Basically, I found yesterday's game useful in reviewing Nuno at Spurs. I've tried to avoid pilling in on him, looking mainly at the positive aspects and with some context to hand that he was dealt with since joining. (The approach to the first half at Woolwich however I simply can't brush off as anything other than negligence).
There is very little between Tottenham and West Ham right now. Two teams who play, an almost identical formation of football 4-2-3-1, neither press-high both preferring to sit into a narrow midblock. Moyes has had his side longer than Nuno has so more of his players know their individual roles and each other and let's not forget that there were plenty of "Moyes out" shouts at the same period into his 2nd stint as there are now with Nuno.
But you have to look at how West Ham plays to help act as your compass to how Spurs will play under Nuno if given the time that Moyes has been given at West Ham.
Pause here, think about this objectively. Do you want Spurs playing like "high-flying West Ham" under Moyes? Do you want them to rely on set pieces? Rely totally on one attacker (Antonio) to possibly deliver a goal from open play. Hoof endless crosses into the box for him to get on the end of?
I think it's clear that Nuno isn't right for Spurs, I would guess that if Nuno was given longer he would have Spurs as well organised as West Ham are now (all players knowing and performing their roles) but I can see deep down that a well-drilled Nuno team will in fact look exactly like West Ham under Moyes now!!
This translates into a really dull side to watch and a side that might pick up the 4th place if say Man U continue to be poor. It means 100% that's as good as it would ever be, and that's why Nuno should be sacked now and Spurs should roll the dice on a more progressive coach (Ten Haag, Potter, Poch etc) the max under Nuno is the same as the max under Moyes with West Ham (4th if one of the top 5 play crap).
West Ham fans haven't been this "good" in two generations so they can afford to stomach this dull midblock set-piece reliance and that's why there is a more upbeat feel to them. Spurs fans have tasted what it's like to have their side play better than the sum of their parts under an exciting progressive coach, I just wish Levy would also take stock of what was everything good about Poch and look to replicate that, the model was there and he chose to rip it up.
I don't want to get hung up on bringing Poch back (I love the guy) and don't even want to get things up on one particular coach as there really are several out there that can all come in have a better blueprint of football after a period of coaching. It's also highly likely that the process might take a couple of coaches, which is absolutely fine if they are two coaches that are similar in their philosophies (an example of this is even seen at Chavs, Lampard wasn't very good but he did enable them to break the cycle of highering reactive coaches, he was key to have them play a high-pressing, possession-based game for the first time in a decade, I think Tuchel has benefited from Fat Franks spell).
I have no hatred for Nuno, I think he's had a lot of things go against him since joining mainly affecting his selections and then attempts at trying to play a certain way. But now with 3 games on a settled side of his choosing, under his coaching, I think it's more than fair to say even afforded more coaching time with these players you have to question what we are transitioning to. I don't like it.
It's time to get in a progressive coach, where the upside is if it works we could be challenging as we were under Poch, as opposed to preying that Utd keeps OGS, play inconsistently and open the door for 4 or 5 other clubs miles off the pace of Chavs, LFC and City fighting for the also-ran +1GD 4th position.
