José Mourinho’s team keep starting well and falling off the pace in the second half, and they only just got away with it at Fulham
Hugo Lloris seemed to point towards fatigue. Others have wondered whether it might be tactical – a manifestation of José Mourinho’s more defensive instincts, although the
Tottenham manager has hotly denied this. Could it be related to mentality, the lack of killer instinct? Whatever the reason, at Fulham on Thursday, it happened again.
Spurs were 1-0 up at half-time, having played well. One of the game’s principal features was Mourinho’s selection of Gareth Bale, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane at the outset in a front four for the first time and they played as a four, pressing high, with Alli joining up with Kane in the middle. There was a sharpness to some of their interplay, a tempo about it and they looked as if they might score more than the one that Alli forced in via a deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo.