Alan Brazil blasts Tottenham after what he saw in defeat vs Arsenal – ‘I’ve never seen anything so stupid in my life’
Alan Brazil has slammed Tottenham for the way they chose to defend set-pieces against Arsenal in Sunday’s North London derby.
Tottenham were smashed 4-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 23 November, with Eberechi Eze scoring a hat-trick on a dismal day for Thomas Frank.
Leandro Trossard had opened the scoring for the Gunners after the Belgian was found by Mikel Merino with space inside the Lilywhites’ box.
Tottenham’s struggles to create chances under Frank were exposed yet again, with the Dane’s side only getting a goal through a piece of individual magic by Richarlison.
The Premier League released a statement about Eze’s first goal, with Arsenal players appearing to block Guglielmo Vicario‘s vision from an offside position, but the video assistant referee took no action.
Alan Brazil up in arms about Tottenham defending vs Arsenal
Eze looked set to sign for Tottenham in the summer, before a last-minute intervention from Arsenal saw the midfielder move to the red side of North London instead.
And the England international would show Tottenham exactly what they missed out on with three superb strikes on Sunday.
The 27-year-old could have had a fourth, too, had it not been for a great save late on by Vicario.
| Eberechi Eze | Vs Tottenham |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Accurate passes | 21/26 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Successful dribbles | 3/3 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
| Duels won | 7/10 |
Tottenham had set up to defend deep, but lacked solidity amid the barrage of Arsenal attacks, which came time and time again.
Much of the discussion before the game had been about set-pieces, with the visitors taking an interesting approach to defend them.
Two Arsenal free-kicks in the first half saw Tottenham sit extremely deep inside their own box, presumably hoping to increase the difficulty of a perfect delivery.
Bukayo Saka took both, clipping one over the bar before forcing a save from Vicario with the second.
Brazil was bemused by the set-up and criticised Tottenham’s tactics on Monday.
“What about the free-kicks Arsenal put in, and Tottenham lined up just outside their own six-yard box,” he said on talkSPORT.
“How stupid is that. The second one just needs any sort of flick on. Why are they back there? Get out, get up there.
“Leave a bit of space for the keeper to make a decision to come or stay on his line. I’ve never seen anything so stupid in my life.”
Set-piece tactics prove successful for Tottenham
Tottenham did do something that few teams have this season, by preventing Arsenal from scoring a set-piece goal.
Of course, the Gunners were without their main threat, Gabriel, but the Lilywhites defended their box well in set-piece situations, with the interesting set-up from free-kicks ultimately proving effective.
There are no points available for that; however, with Tottenham failing to defend their box to a similar effect when in open play.
With a trip to European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League coming up this week, Frank’s team will need to be far, far better.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @tottenhamnews247