Like the battles in Game of Thrones, out of the smoke and the cries of anguish, a figure emerges; the last man standing. Would it be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Nuno Espírito Santo who would save their reputation in north London on Saturday night?
With hindsight a thrilling 4-4 draw might have been just enough for both coaches in the short term, not least the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, who was sacked this morning after just four months in charge. Nuno took over a club that values attacking football and almost heroically chose to ignore their proud traditions. Not only were Tottenham defeated, they failed to land a blow upon a group of players in the midst of a crisis of their own.
In some respects, it must look like an almighty turning of the tables. Hang on, was it not Solskjaer who was on the verge of being sacked? That the Norwegian slept soundly last night is because he has romance on his side whereas Nuno has no history with the fans and lacks the public persona to make friends with them.
Throughout the defeat on Saturday the former Wolves manager looked neither angry nor animated. He looked sad. Afterwards he sounded sad, too, using the term “absurd” to describe how it must sound for him to suggest the solution to the club’s predicament is unity. It was left to Hugo Lloris, his captain, to offer a more straightforward appraisal of the defeat. “In the second half everything went wrong,” the goalkeeper said.
Given that Nuno made an early substitution in the first half, it pointed to a poor juggling of resources. The stadium was filled with jeers when Lucas Moura was taken off, which raises a question about what changes the supporters would have backed. Would they have booed had Harry Kane been removed after 54 minutes? But vocal disapproval of a substitution tells the world, as well as Daniel Levy, the chairman, that it is not the players who are being blamed, but Nuno.
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That Levy chose to hold a crisis meeting yesterday is instructive. Yes, the fans jeered Nuno, but they also called for the chairman’s head. Deflection can be useful and so the reputation of Nuno and Fabio Paratici, the director of football, are under scrutiny. Levy can chastise one or both for their failure to please the supporters and hope to erect a protective shield between the mess on the pitch and his part in it.
There was something compelling about watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani rolling back the years to help a stricken manager avoid the sack. It felt, in north London, that they held the fate of Solskjaer in their hands, like a chapter crafted by Hilary Mantel on the politics of the court of Henry VIII.
It also felt as if the pair, whose combined age is 70, were invigorated by the surroundings. Tottenham’s £1 billion stadium was supposed to intimidate opponents, to lend Spurs a sense of grandeur, but instead the plushness of it all seems more likely to invigorate those who visit it. The travelling fans loved the acoustics which they used, significantly, to serenade their manager and the home supporters used the echoing chamber to turn on the Spurs head coach.
Nuno was initially not considered the right fit for Spurs and Levy flirted with a host of alternatives including Antonio Conte, Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers. The most perplexing courtship was that conducted with Gennaro Gattuso who, after being sacked by Napoli, lasted only 23 days at Fiorentina and whose controversial views on same-sex marriage, racism and the role of women in the game led to immediate fan protests. It is fair to say that when the former Wolves manager was installed in June on a two-year deal the most positive element seemed to be that at least he was not the Italian who is, intriguingly, currently linked with Newcastle United.
Nuno’s tenure began splendidly with the defeat of first Manchester City, then Wolves and Watford. The Portuguese must have realised right then that life would become difficult. Three functional 1-0 wins were not embraced as the sort of future the supporters wanted. Where was the panache, the flair, the derring-do? There followed defeats against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal and a realisation that the club were losing ground, trapped in the hell that is the Europa Conference League like someone who owns a Mayfair mansion but holds Tupperware parties instead of dinners for cultural attachés.
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The players who can, and have, shone began to appear forlorn or frustrated. Against United, Son Heung-min, arguably among the most positive and uplifting of Premier League stars, seemed perplexed, as if a run along the shore had become a slog in quicksand. The attitude and form of Kane is not the fault of Nuno but arguably a more paternalistic coach, better skilled in the art of coaxing, could have smoothed out the wrinkles of the striker’s failed bid to join City. The usually dependable Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg might as well have been using semaphore, so lacking in cohesion were the team.
Tottenham have become lost in a limbo of an apparent lack of appetite for entertainment from the coaching staff. Solskjaer can at least produce, from his top hat, some rip-roaring fun. The circus act at Spurs comprises a limping elephant and a clown’s horn without a toot.
How Tottenham’s initial targets are faring . . . and could one be tempted?
Tottenham went through a long list of replacements for José Mourinho before landing on Nuno Espírito Santo. With the former Wolves manager’s job hanging by a thread, could any of the coaches on Spurs’ initial shortlist be tempted to reconsider moving to London?
Julian Nagelsmann
The 34-year-old has been admired by Tottenham for some time and was considered when the club sacked Mauricio Pochettino in 2019. He left RB Leipzig in the summer for Bayern Munich and his new team are top of the Bundesliga.
Brendan Rodgers
The Leicester City manager, who has a £16 million release clause, ruled himself out of the running to replace Mourinho. Leicester have made a mixed start to the season but Rodgers is also in the frame for the Manchester United job if they opt to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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Erik ten Hag
The Ajax manager claimed he was happy to stay put last week when linked with Barcelona. He is said to prefer taking on a German club this summer and has also been linked with the vacant position at Newcastle United.
Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham tried to lure their former manager from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. The French side have since signed Lionel Messi and Pochettino is said to be unhappy with the internal politics at the club. Tottenham would like a reunion but the Argentinian’s future will be determined by how well PSG do in Europe.
Antonio Conte
Tottenham retain an interest after courting the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager in the summer. He has also been linked with the Manchester United job and it remains to be seen if he can be persuaded to join mid-season.
Hansi Flick
The 56-year-old won the treble with Bayern Munich in 2020 and has since replaced Joachim Löw as manager of the German national team.
Paulo Fonseca
The former Roma manager looked likely to succeed Mourinho but did not hit it off with Fabio Paratici, Spurs’ new managing director, during talks in Lake Garda. He has recently been interviewed by Newcastle.
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Gennaro Gattuso
He remains out of work after leaving Napoli. Spurs went off an approach following a fan backlash over comments Gattuso had made about women in football, same-sex marriage and racism.
Julen Lopetegui
The Seville boss claimed he turned down the Spurs job; his side sit second in La Liga.
