A Win, but a Miserable Watch😥
📍Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham (Premier League GW18)📈
This win away at Crystal Palace should feel like a relief. Spurs desperately need points right now, and in that sense, the result matters far more than the aesthetics. But let’s be honest with one another this was a dreadful football match between two sides who looked completely devoid of rhythm, confidence, and—at times—basic quality.
It was a game that felt like it lasted three hours and had me itching to unload the dishwasher or stick cocktail sticks in my [insert body part here] and went towards serving as yet another reminder of just how far this Tottenham squad has regressed further since lifting the Europa League.
From the start both teams looked stuck in first gear. Palace were flat, predictable, and lacking any real threat. Tottenham, meanwhile, were marginally better only because Archie Gray managed to glance in a goal from a set piece. Beyond that, the football was turgid. Misplaced passes, slow transitions, no creativity, and long spells where absolutely nothing happened. If you were watching neutrally, you’d have switched off. If you were watching as a Spurs fan, you probably questioned your life choices and the possibility of breaking out the cheese & crackers.
Even Thomas Frank admitted it wasn’t a performance to admire. After the match he said, “Was it a top performance? No. Are there things we can improve? Yes, of course.” That repeated refrain in post match pressers is getting more and more boring now and had me downing a box of After Eights to try and get some kind of excitement out of my day.
And yet, this is where Spurs are right now. They need points, and they need them badly. Performances almost feel irrelevant in the short term. Grinding out ugly wins is better than playing well and losing, but watching this brand of football every week is becoming a real test of endurance. It’s joyless, predictable, and miles away from the energy and identity Spurs showed not so long ago.
The most worrying part is that this squad has clearly taken steps backwards the team has lost its spark, its balance, and its confidence. The departure of Daniel Levy—whatever fans think of him—has also left a vacuum in terms of long‑term planning. Spurs look like a club drifting, not building.
And now the transfer window looms. It already felt important, but after watching games like this, it feels absolutely critical. The squad needs reinforcements everywhere: creativity in midfield, pace out wide, depth in defence, and someone who can actually control a match. But the mood around the club suggests something far less encouraging—that Spurs will need to sell before they buy. It’s a familiar cycle, and one that rarely ends well.
The win at Selhurst Park moves Tottenham up the table and eases pressure on Frank, but it doesn’t change the bigger picture. This is a team scraping by, not progressing. A team surviving, not evolving. A team that looks like it’s forgotten how to play football with any conviction.
Three points are three points. But if this is what Spurs fans have to watch every week, then I might be inclined to switch over to the Darts on New Years Day rather than watch Spurs Away to Brentford.
NEXT UP: BRENTFORD (A) 01/01/26 - 8.00pm K.O (Premier League)➡️
CURRENT PREMIER LEAGUE POSITION: 13th 📊
POINTS AWAY FROM SAFETY: 15 pts 📈