Nuno described as ‘uncommunicative to point of being distant’

In the latest story leaked from inside the training ground, Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is described as ‘uncommunicative to the point of being distant’ without any real ‘patterns of play’.

After similar character assassinations in the tabloids, The Athletic provide a view from inside the club that does not paint Santo in a flattering light.

‘Nuno is an intelligent and thoughtful man, but he is not exactly loquacious, as he sometimes shows in his curt responses in press conferences.

‘But Nuno is not especially chatty with his players either, certainly compared to his more charismatic, outgoing predecessors. There is no small talk with players, and no real dialogue away from the training pitch.’

You might wonder why footballers need ‘small talk’ but this is clearly a problem when you follow Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho, who both had big personalities.

It is said that Santo ‘is uncommunicative to the point of being distant’, which might well translate to an issue with giving tactical instructions.

Certainly, their performance in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal suggested that the players had no idea of their instructions.

The Tottenham boss said cryptically after the game: “I won’t name individuals who didn’t play the game plan right, but the game plan was not right according to the players who were on the pitch.”

Now an unnamed source has told The Athletic: “Nobody is quite sure what is what. It’s unclear how we’re playing. There are no patterns of play.”

Santo appears to be already on the brink of losing his job at Tottenham, though he claimed on Wednesday that the players are fully behind him.

“I’ve been told [the philosophy] and everybody knows. It’s football, everybody wants to play good. Everybody wants to play offensively, everybody wants to score. This is what we chase.

“Sometimes it’s not possible but we are aware that this is what we want to do but it takes a building process to achieve it and we are trying.

“The criticism is normal. Everybody knows how this industry works. When you don’t play good, when you don’t perform and results don’t go your way, criticism is something you have to deal with. We understand it and it’s up to us to react and change it.”