Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris has had an incredibly busy start to the season – busier than what he would have preferred.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper has had to backstop a host of disappointing performances, just six games into the new campaign.
A mini-crisis is already starting to unfold for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, and the players ahead of Lloris are simply letting their captain down.
Tottenham Hotspur Players Letting Captain Hugo Lloris Down
Leaky Tottenham Defence Has Kept Lloris Busy
Despite Espirito Santo’s seemingly positive start to life at Tottenham, Lloris has been called into action far too many times for an outfit looking to break back into the Champions League.
Spurs found themselves with maximum points after three games without a single goal conceded, but the last three have been a complete polar opposite. Nine goals have been put in Lloris’ net, making the picture a lot more gloomy.
As such, the Frenchman has made the second most saves per match in the Premier League with 3.8, a figure which can only be topped by Illan Meslier (4.5) of Leeds United.
Tottenham’s defence, despite keeping three clean sheets, has in general not looked up to standard at all, conceding 11 expected goals against (xGA) so far. That can only be beaten by Norwich City’s Tim Krul (12.6) and Meslier again (12.2).
North London Derby Defeat Highlights Spurs’ Shortcomings
The 3-1 defeat to Arsenal saw Spurs fall to their third in a row in the Premier League, and put in a performance that was limp all-round.
Espirito Santo’s side were slow out the blocks and found themselves 3-0 down within 35 minutes at the Emirates, with Lloris left helpless for all of the Gunners’ strikes.
From Tottenham’s point of view, the midfield simply did not do enough to protect the backline, while sloppy play from further up the pitch left the defence, and ultimately left Lloris exposed.
He was honest in his side’s assessment following the game, saying: “We started the first half in a really bad way and when you show weakness in the Premier League, the opponent punishes you. It’s as simple as that.
“We cannot hide the problems, even if we have to stay calm, stay positive, we have to stick together and respond in the best way next week in front of our fans.”
Tottenham Have to Do More to Support Hugo Lloris
Lloris has put his name in the hat for Spurs’ best player in each game he has played, which says a lot about the way Espirito Santo’s team has been performing.
While it is good that Spurs have a goalkeeper they can rely on, it could get worrying if they continue to depend on him at the current rate.
Even at 34-years-old, he is still not showing many signs of slowing down, but that isn’t an excuse for the outfield players that are making it easy for opponents to get shots off.
Spurs need to regroup and get their season back on track, starting with a Europa Conference League tie against NS Mura on Thursday, before hosting Aston Villa on Sunday.
It is in these games where Espirito Santo must organise his side better to ultimately ease the burden on their goalkeeper before things intensify further.
Main Photo
