Jamie O’Hara tore into Tottenham Hotspur for their ‘shocking’ start away to NS Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, speaking on Sky Sports News (25/11, 18:19).
Antonio Conte’s side stunned the ex-Spurs midfielder with how they conducted themselves during the opening half-hour at the Fazanerija.
Tomi Horvat broke the deadlock for Murasi on 11-minutes, before Referee Antonio Nobre showed Ryan Sessegnon a second yellow card on the 21-year-old’s first start since August.
Harry Kane would pull Tottenham level in Slovenia come the 72nd-minute, but Spurs were unable to avoid losing to Mura. As Amadej Marosa’s deflected stoppage-time hit looped in.
While Mura saw in the night in Murska Sobota with jubilant celebrations, O’Hara was livid with Tottenham. With their opening half-hour performance on its own enough to enrage.
“We’ve played half-hour of football, they’re absolutely miles off it,” O’Hara vented. “It’s one of the worst performances I’ve seen from Spurs in a long, long time.
“All the players are miles off it, and when I mean miles off it, they shouldn’t even be in a Spurs shirt how poor this performance is. It is absolutely shocking, they should be ashamed of themselves.
“These players are potentially trying to play for their futures at the club with Antonio Conte. New players, he’s giving them a chance, Sessegnon’s been sent off after half-hour, and the rest of them are giving the ball away every time they get it. It’s shocking.”
No Tottenham illusions for Conte after ‘shocking’ Mura performance
Tottenham can no longer top their Europa Conference League group after suffering their second defeat of the stage to Mura. Spurs had lost to Vitesse under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The north Londoners are now only ahead of Vitesse for second-place on goal difference, with both sides on seven-points. They also have a level head-to-head record with one win.
Conte’s side will now have to play a preliminary knockout round tie with a club who finish their Europa League group third, if they can better Vitesse’s result against Mura when they host Group G winners Stade Rennes on December 9 with the French outfit already through.
Conte will have no illusions about the task he faces to turn Tottenham around after their efforts at Mura. He would have expected Spurs to come out the blocks and dominate in Slovenia. But, instead, the side only founded in 2012 stunned their experienced opponents.