Adebayor strikes again as Spurs grind out vital win

A few posts back, I suggested that we would soon find out if Tim Sherwood is a good manager, a lucky manager or both. After a scrappy victory against rivals Everton, it might just be the case that he is a lucky manager. One nil to the Tottenham does not quite have the same ring to it. Never will truth be told, however, Sherwood and quite frankly most Spurs fans would not care too much if he scraps enough one nils from the seasons remaining fixtures to get into fourth spot. So long as Manchester united do not finish 5^th and win the bloody Champions league! Surely that’ll never happen……….again. Please God!

This promised to be a good footballing match with both Everton manager, Roberto Martinez and Sherwood committed to attacking football. One for the purists even. However, what unfolded over ninety frantic minutes was a throwback to the days when former Everton manager, David Moyes brought his scrappers to the Lane. To be fair, Everton made the better start and what composed football was on view generally came from them as they dominated the early proceedings. With a decent striker, they may well have scored first, one chance requiring a fantastic save from goalkeeper Hugo LLoris after only six minutes. The pattern was set and despite the willingness of fullbacks, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to get forward at every opportunity, Spurs only attacked sporadically in the first half, Adebayor just failing to connect with a wicked low cross from Rose was the exception in a half which Spurs were quite happy to reach half-time with their goal intact.

The second half was only marginally better and it was no surprise when Sherwood reacted after fifty nine minutes to introduce Andros Townsend to the fray. Quick thinking from Kyle Walker created the winning goal for Emmanuel Adebayor which he controlled well before finishing smartly, escaping the attentions of the otherwise excellent Sylvain Distin who had shackled him effectively all afternoon. As the ball hit the back of the Everton net, you could feel the relief erupt all around White Hart Lane. Sherwood, recognising that in such a tight game, one goal might be enough, sent on Etienne Capoue to shore up the midfield and by and large, Everton’s threat was reduced.  He almost regretted that change though in injury time when Capoue appeared to foul Everton full back, Seamus Coleman in the penalty box. The penalty claim was firmly in the ‘I’ve seen them given’ category but when your luck is in, the marginal calls go for you and the celebration by Spurs’ players at the end showed they knew it was a big victory as they leapfrogged Everton in the table. Now, only Liverpool stands between Spurs and the Champions league.   

With Liverpool only three points ahead, it’s definitely game on. However, being directly behind Liverpool in the table makes the goal deficit quite glaring. Liverpool have scored almost double the number of goals as Spurs have scored so far this season. Secondly, while it was hugely uplifting watching Arsenal get stuffed at Anfield, the form showed in this game plus their recent dismantling of Everton is ominous for Spurs, who still have to visit Anfield. Still, despite some heavy defeats this season, Spurs have only conceded two goals more than Liverpool. Their defence remains vulnerable and can be got at if Sherwood gets his midfield selection, organisation and tactics right.

So it was a boost to have Andros Townsend back in action. While he did not have any great influence on the game, he would have benefited immensely from the run out as he builds up match sharpness. After his enforced rest, he now needs to rediscover his early season form to aid Spurs quest for the Champions league and his own quest for a world cup spot. Christian Eriksson, whom Townsend replaced did not have an influential game but is showing some encouraging signs. Paulinho had a poor game by his standards but both remain key players for Spurs as we enter the business end of this crazy season. Of the other midfielders on show, Nabil Bentaleb continues to impress with his perceptive passing and willingness to show for the ball. Mousa Dembele has so much ability and is almost impossible to knock off the ball with close control and dribbling skills. His short passing is quite effective, so Sherwood needs to find a way to play him further up the pitch as long range passing is not his forte. Playing him in central midfield limits the damage he can do to the opposition as he is often too far away to cause the kind of foul that led to the winning goal. Capoue, perhaps sensing that Sherwood may not fancy him that much, does not seem the confident midfield enforcer that stormed through the early matches of the season before his injury. How effectively Sherwood uses these midfielders will go a long way to determining Spurs’ short term and Sherwood’s long term prospects.

It was good to see Jermaine Defoe on the White Hart Lane pitch one last time as a Spurs player. After 362 appearances and 143 goals over 10 years (punctuated by one year at Portsmouth), he heads off to play in the American league. Thanks for the memories JD and all the best in Toronto.