Second-half fightback not enough as Tottenham must address issues for top-four push

Tottenham Hotspur incurred a North London Derby defeat at the weekend as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal took all three points at White Hart Lane, and while there was a lot to learn from the game for Spurs, there are also a few problems to be addressed immediately if they are to challenge for a top-four finish, as former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton speaks about one of those problems.

It was a game of two halves. Arsenal came out all guns blazing in the first half as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (OG), Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz found themselves on target to ensure the Gunners went into the break with a three-goal lead. Tottenham in the second half came back fighting with goals from Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min (pen); however, the fightback was too little, too late after the first-half damage.

This comes as a massive blow to the Lilywhites pursuit of a top-four finish, as it leaves the North Londoners with seven trailing points to catch Unai Emery’s men in fourth place. Spurs do have two games in hand over the Villans, and they would want to ensure they take this battle deep into the season.

Sutton slams Guglielmo Vicario – Is Tottenham’s goalkeeper a top-four liability?

One of the things that the Australian gaffer will look to iron out is Guglielmo Vicario’s performance, as Chris Sutton believes that the 27-year-old might well have been found out and is now becoming a problem at N17.

Sutton came down hard on Tottenham’s Italian goalkeeper, speaking on BBC Radio Five Live tonight as he highlighted how Guglielmo Vicario is becoming a problem for Tottenham.

“I think the goalkeeper is a problem. I think the goalkeeper, to whom we have all given praise for the way he can play out from the back and the way that he sweeps at the back, but I do think that teams like Arsenal would have done the homework and targeted Vicario because he looks I can’t remember the team earlier this season where he was very shaky against, but there was one particular game where he sort of found out, didn’t he? And I think that would be sort of passed around; coaches would have gotten onto it and would know that he doesn’t want to come, and I think it’s a massive problem if teams know your goalkeeper is vulnerable and uncertain,” Sutton said.

More Tottenham Hotspur News

• Fulham ‘confident’ they won’t lose 26-year-old star to Tottenham on free transfer.
• Tottenham Hotspur eyeing a move for impressive 21-year-old Argentine midfielder.
• Real Madrid star admits he still has a soft spot for Spurs.

While Tottenham conceded two goals from corners, Guglielmo Vicario has been impressive for the majority of the season. This criticism is harsh from Sutton’s end; however, if Spurs are to compete at the very top, these marginal things matter, and they should be addressed in some way or another soon.