Punched where it hurts

After the near orgasmic feeling of euphoria that followed the New Year’s Day spectacular win over title favourites Chelsea, there was an opportunity to move even closer to Manchester United and surprise package, Southampton in the race for top four. So this defeat really did feel like a punch in the cojones as Crystal Palace rode the wave of new energy generated by Alan Pardew’s return as manager to record their first victory in eight premiership games. Palace on paper should be a home and away banker despite the unpredictable nature of the premiership. Yet they have taken four points off Spurs this season. It was the same last season as they played well at the Lane and we were a tad fortunate to win at Palace with a last minute penalty. I hope they don’t become a bit of a bogey team.  

After a lot of tinkering earlier in the season, coach Mauricio Pochettino appears to have settled on his best eleven. However, with Ryan Mason and Erik Lamela injured and Nabil Bentaleb away at the African Nations cup, Mousa Dembele, Benjamin Stambouli and Andros Townsend were given a chance to impress. None of them impressed. Wilfred Zaha was more dangerous for Palace in the twenty minutes he spent on the pitch than Townsend in the seventy frustrating minutes he spent on the field. He used to be called a cheap Gareth Bale. Now he plays like a cheap Aaron Lennon. Mousa Dembele showed his usual nice touches and close control but a player of his talents should be dictating Spurs’ attacking play from midfield in the way Luka Modric used to. Stambouli looks a useful player but in the fast and furious world of the premier league, occasionally looks a yard off the pace, illustrated by his despairing lunge which conceded the game changing penalty that allowed Palace back into the game. Kyle Walker also had poor last quarter of the game as Zaha caused him problems and the cross which Jason Puncheon converted for the winner came from his side. With Christian Eriksson and Nacer Chadli only showing glimpses of their form, it fell to new hero, Harry Kane to carry the fight to Palace. This he did, scoring for the 17^th time this season. However, one goal was never going to be enough, with a defence that has struggled to keep clean sheets despite the heroics of Hugo Lloris in goal.

We waited for the last quarter charge that Spurs had become famous for, given their habit of scoring late winners, sadly it never came and for the second game in a row, they have let a lead slip. That nasty habit needs to stop. Spurs players have generally appeared fitter this season. However with a few absences and with six games still to come before January is out, Pochettino must manage his squad well as that fitness is going to be tested to the limit. Given the way Pochettino likes to train and integrate his players, it is unlikely a January transfer will offer any short term value unless he is signing a player he has worked with before in the premiership. With Southampton going so well (that must irritate Poch surely!) that’s unlikely to happen.

Given that this was always meant to be a season of transition, most Spurs fans are reasonably satisfied with the philosophy Pochettino is trying to embed at the club. There is no doubt mild irritation that with the other expected top four contenders blowing hot and cold, Spurs appear hell bent on matching them for inconsistency rather taking advantage as Southampton are so thrillingly doing. That’s why this result, coming so soon after the Chelsea win was so deflating. My gut feeling is that this inconsistency will continue through the rest of the season, especially with cup games proving a distraction and will eventually cost us a top four finish. Whether Spurs finish top for or not, beat the noisy neighbours the way they beat Chelsea and win the Capital one cup and I would quite satisfied. Not asking for much am I? 

Kane and Able as Spurs Stun Chelsea

Hands up who saw this coming. Me neither. Chelsea under Jose Mourinho simply do not concede five goals. The only fireworks I expected were delivered promptly at midnight along the River Thames.  All 12,000 of them. The most pleasurable surprises tend to the most unexpected and while, Spurs had been showing signs of improvement recently, we have a pitiful record against Chelsea. Even coach Mauricio Pochettino had a miserable record against the Special One, having lost all previous seven encounters against him in Spain and England. So the way such an ignominious record ended was exhilaratingly spectacular.

One of the most pleasing aspects of this victory is that it was built largely on academy produced players. Like most fans, we crave exotic foreign signings but the sight of Ryan Mason, Kyle walker, Danny Rose, Andros Townsend, Nabil Bentaleb and of course Harry Kane rising to the occasion against a formidable Chelsea managed by the formidable Mourinho really warms the cockles of many a Spurs fan.  Said exotic foreigners played their parts too yesterday. Hugo Lloris, his usual heroic goalkeeping at crucial times, Federico Fazio is showing signs of developing a decent centre back partnership with Jan Verthongen, although they struggled at times yesterday against the guile of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. Nacer Chadli has shown much improvement this season and had a very good game full of intelligent running yesterday while Christian Eriksson, who probably only ended up at Tottenham because Chelsea hijacked a deal for Willian had another of those influential intelligent games that showed that whether by luck or judgement, Spurs have secured far better value for money in paying £12 million for Eriksson than they would have got with the £32 million that was agreed for Willian. Spurs fans could not even be bordered to boo Willian with former gooner Fabregas and John Terry (still not as good as Ledley King on one knee) getting far more intense treatment.

At the heart of this victory though was the inspirational performance by young Harry Kane. Spurs’ season is a reflection of Kane’s performances as he is single handedly dragging Spurs into contention for the Champions League places. He is the only striker worthy of the name at Spurs right now and unless at least one striker is brought in during the January transfer window, fans must dread the thought of him getting injured. He started the season as third choice striker but has gradually improved and in successive games, he has measured up against strikers of the calibre of Falcao, Van Persie, Rooney and now Diego Costa. There is still much for him to do and he needs more than one season to be hailed as world class but his potential trajectory is giddyingly exciting. More so because he is one of us, a Spurs fan at heart who plays like one. He gave a textbook performance of the lone striker, reducing Gary Cahill to such a quivering wreck that he lost his rag and kicked out petulantly at Kane as he lay on the floor. Remarkably, Kane kept his cool and exacted retribution in the best way. Kane does not have the explosive pace or shooting ability of Gareth Bale, but he energising White Hart Lane in the way Gareth Bale used to just by being in the line up. In massive show of maturity, he could be seen a few minutes from the end, signalling to his team mates to calm down. at this rate, he could Spurs captain by next season. He has probably sewn up the Spurs player of the year award already and must be in contention for young player of the year. It hoped that he will stay a one club man and fulfil his potential to be a Spurs legend. Long live King Kane at the Lane.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino has presided over a slow burner of a season which showed signs of coming to life over the busy Christmas period due to the players’ improved fitness. Every manager needs some headline results and Pochettino, in beating Chelsea in way few have ever done and potentially leading Spurs to a cup final against the same opponents has already ensured his first season with Spurs will be memorable. He must now harness this momentum for the rest of the season. Make astute transfers in January and manage the squad intelligently, especially when the Europa league resumes in January. What a way to start the year. Is 2015 the year of the Cockerel?

Hugo Boss. Superb Lloris offer Spurs hope.

The usual football clichés were rolled out for this one. A game of two halves, an entertaining nil - nil etc. Me?, as much as I enjoyed the game, especially the second half, I was pretty brassed of that both halves ended goalless. You see, I chucked a small fortune at the bookies that neither half would be goalless. After all both teams had previous for entertaining matches full of goals, brilliant keepers and shaky defences. I should have got the missus that fancy necklace and banked a load of brownie points. Now I'll have to take her to a mid range restaurant rather than the top end one I was going to take her with my winnings. A bit like the market Spurs shop at for players.

On the match itself, it was an intriguing contest between Daniel Levy's first choice manager Louis Van Gaal and his second choice Mauricio Pochettino. A contrast of personalities, philosophies and off course transfer budgets. Manchester United unleashed a strike force featuring Falcao, Robin Van Persie and Rooney costing the thick end of £100 million in transfer fees. Spurs threw the might of academy graduate Harry Kane and er.. that's it. In the circumstances, a point was a creditable enough and had Ryan Mason been more composed, we might be talking about another famous late win. Hugo Lloris won man of the match on the strength of his first half display when he single handedly kept United at bay. Lloris is having to make too many saves in each game for a team with top four aspirations. The irony is the busier he is, the better he looks and bigger clubs than Spurs could come knocking.

So as we say farewell to 2014, (sorry it doesn't end in one!) where do we stand? The philosopher, Mauricio Pochettino is the fourth different manager/head coach in successive years, following the sherminator (Tim Sherwood 2013), the project planner (Andre Villas Boas 2012) and the wheeler dealer (Harry Redknapp 2011) to try and take Spurs to the promised land of the European big time. I believe that Spurs have actually punched above their weight in the last six years but the inevitable failure to match unrealistically heightened expectations, the cherry picking of our best players by two of the worlds biggest clubs ( our best players in the last 7 years have gone only to Manchester United and Real Madrid)and the media obsession with Spurs created a perfect storm of a frenzied sense of crisis. The truth is in the absence of middle eastern money, Daniel Levy has managed to raise Spurs level while balancing the books. For this, he deserves immense credit, not criticism. At heart, he is just a fan who wants Spurs to compete at the highest levels, playing good football. He is clearly a fan of the continental style of club management and after giving Martin Jol a good chance achieve that, he has come full circle with Pochettino, a young tactically astute coach with a good reputation in Spain. Unlike Juande Ramos, he has used Southampton to learn the premiership.

December is Pochettino's best month results wise since taking over, Spurs superior fitness is showing in matches, young players are getting games and although progress is slow, I feel cautiously optimistic about Spurs prospects for the future. There's another cliché. Oh the life of a Spurs fan. A very happy 2015 to my readers and all Spurs followers. Altogether now, come on you Spurs!