Spurs go Va-va-Voom in Destruction Derby

As it’s typical of Sports’ capacity to uplift in troubled times, the football this week has offered a temporary escape from Europe’s troubles. French footballers and managers as well as Belgian footballers have had a lot to deal with this week and their courage and professionalism should be applauded. It was asking a lot of English footballers, some of whom struggle with ‘God save the Queen’ to master the French national anthem as it played at premiership grounds across the country. I have to admit that while I too struggled with the words, this Englishman did find himself humming "La Marseillaise" with rather surprising gusto prior to our shindig with West Ham. Perhaps it was solidarity with Spurs and France captain Hugo Lloris who has conducted himself with absolute class and dignity this week, looking understandably emotional before proceeding to provide his usual assured presence in goal.

In recent years the bubble blowing Hammers have been getting ideas above their station. Empowered by a few good recent results against Spurs and because they ‘beat’ Spurs to squatters rights at the Olympic stadium (at tax payers’ expense), they suddenly think they are a sort of ‘Man City of the South’ without the petro dollars. So it was nice to put the pesky irritants in their place on Sunday with a performance which in keeping with the mood of solidarity with France had plenty of  Va-va-voom.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino should not really surprise premiership managers anymore. After almost three years in English football, His modus operandi is beatifully simple. We will outrun, out press and out hustle you and then score as many goals as we need to defeat you. As philosophies go, it is one of the easier football mantras to get your head across. And yet, team after team have struggled to get the better of the philosopher and his band of merry men (well merry boys really) as Spurs equalled the club record unbeaten run. Watching Spurs tear into West Ham like a pack of hungry hounds across ninety breathless minutes was very uplifting indeed and you know you are having a good day when the occasionally maligned Kyle Walker scores the fourth goal of with the outside of his right foot. With a third of the season gone, no team has outplayed or dominated Spurs who are only four points off the top a fairly open looking league. Premiership contenders? probably not, but the question does not sound as ridiculous as it once did. That is not an accident and Pochettino deserves a lot of credit for masterminding an impressive turnaround. Unlike some managers (thinking about a certain B Rodgers here), who had plenty to say for himself and about Spurs, Poche has simply got on with the job, methodically reconstructing the team and saying little. He is not a journalist’s dream to interview, but by golly he appears to be a players’ dream coach.

Nobody thinks this is the finest group of players ever to wear a Spurs shirt although some of these players have the opportunity to create their own legend. The focal point is a striker in only his second full season of top flight football. The engine room is made up of a 19 year old who before this season was plying his trade in league one and a Portuguese academy product, also in his second premiership season whose day job is as a Centre back.  Yet, such is the impact the team is having that pundits across the land are raving about Tottenham’s midfield, England coach Roy Hodgson played said midfield to good effect against a classy if understandably slightly below par France and the ultimate complement, the ‘Tottenham Press’ is creeping into English football lingo, much like the ‘Makelele role’ or the ‘Sheringham role’

Back in those uncertain days of August (seems a long time ago), the Berahino saga was drawing to an undignified conclusion, Harry Kane was a one season wonder as he hadn’t scored, Spurs dropped points to Stoke and Leicester from winnable positions and Tim Sherwood still fancied himself as a decent premiership manager for the indisputable reason that Tim Sherwood believes it. Heck, you could have got reasonably short odds on Pochettino being sacked this side of Christmas. Spurs fans by nature and years of last gasp disappointment are instinctively inclined to temper optimism with large dollops of trepidation. However, maybe, just maybe, in Pochettino, Daniel Levy has stumbled on the man to lead Spurs into the promised land of not just the new stadium, but the Champions League.

Next up, the badly wounded but not quite killed lion that is Champions Chelsea and the ultimate spoiler, Jose Mourinho. Can Poche kill off Chelsea as a Champions league qualification contender once and for all or will the special-ish one prick the bubble of optimism that is building at White Hart Lane?

 

We need sports at times like this

Whatever sport you love, whatever team you follow, its capacity to uplift and unite people all over the world is unmatched. Even in defeat, it offers us an escape from our troubles, no matter how temporary and this has been constant throughout the history of sport. The last few days have been depressing. Lets face it, we have so needed sport this week. The sudden death of Rugby’s first global superstar, Jonah Lomu from kidney failure was depressing enough. That such a supreme athlete who combined power, pace and skill could be cut down in such a young age really is a tragedy.  The indiscriminate killing of people in the bars of Paris is even harder to comprehend. The outpouring of emotion across Europe reflects the shock that we all feel and my heart go out to all those affected by these troubles. One of the more depressing news articles of the week was that the childrens’ charity childline has reported increased calls from children who are fearful that world war three has started.  

Arguments rage across the internet and various social media platforms about partiality of coverage. After all, worse atrocities are committed almost daily in other parts of the world with little media coverage, the argument goes. This writer’s two pence worth is that human nature dictates that the closer we are to a troubled spot, the more attention we focus on it and France is very much on our doorstep. As a teenager growing up in Nigeria during the 80s and early 90s, despite my own interest in international affairs, the national news media focused far less attention on the troubles of the distant West such as the Brighton bombing of 1984 or the Manchester bombing of 1996 than domestic troubles and that of our continental neighbours. It is however a humbling thought that people risk their all to escape from different parts of the world to the West in search of safety and a better life.  Yet as Madrid, London and now Paris has shown, the honest, daily pursuit of that better life, now more than ever carries an inherent danger of an indiscriminate end.

The recent events of Paris and the on going near lock down of Brussels have affected sportsmen and women as much as they have affected us. France has more nationals playing in the premiership than any other nationality apart from England. Belgium is also well represented not least at my own club. That these sportsmen have managed any sort of focus and been able to perform at something near their competitive best is a tribute to the human spirit. My admiration and heartfelt thanks go to all sportsmen and women as well as their coaches for making sure that Sport continues to provide that escape. There is much that our leaders and politicians can learn from sport despite it’s imperfections and I hope that through sport, humanity can forge an era of comradeship and improve our world for all.

Stoked off! Spurs blow two goal lead

It’s a sign of the big money sloshing around even the Premiership’s nether regions when Stoke City have made almost three times as many signings as Spurs by the time these two met. Stoke showed up at the Lane with at least 4 Champions league winners, including Xherdran Shaqiri. Then again, Liverpool signed a Champions league winner in Mario Balotelli and I’m probably more popular on Merseyside than he is right now. Understandably, there is something exciting about bringing in players from Barcelona and Inter Milan, even if they turn out to be crap, or worse, just as good as our Academy graduates and it is hard for Spurs fans not to cast envious glances as one exotic signing after another pitches up at whichever premiership club they seem to have picked out of a hat. ‘Why didn’t Spurs sign that one?’ goes the cry after a few good games or even one good season. Michu anyone? Been there, done that, got the crap T-shirts. Alas! No more trolley dash. Every penny counts. There’s a big stadium to build you know. Anyway I’d at least wager a Euro cent that Clinton N’jie will end up being a bigger Premiership star than the Stokesy lot once Senor Pochettino does his magic on him.

Stoke had become a bit of bogey team for Spurs recently and took six points off the last season, the same amount by which a Champions league spot was missed. There was enough trepidation prior to kick off to wish for anything other than a defeat. In the circumstances, Spurs actually played quite well. Eric Dier once again acquitted himself very well in central midfield two good goals were scored and more should have been scored.

While the match turned on an uncharacteristic mistake from Toby Alderwiereld, this match showed up a couple of worrying signs. Harry Kane showed enough to suggest that in overall play, he could be even better than last season. He however needs to score within the next two games to ensure his mind is not affected by thoughts of a drought. That’s the good news. The bad news is that woe betide Spurs if he sustains an injury that causes him to miss two or more matches in a row. Daniel Levy is adept at transfer window brinksmanship but he simply has to get at least once out and out goal scorer in or he will be playing roulette with Spurs season. A like for like replacement on Saturday would have allowed Spurs to keep pressure on Stoke rather than allowing them to pile forward which transferred the pressure on Spurs. It doesn’t help that although Chadli scored, the front three behind Kane did not offer a consistent goal threat.

The second worrying issue was also on display last at Old Trafford. This is the apparent dropping of heads when a goal is conceded. While it is understandable to want to protect a one goal lead, a team aspiring to challenge the big boys should roll up it’s sleeves, regroup rapidly and focus on seeing the game out. Stoke did not equalise because they had better players on the pitch. Spurs simply allowed heads to drop and panicked. This was a team that specialised in last minute winners last season. Thy need to rediscover a swagger that says even if you come back to two all, we’re coming to get you.

All said, since I am a glass half full kind of writer, here is the positive spin, but for a couple of individual mistakes, Spurs could arguably have four points from their opening two games and no one would have said they were undeserved. And they are above Chelsea. I reckon Pochettino’s philosophy is in reasonably good nick. They’ll get into a groove soon enough. If not, just blame in on the pretty club doctor. Well, if it’s a good enough excuse for Jose…

Next up, Leicester city, the return of the Tinkerman. Should be fun.

Lucky Devils!

The Premiership's back! you readers are back! and I am back! So all is well. 

It’s been a weird summer at the Lane, players being sold by the bucket load without anyone asking for a transfer and the one player we are desperate to shift (Adebayor) refusing to move an inch. Common sense signings have been made and Daniel Levy will no doubt indulge in his usual last minute brinksmanship to get Pochettino’s other targets. With the football now underway, we can leave the transfer speculation behind.

I am always intrigued when Louis Van Gaal and Pochettino go head to head. This is because, had David Moyes not made a right horlicks of the Manchester united job, LVG will likely had been Spurs manager and since Daniel Levy would never have sanctioned the kind of trolley dash he been indulged at Old Trafford, how he would have got on at the Lane will remain one of life's unsolved mysteries. LVG appears more tactically adaptable and is clearly good for a touch of drama and a soundbite. However, he still has much to prove in the premiership given how much he has spent. LVG was lucky to escape with a point the last time he visited White Hart Lane. However, his team handed us a good stuffing at Old Trafford. It is now three games without defeat against Pochettino’s Spurs.

This match was a bit of a slow burner which Manchester united were very fortunate to win thanks to the luckless Kyle Walker. United had once shot on target all afternoon and looked like a team still trying to fire up, while Spurs looked at times like they all needed a couple of cans of Red Bull to give them wings. Having said that, they made the more purposeful start, played well in patches and had United hanging on a bit at the end once they got over their awe of Bastian Schweinsteiger and actually pressed him.

                                     

All in all, it was an encourage start to Pochettino’s second season. United spent £83 million this summer to improve their team and there was barely a £5 note between the two teams. Toby Alderwireld settled into the defence well and it already obvious that the Spurs defence which conceded the same number of goals as relegated Burnley will be much improved this season. Kyle Walker, perhaps spurred on by the challenge of the energetic Kieran Trippier played a very good match and was unlucky to score the decisive own goal. Eric Dier, while probably not the long term solution to the central defensive midfield position acquitted himself well. Nabil Bentaleb has received a lot of plaudits for his play since breaking into the team at the end of the 2013 season. However, his occasionally has lapses in concentration and Saturday’s lapse at a time when Spurs were on the attack with the full backs supporting him was disastrous. Bentaleb had a poor game on Saturday but he is better than that and he appears to have the drive that will ensure he bounces back from Saturday.

Everybody knows Spurs need some reinforcement upfront. Dembele and Chadli covered and pressed well but did not stretch an untested United defence enough. With a bit more gusto in the attack, this match was winnable and that is the frustrating thing. It would have been nice to have got all our players in before the season started but this is the beast that the transfer window is and we’ll have to see what happens at the end of August.

One thing that bordered me was the way heads appeared to drop collectively after the goal as united enjoyed their best period of the game. Spurs scored lots of goals last season, many in the last minutes of games so heads should never drop. At one - nil, against a side desperate not to lose, they are always still in the game.

Next up, those friendly bruisers from Britannia, Stoke. They took six points off Tottenham last season. We’ll like those six points this season please. Thanks. 

Be back soon.....

Welcome and thank you for visiting my site. This writer is taking a sabbatical to attend to a personal matter. I would be back soon. In the meantime enjoy the roller coaster, thrill a minute ride that is lot of a spurs follower. Come on you Spurs

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!

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.