Following a season in which everything possible seemed to go wrong for Tottenham, as illustrated by popular Amazon docuseries All or Nothing, Spurs fans welcomed Sunday’s opener with a refreshed sense of hope for a return to form. Much improved results following the lockdown period suggested that Mourinho’s methods were beginning to be absorbed and together with some smart premier league experienced signings, called for renewed optimism and expectation in Jose’s first full season.

These feelings were extinguished by 6:30 on Sunday evening as a dark cloud of realisation began to resonate, with the same issues remaining that had dogged the team last year. Tottenham looked lethargic and short of creativity from the off and still look lightyears from the tenacious, free flowing side which lit up the league under Pochettino’s stewardship.

While one should not take away from an impressive performance from a visiting Everton side boasting 3 new signings in midfield, the result will have been a nasty shock to all associated within the club. Worse was to follow the final whistle with a noticeable lack of interest from top players and defeatist body language aplenty. In addition to this, Mourinho’s press conference was particularly scathing in which he questioned the “lazy press”, commitment and desire of the players in just their first league game, making sure also to cite a lack of preseason as an excuse.

It is particularly worrying that a team facing a possible 8 games in 20 days would look so short of energy and cohesion; the early morale hit certainly will provide further challenge to Mourinho. One positive that so many games in quick succession will bring however, is opportunities for those on the fringes of the first team to stake their claim, and to build their own match fitness which may prove vital when creating competition for places currently lacking.

This brings me to the game itself; most fans and pundits will have guessed the starting XI with the only question marks being whether new signings came straight into the side. Doherty and Hoijberg both started in a side that, pre-game, fans seemed happy to see. Doherty took over from Aurier in a marauding right back come right winger role, aiming to get forward and often occupying the left back. In the opening half, though he found himself caught out defensively too far up the pitch on occasion, he looked more incisive in forward positions than Aurier and perhaps should have opened the scoring following a beautiful lofted Kane pass. Hoijberg brought good energy and made 9 interceptions amongst various ball recoveries, illustrating some traits that attracted the club to the signing. He was however slightly wasteful in possession and found himself often as the more advanced of the central midfield two alongside Winks. This was indicative of Spurs problems first half as in possession they struggled to move to ball forward with any tempo, looking more dangerous on the counter attack as the two midfielders passed sideways and backwards rather than looking for penetrative forward passes.

Though they didn’t dominate possession, Tottenham managed to look dangerous when in transition. Dele while losing the ball on occasion was occupying good pockets of space, offering an option between the lines which in turn created room for Son and Lucas. One particular counter attack led to Son playing Dele in on goal, when perhaps Kane was the better option, with Dele bringing a good save from Pickford. The lack of defensive cover offered by the impressive James Rodriguez from Everton also gave Son an opportunity to often find himself one on one with Everton right back Coleman, whipping in one particular great cross that Kane was mere centre meters away connecting with.

Though Spurs weren’t at their best, the first half was pretty even with Spurs making the better chances. The turning point came at half time, and in particular with the substitution and subsequent system change Mourinho opted for. He made the change to bring Sissoko on for Dele, in turn moving Lucas central with Sissoko taking Lucas place on the right of midfield. Jose stated afterwards that it was in order to add creativity around Everton defensive midfielder Allan, and implied that Lucas was in good condition to play there following a strong preseason. I found this quite baffling for a number of reasons. Firstly Dele, as mentioned by Jose in recent interviews, has been in great form in Pre-Season and has played each match looking fit in doing so. This begs the question as to why Lucas was preferred to move central if fitness was a contributory factor.

Secondly, Dele while far from his best was taking up good positions and finding space in front of the Everton defence, his intelligent runs had Allan being pulled around the pitch creating space for others. He did not deserve to be replaced and I can only see this having a negative impact on his confidence moving forwards. Lucas while workmanlike was having a poor game in comparison, often struggling to keep hold of the ball under pressure.

Finally, the idea to move Lucas to a position off of the striker is not one that suits his skillset. One thing evident yesterday was that Lucas first touch is not his strong point, with many passes bouncing away from him. This can be dealt with while playing wide in a 1v1 duel; when playing as a number 10, a loose first touch will take place in a congested part of the pitch and each time it occurs possession will be lost due to sheer numbers. In addition, Sissoko as a wide player does not have the end product to create for others or any goal threat, so if anything, Spurs found themselves less of a threat following the substitution.

So, it proved as Spurs barely managed a sustained attack throughout the second half. As a result of Lucas being a wide player who mostly runs straight lines with predictable movement, Allan was freed up to help cover other areas of the pitch and always found himself as the free man. This enabled him to take control of the game, winning tackles and spraying the ball around, and subsequently winning man of the match. As is often the case, Spurs conceded from a set piece with Alderweireld allowing Calvert-Lewin to rise higher, to power in a header for the winning goal. On the balance of play in the second half Everton’s win was certainly deserved.

Spurs brought on Bergwyn and later Ndombele to try to change the game in their favour but while they enjoyed much possession, their play was lethargic and predictable. The lack of Lo Celso, or a match fit Ndombele in central midfield was strongly felt as they lacked penetration with their passing and a ball carrier.

Sundays opening day defeat was a rude awakening for Jose Mourinho and his Spurs side as a team they have regularly finished above comfortably, managed to defeat them without having to be at their best. A remedy for a lack of creativity and cohesion will be on the agenda in the three weeks approaching the end of the transfer window and, while it’s far too early to read too much into this result, it is clear that at present they are a long way behind rivalling those that finished above them last season.