Cristian Stellini and Hugo Lloris each issued apologies to Tottenham’s supporters following the staff’s humiliating 6–1 defeat in opposition to Newcastle on Sunday, with Lloris describing the show as “very embarrassing” and “very painful”. Stellini known as it “the worst I have seen”.
Newcastle’s win, by which they race right into a 5-0 lead within 21 mins, strikes them to 3rd, two puts and 6 issues transparent of Spurs, whose Champions League qualification hopes have taken an almighty knock.
“There are no words to explain a performance like this,” stated Stellini, who expressed his want to stay in period in-between fee till the top of the season however admitted he was once “not the right person to ask” about his process safety in north London. following one of these devastating loss. “The first 25 minutes were probably the worst I’ve ever seen,” stated the Italian.
In a damning indictment of his teammates, Lloris, the visiting captain, blamed a loss of “pride” and “fight” for an odd capitulation. “The first thing we should do is apologize,” he stated. “We could not match Newcastle’s performance, we were late in all aspects of the game. It was very embarrassing. It is very painful.
The goalkeeper, who was replaced for the second half by Fraser Forster after sustaining a hip injury, said: “Newcastle were very aggressive and offensive every time they got the ball. We could not even react. We can try to find excuses but we missed the fight. You cannot go on to the pitch without a desire to win the battle. It makes things very difficult. It was a bit of a mess. It was too slack.
Stellini accepted his decision to abandon Antonio Conte’s preferred three-man backline and start with a 4-3-3 formation played a significant role in Spurs’ downfall. Newcastle fully exploited a shambolic defensive showing by the visitors, and it took Stellini reverting to five at the back for them to stem the tide. Harry Kane made it 5–1 shortly after the interval before Callum Wilson, on as a substitute, restored Newcastle’s cushion.
“Changing the system was the wrong decision and, if it was a mistake, it was my mistake,” said Stellini, who has won only one of his four games in charge since Conte’s departure last month. “What I can say is we have to apologize to everyone,” said the 48-year-old.
Stellini went on to insist Spurs could still qualify for the Champions League. Newcastle now look almost certain to do so, with Eddie Howe singling out Joe Willock for praise after what could prove to be a defining victory for his side.
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“Joe Willock has got to be knocking on England’s door,” said Howe. “As a team we were at our very highest level, our peak but we have to believe there is more to come from us.”
