Some Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on social media after Nuno Espirito Santo claimed circumstances make it hard to judge the Rennes game, via football.london.
Spurs drew 2-2 at Roazhon Park on Thursday, as they kicked off their Europa Conference League Group Stage campaign. The north Londoners took the lead early on through a Loic Bade own goal, before Flavien Tait and Gaetan Laborde put the Ligue 1 outfit ahead.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg drew Tottenham level within five minutes of Laborde handing Rennes the lead. But Spurs could not find a third to leave France with a win, and trail early Group G leaders Vitesse.
Nuno admits Tottenham’s performance was not perfect, but took positives from how they controlled periods of the game against Rennes. The Portuguese believes Spurs started and ended the game strongly. However, circumstances make it hard to offer a ‘fair’ analysis.
One of those circumstances Nuno points to was how Tottenham fielded players featuring in unnatural positions against Rennes. He also took issue with the state of Roazhon Park.
“[The performance] was not perfect,” he said. “I think we started very well in possession, finding good lines. We scored, then we lost a little bit of control. Rennes is a good team; they caused some problems for us.
“It is hard to judge all the game with all the circumstances that happened during the game. But I think we finished well, we showed a lot of character and belief to change the result after we conceded.
“In the end, I think we were in control. A hard team to play, a hard pitch to play, but the attitude was good. A lot of players out of position, so it is hard to analyse and be fair.”
Tottenham fans react to Nuno assessment of Rennes draw
But some Tottenham fans reacting on social media took issue with Nuno’s claim of why the Rennes draw was hard to analyse. That’s because for them, he was the one responsible for putting players in positions they are not necessarily used to.
A few also took his breakdown as excuses for their club failing to leave north-west France with a win. While others went one step further, and suggested Nuno took a page from Jose Mourinho’s book of excuses.
Mourinho oversaw 86 matches in all competitions while in charge in north London, winning 45, drawing 17 and losing 24. Roma have since hired the 58-year-old, and have won all six games under the Portuguese. Including a 5-1 win in the Conference League on Thursday.
So, here are some of the messages that Tottenham fans have shared on social media in response to Nuno’s assessment of Spurs’ performance against Rennes…
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