Dejan Kulusevski was on the Tottenham bench again as Spurs slipped to a 2-0 defeat away at Sporting Clube de Portugal this evening.
Tottenham headed to Lisbon this evening in search of another Champions League win having beaten Marseille 2-0 last week.
Instead, Tottenham are on the receiving end of a 2-0 scoreline.
Paulinho and Arthur Gomes struck late in the day to give Sporting the victory against a lacklustre Tottenham side.
Questions about Antonio Conte’s European record will again be asked, but there is a larger issue at hand here.
Tottenham were flat and uninspired again; something that is becoming all too familiar this season.
The win against Marseille was excellent in terms of the scoreline but the performance itself wasn’t exactly stellar.
Chancel Mbemba’s red card certainly aided Tottenham on the night as Spurs were being frustrated at 0-0.
Dejan Kulusevski’s introduction off the bench also helped Tottenham against Marseille but he was named as a substitute again tonight.
We understand Conte’s thinking; Richarlison is the man in form, Harry Kane is undroppable and Son Heung-min will surely snap out of his slump at any moment.
The problem for Tottenham is that, without Kulusevski, they really lack guile in the final third; it was clear against Marseille and just as clear against Sporting.
Richarlison and Son both want to get in and score goals and whilst Kane can be creative, that shouldn’t be his chief role in this team.
If you look to the wing backs, Ivan Perisic has offered a fairly consistent source of creativity but Emerson Royal, for all his effort and endeavour, doesn’t have the ability on the ball to unlock a defence.
What about the midfielders? Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a battler rather than a creator, whilst Rodrigo Bentancur can sometimes be guilty of playing it too safe.
There is a real lack of guile in that setup; somebody who can create something out of nothing or spot a pass to get Kane or Son in on goal.
Kulusevski provides that in droves whilst providing an unselfish streak that Tottenham’s front three can sometimes lack.
Conte has to leave somebody out but it feels like he is limiting Tottenham’s creative spark when he leaves Kulusevski out.
The Swede needs to be back in if Tottenham are to learn from his defeat, with Son arguably the one who should drop out based on current form.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
