MOAR
Tottenham turned up and trounced the reigning champions in their own back yard, just for the banter. What's that? Leicester were weakened thanks to missing players? Cry me a river. Don't make me list the ones unavailable to us pre-match. Scrap the Sky narrative people, we got this one. Harry Kane scored four goals to push himself into the lead for the Golden Boot. To think this game was considered dead rubber in its build up. You might argue both sets of players are practically already on the beach but Spurs were the ones showboating with the ball whilst Leicester had the sand kicked in their faces.
Of course it doesn't make up for not getting close enough to them last season but it goes a long way to display how Spurs are a locomotive compared to the anomaly of the hosts title winning season. Not that you wouldn't want to sacrifice almost everything to experience what they have. But as Spurs get closer and closer, you get the distinct feeling City are back where they belong. Mid-table and average.
I enjoyed so much of this 1-6 demolishing. Mostly for Kane's finishing but in equal measures for the infectiousness of Son and our pulsating movement. Add Dele Alli (not a scorer on the night) and we have three players notching beyond 20 goals in a single season. One of many club records smashed up by this team.
Recent form sees us winning 12 of our last 13. Bottled it? Not quite mate. Had we beaten West Ham we'd still be second. The London Stadium tenants might want to cancel their memorabilia drive to celebrate being the instigators of our downfall. Chelsea were never going to be caught, for several reasons. Their consistency in selection thanks to no European commitments being a vital story arc. They had no real lull (we did, early season, and it cost us). They also have an abundance of richness on the field and on the bench. They turned up this season unlike their embarrassing campaign the last. We know all this already. We've processed it. Minds are already focused on the next challenge, Wembley and all.
All we can do is embrace the little nuggets of positivity we've been blessed with. For starters, we're not going into the final day of the season with any ilk of pressure on us. Mind the gap slags. Our neighbours up the road can suffer some of that gut wrenching pressure for once. Hope they choke on it. We've already consolidated second spot, which is now the new stick to beat Spurs with.
'lol, you're still only 2nd' is the current number one diss on Twitter from bitter rival fans. The salt tastes exquisite by the way. We've got them all rattled. Sure, they're happy we haven't succeeded but in that you find your answer to how much they fear what we have at Tottenham. These are the same jokers tagging Harry with the one season wonder label, so the lols are very much on them. The discomfort we cause is glorious. Spurs are blitzing it. Shame the best footballing side for the second season running ends up with nothing. I guess that remains the next level we have to reach, to solidify the lot.
I also enjoyed Filip Lesniak and his cameo (and assist). Dele's dink of an assist for Son. Our build up for our third goal was lovely. Son's footwork for his second. Moussa Sissoko even looked competent at times. Thought Hugo was a touch (literally) unlucky with his sweep out to get the ball. It got messy after that in attempting to stop them scoring but it's forgotten in amongst the rest of the scoreline. Our defensive record still remains imperious.
Our goal difference is, by the way, outrageous.
+54.
Blink, rub your eyes, there's no escaping this magnificent stat. Our goal difference between 1992-93 and the 2011-12 season was +52 in total. Think we might have a proper team here lads.
And as for the man of the moment?
Kane has now scored 24 goals in his last 24 games having missed three months thanks to two ankle ligament injuries. He's a phenom. The poster boy for the Mauricio Pochettino era. Relentless and brilliant. Four hattricks in a season (the first time that's happened for us since Jimmy Greaves). 31 goals in 14/15, 28 goals in 15/16 and 32 so far this season (with the single game left).
In total; 164 appearances, 131 starts, 96 goals scored, 14 braces, 7 hattricks and a single quad.
MVP. Our one season wonder, every season.
We also have more points than we've ever had in a Premier League (mis)adventure. More points than Leicester attained last season (which is a superfluous stat but proves our progress). There's still room for improvement. There always is. We've scored 75 goals (best since 1985). Chances created, goals conceded, clean sheets, home points, shots on target, total shots, defeats - all ranked 1st. Ranked 2nd with wins, goals. Ranked 5th on away points accumulated. Hint hint.
We now have a long summer ahead.
The Kyle Walker rumours persist. Newspapers are either making sh*t up or agents are regurgitating their standard hype to entertain the potential of higher earnings for their clients away from N17. Dier, Rose and even Toby often cited as want-aways. Of course, this is all pundits can discuss when reviewing the project at Spurs. Clubs like Liverpool are immune to this ilk of scrutiny. This is hardly breaking news. It's fairly dumbed down logic that fits into the past (when we've sold our best players). Spurs are still considered outsiders. Liverpool are still perceived as a huge club. In fact their odds on winning the league next season are more favourable than ours.
It's not that they're not (a big club), but in pure footballing terms, they are lagging behind us. The difference is that in the past, players wanted to leave because of the lack of diligence towards building a team that can contend. We now find ourselves on the cusp of almost being good enough and the new evil is players (via the media and green-eyed peer pressure) desiring to look elsewhere solely for the money.
Yet this is in conflict with everything we have at Hotspur Way. Sure, Poch and even to some extent our players are very protective of the future making sure all soundbites are ambiguously diplomatic. Never say never because tomorrow is unavoidable and you don't want yesterday to bite you in the backside. Yet if we (the supporters) and those pundits desperate for us to fail can see how close we are, the players must (surely) still be bound by the majesty of this momentum we have created. Loyalty is almost dead in the modern age. Part of me still believes that certain players are hungry for more than just the pound note. That becoming a legend at a club is a priceless reward that history will never forget.
As a footnote, I also believe that some of our key players are only as good as they are because of our gaffer and that outside of Spurs, they might find themselves consumed by the sheer depth of ego they are surrounded by. Of course, there's perhaps four or five of them that are certifiably world class and could play anywhere. So to come full circle, the clock is ticking for us all. We have to pay up and we have to win something.
Our 'home' record has to remain powerful. Away form has to improve. Hitting the ground running is imperative, in terms of league form and new signings. Champions League has to involve us getting out of the group stages. It's not easy but this is the new standard we have to aim for, otherwise, even an excellent side can stagnate in that limbo of always been 'nearly' there.
We are about to start our transition with a season, home away from home, and then into our brand new ground for the start of a new chapter. We have to retain our core for this. It would be scandalous not to. Poch and his locomotive must avoid derailment. Our team spirit and togetherness is still evident. We might lose one player and if we do, I won't be too disheartened. I'd rather not lose anyone and simply add a mix of experience and ballsy brilliance to an already near perfect set of 12-14 Lilywhites. What we have is unlike anything else in this league. It's special but (as aforementioned) time can corrupt. Any fragility will only be evident if we dance to the same old tune that those around us have been humming for decades. We need to out sing them all, on and off the pitch.
I'm already salivating for next season. More Spurs. MORE.
MOAR!