club’s captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled Arsenal’s led in the 27th minute. Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 in the 34th minute to make it a complete demolition of Tottenham in the first half.
Nuno Espirito Santo and his boys could not find any response to the firepower of Arsenal throughout the first half as they left their supporters hoping for a better second half.
In the second half, Tottenham tried to stage a comeback but they could not break down a resilient Arsenal’s defense. However, after a couple of attempts, Heung-Min Son was able to get one back in the 79th minute.
Unfortunately for Nuno and Spurs, that was the best they could get from the north London derby as the game ended 3-1 in favor of the host.
After the game, the Portuguese tactician could not hide his disappointment over the game plan he came to the Emirates Stadium with. He insisted that he didn’t also make the right decision in terms of team selection.
“The performance was not good. The game plan was not good. The decisions were not good. It was not a good day for us. Definitely not a good day,” Nuno said…
“I’m going, to be honest. When you have a game plan you have to make the right decisions in terms of who you want on the pitch to develop that game plan.
“The decisions were not according to the game plan and I take responsibility. I won’t name individuals, but the game plan was not right according to the players who were on the pitch.
“We were not aggressive enough to control Arsenal in midfield. They were faster, stronger, more aggressive. We suffered when we wanted to go in front, and we allowed Arsenal to come to us. Bad decisions.
“It’s not easy to expand so I just ask you a bit of respect if I don’t go too much into it. But the game plan didn’t work out. I will not judge my players in front of you, I refuse to do that.”
The defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday has pushed Tottenham Hotspur back to the 11th spot on the league table with 9 points in 6 games. They are now a spot behind Arsenal with the same number of points.
While Nuno Espirito Santo laments, Mikel Arteta dedicates victory to Arsenal fans
After the north London derby, Tottenham Hotspur had no reason to celebrate but Mikel Arteta and his Gunners, have a lot to be thankful for.
The 3-1 win over Tottenham was their third consecutive Premier League win this season after starting the season on a very bad note. Recall that they lost their first three league games of the season and spent the first two weeks of the season in the relegation zone.
During that period, it was looking like Mikel Arteta was on his way out of the club but the Spanish tactician was able to get the club’s fans back on his side.
“This win is for the fans,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “They were incredible in tough moments when we needed their support.
“It doesn’t get much better than the atmosphere we saw here today. It was one of the nicest feelings I had, certainly in this stadium.
“It was a big occasion, to win it the way we did, and to feel that connection with team and supporters made it really special.
“It’s impossible to attract people and connect with what we’re trying to do if we don’t have fans here. It makes such a difference. We want to entertain them and play in a way that makes them proud.”
