22  Martin MONTOYA
  5  Lewis DUNK  (c)     
15  Adam WEBSTER
33  Dan BURN

13  Pascal GROß
  6  Dale STEPHENS       (17  Glenn MURRAY  90)
46  Steven ALZATE  (  3  Gaetan BONG  88)
18  Aaron MOOY

  7  Neal MAUPAY 
44  Aaron CONNOLLY       (  8  Yves BISSOUMA  80)

Unused subs: 
27  David BUTTON
14  Leon BALOGAN
16  Alireza JAHANBAKHSH
20  Solly MARCH

17  Moussa SISSOKO
  4  Toby ALDERWEIRELD
  5  Jan VERTONGHEN
33  Ben DAVIES

15  Eric DIER     
28  Tanguy NDOMBELE  (  8  Harry WINKS  46)

23  Christian ERIKSEN

  7  Heung-Min SON  (27  Lucas MOURA  73)
11  Erik LAMELA

10  Harry KANE

Unused subs: 
21  Juan FOYTH
  6  Davinson SANCHEZ
20  DELE Alli 
29  Oliver SKIPP
 

With the media predicting impending doom for Spurs, a win at Brighton was needed to quell the criticism that was being aimed at the club.  What they got was a whole heap more issues none more so than the 0-3 score-line that was brought about by another cheap goal and a nasty injury to our first choice keeper.

Pochettino played a 4-2-1-2-1 formation again, with the idea being a diamond in the midfield and the introduction of Eric Dier as the player in front of the back four was an interesting move, with Harry Winks dropped to the bench. With Kane, Son and Eriksen at the top end of the pitch, it looked like a side who could break on Brighton quickly. Moussa Sissoko had to fill in at right back with injuries and suspensions robbing Tottenham of all their available players who would normally take that position. Brighton started with a back four for the first time and his midfield diamond went to a flatter four.

A third minute left wing cross from Groß looked harmless enough, but instead of catching the ball, Hugo dropped it right on the line and Maupay headed it in from no distance and as he fell back over the line, he appear to land with his weight on his hand, causing his elbow to be dislocated with oxygen having to be administered to him. It was an odd decision by Lloris and the injury that followed that lead to him being carried off added more to Tottenham’s troubles. A goal down and with Gazzaniga coming on with eight minutes gone, everything was stacking up against us … again.

A free-kick for a foul on Connolly by Sissoko gave Brighton a set-piece that they pulled back to the far edge of the box, where Stephens hit a sweet volley. Jan Vertonghen got his head behind it, as it looked to be heading into the net, but it floored the Spurs defender, although he was able to get up and continue.

The game settled down after that and a lot of the play failed to reach the penalty boxes. Vertonghen picked up a massive black eye when Maupay turned straight into him on halfway to make the one Christian Eriksen gave him look tame. Ndombele was on hand to cut out a right wing ball low cut back into the box, as Groß looked to pick out a striped shirt, but Tottenham couldn’t clear the ball when the home team attacked, building pressure on their defensive third.

It took 25 minutes for Spurs to get a shot on goal, with Eriksen’s 25 yard drive straight at Ryan, who had to grab it at the second attempt. Lamela looked reluctant to take people on and getting back, he failed to chase with his usual vigour, which held Tottenham’s play up when in promising positions. Davies took a whack in the face and Brighton broke away putting Connolly away and the crowd asked for a penalty for a push by Sissoko, but nothing was given.

A cross in from the left by Burn found Connolly in the middle flicking the ball at goal from close range and Gazzaniga reacted well to save, but the Brighton youngster put the rebound in from close range to make it 2-0. He got across the near post well and was alive to the loose ball so Spurs
had a mountain to climb with just 32 minutes gone.

Groß had a shot deflected just wide by Ndombele to save Spurs, but the ball was getting taken off the Spurs players in midfield that allowed Brighton to get in on goal and Connolly missed the target when the ball was played back to him in the box. Too often touches around the box were not finding their targets and that caused possession to be lost too easily, especially when Spurs players were passing the ball in the hope of finding a team-mate, not the sureness of passing the typified the play over the last few seasons. Just before half-time, Son and Kane broke, with Lamela receiving the ball and shooting at goal, only to see Dunk kick it away in front of goal.

With Kane furthest forward, it was difficult to find an out ball, so it kept coming back with most of our players still behind the ball and too often they were second to the ball without commitment to win the ball and being too soft. That proved the case when Groß hit a long ball form right to left and Maupay drove the ball across goal coming off Alderweireld and it could have gone anywhere.   Luckily, it didn’t go in the Spurs goal ! Gazzaniga had to get behind Maupay’s 25-yard shot that was straight at him, as Tottenham looked like they couldn’t wait to get in at half-time.

With Pochettino’s new system, it looked as though there was insufficient protection for the back four and this allowed Brighton to run at them. The passive nature of or play did not bode well and with little movement making passes difficult to find, but Brighton were managing it, so it was a little surprising that Spurs couldn’t. The first half was shocking, so what would the second bring ?  Winks came on for Ndombele and Spurs started to move and move the ball better. They won a corner and started to look like they wanted to play together more as Poch moved to a three at the back with a more stable defensive midfield with Winks and Dier. Lamela and Sissoko moved forward and it looked like a pass for Son, but it ran through to Davies that ended in a corner. Another followed, but it only found Dunk. Eriksen’s passes looked under-hit as they got picked off and again, any forward Tottenham movement was broken down.

While the home crowd were wanting Dier to be sent off for an off the ball block on Connolly, Winks had to throw himself in front of Burn’s shot and then Sissoko nodded away a dangerous cross heading for Aaron Mooy. VAR decided it was a yellow card and I didn’t know that was what VAR was there for.

Tottenham were crossing the ball into the Brighton box, which was a bit of a waste of time, as Dunk, Burn and Webster are giants. Brighton won a corner when Connolly ran at Alderweireld and it was again played back to the edge of the box where Stephens hit a volley that this time went over the bar. They got closer when Mooy bought a free kick tight to the dead ball line and Groß whipped it in with the ball glancing off the face of the bar.

A long pass to Connolly on the left ran at Toby again and the Belgian made no effort to show him outside and his low shot bent past Paulo’s left hand to bury the ball in the bottom corner and make it 3-0 as Spurs looked clueless how to stop Brighton going forward.  A cleared corner dropped to Eriksen outside the d and he tried to place a side-footed volley which ended up in the crowd. When Sissoko went down the wing and beat Burn, he pulled the ball back from the line and Son had space but missed his kick and that chance had disappeared. Lamela broke and found Kane to his right. Harry cut inside and then blazed his shot over the bar.

Tottenham looked all over the place and only a brush of Alderweireld’s hair took the ball away from  an unmarked Maupay behind him, who was denied a free header on goal. With ten minutes to go, Spurs finally strung some possession passes together, working the ball across the pitch after Sissoko had taken it forward, but Lamela’s cute pass that put Lucas Moura in saw him breeze past a defender, but his shot was saved as Ryan came out to meet him.  Spurs players looked like they had had enough. Tired clearances and lack of effort getting back at Brighton players as they attacked left Groß with a clear shooting opportunity when Maupay played him in on the edge of the box. Lucas was still having a go and forced Ryan  o save well to his left with a low effort, but when Spurs players had the ball there were few options for them to lay it off and the crosses were still being played hopefully into the area.

We didn’t press the ball and looked annoyed when Brighton did it to us. There was little willingness to make runs off the ball and when playing the ball, they looked as though if the pass got to its target it was a bonus. It is hard to see where Pochettino can motivate a side who almost look as though they got to the Champions League final last season and now have decided that is as good as it gets. The players need to show more determination in games, as they can’t just turn up and win. We knew that sides would sit behind the ball and make it hard for Spurs, but we are  making it easy for them by failing to put in the commitment required. There is little urgency about our play and it is making playing against us a simpler affair for opponents.

The international break has come at the wrong time, as not only will it mean that Pochettino doesn’t have time on the training ground to put things right, but players will be away with their national teams and will be tapped up by team-mates during this time of uncertainty.  Losing 0-3 to Brighton isn’t the end of the world, but the way we lost is of more concern. This is where Poch earns his money and he has to make sure that the players do the same.

Ted Maul