Derby own goal & disaster at City – Why has Lloris being making costly mistakes for Tottenham?

• Keeper suffered final heartache in Qatar
• Struggled since returning to north London
• Remains confident that luck will change

WHAT HAPPENED? The veteran goalkeeper captained France to within touching distance of back-to-back World Cup crowns in Qatar, with only Lionel Messi, Argentina and a penalty shootout preventing him from getting his hands on the most prestigious prize in football for a second time. The pain of final agony in the Middle East appears to have taken some time to shift for Lloris, with an own goal recorded in thenorth London derby date Arsenal – as a cross-shot from Bukayo Saka spilled over the line off his chest – before flapping at a loose ball and being beaten at his near post during a 4-2 defeat at Manchester City that saw Spurs surrender a two-goal lead.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed by Standard Sport on his state of mind after an emotional setback with France and some serious misfortune at club level, Lloris said: “I can’t complain. You’re a professional and you just follow a rhythm. But obviously when you’re involved with the national team and you go until the last day of the World Cup, you come back and miss mental freshness. But you need to get back on track and help your team.

“When you look at the Arsenal goal, I can be in a good position but the deflection hit the ball on my chest and with the spin it goes over [the line]. It’s something that even if I wanted to do on purpose, I can’t. Even last night, when you look at the third [City] goal, a deflection makes the ball go over my knee. At any moment I try to anticipate, just setting and waiting. There are a lot of things like that happening to our team. It’s a period where we need to stick together, keep working and hopefully bring the luck back.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lloris has announced his international retirement, with 145 caps to his name, since the World Cup finals and still has 18 months left to run on his contract at Tottenham.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Spurs, who sit fifth in the Premier League table at present, will be back in action on Monday when they take in a short trip to in-form London rivals Fulham.