Tottenham Hotspur’s first team didn’t quite manage to reach the dizzy heights of Burnley as we limped over the line in our last clash with Fulham, but back to back victories for the first time since November certainly shouldn’t be sniffed at.
Manager Jose Mourinho has already confirmed he will again be rotating the pack ahead of the next run of fixtures the club has which again sees us on the Sunday/Thursday schedule but you’d like to hope we will persist with the front three of Sonny, Harry and Bale for obvious reasons.
Palace themselves will make the trip with boosted spirits as they are on a run of three without defeat, and this weekend they should be able to welcome back Wilfried Zaha after his five game spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
For us, the game still comes too early for Giovani Lo Celso but we may be able to welcome him back to the bench for the Europa game. Serge Aurier will likely face a late fitness test after his calf tightened up against Burnley, but otherwise we should be good to go.
Now we play the ‘which Spurs will turn up’ game…
block……United showed yesterday that City aren’t invincible so who knows!
With regards to yesterday, I cant agree that Sanchez being out of position was the reason Palace scored, the way I saw it was that Toby was generally responsible for marking Benteke but had been drawn out of position to cover the threat from Ayew because whoever was responsible for this hadn’t got back. When Toby saw the danger from Benteke he made the effort to get back but was too late to mount an effective challenge.
I have mentioned before that we have a serious failing when dealing with high crosses into our box, it’s not something that has just come about, it has been a failing for more than a couple of seasons now. We really do need a centre half who is good at dealing with crosses, the priority seems to have been given to ball playing CB’s in recent years which has made us weak in this area.
Well its the day after, what a win, Kane n A’Bale excellent partnership with “Go on my Son” adding to a quite frightening front 3, then add Maura with his tenacity, never give up battling attitude, then what a front 4.
To add, all 4 goals came from quick, push n run, one two, want the ball, give them no breathing space football, excellent long may it carry on, I also believe the players are pacing themselves + rotation, the season is far from over for us just yet, so fingers firmly crossed.
A couple of things came from yesterdays game/result….
Our Arry is the first Spurs player to do the double act since Jurgen Klinnsman in 1988, 2 & 2, goals and assists in the same game.
We are only the 2nd team in the European top 5 leagues to score 100+ gls this season, Bayern Munich are the other, top, with 106 gls scored, so regards us, that’s not bad for a negative, defensive attitude team lol! COYS
PY…..just to give some context to that, we have played more games than any other club in Europe’s top 5 leagues.
TQ, picky picky lol! am I bothered, no! it really doesn’t matter does it, fact is fact.
Regards the goal that we concede from Bendickhead, blame the CB’s all you like, but the blame for me lies firmly on Doh’s shoulders, if he had been awake to what’s going on around him and closed the CP player down the cross leading to the goal would never have occurred, simple as that. COYS
TQ 100% re games played, I said this about 2 threads ago when we weren’t doing so well, I had to laugh at Sam Allerdice whinging about playing 3 games in 7 days when Newcastle had only played 2, well Sam welcome to our world.
Re, the stadium, I stand corrected folks, Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa,
I hvnt been to the new stadium as yet, due to a few years ill health and 1 year covid.
So not talking form a perspective of knowledge.
As I said I don’t get to see Spurs at home so often as it is a very big treat.
Often costing £100s of pounds
Where as to see Spurs in Manchester, Liverpool, even Newcastle costs much less, still get to see the team though.
Just thought we had spent vast sums on the stadium, but we’re buying “some” players in the bargain bin.
What is impressive, is that since losing to City in the PL., Spurs have played 6 matches. Losing just one and winning 5. Whilst scoring 18 goals and only conceding 5. Having scored 4 goals in 4 of those 6 matches.
This is so much better than we were doing, up to the City match…
I think some focus too much on how much the stadium has cost and how it has affected spending on players right now. Even putting aside the pandemic, which nobody could have factored into the finances at the time the stadium build costs were estimated, the facilities were always intended with long term planning in mind. There was no way the increased matchday income was going to make an immediate impact on player spending power other than maybe affording some higher wage settlements. The real benefits are going to be going forward into the future helping to raise our commercial income through staging other events, the NFL obviously, but also boxing, rugby union and possibly league, and music concerts amongst many possibilities. This increase is needed to compete with the super rich clubs and will be founded on a sustainable business model and not funded by oligarchs getting round FFP rules or inviting players to join them on their yacht and making them an offer they can’t refuse.
TQ, very true post there, we should all believe and understand. COYS
I bet Kane and Bale will also become best golf buddies as well once they are able to play, you can just imagine the chat on the course:
HK19: So Gazza, what’s it like playing for the best club in the world?
GB9: Oh H, it’s absolutely fantastic, just wish I had never left and joined that Spanish outfit!
🙂
Oh bum….HK10 of course! lol
Yes guys,
Whilst I agree with much of what you are saying, and again agree that we do have a Stadium second to none. And it is also a magnet for other sports and indeed functions and entertainment. However all this is not much use, if we can’t grace the pitch with the best players and compete in the best competitions on it.
The facilities alone will not lure the best players to our club, there needs to be a realistic chance of players coming to our club to be competing in the top competitions and for the league title.
And that means paying top dollar for and to these players.
Niall….that’s the point I was making, the increased income over the longer term will allow us to compete for the best players which in turn should result in title/trophy success. The old stadium was never going to allow us to do that. It was never going to provide instant success, it’s going to take a few seasons before we get full benefit, this hasn’t been helped by the pandemic which will have pushed this out by at least one or two seasons I’m afraid.
As to the stadium. when DL et al. planned it they expected it would quickly start to bring in money. Pandemic arrived and the cash flow hasn’t been there. Surely this hurts in the short term at least in terms of bringing new blood into the team. It still may turn out to be a brilliant move to have built what may well be the best place in the world to see a football match. Now we need to make sure that our team plays football in a style that the new home merits: the traditional style of Spurs football. We do not win by boring the opposition to death. We dare to play like our spurs are hot.
As to our position for the remainder of the season. We are now deliciously close to a spot in the top 4. It is within our ability to end the season in the top 4. We must dare to play in a way that our hot spurs will carry us into the CL for next season. It is within reason that we can do so. But we’ll no do so if we try to drag out one point per match by boring the opposition to death. We need to dare if we are to do. By tradition there is a sign that says so in our stadium . Read the sign. Do exactly what it says and we will have as good a chance as anyone else of playing the the CL next season. The timid rarely succeed on the pitch. We have a shockingly good set of attacking players. Better than any other team has. Kane, Bale, Son. Wow!
Don’t sit back. Go for it constantly. We have defensive players. Let’s let them play defense. 4 King can train them well, I believe. Leave him to the task. He was 4 King great and he can help our current players how to do their job.
Don’t get me wrong guys,
Love the stadium for what it is and is going to be, but for me in a way it cost Poch his job (IMO) as because of this he had to deal with the same set of players over around 3 transfer windows whilst other teams were strengthening, I agree we have among the best strike force in the Premier league, don’t forget there’s one who’s wages we can’t afford, our defence does need refreshing, many here were talking “mid table” just a week or so ago, what kind of players can a midtable team with no finances get.
Yes it was a great attacking performance and result. Am I alone in wondering if I’m more critical of my own team than others? There was was a period during the match that CP pressed high and we looked as if we didn’t know how to play out again. Passes went astray or were mis-controlled and possession conceded. This worries me as we can only attack from a strong foundation in midfield. At times too the passing was slow as if the passer doubted the ability of the receiver to control anything not gently rolled to them. Hardly the two-touch sharp passing of a top team.
LT…..no you’re not alone. There is still lots of fragility in our squad that is masked in games by our super attacking qualities. Our defence gives me the jitters every time the opposition gets near our box. :- )
no team has more fire power up front that do we. But the back line isn’t the same caliber at all. I take both of these two statements as true. If we’d spent some of the money that went into the stadium we could have a back four equal in quality to the front line.
Can we keep this front line? Hard to say. Kane will attract bids that we cannot match, and Son might too. just as we could not match the bid some years back that took Bale to Madrid we might lose both Kane and Son.
bale would have had a happier life if he hadn’t gone to Madrid, but he’s got a much larger bank account because he did go. Will he be with us next season? There are large reasons to have doubt.
Can we make it to the top 4 with our current back line? Yes, but it will be in spite of the back line, not because of it. We need to count on 4 King Ledley King be a super teacher if the back line is to suffice. But, if we get the ball to the front line in good position they can score on anyone.
We would have a stronger roster now if we’d spent more on players and less on the world’s most spectacular stadium. but no one knows right now whether that spectacular stadium might help us become a much stronger club in the future. As the Scotsman David Hume pointed out, one cannot predict the future from the past . No guarantees.
If José has any daring in him, if he doesn’t kill the daring in the players, then we can. But that’s a large “if”
Exactly so TK, there are no guarantees, investing more in the squad instead of the stadium wouldn’t have guaranteed winning titles or trophies any more than the increased income from the new stadium will.
My point more or less TK.
we’re of like minds here, Niall. I find we often are.
five points off the top four with a match in hand (a match in hand is worth two in the bush, and we all love going in and out of bushes). this is something that can be done. but to be done we must first dare to do. so let’s see it get done. five points off with 3 points in the hand and ours to get. run the table is it’s all but ours. who could have dreamed this not that long ago?
As far as the stadium discussion goes here are my thoughts ….
It’s a done deal
It’s here to stay
Accept it,
Get used to it,
Forget about it
Live with it!
Move on
Well, that’s how I see it anyway. : – )
Geof….simply put and I agree, the simplist bit….move on! COYS
No one suggested tearing down the stadium. Get over it. That’s how I see it anyway…
Trust you to take the long view Geof……..and it’s a bloody long view from Australia! lol
TQ …. 21 years in London where it was ‘I’ll put the kettle on, that’ll fix it’. Followed by 53 years in Australia where it’s ‘She’ll be right, mate’. : – )
As you say Geoff in the long term it may be a good deal, who knows, but just now 80 mil would’ve bought a decent LCB and midfield playmaker.
As a player faced with PSG, Man C, Man U, Liverpool, Barca, Real, and Spurs all wanting you to play for them, who do you go to? I know we have the best facilities of them all.
But who has the capability to win the most trophies in all competitions, and that’s what players want.
Like it or not.
ND ….I get what you’re saying and don’t even disagree. But not all players make money a priority and many of those who do will only stay until the next big deal. I’d prefer players like Kane and, I suspect, Son, who are making heaps of dollars but don’t compromise their integrity and loyalty. Maybe I’m just being naive?