Why Nuno Espirito Santo was destined to fail at Tottenham from day one

Some things are just not meant to be together. The union between Nuno Espirito Santo and Tottenham Hotspur was always going to tick such a box.

The Portuguese manager had replaced his compatriot Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in April 2021, in June. Santo signed a two-year contract that would have kept him in North London until the summer of 2023.

However, he couldn’t even last more than six months in the Tottenham job. Ten games into the Premier League season and a poor run of results, Nuno Espirito Santo was shown the door.

The final straw that broke the camel’s back was last Saturday’s drab 3-0 home defeat against a Manchester United side that was there for the taking. But interestingly, the 47-year-old’s sack doesn't come as a surprise. In fact, it has been coming for weeks.

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Nuno Espirito Santo was never an upgrade on Jose Mourinho

Espirito Santo is a decent coach, and he did a wonderful job at Wolverhampton Wanderers. But if you’re going to replace a manager like Mourinho, the one coming in should be an upgrade on The Special One.

Espirito Santo was never an upgrade on the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss. If anything, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy should have taken a look at Manchester United. The Red Devils are yet to win any trophy after replacing Mourinho with a managerial novice like Ole Gunnar Solakjaer.

Espirito Santo started his tenure brilliantly after leading Tottenham to three straight wins in the Premier League. But the job was always going to overwhelm him. And once the going got tough, he was found wanting.

The 47-year-old is, at best, a mid-table manager, so expecting him to turn a disorganised Tottenham side into title contenders was an overreach. Every decision he made saw Tottenham gravitate towards disaster. His game management was poor, and his substitutions were equally drastic and uninspiring.

There's also the small detail that he was not Tottenham's first choice. They almost signed Antonio Conte, and when the deal collapsed, they went for Paulo Fonseca. When Spurs failed to get him too, they opted for Santo.

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Tottenham Hotspurs’ problems run deeper than the coach

Tottenham started declining in the second half of last season, and they are currently faring worse.

The decision to block Harry Kane’s move to Manchester City in the summer clearly messed with the striker’s head. He has been a pale shadow of his lethal self this season, with just one goal in nine Premier League games thus far.

There are also other Spurs players who are past their prime. The likes of Dele Alli and Harry Winks are only being carried for their reputation and not due to their current form.

All that points to the fact that Spurs’ problems run deeper than just managerial ineptitude. Espirito Santo was obviously the wrong choice, but several factors contributed to the team’s disastrous run.

"I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed, and I regret that we have had to take this decision,” Tottenham managing director of football, Fabio Paratici, said after firing the Portuguese, as quoted by CNN.

"Nuno is a true gentleman, and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff, and wish them well for the future."

Espirito Santo certainly had the right intentions, but he was always destined to fail. Antonio Conte’s arrival comes as a breath of fresh air.

But unless the Italian is fully supported in overhauling the squad, he too might end up like his predecessor.