· 2 min readIn this Tottenham vs Newcastle match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The second round of the Premier League brought another problem for Tottenham. After the 3-0 defeat against Brentford, there was an opportunity to respond, but Newcastle, who let victory slip away against Liverpool in the first round, arrived in London looking much better. And they ended up confirming that difference.
The start was even, with Elanga creating the first danger and Tottenham gradually responding. De Zerbi’s team had more possession and featured an interesting new tactical detail: Porro, a right-back, was playing as a right winger. Marmoush also started, while Nico González, signed by Newcastle just three days earlier, was already in the starting XI.
The game took a while to come to life. Tel had a good opportunity and, shortly afterwards, Porro came very close to scoring after a good combination with Robertson. Gradually, the best player on the pitch was becoming Lukás Hornícek, Newcastle’s goalkeeper, and that said quite a lot about the game.
Lukás made several important saves, including a great stop from a van Hecke header. Tottenham had 56% possession at half-time, eight shots and four on target, compared with four shots from Newcastle, none of them on target. Even so, the xG was low for both sides: 0.50 against 0.23. It wasn’t a bad game in terms of tempo, but something was clearly missing.
In the second half, Tottenham also appealed for a possible penalty on Marmoush. Thiaw’s contact looked obvious in the replay, but the referee waved play on. Tottenham’s real problem ended up being something else: they couldn’t turn their possession into genuine danger.
In the 61st minute, Newcastle finally found the breakthrough. Dedic won the long ball in the air and headed it towards Elanga, who received it and shot almost with his back to goal, in a strange but absolutely perfect movement. The ball hit the far post and slowly went in. 0-1. An unlikely goal, but one that completely changed the game.
Tottenham needed to react, but they didn’t. In the 73rd minute, Newcastle practically killed the game. A corner to the far post, Woltemade got a touch with his head and Wissa, with his back to goal, tried whatever he could: a kind of bicycle kick without leaving the ground. The execution was as acrobatic as it was effective. 0-2.
From there, Tottenham became increasingly desperate and increasingly less dangerous. By the 79th minute, they still hadn’t registered a single shot on target in the second half. They pushed Newcastle back and showed plenty of desire, but creativity was missing. In the end, Solanke still tried to score with his heel, but Lewis Hall cleared near the line.
Post-match
Newcastle didn’t put in an extraordinary performance, but they were more competent and, above all, took advantage of the moments they had.
Tottenham, meanwhile, start the season with two defeats, no goals scored and a worrying lack of creativity.
