The atmosphere surrounding the club before the game was not fantastic, but the display from the players today was nothing short of a nightmare, which has compiled misery on the fans.
It was the first game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since November 12th, and the fans were undoubtedly optimistic to return home for this game, particularly against Aston Villa, who with all due respect, are relatively mediocre compared to the other teams in the Premier League.
After the previous 2-2 draw at Brentford, Spurs needed to deliver a win today to sustain the ambition of a second consecutive top four finish. The performance, however, was simply abysmal. When the line-ups were announced and Dejan Kulusevski was absent, Spurs fans certainly had their worries, as the Swede consistently is the only creative outlet in the team. Despite this, the starting eleven was certainly enough to deliver a result, and the welcome return of World Cup winner Cristian Romero was certainly welcoming for Antonio Conte.
Spurs had been renowned for going 1-0 down in games, but it was not until the early part of the second half where Spurs slipped up again, and Hugo Lloris contributed to his third error leading to goal this season, which may be a telling sign of his age. The first half was certainly average beforehand, so conceding that goal was unsurprising.
Eventually, Douglas Luiz flicked it past Lloris to double Villa's lead after a sluggish piece of defending from Spurs. The crowd certainly grew more hostile after this - with chants for chairman Daniel Levy and owners ENIC to leave the club.
The attacking threat was non-existent for the entire game, with a severe lack of clear cut chances, notably only twice in the game where Ivan Perisic and Harry Kane rushed their shots just inside the box. The lack of quality shown by Heung-Min Son was again prevalent today, as it has been all season, which is hugely problematic as he is one of the men Tottenham rely on so often.
The midfield also lacked any sort of creativity. The signing of Yves Bissouma from Brighton looks painfully more like a disappointment after each game. He has not provided for Spurs yet, and it is a massive shame based on his previous efforts. The defence certainly exacerbated their weakness again. Clement Lenglet and Ben Davies are both not players who are of a top quality.
Conte told the BBC after the game a quote which reflects the lack of ambition at the club: “I want to be honest and very clear. I’ve said this to the club. Tottenham fans deserve the best”. “Maybe to stay in 5th is the best. Maybe 6th, 7th, 5th or 4th is the best”. Is Daniel Levy ready to fully back Antonio Conte to help Spurs end a horrid trophy drought? Antonio Conte's words are frightening, and it seems a regular occurrence of the previous managers of the club, who question the decision making of the board.
Undoubtedly, there needs to be activity from Spurs in January. It is unforgivable to fall behind once again. The top teams strive to improve constantly, if Levy is not doing so when Spurs are in 5th and 13 points off the top of the table, you question him.
A trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace is up next for Spurs next Wednesday, and if a result is not achieved, you have a feeling it may become slightly more toxic in the club.
So poor man, won't even have a big January, ENIC OUT immediately