Tottenham fans have a right to be upset about Mike Dean’s horror show at the Emirates, but he isn’t why Spurs lost to Arsenal 2-0.
Referees don’t win games, and they don’t lose games. As cliche as it may be to say, it’s true in just about every occasion in every sport. Sure, there’s a one-off where a brutal decision alters the outcome of an event, such as when replacement officials took command of National Football League contests. For the most part, though, the better team on any given day emerges victorious.
That is precisely what occurred at the Emirates Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Tottenham Hotspur were far too poor versus rivals Arsenal for the better part of the 2-0 defeat, and a perfect storm of a lousy performance coupled with two decisions that went against the visitors and also fitness concerns (and one other worry) downed Spurs following an international break that robbed Tottenham of momentum and reminded observers form matters little, if at all, as it pertains to a derby.
Spurs fans can legitimately argue Mike Dean gifted Arsenal numerous decisions. Most notably, Dean awarded Arsenal with a free kick nine minutes ahead of the break despite replays showing defender Davinson Sanchez clearly won a tackle-of-the-season candidate versus Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez. That wrong call provided Shkodran Mustafi a chance to place a header past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris on the subsequent boot of the ball despite being in an offside position.
Granted, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger likely won’t complain about Dean or any of Saturday’s significant decisions as he did after his team’s dreadful performance against Manchester City before the break. Just as Arsenal simply weren’t good enough against City, Tottenham produced little of quality following Mustafi’s goal that shouldn’t have been allowed.
During post-match press obligations, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino understandably voiced his displeasure about the unlucky sequence that resulted in Spurs going down a goal:
Pochettino: If you analyse the game until we concede a goal we were better than then. In the end it was even. It's not one mistake, it's two mistakes. In that moment your plan changes. That affects the team and then we concede a goal quick.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) November 18, 2017
Pochettino’s points carry validity, but the man responsible for Tottenham advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League was not without blame on Saturday. While he was severely handcuffed because of injury woes that prevented him from playing his first-choice back line and, in reality, his preferred attack, his inability to get the best out of his options cost those on the pitch.
Viewers watching at home needed no more than about 20 minutes to see striker Harry Kane wasn’t fit and probably shouldn’t have started. Kane, who has torched Arsenal time and time again throughout his tenure at Spurs, obviously wanted to add to his North London Derby resume, but he clearly wasn’t fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace that caused him to miss international action.
While one could applaud Pochettino for loyalty and also for realizing what Tottenham facing Arsenal means to supporters, any top-tier manager must keep a level head at all times. Starting either Son Heung-Min or Fernando Llorente possibly would’ve provided Tottenham attacks with needed sparks, and a fresh-legged Kane could’ve been saved for the second half after Arsenal defenders had played at least an hour of football.
The injury bug that’s infected Tottenham this fall loomed large over the Emirates on Saturday. A healthy Toby Alderweireld could’ve relegated Davinson Sanchez, who admittedly played well minus the foul that wasn’t and one near error cleared by Lloris, to the bench. Victor Wanyama was missed. As with Kane, Harry Winks and Lloris could’ve used at least a few more days off.
Then, there’s the curious case of Danny Rose. Rose was curiously left out of the squad despite no reports of illness or injury limiting him during the midweek, and his absence further fueled speculation he could attempt to force an exit from Tottenham in January. Per “Last Word on Spurs” host Ricky Sacks, Pochettino attempted to pour cold water over any controversy by claiming Rose is still “rebuilding match fitness.”
Whatever the reason behind Rose being left off the team sheet, Tottenham could’ve used him on the left flank that was undeniably the weak point of the defense during the first half. Those in Rose’s camp can use film from Saturday’s match as proof of his worth to the squad and, potentially, to any suitors set to pursue his signature.
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Neither heads allegedly being turned nor injuries nor Mike Dean account for Tottenham’s lack of fight and heart after Mustafi opened the scoring. That comes down to the manager and to men supposed to be on-the-pitch leaders. All within the club, including Pochettino, could benefit from a bit of soul-searching before moving to prepare for Tuesday’s showdown with Borussia Dortmund.
Spurs were second-best at both ends of the pitch, in character, in desire and in tactics. None of that has anything to do with Mike Dean. How Spurs recover from this latest disappointment will further show how far, or how little, they’ve come since last May.