“Absolute shambles” Jamie O’Hara lets Singles out two big Tottenham duo’s performance for criticism after letting Ange Postecoglou down in Leicester draw
Son Heung-min had a challenging night as Tottenham Hotspur’s captain during their opening match of the new Premier League season, where they unexpectedly dropped points. Despite most teams enjoying a relatively predictable weekend without any major surprises, Tottenham faced a different fate against Leicester City, the newly promoted Championship winners. Leicester, fresh off their Championship victory, provided a twist by holding off a dominant first-half performance from Spurs and snatching a valuable point.
This result did not sit well with former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who did not mince his words in criticizing the players, especially Son. O’Hara expressed his disappointment, stating that Son’s performance “wasn’t good enough” before manager Ange Postecoglou eventually substituted him in stoppage time.
Tottenham could have easily been out of sight by halftime, having taken the lead through a Pedro Porro header. A 3-0 scoreline at the break would not have been surprising, given Spurs’ dominance. However, they failed to capitalize on their chances, leaving the door open for Leicester to mount a comeback. The home crowd at the King Power Stadium remained fully behind their team, and it was Jamie Vardy who once again proved to be a thorn in Tottenham’s side. Left unmarked at the back post, Vardy headed home to level the score. In fact, Vardy came close to securing all three points for Leicester, but his one-on-one effort was thwarted by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
The manner in which Tottenham conceded the equalizer was heavily criticized by O’Hara, who called out centre-back and World Cup winner Cristian Romero for his role in the defensive lapse. O’Hara described it as an “absolute shambles,” questioning Romero’s decision to leave Vardy unmarked and his credentials as a “world-class” defender.
“Disappointing second half, Son wasn’t good enough, and we should have put them to bed in the first half,” O’Hara lamented. “Just watching the Leicester goal back. What’s Romero doing? The goal that they scored, I mean, look, it’s a great header from Vardy. But where is Romero going? Honestly, a world-class defender who won the World Cup, and it’s an absolute shambles.”
Tottenham’s inability to finish off teams has been a recurring issue, and this match highlighted that problem once again. Despite dominating large parts of the game, Spurs failed to kill off their opponents, a flaw that has persisted since last season. This inefficiency in front of goal might be a factor in why pundit Gary Neville has backed Chelsea to finish above Tottenham in the league.
On a positive note, Dominic Solanke made his debut for Tottenham after his club-record transfer, and fans are hopeful that he can help solve their issues in the final third. As the season progresses, the potential partnership between Solanke and James Maddison is expected to be a key asset for the team. Maddison, known for his creativity, could form a formidable duo with Solanke, offering Spurs a new attacking dimension.
Additionally, Tottenham has bolstered their forward line with the signing of Wilson Odobert, who joined from Burnley. The club recently confirmed Odobert’s shirt number, further signaling their intent to strengthen their attacking options. With these new additions, Tottenham fans will be hoping that the team can find the clinical edge that was missing in their opening game and improve on last season’s shortcomings.
