You know you are having a seriously
miserable time when even Jesus gives up on you and starts mocking. As Benfica’s
third goal went in, which all but confirm Spurs’ impending exit from European competition,
their coach, Jorge Jesus, showing a distinct lack of class that would have made
the original Jesus weep held up three fingers in the direction of the Spurs
bench and waved. The message was clear. Three away goals. Game over. Bye bye
Spurs. Spurs coach, Tim Sherwood, following the Alan Pardew manual of self-control,
predictably took the bait and went over to confront him. This of course
guarantees that a section of the post-match media coverage will be about the
conduct of both managers.
Of greater concern is what unfolded
over ninety sobering minutes on the football pitch. I mentioned in a previous
post that despite this match not being a Champions league tie, this match had
the feel of a proper European tie and Spurs players, to be fair tried their level
best to rise to the occasion. However this was a classy Portuguese side that
pitched up at White Hart Lane. Last season’s beaten finalists; they had finished
third in their Champions’ league group with ten points and were unlucky to drop
into the Europa league. Their class and pedigree meant this was a step up in
the class of opposition that Spurs have faced in Europe so far this season. Boy
did it show.
Sherwood’s decision to start with
Harry Kane against this class of opposition rather than Soldado or an extra
midfielder is questionable. Also as English teams have shown in European
competition this month, one can easily lose a tie in the first leg by conceding
an away goal, or two. Spurs have shipped three. One of the nuances of European
knockout football is the value of an away goal. A nil – nil home draw can sometimes be more
valuable than a two – one win. This reality places a premium on organisation
and keeping your shape, especially when the opposition are in possession of the
ball. Formations and tactics count for little without this foundation and the
Portuguese league leaders gave a master class in organisation, keeping an
effective shape and choosing your moment to strike.
Spurs lack of organisation and
any discernable shape was laid bare in this match. Responsibility for this lies
with the coach. I believe that every one of Spurs players could play for the
opposition and they would be more effective. After eighteen matches in charge of Spurs, Tim
Sherwood’s ability to set up a team should really be more apparent. When
Mauricio Pochetino took charge of Southampton, the way his team was set up
became clear very quickly. Even Sherwood’s mentor, Harry Redknapp had his Spurs
team set up in specific way very quickly and for better or worse, this became
his hallmark. With confidence clearly in short supply, Spurs laboured through
the match without looking like matching much less dominating Benfica.
So where do Spurs go from here?
Former manager Harry Redknapp treated this competition with barely concealed disdain,
another former manager, Andre Villas Boas prioritised it and received little
credit for it. For the foreseeable future, six clubs, will battle each season
to get into four Champions league places therefore qualification cannot be
guaranteed without spending many millions on A – list players (which Spurs do
not currently have) and an A-list manager (which Sherwood is not. Yet) Spurs
managers, rather than be obsessed with champions league qualification should
therefore be encouraged to take the Europa league very seriously and master the
nuances of playing and winning this competition. Stay in it long enough to
compete with Champions league teams like, Benfica, Juventus and Napoli. It will
be good preparation for the seasons when Spurs do qualify for the Champions
league. Thinking about it, and given that better teams than Spurs have
struggled in the Champions league this season, if Spurs had played in this
season’s Champions league, it is likely that they would have been severely humiliated.
As it is, we have gone as far as Arsenal, Manchester City and in all
probability Manchester United have gone in Europe. So we are in good company
when it comes to wallowing in Euro misery.
Club chairman Daniel Levy has
review his expectations on managers and how Spurs is taken to the next level.
However, for all that, it is increasingly likely that Tim Sherwood will not be Spurs
manager next season. By the end of the season, he would have taken charge of
almost thirty matches. By this time Juande Ramos had knocked out Arsenal and
Chelsea to win Spurs only trophy of the last 14 years. Tim is a thoroughly
decent, honest and open football man, but I would not be confident in the
season ahead if he was starting next season as manager. Football being what it
is, he can surprise us all but I won’t bet the house on it. I lost confidence
the day Jesus made Spurs weep.
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