Hugo Lloris insists Dejan Kulusevski & Richarlison absences were key in Man Utd loss
By Sean Walsh
Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris believes their poor performance at Manchester United was due to a lack of attacking quality, noting the absences of forwards Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison.
Spurs fell to a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford, with Lloris putting in a stunning display to keep the scoreline respectable on a forgettable night for Antonio Conte's men.
Despite a strong end to the 2021/22 season, Tottenham have yet to consistently click as an attacking unit this term, and Lloris believes these struggles were the primary issue behind their loss at United.
"I would like to say that we can put the Arsenal game to one side because we were all agreed that we missed that game, we were too passive for different reasons," Lloris said. "Last night was not the case, against Chelsea was not the case.
"It’s like we struggle a bit in the final third, to bring the ball into the box, to make the last pass, to create big chances during that type of game.
"Also we lost too many balls in the centre of the pitch, especially in the first half, and from that ball they could create chances and in two or three passes they go very fast."
Lloris then named Kulusevski and Richarlison, who both missed the defeat through injury, as key absences as they would have helped Spurs open United up.
"We also miss important players that can affect the game, players like Kulusevski, Richarlison. They are offensive players and in that type of game they can create difficulty to the opponent," he added.
Kulusevski has not played for Spurs since September after picking up a hamstring problem on international duty with Sweden, while Richarlison was recently sidelined with a muscle injury.