Imagine having Fewer touches than Vicario & Van de Ven: 5/10 Spurs dud was even worse than Richarlison

Tottenham’s Inconsistency Strikes Again in Dismal Defeat to Nottingham Forest
Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest last night served as a sobering reminder of the club’s ongoing inconsistency under Ange Postecoglou. Just days after their thrilling Europa League quarter-final victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt, the North London side had a golden opportunity to build on their momentum. Instead, they slipped back into the frustrating habits that have plagued their season.
Rather than carrying the confidence from Europe into domestic competition, Spurs looked flat from the outset. It took barely five minutes for Forest to stun the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A speculative long-range strike from Elliot Anderson took a wicked deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur and beat Guglielmo Vicario to give the visitors an early lead.
Things went from bad to worse a quarter of an hour later when Chris Wood doubled Forest’s advantage with a clinical header, exploiting some poor decision-making and positioning from Vicario, who was clearly having one of his shakier outings in goal.
Although this wasn’t Tottenham’s worst performance of the season, it was another match where several key players failed to deliver when it mattered. One of the most notable underperformers on the night was Richarlison, who, despite scoring late on, offered very little else over the course of the game.
Richarlison: A Goal Masking a Subpar Display
To give credit where it’s due, Richarlison did find the back of the net in the 87th minute with a beautifully placed header from a sublime Pedro Porro cross. However, if we’re being brutally honest, that was his only real moment of quality in a match that largely passed him by.
The Brazilian forward was largely ineffective for long stretches of the match, struggling to get involved in build-up play and lacking the sharpness we’ve seen in flashes this season. Had he been more clinical—or even marginally more involved—Tottenham might have had a chance to claw their way back into the game.
The statistics paint an even grimmer picture. In 95 minutes on the pitch, Richarlison registered just one goal from an expected goals tally of 1.48. He didn’t register a single expected assist, missed three big chances, and failed every dribble attempt. He completed just three passes across the entire match, lost all nine of his duels, committed two fouls, and turned over possession ten times. His 21 touches across the full game underline just how little impact he had, despite playing the full match.
Toby Bryant of London World didn’t mince words either, rating Richarlison a 6/10 and noting that he “needs to be available to receive the ball so much more.” It was a damning but fair assessment of a player who, despite his late goal, largely failed to influence the match.
Kulusevski: Even More Anonymous Than Richarlison
If Richarlison’s performance was underwhelming, Dejan Kulusevski’s might have been even more frustrating. The Swedish winger, normally one of Spurs’ most inventive players, was a ghost for much of the match. Unlike Richarlison, Kulusevski didn’t even have a goal to show for his efforts, with his only real opportunity—a second-half shot—being cleared off the line.
Aside from that brief moment, Kulusevski struggled to offer any creative spark. Given that Spurs dominated possession with a commanding 70%, his lack of influence was particularly disappointing. For someone expected to be a consistent attacking threat, he barely made a dent in Forest’s defensive structure.
Bryant once again summed it up aptly, awarding Kulusevski a 5/10 and describing his performance as “generally sluggish.” That’s hardly a label you want attached to one of your marquee attackers in a game of such importance.
The numbers backed up the eye test. In his 67 minutes on the pitch, Kulusevski produced a combined expected goals and assists figure of just 0.10—an abysmal return for an advanced playmaker. Even more damning was his touch count of 38, which was 15 fewer than defender Micky van de Ven and six fewer than Cristian Romero—both of whom were subbed off at halftime.
Warning Signs Ahead of Crucial Fixtures
Whether it was fatigue from European competition or just another off night, both Richarlison and Kulusevski looked like players short of full fitness and confidence. That’s a worrying sign for Ange Postecoglou, with another high-stakes match looming next Thursday. Spurs can’t afford passengers if they hope to finish the season strongly.
With the race for European qualification still finely poised, Tottenham need their big names to start performing like it. And fast.