Four-midable Liverpool put Spurs in their place

Yesterday was officially the start of the British summer season and as the clocks went forward by one hour, Spurs looked a few light years away from remotely challenging for the Champions league positions as Liverpool inflicted yet another pasting. The most depressing aspect of the drubbing was the air of inevitability about it. Such has been the gulf in performance between the two teams this season that few Spurs fans travelled to Liverpool seriously believing that a victory was possible.

Even allowing for the loss of some key players, there is still a look of trial and error about some of coach Tim Sherwood’s team selections, such as the failure to start with Andros Townsend, selection of Gylfi Sigurdsson and persistence with Nabil Bentaleb ahead of Mousa Dembele and Sandro respectively, given the momentum and danger posed by Liverpool’s midfield. In truth though, it is difficult to say with any certainty these players would have made any difference to the outcome, given that no one has really shown a consistent ability to lift Spurs play beyond the mediocre.

Liverpool, the top scorers in the league this season did not really need a helping hand from Spurs. However, Younes Kaboul who had a wretched game at the back for Spurs did just that, clumsily getting caught out of position before scoring in his own net after just ninety seconds as Spurs continued their miserable habit of starting games poorly. With their tails up, Liverpool sought to finish the game inside the first half. In the circumstances, Spurs did well to survive the next twenty minutes and ease their way into the match. However, just when it was looking like Spurs might make a game of it, some kami-kaze defending gifted Luis Suarez a chance to extend Liverpool’s lead which he took with typical relish. From then on, it was case of how many Liverpool wanted to score. Goal keeper Hugo Lloris was the only difference between Spurs a truly humiliating score line, restricting Liverpool to two more goals. The intensity and energy that Liverpool players showed seemed beyond Spurs which is surprising, given that Liverpool played in midweek while Spurs did not.

Up in the stands, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy sat stony faced as the carnage unfolded below him, no doubt reflecting that for the past four seasons, he has headed to Anfield, confident of finishing ahead of Liverpool regardless of the result on the day and wondering at how the fortunes of both clubs have suddenly changed to such an extent that in two league matches this season, Liverpool have put nine goals past Spurs without reply.

The truth is that the trajectory of both clubs changed last August, Spurs sold their best player, Gareth Bale for a king’s ransom and spent (recklessly in retrospect)without deciding what the identity of the team will look like post Bale. Not for a very long time has the loss of one figure robbed a team so decisively of it’s confidence and identity (Manchester United fans may beg to differ given their own struggles) Liverpool on the other hand, steadfastly refused to sell their star player, Luis Suarez for less than a king’s ransom and instead, built the team around him. That decision has effectively put Liverpool back in the Champion’s league, with all the financial rewards and may yet bring them the biggest prize in English football. At the start of this season, your knowledge of football would have been questioned had you suggested that Liverpool would finish above Spurs in the league, much less challenge for the title. That, the informed thinking went was Spurs destiny after the sugar rush spending frenzy in the transfer market.  However, as with any sugar rush, the high wears off quickly and leaves you with a quite severe low. Low is exactly what Spurs fans feel right now as a season high on promise has imploded before their very eyes.

The good news is Spurs are unlikely to lose heavily again for the rest of the season. They might even win all of their remaining games to put a rosy gloss on what has been an attritional season and strengthen Sherwood’s case for being long term manager. The bad news is such a run risks creating the illusion of being close to the top four, of only needing the odd tweak here and there to be genuine contenders, again creating a new bubble of false expectation. The Spurs hierarchy really need to reflect on their vision for Spurs, which coach out there is best suited to deliver the footballing vision and on what basis. Then back him to the hilt for the next three years at least regardless of whether Champions league qualification is achieved or not. Sugar rush fixes have not worked. It is time for a new approach to taking Spurs back to the big time.  

Comeback kid Sherwood still staring down the barrel despite win

Spurs salvaged more points from losing positions than any other team in the premiership, last season. Admittedly, a lot of those points were down to a player now the most expensive in the world. It made for exciting matches as you knew you could not leave the stadium before the end of the match while Spurs were playing. Spurs have delivered precious little of that excitement during this sometimes attritional season. So it was great to experience the thrill of fighting back from two goals behind to win the game in the last minute. Spurs fans could have done without the despair of going two goals down, however, this is Tottenham Hotspur and we don’t do straightforward.

Roberto Soldado would have been pleased to get a rare ninety minutes under his belt. He once again showed clever touches and a good footballing brain and linked especially well with Christian Eriksson. Despite his obvious lack of confidence in front of goal, there is enough in Soldado’s game to suggest the promise of a much better second season. Nacer Chadli also played well and just in the last few games is beginning to show glimpses of the pedigree he developed in the Dutch league while Eriksson has had a creditable first season in English football and influenced more matches for Spurs than any of the other summer arrivals. Once again, he was influential in this match, darting into box twice to score the type of bread and butter goals Gary Lineker would have been proud of before playing a decisive role in setting up the late winner for Gylfi Sigurdsson. Despite the last minute heroics, it has been a disappointing season for Sigurdsson. Perhaps his confidence was affected by so many summer arrivals reducing his starting chances. He just hasn’t raised his game this season.

At the back, Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen were their usual mix of good play and questionable positioning as the often got exposed for holding such a high defensive line, especially in the first half and better teams than Southampton could have scored three or four goals. The full backs were average. Kyle Naughton in particular had a poor first half with his hesitancy causing both of Southampton’s goals. He however remains a useful back up for Kyle Walker. Overall though, there is still a lack of an distinct style in Spurs play despite the character shown to fight back to win the game. Following on from Thursday’s battling performance in Lisbon where they almost took Benfica to extra time and a chance to retrieve a seemingly improbable situation. Coach Tim Sherwood can certainly not accuse the players of lacking guts or character.

Sherwood’s touchline antics rather than the football being played have provided much media fodder. One minute he is in the stands, and then he is back on the touchline animated as ever, then back in the directors’ box, then back again on the touchline. Despite his claim that he was considered and measured during his halftime team talk, it is doubtful if his touchline histrionics add any value to the performance. While no one doubts that he cares and his commitment to Spurs, it is clear that Sherwood is a manager uncertain in himself still discovering his own managerial identity, in style of play, preferred formation, touchline demeanour, all the challenges that a top level manager has. Whatever your opinions about Chairman Daniel Levy, it is beyond dispute that given his ambitions for Spurs, his preference is not a manager that will be learning on the job.

And so it is that despite this win and the creditable fight back in Portugal, there will continue to be speculation about Sherwood’s future at Spurs. In contrast, despite losing six nil at Chelsea and the understandable frustration of some fans with their manager Arsene Wenger, there is still much less speculation about Wenger’s Arsenal future. That in itself shows how much expectation has risen not just at Tottenham, but across the media. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

For all that, Sherwood would have enjoyed this victory immensely. His midweek quip about it being, ‘good to see Benfica coach Jorge Jesus flustered’ betrayed a sense of being compared to each continental coach, given Levy’s taste for the continental style of coaching. This writer has compared Sherwood unfavourably with Southampton coach Mauricio Pochetino and even suggested him as potentially the next Spurs manager. So Sherwood would have delighted in defeating him home and away.

It was a good weekend for Spurs fans as well with the other lot down the road getting a more humiliating stuffing at Chelsea than Spurs did a couple of weeks ago. However, in a weekend when the top three went goal crazy and Wayne Rooney scored a contender for goal of the season, it represents only a small crumb of comfort. The big parties; goals galore, swashbuckling football, special European nights, goal of the season contenders are all happening elsewhere.

　

Gone in 72 Seconds as Spurs Champions league hopes finally bit the dust

Seventy two seconds was all it took to put out the flickering flames of any top four ambitions and with their third victory over Spurs this season without a goal conceded, ensure that the balance of footballing superiority in North London remains largely untroubled.  It is humbling to reflect that this time last year, Spurs won the corresponding fixture 2-1 to go seven points ahead and former coach Andre Villas Boas remarked in an almost self-congratulatory manner how, ‘Arsenal were in a negative spiral that is difficult to get out of’.  After being stuffed by Chelsea, outclassed in European competition by Benfica and now mugged by Arsenal in the space of eight miserable days, Spurs know rather too painfully what a negative spiral feels like.

Coach Tim Sherwood cannot accuse his players of lacking guts and character in this match as he did after the Chelsea match. Neither were they outclassed as they had been against Benfica. However, while they had more possession than Arsenal, there was mostly huffing and puffing without any real goal threats. No one seemed confident enough to run at or commit Arsenal’s players. The most threatening players on the field were Arsenal’s Thomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.  In fact if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had his shooting boots on and was better with his final ball, the margin of victory could have been greater as Arsenal, despite their defensive set up throughout this match looked far more threatening on the counter attack than Spurs did with possession.  Spurs most potent threat was an increasingly combustible Tim Sherwood on the touchline with antics that did little to dispel a sense that the pressure is getting to him. Spurs, to their credit kept trying gamely but sadly, they never looked like they could open up what has become an unusually resilient Arsenal defence. That is what lack of confidence feels like. This in sharp contrast to fellow top four contenders Liverpool, a team not many would expected to finish above Spurs at the start of the season, but whose players are so high on confidence,(aided no doubt by great results) that their sights have been set considerably higher. Whether Liverpool win the league this season or not, a feature of their play is that almost every player in their ranks has raised their game significantly.

Not many Spurs players have consistently risen above mediocre this season. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has been consistent and Emmanuel Adebayor can perhaps be excused as his season only started when Tim Sherwood replaced Andre Villas Boas and by and large he has fought for the cause since. Christian Eriksson is the only player to have offered any creative spark, but in this match as in most of his matches, he has been unable to lift the team beyond average on his own. Reflecting on Sherwood’s selection, it is curious that given how well Spurs were playing when Sherwood first took over and he paired Roberto Soldado with Adebayor, he has not found a way to play them both. Needing to win matches and with both strikers having contrasting styles of play, an effective partnership could have been developed while also giving opposing defenders more than one goal threat to think about. I am also increasingly convinced Sherwood was wrong to send Lewis Holby out on loan. He is one of the most energetic midfielders Spurs have and offers more going forward than young Nabil Bentaleb who while clearly talented, has a tendency for the a sideways pass too often.

So this season is now effectively over. The last rites of Spurs European season will be performed in Lisbon on Thursday and while a therapeutic win against Southampton is possible, Liverpool at the end of the month is a fixture that will under stably cause trepidation among supporters. Thoughts inevitably turn to next season and the case for or against Tim Sherwood staying as manager. Sherwood has polarised opinion among supporters. Some think he deserves the chance and others feel he is too inexperienced for where Spurs want to go. Even Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has given his tupence worth, imploring the Spurs board to stick with him. When you start getting the sympathy vote from Arsenal, you know it’s bad. Sherwood has also had plenty to say for himself as befits someone who always ‘shoots from the hip’. The facts are that he has lost four league matches and will probably lose at least a couple more before the season is out. In addition, he lost four knock-out cup games. AVB only lost five matches in total before he was sacked. By that measure, Sherwood’s chances of survival must be slim. For this writer though, the issue is more the lack of an identity in Spurs play and his performance under pressure with relatively mild media scrutiny, compared to that of his predecessor AVB. This writer has cast envious glances at the work that Mauricio Pochetino has done at Southampton and how he measures on the important criteria of playing style and performance under pressure. Unless Chairman Daniel Levy brings in a marquee manager like Louis Van Gaal, my money is on Pochetino to be the thirteenth manager to attempt to beat Arsenal. Unlucky thirteenth for Arsene? God I hope so.

Finally, in this most miserable of weeks for a Spurs supporter, the last thing I needed was to see Sol Campbell bleating in the media about his sense of injustice at not being made England captain during his career because of his race. Sol Campbell was a very good defender for club and country but few in the game thought he was an outstanding captain material. Whatever racial prejudices may be in the game, England simply had better captains than Sol Campbell during his career and the cause of the anti-racism brigade will be helped far more without the attention seeking antics of a traitor (sorry ex-footballer) with a book to sell.

Jesus denies Spurs European salvation

You know you are having a seriously miserable time when even Jesus gives up on you and starts mocking. As Benfica’s third goal went in, which all but confirm Spurs’ impending exit from European competition, their coach, Jorge Jesus, showing a distinct lack of class that would have made the original Jesus weep held up three fingers in the direction of the Spurs bench and waved. The message was clear. Three away goals. Game over. Bye bye Spurs. Spurs coach, Tim Sherwood, following the Alan Pardew manual of self-control, predictably took the bait and went over to confront him. This of course guarantees that a section of the post-match media coverage will be about the conduct of both managers.

Of greater concern is what unfolded over ninety sobering minutes on the football pitch. I mentioned in a previous post that despite this match not being a Champions league tie, this match had the feel of a proper European tie and Spurs players, to be fair tried their level best to rise to the occasion. However this was a classy Portuguese side that pitched up at White Hart Lane. Last season’s beaten finalists; they had finished third in their Champions’ league group with ten points and were unlucky to drop into the Europa league. Their class and pedigree meant this was a step up in the class of opposition that Spurs have faced in Europe so far this season. Boy did it show.

Sherwood’s decision to start with Harry Kane against this class of opposition rather than Soldado or an extra midfielder is questionable. Also as English teams have shown in European competition this month, one can easily lose a tie in the first leg by conceding an away goal, or two. Spurs have shipped three. One of the nuances of European knockout football is the value of an away goal.  A nil – nil home draw can sometimes be more valuable than a two – one win. This reality places a premium on organisation and keeping your shape, especially when the opposition are in possession of the ball. Formations and tactics count for little without this foundation and the Portuguese league leaders gave a master class in organisation, keeping an effective shape and choosing your moment to strike.  

Spurs lack of organisation and any discernable shape was laid bare in this match. Responsibility for this lies with the coach. I believe that every one of Spurs players could play for the opposition and they would be more effective.  After eighteen matches in charge of Spurs, Tim Sherwood’s ability to set up a team should really be more apparent. When Mauricio Pochetino took charge of Southampton, the way his team was set up became clear very quickly. Even Sherwood’s mentor, Harry Redknapp had his Spurs team set up in specific way very quickly and for better or worse, this became his hallmark. With confidence clearly in short supply, Spurs laboured through the match without looking like matching much less dominating Benfica.   

  

So where do Spurs go from here? Former manager Harry Redknapp treated this competition with barely concealed disdain, another former manager, Andre Villas Boas prioritised it and received little credit for it. For the foreseeable future, six clubs, will battle each season to get into four Champions league places therefore qualification cannot be guaranteed without spending many millions on A – list players (which Spurs do not currently have) and an A-list manager (which Sherwood is not. Yet) Spurs managers, rather than be obsessed with champions league qualification should therefore be encouraged to take the Europa league very seriously and master the nuances of playing and winning this competition. Stay in it long enough to compete with Champions league teams like, Benfica, Juventus and Napoli. It will be good preparation for the seasons when Spurs do qualify for the Champions league. Thinking about it, and given that better teams than Spurs have struggled in the Champions league this season, if Spurs had played in this season’s Champions league, it is likely that they would have been severely humiliated. As it is, we have gone as far as Arsenal, Manchester City and in all probability Manchester United have gone in Europe. So we are in good company when it comes to wallowing in Euro misery.

Club chairman Daniel Levy has review his expectations on managers and how Spurs is taken to the next level. However, for all that, it is increasingly likely that Tim Sherwood will not be Spurs manager next season. By the end of the season, he would have taken charge of almost thirty matches. By this time Juande Ramos had knocked out Arsenal and Chelsea to win Spurs only trophy of the last 14 years. Tim is a thoroughly decent, honest and open football man, but I would not be confident in the season ahead if he was starting next season as manager. Football being what it is, he can surprise us all but I won’t bet the house on it. I lost confidence the day Jesus made Spurs weep. 

Cockerels given a good stuffing at Chelsea as Champions league hopes fade

Cook books usually suggest cooking marinated chicken in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes to be well done. Chelsea followed the Jose Mourinho cook book to the letter as they stuffed and deep fried Spurs cockerels in 35 minutes of hell at the Bridge. Tim Sherwood’s bitter outburst during his press conference was as much an expression of disappointment at the result and second half collapse as the pained realisation that this bad defeat intensifies the pressure on him and lessens the likelihood of him being Spurs manager next season.   

Ironically, after surviving their customary sloppy start, Spurs had settled into the game and held their own against Chelsea for the rest of the first half with Sandro snarling around the field with barely concealed aggression which unsettled and irritated Chelsea. Nabil Bentaleb who made his debut for Algeria in midweek used the ball intelligently and Kyle Walker, playing in an advanced position in front of Kyle Naughton threatened with his pace but was often let down by his final ball. At half time, Spurs looked good value for a point. However with players of the calibre of Oscar, Willian and Demba Ba on the bench and Mourinho’s record of changing games tactically, one always sensed that Chelsea had an extra gear to find.

Unsurprisingly, Mourinho introduced Oscar for the second half to give Chelsea’s attack more impetus. Ten minutes in, Vertonghen was pressured into a mistake that led to Samuel Eto’s goal. Barely a couple of minutes later, perhaps with heads still scrambled, Spurs players switched off momentarily and allowed Eto to be played in on goal. Younes Kaboul was definitely the wrong side of Eto and once contact was made, a penalty was always likely. The sending off was extremely harsh though. Two goals down and a man down, Spurs faced an uphill struggle to salvage the game. Nonetheless, there is no legislation for the kamikaze defending that gifted Demba Ba two late goals and turned what would have been a heroic but respectable defeat into a humiliating rout and had Tim Sherwood openly questioning the character of his players.

Tottenham had started this season defining month, just about in contention for Champions league qualification, thanks to a scrappy win over Cardiff last week, but had little margin for error.  They all but signed their exit from the qualification race with this defeat leaving them four points behind Manchester City, having played three games more and six points behind Arsenal and Liverpool, having played a game more. Liverpool or Arsenal will have to gift Champions league qualification to Spurs. Speculation over Tim Sherwood’s future and the identity of the next Spurs manager will now inevitably intensify.  

It is an occupational hazard of being a Spurs manager these days that unless you are on a championship winning run, there is always speculation about the next Spurs manager. Tim Sherwood could have been under no illusions about what he signed up for.  Good results like the away wins at Manchester United, Southampton and Newcastle strengthen his hand. Bad defeats like the one against Manchester City and Saturday’s slaughter at the Bridge weaken his hand considerably.  Heavy defeats have been a feature of Spurs season. Andre Villas Boas was sacked after heavy defeats against West ham, Manchester City and Liverpool. Tim Sherwood has now lost heavily against Manchester City and Chelsea. The early self-assuredness has been replaced by tactical indecision as formation and line-up has been tinkered with almost every week. This is what pressure feels like. It is when games have not gone your way, when you have been outplayed and suffered a bad defeat that great managers show their worth.

For all that, there is still plenty to play for. Spurs must seek to win as many games as possible until May and be ready to take advantage if any of the teams above them implode. Also, Spurs reward for slugging it through the uninspiring early rounds of the Europa league is a glamour tie against Portuguese league leaders and last year’s beaten Europa league finalists, Benfica. With the likes of Porto, Napoli and Juventus in the competition, the Europa league now has the feel of serious European competition, if not the profile and financial reward of the Champions league.  Spurs have some pedigree in this competition and for all the obsession with champions league qualification, the Europa league is worth winning. Andre Villas Boas, Rafa Benitez and even Jose Mourinho used the Europa league to raise their profiles. Closer to home, England managers Roy Hodgson and Steve McLaren used success in the Europa league to enhance their reputations and ultimately benefit their careers. Whatever Spurs premiership fate, the Europa league offers Tim Sherwood a great chance to build his reputation. He and Spurs need the Europa league right now as the Champions league invitation is not forthcoming. 

Pesky Canaries pick holes in Spurs Champions league ambitions

By common consent, this is the most exciting season probably in premiership history with a mere four points separating the top four teams. Spurs have tried their level best to be part of this party. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite looked the part this season. This defeat at the hands of Norwich City, while not terminal, makes a tough task (finishing in the top four) even harder as Spurs are now six points behind Liverpool with only 11 games to go.

The week had started with the Champions league regulars across the continent entertaining us with their usual dosage of high class football. Even in defeat, Manchester City and Arsenal (though it pains me to say this) played high calibre football. Watching Spurs suffer a depressing Europa league defeat at the hands of FC Dnipro (coached by former Spurs manager, Juande Ramos)on a dog of a pitch felt like a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’. Watching Gareth Bale score a spectacular 30 yard screamer as Real Madrid went top of La Liga on Saturday was a further reminder of better times past. Spurs needed someone to inspire them to great heights (Bale style) against Norwich but no one could step to that level.

Perhaps, playing on such a heavy pitch in an eastern European outpost only three days ago took its toll. After all, his hand forced by injuries, Tim Sherwood had to name seven of the team that started in the Ukraine in today’s starting eleven. Spurs looked lethargic as the Norwich City players were sharper and quicker to every ball as they harried their way to a crucial victory. So much for having one of the strongest squads in the premiership. Perhaps the endless speculation over Sherwood’s own future has affected his confidence and made him more cautious despite the good start he has made to life as a premiership manager.  After all, in a game we needed to win, against hardworking but beatable opponents, there was a case for reverting to his preferred four, four, two formation and playing two strikers. The bold fresh Sherwood who initially took over from the sacked AVB probably would have done that. Incidentally, Spurs best period of attacking play in a largely forgettable match came when Roberto Soldado was introduced to partner Emmanuel Adebayor. While missing a couple of presentable goal scoring opportunities would have done little for his confidence, Soldado being upfront next to Adebayor makes the Spurs’ attack more varied and less predictable. Besides, given Spurs’ poor goals tally this season, going for goals seems a no brainer.

Admittedly, for a two striker formation to work effectively, two things need to happen. One of the strikers needs to drop deep and help out the midfield interchangeably. Both Soldado and Adebayor have shown an ability and willingness to do that. Secondly, the midfield needs to be really organised with a clear plan for attacking with the ball and defending without the ball. There has been no evidence of that in some of Spurs recent play, especially at Norwich. Nabil Bentaleb had a poor game by his recent high standards and perhaps needs to miss a couple of games to recover. Much of the game passed Paulinho by as he struggled to impose himself of the game. Perhaps he needs to sit in front of the back four for a while, not going forward and orchestrate Spurs’ midfield play from there. Mousa Dembele showed his usual good close control and dribbling skills, but his best work is  often done near the opposition box as his long passing is poor. Aaron Lennon played well enough without looking inspirational but perhaps he missed the outlet that regular right back Kyle Walker provides him.

Organizing the midfield four so that they attack as a coherent, well positioned unit and defend as a coherent, organised unit is the biggest challenge facing Tim Sherwood for the remaining eleven league games if Spurs are to have a realistic chance of gate crashing the top four and joining the Champions league party. Today was a bad day at the office and a setback but a six point deficit is not insurmountable. Tim Sherwood had estimated that Spurs could lose no more than 5 games to remain in contention till the end of the season. It is unlikely the teams above Spurs would lose half of their remaining fixtures between now and the end of the season. So Sherwood needs to reassess his target.  One of those teams, free scoring Liverpool currently occupy the 4^th spot, with a six point cushion to Spurs. It is vital that gap is not extended before Spurs play Liverpool in a potential ‘winner -takes- all’ clash at the end of March.

Such is the relentless pressure of chasing the holy grail of Champions league football. Watching the champions league games this week, this writer has to admit, it really is the only competition to be in. Chairman Daniel Levy would no doubt agree. He has made it his mission to make Spurs Champions league regulars and no Spurs manager is safe until Champions league football is on the menu at White hart lane and Tim Sherwood knows this. No pressure then.

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.

 

Spurs shown a Long way from Hull to Champions League

This was not quite the therapeutic trashing we needed to get the defeat by Manchester City out of our system but in the circumstances; it was a relief to travel back with a point. With Liverpool and Manchester United both dropping points, it was undoubtedly an opportunity missed to tilt that battle in our favour. Then again, no one said this was going to be a straight forward march to the promised land of the Champions league. More an attritional trudge that could end with the door slammed in our faces right at the end.

Having displayed some tactical variety in the last two games with mixed results, Tim Sherwood reverted to his trusted 4-4-2 formation and restored Roberto Soldado to the starting a line up. A clear statement of attacking intent. It was also uplifting to see Jan Vertonghen and Paulinho back in the starting eleven. Their return was quite timely given injuries to Mousa Dembele and Vlad Chirices who had both played well recently.

While this line up shows the strength of the current Spurs squad, a strong is no good if it is unbalanced. From kick off Hull found their rhythm far quicker than Spurs. This was perhaps unsurprising given that their midfield play was being orchestrated by former Spurs favourite Tom Huddlestone. It’s fair to say that Tom Huddlestone underachieved at Tottenham. The sale of one of the best passers we have had at the Lane since the maestro himself, Glen Hoddle caused much debate which was only supressed in the excitement generated by the avalanche of new and exotic talent that pitched up at Spurs Lodge.

Throughout the first half, Spurs struggled to establish any sort of rhythm, offering only sporadic threats. Hull, energised by their new January signings pressed and disrupted Spurs play, scoring when Shane Long took advantage of hesitation between Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose to finish smartly. Spurs continued to press without establishing any control. Adebayor and Soldado constantly dropped deep while Christian Eriksson struggled to impose himself on the game from wide on the left. The second half saw an improvement and although Spurs deserved the equaliser, scored by Paulinho, it was not a convincing performance overall.

While Tim Sherwood has done well since taking over, it is crucial that he establishes quickly, a midfield general. Spurs have some very talented midfielders. One of them needs to be responsible for orchestrating the midfield play and bossing games. He clearly likes 4-4-2 with fast wingers so the midfield general must be encouraged to release the wingers quickly. Christian Eriksson, I feel would be more effective off a main striker or behind two strikers even though he has played well in recent games. I feel for Roberto Soldado. He looks a shadow of the lethal finisher who terrorised La liga defences for the last three seasons. He still strikes me as an instinctively good finisher because of his movement, perhaps when the Europa league restarts, he may get a few goals to help his confidence. This could be crucial in the run in.  

Tim Sherwood also needs to orchestrate a win over a top four team as soon as possible, as much for confidence as for credibility. Unfortunately for him, beating Manchester United is not the prize it once given they have already lost 10 times in all competitions this season. Spurs have done well to stay in contention given the way the season has unfolded on and off the pitch. However the season defining moment is approaching. After Everton at the Lane next Sunday, all but three of Spurs remaining fixtures are against teams below us in the league. The three fixtures in question, Liverpool and Chelsea away and Arsenal at home are among a set of fixtures in March that could define both Spurs and Sherwood’s prospects.

The bean counters have now crunched the numbers that tell the story of this season’s transfer window that closed on Friday. Apart from the record spending for the season by clubs despite a less than frenetic January, a few deals will have raised an eyebrow or two; 

Southampton, in league one three years ago, loaning a striker (Dani Osvaldo) to Italian league leaders and Champions league contenders Juventus. Fulham, bottom of the premiership and perhaps heading to the championship loaning a striker (Dimitar Berbatov) to French moneybags and league challengers Monaco who will be in the Champions league next season. Two Italian internationals, Marco Boriello and Antonio Nocerino sign for relegation threatened West Ham from Roma and AC Milan respectively. It’s a funny old world. Word of advice for Signor Boriello and his mate Nocerino, no matter what Big Sam Allardici tells you, I’d give the West Ham lasagne a miss. Very dodgy. 2006 and all that. Very traumatic experience.

Déjà vu as City Slickers Inflict Pain at The Lane

The good news is Spurs will not play Manchester City again this season. The bad news is an aggregate score of 11-1 against City means that for the first time in over half a century, a league opponent has put more than ten goals past us in a season. That’s a record Tim Sherwood will not be proud of as his unbeaten start came to a crashing halt. More damagingly, the harm done to our goal difference by City is almost our exact deficit to Everton and Manchester United and means that Spurs are effectively an extra point down on our rivals for Champions league qualification. The tin hats didn’t work out so well after all.

Tim Sherwood bravely, heroically, gamely or stupidly depending on your point of view kept his promise to go toe to toe with Manchester City. With Moussa Dembele and Nabil Bentaleb up against the impressive Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. In truth the only way to stop the City juggernaut if you do not have a better team than them is spoiling tactics: man marking, packing the bus etc. styles which are anathema to the Spurs DNA and probably no guarantee of a result against players of the calibre of Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva and the magnificent Vincent Kompany. Saying that, Sherwood’s apparent aversion to defensive midfielders will inevitably be the source of much lively debate in wake of what the Americans would call a ‘shellacking’.

City it has to be said, were much the better side throughout while Spurs struggled to get a foothold in the game. By the time Aguero scored yet another sublime goal in the 15^th minute, there was a palpable fear that this could become uncomfortable viewing. Spurs to their credit, refused to lie down, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris produced one of the saves of this or any other season to stop a goal bound header from the irrepressible Aguero and roared on by a belligerent home crowd that dared to believe, gamely scrapped their way back into the match. Michael Dawson was unlucky to have his equalising goal ruled out as Adebayor was marginally offside and at half time, with two City players on yellow cards, Spurs were definitely still in the contest despite City’s undoubted superiority.  

An uphill task was however made even harder after a contentious and ultimately incorrect decision was made for the referee by the assistant official to award a penalty to City and a red card to Danny Rose after what was undeniably a desperate and risky tackle. Replays however showed that Rose marginally got the ball before catching City striker Edin Dzeko. More than the penalty, which Toure converted with the minimum of fuss, the red card meant Spurs had a mountain to climb. The game then got further away from Spurs as City scored a third. Spurs battled gamely on and substitute Etienne Capoue, ironically a defensive midfielder then scored for Spurs to spark hopes of an improbable recovery. City were however too good, kept attacking with intent and gradually the advantage of the extra man told as they scored two late goals to give the score line a humiliating look that does not reflect the efforts of the Spurs players.  

To revisit his selection and tactics, the issue for me was less about defensive midfielders as most midfielders on Spurs’ books are good box to box players, capable of staying back. It is more about organising the positional play when not in possession. Despite effectively having five midfielders (which in itself reflects some tactical variety on Sherwood’s path), there appeared to be no plan for defensive, organised, collective pressing when City had possession. This meant that Bentaleb and Dembele found themselves constantly bypassed when City were attacking which was far too often for comfort. This is area Sherwood and his coaches must work on as they recover from this setback. The selection of Gylfi Sigurdsson was also flawed. Apart from one good game against Norwich earlier in the season, he has not really stamped any authority on Spurs attacking play. Perhaps Lewis Holtby (probably Spurs answer to James Milner), who despite reservations about his value to the squad often produces energetic performances could have done a better job while also offering defensive discipline. Maybe even Nacer Chadli (who despite having a build like Cristiano Ronaldo often plays infuriatingly like Jose Dominguez) might just have given the suspect Martin Demechelis a more testing afternoon. No doubt in future games, the likes of Andros Townsend and Erik Lamela would have an important role to play these types of formations.

Manchester city had better win the league now. If there is any consolation in being trashed so comprehensively, it is losing to record breaking Champions. It was a sign of the crazy times that City’s bitter rivals, Manchester United had gone from hoping Spurs beat City to help their quest for the premiership to hoping City beat Spurs to help their quest for Champions league qualification. Arsenal would not have minded a draw or a win for Spurs as it keeps the league alive. Even old Machiavelli himself, Jose Mourinho got in on the act, mischievously suggesting he would prefer a City win to reduce the number of teams fighting for the title. Be careful what you wish for Jose. Messrs Mourinho, Wenger, and Moyes, How do you solve a problem like Manchester City? Your problem, not ours anymore. We haven’t been much good at solving it.

 

Spurs at Liberty with another Welsh Takeaway

While I was away, not much appeared to have changed. Spurs went out of another cup competition, tactically outclassed by Arsenal, albeit with a helping hand from Danny Rose and then laboured to a crucial win against palace. Now an impressive away win at Swansea. While Sherwood is clearly still crap at knockout football, he seems to have got the knack of picking up league points. Although it is of course very early in his managerial career to make solid assessments on Tim Sherwood, he has made one heck of a start. The best start of any Spurs manager in the premier league era and the first Manager since the great Bill Nicholson to lead Spurs to five consecutive away victories. That'll look good on the UEFA coaching qualification assessment when he finally gets round to it.

He made a couple of bold calls for this game. The first was to drop £26 million striker Roberto Soldado in favour of the rejuvenated Emmanuel Adebayor as the lone striker and the second was to change from his instinctive preferred four, four, two formation to counter Swansea’s possession based football. Although the inclusion of Nacer Chadli in the reshaped midfield was questionable, given his underwhelming performances so far for Spurs, his line up reflected a tactical flexibility not associated with his mentor, Harry Redknapp and bodes well for his managerial future.

Swansea, despite patchy form of late, made the more confident start, settling into their usual passing rhythm quickly as Jonjo Shelvy tested keeper Hugo Lloris with a few shots and the impressive Wilfred Bony struck the bar with a powerful shot. Spurs took time to find their rhythm and as early as the 10^th minute, Tim Sherwood could be seen yelling instructions from the touchline as his side struggled to impose themselves on the game.  It would be another fifteen minutes or so before Spurs had an attempt on the Swansea goal.

Almost against the run of play, Spurs struck clinically to devastating effect in the 34^th minute. Christian Eriksson, having one of his more impressive games in a Spurs shirt whipped in a super cross, reminiscent of David Beckham in his pomp, which took out the entire Swansea defence and was gobbled up gleefully by Adebayor. Clearly rattled by the goal, Swansea stumbled, almost drunkenly through the rest of the first half, the Liberty stadium now subdued. Spurs, clearly lifted by the goal could have put the game almost out sight. Chadli wasted a glorious chance after Swansea gave away the ball carelessly and Danny Rose, having done the hard work was shaping up to score a belter before becoming a rugby player and belting a shot skywards, almost out of the Liberty stadium. His annoyance with himself was amusingly clear as he pounded the turf in frustration, clearly berating himself.

The second half saw Spurs continue in similarly dominant fashion and their composure was both typified and rewarded by the build up to the second goal as a wicked cross by the impressive Kyle Walker was turned in by Swansea defender Chico Flores in the 53^rd minute. Spurs continued to dominate, although the physically imposing Bony kept Lloris and his back four honest. Spurs domination of the second half was reflected when Adebayor, having vented his spleen at Moussa Dembele moments earlier for not passing to him when he was clear was presented with a glorious chance following good work by Danny Rose in the 70^th minute. He promptly swept hope his sixth goal in his last five games, followed by his now customary “salute” goal celebration. Although Bony added some respectability to the score by scoring a consolation goal, Spurs were largely untroubled as they saw the game out.

There is clearly a more confident feel around Spurs recently. The handbrakes seem to have come off and Tim Sherwood deserves credit for that. He also appears to be learning fast in this most unforgiving of leagues. With this recent good run, Spurs are right back in the mix for Champions league qualification, level on points with Liverpool, albeit with a vastly inferior goal difference that is realistically worth a point and still only seven points off top spot. No, Spurs are not realistic premier league contenders as there are two teams definitely better equipped in Manchester city and Chelsea. However, two more Champions league places are up for grabs with slight favourites Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Everton and Manchester United still in play. In this tightest of seasons, consistency, confidence and energy or a lack thereof will be the deciding factor as we head towards the business end of the season.  Are spurs in contention because of the new coach bounce or has chairman Daniel Levy stumbled on the real deal. We are about to find out just how good a manager Tim Sherwood can be. Next up? Manchester City, scorer of over 100 goals in all competitions already who put six past Spurs in November. No pressure.

I am sure all Spurs followers will join me in wishing Spurs legends Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa speedy recoveries after they were recently involved in a car accident in the Falklands. We hope to see you both back at the Lane soon.

 

 

 

 

Ade and Eriksson Kick off 2014 with Big Win in Manchester

Different season, different manager, mostly different team, same result. Having waited twenty four years for a win against Manchester United on their own turf, Spurs have really gotten the taste for playing at Old Trafford after winning at the theatre of dreams for a second successive season. On a wet and windy northern evening, Tim Sherwood’s dream start to his managerial career continued as his bold, attacking strategy was rewarded with his biggest scalp to date. Tim Sherwood had made it his mission to release the handbrake from Spurs’ restrained play this season and he picked a team to go toe to toe with a Manchester United side coming off the back a six game winning streak. Capoue for the injured Paulinho was enforced while in Kyle walker and Danny Rose, he had his best available full backs. With Adebayor and Soldado continuing their promising partnership upfront and Lennon, Dembele and Eriksson in the side, Spurs’ attacking intent was clear.

United made the better start and dominated the play early on as Spurs tried to get in the game. However, as Spurs settled, their threat became apparent and was highlighted when in one lightening counter attack, Adebayor and Soldado combined sweetly to free Lennon for a glorious chance which goal keeper De Gea saved. Danny Rose was having an intriguing battle with Antonio Valencia on the left flank while Kyle Walker kept a watchful eye on the dangerous Adnan Januzaj. Rooney, who has a good scoring record against Spurs, had to come deeper to get the ball which reduced his considerable goal threat. Lennon was giving United full back Patrice Evra a difficult afternoon. Eriksson probed intelligently while Adebayor and Soldado linked up well. When Adebayor scored, it was not undeserved as Eriksson had found space intelligently to cross and Adebayor guided his header past De Gea. As half time approached, the tension could be sensed around this huge stadium. Spurs looked reasonably comfortable and only an error or flash of inspiration would get United back in the game. Hugo Lloris provided his customary heart in mouth moments with a few flaps at crosses and the occasional rushed clearance while United players resorted to diving for penalties at the lightest contact.

As the second half started and United introduced attackers, Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez to the fray, we waited for the inevitable siege on Spurs’ goal. Instead, the opposite happened as another searing counter attack ended with a second goal for Spurs as Eriksson, enjoying one of his best games, stooped and headed home Aaron Lennon’s cross despite the extremely close proximity of Valencia’s boot to his head. True Viking bravery that. Spurs were in dreamland at the theatre of dreams. However, this is still Spurs. They don’t quite do easy and most Spurs fans were still celebrating when sixteen seconds of play later, United had scored and a previously deflated Old Trafford crowd had been given its voice. Now it was really squeaky bum time. Adebayor had been injured mysteriously and left worryingly on a stretcher. Ashley Young joined the fray as United threw the kitchen sink at Spurs in a frantic attempt to salvage the game. A now frenzied crowed, used for so long to late, heroic comebacks under Alex Fergusson roared its encouragement. Five extra minutes of added time meant more chewed fingernails in addition to the squeaky bums for the Spurs faithful, up alone in the stands and millions watching in pubs and homes around the world. Spurs defended resolutely to the end although Hugo Lloris created one more heart in mouth moment with a reckless lunge at Ashley Young. Old Trafford bayed for a penalty and probably some of Lloris’ blood! Such was the tension. Thankfully, referee Howard Webb stood brave and resisted the vociferous penalty appeals. For all his recklessness, Lloris had not touched Young until he was mid-air and his reputation for diving probably went before him. I've seen them given though. Alas, there was to be no more ‘fergie-time’ and at the final whistle, the roar of elation from Spurs fans and players could probably be heard back at White Hart Lane and perhaps as far as a little corner of Porto, Portugal where a certain Andre Villas Boas would perhaps have watched, scarcely able to recognise the team stuffed at home by Liverpool just two weeks ago. He would know how it feels to win at Old Trafford of course, having achieved it just as impressively last season, one the highlights of an ultimately unfulfilling tenure.

It used to be said that to win the league, you have to finish above Manchester United. It is a measure of United’s own struggle that this win, sadly for their fans in not unique as West Brom, Newcastle and Everton have all won at Old Trafford this season. Spurs still face a battle to finish in the top six never mind the top four but they are most definitely in the mix in a season where most teams are dropping points like confetti. It has to be said though that the top three of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are starting to look ominously consistent.

Nonetheless, this was a big win for Tim Sherwood. He may not have been the exotic, continental Adonis of a manager that some fans wanted after AVB and his style is more Harry Redknapp than Pep Guardiola. He may not have a coaching badge but certainly has tons of self-belief. It takes belief and balls to throw on youth team players Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane as substitutes in the white hot atmosphere of Old Trafford even if his hands were forced a bit by injuries. His biggest success so far though has been to get Adebayor firing in the first team. Some of his forward play was magnificent and it was no coincidence that Spurs threat was greatly reduced when he was injured. One hopes the injury is not too serious. Watching Adebayor, one can’t escape the feeling that AVB really missed a trick by ignoring Adebayor’s attributes so dismissively. A great coach finds a way to get the best players in his team playing at their best. If Tim Sherwood can achieve this, there are enough good players at Spurs to offer a season of real promise. A good start however will count for nothing if his team falters as we enter the business end of the season with cup games and league fixtures coming thick and fast. Speaking of cup games, Tim only has a FA cup tie at league leaders Arsenal to look forward to next. Not much time to savour one fine win. Welcome to the big time son.

Festive Cheers return to the Lane as Tim’s Spurs Overpower Stoke

On the morning of 16^th December, Tim Sherwood was making his way to the Spurs Lodge to oversee the training of the development squads, Emmanuel Adebayor was still out of the first team picture, Spurs had been plunged back into crisis the day before by the Liverpool trashing, had not kept a clean sheet in the league since the 3^rd of November and had not scored more than two goals in a league game all season. Fast forward two weeks and Adebayor is the focal point of a promising partnership with Roberto Soldado, Spurs have scored three goals in two of their last three matches and also finally kept a clean sheet again with a good, emphatic win against Stoke. Maybe Tim Sherwood is right after all. He had said tongue in cheek at one of his earlier press conferences that if he does well and still loses the job, he'd simply join Real Madrid! Perhaps he knows more about this management lark than his CV would suggest and he might yet surprise us all.

Tim Sherwood has made some bold calls since taking over, not least the decision to switch to 4-4-2. It was a bold although reasonable decision to bring Adebayor back into the team given the lack of goals. He has clearly given the team a licence to attack. There was a feeling that under AVB, Spurs played with the handbrakes on. However the fact that Sherwood has yet to start with a defensive midfielder in his line up shows where his emphasis is. Goodness knows what AVB must be thinking watching Adebayor perform as impressively as he has in the last four games. Considering he has hardly played any football this season, his interplay with Soldado has already yielded goals, assists and looks quite promising. Tim Sherwood deserves credit for that.

Sherwood made another brave call in handing Zeki Fryers his first start for Spurs and also playing him in his natural position of left back. While Fryers still has a lot of improving to do, he gave Spurs a level of natural balance that the right sided Kyle Naughton never did when he played there. He needs games in that position, either at Spurs or out on loan to get better in the same way that Kyle Walker and Danny Rose did. Incidentally, Kyle Naughton, playing in his natural position of right full back had arguably one of his best games for Spurs. For all the tactical trends in modern football, playing footballers in their natural positions can be ridiculously effective. Tim Sherwood will do well to remember this lesson as he moves forward.

Mousa Dembele and Paulinho were highly impressive in central midfield and it is a massive blow that we are now going to lose Paulinho for at least a month due to the thuggery of Stoke City’s Charlie Adam, who is developing this unwelcome habit of injuring Spurs better players whenever he play his team. He had previously injured Gareth Bale as well with an ugly tackle.  Paulinho has impressed since arriving at Spurs and when he plays really well, Spurs tend to play really well. The good thing is you sense there is a lot more to come from him and Tim Sherwood will do well to get it out of him consistently. He will also have to find a way to get Mousa Dembele performing consistently.  He has brilliant dribbling skills and the ability to change direction. His distribution however and his goal ratio for a player of such talent has so much scope for improvement. His well taken goal against Stoke yesterday was a welcome start.

It was also great to see Aaron Lennon get on the score sheet and also making runs off the ball and providing decent crosses. Lennon is an experienced player now and a level of consistency is needed from him on the right and indeed should be expected, with his pace. This is particularly important as Andros Townsend appears to have gone off the boil a bit. Speaking of Townsend, it was perhaps inevitable that after his impressive start to the season and explosion on the England scene, there would be a dip in form. He now needs to knuckle down, learn the lessons and fight his way back to the level that had him almost guaranteed a world cup squad spot. On current form and given the number of right sided young players in form, that can no longer be taken for granted.

All in all seven points from three premier league games and a return to the attacking principles we love is a decent start to Tim Sherwood’s career as Spurs Manager. It means we end a tumultuous year on a high and head into 2014 with everything still to play for. The loss to West Ham in the league cup was an irritant that would probably be forgotten as Manchester City are strong favourites to win it. Managers among other things have to be lucky to survive in this business for long and we are about to get an indication of how good and how lucky a manager Tim Sherwood will be. Tough tests wait in the league as we start the new year with a tasty clash with in form but beatable Manchester United followed by a FA Cup third round tie at Arsenal.  As Tim Sherwood himself said, time to get the tin hats on. Here’s to an exciting 2014 at the Lane.

Exit wounds all round as Andre Villas Boas falls on his sword

The end was brutal and mercifully swift. Andre Villas Boas had cut a dazed and lonely picture on the pitch as Raheem Sterling scored the fifth goal to complete Liverpool’s demolition job and leave him at the mercy of Daniel Levy’s judgement. Like a peasant at the mercy of a Roman Emperor. AVB has off course been here before with a certain Roman Emperor down Kings Road. He had survived to tell the tale and he was now plotting to overthrow the said Roman Empire, now being overseen ironically by his mentor and one time friend, Jose Mourinho.  To his credit, he did not hide from the after match press conference. He took the predictable grilling from the press pack while trying grimly to hang on to his credibility for all it was worth, but he looked a beaten man, with all the confidence of a turkey, who knows what it’s like to be stuffed at this time of the year. And so with one downward point of Daniel Levy’s thumb, the era of Andre Villas Boas, 39^th manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and 11^th to lead the first team (including caretakers but not directors of football!) since the reign of King Daniel Levy was consigned to history.

So why or where did it go wrong for AVB? How should we judge AVB as a manager? And is Daniel Levy any closer to establishing our great club firmly back in the big time?

To answer the first question, one has to look no further than Gareth Bale. Bale was AVB’s gift and curse. Since 2010, Bale has been Spurs star player and inspiration. Despite the presence of outstanding players like Luka Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart, Bale gave Spurs a swagger we have not had since David Ginola flicked his admittedly gorgeous hair all over White hart lane. AVB’s great success in 2012 was inspiring even greater performances from Bale and adding at least another forty million pounds to his transfer value. The 2012/2013 season did much to restore some of AVB’s credibility, so much so that Paris St Germaine came sniffing for his services. With Bale’s world record transfer however, AVB was exposed. While Spurs spent heavily in the transfer market, the three players AVB wanted more than any other escaped his grasp. From day one on the job, Joao Moutinho has been his number one target. The midfield general that will set the tempo for Spurs. The others were Hulk and Willian. But for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Willian would have been delivered. The other players would have enhanced the squad. However, the Hulk deal never looked like materialising and Moutinho ended up at moneybags, Monaco. This made this season a very testing one for AVB. He also appeared to ignore Adebayor rather too hastily. Undoubtedly, none of the signings have shone consistently, nonetheless, he started solidly enough. The alarm bells first rang when West ham mugged us at the Lane. The dissenting voices among fans, critics and press increased due to an increasingly discernible lack of tempo.  However it was the manner of the heavy defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool that really sealed his fate. For such an astute tactician, AVB seemed unable to affect some matches and confidence looked alarmingly fragile.

So was AVB a success or a failure? At first glance, the answer is obvious. After all, you don’t get sacked for being successful do you? However, the evidence is not so conclusive. AVB loves his statistics and would take comfort from the fact that statistically his win percentage in all competitions places him third highest on the all-time list of Spurs managers. Statistically he has the highest win percentage of any Spurs manager in the premier league era and no Spurs manager in premiership history has ended the season with more points.  Set against that is the fact that no trophies were won, semi- finals or finals contested, no champions league. A harsh indictment perhaps, but Spurs have moved up a level since Daniel Levy became chairman. Previously unheard of sums of money are now being spent on players regularly and most crucially, recent managers have been in no doubt about what is expected of them when they join Spurs. Most Spurs fans will just about tolerate a lack of trophies if the team is playing entertaining football consistently and at least challenging for the big prizes. This has been AVB’s chief crime this season and left him without a safety net when results turned against him. AVB has however won a league title in Portugal, a league tougher than Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Scotland. He remains the youngest manager ever to win a European title and has earned the respect of players like Willian, Moutinho, Falcao and Gareth Bale. And yet, AVB has yet to complete a second season at ANY club he has managed.  AVB still has plenty of admirers in the game, talks a great game and there are plenty of managers with far worse records than his. His credibility will be the source of much debate. I can only conclude that, in spite of his success with Porto, outside of his native Portugal, Andre Villas Boas has not been a lucky manger so far.  

So where does this leave Levy’s ambition for Spurs?

Like Roman Abramovic at Chelsea, Daniel Levy has always wanted an A-List manager to take Spurs into the big time. Unlike Abramovic at Chelsea, he has not been able to bring the very best managers to Spurs. Glen Hoddle was a populist if welcome move. Harry Rednapp was a desperate move to avoid the threat of relegation and turned out better than expected before imploding because of the England job that never was. Juande Ramos was a rising star in Spanish football following his work with Sevilla but struggled to adapt outside of Spain, Jacques Santini had overseen one of France’s worst tournament performances prior to taking over while Martin Jol established Spurs as top five, top six  but could not make the final break through.  All of the above are decent managers in their own right. However Levy has wanted more from his managers since dispensing with Glen Hoddle. His tenure at Spurs has seen a cross between the extravagant spending of Chelsea and the financial prudence of Arsenal. However, without completely going one way or the other, Spurs have been at a sort of halfway house, tantalisingly close to a breakthrough but not quite getting there. Ecstasy and agony been delivered too closely, too often to be good for the old ticker. 

His chosen one, perhaps surprisingly is the previously untested Tim Sherwood. A Redknapp protégé who is well thought of at Spurs due to his work with the development squad which has given us Harry Kane, Tom Carroll, Andros Townsend and most recently the promising Nabil Bentaleb.  How will he get on? Time will tell, however If history is any judge, Tim will have to outdo his mentor and show the tactical suaveness of a fancy continental coach. Above all, he will need to be lucky.  In one sense, he already is by getting this job. It is a far healthy situation than most managers walk into mid-season. Spurs are still within breathing distance of the top of the league in this most open of seasons and have a decent squad of players. Now Mr Tim Sherwood must walk the walk. It’s already squeaky bum time. A sensation Spurs fans have felt far too often in recent times. In fact Daniel Levy’s tenure at Spurs can be summarised as a squeaky bum ride. It’s never dull at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. 

St Emmanuel gives Spurs the gift of three points at Saints’ grotto

Some felt this was a good time to play Spurs, without a manager and having conceded thirteen goals in the last four league games, including five in their last league game. Others felt that it was a good time to play Southampton, given their own patchy form without a win in five league games before yesterday’s match.  The more mischievous observers thought it was a good opportunity for Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino to audition for the Spurs job given his impressive career to date in English football. What no one foresaw at the start of the week was that a striker who had not started a single league game for Spurs this season would make the headlines.

Emmanuel Adebayor missed pre-season and has not trained with the first team this season, having at various times trained with the reserves and even on his own. Yet he was arguably Spurs best player in the midweek Carling cup quarter-final defeat at home to West Ham (again!! painful I know) scoring with a fabulous volley and on Sunday, produced another fine performance, scoring two classy goals and creating a few assists as well. Adebayor has always divided opinion. To some, he is a world class striker who just needs to be loved and believed in, be the main man. To others, he is a luxury, a lazy striker who only turns in his best performances when he is playing for a contract or wants a transfer. What is undeniable is that he has all the attributes of a top striker, but has been frustratingly inconsistent, not just at Spurs, but throughout his career in English football. One great season followed by an indifferent one, followed by inevitable speculation about his future and then a transfer. Just once, I would like Adebayor to dedicate three years to a single club without any thought of moving and apply himself fully to achieving something. It would be a first; however Spurs are a club hungry for success. So desperate for success in fact they have been changing managers with all the desperation of a love starved woman changing boyfriends at the first whiff of trouble.

Back in the autumn, when Spurs still had a miserly defence but were struggling to score goals, I suggested that an Emmanuel Adebayor with a point to prove may just be the trump card for Spurs Champions league ambitions during the business end of one of the most open and unpredictable seasons in premiership history. Even Adebayor himself boasted that despite new strikers at the club, he expected to end the season as the main striker and top scorer. Three goals in a couple of good games do not begin to fulfil that prediction.  However, with twenty one league games left and only six points off the top of league, an FA cup third round tie against Arsenal at the Emirates and a Europa league round of thirty two tie against Ukrainian side Dnipro, there remains plenty to play for and a massive opportunity now presents itself to make good on his boast.

It was a brave if not totally unexpected call from caretaker manager and ex Spurs midfielder Tim Sherwood to reinstate Adebayor straight into the starting line-up after taking over from the sacked Andre Villas Boas. It was also reasonably predictable that he would adopt the 4-4-2 formation favoured by his mentor Harry Redknapp. Tim however showed real belief in his judgement by starting without a specialist defensive midfield (shades of Ossie Ardiles famous five) and then bringing on Nabil Bentaleb, an 18 year old youth team player ahead of internals Etienne Capoue and Lewis Holtby. The teenager did well while he was on the pitch and follows a line of players from Spurs youth team like Steve Caulker, Harry Kane, Tom Carroll, Jake Livermore and Andros Townsend. All these players have progressed to the fringes of the first team under Tim Sherwood’s watch and this as well as results in the ensuing games will be his audition for the Spurs managers’ job. He is talking a good game and seems personable enough with the media. However, truth be told, he will hardly set the pulses of Spurs supporters racing, at least initially. Possession is nine tenths of the law though so Tim as interim manager is in contention. 

AVB, his sacking and the managerial situation at Spurs will be discussed in a later post. For now, Spurs faithful should draw some comfort from the fact that the last interim manager to follow AVB managed to lift the Champions league and the FA cup.  Spurs are not in the Champions league. The Europa league, FA cup and top four would do nicely though thank you very much. Now there’s an exciting thought to warm the cockles this festive season. Calm down dear, I hear you say. Ah well, we can always dream. That’s what fans do. What IS realistic though?

Pain at the Lane as Liverpool and Suarez Rip Spurs Apart

As John Cleese so memorably said, "It's not the disappointment, it's the hope I can't cope with". Hope and excitement had preceded the start of this game among the Spurs faithful who turned up in their thousands at White Hart Lane. Spurs had recovered reasonably well from the last great thrashing. This was the game that would complete our recovery and set us up for a happy Christmas with winnable games throughout the crucial period. Manchester City even set the mood music by thrashing Arsenal 6 – 3 the previous day. The sight of Jack Wilshere giving the finger and a clearly irate Per Mertersacker berating Mesut Ozil in no uncertain terms for not acknowledging the fans at the end provided an amusing backdrop. Just beat Liverpool, five points behind Arsenal, game on. Simples.

Ninety painful, deflating minutes later, players and fans trudged way, dazed, head dropped and hopes dashed again. Luis Suarez had bitten us where it really hurts (metaphorically this time of course). In truth, from about the 12^th minute, Liverpool had taken control of this game. Raheem Sterling gave Kyle Naughton an absolute roasting on the left flank. It must have come as a relief to him when he was substituted for the second half. Michael Dawson, Etienne Capoue and Kyle Walker probably all wished they were by the end of the game. Such had been the caning. Everyone knew that Liverpool’s Inspiration was Luis Suarez, yet no defender got close to him all afternoon. In midfield, players who on paper looked much better than Liverpool’s midfielders were overrun and overpowered by the intensity and energy of Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson, two players who without being disrespectful do not excite even Liverpool fans.

To compound the mystery for Spurs fans, Adebayor and Benoit Assou-Ekoto tweeted a picture appearing to poke fun at a painful result. No Spurs supporter left White Hart Lane feeling they had just witnessed a great game. Whether you agree with a manager or not, players are employed by clubs and the very least that fans deserve is for players to show they care.  It was crass, disrespectful to teammates and reflects badly on players that haven’t exactly been indispensable. The players that played cannot be accused of not caring, they tried, gave everything and the pain as well as probable embarrassment was obvious at the end.

So where did it all go wrong? Moussa Dembele always looks good on the ball, but was ineffective and simply has not done enough to create any consistent attacking impetus this season. Nacer Chadli arrived at spurs having created the most number of assists in the Dutch first division last season. However, he has hardly shown anything like that form. Aaron Lennon has simply not looked the same player he has been for us. Paulinho had one of his least effective games for Spurs, the game seemed to pass him by and his sending off for a high challenge on Suarez though unfortunate and unintentional was justified and summed up his wretched afternoon. Roberto Soldado had rightly been given the start after his hat trick in midweek. However, Spurs did not have a single shot on target during the entire game. This against a defence featuring prolific own goal scorer Martin Skrtel, a defender still finding his feet in Mohammed Sakho and a full back in Jon Flanagan with only a handful of premiership games to his name. One has to feel sorry for Soldado. He was brought in to score goals. He is not scoring goals, but he is not missing many chances because he hardly gets any.

There is a pattern emerging in Spurs play this season, which is not doing us any favours as the record on one home win in six league games show. The slow build up and possession play is great in continental competition and serves us well in away games. However, the intensity of the premiership demands that we sacrifice a bit of the patient build up and have the confidence to really have a go at visiting teams. Spurs have only showed that in flashes this season and on Sunday, our worst home defeat in 16 years, Liverpool had far too much snap, crackle and pop for Spurs more sedate style. Their energy levels and the confidence in their passing were impressive and Brendan Rodgers and their players deserve credit for their performance.

What Spurs are lacking more than anything is an inspirational leader on the field. Since late 2009, Gareth Bale has not only played consistently well for Spurs, he has been a galvanising influence on the rest of the team. His performances raised the energy and confidence levels of the whole team. Spurs were never out of a game while he was on the field. That, as much as the player himself is what we lost, when he moved to Real Madrid. Liverpool found theirs in Suarez, Arsenal in Ramsey and Ozil this season, Manchester City, well take your pick but you get the picture. Sometimes great managers inspire great teams that lack great, inspirational players. Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson come to mind. Looking around the Spurs dressing room, you see a lot of very good players, but you don’t see a consistent, inspirational match winner. Until this newly assembled team finds its identity and it’s heroes, players who other teams worry about, players who while they are on the pitch, the game is never lost, AVB who is a very good manager, but not yet a great one will have to find a way to inspire great performances from this team. Can he do it?

Speaking of Andre Villas Boas, media speculation on his future will once again intensify. As I mentioned in an earlier post, that is an unfortunate occupational hazard these days and all managers take premier league jobs fully aware of this. The only immunity is winning and winning well. To be fair, AVB accepted full responsibility for the performance. Will Spurs chairman Daniel Levy be patient with a manager who has NEVER managed the same club for two consecutive seasons and give him a chance to get it right or will he cut his losses, admit he made a mistake and pull the plug on “The Project”? The normal rule of business, where Daniel Levy has excelled does not always apply in running a big football club. He must hope his next decision is the right one. AVB must hope he is given the chance to bring his vision of a successful, entertaining Spurs side to life. We poor fans must hope we win the next game. Hope. That word again. So damn positive. So damn painful.   

Gutsy Spurs survive Stadium of Light to end week on a high

In the helter skelter world of premiership football, where fans have notoriously short memories, a week is long time and two weeks can seem an age.  A very long time ago, two weeks to be exact, Andre Villas Boas celebrated his 50^th game in charge of Tottenham by watching his team lose humiliatingly at Manchester city. Bookies had him as favourite to be the next manager sacked. Ravenous hacks tore into him with indecent relish and that overused word ‘crisis’ hung over Tottenham. Two a league wins and a creditable draw later, Tottenham sit in sixth place, three points off second place and (albeit with a vastly inferior goals difference) and a not insurmountable eight points off the top. The cloud of crisis moving swiftly up the M62 to Manchester united and manager David Moyes who must have felt really lonely as United lost back to back home matches in the league for the first time in 12 years.

While AVB is entitled to a spot of self-satisfaction after a good couple of weeks, this most unpredictable of seasons has shown that positions and prospects can change rapidly on a few results. He must therefore be aware of the danger that still lurks. Apart from Arsenal, no other team has shown the level of consistency that can allow it’s fans to relax, safe in the knowledge that their team will live up to expectations. In the absence of any such momentum, only the form of our key players and the emergence of an effective pattern of play is the basis on which our prospects for the rest of the season can be judged.

Hugo Lloris is undoubtedly one of the best keepers in the league and his ability to play as a sweeper does give Spurs an extra dimension at the best of times. However, he does not seem as authoritative as he was before his sickening collision with Romelu Lukaku a month ago. He is still an excellent shot stopper, but has not looked as commanding on crosses and one-on-one situations since his return. He may need a few games to get back into his groove, but as we head into the busy December period, Spurs can ill afford the kind of mistake that allowed Sunderland to take the lead on Saturday.

Etienne Capoue showed his versatility by playing as a centre back and had a good game at the weekend. However, While the ruggedness of Michael Dawson is not in doubt, he looks susceptible to pace. It is noticeable that Tottenham have not played as high a defensive line as they have in the past,  though this is still a core part of AVB’s football philosophy. Jan Vertonghen and Vlad Chiriches, who has really impressed since his debut, appear to be the best centre backs we have while Kaboul regains fitness. Kyle Walker has played well recently at right back but for all the decent signings made in the transfer window, the failure to sign a left back to compete with or cover Danny Rose has severely compromised our play down the left this season.

   

The midfield has been a bit of mixed back all season. Paulinho has impressed both defensively and in getting forward to pose a goal threat as he did at the weekend. Lewis Holtby has been busy and tried to create things when he has played. Dembele has not been firing on all cylinders although there are signs in recent games that he is coming into some form. His ability to keep the ball and run with it is fantastic. If only he could spray passes like Tom Huddleston, he would be some player. Sigurdsson made a decent start but seems to have gone off the boil a little. Other than Paulinho and perhaps Andros Townsend, Sigurdsson seems the only other midfielder with goals in him. Of the others, Sandro has been his usual belligerent self. Lennon and Townsend have played well without inspiring while Nacer Chadli has yet to really show the form he showed in Holland.

Attack has been a problem for Spurs for a few seasons now. Gareth Bale’s heroics and a great season from Adebayor, while on loan from Manchester city have disguised the problem for the last three seasons. Jermain Defoe will always score goals but never enough to carry a top four team on his own. Soldado has made an underwhelming start to his Tottenham career, but he has enough pedigree and class to believe he will come good soon. Key to this will be the form of Christian Eriksson and Erik Lamela. Both are very young and exceptionally talented. They clearly need time to adjust to the frenetic pace of premiership football and find their consistency.

In terms of the football style, AVB’s history suggests he is committed to possession based attacking football. Spurs players are young, hungry and receptive enough to adapt to this philosophy. Given the number of new players signed in the summer, this was always a transitional season. Perhaps AVB should have dampened expectations a bit to give himself some room for manouvre while he blended them in. In the circumstances, Spurs have slogged their way like a boxer on the ropes into contention for Champions league qualification without ever playing their best. That is either promising or worrying, depending on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist.

Last December, Spurs recovered from a patchy November to collect thirteen points from a possible eighteen. With seven on the board already and testing matches against Liverpool, Southampton, West Brom and Stoke, we’ll know a lot more about Spur’s prospects after December.

A word on a much liked former Spur’s boss. In 2004, a Dutch coach (Martin Jol) with a growing reputation and managerial ambitions joined Spurs as assistant manager. Thirteen games later the head coach (Jacques Santini) was sacked after poor results and said coach became manager. In 2013, a Dutch coach with a growing reputation and managerial ambitions (Rene Meulensteen) joined Fulham as assistant manager. After thirteen games, head coach (Martin Jol) is sacked and said coach becomes manager. It’s a funny old game. Good luck for the future big Martin.