Going out of the FA Cup is something that every team bar one has to contend with right up until the Final. A cup competition means that you will go out unless you win the whole thing. For Spurs, though, accepting the reality of how cups work has become tiresome. Outside of a brief period of the Mauricio Pochettino era, competing for cups has not really been a Spurs thing. Indeed, Jose Mourinho and Juande Ramos – two high-profile, short-lived appointments – took Spurs to two of their only cup finals of the last thirty years.
Sadly, the North London giants can add another defeat to their name after an extra time loss to Middlebrough. The home side were thoroughly the better team, winning 1-0 after an extra time finish from teenage substitute Josh Coburn. Coburn rifled home with power from a tight angle, but it was no more than the Teeside outfit deserved.
In truth, it was no more than Spurs deserved. They followed up the 3-2 win at Manchester City with a head-scratching loss to Burnley. The loss, which seen Antonio Conte essentially threaten to quit, was followed-up with a win against Leeds United that cost Marcelo Bielsa his job. And that result was followed by a cup exit that should have serious ramifications moving forward.
Spurs, though, were savaged in the press after the result. One too many rotational players did not do anything like show their worth to the first-team, leading to more discussion about where Spurs go from here. The likes of Harry Winks and Emerson Royal looked poor again, leaving Spurs fans with no real certainty about how good this squad actually is.
Pundits give verdict on ‘typical’ result for Spurs
Amid the acrimony of the exit, there was the usual barrage of deserved critique for Spurs. Seen as a flaky club that fails to live up to its own expectations, the abuse that came down from the media was entirely justified. Indeed, former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer, covering the game for BBC, remarked that it was a ‘typical’ performance, saying: “This was no fluke. Spurs were so flaky, typical Tottenham.
“They were the better team from start to finish. They were first to every tackle, they created chances, and had more energy. Certainly in extra-time, they made the better substitutions and Chris Wilder can be extremely proud of what his team has achieved tonight.
“What a night for Middlesbrough and their fans, he (Boro boss Chris Wilder) was up for it, the players were up for it, it’s a shame the Tottenham players weren’t up for it. Typical Tottenham, Middlesbrough thoroughly deserved to be in the quarter-finals.”
For Spurs, it is yet another season that will end without a trophy. The Europa Conference League exit was the only one that could really be argued was unjust and unfair on the club. Yet another season, then, will end with fans disappointed at the lack of any meaningful progress being made on and off the pitch.
Leave a Reply