Are you not entertained?
Let’s break this into four parts. First half, half-time, second half, post-game orgasm. The first three parts are my inner monologue of the game, whilst watching it. The post-match is exactly that. Me gushing. Enjoy.
1st Half
Early goal, wallop. Ndombele assist, Kane dropping towards him for the misdirection to create space and allow Son to run into the perfect pass from Tanguy. City’s decision making - from keeper to defenders - like tentative children playing in Hackney Marshes whilst screaming dads look on. The complexion of the game is instantly forced into exactly what Jose wants. Spurs twice on the counter could have had a second goal - Kane with a disallowed effort (he was offside). Holy sh*t, what a move this was, what a goal it could have been, the passing from defence through to midfield to splicing open City only for the most in-form footballer in the world to guide the ball into the net, illegally.
Then Bergwijn was unable to pull the trigger after more good play. There was a City goal. disallowed for handball. It’s always appreciated when VAR turns up to give us a wink and a reassuring pat on the back. Kane is the victim of some rough treatment, but he’s still grafting in all positions. Spurs are sacrificing all of the stats to City, it’s almost a replica to the tactics of last seasons encounter (and victory) against Pep’s team. The visitors with all the possession (almost 70%) but slow with their tempo (lack of preparation, a consequence of international break and the potential for fatigue?).
We need to be a little more ruthless and aggressive with positions of opportunity.
And breathe.
Half-time
This is the Jose way, right? Containment, defending, countering. Not easy on the eye, not comfortable with the heart and a burden on the brain…unless you’re Mourinho. But the result today matters more than the entertainment. The application is key. The three points the objection. Perhaps the entertainment here isn’t so much Hollywood blockbuster box office action but more foreign language film where the subtleties and subtilties engage on a far more existential level. You might not understand what’s going on but the ending will leave you a wreck (hopefully smiling rather than crying).
2nd half
We need to be cleaner when nicking the ball off City players in central positions - we need to recycle the ball with conviction. We stole the ball off Kyle Walker, attacked, but our passing was not incisive enough in their pen area. City still energetic, hungry. Spurs still passive.
Or are we? This word ‘passive’ keeps getting used. By myself, by others. Is this the great Illusion? Is this is the tactic played out in plain sight?
True control is when you give the opposition the illusion of control.
City persist with their pressure, but it’s scrappy in attack. Spurs defending and blocking with comparative ease. Half chances here and there. Corners. Whatever. It’s not penetrating our backline.
There’s a chance. Kane to Son, but the touch is too heavy to get around the keeper - went far too wide. Spurs seeking that killer second and looking good for it.
Lo Celso on for Ndombele.
Kane swivels, finds Gio,
WALLOP
…scores after 35 seconds of coming on. That’s the killer second. We’ve made good on our promise.
This is the Prestige. The proof of the illusion. For all of City’s stat ownership, Spurs have the only two numbers worthy of a mention. Two goals, to nothing.
Lucas on for Bergwijn. Sterling on for City. Spurs persisting with resolute defending, never looking stressed or pressured, dealing with City’s pockets of forward momentum with tenacious determination. Toby injured, Rodon on (with Bale having to sit back down having prepared to come on). Toby looks like he’s done his hammy. Not great timing with the games ahead.
Lots of positives as we see out the minutes. Dier excellent. Toby a King amongst men. Kane murking City players at will, breezing past them, inciting the foul. Hugo with an important late block-save. Full backs have been tremendous. Sissoko industrious. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with AI machine-like efficiency - like a drone, carpet bombing enemy targets.
A better controlled second half, steadily deflating and stifling City. Then professionalism in the latter stages to kill their hope dead. This was a big game, a massive result and a mammoth performance. The players reflecting their managers instructions with near perfect output. Rejoice! Top of the league.
Post-match
The game was not fun, or particularly enthralling, there was intensity and organisation. Two top sides not willing to give up too much in the way of open space - but one side more alert to punishing mistakes - or perhaps creating the space to force a mistake to then punish. It’s inception football. If Kane stops swivelling then it’s all a dream.
Would you take this through-out the winter fixtures if we win playing like this? Yeah, of course. I would. A winter of content over discontent, thank you very much.
We are good enough to deliberately surrender possession - and then punish the best sides in the land. It’s our trait. One of them. It’s our edge. Spurs are multifaceted. Allow me to go fully Joe Rogan here and describe this as ‘high level problem solving with dire statistical consequences’. For all the percentages Pep’s team owned, we sliced their jugular like peak Jack the Ripper.
Why should we not play like this? Why question it? Why compare to Pochettino and his swarming pressing Spurs side? You could. I know I still do in quiet moments but it’s important to echo the sentiment that we are evolving on from what Poch built. Mourinho has inherited a broken team and rejuvenated belief by way of producing results in games we often failed to attain them in.
The counter attacking containment pick’n’mix stylings that can shift from one game to the next is proving to be pivotal in our new found ascendency. In the games where we need to adapt, we now have the capacity to do so. It might not be swashbuckling but it’s momentum generating.
Jose masterclass? Pretty much. With little time for preparation too.
Yes, I want us on the front foot, studs on ball, dictating tempo. Bossing games and possession and picking off teams before they even have the realisation they’re in a game with us. Dismantle them with brutality. But this particular trait is more susceptible to damage. Get yourself into a slug-fest and you might get knocked out. Box clever, hang off the ropes, then change stance. Orthodox, southpaw - do it all.
Being overly expansive won’t necessarily happen in games of this magnitude, most of the time. Tbf, we smashed United away and in-form Soton so we can elevate and punish appropriately - but it’s mostly been reactive. Utd were calamitous and Southampton had their high line. But this is a sacrifice we are all too aware of.
But it isn’t reactive is it? It’s deliberate. It’s planned. The passiveness is a myth.
Spurs are displaying discipline in the tactics, Patience. When we had possession (the little we took from the game), it was decent. Calculated. We didn’t buckle or break. We persevered and we preserved.
Maybe my emotions and the need to be entertained constantly is sometimes clouding the desire to commit to patience. Because it’s needed to deliver the required application to push home the win. Make no mistake about it, this wasn’t actually a masterclass. This was Tottenham doing Tottenham things because this is what Tottenham do now.
It’s a winning mentality. We are seeing the continued journey of its evolution. Keep the faith. We’re a proper team.
Onto the next.