Jermaine Jenas slams Tottenham Hotspur attitude in Arsenal defeat

Writing in his BBC MOTD2 Analysis column, former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas has slammed the attitude of the team in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.

Tottenham travelled to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday on the back of a five-game winning run in all competitions. However, the team was nowhere near that level against the Gunners who were pretty much dominant for most parts of the game.

Tottenham did manage to take the lead against the run of play through Erik Lamela’s brilliance but goals from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette condemned Jose Mourinho’s men to a disappointing defeat.

There was a clear lack of intent and intensity from the Tottenham players, especially in the first half. While things did improve a bit in the second half, the lack of ambition and initiative shown from the start has been questioned by Jenas.

“After the way things had been progressing for Jose Mourinho’s side in recent weeks, what I saw from them in their 2-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium felt like a massive backward step in a number of ways.

“I am left thinking that, no, it was all a lie. The minute they have come up against anyone decent, they have reverted to type. That means sitting deep and being cautious, which again got Spurs nowhere on Sunday.”

The former midfielder then went on to claim that the mindset of the team was a major letdown, insisting that it was as if Spurs went to Arsenal to lose.

“Going into any derby with the type of mentality I saw from the whole Spurs team in the first half is asking for trouble. They were there to be beaten, as simple as that.”

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It was a disappointing display on Sunday, despite the dubious penalty decision going against us. It is imperative that Mourinho & co. bounce back immediately as we enter the business end of the campaign.

Up next for Spurs is the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash against Dinamo Zagreb.