Vitesse Arnhem vs Tottenham Hotspur. UEFA Conference League Group G.
GelreDomeAttendance23,931.
Match report as Maximilian Wittek volleys winning goal as Vitesse Arnhem comfortably beat much-changed Tottenham, who left big-name stars in London for Europa Conference League clash
Friday 22 October 2021 06:09, UK
Tottenham's decision to leave their big guns at home saw them lose 1-0 to Vitesse Arnhem in Group G of Europa Conference League.
Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Cristian Romero and Hugo Lloris did not travel to Holland with Sunday's clash at West Ham, which is live on Sky Sports, in mind and a second string were undone by Maximilian Wittek's 78th-minute strike.
The side Nuno Espirito Santo picked still had nine international players, but they were never really in the game and Bryan Gil's shot that hit the crossbar early in the second half was their only moment of note.
Last time Tottenham played in Holland they enjoyed one of the most famous nights in their history as Lucas Moura's hat-trick against Ajax sent them through to the Champions League final.
This time the Johan Cruijff ArenA was nothing but a stop on the trainline between Amsterdam and Arnhem and that Moura miracle must seem a long time ago as Spurs now compete in the third tier of European football.
Nuno has shown the competition respect so far, but made it clear where his priorities lay, leaving the entire XI that played 90 minutes at Newcastle last weekend at home to train ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit to the Hammers.
With the return fixture in a fortnight and then a trip to the weakest team in the competition NS Mura to come, the Portuguese decided that leaving his big guns back in London for this game was a risk worth taking. It was a gamble because this was a big night for Vitesse, who sold out their GelreDome stadium for the first time in seven years.
Vitesse started with intent as Nikolai Baden Frederiksen forced Pierluigi Gollini into a save with his feet after being played in in the third minute and then Jacob Rasmussen flashed a header just wide from a corner.
Unsurprisingly given the amount of changes, Spurs were not up to much in an attacking sense in the first half, with teenage striker Dane Scarlett up against it in a lone role in attack.
They immediately showed more after the break and were within inches of taking the lead in the 47th minute.
Giovani Lo Celso showed why he is becoming a key player for Argentina as he went on an enterprising dribble before laying it off for Gil, whose first-time shot rattled the crossbar.
That was as good as it got for Spurs who were pinned further and further back as the second half wore on, with Eli Dasa twice going close with efforts from distance, the second effort bringing a smart stop out of Gollini.
It was no surprise when the goal came 12 minutes from time as Wittek brilliantly volleyed home Dasa's cross from the edge of the area to send the home crowd wild.
Sky Sports' Adam Bate:
Perhaps Dele Alli is just unfortunate but it seems Nuno Espirito Santo has reached the same conclusion as Jose Mourinho and decided this Tottenham team is better off without him. It is just the latest problem for the one-time wonderkid of English football, with his latest disappointing display in the Europa Conference League defeat to Vitesse raising little hope of a return to his best.
Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo: "You have to discuss the options, the decision was made. We took a little moment to decide and we decided to bring the players that started, with the U23s to give us support.
"It was a tough match, like we expected. Always away from home in Europe in the Conference League is tough. I think we compete well, in terms of attack I think we should finish the actions better. Some combinations were missing.
"There was a period in the second half when we lost a little bit of control but in terms of lack of focus in the moment of the goal, details that we should improve like we always do.
"The Conference League is always a chance to have minutes on the players, players who work hard and deserve. This is what it's all about so let's progress.
"In terms of the group, I think we have two games at home against Vitesse and Rennes and then we have to play Mura. We can solve the situation of the group."
Tottenham travel to West Ham on Super Sunday at 2pm - live on Sky Sports Premier League - while host Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie on Sunday at 1.30pm.
