adminJamie Carragher has slammed Tottenham Hotspur’s defending after Yoane Wissa scored a stunning goal to complete Newcastle United’s 2-0 victory in north London.
Tottenham went into the game desperate to respond after suffering a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Newcastle, meanwhile, have endured a turbulent summer that has seen several important players leave, including Sandro Tonali, who joined Spurs for £100million.
Despite those changes, Eddie Howe’s side continued their impressive start to the campaign, securing another valuable victory thanks to goals from Anthony Elanga and Wissa.
Newcastle appeared to identify Tottenham’s left side as an area they could exploit, with Andy Robertson repeatedly coming under pressure.
That tactic paid off in the 62nd minute when new Newcastle midfielder Nico Gonzalez delivered a long diagonal ball towards Amar Dedic and Robertson.
Dedic rose above Robertson to win the aerial battle and knock the ball into the path of Elanga inside the penalty area. The Newcastle winger reacted quickly, turning before firing a left-footed effort that went in off the post.
Tottenham then found themselves two goals behind 11 minutes later.
Nick Woltemade competed for a header from Lewis Hall’s corner, with the ball eventually dropping inside the penalty area for Wissa.
The Newcastle forward produced an outstanding acrobatic finish from close range, leaving Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky with little chance.
Newcastle managed the remainder of the match effectively, frustrating Tottenham and securing all three points.
The defeat means Spurs have now lost their opening two Premier League matches under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi, piling further pressure on the Italian despite the club’s huge summer spending.
Carragher questions Tottenham’s defending
Speaking as a co-commentator for Sky Sports, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was particularly critical of Tottenham’s defending for Wissa’s goal.
He was stunned by the amount of space the Newcastle forward was allowed inside the box.
“The space Wissa’s got just in front of the goalkeeper is absolutely criminal. What are they doing, the Spurs defenders?” Carragher said.
“So far, this season couldn’t have started any better for Newcastle; it couldn’t have gone any worse for Tottenham.”
Carragher suggested Tottenham may respond to their difficult start by returning to the transfer market.
“And the answer will be more signings,” he added.
Spurs have already spent more than £320million strengthening De Zerbi’s squad this summer, with the enormous investment creating expectations that the team would immediately challenge near the top of the Premier League.
However, two defeats from two games have left those expectations under serious pressure.
Carragher believes Tottenham are unlikely to stop their transfer activity just yet and expects further additions before the window closes.
“It’s going to take time at Tottenham,” he explained. “A lot of new players coming in… there’s no doubting the players that have come in.”
“You look at it and you think, ‘Ah, they’ve paid top dollar there’, but the players that have come in are quality players.”
He highlighted Tottenham’s midfield additions in particular, pointing to Mateus Fernandes and Tonali, while also praising signs shown by Jan Paul van Hecke.
“Certainly in midfield in Fernandes, Tonali. I saw signs in Van Hecke today, in terms of on the ball,” Carragher said.
“But they won’t be finished, I think there’ll be more to come.”
The former England international believes Tottenham’s poor start could actually force the club to be more aggressive in the final stages of the transfer window.
“It’s natural that people will panic a little bit, and I think Tottenham will go into the market again, no doubt about it,” Carragher said.
“Not just because they’ve lost twice, but it just makes you a bit more decisive.
“When you’ve won both games, you might look at a couple of deals and think, ‘Hmm, maybe we’re ok, we’ll give that player till Christmas’.
“That certainly won’t be the case on the back of two really bad defeats.”
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