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.
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