Hello darkness my old friend
Fully deserved.
A day to forget this. Untidy with transitions, no individual finesse, a general lack of sharpness...a very ordinary attempt at pretending to want to win a game of football. The first half was a non-event. We accepted the invite for the second but forgot to turn up.
Watford might have fair less quality but their application was more than enough to pluck away all three points. Both goals conceded from set-pieces too. Makes it feel all the cheaper. The home side roughed it up and we went all softy and gooey. This version of Spurs is the most frustrating. When we do just about enough to lose, like 0.01% anti-effort to allow the opposing side to ride their momentum enough to puncture any possibility we can muster up some for ourselves.
We never changed gear. Just parked up in a lay-by and fell asleep.
Not even sure Spurs Twitter can target any scapegoats today (they will). Most of our key and non-key players were average. Too many to choose from if you wanted to have a bit of a verbal attack to release all the angst. I sort of wouldn't blame you for doing so. Like Pick'n'Mix you'll chew on anything you pull out of the cup. Nothing sweet here though, all sour.
Harry Kane could have got to the glue factory quicker than shifting into a goal-scoring position. I had to keep double-taking when he lost the ball, thinking Poch had stuck his brother Charlie up front.
I love you Harry and I forgive you. It was just post-match banter m8.
Usually when he grafts, but it doesn't quite come off for him, we have about five other players that deliver the goods. When nobody else steps up it's fairly impossible to blame the game on passages of play in isolation. Of course, had Kane found the pass (for Lucas) instead of finding the defender, then we might have gone 2-0 up. But that isn't a strong enough defence for our (lack of) attacking prowess. There was little composure to pin point and enjoy across all areas and as a whole, there were holes all over the place.
Dele, Mousa, < add anyone else here> were all sloppy. Nothing connected. Full-backs were congested out in wide areas. Nothing quite worked through the middle. We could have done with Eric Dier in amongst it especially once Watford started to press their physicality. Eriksen was hushed and Lucas couldn't quite get away from the back-line when presented with half a yards chase. Dembele (sorry, you get a second mention) kept giving the ball away. I know you can often focus on mistakes because they stand out more than say retaining and passing the ball successfully, but I cringed way too often for my liking.
Oh damn it, I'm scapegoating. I'll back off. Win together, lose together. The absolute mugs.
Lamela our best player today by a mile.
Synergy was not evident is the only way to tag it all. It's was most definitely one of those days for sure.
Wrong selection? I don't believe that. Hindsight right? However, did Poch play down our win at Old Trafford too much? Did he fail to manage the hype in a positive, almost arrogant and aggressive manner (on the field), nurturing it like a stepping stone for the momentum to continue? We seemed to be very subdued.
Nah. That's daft. Hindsight again I'm afraid. Right? No? Speak to me. Give me your perspective.
If there's one manager that publicly and privately shows love to his players it's Poch and Spurs don't celebrate wins at Old Trafford like it's a miracle. Our attitude is far more professional. Which makes today a blip. Gotta be a blip.
I've decided it's a blip.
Christ, look at me, trying to dig deep for a philosophical reason for a defeat when, well, it's just a game of bloody football and you can't win 'em all.
On Sunday, players and manager included (he waited too long to change the game from the bench and made a pigs ear of it), we just never looked 'on it'. Hence the frustration. It's easier to be smashed and brushed aside because there is no doubt in a result that is emphatic. In games like this against Watford it's way too tricky to gauge why we under performed. It's too early in the season to start worrying. It's still a waste of three points and a discomfort thanks to the international break. But hey, credit to Watford who finally beat us. It's not just about Tottenham's failure. They've won four games and remain one of only three unbeaten teams with 100% records.
I'd rather we get these sh*t performances out of the way early doors. We don’t tend to linger too much when we do lose. We bounce back quickly and correct what needs sorting. We've played alright in our opening three games, nothing special, we've done enough. It's been a Spurs trait for a while, to play 'ok' but still win. We always run the risk of running out of luck as experienced on Sunday afternoon. Hence why our standards have been high and need to retain that sense of top tier consistency. We're traditionally slow starters is another caveat (excuse) too. Once more, it's best to keep those future projections safe in your bosom until the 10 game mark.
So to repeat the gist of it all, we just can't afford to have too many days like this going forward. Not until that 10 game mark and not until we work out what ilk of form the pace setters embrace. If the two or three teams that are down as early season favourites start dropping points then we might not have a repeat of last seasons runaway title winners. Then you can perhaps legislate for more than the occasional blip.
Our away form was the main issue last season for the lag in points that set us back (but nobody was catching City regardless). I guess we should be happy we've got an easy game up next to work it out of our system.
Onwards. After an International break. For f**ks sake Spurs. You made me sad.
edit: Congrats to Son