What Have We Learned?

November 8, 2010 / Alan / 11 Comments

I doubt very much if there is a team in the League that is more frustrating to watch at the moment than our beloved Spurs. Capable of so much, we deliver so little at times. Used to asking the question pre-match, ‘which Tottenham team is going to turn up?’, after yesterday we now have to pose the same query at half-time as well because who knows what they are going to come up with? Problem is, I suspect they don’t have any idea either.

Players make mistakes and teams go through bad spells. Intensely irritating but after all these years I’m used to it. What really grates, what digs around deep down inside and contorts my innards into a tight aching throbbing mass of bile-filled fury that bubbles and froths until it is fit to burst open the lining of my stomach, shatter the rib cage and spew into the light drenching the room with rancorous acid, is when we don’t learn. And round about now, it feels like we never learn. A few days ago we dominated the match by imposing ourselves on a quality team and by sustaining our effort and application for 90 minutes. Our centre midfield ran the show. Watching from the high television position at the Reebok, at times our team looked like Subbuteo figures on a giant pitch, spread out far and wide and just as mobile. I would have given them more than a flick to wake them, I can tell you. Memo to HR- at the next team talk make sure they understand that when you talk about making space, it’s not supposed to be space for the other team.

I refuse to lose that Tuesday night feeling and neither do I wish to infer too much from Saturday as a stand-alone performance. 99% of Spurs fans would gladly have exchanged defeat at the Reebok for the experience of victory against the European Champions. Left to myself I would have gone for 100% but I do know people who left the Lane muttering about the real bread and butter of Bolton away.

So I’m not going to get too maudlin about this tawdry little effort. But all this ‘would have taken that’ stuff is a sign of restricted horizons. We have huge ability and an even larger potential, so let’s fulfil that and see where it takes us. I want it all, wins against Milan and in a slog at the Reebok, not because of unrealistic expectations but because that’s what we should be capable of.

Bolton played well, especially at the beginning of the second half where they pre-empted our 4-4-2 by pressing higher up the pitch, holding possession and generally making a right nuisance of themselves. We expected to settle into a rhythm at that point and didn’t recover until we were three down and beaten.

Our opponents refused to let us play from the back. Sandro was dropping further and further back yet still he was denied any room. The first time he was tackled, we got away with it but no reprieve for the second time. Holden had a fine match as defensive midfield and Lee is a real talent while Crouch can only dream of a touch like Davies’ for the fourth goal. They took their chances well but we made it simple. Two goals came from us losing possession and the penalty was the sign of a tired mind. Without decrying their efforts, we made it so easy for them.

Bale had a good game; anything he came up with would have suffered by comparison with Inter. He made a series of opportunities down the left: it’s not just about him, it’s who gives him the ball. You can try to stop him getting going but if he plays those one-twos and the ball is accurate, no defence can get close. Modric too was excellent in the first half, plenty of sorties forward.

However, as I’m repeating so often these days, you can’t really play a through ball to Crouch. As the lone striker, he’s all Modders has. Time and again Luka made a little break and had to play it out wide. This is easier for Bolton to defend – Knight and Cahill were great dealing with the crosses, digging out even the toughest of Bale’s swervers, but they would not have been so sure-footed if we had come through the middle.

Over the last 12 months a number of players who were not first team regulars have shown a burning desire to seize every chance when it came their way. Last January Bale had a loan move on his mind, while Dawson’s introduction led to individual and team success, culminating international honours. Even poker faced Benny clearly burned to reclaim his place after injury. Now Kaboul for all his inexperience is determined to take the same path.

If only the same could be said for Palacios and Kranjcar. Not only did they fluff their opportunity, Niko in particular didn’t seem too bothered. I’m a big fan of his: on Saturday it was like playing with ten men. Wilson needs to build up a head of steam, using several games to settle into a rhythm, but he’ll never get the chance if he continues like this. Harry was apparently having a go at him. Whether he was drifting too far forward I don’t know, it would have been ideal if he hovered in front of the back four, because goodness knows there were wide open spaces for Bolton to exploit. The back four were stretched call over the place because none of the five midfielders dropped back. Bale and Niko were nowhere. We simply can’t do this. Didn’t I say that about the United game, in regard to Bale and Lennon? I did you know.

The selection of 4-5-1 against a Bolton team keen to get men forward was misjudged. It made it harder for us to take the game to them. I wonder if deep down, Harry knows that despite our strength in depth, this lot play best with a pattern dictated by certain key players. Tom Huddlestone’s value is so often proved in his absence. We’ve seen him come on this season, Young Boys being one example, when on the surface it’s like for like, DM for DM, but it all works more smoothly. The men around him look more comfortable with his presence.

Pav came on, did nothing, then scores a volley from a ball that dropped from the clouds. Hutton’s effort was superb, but I always feel great goals are wasted if you lose badly. Give me 3-0 and save the glory goals for another time. Hutton was the pick of a bad bunch. Probably the least effective man on Tuesday, he had a good game at the back and coming forward.

So what do know this week that we didn’t know ten days ago? We know how well we can operate if we attack and we have our best men available. The potential is breathtaking. We’ve learned that we cannot afford to chop and change too much, but I reckon we knew that already. We can’t play two games a week to the same intensity. I’m not having this ‘European hangover’ lark – it’s about an overall ability to stay strong mentally and play well even if individuals are tired, in other words something that pre-dated our involvement in the CL.

We’ve hit the heights this week but are still a work in progress. We are developing but fact is, we have to go a bit harder and faster because others are learning too and there’s a danger we will be left behind. As it is, we are as close to the relegation zone as we are to the top four. Two home matches to come are vital – six points is essential as we are running out of wiggle room.

The two opening paragraphs aren’t bad, even if I say so myself. They sum up both the game and the fan’s feelings of frustration. Thing is, though, I wrote them not on Sunday but after the corresponding fixture last season. We are a better team now, no question – the team we dominated before Bolton away last season was Aston Villa, not Inter Milan – and I’m really not too despondent, but it’s a salutary reminder that some things aren’t changing as quickly as we might like.

Season Preview 2010/11 – I’m Worried That I’m Not Worried

August 12, 2010August 12, 2010 / Alan / 16 Comments

This afternoon my son and I will conduct our regular pre-season ritual. We could have the season tickets posted to us, but instead we opt to travel for 90 minutes to queue up in a portakabin then wander round the outside of an empty football ground. No doubt we will be tempted by some ludicrously over-priced items of tacky clothing. And we will relish every moment, because there’s nowhere else we would rather be. I’m ready now.

Last season’s predictions pondered on the clichéd but oh-so-true summary of the pain and joy of being a fan: it’s not the despair that gets you, it’s the hope. If true, then this term promises to be excruciating, because the hope has never in recent times been greater.

I’m trying not to write or talk about Spurs being in the Champions League. We’re just in the qualifiers, but if thinking about something that has not yet happened is a jinx, then too late. A top European team, at the Lane, under lights, the hairs on the back of my neck are bristling as I type.

This isn’t the pandemic of blind optimism that spreads like the plague throughout football in these two weeks in August. For Spurs, this is reality. We finished 4^th on merit. That when the media blather on and on about the top four, they’re talking about us (not Sky, obviously. They awarded Liverpool 4^th on an honorary basis). That we will be a target for every single team that plays us. That in every match we must confront the pressure to deliver. I hope the players have come to terms with this because I’m not sure I have. I’m a Spurs fan, I’m not used to this. My emotional territory is wasted promise, dashed expectations and a lack of fulfilment gnawing away at my very soul.

We have a strong squad with several emerging players who can only get better, a good team ethos and above all a growing sense of confidence and resilience. There’s talent and cover in every position and excellence in a few. Harry’s lack of transfer activity has no doubt left him twitching like expiring roadkill but players of the quality we require are in short supply and whilst it is frustrating, Levy is totally right to not panic buy and pay inflated prices for inferior goods.

Anyway, we have been richly successful in the market this year: we’ve kept our best and most coveted players. Modric was Ancellotti’s first choice in midfield but instead he’s signed a long-term contract. Huddlestone, Lennon and Dawson have all signed up over the last 6 months or so. Levy has moved purposefully to do the deals before the window opened. Brilliant business, and a sign of the optimism amongst the squad as a whole. We’re also looking to the future with deals for promising young players like Townsend, Caulker and, today, Dean Parrett.

Nor do we need to sell in order to buy. I’m sure Harry has said we do, and I’m equally certain that he said on another occasion that we didn’t, but we’re used to the bout of temporary Alzheimer’s that hits twice a year, in January and the summer. Our financial position is strong and I would not get rid of any of our current players until we were certain an upgrade was in place. There is simply no need: the demands on the squad’s depth will be unprecedented this coming season.

More of the personnel in a moment, what comes first is the tactics. Harry’s keen on 4-4-2 and has bought the players to put that into practice. That’s his distinctive ability as a manager: he buys men to do a job then enables them to get on with it. So we have the big man/little man up front, a flying winger and strength and skill in midfield.

The rest of the league may not let us get away with this. A few weeks ago I was musing about the effect of the World Cup on the Premier League. The Prem has often been accused of inhabiting its own little environment, oblivious to the changing climate around it, and there’s no doubt that the physical pace of our game marks it as different from, say, La Liga or the Scudetto. However, 4-4-2 was soundly discredited in the World Cup, where most teams operated with five in midfield. Their actual set-ups differed – some had two DMs and 3 further forward, others turned 4-5-1 into an attacking 4-3-3 as soon as they won possession – but they all had 5 in midfield when they did not have the ball and the team with a four, England, were easily outnumbered. The skill factor is nullified if you are overwhelmed, and I predict that many Premier League teams will continue the safety-first trend of last year by using this formation against us.

Two other lessons emerged from the best teams in South Africa. One, midfield players were flexible, masters of every facet of their art rather than just excelling in a single area. For example, defensive midfielders weren’t crunching enforcers, they were mobile, alert and able to distribute the ball once they got hold of it. Their team-mates chased back and bombed forward time and again.

Secondly, possession is the new religion. It’s one thing playing a high tempo and moving the ball forward but in both attack and defence, keeping the ball is an absolute priority. If the opposition haven’t go the ball, they can’t score.

So where does all this leave Spurs? Whilst we proved that we could defend, especially at home (and I have to say our low goals against was a big surprise to me), we’re at our best when we take the game to the opposition and we must play to our strengths. Mindful of our opponents, we can’t allow them to dictate to us. That’s what the best teams do – they dictate the game. This attitude must infuse every stride, every pass, every touch. We are a top four team now.

Build the team around Modric. He has all the qualities of the modern midfielder, a world beater if he scored more but to me he’s a gem. I’d play him in the middle where he can exert the greatest influence on the match but he’s more likely to cut in from the left to enable Palacios and Huddlestone to control the centre. Goodness knows how Wilson coped with the pressure of his brother’s death but this season he must pass the ball much better and stay on his feet in the tackle, otherwise he should make way. Lennon on the right, of course, with a reminder to keep working back. Just being there is often more than enough, it’s not about hard tackling these days.

Kranjcar can slot in anywhere across the middle, again he must track back. Sandro must be seen as an unknown quality to be protected from over- exposure early on, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing him. He comes highly rated.

Last time, the only time in fact, I made a sustained comparison between Jenas and Huddlestone, one of my most regular and insightful correspondents vowed to be physically sick next time he read anything on the topic. Which happened to be when he visited AANP– sorry Michael. So none of that here. I’m happy for JJ to stay, even though I suspect most readers are not, but as back-up, because Hud has progressed, he hasn’t. I expect he’ll be off, though, as will Bentley, for whom I won’t shed many tears. Whoever plays, we must keep the ball better, especially when we have gone a goal up. Too often we let teams back into the game without them having to try too hard.

Bale at left back for me, Benny’s good but not that good. Coming from deep, Bale can combat even the most packed of midfields. At right back, Corluka of all our players disappointed me most last season. I rate him and he’s clever enough to not let his lack of pace be an undue problem. His steadiness allows Lennon freedom to get forward. I expect Hutton is off, Walker looks talented.

In the centre, it all hinges on Ledley’s fitness. Daws will be mighty again and should be captain but he needs pace alongside him. Kaboul may be ready as back up but I can see another player coming in. Gomes is simply magnificent and with Cudicini fit plus the expected arrival of Pietlkosa, we were well served between the posts. When I said I was happy to keep all the current squad, I forgot about Alnwick. Byeeee!

Which leaves the strikers, my main area of concern because I doubt that they have the ability to score consistently against the best defences. None are good enough to play up front on their own, which is a problem for me. Pav is used to that role in Russia but his flashes of brilliance don’t banish the feeling that his consistency in front of goal is not good enough. Crouch is limited, lacking in pace and movement, and if we are trying to keep the ball the temptation to wang it forward is too great when he’s in the team. Defoe’s movement and team play improved for England but he can’t be trusted to do the work on his own, and the same can be said for Keane (not the England bit, obviously).

The addition of a top class striker able to play on his own up front could transform this already excellent squad. I’d go 4-5-1 with Luka behind the front man, Niko could play more often, Wilson and Hudd together… but the whole world is after that front man.

Harry’s solution could be pace. Several of our supposed targets, like Bellamy and Young, are fast and mobile. Add Bale and Lennon….

One dark horse is Gio. He likes to party and was on his way out but had a good World Cup and by all accounts has buzzed behind the strikers in the friendlies. Could this be his moment? He needs some freedom – he’s wasted stuck on the right or left – and he could suit that link up role between striker and midfield, dropping back to help out.

One final point – free kicks. Sort them out. Over 35% of Premier League goals were scored from set pieces last season, but not by us.

And so the madness begins. We’ll do well again this year – you want a prediction don’t you, head says 5^th, heart says 4^th so 4^th it is. Handling the pressure of every single game at the top is a new experience, one that we must learn to love and cherish, rather than shrink away with intimidation.

The exciting thing is, the players who did well last year, Lennon, Bale, Modric, Huddlestone, Gomes, are going to be even better this year, never mind any new signings. They have more to give, I’m convinced of it. And with the addition of a quality lone striker, the possibilities are truly mind-boggling. The only thing that worries me is my unnatural optimism.

It’s the World Cup You Know

June 1, 2010June 14, 2010 / Alan / 7 Comments

Having spent most of my adult life whinging and cursing at England teams with all the cohesion and familiarity of a park-up team on a Sunday morning, it’s unsettling to watch a squad that plays consistent winning football. And just as I get comfortable, it could all be flushed down the pan.

Last time I went up to Blackheath with my mate John Browning, I was first pick, on the basis that this newcomer must be a hidden talent because I was wearing clean socks. Frankly that had more logic to it than the selection policies of certain England managers over the years.

It’s all down to Capello. He understands the importance of retaining English virtues of high intensity and tempo, rather than aping the so-called more restricted style that pundits will mistakenly tell you suits international football. At the same time, the players understand him. Remain disciplined and keep possession. He’s accomplished a feat hitherto regarded as impossible in England circles; the players pass to each other. And the squad are obviously scared witless of him, which I like.

However, in recent months the majority have been injured, off-form, or both. Knackered isn’t on the list only because so many have been relaxing on the treatment tables of Europe. Forced to renege on worthy assurances of not taking injured or untried players, key men like Ferdinand and Barry have not only been included, they are covered by other rehabilitees like King and Joe Cole, while Capello has barely been introduced to several other squad members. Carragher long ago forfeited his right to a part of this, yet back he comes. The weather’s turned for the better but the thought of Rooney’s absence still brings me out in a cold sweat.

Although I’m genuinely looking forward to the World Cup I can’t get into much of a lather about England, or at least not the frantic anxious delirium with which I approach most Spurs games. I’ve written about this before: https://tottenhamonmymind.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/england-v-croatia/

I invest so much into supporting Spurs, England is a bit of light relief. I want them to win and will therefore feel involved and committed, but the feeling will disappear at the sound of the final whistle, rather than permeate my emotions and behaviour for however long it takes for the next match to kick off.

Maybe that’s a better way to be about football. It will certainly increase my enjoyment of the World Cup itself. I’m looking forward to catching as much as possible and taking pleasure in the game of football itself, rather than being consumed by the desperate desire to win. I’d prefer a great tournament to an England win, but both would be nice.

Tottenham players could have a major influence on England’s fortunes. Our defensive record will be decisive if we are to make significant progress because against better teams goals will be precious and rare. And who better than Ledley King to take his rightful place in world football. His awareness, timing of his interceptions (you can’t really call them tackles) and his pace over ten yards equip him to excel at the highest level, where he deserves to be. Criticised after the Mexico friendly, few people mentioned the almost total absence of Ferdinand who spent most of that match wandering vacantly and left Led isolated. King will partner not Ferdinand, as most assume, but Terry, who will dodge the pitchforks and burning torches of the baying mob and rise to the challenge, at least until we get knocked out ingloriously in the quarter finals, on penalties, and the tabloids unleash the rest of the scandals that allegedly await a disinterested public.

As the nation waits in hushed expectation of the next medical bulletin, let us join hands with our neighbours and friends and implore our gods and spirits to focus on just one single tiny piece of cartilage. That’s the spirit of the World Cup right there: Ledley’s knee brings unity, peace and harmony to the world.

If there’s any spare mystical healing energy around, let it have a go at Barry’s ankle and Rooney’s foot. Both in their different ways are key to England’s chances. Barry is the glue to bind the team together, to ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. His movement is good, his anticipation better, and he can not only break up opposition offensives, his excellent passing, short or long, enable us to move swiftly from defence into attack. Rooney is simply world class, whether on his own or up alongside a partner, our only player who opponents will fear.

So there goes another rule of blogging – I’ve praised players of other teams. Regular readers will need no convincing of my wholehearted devotion to Spurs but sometimes, sitting low on the Shelf, close to the pitch, a few greats stride through matches in a style that creates magnificent envy. In the last couple of years, Barry and Gerrard have performed so well, but it was a privilege to watch Rooney at first hand this season. His was a good rather than great performance but his running, power and dedication was revealed in ways that TV cannot ever emulate. I’m sick to death of the cheap shots in the media or by comics grasping at a mistake he made whilst a teenager in the company of family members who should have looked after him better. Or that impressionist Culshaw, the one whose voices all sound the same, in the Saturday night programme that no one watched. Rooney is not Colleen’s lapdog, he’s his own man.

And while I’m about it, let’s get it over with. Ashley – mate – those things I shouted at the Lane last season, those things I wrote, let’s put all that behind us. I’m sure that you’re a decent bloke, if I got to know you…you’re bang in form and could win it for us.

Rooney cannot win every game single-handedly, although that won’t stop him trying. Which brings me to possibly shatter another blog staple: if I’m critical of the England strike-force, I have to criticise Spurs players. Defoe’s link-up play is much improved but he’s not bright enough to outwit top-class defences and injury has dulled early season sharpness. Crouch will always provide a percentage return but this diminishes in proportion to the defenders’ ability. Anyway, a nudge in the back will put him off and his mere presence encourages the unnecessary use of the long ball. Who would have thought I would be wistful for a fit Heskey? Anyone ever suggest that he start by losing a few pounds?

Oh dear, I feel dirty somehow. Let’s end on a more optimistic note. The one thing that will make England different is pace. No single defender can cope with Lennon in full flight, and if there are two men on him, there’s space in other areas, which Gerrard and a couple of Coles, coming from deep, could exploit. He’s fit and raring to go. Just let him off his leash, Fabio, sorry, yes I know, it’s Mr Capello to the likes of me, just him have a go.

Spurs v Fulham. Can’t Sleep, But There’s Plenty To Dream About

March 25, 2010June 6, 2010 / Alan / 15 Comments

No column planned for today, not time…but have to write. Something has to be said about our team, our infuriating magnificent frustrating spellbinding team. Something must be said.

Battle of the English managers. Honours even, one half each. My goodness, they know this game. The difference in the first half – movement. Fulham pass and move, short passes mostly, nothing ambitious, get it, keep it, allow men to move forward in support. With five in midfield and mobile, there’s an advantage in beginning the movements from a deeper position because you can see the space in front of you, and the Fulham players moved unerringly into the gaps.We are still, expectant, strikers looking on from the area’s edge.

Kranjcar coming inside, good idea, overload them in and around the box. But he’s not effective and leaves a gap out wide behind him. Konchesky and Davies into that gap, help each other out. No worries, Sgt Wilson is patrolling, he cuts them off. But if he moves right, then there’s no one in the middle, so that’s where Fulham moves end up. So clever.

Benny has one of his vague games where the effort is there but the concentration absent. Not so much away with the fairies but under the headphones. Bale’s not sure where to be, Luka should come back more quickly, and it’s the old failing of Spurs leaving too much room in front of the back four. Bassong is drawn out because there’s no one to protect him, not really his fault but he’s late, betwixt and between, Fulham not closed down and there’s a gap….Zamora sees it, a fraction later, a perfect interval, a plain simple perfect pass is inserted into that gap and beautifully taken. All that work for a single moment. Worth it.

Yes, Crouch is playing well with the long ball, staying near his team mates and finding them well. That’s what he needs, don’t drift too far away, keep it simple. Not his fault, but the long ball is not our game. Pass it and move. Only one side doing that, so frustrating, maddening. We can do better, we know better, nothing learned over the season, nothing, all thrown out of the window…

Two eager young men dance enthusiastically on the touchline. Optimism and anticipation mask the knowledge that neither is famed for their ability to seize the day. Modric told in yesterday’s Times of Harry’s fearsome half-time team talks. The paint must be blistering on the walls. The act of a brave man, substitutes this early, carrying injuries and callow youth on the bench. Or desperate.

First touch, first touch you cocky little sod, you cocky little loveable sod, believe your own hype for a while, I’ll let you. Charlie offside, Fulham fans, the ones watching on TV at any rate, must be bitter. Bentley right, Modric left, Hud passes, Wilson covers. Suddenly there’s balance and shape, comfort in this warm familiarity. Gudjohnson is right at home, welcome and step right in, it’s nice here, you’re one of us. Shrewd, canny, pass and move, look for those little chinks in the massed ranks, get behind them, they can’t see you until it’s too late. Crouchie’s working, one of us, part of the team. That’s the way.

Bale, rampaging from deep, he slots into the role like a veteran but with the enthusiasm of a puppy. Coming from there, he can’t be picked up so easily, two men on him now, one, Duff, can’t get forward any more, out of the equation so their attack is blunted and the ball doesn’t get in our half for 30 minutes. Another young full back, Kelly, shows that he did not fulfil his early promise also as an attacking defender, nervous, broken, booked then substituted.

An injury threatens to disrupt the momentum, and the shape. Pav on, where is everyone supposed to be, no defenders…sod it, attack, it’s what we do. Daws looked nervous but if the ball stays in their half, he’s OK. Pav, not fit, runs around like a pit pony released from the depths. You weren’t really that hurt on the weekend, were you? Far post volley, ridiculous from there, from nowhere. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Beautiful slaughter. Fulham picked apart. Eidur completes a breathtaking team move. The TV shows only the coup de grace, obscuring the best and most fulfilling elements, of how this goal was created from way back.

There could have been more but lest we forget, Fulham are back in it, makeshift defence, tired legs, not fully fit many of them, we’ve played our hand. One goal, perhaps that Duff shot a yard to the left, Fulham may not realise but we’ve crumbled before. But Gomes sound, finely timed interventions from Daws and Seb, and so to Wembley.

Got to give it to you, Harry, and Hud in the middle, unspectacular but you did all that was asked of you, pass it and move, the others worked around you. Running out of defenders but leave that one for another day. For now, enjoy. City lost, Wembley, and a game of two halves. Enjoy the morning after a special night. If you ever wonder why we do it, pay the money and take the grief, that’s why.