Cook books usually suggest
cooking marinated chicken in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes to be well done. Chelsea followed the Jose Mourinho cook book
to the letter as they stuffed and deep fried Spurs cockerels in 35 minutes of hell
at the Bridge. Tim Sherwood’s bitter outburst during his press conference was
as much an expression of disappointment at the result and second half collapse
as the pained realisation that this bad defeat intensifies the pressure
on him and lessens the likelihood of him being Spurs manager next season.
Ironically, after surviving their
customary sloppy start, Spurs had settled into the game and held their own against
Chelsea for the rest of the first half with Sandro snarling around the field
with barely concealed aggression which unsettled and irritated Chelsea. Nabil Bentaleb
who made his debut for Algeria in midweek used the ball intelligently and Kyle
Walker, playing in an advanced position in front of Kyle Naughton threatened
with his pace but was often let down by his final ball. At half time, Spurs
looked good value for a point. However with players of the calibre of Oscar,
Willian and Demba Ba on the bench and Mourinho’s record of changing games
tactically, one always sensed that Chelsea had an extra gear to find.
Unsurprisingly, Mourinho
introduced Oscar for the second half to give Chelsea’s attack more impetus. Ten
minutes in, Vertonghen was pressured into a mistake that led to Samuel Eto’s
goal. Barely a couple of minutes later, perhaps with heads still scrambled,
Spurs players switched off momentarily and allowed Eto to be played in on goal.
Younes Kaboul was definitely the wrong side of Eto and once contact was made, a
penalty was always likely. The sending off was extremely harsh though. Two
goals down and a man down, Spurs faced an uphill struggle to salvage the game. Nonetheless,
there is no legislation for the kamikaze defending that gifted Demba Ba two
late goals and turned what would have been a heroic but respectable defeat into
a humiliating rout and had Tim Sherwood openly questioning the character of his
players.
Tottenham had started this season
defining month, just about in contention for Champions league qualification,
thanks to a scrappy win over Cardiff last week, but had little margin for error.
They all but signed their exit from the
qualification race with this defeat leaving them four points behind Manchester City,
having played three games more and six points behind Arsenal and Liverpool,
having played a game more. Liverpool or Arsenal will have to gift Champions
league qualification to Spurs. Speculation over Tim Sherwood’s future and the
identity of the next Spurs manager will now inevitably intensify.
It is an occupational hazard of
being a Spurs manager these days that unless you are on a championship winning
run, there is always speculation about the next Spurs manager. Tim Sherwood
could have been under no illusions about what he signed up for. Good results like the away wins at Manchester
United, Southampton and Newcastle strengthen his hand. Bad defeats like the one
against Manchester City and Saturday’s slaughter at the Bridge weaken his hand
considerably. Heavy defeats have been a
feature of Spurs season. Andre Villas Boas was sacked after heavy defeats
against West ham, Manchester City and Liverpool. Tim Sherwood has now lost
heavily against Manchester City and Chelsea. The early self-assuredness has
been replaced by tactical indecision as formation and line-up has been tinkered
with almost every week. This is what pressure feels like. It is when games have
not gone your way, when you have been outplayed and suffered a bad defeat that
great managers show their worth.
For all that, there is still plenty
to play for. Spurs must seek to win as many games as possible until May and be
ready to take advantage if any of the teams above them implode. Also, Spurs
reward for slugging it through the uninspiring early rounds of the Europa
league is a glamour tie against Portuguese league leaders and last year’s
beaten Europa league finalists, Benfica. With the likes of Porto, Napoli and
Juventus in the competition, the Europa league now has the feel of serious
European competition, if not the profile and financial reward of the Champions
league. Spurs have some pedigree in this
competition and for all the obsession with champions league qualification, the
Europa league is worth winning. Andre Villas Boas, Rafa Benitez and even Jose
Mourinho used the Europa league to raise their profiles. Closer to home, England
managers Roy Hodgson and Steve McLaren used success in the Europa league to enhance
their reputations and ultimately benefit their careers. Whatever Spurs
premiership fate, the Europa league offers Tim Sherwood a great chance to build
his reputation. He and Spurs need the Europa league right now as the Champions
league invitation is not forthcoming.
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