tottenham hotspur defeated nottingham forest A devastating blow at the City Ground Angie Postkogluseason.

Recent form and performances have been inconsistent, and while Postkoglu’s injury complaints have weight, they don’t excuse his in-game management and stubbornness in his tactical approach, which is fine with the tools available. It doesn’t make sense.

Square peg in a round hole? There is a real sense that Tottenham Hotspur are working hard to integrate its players with its identity. Tottenham suffered another defeat in their last game. Premier League. Nine losses in 18 games – only Wolves and Southampton have lost more.

for Nuno Espirito Santothis must feel like comeuppance after his brief and miserable spell in N17, while Angle has sunk deeper into the mire that, injury crisis or not, is about to swallow him up.

Interestingly, 18-year-old center back duo Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin can hold their heads higher than most. Tottenham failed due to a lack of belief, energy and inspiration.

Tricky Trees already have an 11-point lead over the 11th-placed Lilywhites, who could slip further before the end of the game week.

Tottenham’s worst player at Forest

While some described Tottenham’s Boxing Day performance as “terrible”, Nuno’s tight-knit unit deserves recognition. They stuck to their game plan, executed it professionally, and played defense together. They defeated struggling Londoners and their minds.

Six defeats in ten top-flight games. Tough times for Tottenham Hotspur. Defensively, Tottenham have performed poorly at times this season, and although most of their core players are missing, offense is the key to this game for the visiting team.

Sun Xingmin is a modern club legend and remains one of the Premier League’s elite forwards in his day. But he yes decline. When the 32-year-old Korean faced the strong and well-organized Forest defense, his flaws were fully exposed. Reporter Mickey Fredon even commented that the captain “Absolutely terrible again“With a numb, toothless effort.

Ranked ninth is, Dominic Solanke Struggling but lacking any meaningful service. on the right, Brennan Johnson Originally lively, he deceived himself in front of the goal, testing Mats Sayers three times. According to Sofascorebut failed to truly seize the opportunity with confidence.

The hard times are behind us. Tottenham had quality, attacking intent and long-term vision, but something was missing somewhere, something important and undefinable. Is it tactical rigidity that’s letting Tottenham Hotspur down? Or are players and their managers frustrated by injuries that heighten concerns and rob the best of an exciting brand of football?

Sure, things need to improve, and there’s one person who, more than others, can be a catalyst for positive change. Dejan Kulusevski is becoming a superstar, but he didn’t feature in the Nottingham game.

Dejan Kulusevski’s worst performance of the 2024/25 season

Kulusevski, in the No. 10 position, failed to become an attacking channel for Tottenham Hotspur, limiting Solanke’s position in front of him and failing to impress the team’s solid defence. .

He is a dynamic player who plays with confidence in a variety of positions, but Ainge, a top-notch versatile player, was frustrated by a Nottingham Forest system that organized and minimized his noise and threats.

Tottenham Hotspur reporter Alasdair Gold has been an outspoken supporter of Kulusevski this season, backing the Swedish star to move into the top tier of Premier League players, but he can only Give him a game rating of 5/10 Yesterday, he noticed he was becoming lethargic as the game dragged into the crucial late stages.

Kulusevski’s poor defense proved to be particularly problematic that day, as he lost 11 duels and didn’t even win a tackle or interception. Of course, he was up front and Tottenham dominated possession, but Forest excelled in their surrounding position, soaking up the rubbery fire and beating Anthony Elanga deftly fought back.

Better days are yet to come, but the 24-year-old – who has also conceded 26 times – will be frustrated after shouldering something of a talismanic burden this season. It’s frightening that the north London club would be in an even more miserable and even unmanaged situation without Kulusevski.

He wasn’t the only culprit – not at all. Had Son Heung-min not given up this glorious opportunity on the counter, things might have been completely different.

Football is full of variables like these, and dissecting them with an analytical eye can only get you so far. What is clear is that Kulusevski has failed to harness the dazzling quality he has so often displayed this term. It was his worst performance of the campaign, but one that was always lurking around the corner, given the ugly stone of collective discord he carries.

Now we get to the root of the question: is this a reflection of the Swede’s struggles or a comment on how Tottenham have let him down? There’s no way he can play this role every week because his peers can’t hold their own.

So. We sit and wait for this long winter to be over. Ange waits for his injured Star to return to the lair. How much will change when that fateful day comes?

Kulusevski and his teammates were not present today, and no matter how many personnel are missing, there is no denying the fact that capable, tested Premier League players cannot shift their burdens.

So. Tottenham sit back and wait. Sit back and wait. Something needs to change – what could it be?

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