ESPN pundit Steve Nicol explains why he wasn’t impressed by Tottenham

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Pundit felt Real Madrid were so bad, Tottenham’s win should not be regarded as a huge achievement.

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has played the role of party pooper amid Tottenham’s spectacular win over Real Madrid.

Spurs beat the reigning European champions 3-1 on Wednesday night in a performance which the 80,000 plus fans in attendance will never forget.

As a pundit for ESPN, Nicol says he felt Tottenham simply delivered a routine display against a terrible side, and could not get enthused amid the outpouring of praise for the North London side.

Nicol also criticised Tottenham’s defending, suggesting that better passing from Real Madrid would have cut them apart.

He said: “Spurs did what Spurs do, they have a great shape, they keep a high line, they are always compact, they move up and down the pitch, its all lovely and smooth.

“Real Madrid were so bad, if I’m Zidane looking to sort this mess out, where do I start? They were horrible defensively, and horrible going forward.

“I think Spurs played with too high a line, and on numerous occasions Ronaldo was looking for little balls played in behind which never came.

“At the back, Without Varane, Ramos looks lost. Withough his [Varane]’s pace, he looked awful.”

Real Madrid were underwhelming, continuing their disappointing La Liga form.

But this should not detract from Tottenham’s achievements, beating a side boasting five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and World Cup winners Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos.

Zinedine Zidane needs to repair the team’s confidence amid their poor form, but Tottenham’s excellence should not be discounted because of Real’s own problems.