Nuno Espirito Santo sacked by Tottenham after 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, their fourth defeat in six Premier League games; Spurs in advanced talks with Antonio Conte as they seek a fourth permanent manager in three years
Tuesday 2 November 2021 09:18, UK
Tottenham's decision to sack Nuno Espirito Santo was not wrong, appointing him in the first place was, according to Jamie Carragher.
Nuno's four-month reign in north London was brought to an abrupt halt on Monday morning in the wake of Saturday's 3-0 defeat against Manchester United, his 10th and final league match in charge.
The Portuguese leaves Spurs in eighth in the Premier League, 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea, after an ill-fated tenure where his managerial style never married with Tottenham's ethos.
"I can understand [why Spurs acted so soon]," Carragher told Monday Night Football. "I can never justify a manager losing his job after 10 Premier League games, it doesn't feel right, but I don't think Nuno at Spurs ever felt right either.
"I don't feel this is a bad sacking, I think it was a bad appointment initially. Nuno's style of football was at odds not only with the 'Tottenham way' but also the 'top-club way'.
"I also think Nuno's demeanour played a part. He's very reserved, doesn't give much away, and in this day and age that plays a big part in what the supporters feel towards a manager, they hang off every word and analyse and dissect what a manager says.
"You get absolutely nothing from Nuno, that his way, that's fine, but that wasn't going to work at a club like Tottenham."
Carragher highlighted how Mauricio Pochettino endured a similarly testing start to life at Tottenham where he picked up fewer points and wins from his opening 10 games in charge than Nuno.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed the manner of Pochettino's early performances prevented Spurs from wielding the axe, a luxury Nuno simply didn't afford himself.
"Were Nuno's results that bad to deserve being sacked after 10 Premier League games, I'd probably say no," Carragher added. "But the performances aligned with the results is why he lost his job.
"Tottenham's best manager for 30 years was Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs fans would love to go back to the football he produced. Pochettino had a really tough start, he mentioned when he came on Monday Night Football how he feared he would lose his job after a difficult opening 10 games.
"Nuno had more wins and more points from his first 10 games, but the reason Pochettino survived was because there was something to get behind in terms of the performances.
"The rank in terms of goals under Nuno is almost the worst in the Premier League, xG is one of the worst. Under Pochettino, even in those 10 early games, Spurs were on the front foot, they created chances, and they were exciting to watch.
"Tottenham's wins under Nuno haven't been convincing, they have been by the odd goal. It is as much about performance as it is results, and compared to Pochettino, Nuno's stats are telling."
Carragher concluded Nuno's pragmatic and unpalatable style of play, which delivered unrivalled success at previous club Wolves, was hamstrung by his failure to keep the club and supporters onside with results.
"The problem also for Nuno was that people looked at what he did at Wolves; he did a great job there," Carragher said.
"Two seventh-place finishes, an FA Cup semi-final, and a great run in Europe, he did a brilliant job. But they weren't a front foot team, they were boring to watch, they got results.
"There is no right or wrong in football, but if you're the type of manager who plays like that and it's not going to be entertaining or on the front foot, you've got to win. Nuno didn't win, and the games he lost were bad ones by three or four goals along with bad performances.
"People criticise Tottenham and Daniel Levy for their part in this, and I get that, but I repeat, this is not a bad sacking, it was a bad appointment to start with."
November 4: Tottenham vs Vitesse Arnhem - Europa Conference League, kick-off 8pm
November 7: Everton vs Tottenham - Premier League, kick-off 7pm
November 21: Tottenham vs Leeds - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
November 25: NS Mura vs Tottenham - Europa Conference League, kick-off 5.45pm
November 28: Burnley vs Tottenham - Premier League, kick-off 2pm
December 2: Tottenham vs Brentford - Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
