Sometimes there’s no alternative. Admit you’re beat, take it on the chin and move on. Yesterday against WHam it was Spurs who had to suck it up. Never in the game, from first to last.

Tottenham did not play well but were not allowed to play, never able to find a way past or through Bilic’s tactics. Pochettino simmered on the touchline throughout, muttering darkly to the bench. Whether this was because he was angry with his team or angry that he had been outmanoeuvred we will never know, probably a bit of both. It was a surprise to see WHam line up with three at the back but the real damage was done further upfield where they did not allow us to play out from the back by pressing the centre halves and denying fullbacks Trippier and Davies any space. In midfield they always had at least one extra man. Never mind three at the back, we hardly got anywhere near them and when we did, Kane was one versus three, an unfair fight even for him.

A theme of the past few weeks is that word is getting around – break the game up, disrupt the flow and Spurs are nowhere near as dangerous. We fell back into bad habits and for extended periods were our own worst enemy. We tried to beat a player and lost it countless times. We went long to try and loosen the stranglehold in the middle, in reality we just went aimless. Kane alone up front was easily picked off, but most of these passes went either straight to an opponent or into touch. Ahh, AVB, those were the days…

In my last piece I praised Pochettino for playing to Nacer Chadli’s strengths. He doesn’t take on the full responsibility of MP’s regime, so the manager has freed him, using him either in games where the team has a little more space (Colchester, Fiorentina) or as a sub when we need a goal and are pressing forward. In other words, not as a starter in a London derby.

Less than ten minutes in, Chadli’s pass back towards Davies put the fullback under unnecessary pressure and he had to concede a corner. It flew to the near post where the man Chadli was marking, or rather the man Chadli was nowhere near, headed it home. It was a vital goal. Ultimately it proved to be the winner but at the time it set the tactical tone. WHam did attack but they were under no pressure to open up to seek a goal. If you’ve gone with three at the back, perfect in fact.

Erik Lamela was also back to his bad old ways. He worked hard but held onto the ball too long and was frequently tackled. In one particularly irksome phase, he expertly wriggled clear only to stop and then pass to our wide man without spotting the two defenders in the way. All that hard work wasted. Meanwhile he got wound up and put his foot in late, breaking up the play and giving WHam the ball. Just what they wanted. Thought he had got past his brat phase – this was a big game and he did not cope at all well.

But they were symptoms not the cause. This was collective failure. It started early and spread from the back. Hugo has set an example for the whole team this season. Yesterday he missed a cross early on and then nearly dwelt too long on a ball at his feet in the box. We generated few ideas and forgot the movement and possession game that has served us so well. Might have done better to take a deep breath and knock it about for a bit. The only time we looked at all like scoring was after Alli came on and became a focal point for attacks as well as sharing the burden with Kane. He missed our one chance, miscuing a rebound after Toby’s fierce shot. It looked bad but the defender just did enough to cramp his room for movement as he shot. Kane looks really out of sorts. He looks knackered.

Enough. I’ve seen every NLD at the Lane bar one since 1968. Without question this is the biggest of them all. In my time the title has never been at stake, not for Spurs at any rate although in my time I’ve seen them win the league not once but twice. We are still second with everything to play for. Take the game to them from start to finish. Take them on. Don’t leave anything behind, play without fear. This is spellbinding stuff. The Derby will provoke every emotion known to woman or man then suck it dry, spin it around and rearrange the very atoms before we come out the other side. It’s what we live for.

Tottenham On My Mind has readers all over the world. The New Zealand Spurs Supporters Club are full of proper Spurs. They are running a Q&A with Don McAllister, who I think lives in Oz these days, before the NLD and you can watch it live on some new-fangled social media platform that I have never heard of and you can contact them if you want to join the club. Good people.

Add @opcmedia2013 on twitter or Periscope and we will post the stream up at 7am UK / 8pm NZ.

You will need one of these apps on PC or Phone/smart device to view.

This will give you the opportunity interact with us on the day and ask question while watching the stream live

https://www.periscope.tv/

If you have any questions for Don McAllister or wish to get in contact with us you can contact us on one of our social media account below:

• @opcmedia2013
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Hope to see you guys Saturday

#COYS

@deanbaker22

 

Spurs’ rise to second in the table has been astounding. We have become resilient and relentless, the best defence in the league and always taking the game to our opponents. Now Tottenham face the biggest challenge, maintaining that momentum under intense pressure. Against Swansea they passed the first test.

Nacer Chadli has become an unlikely star. He’s barely been noticeable during a couple of games as makeshift centreforward but since Christmas he’s come up with a steady flow of goals. Sunday’s equaliser could turn out to be the most valuable goal of the season. Just as levels of frustration ratcheted up a few notches as our pressure failed to produce a goal, Walker’s low shot flashed across the box and Chadli expertly turned it in.

At the time I thought it just hit him, or from my vantage point that it might even have been an own goal. Both do him a disservice. He had found space, not easy with Swansea packing the box, and swivelled swiftly and precisely to twist into the perfect body shape to angle the ball home.

In the past I have been critical of his lack of effort or thought. Either way, too often for someone with his talent he does not take up the best positions with or without the ball and waits for things to happen rather than making them happen himself. Pochettino has turned this into a positive. Against Colchester he had more space than he would in the PL and scored twice, while coming on as we chase a goal, we’re not after his defensive qualities. He has more freedom, his team-mates are creating chances and they need him to be on the end of them.

Waves of relief rolled around the ground. It feels like a highly significant moment even now. Spurs’ domination was turning to desperation. Swansea went a goal up then played for an hour with the whole team behind the ball. On several occasions in the second half everyone on the pitch bar Hugo were within 40 yards of their goal.

We had tried everything – the full-backs cutting the ball back from the byline, Fabianski cut out the cross. Shots from close range, Fabianski saved them. Shots from range, Fabianski held on to them so no rebounds or in the case of a Rose shot powered by his anger as he recovered from being fouled yet again, tipped over. Free-kicks, those too, his best save high to his right as Eriksen was on target once again.

An opportunist deflection assumes huge significance, breaking the Swans’ resistance. More than that, it confirmed that our resilience and patience paid off. Those qualities have been crucial to our success this season. We have the mental strength to keep playing if we go a goal down. Spurs have pulled back 17 points this season having been behind. My mind drifted back to the days of AVB. In those situations we looked the same – lots of possession and territory, moving the ball back and forth across the opposition box – but appearances are deceptive. The end result was usually very different with nothing to show for our effort. That’s about belief but also about in-game intelligence. Now we have greater variation rather than bludgeoning ourselves senseless against packed defences. Times have truly changed for the better.

On Sunday, no one epitomised this change more than Christian Eriksen. His prompting and probing were ceaseless in the second half, popping up all over the place including one 60 yard covering run deep into defence when others had been caught upfield. Not everything came off – a couple first half crosses thumped into the crowd behind the goal, miles away from Kane’s head – but the point is, he was always available for his team-mates, always trying to make something happen.

Walker and Rose have both had better games, both were invaluable. Rose was cleaned out every time he made a run in the second half but his persistence paid off. A loose ball after a corner and the shot bounced into the far corner for a precious winner. Walker of course teed up the first. Full-back is a key position for Poch, they repaid his faith in them.

Swansea were ultra-defensive once they scored. Word is getting around the PL – last week Palace broke up the play at every opportunity and disrupted our flow. The Swans did the same, with the keeper time-wasting from about 20 minutes in and conceding a series of free-kicks.

Kane in his mask looked out of sorts, unusually quiet, Lamela quiet too and Son contributed little. Toby was once more outstanding at the back, Hugo kept us in the match with an early save from Siggy. If I have a quibble, that move took the defence apart too easily and for their goal two players had too much room. Versus City and Palace we conceded after not tracking the runner.

I can’t recall a season I have enjoyed more. I’ve seen better players, thrilling matches, I’ve been overwhelmed by the elation of winning a trophy, but for sheer enjoyment this is hard to beat. It’s the perfect storm of emotions. Attacking football the Spurs Way, fearsome motivation from players who are as committed to the cause as the fans, a clever, inspiring manager who has instilled a rare determination and resilience in his squad. Players and fans have never been closer in recent times. And then there’s the extra ingredient – surprise. We didn’t really think it would turn out like this so we’ve watched them grow in wide-eyed wonder.

Now it’s getting serious. I doubt that I will use the word ‘enjoy’ again until the season is over, not if the gut-wrenching, bile-inducing, intestine-unravelling second half if anything to go by. No fun at the top of the table. On the train home my body was ready to shut down and collapse, my brain was whirring so fast that if you had hooked it up to the national grid, you could have cancelled the orders for those Chinese nuclear reactors right then.

At times like this, Tottenham On My Mind and its loyal readership becomes less of a blog and more of a mutual support group. I keep waiting for something to go wrong. Then I look at the league table. It really is possible. There, I’ve said it. We are playing as well as anyone right now and, vitally, these players are not afraid of anyone. Whatever happens, we will not crumble.

Tomorrow against West Ham will be tough – they are as self-confident as we are, in contrast to their dismal showing in the home game. Rest assured Spurs will take the game to our opponents, just as we have all season.

Spurs have really hit the big time – Tottenham shirts have appeared in my high street. This high street should be used as the barometer of football success, at least for the south of England. No need for surveys or polls, just wander down the road and into the park on a Saturday morning.

I live about 35 miles southeast of central London. There’s no local competition for fans keen to attach themselves to a big team. Most kids look to London for their side. Chelsea shirts are worn as a leisure brand, like people wear Abercrombie and Fitch or whatever (Duffer – what’s that about? When I grew up Duffer meant ‘idiot’ but that’s fashion for you…). Sprinkling of West Ham, but they are old school fans following well-trod paths down the A2 and A20 away from the east of the city. Arsenal won the vox pop when I first got here 15 years ago, now, interestingly, older shirts but not the current ones.

But no Spurs. Until now. Kids proudly wearing the shirt as they rush excitedly to football practice. I suspect that at the start of the season they would have been subject to the particular kind of sustained contempt only 10-year-old boys can create in the playground. Now Tottenham are the team they choose. Blimey.

I’m sure they will be undeterred after the setback against Palace. Dogged defence, devoted pressing and a bit of luck won them the match, aided and abetted by missed chances. Spurs have to sharpen up. Last week I talked about how in the last quarter of the season it may be less about the number of chances we make and much more about the proportion we take. The flow dried up against City but Eriksen took the one that we created. Yesterday we missed three good ones in a decent early spell, Onomah twice and Alli’s stabbed shot hitting both posts before being hacked away. Earlier his point blank first minute header was blocked involuntarily on the line.

Spurs play this season has had a lovely rhythm and cadence to it. Yesterday that was largely absent, the exception rather than the rule. Pochettino has done exceptional work in rotating the squad – it was good to see Onomah get 90 minutes, good for him and for the squad whatever the outcome. Despite this there are key players, the backbone of the side. Eriksen, Kane of course, Dier, Alderweireld and Lloris. Toby’s earned his rest but without him we not only looked indecisive and, at times, static at the back but also were far less certain about moving the ball forward from deep.

Dier can’t be in two places at the same time although sometimes this season it has seemed as if yes, this was possible after all. At centreback, so we were deprived of his diligent protection in front of the back four. Bentaleb tried too hard and therefore stuttered. Last season there was always a grace and flow to his performances. Yesterday he was stiff, trying to over-work the ball. Too many long balls forward therefore, easy for Palace to mop up, thus forgetting the lessons of patience, the short ball, keep it moving, that have been our pattern this season. Not helped by a lack of movement up front in the second half, with no one dropping short to pick up the ball, everyone moving up, so waiting, still, easy to deal with. Pochettino should have given Bentaleb more gametime. He and Mason can be crucial to our hopes, especially in the EL.

The other reason we didn’t flow was because Palace with great intent broke the game up with a series of fouls, never in dangerous areas, always upfield, and Spurs were never able to outwit them. To their credit they played two men up to pen back our defence and covered the space our full-backs have exploited so well. All Adebayor produced was an afternoon of comedy booing from the stands. Fan chanting seldom resolves anything. On this occasion, Spurs fans chanted something uncomplimentary at Palace about him, they roared back, “That’s why you’re paying him.” We are and that ended that debate, 1-0 to the Palace.

Their goal was a bit Tottenham too, stretching our defence too far and getting a full-back, Kelly, deep into our box. Keepers should make themselves big. Vorm is a capable deputy but he seemed to shrink when Kelly lashed in his shot at the near post. All came from one of those unsatisfactory long balls, a miss-hit cross field ball that sailed into touch and Palace capitalised from the throw-in.

On the field, it was 1-0 too when we had a good spell at the beginning of the second half. The ball whizzed across their box, begging to be touched in, but it was not to be. We then went rather quiet, unlike the ground that echoed with noise around this time, proper cup tie atmosphere I believe the phrase is. It felt good, although I can’t resist saying this AGAIN, that Tottenham Hotspur are the only club in the world that shifts its own end in order to accommodate visitors. So wrong.

Son also tried too hard, good movement and a couple of decent dribbles but yesterday one too many touches. Onomah has beautiful balance on the ball, graceful and athletic. One time, loved the way he shouted at Kane to hang on to the ball then told him where to pass it. An instinct for space. Alli, well, he’s got to play the game not the opposition. A crass dive in the box and a totally unnecessary push when a Palace player was off the field is not on, more than that it is becoming a weakness. Players have to be hard and fight for the right to play, but Alli is so good, he just has to play. The aggro works against him.

Seasons play out in little sequences. Our fate could be decided in the rush of matches in the next three weeks, starting with the EL on Thursday where we should capitalise on a satisfactory away draw. Then we look ahead to tough trips to Upton Park and Anfield, plus of course Arsenal at home. Let’s not forget three points at home to Swansea in the excitement, eh lads.

 

Spurs beat Manchester City with shedloads of talent, a bit of luck and overflowing with heart and soul. They faced the challenge with clear heads and not a trace of fear in their eyes. Bring them on, bring them all on.

Nobody predicted us to be second with 12 games left, 2 points off the top and 10 ahead of 5^th. It has made a substantial impression not only on the table but also on the media with Sky positively creaming themselves during and after the match. Yet the biggest impact has been on Spurs fans. Always loyal but surely this has exceeded all our expectations. Tottenham On My Mind is about support and supporters as much as the team. Last season and the beginning of this, people would whisper lest the secret would get out, look, it doesn’t feel the same any more. Old school fans, in their forties, fifties and beyond, a lifetime of support, weren’t getting the buzz as much.

The change in mood is the most remarkable feature of an extraordinary season. The enthusiasm and commitment as much as some outstanding football has swept us up in a tide of love and affection, and let’s call it by its true name because love is what it is. Fans talk with tenderness about players and a manager who care almost as much as we do. They know what the Hotspur, the one and only Hotspur, means. They play attacking football the Spurs Way, the way we have always played when we have been successful. They most certainly do not sit back and wait for the other team to die of boredom. Let’s hope some glory follows. Now, those conversations say, whatever happens, this is the best season in donkeys’ years, happy however it turns out. Me? I’m just a little overcome.

The significance of the win can’t be exaggerated and goes way beyond the three points over one of our main rivals. Our results against teams below us have kept us hovering around the top four in the past rather than taking points from those up above and joining in the party. That’s why the home defeat to Leicester rankles still, especially as it was to a set-piece goal and an error by the player who has been this season’s true game-changer, Toby Alderweireld.

Memories of going to City with Harry Redknapp. An outside chance of a win on the back of a little spurt of results first faded as we went two down then suddenly everything became possible when Bale put the ball into the top corner. At 2–2, Bale slid the ball across the box and Defoe’s outstretched foot failed to connect by a fraction of a fraction. Balotelli came on, stamped on Parker, stayed on to score a late winner. Ironically this was also a mistake by our best defender, Ledley King.

It’s a long season but ours turned on that match and that moment. Momentum and confidence were lost along with the points. Above all perhaps, that imponderable, nebulous but real, the feeling that despite everything, things weren’t going our way. Contrast that with a win built on the oh-so-tangible foundations of hard work, skill and motivation, but ultimately secured by a dodgy penalty and a late breakaway. Times are changing.

This is a side rooted in preparation and planning. Pochettino is an outstanding manager, meticulous in all aspects and a master of the four elements of management, the physical side in keeping the squad super-fit, tactics, choosing/buying the right players and motivation. I’d seldom argue that final whistle celebrations are a match highlight but if you have not already done so, catch the video of Poch congratulating his men in front of our jubilant away fans. One of those excerpts that we should all keep on our computers and play it when we feel down. Truly heartwarming, totally genuine. No choreographed celebrations or gurning down the steady-cam.

Moreover, MP makes preparation fun. He uses it to inject elan and flair into our play rather than stifle it. Comparatively little of that on show in a second half where we were on the back foot after City equalised. 1–1, half an hour left, strap yourself in for a bumpy ride. Yet this time Spurs produced the passage of play that turned the game. Despite our possession and ability to attack, Spurs remain thrilling on the counter, when teams come out and leave space behind. For all his newly found endeavour and ability on the ball, Lamela’s memorable defining skill is not the rabona but an angled pass delivered from a central position between 20 and 30 yards from goal. Once more he delivered, the perfection of the pass exceeded only by the mastery of Eriksen’s finish. He had a fine game all round and capped it by being the man furthest forward as well as the calmest man on the pitch. Cue bedlam in the away in the away end and bedlam in a Kent living room.

Pochettino has set the defining characteristics of this team too. My memories of the first half are a moment of pressing where a City player was trapped by the touchline 40 yards from his goal, 5 Spurs men as one descended on their prey. Or Walker sprinting back 40 yards to intercept a pass. Alderweireld, two tackles in less than 10 seconds as the fearsome Ageuro attacked deep in our box. This is Pochettino’s Tottenham. Our Tottenham.

We played so well but made few chances, in contrast to the Watford game where we made a hatful. We took the big one that came our way and I guess this is the way it will be until the end of the season, few chances so take them when they come along.

For all the planning, a moment beyond our control shifted the balance of power in our favour. Mark Clattenburg no doubt has suffered a decade of sleepless nights and self-doubt since he did not give the Mendes ‘goal’. On Sunday, he chose to exorcise the guilt. The only explanation, surely.

I like City’s fans. Like Spurs they are loyal from way back and their rivals have had the better of things for too long. Unlike us they have suffered the indignities of a double relegation. I’m less sure about their underachieving team despite the presence of two of my favourite non-Spurs men, Silva and Ageuro. Highly significant therefore that they needed the anger of a wrongly-given penalty to motivate them. Spurs on the other hand are powered from within, a determination to do well right from the off regardless of anything else that occurs. That motivation is hard to create but endures because it comes from within. Spurs are self-motivated. It is a huge, crucial difference that could be decisive in the run-in.

Another thing – in the past Pochettino has lacked a Plan B, how to change things if Plan A doesn’t work out. On Sunday, we saw how this has changed. No side can press intensely for 90 minutes. None of the pressing teams would think of even attempting this. On the hour, under pressure, we fell back into two other formations to suit the state of the game, firstly defending from within our half then near the end refusing to shift from our patterns 35 yards out. Defensive lines remained steadfast – we would not be pulled out to leave a gap.

And Hugo, under-employed, at the death a fingertip was enough to tip the ball away on the goal-line. I am convinced he got to that first because he wanted it more. The motivation runs from back to front.

How’s this for a story? Wimmer in his fourth start, fearless and mighty. No one in the media picked it up. They’ve begun to take our excellence for granted.

Tonight the Europa League resumes its role in draining the joy from football. As I have said repeatedly, it does not have to be that way and in an ideal world I’d like to see Spurs aim to get as far as possible in what should be a respected competition. But by now you would have seen the stats that Spurs could play another 27 games before the season ends whereas Leicester have 12. Shades of 1982 when hopes of not only the title but an unlikely treble sank in the White Hart Lane mud. Over Easter we played 8 matches in 12 days if memory serves.

Every time I get to this point in a blog I tell myself to simply type, ’and in the Europa League’, every time I can’t stop myself from adding a paragraph about the injustice, not so much to Spurs but to football, because it is wrong, it is avoidable and it infuriates me. Earlier this week the FA were talking about ending cup replays. So their solution is to devalue still further the uniqueness of a special competition. Never mind a single leg semi-final, I would get rid of the League Cup altogether. It long since outgrew its original purpose of generating more income for clubs and raising the profile of the Football League. Compensate all 92 teams with television money and give more publicity to a completion for sides outside the PL with a Wembley final. The extra EL place for a league finish would keep interest going longer too.

Back to the point. Sticking to my EL strategy outlined at the start of the season, I would send a decent team to Florence but hold back the spine. Mason and Bentaleb could yet be key to our chances of success this season. That is a strong central midfield line-up, last season’s first choice in fact. Son up front, Lamela, Chadli and Carroll behind him, we have excellent full-back options and Vorm in goal. Vertonghen’s injury exposes the comparative lack of cover at centre half so Wimmer plus Alderweireld, enabling our spine to take well-earned R and R, i.e. Kane, Dier, Eriksen, Dembele, Lloris and Alli. As if we needed another reminder of Pochettino’s expert player management skills but that is a strong side where only two players, Ononmah and Vorm, are short of first-team game time and all of them bar Dier/Alderweireld will benefit from the match.