Tottenham suffered another disappointing Premier League defeat on Saturday, losing 2–0 at home to Newcastle United, and Mathys Tel came in for particularly strong criticism from former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara.
With Tottenham trailing 1–0, Tel stepped up to take a free-kick in a promising position. However, his effort flew well over the Newcastle defence and into the South Stand at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Speaking live on talkSPORT’s GameDay Phone-In, O’Hara was stunned by the attempt, describing it as one of the worst free-kicks he had ever seen. Co-host Jason Cundy also mocked the effort, joking that the ball may have actually left the stadium.
O’Hara then went even further, questioning why Tel is regarded so highly and bluntly claiming that the young forward isn’t good enough for Tottenham.
A Spurs supporter who called into the programme agreed with O’Hara, arguing that Tel’s biggest problem is his decision-making and that he should be removed from the team.
Tel was eventually substituted by manager Roberto De Zerbi as Tottenham searched for a way back into the match. Unfortunately for Spurs, things got even worse shortly afterwards when Yoane Wissa scored Newcastle’s second goal with an acrobatic finish.
Another nightmare for Spurs
The defeat leaves Tottenham in a very worrying position. They had already suffered a 3–0 defeat to Brentford in their opening league game, meaning they have now lost their first two Premier League matches without scoring a single goal.
This is the first time Tottenham have lost their opening two Premier League games without scoring, despite the club spending around £300 million on new players during the summer transfer window.
Their only recent positive result came in the Carabao Cup, where Spurs beat Charlton Athletic 5–1. But their Premier League performances have raised serious concerns about the team’s attacking quality and overall competitiveness.
After two league games, Tottenham have conceded five goals and scored zero, leaving them at the bottom of the table and already facing questions about whether they could become involved in another unexpected relegation battle.
In short: O’Hara’s criticism of Tel came after a dreadful free-kick, but the bigger story is Tottenham’s extremely poor start under De Zerbi despite their huge summer spending.
