October 21, (THEWILL) – Maximilian Wittek’s fine volley gave Vitesse a well-deserved win in a relieving victory for the underdogs against London club Tottenham Hotspur.
The first half was a dull affair, with Vitesse starting quickly but lacking the quality to create, and Spurs struggling to muster any coherent or threatening possession after changing all 11 players who started against Newcastle last weekend.
Despite the efforts of Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso to get their team going, Vitesse remained the superior team, and while a winner appeared unlikely, they appeared to be the more likely source of it.
And, sure enough, on 78 minutes, when Eli Dasa clipped a ball to the edge of the box, Wittek, the most enterprising player on the pitch and man of the match, scored the game-winner.
Vitesse now sit second in the UEFA Europa Conference League Group G with six points; Rennes lead with seven, while Spurs are third with four and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side now face an uphill battle to advance.
It was a result that did nothing to help the players Spurs fielded especially for a talent like Dele Alli’s. The 25-year-old used to be Tottenham’s number 10 and an England regular not long ago, with a knack for scoring big goals in big games. In fact, signing him was the only piece of advice Alex Ferguson gave Jose Mourinho during his time as Manchester United manager.
He has now become a miserable and peripheral figure since meeting Mourinho, skulking around the pitch in Nuno’s second XI, showing few signs of the ability and attitude that marked him as a future superstar. With Tottenham’s first-choice midfield of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, and Tanguy Ndombele now looking settled, Alli’s time has come to depart.
He may need to take a step to the side or backwards, but at 25, he needs a manager who values him and will play him every week, because his career is slipping away. Because he is far too talented to let things slide, he must do whatever it takes to rejuvenate it and himself.
The Spurs’ gamble for the fixture backfired. Their Portuguese manager may point to a busy schedule and the fact this deficit can be overturned in the return fixture as a positive but his side’s path to the knockout stages has grown far more thorny than it was before the game.
Vitesse will go into their next clash against Go Ahead Eagles full of the confidence boost from this win and for Tottenham, there is a derby with West Ham in London next.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
