· 2 min readIn this Forest vs Tottenham match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Forest and Tottenham came into the third round of the Premier League still without a win, but for different reasons. Glasner’s Forest came from two defeats and a draw, although that draw was against Liverpool and followed an interesting performance. Tottenham, on the other hand, were in last place after spending almost €400 million and losing both games without scoring a single goal. Embarrassing, to say the least.
Sávio was making his official Tottenham debut, while Liam Delap was making his debut for Forest. The first few minutes were exactly what could be expected from this Tottenham side: possession, but little or no idea what to do with it. Forest were not brilliant either, but at least they could threaten through their pace. In the 17th minute, Sávio found Marmoush on a counter-attack and the forward ran through on goal before shooting wide.
The game was becoming increasingly strange. Tottenham had 60% possession, but could not even get a shot on target. The combination between Porro and Sávio down the right was practically the only different thing the team tried (but it was also harmless), while Forest were also struggling to create. It looked like two bad teams cancelling each other out, producing a rather poor spectacle.
Even so, Forest had the best opportunity before half-time. Delap did a good job as a pivot and released Gibbs-White through on goal. Forest’s captain and technical leader had everything he needed to score, but Tottenham’s goalkeeper made a good save. It was an opportunity that Gibbs-White simply could not waste.
In the second half, Tottenham finally managed a few minutes of pressure, but continued to rely almost exclusively on set pieces and crosses. In the 55th minute, they had an absurd opportunity: a corner into the six-yard box, Van de Ven jumped higher than everyone else, including Forest’s own goalkeeper, and headed wide. He had 0.82 expected goals from that chance. It was easier to score than miss.
Shortly afterwards, Forest scored through Neco Williams, but the goal was disallowed for handball following a scramble inside the box. It remained 0-0 and, as the minutes passed, Tottenham’s situation became increasingly embarrassing.
In the 73rd minute, Mudryk came on. It was his first official game since December 2024. But even he could not change anything. The Ukrainian had to wait until the 89th minute for his first touch of the ball.
Tottenham finished the game without a single shot on target. Zero. After almost €400 million invested, three Premier League games and no goals scored, it is difficult to find a nice way of describing this.
Post-match
One point for each side, but above all, another two points dropped by two teams that continue to show very little. In Tottenham’s case, the concern is already becoming much more serious.
