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Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked out in round four of the Carabao Cup after falling to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United:
Tottenham out of the cup: One positive and one negative
Losing a game of football never comes with a good feeling, and this one will definitely hurt and leave a sour taste in the mouths of a few, but there is some positive to take from the defeat.
No doubt, winning the Carabao Cup would have been a really good thing for Tottenham fans who would be eager to see their club lift more silverware this term.
Thomas Frank even stated he was aiming to go all the way in the Carabao Cup, but that has now slipped through.
If Spurs are to make it back-to-back trophy wins, then it has to be one of the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, or Premier League.
Can they go all the way in all three? Time will tell, but realistically, it might be the FA Cup that offers the best route to silverware, and that is where the negative comes, as this defeat severely hinders the chances of another piece of silverware.
However, it is not all doom and gloom, as a loss now means fewer games to worry about for Frank, who is without eleven first-team players, and that could help his side perform better in the other competitions they are competing in.
Antonin Kinsky fails to take his chance to challenge Guglielmo Vicario
This cup tie saw Frank ring the changes, and one of those came in goal as Guglielmo Vicario made way for young understudy Antonin Kinsky.
The Czech international started brightly, making a fine early stop from Malick Thiaw’s effort, but a few nervy moments began to creep in as the game went on.
Kinsky was indecisive when going for the ball after a Newcastle corner, and that led to Fabian Schar’s first goal.
In the second half, another far-from-convincing attempt to deal with a cross led to Nick Woltemade’s goal, which doubled the Magpies’ advantage.
Vicario has had his own howlers this season, and fans have called for Kinsky to replace him, but with a performance like this, it is very unlikely the young keeper will be taking the number one spot – especially not now, with Vicario in top form.
Tottenham’s injury crisis worsens with leadership vacuum clear to see
As mentioned earlier, Spurs are currently without eleven outfield players, which is the same situation they found themselves in last season.
It is an injury crisis, and Frank now has about fifteen first-team players at his disposal.
Today, we saw the lack of real depth in action, with none of Frank’s leadership players on the pitch. Cristian Romero is sidelined, and so are James Maddison and Ben Davies.
Vicario did not make the squad, while Micky van de Ven was named on the bench and was an unused substitute.
Pedro Porro filled in for the absent leaders, but with fixtures coming thick and fast, Tottenham will be hoping they can get as many players off the treatment table as soon as possible.
And of course, getting as many leaders in his side for big games could make the difference, as their experience is often vital.
Xavi Simons struggles again as Spurs fall short in midfield
Xavi Simons is still yet to find his rhythm in a Tottenham shirt, and today’s tie saw him struggle once again – especially with the physicality of Newcastle’s midfielders and defenders.
Simons was at times bullied off the ball when Newcastle players got close to him, although in transition, where there was a lot of green grass to run into, he looked like a threat.
Even in those moments, though, his final ball was lacking, often overhitting passes to his teammates.
He did still create one of the big chances Spurs managed, with a short pass to Pape Matar Sarr, who forced a save from Aaron Ramsdale.
His performances are slowly improving as he is seeing more of the ball in Frank’s latest tactical tweak, but he needs to be much better if he is to play at the top level for Tottenham.
Mathys Tel slipping down the Tottenham pecking order
Mathys Tel has not been seeing game time in recent weeks, missing out against Aston Villa, and today, he was not named in the starting eleven.
Instead, Frank opted for Richarlison as his forward and Simons off the left, although he drifted inside most of the time, while Brennan Johnson operated on the right.
Tel’s chances to impress are quickly reducing, especially with a few players coming back to full fitness.
Randal Kolo Muani got more minutes than Tel today, with the 20-year-old getting only twelve minutes of game time, even with so many injuries hitting Frank’s squad.
This shows that he could very much be slipping down the pecking order for Tottenham, which is not good for the forward, who has already been left out of the UEFA Champions League squad.
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