Weebles Wobble But They Don’t Fall Down

/ Alan / 11 Comments

 

The Spurs back four yesterday

Even after all these years, you do wonder. Is it just us that so totally dominates one half then disappears so completely in the second? Or can other teams perform the Halloween Jekyll and Hyde routine? Spurs eased past all Southampton resistance in the first half, playing some gorgeous flowing football in the process but halfway through the second period we were wobbling like a Weeble on speed.  Thanks largely to our two central defenders, Gallas and Caulker, we held firm when in the past we might well have crumbled. We wobbled but didn’t fall down and there’s a lot to be said for that. Not straighforward, never is, but 4th in the table is a good place to be this Monday.

This is Tottenham On My Mind’s 300th post. Not one for anniversaries really but those lovely people at WordPress remind me how well I’m doing, adding a quote from a well-known author to give this slave-to-a keyboard a boost. I preferred the 298th post but not even the BBC would celebrate that. Perhaps for a change I should ask a fan of another club to blog about matches like this one. Their perspective might be fresher. They could answer my question – I suspect it’s not just us but that’s how it feels.

They say it’s a sign of a good team that they win when playing badly. Another indicator is when sides notch routine victories without much of a fuss, in which case we still have a lot to learn. As against Maribor on Thursday, we failed to generate momentum from within when under a little pressure.

Centre-backs were the eventual stars of this game but at half time they had barely touched the ball. All eyes were on Bale and Lennon. Against his old team Bale lost his first challenge against a young full back then proceeded to shred his confidence into tiny, tiny pieces, first heading in at the far post, an unstoppable late run onto Huddlestone’s perfect cross, then producing a series of tantalising crosses that others should have made more of. On the other side, the Saints defence was largely absent and Lennon made the most of it.

Defoe missed the several beautifully crafted chances that came his way but it is a measure of his improvement this season that as he cocks the trigger, you expect him to put them away. But a goal up and  the pleasure of enjoying the way we were moving the ball around, fluent and effortless football at times. Dempsey remembered how he plays the game, one or two touches then move, in stark contrast to last week where he held onto the ball for an age each time he had possession. It just confused him. He was effective but has yet to build up a partnership with Defoe – they could be good for each other. He popped up for the second, though, reacting quickest to a loose ball after Defoe’s fine run and shot had been cleared off the line. We’ve missed those poacher’s goals these past few years. Now he and JD are in the right place, right time.

Southampton were awful – they left too much space, the ref probably counted how many men they had on the field. Second half, they decided to turn up finally and quickly our possession game broke down. We shrivelled like shrink-wrap exposed to a flame, curling up until we were pressed back to our own box, seldom emerging except for fleeting moments of promise that disappeared as quickly as they came, as we generously presented the ball back to our opponents.

Saints banged over the crosses and pinched a smart goal from a corner, another rebound, this time from Friedel’s save, but he had an unnecessary amount of room. For 20 minutes we could not keep hold of the ball at all. I intended to comment that Dempsey and Defoe disappeared but then realised the same could be said for most of the team at this point.

Livermore epitomised the problem. I like him as a player – quick feet, willing to take responsibility, decent passer with a good engine. Last weekend AVB brought him on to pep up the tempo – win the ball, pass and move. He tried the same this week, replacing the ponderous Huddlestone but it was a complete failure because Jake showed the other side of his character, giving away possession and unnecessary free kicks, one of which began the passage of play that resulted in their goal. I’m disappointed – he simply must put that aspect of his game right.

They had a few more chances but the majority of their efforts were headed away by the excellent Gallas and Caulker. Big Willy is one of those players I would not have picked for yesterday’s game but I’m glad to see him there, and if that doesn’t make sense it’s intentionally contradictory. He was poor last week but he is so shrewd and determined in the box. He misjudged a bouncing ball early on then did not put a foot wrong, winning virtually everything that came his way. He’s also a fine tutor for young Caulker, who grew stronger under pressure.  They won the game for us. Despite the pressure (and my anxiety), Saints made few chances and Friedel few saves in the final quarter and we ran the clock down well enough towards the end.

Hudd was in and out, some good, some not so good but never quite finding his range for his long passing. Lovely moment for the goal, though – if you see it again, watch how he’s looking for bale without looking at the ball yet he knows exactly where it is and delivers an inch-perfect ball. Sandro was strong defensively, culminating in a headed block that knocked him over but not out. He rose immediately, brain scrambled but his mind on one thing, stopping the next attack.

Maribore

/ Alan / 6 Comments

It’s half-time in a Europa League group that’s a marathon not a sprint. Two clichés for the price of one there. Full value from Tottenham On My Mind, as always. I’m sure you’re grateful.

What the hell, let’s take this stuffed doggy toy of an analogy, sink in our jaws, shake it about and rip the innards right out all over the living room floor. Always a pleasure and a privilege to watch the mighty Spurs but be honest, that game felt like a marathon at times. Still, in terms of the group, long distance races tend these days to be a tactical battle with the runners clustered in a group until the closing lap or two. The tension builds as the bell approaches but much of it is a waiting game. If Spurs were Mo Farah (stay with me, it will all be over soon), we’d probably be holding our position in third, saving energy for the finish but keeping Brendan Foster on the edge of apoplexy.”He has been the fastest! He is the fastest! He will be the fastest!” There’s nothing wor Bren likes more than conjugating a verb during commentary.

Remember that the Glory Glory days of memory were in the much missed era of a knock-out competition over two legs. The group tends to prolong the agony rather than the suspense because the latter fades away into boredom long before the end. Win the three home games and that should be enough. We have drawn one, against the best of the other three teams, with two home matches to go. Maybe the suspense is cranking up a notch after all. By then, let’s hope we still care.

Villas Boas seems satisfied thus far. He clearly prefers to hold what we have so rather than pressing for a winner in a game where Maribor and their fans were delighted with a point against the world-famous Spurs, we finished with two defensive midfielders and our fullbacks well inside our own half. The away point will do. We were lethargic for extended periods and even when the uppers in the half-time tea started to work in the second half never made enough chances to be comfortable.

Maribor defended well, almost welcoming the opportunity to funnel back to their own box where they restricted the space and marked tightly. They were more sprightly on the break than we expected therefore we could never settle. Their forwards were disconcertingly able to find room around the edge of our area and after a few scares they scored first, a fine run that left Walker a spectator, Huddlestone bamboozled and Lloris nowhere before scoring. Like many of their chances, it was skillfully made but poorly defended. Giving the ball away in midfield was once again our undoing, Townsend the culprit. He was punished but was by no means the only sinner as we tried to come inside and beat players when there was room on the flanks and passing is for us much more effective.

Falque helped to brighten up our performance with some good work down the left. He set up the goal. Defoe was turning away to celebrate his sweetly struck shot from a rebound but instead saw it strike the back of a cringing defender on the line. It ran to Sigurdsson who mishit it home from a matter of feet. Messy not Messi, and when we had attempted to replicate Iniesta’s wonderful goal against Celtic by delicate passing interchanges inside the box, Maribor easily crowded us out.

Still, we made our good fortune on that occasion by attacking the box and having several players ready and waiting. Far too often we were crossing to a lone striker. When Sandro advanced to support the attack, we looked better but otherwise we badly missed Dembele’s combination of strength and creativity in midfield. Siggy seemed as if he was trying to both set up chances and be on the end of them. He ended up doing neither . Throughout we looked weak up front and seldom picked up the tempo to a pace where we know we play better. Huddlestone offered no drive from the centre. Like him, much of our play was ponderous.

It’s an art to get out of the Europa League group with the minimum of effort.  We are fielding strong teams so there’s little rest for several of our top players. An early win can make everything so much easier – we clearly went for it which is why it was so disappointing to concede to Panathinaikios in a game we dominated. I suspect AVB would like to be thinking about resting players when in fact we have to go hard to qualify. Ironically it should spice things up a bit. The games at the Lane will have something at stake.

AVB, like me, does care about this competition. He’s right in thinking also that it will help the team settle into his pattern of play. Frankly this result won’t figure much in the history of Tottenahm Hotspur and we can’t read too much into it. However, as part of the learning process, Spurs must develop the ability to up the tempo and take the game to inferior opponents, even for a spell or two in each match. We have to keep our heads rather than get on top then take turns to blast aimless longshots, as we did last night.

Kyle Walker: Victim of a Culture of Unrealistic Expectations

/ Alan / 32 Comments

After the game on Saturday, Kyle Walker received several abusive tweets and deleted his Twitter account. This sorry episode followed what is fast becoming a depressingly familiar pattern: player joins twitter. Fans welcome this and follow. We can interact with our heroes. This temporarily bucks the trend of increasing separation between Premier League clubs and their supporters. Fan insults player. Player says why do I bother. Player deletes account. Player more reluctant than ever to communicate.

The textspeak insults were pathetic and small-minded, like the people cowering behind the anonymity of cyberspace who posted them. Twitter is in a froth about it all, predictably. The good guys are trying to get Kyle to come back, although if he’s not on twitter, he won’t see it….

So what’s to be made of this? Reading some of the coverage, it feels like there’s been a cataclysmic rending of the Spurs firmament. Fans at each others’ throats. Players alienated from fans. Let’s have a go at the team while we’re about it. High up the league, fast improving, fine players but lose to a team racing clear at the top who spent more on three midfielders than the value of our team plus the bench and it’s AVB out, Walker out, Levy out. 606 is as unreliable a guide to opinion as Twitter, but a Spurs fan rang on Saturday to say precisely that, describing our performance as the worst he’d seen in 30 years. Couldn’t have been a real Spurs fan, then.

Twitter is a lot of fun but sometimes it suffers from delusions of grandeur. Designed as a method of conversation, it becomes reified into a self-contained universe. Not one conversation but the only conversation. The delusion is fed by a media hungry for opinions. It’s referenced with increasing frequency. Who needs a contact book compiled painstakingly over many years of scoop-seeking when you have a ready-made source of quotes at your fingertips, conveniently packaged into 140 character soundbites.

I trust those weasel misbegotten nogoodniks will crawl back under the stone from whence they came. It should be easy, they have no backbone. Back in the real world, after his dire error, the Shelf groaned then gave Kyle Walker a warm round of sympathetic applause from the Shelf. A few stood to emphasise the point that there’s a difference between a bad player and a player having a bad game. Loyal fans who put that mistake into context. The young full-back heard that and will remember long after Twitter becomes the MySpace of the next decade.

That context recognised instinctively by the Shelf is sadly lacking from the appreciation of many football fans these days, not just Spurs supporters. Devouring the game through television provides valuable insights but fundamentally distorts the nature and equilibrium of this finest of all sports. It’s safe to sit back and judge from the armchair gantry where everything is spread out before you. Slow it all down, watch a key incident 37 times from 6 different angles, only then decide a player’s ability. It fosters a culture of blame where perfection is the sole acceptable option and condemnation follows swiftly for anyone who dares to fall short.

This culture of unrealistic expectations distorts our entire perception of the game, of what clubs, players and referees for that matter are capable of. Nothing exists but the here and now. Spurs have a new manager and new players so why aren’t we top of the table? We’ve had several matches already. Just buy lots of players. It’s what other teams do. Refs are rubbish, even though we’ve seen an incident repeatedly and still can’t decide whether it’s a surefire penalty. Players are not all they are cracked up to be. Look, they make mistakes. Let’s get some stats to back it up.

Back in the real world, players’ form goes up and down. Hardly a staggering insight but in the universe of the unreal, it is forgotten far too frequently. The two finest midfielders I’ve seen at the Lane, Hoddle and Gascoigne, had more games when they were largely ineffective than glory games. It doesn’t diminish their stellar achievements one jot because that’s merely the nature of football. The way Ginola was lauded at half-time, you’d think he was Hod and Gazza rolled into one. I enjoyed watching him play, but just so you know, they show those goals against Barnsley and Leeds over and over partly because they are superb but mainly because there aren’t many others to choose from. For every moment where he turned a game there were twenty others where he slowed everything down intolerably or ran, however elegantly, into a blind alley.

In the real world, I’m fortunate enough to sit in row 14 of the Shelf, almost opposite the benches. The players are close, real-life flesh and blood, stained and steaming. When they hug the touchline, I can count the beads of sweat on their brow.

It’s a perspective that means I’m particularly close to wingers and full-backs. For that reason, I’m particularly fond of them. They can’t hide. I’m not seeing them through a prism of slowmos or tactics graphics. Right there. I see their faces and under pressure, I can see into their minds. I see elation, indifference and fear. Lots of fear, you’d be surprised. They cover it up but not from me.

So I see Kyle Walker as the most focussed and committed of Tottenham players. I am convinced of it. Towards the end of last season, he was knackered. Sure, I know they play once or twice a week, should be fit enough blah blah. But pounding up and down that wing, forward and back, being nudged and pulled and kicked, he was tired. His legs were plastered with support tape as if stuck together with sellotape. In a quiet moment, he would bend double to catch his breath.

And he did not stop. Over and over, his determination to overcome the pain in his legs and his guts kept him going. His determination to be a good professional. His dedication to the shirt. Our shirt.

Walker is not playing so well this season. His poor positional play is being found out. Late on Saturday I looked for his runs to support Lennon as we sought an equaliser but there was nothing. I don’t know what caused it but he was shot through. The England trip, a virus maybe but he was off-colour. During a lull, he went to the bench, ostensibly for a drink but taking on liquid that late will have no effect whatsoever on his body. He needed a boost, words of soothing reassurance to quell his anxiety.

Exhaustion seeps from muscle to mind and when called into action next he made two horrendous mistakes in as many seconds and they scored their fourth. He made one final dash upfield in desperate atonement, stiff-legged and too late. Instinct propelled him forward.

Kyle Walker is not a bad player, he’s a fine footballer who is not playing well. He’s young and will learn. His pace gets him out of trouble most of the time but not always. Defenders need games to add positional nouse to their talents. He will succeed and but he has nothing to prove to me. I know he plays for the shirt.

Thanks to my cyberpal the @Lustdoctor. Blog in the blogroll to your right. Essential. Our conversation on twitter generated some ideas for this piece. Oh the irony.

Spurs To Build Birthing Pool In New Stadium

/ Alan / 8 Comments

That would be the perfect solution. If Spurs are to be at the cutting edge and include everything that the modern footballer needs, include a birthing pool in the new stadium. Heavily pregnant partners could then accompany their men to the ground secure in the knowledge that not only would the best possible care be available (after all Spurs have won awards for their medical facilities), but also the proud father would be on the spot should the sprog drop during a game. Dad could start and be called off as the moment approached. Instead of that rolling gesture with the hands, mimic a baby rocking and that’s the signal. It could tip the balance when it comes to transfers. We can’t match the fees and wages of others but we are the family-friendly club. And when it’s not in use, there’s extra bathing space after training.

Bale’s presence may not ultimately have tipped the balance between the two sides but it sure would have helped. Di Matteo will send the happy couple the biggest bouquet of all. Without Bale and the injured Dembele, Tottenham were deprived of rhythm and creativity. From the beginning our passing was disjointed, inept at times, and Chelsea relished the opportunities presented by our wasteful use of precious possession. A rally after half-time offered hope but then inexcusably we were sucked back into a morass of mediocrity and defensive errors were ruthlessly punished.

The defeat hurt but we learned what we already know, that we have a good team that is still building up the resilience and balance required to succeed against the best and that we find it hard to compensate for the loss of our best players.

Di Matteo’s high pressing game decisively won the tactical battle between the current and former Chelsea managers and Spurs had neither the wit nor width to get behind them. Mata, Hazard, Ramaires and Oscar pressured us from the start and we looked uncomfortable on the ball. Probably they would have done the same if Bale had played but his absence made their task much easier. His mere presence would have tied down two defenders and also, with Lennon, given us width from touchline to touchline so our opponents would have had to protect more ground. In attack we could have exploited the Blues’ narrow set-up.

Instead, it was Spurs who were narrow. Dempsey and Sigurdsson both had spells wide left, neither were effective. Also, we set up with two defensive midfielders  It would be interesting to know when that choice was made, before or after the dash to the maternity ward. It might have been the plan anyway, to restrict the space in front of our box where the Blues like to swarm and outnumber opponents. However, it became another limitation on our ability to counter-attack. We sorely missed Dembele’s creativity and tackling, plus the interchange between him and Sandro that has unsettled opponents in recent weeks. Yesterday we were stale and predictable, at times looking as if Lennon had brought home from Poland some of those England sleeping pills.

The rhythmic control that has been the hallmark of recent performances was completely absent in the first half. Whatever the tactics, there was no excuse for this feeble, directionless effort. Our passing was dire, our ball-control rank. Players were constantly being caught in possession as we were too slow and failed to support the man on the ball. Dempsey was particularly bad, although he didn’t deserve the roar of disapproval that greeted another in a series of errors. It was still the first half. He’s better at receiving the ball and making something of it in or around the box than he is trying to be creative in deeper positions but he was the most wasteful of them all.

Villas Boas tried to do something about it as Dempsey and Siggy exchanged positions but it changed nothing, yet despite this we made and missed chances – Gallas alone in the box from an early free-kick, Dempsey missed, Defoe selfish. The opening goal was well-taken as Cahill volleyed from the edge of the box but it was poor defending. Not for the only time in this match, fatally Gallas’ clearance was poor and there was no closing down.

AVB was making further changes with only a couple of minutes to go before the half-time break, urgently calling players over. Something must have been said in the dressing room. The subs didn’t come out for their customary kick-about and from the restart we copied our opponents’ tactics by tearing into them higher up the pitch. I would have brought Adebayor on for Dempsey but perhaps the American was being protected by a loyal manager.

As it turned out, that change wasn’t necessary to alter the balance of the match. Vertonghen chased a lost cause at the far post and Gallas touched in his cross. We surged forward. Once the full-court press had been perforated, the Chelsea back four was exposed and found wanting. We took the lead with a fine Defoe goal, the striker classically moving across his marker to touch in a Lennon pass after the winger ran at the defence.

For a glorious 15 minutes, we dominated. Spark and bounce were discovered. Defoe and Lennon were excellent, including the latter launching two huge tackles on Ashley Cole. Then inexcusably we conceded first the momentum and then the match itself . A return to bad old ways and self-inflicted wounds. A little spell of Chelsea pressure became something more significant because we could not clear the ball and keep it. Gallas again cleared straight to an opponent, Mata this time, again he wasn’t closed down, again he scored.

They scored soon after. Walker left a vast gap between him and Gallas and did not track the run. Hazard’s pass was superb, damn him, and Mata finished. Credit where it is due. Walker was shot well before the end of the game. He wasn’t making the overlapping runs just when we needed them and going to get a drink from the bench with a couple of minutes left showed his mind as well as his legs had gone. His concentration lapse, missing a tackle then keeping the ball in play for Mata to set up Sturridge, meant we were done for.

Chelsea were the better side, although it pains me to admit it. However, they scored through defensive errors and we had more  goal opportunities than they did. Siggy, in the team to score from midfield, missed two great chances. His value is limited if he fails. While I hate to discourage effort, he should slow down, stop and think about what he’s doing rather than hurtling about midfield because too often the game passes him by.

Adebayor had an immediate impact but missed his best chance from a keeper rebound, then Cech nearly misjudged a Sandro long-range effort.

Livermore had the right attitude when he came on, picking the ball up and moving it on quickly and simply. Lennon had a fine second half. Sandro could not exert much influence and was quiet when we could have down with his power.

At the back, AVB may have some decisions to make. Vertonghen had another good game at left back but in Kaboul’s absence we may be better off with his pace and intelligence in the centre. At least AVB may to revise his opinion of Dawson. Also, we have two decent keepers with different attributes and for the sake of consistency at the back, he should decide whether he prefers Friedal’s solidity and shot-stopping or Lloris’ command of his area. Chopping and changing doesn’t help build understanding with his back four.

A postscript  before the game the woman steward at gates for blocks 26-28 had confiscate a drink in a plastic bottle from a young girl. The girl needed a drink to take some medicine so the steward gave her a carton from her own pocket. Very kind.

 

To lift the post-defeat blues, enter the TOMM competition to win a copy of the Spurs Miscellany by Adam Powley and Martin Cloake. For a review, see the previous article. Blogs like this one owe a huge debt to fanzines. What was the name of the first Spurs fanzine? The nickname of the club in the book’s title might point you in the right direction…. e-mail tottenhamonmymind@gmx.co.uk