Hurri-Kane and Eriksson flatten Swans

In many ways, this should have been a perfect game for Spurs. A footballing side with probably only one player who Spurs fans would be happy to see in their team, a side who have never beaten Spurs since being in the premiership. This being Spurs of course, nothing was quite that simple. At the end of 94 rain drenched minutes, as elated as I felt in picking up a crucial three points, I actually felt a bit guilty at mugging Swansea. Enough of that sentimental claptrap! Barked a gruff voice, with a Spanish twang in my head. Almost at that moment, Mauricio Pochettino appeared for his after match interview. He praised the spirit and character of his men for fighting back. This is however the very least he should expect from aside with top four aspirations. It’s all well and good grinding out results and Spurs seem reasonably good at that, especially away from home. But we played the real Swansea but are still waiting for the real Spurs to show up.

 

The limitations of Kyle Naughton and the recent struggles of Eric Dier has made us miss Kyle Walker even more so it was good to see him start a match for the first time in nine months. It was just as well he has lost none of his pace because Swansea danger man Jefferson Montero asked questions of him all afternoon. Questions he answered reasonably well despite some signs of rustiness. Kyle Walker may not be to everyone’s taste but he remains arguable the quickest right back in the country and that has real value in Spurs side that can be pedestrian at times. At left back Ben Davies had his best game for Spurs signified by a magnificent tackle to deny Wilfred Bony a scoring chance. If he continues to play like that, Danny Rose will struggle to get back in this team. At centre back, Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen are probably Spurs best pairing but Bony found space between them too often for comfort.

 

This is probably down to the midfield organisation which exposes the centre backs too often. While it gratifying to see academy graduates Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb in central midfield, Mason in particular struggled and the game seemed to pass him by. This is Spurs big problem. The lack of a midfield general to set the tempo of Spurs play. No one in has made themselves undropable. Upfront, Harry Kane impressed again as he covered every blade of grass and scored another goal into the bargain. Heaven help us if he got injured. Roberto Soldado had one of those games which have fans tearing their hair out in frustration. Christian Eriksson appears to be gradually approaching his best form again, he has come up with big goals in wins against Everton and Hull and once again, he came up trumps when it looked like we might have to settle for a measly point.

 

Unusually for Spurs this season, they actually made a quick start and were ahead after only four minutes, courtesy of a strong header from Kane. The worrying thing is that despite controlling the first 20 minutes, few chances were created and Swansea gradually found their way into the game. A typical sluggish start by Spurs, at the start of the second half meant Swansea were level before you could say second half. Thereafter it looked for long spells like Swansea could win it as Spurs only threatened sporadically until Eriksson’s late intervention.

 

So where are we now? Going into the Christmas fixtures with a different manager for the third December in a row, it is hard to know where we stand. There have been few standout performances this year and yet we are only four points off 4^th place. This is because only Chelsea and Manchester City have looked the part this season. Manchester united with six straight wins have created some momentum while the noisy neighbours have a history of sneaking in. While Pochettino needs time, he knows the expectations at White Hart Lane, he knows the premiership and he believes he could deliver which is why he left the relative security of the South coast for the pressure cooker of Spurs. He should know by now who he needs, use the January transfer window to get who he really wants and let’s give this top four a real bash.

 

I had a spot of nostalgia watching Gareth Bales highlights during yesterday’s Sports personality of the year. It occurred to me that he is not just a Real Madrid player. He is an important player for them. For Spurs he was a colossus and as Liverpool are finding out much to my amusement, you don’t just lose a world class player and match winner, you lose the aura and swagger. That is what leaves you exposed. And to think Southampton thought he would make a decent left back! My wish for Spurs this Christmas is that we find the next Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Jurgen Klinsmann before any one else does. And please sort out the Stadium sharpish!

Christian Soldier takes Spurs to Hull and Back

About thirty minutes into this rather attritional match, a fellow Spurs supporter sent me a picture of Fry, the permanently frustrated character from US animation sitcom, Futurama. It had the caption, ‘that face you make when Spurs are losing again’. With Spurs having lost four home games already, I’ve actually recognised that expression on a few faces at White Hart Lane this season. Some of Spurs’ better results this season have come on the road though and as were playing a team full of our cast offs, we would surely come back and win. With that in mind, I replied to my mate with that biblical classic, ‘Oh ye of little faith’. In the event, it is ironic that it was a Christian (Eriksson) who rewarded my faith with a last minute winner that was worth waiting for (Phew). However that was a hard fought win that does little more than paper the cracks of a team searching desperately for form and consistency.

Although injuries and suspension forced his hand a little here, it’s fairly obvious that Pochettino is still trying to work out his best and most reliable starting eleven as his track record does not suggest a tinkering tendency. Still, six changes were made from the last match, understandable perhaps given our performance against Stoke. Hull, featuring old boys Tom Huddleston, Jake Livermore and Michael Dawson started brightly and tested a defence still getting accustomed to each other during a first half when Spurs were outfought. You would have got very long odds on Jake Livermore scoring in any match. However, as former players often tend to do, one of the few goals he will score in his career was also one of his best as he fizzed a long range shot past Hugo Lloris. Hatem Ben Arfa also caused a few problems down the flanks.

Spurs had to get better in the second half and they did, although they were given a massive helping hand by Gaston Ramirez’s moment of madness which resulted in a deserved red card. Afterwards, Hull fought a determined rear guard action with both Livermore and Huddlestone picking up bookings. Dawson played with the determination of a man who did not want to lose against the team he gave so much effort for nine years. It looked like his heroics would deny Spurs the win they desperately needed until Eriksson’s late intervention.

Christian Eriksson had his best game of the season. It was his shot that came back of the crossbar for Harry Kane to score the equalising goal and his winning goal was class. He is the best number 10 we have but he has struggled to raise his game in some games recently and Spurs have struggled to score as a result. Spurs must hope that he is back to his best. Who would have thought at the start of the season that Harry Kane would have more goals than Adebayor and Soldado combined? Or that we will be dreading him getting injured? He has done very well indeed, but he must keep the desire for goals alive because strikers are only as good as their last goal. This is the reality that Adebayor and especially Soldado are finding out rather painfully to Spurs cost.

Adebayor has never really been consistent as a goal scorer but his all round game tends to compensate even if that is currently missing. Soldado is the biggest mystery. There is no doubting his pedigree and his effort, but he is starting to resemble the Fernando Torres that Chelsea bought and another Spanish great who flopped in English football, Fernando Morientes.

It is a source of great frustration to Spurs fans that, having had a season to get used to life without Gareth Bale, we have not got the squad to take advantage of the crisis at clubs like Arsenal, a Manchester United in transition and especially Liverpool, who are finding out fast that spending big money on loads of players may improve the squad, it is a poor substitute for a superstar who can strike fear into opposition players before the match starts and can win games on his own. Brendan Rodgers has gloated in the past that he dodged a bullet by rejecting Spurs and Liverpool would not make the same mistake as Spurs did after losing a star player. I’ll let him stew in Liverpool’s continuing misery before I have my say on him.

Coming back to Spurs, there has been media speculation that Southampton’s head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell is leaving to join Spurs. Should this be the case, it will strengthen Pochettino’s powerbase at Spurs while leaving question marks over the future of Franco Baldini. There have been a lot of players bought over the last two years but Spurs still have one of the most unbalanced squads in the premiership. Most of the players that Southampton have bought or developed over the last two years have shown themselves to be of a very high standard. They also have the best injury record in the premiership. That cannot be coincidence. They are doing something right. This may yet be the most important signing of the Pochettino era at Spurs.

White Hart Pain as Tottering Flatspurs flounder again

Spurs managers have been sacked for better runs than this. Since Liverpool, in no great form themselves, showed up Spurs’ early season optimism for what it was back in August, Mauricio Pochettino’s flops have only won one match at the Lane, over Southampton. Results against the top four teams used to Spurs achilles heel. Now the likes of West Brom, Newcastle and now Stoke City are routinely plundering points at White Hart Lane.

It is fair to say that Pochettino is still working out his best eleven. He has chopped and changed the team with increasing regularity. Even so, the line up against stoke took most by surprise. It was a brave call (or stupid depending on your point of view) to play Federico Fazio after two red cards in seven games rather than Jan Vertonghen who did not play in the midweek Europa league game. Playing Harry Kane in place of Adebayor (another who was not involved in midweek) as a lone striker after a full ninety minutes in midweek was also asking a lot of young Harry despite the loud clamouring from the crowd. Leaving two of the most experienced players on the bench would no doubt lead to questions about his relationship with those two in particular.

In any event, Federico Fazio would have been relieved to get through the match without being sent off. However, he had a poor game as did the rest of the back four. Anyone who captained a top La Liga team to the Europa league deserves a bit of credit and time to settle into new surroundings. The Premier league is an unforgiving league though and Faz hasn’t done the business yet for Spurs. One hopes he has the tough character needed to come through. In midfield, the disorganisation was unbelievable. Pochettino likes his midfield to press but to be taken out of the game with one pass as they were for both goals is simply unacceptable. Stoke bossed the midfield play for pretty much the entire game apart from a brief period of panic when Nacer Chadli scored in the seventy fifth minute.

Speaking of Chadli, I have been highly critical of his performances in the past. However, he appears to have stepped up his game recently this season and has been Spurs’ most consistent outfield performer as his six league goals show.  Harry Kane toiled fruitlessly upfront with hardly any service. He had one good chance in the first minute and not much else. Christian Eriksson is also struggling badly to recapture the form of last season. Ryan Mason seems out a gas a bit and probably needs a rest after his run of games. Andros Townsend is used to be called a cheap Gareth Bale, but he was more Gareth Anonymous yesterday before being replaced for the second half. Etienne Capoue is hard to judge as a defensive midfielder. He doesn’t seem mobile enough but is not helped by being isolated most of the time. 

Spurs have what those in the boxing trade call a glass chin. Their midfield can be got at too easily and this exposes a defence still searching for form and confidence to sustained pressure. Without a strong midfield, Spurs struggle to control matches. This is why teams fancy their chances at the Lane right now. This is evidenced by the fact that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has been Spurs best player this season. He has simply had to make far too many saves for a club with top four aspirations.  

Pochettino’s biggest problem is that the club he and half the first team left behind are flying so high right now, with a manager who has never managed in the premiership before. Perhaps the structural deficiencies in terms of player balance at Spurs are only now just being brutally exposed. Watching Gylfi Sigurdsson blossoming in a Swansea shirt also makes me wonder if he was allowed to go too quickly. He seems the type of player that could have adapted quickly to Pochettino’s methods.

Pochettino says he does not feel any pressure (He has a five year contract after all) and it is too early for his position to be at risk, even by Spurs trigger happy standards. However, he took this job on the premise that he could improve this team and while there is not a quick fix, the reconstruction is very painful viewing for fans.  Despite modest success at Espanyol and Southampton, this is the job that will show exactly how good a coach Pochettino is. Spurs must hope that this Argentinian is more like Diego Simeone and less like Ossie Ardiles.

Aguero inspired City knocks out Spurs

Remember when we actually used to enjoy playing Manchester City? Up until 2010 when Abu Dhabi oil money flowed into the Etihad, Spurs would be quite disappointed if they didn’t get three points against City. Nowadays, we are just glad to end matches against them with our dignity intact. So much so that part of the assessment of Pochettino’s first year at Spurs could well be how badly we lose against last season’s top four teams compared to his recent predecessors. With that in mind, I greeted the final whistle at the Etihad not with much wailing and gnashing of teeth like last season, but with a sanguine acceptance of where Spurs are at right now.

This might sound strange after yet another spanking by City. However, we need to remember that Spurs are no longer running the same race as Manchester City’s superstars, a side that scored more than 100 goals last season as they romped to a second title in three years. The best players will always make the difference and those of the quality of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Jesus Navas, the rested Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany are well out of Tottenham’s reach. And they don’t have Gareth Bale or Luka Modric anymore. Difficult for Spurs fans to accept but reality until a new stadium and big money is in place.  

Spurs coach, Pochettino did not have last year’s shambolic capitulations on his record and Spurs were not really expected to win yesterday, so he had some room to experiment. This he did, handing Federico Fazio his debut in such a fraught game in place of Jan Verthongen, displaying his continued faith in Ryan Mason and perhaps most surprisingly starting with Roberto Soldado upfront in place of Adebayor who may have arrived late and leg weary from the African Championship qualifiers.   

The inevitable hysteria over the 4-1 score line rather overlooks the fact that Spurs actually played reasonably well and while City were the better side, Spurs, like a brave but  outclassed lightweight stubbornly refused to be put away by their heavyweight opponents. They attacked city with some creative play and on another day could have scored two or three more goals. Spurs were also unlucky for City’s first two goals as Frank Lampard was offside and interfering when Aguero scored the opener while the first of three penalties awarded to City was extremely harsh as Lampard went to ground far too easily. To be fair, the penalty awarded to Spurs was dubious. However, a score line of 2-2 with less than half an hour to go would have tested the nerves of City and would have made for an interesting finish. As it was, Soldado fluffed his penalty and less than 10 minutes later, instead of being level at 2-2, Spurs were 3-1 down, a man down and the match was effectively over as meaningful contest.

As usual, Hugo Lloris was far too busy for comfort and without him, Spurs could have conceded more. Fazio had an ok game until he pulled Aguero back, conceding the game changing penalty and getting sent off for his troubles. Continental defenders are too quick to pull attackers down and Fazio will have to take that out of his game. However, he is a big, tough no nonsense defender and once he settles, should become a commanding presence at the heart of Spurs’ defence. Younes Kaboul had one of those games that make you question his worth to Spurs. Danny Rose and Eric Dier, neither of whom are natural full backs performed gamely enough but were up against some very high calibre players in David Silva and Jesus Navas. Soldado actually had a decent game despite his penalty miss and most of the midfield put in a shift. However, Erik Lamela had a bad day at the office. Despite the final score line, the one-nil home defeat to West Brom in September remains Spurs’ worst performance this season by some distance.

Pochettino’s demeanour after the match reflected satisfaction with the performance if not the results.  He knows that Spurs’ fortunes this season will be decided by their results against the other pretenders, not the top four as such. Results have been uninspiring so far, but performances are ever so slowly showing signs of improvement. It will take more than a year for Pochettino to fully implement his philosophy on this team. Most fans understand the need for stability and are willing to be patient. However, Pochettino’s biggest problem is that Southampton, the club he and half the first team left behind for bigger opportunities are flying incredibly high and put eight goals past Sunderland yesterday. It shows that a new manager can make an immediate impact with good buys. He must hope that their results start to drop soon. 

Eriksson strike clinches crucial win for Poch

A penny for Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts as the confident Southampton juggernaut rolled into town. As you didn’t pay the requested penny, you don’t get the benefit of Senor Pochettino’s actual thoughts; just this writer’s best guess of what must have been going through his mind as kick off approached. Spurs have not won in the league for four games, were not playing particularly well and had dropped out of the top ten. Southampton, the club he left in the summer to join Spurs and who sold nearly half their first team had won four games in a row, were third in the league, five points ahead of Spurs and playing well. So much so that some saints fans were happy to taunt their former boss. Pochettino is far too decent and respectful to speak ill of his former club, but for all the understandable reason of taking time to improve Spurs, this was a game he dared not lose and he knew it.

After the energy sapping efforts of Thursday’s Europa league effort against Besiktas, it was no surprise that only Hugo Lloris retained his place in the starting eleven. Academy product, Ryan Mason was given another chance to impress against Morgan Schneiderlin, the one player Pochettino really wanted this summer and who has made a superb start for the Saints. Two big beasts, Etienne Capoue and Victor Wanyama collided in a thundering midfield tussle that lasted all match as no quarter was asked or given by either.  

Spurs slumbered their way to a disappointing defeat against West Brom at home last time out. However, with the personal stakes for Pochettino so high this time, there was no repeat of that sluggishness as Spurs pressed with far greater intensity from the very start. A feature of Southampton during Pochettino’s time there was the high intensity pressing game and perhaps for the first time this season, we saw evidence that he might just be able to implement the same style at Spurs. It must be said that Ronald Koeman has created a good side from the traumatic summer he walked into at Southampton and his side came prepared to give Spurs a game. There was to be no hiding place for Spurs and to their credit Spurs fought for every inch of territory throughout the game. Saints striker Grazianno Pelle had shown good form but was well handled by Younes Kaboul who often seems to have at least one mistake in him every game, even when playing well. Kaboul also joined the attack often and could be seen putting crosses. Like him or not, it’s never dull with Kaboul in the team. Danny Rose also dealt admirably with the dangerous Tadic and managed to get forward well.

With the midfielders cancelling each other out, chances were few and far between. Christian Eriksson had another quite game and despite his well taken goal which proved the winner, still is not playing at the level of last season as he adjusts to the demands of Pochettino. Erik Lamela continues to give the ball away a bit too often for comfort, but he is trying and can often be seen tracking back and pressing the opposition defenders. He needs a few goals to really boost his confidence. Nacer Chadli, whose confidence has no doubt been boosted by a few goals already this season had a decent game, creating the breakthrough goal for Eriksson and was unlucky not to score himself when his shot struck a post and stayed out. I can’t escape the feeling that there is much more to come from these two and it is my firm opinion that if these two, along with Eriksson really start to fire, Pochettino and Spurs will have a really good season.

For all that, Spurs’ Achilles heel this season is the lack of a dynamic number nine. The style Pochettino wants to play at Spurs requires either three attacking players who are reasonably prolific, good for at least fifteen goals a season or a dynamic number nine good for twenty five goals, preferably both.

Emmanuel Adebayor tried manfully but does not seem to have the energy required to make this role work in a way that threatens the opposition. Neither Roberto Soldado nor Harry Kane, the other strikers at his disposal seem suited to this role so there is real issue for Pochettino to resolve there.

All in all, Spurs fans would have left the stadium satisfied with what they saw and there are encouraging signs that Pochettino is getting his message across and the players are responding to him. Following on from the spirited draw against Arsenal last week, it sets the standard by which future performances will be assessed.

Relief for Gooners as battling Spurs are denied derby win

After the depressing loss to West Brom last Sunday, most Spurs’ fans would have taken a point at the Emirates beforehand while Arsenal would have fancied their chances of winning. However, at the end of ninety attritional minutes, during which six Spurs players received yellow cards as they defended resolutely, many gooners left the Emirates just relieved to have denied Spurs a morale boosting victory and bragging rights.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino sprang a surprise by handing Ryan Mason a premier league debut in such an important game. Mason had impressed as a substitute in the Capital One cup victory against Nottingham Forest, however starting against Arsenal is whole different ball game. Pochettino clearly sees something in the lad and is not afraid to play youngsters. Ironically, but perhaps understandably, Eric Dier, who has played well was dropped in favour of the slightly unpopular Kyle Naughton. Along with Harry Kane, Andros Townsend and Nabil Bentaleb, that’s four players that have progressed from the youth team to the first team squad in the last two years. Not bad at all.

Arsenal tend to dominate possession at the Emirates so it was no surprise that they had the majority of possession in this match. However, the Spurs back line defended well. Hugo Lloris made some really good saves at crucial times and Danny Rose tried manfully to contain Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Younes Kaboul put in a real captain’s shift, blocking everything Arsenal threw at him. It was the kind of performance that reminded you of what a brilliant defender Kaboul potentially is. If only he can play like this every weekend, Spurs would have a great centre back on their hands. Etienne Capoue covered as much ground as anyone on the pitch, offering a useful shield to the back four while Ryan mason brought some energy and direct running to Spurs midfield before tiring late on.

The attacking three of Lamela, Eriksson and Chadli all joined in helping Spurs maintain a solid defensive shape which often left Adebayor isolated upfront. I have given Nacer Chadli a lot of stick in the past; mainly because I believe he is capable of so much more than he has shown. He did not have his finest game today, but he showed a willingness to get into attacking positions when Spurs were counter attacking and he took his goal really well. With four goals already this season, he is certainly improving but he has so much more in his locker. Eriksson was once again subdued. He has not hit the heights of last season and it’s hard to tell if he is just struggling for form or struggling to find his way in Pochettino’s new system. Lamela on the other hand continues to show great promise. He covered more ground than any other player, he was always showing for the ball and although not everything he tries comes off, he never stops trying to create. He created Chadli’s goal with a superb pass into his path. Unfortunately, his hashed clearance contributed to Arsenal’s equaliser. He is getting better though and that is promising for Spurs.

All in all, Pochettino, looking very dapper in his club suit will be satisfied with his team’s performance. Spurs lost three times against Arsenal last season and are not yet firing on all cylinders this term. One of the measures of success this season will be Pochettino’s record against the top four rivals and it did not start well having lost already at home to Liverpool. So to get a point with a tactically astute performance would have satisfied him as he continues to impose his playing philosophy on this team. His opposite number, Arsene Wenger looked rather less dapper, was desperate not to lose this derby and his relief at the goal which salvaged a point was obvious. However, Wenger has outlasted eleven different Spurs managers. If Pochettino outlasts the Arsenal manager, it is highly likely he would have been a success at Spurs.

Next up for Poch after a midweek Europa league clash with Besiktas, a date with his former club, Southampton who despite a more chaotic transfer window than Spurs, have made a better start and are playing quite well as they sit second in the premiership. White Hart Lane would also get a good look at Morgan Schneiderlin, a player Poch tried hard to sign during the transfer window, but is now playing out of his skin. Should be an interesting reunion

  

Happy Baggies scalp toothless Spurs

It’s been a strange September at Spurs. We had an uninspiring end to the transfer window that was noteworthy only for the surprise but ultimately reasonable sale of popular midfielder Sandro and the unheralded arrivals of Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli. Spurs also had to deal with rumours of a buyout which were quickly denied and the sobering thought that they will have to spend a whole season playing ‘home’ games away from home while White Hart Lane is being rebuilt.

But to paraphrase a former American president, ‘it’s the football stupid’ and Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s methods are taking far longer than Spurs would like to come through. Since trashing QPR in August, Spurs have played three league matches without winning any of them. Beaten again at home by Liverpool, Spurs played well enough at Sunderland but paid the price for not being clinical enough in front of goal and now this, at home to bottom club West Brom.

Yesterday’s match at White Hart Lane was so uninspiring, most fans could not even be bothered to boo at the final whistle, at least those that stayed still the end. While rivals Liverpool could rightly claim fatigue after an exhausting Champions league game in midweek (didn’t seem to stop arsenal though), most of the team that started against West Brom were rested for the Midweek Europa game against Partizan Belgrade. Nothing could excuse the lethargy on display against a side without a win in the premiership this season.

The line-up was probably the best available to Pochettino and most fans rightly expected an attack of Lamela, Eriksson, Chadli and Adebayor to test West Brom far more than it did. It has to be said that Christian Eriksson never really got going yesterday as he had one of his least effective games. Eric Lamela clearly looks a different player this season and although he lost possession a number of times, he produced sublime moments of skill which the crowd appreciated, he was always showing for the ball and crucially, he continually showed ahead of right back Eric Dier creating an attacking outlet on the right. Nacer Chadli on the other hand?

I have criticised Chadli a few times in the past and games like this make him an easy target. He arrived in England as the top assist maker in the Dutch league and is built like a power sprinter, the sort of player who should be brushing most of the average full backs aside. He just has not delivered. I lost count of the number of occasions when left back Danny Rose had the ball and acres of space in front of him with Chadli nowhere to be seen, having drifted uninvited to the centre. It would not be so bad if he was making things happen from the center, but he was equally ineffective. If he had made himself available of the left side in the way that Lamela and Dier often combined on the right. Spurs attacking play would have had more variation and may have forced the Baggies on the back foot.

Spurs fans wondered out loud why Pochettino did not change things at half time. The truth is that with Andros Townsend injured, he had no options on the left. This is why he will continue to be linked with Jay Rodriguez. In the circumstances, he had to change the formation to a four- four- two and go with an extra striker. The trouble with that change is the two substitutes, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado are playing with zero confidence and frustrated Spurs fans hoped rather than expected that they could make a difference. It was one hope too many as they failed to lift Spurs out of their lethargy. An insipid draw would have been frustrating enough, except that Vlad Chirices, who had an iffy game in defence, gave away a needless corner from which James Morrison scored to make a frustrating day downright irritating.

What made the day even worse was way was that the premiership stars aligned nicely in the battle to Champions league qualification. Chelsea and Manchester City will contest the league while the gooners will feed of the scraps and limp into third. Fourth place is up for grabs though and with Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton all losing winnable games, the opportunity to pick up precious points was wasted today and that will hurt.

What this match showed is how unbalanced this squad has become. Pochettino in truth is not under massive pressure to qualify for the Champions league this season, as he sets about building this team up. He has a reasonable defence to work with as Fazio looked decent on his debut against Partizan in midweek and Stambouli looks like he could bring some much needed energy to the midfield. The left side of Spurs attack is the Achilles heel and the movement of Adebayor and Soldado needs to improve. Not enough chances are being created right now. In a weekend when Leicester city put five goals past Manchester United, Spurs did not even manage five shots on target against West Brom. That is not good enough and will have to change fast.  

Liverpool's Sterling service burst Pochettino’s bubble

Ah well, that’s the early optimism out the window then. Well not quite. We always knew that this match would be the first true test of Spurs early progression under new coach Mauricio Pochettino and while the demolition job done by Liverpool did not make happy viewing for Spurs fans, there is no need to despair following a weekend in which champions, Manchester City lost at home to Stoke and both Manchester United and Arsenal failed to beat newly promoted sides. However a Liverpool side that challenged for the premiership title last season and probably will again this season have sadly moved ahead of Spurs over the last eighteen months and there are some lessons to be learnt.

Pochettino unsurprisingly went with the same side that trashed QPR last Sunday. However, Liverpool is a massive step up in class and it showed. In theory, Spurs midfield five outnumbered Liverpool’s four-man midfield diamond due to Brendan Rodgers decision to accommodate new striker Mario Balotelli and Spurs pressing should overpower them and make chances for lone striker Adebayor.

Liverpool’s diamond midfield is a well-oiled machine though. Few players dominate a premiership midfield like Steven Gerrard. Jordan Henderson has a superb engine on him and Joe Allen, while not to everyone’s taste as a footballer is very economical in possession. It is Raheem Sterling though with his speed and energy that really helped Liverpool win the crucial midfield battle. Neither Etienne Capoue nor Nabil Bentaleb had an answer to Sterling’s direct running on and off the ball. This meant that despite dominating possession, Spurs’ defence were constantly exposed whenever Liverpool counter attacked. The inability of Capoue and Bentaleb to execute quick transitions from defence into attack with incisive long rage passing or direct forward surges meant that creative attackers Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksson were never able to get in the game. Nacer Chadli, two goal hero of last week needed a big game but was largely anonymous as Spurs mustered only one shot on target in the entire ninety minutes.  

With Sterling in scintillating form, Liverpool’s front two of Sturridge and Balotelli were able to unsettle Spurs’ back four with their movement and pace. Younes Kaboul struggled and his place will likely be under threat from new signing Federico Fazio. Young defender, Eric Dier had a tough game. He won’t face many attackers more difficult to handle than Sterling all season and did reasonably well. He was unlucky with the penalty decision which swung the game firmly in Liverpool’s favour especially as a similar foul on the Adebayor in the Liverpool box went unpunished. Substitutes Dembele and Townsend hardly had time to get in the game before Liverpool scored their killer third following a dreadful error by Townsend. For a fullback who started the match to outpace Townsend, who had just come on over almost 70 yards is unacceptable and he needs to rediscover the form and speed that got him into the England squad last season really quickly if he is to have a future at Spurs.

This match highlighted the need for an energetic box to box midfielder to partner Dembele who is one of best tacklers and users of a ball at the club. His long range passing needs improvement but I would have him ahead of Capoue, Sandro or Bentaleb in that central midfield role. Bentaleb has potential but is still developing. Sandro and Capoue are powerful tacklers but their ball distribution is poor and they are simply not quick enough, either when under attack or when transitioning defence into attack. Paulinho was meant to bring that box to box dynamism but despite a few goals, his dynamism and match application falls short of what is needed. It is Spurs’ great misfortune that Morgan Scheiderlin, the one Southampton player Pochettino really wants is the one player Southampton refuse to sell. The match also highlighted a lack of a cutting edge upfront. Spurs simply did not threaten enough upfront. For Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation to work, he needs the front three behind the main striker to be prolific. This explains the apparent interest in Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck and Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez. Strikers with a decent goal scoring record who can play off a front man.

Pochettino is fortunate to have had faced Liverpool this early in the season. If Spurs had won, the expectation will have gone through the roof and he will have been hailed a genius in the Jose Mourinho mould. This defeat has come early enough in the season, with only one of his signings involved to be filed under ‘inherited team’ category. He will rightly claim that his team are still a work in progress and expectations will now be lowered accordingly. The fact that Brendan Rodgers, in only his 100^th match as Liverpool coach was already facing his fourth Spurs manager also highlights the need for patience and stability.

There are three measures by which Spurs’ improvement under Pochettino would be judged this season. The development of an attractive playing style, the ability to change games tactically and Spurs record against the top four. The style is slowly appearing, but there was not much tactical ingenuity on show against Liverpool and the record against the top four has not got off to the best start. There is much work for Senor Pochettino to do.

Four-midable Spurs have QPR for Sunday Roast

Many Spurs fans were understandably baffled when current Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp was sacked by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy back in 2012 after a second fourth place finish in three years, a fine achievement indeed. Redknapp’s first return to White Hart Lane since his sacking therefore brought with it the inevitable reflections of his successful and entertaining tenure, especially as neither Andre Villas Boas with his safety first tactics nor Tim Sherwood with his kamikaze tactics lasted long. However with this match effectively over as a meaningful contest by half time, I spent the second half reflecting on Harry’s time at Spurs and his unceremonious ending.

Let’s get one thing straight, Harry Redknapp was very good for Spurs during the four years he was in charge. His Spurs team played entertaining football and as the only manager so far to take Spurs into what was a memorable Champions league campaign, he deserves recognition and gratitude. However, I believe that Redknapp got complacent in his last season at Spurs. He behaved like the college girl who, after getting much attention from many boys responds by teasing each one without ever choosing one. Daniel Levy stood by him through his tax evasion trial and offered him a contact to end speculation about the England job. A job that was being handed to him with indecent haste by a media pack that was slavishly singing his praises. By not signing the contract immediately, then openly courting the England job, sounding out current Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers about being his assistant, he took his eye of the ball as his Spurs team squandered a great opportunity to finish third, above Arsenal and avoid the heartache of Chelsea’s miracle in Munich that followed.

Harry Redknapp was never Levy’s idea of a modern Spurs manager, but desperate circumstances forced his hand. He made the most of his big time opportunity and never missed an opportunity to remind everyone where Spurs were when he took over. However with the way the 2011-2012 season played out, it was prudent of Levy to wonder if Redknapp, then 65 still had what it takes to continue to mount a credible top four challenge in an increasingly intense, competitive environment. Especially after being overlooked for England job he believed was his. On balance, I feel that Levy was right to sack him. Redknapp at 67 now the oldest manager in all four divisions of English football has felt the need to enlist the help of two former England managers in Steve Mclaren and Glen Hoddle, men who would realistically consider themselves as number ones. This reflects well on Redknapp’s self-confidence and ability to work with other big names, but also suggests that the time is fast approaching for Harry to leave the arena for younger, hungrier managers.

Speaking of young, hungry managers, Senor Mauricio Pochettino could hardly have wished for a better start to his Spurs career. Two potentially tricky games have been won and progression to the group stages of the Europa league more or less achieved. More than that though, it is the way he has conducted himself that has impressed me and is already endearing him to the White Hart Lane faithful. He has talked continually about embedding a playing philosophy of attacking football, of freeing creative players like Eriksson and Lamela, improving the players and respectfully refuses to speak about other clubs’ players until they have been signed by Spurs. His spoken English is also improving and he has not once mentioned ‘the project’. He has hardly put a foot wrong.

It is far too early to make a definitive judgement on Pochettino’s performance or speculate on what he can achieve with Spurs this season. However, while the attritional nature of the opening day win at West Ham did not allow us to see what his team can do, the manner of Sunday’s demolition of QPR provided much encouragement. At the back, Eric Dier, who has already played right back and centre back looks at home in the premiership, scoring two good goals in the process and the sometimes unfairly maligned Danny Rose seems to have responded to the challenge of Ben Davies by raising his game. In midfield, Nacer Chadli, a player who looks built like Christiano Ronaldo but often played like Jose Dominguez last season looks a different player and under Pochettino.  However, it is the transformation in Erik Lamela that is most promising. He already has more assists in his last two games than he did in the whole of last season and his latest assist at the end of a forty-eight pass move for Nacer Chadli to make it three-nil as tiki-taka came to White Hart Lane was sublime. More of that and the £30 million paid for him will look not just good business but a bargain.

While it is tempting to get carried away after such a good performance, it must be said that QPR were woeful and we’ll know a lot more about Pochettino and his new look Spurs after next weekend’s tie with Liverpool, a side who put nine goals past Spurs without reply in two traumatic games last season. Somehow, I can’t see a repeat of those score lines. Whatever happens, it seems that the man who shares a birthday (March 2^nd) with Harry Redknapp also shares his attacking philosophy and an ability to get the best out of players. Add to that the quite, unfussy manner he goes about his business and whether by luck or judgement, Mr Levy might just have landed himself a younger, hungrier, more tactically astute, better looking, Latin version of Mr H Redknapp.

Yes, Daniel Levy and Spurs have traded up.  

Superkid Eric leaves Big Sam in Dier straights

Sometime during the coming week, Big Sam ‘Allardici’ the West Ham manager will use his weekly newspaper column (The Evening Standard) to have a good whinge about the injustice of Saturday’s result. He would point to the 18 shots West Ham had during the game and how their general play was better. He would fail to mention that his team actually only had four shots on target, the same as Spurs and that despite playing more than a third of the match with 10 men, Spurs actually had the greater possession. He would forget that Spurs outplayed his side last October at White Hart Lane yet found themselves on the wrong end of a three-nil score line. Stats get thrown around these days to paint a picture, but the truth is that stats are only used in this context when a manager is trying to explain away a bad performance, result or both.

Ordinarily, I won’t devote this much space to West Ham. However, they have become a bit of an irritant in recent years, what with the Olympic stadium fiasco, dodgy lasagne and especially last year when Spurs lost three times to them and I had to listen to a smug-looking Big Sam milk each victory with the self-congratulatory air of an A-list tactical guru of a manager which he is not.  So although it’s only the first match of the season, it felt good to win it so late and deflate the optimism surrounding the bubble blowing hammers.

In terms of the match itself, it was a bold call by Mauricio Pochettino to give a debut to 20 year old Eric Dier who played well both at centre back and also when he moved to right back following Kyle Naughton’s rather harsh red card. I was really looking forward to seeing Christian Eriksson and Erik Lamela playing together in attack behind a motivated Emmanuel Adebayor. However, neither of them had a significant impact on the game and as a result, Spurs attacking play was not as impressive as one would have liked. Adebayor played well as a lone frontman but had few opportunities to attack West Ham.

The match was a slow burner to start with, but West Ham had the better of the opening 20 minutes. The sending off of Naughton changed the dynamics of the match though and denied us the chance to see the evolution of Pochettino’s philosophy. Spurs played better once West Ham’s James Collins was sent off to level the playing field. The fact that Eric Dier was so far forward in the 93^rd minute to finish so calmly tells us Pochettino is inclined to always go for it. It also tells us that Eric Dier is a good footballer, not surprising as he has been brought up in an academy that produced Luis Figo and Christiano Ronaldo among others.  

With Spurs unusually quite transfer window and the trauma of last season still fresh in our minds, expectation has been a bit more tempered this season compared to last and the only two questions to be answered this season are; can last summer’s signings live up to their reputations after failing to deliver last season. And can Mauricio Pochettino deliver success and the stylish football Spurs fans see at their birth right with players he has inherited? He backs himself to improve players as evidenced at Southampton and has shown a willingness to attack away from home. His high pressing game might be unpicked by better teams but Spurs fans will enjoy the attacking mentality which makes a change from the safety first approach of Andre Villas Boas.

It is only three points though, so not too much can be read into it. History shows us the folly of jumping to conclusions early. Six years ago, a young centre back tipped for big things scored the winner on his Spurs debut. Three years later, said young centre back, Sebastian Bassong had progressed to playing for Norwich City. Spurs started last season with a win at Crystal Palace. By the end of the season, we had lost two managers and some of our dignity despite a respectable 6^th place. Hope and trepidation abound in equal measure. Such is the lot of a Spurs supporter these days. We’ll know a lot about Spurs prospects this season when we play Liverpool on the 31^st of August, a few hours before the transfer window closes.  

It’s going to be another white knuckle ride at the Lane.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

All hail King of the Lane, Sherwood falls on his sword and Why I am relieved Arsenal won the FA Cup…….. Sort of!

It’s been interesting at Spurs this last week. Twenty four hours after an ultimately unfulfilling season concluded, White hart lane was again filled up as supporters turned out to celebrate the career of the peerless Ledley King with a testimonial match featuring some past favourites like David Ginola, Teddy Sheringham, Edgar Davids, Paul Stalteri (really!) current stars like Emmanuel Adebayor, Christian Eriksen and Sandro as well as some players of the future. At the centre of it all was King, still only 33 but cruelly forced to retire from the game at just 31. Watching highlights of King at his pomp, it feels almost tragically unjust that injuries curtailed his career so early. How much would a fit Ledley King be worth now? Coming through the youth ranks and a Spurs man to the end, he emerged at just the right time to give Spurs fans hope after the gut wrenching defection of a certain S Campbell.  In a premier league era that had Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Campbell and John Terry as its’ finest defenders, Ledley King was a class above.  Many strikers list King as the toughest defender they faced. It seems almost ridiculous that for the last four years of his career, he hardly trained and yet his performance level never dropped.  Ledley King is the standard by which all future Spurs defenders will be judged. A packed house left Ledley King in no doubt about the affection with which he is held. With the match proceeds going to charitable causes, it was a great night all round. Thanks for the memories King. As Spurs fans sang, “He’s only got one knee, he’s better than John Terry, oh Ledley…..”

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was conspicuous by his absence from King’s testimonial. The following day, we realised why. He had been sharpening the executioners axe and Tim Sherwood was predictably relieved of his duties as Spurs Manager. I mentioned when Sherwood was appointed in November that as a protégé of media darling and former boss, Harry Redknapp, he would get a far easier ride from the media than his predecessor, Andre Villas Boas received. Sure enough, the media has been wailing about the injustice of it all. How Sherwood has the best win percentage of any Spurs manager in the premier league era. How he was refreshingly honest and so on. Many pundits, still upset that their pal, Harry Redknapp was sacked by Levy two years ago have attacked Levy as some trigger happy executioner who knows nothing about football and hasn’t given managers a chance. I beg to differ. Daniel Levy has moved Spurs forward beyond all recognition since taking over from the Alan Sugar thirteen years ago. In fact I blame every manager that has ever been sacked rather than Daniel Levy.

Tim Sherwood has a lot to say for himself and like his mentor, he is always good for quote. However, he has never managed before and this opportunity has come too soon for him, given where Spurs need to be. For someone who has played for Spurs and been on the coaching staff since 2008, he did not seem to grasp that the most important task of any Spurs manager is to establish an attractive playing identity. Much has been made of the number of signings made last summer and how with the exception of Christian Eriksen, had not really delivered on their potential. But by openly questioning most of them and writing some off as rapidly as he did, he alienated himself. Daniel Levy’s identikit manager is a coach who can improve players on the training ground and be tactically astute during matches. Sherwood’s selections, formations and theatrics on the touchline did not give the impression he could be that and for a man with no managerial achievements, he talked far too much. In the circumstances, he did a decent job and he deserves great credit for getting a lot out of Emmanuel Adebayor as well as giving youngsters Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane game time, perhaps too much game time in the case of Bentaleb. 

Having lost out on Louis Van Gaal to Manchester United, it is now between, Frank De Boer of Ajax and Mauricio Pochettino of Southampton. My sense is that Rafa Benitez is not as available as we are led to believe and Carlo Ancellotti’s future may hang on winning the Champions League for Real Madrid this weekend. Ideally, I would prefer Ancellotti, just because of his mightily impressive CV. Failing that, I would prefer Frank De Boer, who is making an impression and whose, footballing education and philosophy is tailor made for Spurs. I have sung the praises of Pochettino before and my feeling is that he has great potential. A concern will be that he has not managed a club with the expectation of Spurs, however if he is as ambitious as I feel he is, he will overcome that easily.  Over to you Mr Levy. Choose well and may the Spurs be with you.

Saturday was interesting. The FA Cup final was on and the one team I could not bear to see playing in one much less winning the damn thing were the favourites. So when Hull City, featuring former Spurs player, Tom Huddlestone and  Spurs loanee Jake Livermore raced into a two-nil lead, the thought of Arsenal fans trooping dejectedly home empty handed and mentally scared was quite uplifting. However, the team who defeated Spurs on the way to the final had just enough left to take the game away from Hull. So in addition to beating us to the 4^th Champions League spot, they also had the new FA Cup to rub in Spurs faces.  The sight of their fans cavorting with shameless joy through North London grated to be honest. However, in the midst of that scowl was some relief. You see if Hull had won the FA Cup, Spurs would have been classified as England’s third entrant behind Everton and Hull to the Europa league and would have had to play an extra qualifying round. The significance of this is that that qualifier is scheduled for the 31^st of July. Two weeks after the world cup and with little time for a proper pre-season. Due to Hull’s loss, Spurs will enter the Europa league at the last qualifying stage with matches scheduled for late August. This gives Spurs the benefit of having an uninterrupted pre-season and starting the premier league in the best shape possible (although due to the world cup, every club will have some disruption) and could pay dividends later on in what is sure to be another intense season.  So the gooners had inadvertently given Spurs a helping hand for next season. Nice.

‘Supply teacher’ Sherwood finishes class in style.

Two issues had dominated the build up to the last game of a season that has undoubtedly been among the most memorable in the history of the premier league. The inevitable speculation over who would be the next Spurs manager, and whether it is worth qualifying for the Europa league. Some fans, having bought into the idea that the Europa league campaign would jeopardise the chance of a top four or title challenge. I will come back to both issues later. First there was a game of football to enjoy and Spurs players no doubt wanted to end a difficult season on a high.

It turned out that Aston Villa were just the kind of opponents Spurs needed for a day like this. Pacy enough to keep the back four honest, but weak enough in midfield (despite the best efforts of their best player, Fabian Delph) to make Spurs look quite good. Paulinho, showing the kind of form that will please his national coach ahead of the world cup could have had a hat trick instead of the solitary one he scored during a first half in which Spurs played with a freedom that had been absent for much of the campaign. Christian Eriksson, the fans player of the year was as usual at the heart of Spurs best moves and Emmanuel Adebayor, who has had a big impact on Spurs season both when he has played and even when he hasn’t ensured that the famous ‘salute’ celebration will be seen at the lane one more time, scoring the penalty that finished the game as contest before the half time.

The second half had all the intensity of a pre season kick about but was memorable for three moments, all of which reflects rather well on Tim Sherwood. By extending a congratulatory hug to Sandro when he was substituted, he was showed no damage had been done following the twitter spat a few weeks ago. Secondly, with Sherwood, seemingly resigned to his fate, he seemed able to relax and enjoy the occasion and nothing illustrated this more that his invitation to season ticket holder and armchair expert Danny Grimsdale to have his gilet and sit in the dugout. While I have sat in the dugout during a stadium tour and imagined barking orders at players and making all sorts of tactical signs, like a hyperactive orchestra conductor, to experience that during a live competitive match with a full house must have been surreal. Lastly the second half was memorable for the fact that it ended with four players from the youth team on the pitch.

Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane have already made an impact on the first team and both have great potential. Seeing Alex Pritchard and Milos Veljkovic gave a glimpse of the future and with Andros Townsend already a first team regular, the footballing future of Spurs appears in good hands. Tim Sherwood deserves some credit for that given his previous role as Academy Director.

Speculation will no doubt turn to Sherwood’s Spurs future. Sherwood has had a lot to say for himself during the six months he has been in charge. This was not the most dignified way to go about auditioning for a big job like Spurs. The stats may say he has the best win percentage of any Spurs manager in the premier league; however, he has not managed for long enough to be judged properly. He has merely shown that given a long time, he may turn out to be decent top flight manager. He did a respectable job in the circumstances, not least in bringing Adebayor back into the team and getting something close to his best out of him.

However, Spurs under Daniel Levy has evolved into a side that expects to fight regularly for the top four positions. This means getting between 75 – 80 points. Saying Spurs should wake up (translation; not a realistic prospect) when Liverpool and Everton, spending less money make it their season’s ambition betrays a lack of belief that was always going to grate with Levy. While no one expects it to be a cake walk, his Keeganesque unravelling when the pressure intensified during the season defining period in March showed that for all his qualities, the Spurs job has come too soon in his career.

In addition to his occasional tactical naivety, he also failed to instil any discernable identity into Spurs play. To this day, I have no sense of what a Spurs team under Sherwood will play like. Proven coaches like Pochettino at Southampton and even Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace have shown a willingness and ability to adapt and create a discernable system based on the players they find at a new club. Given, the outlay on players at Spurs right now, it is likely that Levy will be looking for coaches and tacticians rather than someone to uproot an entire team and bring even new players in.

Sherwood jokingly quipped in his first press conference that if he does well, he would be off to Real Madrid! Right now, there is more chance of him going to Reading. However, if Tim Sherwood is as good a manager as he thinks he is, cream rises to the top as Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers have shown and he will get his chance at the big time again. For now, I can only say, Thanks Tim. It is never dull at Spurs and your antics throughout the season ensured that at least one tradition was maintained in this topsy turvy season.

　

Hammered where it hurts.

Walking towards West Ham’s football ground from Upton Park station with thousands of West Ham fans, I pondered the inescapable feeling that the Upton Park faithful seemed unusually cheerful.  Was it the spring sunshine in East London? Was it the fact that they were more or less safe from relegation? You see from my previous life as a match day steward at among other grounds, Upton Park, West Ham fans have not sounded this cheerful since the days when Paulo Di Canio was serving up G and Ts (that’s genius and tantrums). The locals were supposed to be restless, the fans want Big Sam ‘Allardici’ out, Spurs had ‘form’ and were favourites going into this fixture.  

After a depressing run of results in March where the much coveted prize of Champions League qualification disappeared into the distance, the run-in had offered the chance to put a run together and finish the season on a high. Having stuffed Sunderland 5-1, given West Brom a three goal head start before rallying to salvage a 3-3 draw, seen off Fulham 3-1 and came away from an intimidating Britannia stadium with a 1-0 victory over Stoke. So Spurs understandably went into this match against a West Ham side that had lost their last four matches with confidence.

From the start though, it looked like West Ham wanted it more. Andy Carroll, predictably was giving Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul a hard time and his team mates were winning the second ball. Giving Stewart Downing a chance to run at the back for by playing a high defensive line when the midfield was not closing down space was organisational folly and while Kaboul tried to be cute with the foul, the red card was inevitable, although the goal that followed was unfortunate as it bounced off Harry Kane. Last week, Mark Hughes Stoke City pushed Spurs hard despite being a man down for a large part of the match. Tim Sherwood’s men, although tried to make a game of it, never gave the impression they could control this game.

Mohammed Diame gave the kind of powerhouse midfield play that Spurs fans hoped to see regularly from Paulinho who was completely overshadowed, even attempting a spectacular bicycle kick that any Brazilian would be proud of. With a release clause of just £3.5 million in his contract, Spurs could do worse than sign him, especially if the big sharks come hunting for the Brazilian with a fat cheque. Hugo Lloris as usual, needed to make too many great saves to keep Spurs in the match for comfort, but while he enjoys being involved in the game and always has a self- congratulatory look after making a save, even he was seriously annoyed by the defending for West Ham’s second goal. The 51st goal conceded, six less than Sunderland.

The outstanding Atletico Madrid coach, Diego Simeone said after masterminding Atletico’s remarkable run to the Champions league final that he was grateful to the players’ mothers for giving birth to players with big balls because of the effort the players put in to repel every Chelsea attack. Emmanuel Adebayor and Paulinho, in the defensive wall set up to block a West Ham free kick seemed desperately keen to protect their own crown jewels, parting like the proverbial Red sea to allow Stewart Downing’s unremarkable free kick to go straight through to the Spurs goal. The match was effectively over despite the players’ game efforts to get a foothold in the game.

Trudging around Upton Park after the match, the spring sunshine a marked contrast from my mood, I looked for a pub to watch Manchester United do their level best to finish below Spurs by losing to Sunderland and offer crumbs of comfort to disgruntled Spurs fans who would have taken finishing above Manchester United at the start of the season. Just not with one third of the premiership as well. Watching the match in the midst of cheerful West Ham fans chatter, it struck me that West Ham fans have rather enjoyed being an irritant to Spurs ambitions in recent years, the dodgy lasagne in 2006 which denied Spurs the chance to finish above Arsenal and qualify for the Champions league. Most fans are still to be convinced of the merits of the Olympic park but they enjoyed giving Spurs a bloody nose over the affair and this season, they have beaten Spurs three times for the first time, having also knocked us out of the league cup.

The end of the season is being played out against the background of continuing speculation on Tim Sherwood’s future and which exotic manager will take over yet another rebuilding job with Frank De Boer the latest flavour of the month. I said in an earlier post that chairman, Daniel Levy needed to get an ‘A’ list manager or an ambitious young coach who will be backed and given time. With the managerial execution at Manchester United and Real Madrid closer than ever to ‘La Decima’ Louis Van Gaal and Carlo Ancelotti are now out of reach. Rafa Benitez is the only other ‘A’ List – ish coach on account of his Champions league win with Liverpool and record at Chelsea and Valencia. So we are left with young ambitious managers. Can Levy unearth the next Diego Simeone, Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp? Managers with a clear footballing philosophy and identity who can do what Tim Sherwood has failed to do despite respectable results and give Spurs an identity that Spurs fans can proudly identify with. We sure hope so.

Four-midable Liverpool put Spurs in their place

Yesterday was officially the start of the British summer season and as the clocks went forward by one hour, Spurs looked a few light years away from remotely challenging for the Champions league positions as Liverpool inflicted yet another pasting. The most depressing aspect of the drubbing was the air of inevitability about it. Such has been the gulf in performance between the two teams this season that few Spurs fans travelled to Liverpool seriously believing that a victory was possible.

Even allowing for the loss of some key players, there is still a look of trial and error about some of coach Tim Sherwood’s team selections, such as the failure to start with Andros Townsend, selection of Gylfi Sigurdsson and persistence with Nabil Bentaleb ahead of Mousa Dembele and Sandro respectively, given the momentum and danger posed by Liverpool’s midfield. In truth though, it is difficult to say with any certainty these players would have made any difference to the outcome, given that no one has really shown a consistent ability to lift Spurs play beyond the mediocre.

Liverpool, the top scorers in the league this season did not really need a helping hand from Spurs. However, Younes Kaboul who had a wretched game at the back for Spurs did just that, clumsily getting caught out of position before scoring in his own net after just ninety seconds as Spurs continued their miserable habit of starting games poorly. With their tails up, Liverpool sought to finish the game inside the first half. In the circumstances, Spurs did well to survive the next twenty minutes and ease their way into the match. However, just when it was looking like Spurs might make a game of it, some kami-kaze defending gifted Luis Suarez a chance to extend Liverpool’s lead which he took with typical relish. From then on, it was case of how many Liverpool wanted to score. Goal keeper Hugo Lloris was the only difference between Spurs a truly humiliating score line, restricting Liverpool to two more goals. The intensity and energy that Liverpool players showed seemed beyond Spurs which is surprising, given that Liverpool played in midweek while Spurs did not.

Up in the stands, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy sat stony faced as the carnage unfolded below him, no doubt reflecting that for the past four seasons, he has headed to Anfield, confident of finishing ahead of Liverpool regardless of the result on the day and wondering at how the fortunes of both clubs have suddenly changed to such an extent that in two league matches this season, Liverpool have put nine goals past Spurs without reply.

The truth is that the trajectory of both clubs changed last August, Spurs sold their best player, Gareth Bale for a king’s ransom and spent (recklessly in retrospect)without deciding what the identity of the team will look like post Bale. Not for a very long time has the loss of one figure robbed a team so decisively of it’s confidence and identity (Manchester United fans may beg to differ given their own struggles) Liverpool on the other hand, steadfastly refused to sell their star player, Luis Suarez for less than a king’s ransom and instead, built the team around him. That decision has effectively put Liverpool back in the Champion’s league, with all the financial rewards and may yet bring them the biggest prize in English football. At the start of this season, your knowledge of football would have been questioned had you suggested that Liverpool would finish above Spurs in the league, much less challenge for the title. That, the informed thinking went was Spurs destiny after the sugar rush spending frenzy in the transfer market.  However, as with any sugar rush, the high wears off quickly and leaves you with a quite severe low. Low is exactly what Spurs fans feel right now as a season high on promise has imploded before their very eyes.

The good news is Spurs are unlikely to lose heavily again for the rest of the season. They might even win all of their remaining games to put a rosy gloss on what has been an attritional season and strengthen Sherwood’s case for being long term manager. The bad news is such a run risks creating the illusion of being close to the top four, of only needing the odd tweak here and there to be genuine contenders, again creating a new bubble of false expectation. The Spurs hierarchy really need to reflect on their vision for Spurs, which coach out there is best suited to deliver the footballing vision and on what basis. Then back him to the hilt for the next three years at least regardless of whether Champions league qualification is achieved or not. Sugar rush fixes have not worked. It is time for a new approach to taking Spurs back to the big time.  

Comeback kid Sherwood still staring down the barrel despite win

Spurs salvaged more points from losing positions than any other team in the premiership, last season. Admittedly, a lot of those points were down to a player now the most expensive in the world. It made for exciting matches as you knew you could not leave the stadium before the end of the match while Spurs were playing. Spurs have delivered precious little of that excitement during this sometimes attritional season. So it was great to experience the thrill of fighting back from two goals behind to win the game in the last minute. Spurs fans could have done without the despair of going two goals down, however, this is Tottenham Hotspur and we don’t do straightforward.

Roberto Soldado would have been pleased to get a rare ninety minutes under his belt. He once again showed clever touches and a good footballing brain and linked especially well with Christian Eriksson. Despite his obvious lack of confidence in front of goal, there is enough in Soldado’s game to suggest the promise of a much better second season. Nacer Chadli also played well and just in the last few games is beginning to show glimpses of the pedigree he developed in the Dutch league while Eriksson has had a creditable first season in English football and influenced more matches for Spurs than any of the other summer arrivals. Once again, he was influential in this match, darting into box twice to score the type of bread and butter goals Gary Lineker would have been proud of before playing a decisive role in setting up the late winner for Gylfi Sigurdsson. Despite the last minute heroics, it has been a disappointing season for Sigurdsson. Perhaps his confidence was affected by so many summer arrivals reducing his starting chances. He just hasn’t raised his game this season.

At the back, Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen were their usual mix of good play and questionable positioning as the often got exposed for holding such a high defensive line, especially in the first half and better teams than Southampton could have scored three or four goals. The full backs were average. Kyle Naughton in particular had a poor first half with his hesitancy causing both of Southampton’s goals. He however remains a useful back up for Kyle Walker. Overall though, there is still a lack of an distinct style in Spurs play despite the character shown to fight back to win the game. Following on from Thursday’s battling performance in Lisbon where they almost took Benfica to extra time and a chance to retrieve a seemingly improbable situation. Coach Tim Sherwood can certainly not accuse the players of lacking guts or character.

Sherwood’s touchline antics rather than the football being played have provided much media fodder. One minute he is in the stands, and then he is back on the touchline animated as ever, then back in the directors’ box, then back again on the touchline. Despite his claim that he was considered and measured during his halftime team talk, it is doubtful if his touchline histrionics add any value to the performance. While no one doubts that he cares and his commitment to Spurs, it is clear that Sherwood is a manager uncertain in himself still discovering his own managerial identity, in style of play, preferred formation, touchline demeanour, all the challenges that a top level manager has. Whatever your opinions about Chairman Daniel Levy, it is beyond dispute that given his ambitions for Spurs, his preference is not a manager that will be learning on the job.

And so it is that despite this win and the creditable fight back in Portugal, there will continue to be speculation about Sherwood’s future at Spurs. In contrast, despite losing six nil at Chelsea and the understandable frustration of some fans with their manager Arsene Wenger, there is still much less speculation about Wenger’s Arsenal future. That in itself shows how much expectation has risen not just at Tottenham, but across the media. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

For all that, Sherwood would have enjoyed this victory immensely. His midweek quip about it being, ‘good to see Benfica coach Jorge Jesus flustered’ betrayed a sense of being compared to each continental coach, given Levy’s taste for the continental style of coaching. This writer has compared Sherwood unfavourably with Southampton coach Mauricio Pochetino and even suggested him as potentially the next Spurs manager. So Sherwood would have delighted in defeating him home and away.

It was a good weekend for Spurs fans as well with the other lot down the road getting a more humiliating stuffing at Chelsea than Spurs did a couple of weeks ago. However, in a weekend when the top three went goal crazy and Wayne Rooney scored a contender for goal of the season, it represents only a small crumb of comfort. The big parties; goals galore, swashbuckling football, special European nights, goal of the season contenders are all happening elsewhere.