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Battle Lost, War Far From Over

4 min read
by The Fighting Cock
Tottenham for once have signed the majority of their players before the deadline day, but after another loss at the Emirates, perhaps it wasn’t quick enough. Up against a team that hasn’t made any significant alterations for 12 months, Spurs were bereft of ideas, cohesion and understanding. A marked improvement is needed especially if we […]

Tottenham for once have signed the majority of their players before the deadline day, but after another loss at the Emirates, perhaps it wasn’t quick enough. Up against a team that hasn’t made any significant alterations for 12 months, Spurs were bereft of ideas, cohesion and understanding. A marked improvement is needed especially if we are going to challenge honours.

afc v spursThe Emirates bar two incredible turnarounds in recent years has never been a happy place for Spurs. Arsenal as usual in this fixture, or when the calendar turns to early spring, donned their “divine right win attitude” and new look Spurs had no answer to it. A cool finish by Oliver Giroud against the run of possession was all they needed to collect three points.

The moment they took the lead the script was there for all to see. They would sit deep and invite us on, before looking to hit us on the counter, had Arsenal’s finishing been better, or Hugo Lloris a lesser keeper, the result may well have been worse. The Frenchman pulled of a string of saves and kept us in the game, whilst as our wayward passing and poor crossing offered little hope of us getting back into it.

Our heralded midfield trio looked neat and tidy, but where was the drive and strength that three individuals of such physical stature should have?

Mousa Dembele continues to confuse me. As his form slumped in early 2013 many of us pointed to Scott Parker’s presence alongside him, yet even now with far better players next to him, he remains ineffective. For long periods of the derby Paulinho’s sole purpose was to sweep up behind the Belgian, his substitution was welcome when it finally arrived.

Etienne Capoue, before injury ended his derby was equally quiet. Up against lightweight opposition and a midfielder who hadn’t kicked a ball in anger since May; it was a poor performance from the trio.

It wasn’t much better for the rest of the outfield team, especially the wide men. Andros Townsend, barring a few trademark long range efforts was ineffective against a left back I believe he had the better of, and across field our Belgian winger had another average performance. Nacer Chadli for a wide man who stands at 6’2 and has a wonderful first touch, remains an anomaly. First impressions when we signed him were that he would be a decent squad player. He has done little to dispel these initial opinions.

[linequote]When AVB walked into White Hart Lane he had a big job on his hands, but handling this new look Spurs squad and defining who plays where and how, will be what makes or breaks his Spurs career.[/linequote]

Twitter spent the majority of the 90 minutes crying for a number 10, I can see the logic in this, but against an Arsenal team sitting deep and packing the central areas, I don’t believe this would have helped. What we needed was better passing from all 10 outfield players across the pitch, not just in the final third. Each time a promising move opened up especially wide, the passes or crosses into the front men were wayward.

As the game ticked away, even with the introduction of Eric Lamela, Spurs turning around the one goal deficit seemed unlikely. AVB so often an assured presence from the touchline, lost his pattern of thought, instead of re-jigging the attacking options he opted for the tired 442 formation, when perhaps removing Chaldi an introducing a more reliable passer in Glyfi Sigurdsson or Lewis Holtby would have been better.

In countless situations last season we saw AVB out think his managerial opponent and conjure up a substitution to change the course of the game, but at the Emirates rather like Spurs, AVB lost his way.  The moment that perhaps encapsulated how lost AVB found himself was when he scampered down the touchline to pass on a message to Kyle Walker to chuck the ball long into the mixer. Hardly something you could imagine AVB having a dossier on.

When AVB walked into White Hart Lane he had a big job on his hands, but handling this new look Spurs squad and defining who plays where and how, will be what makes or breaks his Spurs career. With £110 million spent, regardless of Bale’s fee subsidising it, he is under pressure to deliver.

The benefits of having a Director of Football are clear to see in the calibre of the signings we have made, but the danger for AVB is that there will be a contingency plan in place. Should he fail to get the best from this squad, Franco Baldini will have a sheet of paper with managers names on it. A DoF is hired to ensure continuance in the plan, not continuance in the stewardship of the man in charge of the plan.

Of course these are just the over reactive emotions of a Spurs fan after a derby defeat. Spurs have some excellent players in their squad; time is now the only thing we need. Lamela and the other signings from the Friday’s transfer spectacular need time to settle and come to terms with not only Spurs but also living in a completely different country.

The result, despite what noise may be emanating from the red part of London, doesn’t mean a great deal. Just as when we beat them 2-1 at White Hart Lane, Champions League qualification and final Premier League positions are set in stone. We are only three games in. They may have celebrated like they won the war, but this was just the first skirmish. The battle goes to them, but the war goes on until May 2014.

[author name=”ARLombardi” avatar=”https://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/data/avatars/l/1/1785.jpg?1349590920″ twitter=”ARLombardi” website=”arlombardi.com” tag=”ARLombardi[/linequote]

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

13 Comments

  1. Sprucebandit
    02/09/2013 @ 11:48 am

    The positives are there. We didn’t play well but still had the lionshare of the game. Individuals will find form (Dembele). The team will gel.
    Stick with the lads – two rough days are no reason to ignore the previous week or so’s optimism.
    COYS

  2. DAVSPURS
    02/09/2013 @ 11:51 am

    Wow you really thought a young sacked rookie out thought seasoned Managers i though the best player in prem Baled him out gaining 28 points from losing positions. What you have not got is the same knowledge i have purely by accident and this is called topping up tempo and this will do us more harm than any tactics AVB does or does not. You can dismiss this but i no Toure was not on his own swallowing Energy giving drugs and i seen it yesterday allover Arsenal players from one to 14. Now Bales fee is funded by Arsenal buying there player 42 million this means Madrid stole Bale for 45 million or if its 72 upfront even worse

  3. Nicholson 61
    02/09/2013 @ 12:03 pm

    I,m pleased you stated that some points/comments in the article were due to an emotional over reaction. It gave the piece credibility!

    I agree our passing was poor, there was a lack of tempo and cohesion! They go hand in hand! Once the new additions settle in, an they will sooner rather than later in my opinion, then the cohesion will come, obviously then increasing the tempo of our play. This and hopefully the introduction of Ericksen, will see a massive impact and contribution from Soldado!

    Of course there is pressure on AVB and it will mount, should we lose a couple of games or 3 in succession. But I don’t foresee any dramatics this season from the board! Like me, in AVB they trust! Automatic CL qualification a sert!

    COYS!!

    Ps, I would have loved to have seen Tom Carroll get half and hour yesterday, replacing Dembele or Chaldi, encouraging Rose to push on more, whilst TC linking Mf and Atk! I,m convinced he would have made the difference and had the imagination needed to unlock their back 4 and find Soldado!

    • Jima
      02/09/2013 @ 1:45 pm

      Agreed, Carol would’ve been a good option, dembele was not on his game. Lennon was missed, as was Eriksen. Like you say lost battle not war, just a pity it’s 2 weeks till the next game!

  4. Afc
    02/09/2013 @ 12:30 pm

    Mesut ozil welcome to ARSENAL!!!!!!!

    • stokespur
      02/09/2013 @ 1:12 pm

      you mug

    • IKnowAlanGilzean
      02/09/2013 @ 1:19 pm

      Such is his reluctance to go to Arsenal, he might be the saddest man in English football tonight. Poor old Ozil, he wanted to stay at Real Madrid or go to Man Utd. And they say footballers aren’t like cattle.

    • Loyalty Matters
      02/09/2013 @ 1:34 pm

      46M! 46m? So desperate to show the fans he can actually spend he pays out this amount…& you lot laughed at the prices we paid? Sure he’s a good player, but 46m. I have to go change now I’ve wet myself laughing. In Winger we trust. No wonder MUFC said they weren’t interested if that’s what RM asked for him. No doubt he’ll be your next Gervinho/Arshavin/Hilario (I just love that)/Bentner etc etc etc etc…..

      • Tidan2
        04/09/2013 @ 8:07 pm

        we spent 10 million more than his value and you spent 7 million more than Lamela’s value so why are you laughing so hard?

        and he isn’t a good player, he is a world class player with insanely good stats to prove it.

  5. Arpen
    02/09/2013 @ 12:36 pm

    Its a real shame that Van Der Vart decided to go after such an impressive couple of years with us, Bale aside he was the only player we have had in the last few years who would drop deep and demand the ball and make things happen. Modric had impact but was a different kind of player for us. Lamela and Erricksen seem the likely pair to come in and perform that type of role. I think Siggerurdson and Holtby wont make the grade, so there will be a lot of pressure on the fore-mentioned creative players to step up. What we have lacked for years is a genuine 10/15 goal a season midfielder like Lampard, Scholes etc – we desperately need someone to be that man

    • Jima
      02/09/2013 @ 1:48 pm

      Eriksen, as you’ve said

  6. Miles 'Uni' Smith
    02/09/2013 @ 5:18 pm

    I was disappointed after yesterdays result but I’m not worried – yet – Erikson and Lamela from what I know of them (I’ll be honest mostly from football manager) are most likely to be those players to provide the cutting edge so it’s a shame that they are the last two to come in. Chadli has looked distinctly average so far. I completely agree with you that it would have been nice to see Holtby (my preferred choice) or Sigurdsson come on, or even Carroll someone said above, they could have provided something different.

    We’ve yet to score from open play in the Premier League this season, but we’ve put 8 past Dinamo Tbilisi and I can’t help thinking that the fact they play in the Georgia is only part of the story, but perhaps we just had a better balance of players on the pitch. We have a big squad, with players like Holty and Sigurdsson who can do a good job and I don’t want to see them wanting out by January because they aren’t getting enough first team football. In any case it would be foolish to be worried yet, if neither Lamela, Erikson or perhaps another face are unable to provide the creative outlet we need, then I’ll be worried.

  7. fola jimi
    03/09/2013 @ 10:44 am

    dembele has indeed lost form. it would be better if he sat a few games out. holtby / eriksen should play 10. siggy/chadli to play left wing. aaron/ lamela to play right wing. i’m not too sure andros will get much playing time this season especially when lamela, eriksen , chadli and holtby settle in.
    adebayor still has a role to play. you’ll see.

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