Tottenham Hotspur could not handle ‘weight’ of relegation clash, assistant coach admits
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Nottingham Forest players celebrating Taiwo Awoniyi's goal during the 3-0 English Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 22.
PHOTO: EPA
LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur failed to manage the pressure of their high-stakes clash with Nottingham Forest, Spurs assistant coach Bruno Saltor said, after a damaging 3-0 home defeat on March 22 left his side a single point above the English Premier League relegation zone.
Spurs’ season seemed to be on an upward turn, with a hard-fought point against an admittedly poor Liverpool on March 15, followed by a spirited but ultimately futile 3-2 win on the night against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on March 18.
Fans gathered to cheer the team bus early on March 22 and a protest against Spurs’ ownership was delayed in the interests of harmony, but the all-too-familiar boos still rained down after a sorry display against relegation rivals Forest.
With boss Igor Tudor grieving after being told of his father’s death after the game, Saltor took press conference duties, saying he saw cause for optimism in Spurs’ last two games and their first-half performance.
But fans will be worried at his admissions about the players, who now face a fight just to secure a second straight 17th-placed finish, without last season’s salve of a Europa League triumph to make up for domestic woe.
“You can see the players, they care and they (are) 100 per cent trying their best, but at the moment it's not enough and we need to minimise any mistakes because we know we are going to concede a goal," he told reporters.
“The first 44 minutes, I thought were good, really good... second half, probably we were not able to deal with the weight of the game.”
Spurs were the better side up to Forest’s first goal, though that makes their capitulation in the second half all the more concerning.
The away side went ahead against the run of play when Igor Jesus nodded home on the stroke of half-time.
Morgan Gibbs-White doubled the visitors’ lead and substitute Taiwo Awoniyi completed an emphatic win.
The precious three points lifted Forest above Spurs into 16th spot.
Spurs’ lack of strength on the pitch was matched by the fragility of the relationship with their fans, who have seen only two home league wins this season. Many fans left before the final whistle, while those still there voiced their anger.
Captain Cristian Romero nonetheless praised the supporters after what he described as a “painful” day, saying Spurs will need the fans for “seven finals” after the international break.
Saltor echoed Romero’s comments, saying: “Right now, all of us, we have the same goal: that is fight until the end of the season and stay in the Premier League as this club deserves.
“I am 100 per cent sure we can get through this situation.”
On current form, however, Spurs’ nearly five-decade unbroken status as a top-flight team is in serious jeopardy.
Forest manager Vitor Pereira said his side “showed personality, they showed character, they show confidence. The players, they showed everything”.
He added: “The question that I asked them before the game is ‘How deep do you want to be in the Premier League next season? How much can you sacrifice from yourselves to be in the Premier League next season’?”
“And this is what we have to answer for ourselves.” REUTERS, AFP
