This time next year, we'll be Europa League
Watching football at the moment is a bit like Only Fools and Horses without the canned laughter. You know it’s funny, you know you should be laughing but without the audio cues, you feel a little detached from the punchline. It’s as though the laughing track amplifies the jokes and you’re part of an audience of collective appreciation.
Is this analogy working for you?
Tough. I’m sticking with it.
Football, and especially the derby against West Ham, was devoid of the energy and noise that always transcends the stands and gives vigorous blood and thunder to the proceedings. This game, every single touch and incident, played out in the exact same way but in front of a capacity crowd would have an altogether different experience - even if the product was identical. So, like an episode of Only Fools where the canned laughter has been removed, you know you’re meant to be enjoying it but you can’t quite sync into it. You want to hear the laughter echo alongside yours. In this case, laughing at West Ham’s plight.
Both the West Ham win and the score draw against Manchester United lacked the shine we have often taken for granted. But if you sit back and analyse the football and take into consideration the circumstances - was this a pretty decent four points claimed?
Yes. I guess so. I mean, it was alright. If we accept that players need to find a rhythm and tempo, with the likes of Harry Kane seeking full fitness and sharpness. Then yes. So far so good(ish). It wasn’t exciting, but if there’s no Del Boy or Rodney screaming abuse, there’s no extra impetus of influence to be had by the players on the pitch. In a distorted perspective, this might benefit them a little. Would you as a supporter really want to be inside the stadium losing your sh*t over a misplaced pass when we’ve had to endure 12 weeks of a pandemic, lockdown, social economic upheaval and a potential civil war of politics brewing?
The players might not have that extra push they usually feed off from the stands but at least they have a moderately stress free environment to kick the ball about a bit. Reclaim some form before the season ends and the pre-season proper restarts.
I thought we started slow against United, then found shape and punished them with a lovely Stevie breakaway run and goal. A little more finesse in the final third, in and around the penalty area, would have possibly seen us score a second and third. Erik Lamela was full of drive and tenacity, but lacks that incisive killer ball when it matters most. He was often wasteful when we needed inventiveness. Eric Dier performed admirably and then Pogba came on to steal a penalty with a cute pull to push Eric into giving away a pen.
I actually lost my sh*t when the ref pointed to the spot a second time. It’s the only genuine moment of emotion I’ve released in months (in terms of the football). Thankfully VAR cleared this up, but the sheer casualness of the official to give it in the first place felt like a disservice.
Dier, along with Winks and the aforementioned Lamela - the bright sparks in amongst the rust. Hugo was solid, Sissoko industrious as ever. Also, praise for the bending of the knee post kick-off.
West Ham were one dimensional. They most definitely missed their fans fuelling the passion levels. OG and Kane goals to seal it. Lovely to see Harry finish. These nine remaining games are a means to an end. He’s not played footie for a long old time and every appearance he makes is a step closer to a full recovery.
We pretty much bossed it in terms of chances created and containment of the opposing forwards. Son scored, disallowed for offside in textbook VAR style. The OG was messy but you love to see it. I never felt that Spurs were threatened by the visitors. Expected more from Dele. Didn’t expect anything less from Lucas. It was great to see Lo Celso start. Equally joyful for us to keep a clean sheet. And of course, applying pressure on West Ham (they went to 4th from bottom, tied to 3rd on points) is really quite funny. But irrelevant as there’s no away section to gesture towards.
Alas, regardless of the two results and the points, I can’t delve too deep into tactics and the rest. Mainly because I can not be bothered to do so. Ooh maverick blogger in ya face. It still doesn’t seem like football proper and my enthusiasm remains boxed up. But if you push me for some personal insight, there are two things that remain constant if you welcome stress headaches.
Identity.
Ndombele.
I still have no idea what our style of football is. Aside from perhaps attempting to keep it tight at the back and control and counter for a sneaky lead. We all wanted AVB to be the new Jose Mourinho and now we've got Mourinho turning into the new AVB. Of course, it would help if there was a clearer objective at hand. When Mauricio Pochettino arrived at White Hart Lane we knew he loved a press and he identified the deadwood and players of dysfunctional culture and got rid of them. Whilst galvanising average players and reinventing others.
Perhaps Poch had the advantage of youth on his side. Wanting to impress and build a tangible philosophy. Jose, with his wealth of experience (which, love him or hate him, is undeniable) might lack the focused hunger to really take Spurs back up to the momentum we enjoyed only a few seasons back. Jose has always been centric to his CV (which is beneficial for the club he manages, of course) and will likely try to get one cup out of the squad just to say ‘there you go, I’ve done it again’ rather than cement an essence of longevity.
However, to be fair, he needs players in. He needs to strengthen our spine. He needs all the tools in the box so there is no room for political shuffles of blame. Which ties in nicely to Tanguy Ndombele. His scapegoat.
The lad hasn’t impressed so far. He’s impressed in pockets and cameos. Not with application and consistency. I’m not privy to the reasons why. We can attempt to decipher news reports, quotes and Jose dropping ambiguous bars during press conferences. There is something fundamentally broken with Ndombele fitting in. The question is why? The answer is, take your pick.
Mental state? Fitness? A general unhappiness at being at Spurs? Jose disliking the player? Jose trying to ignite desire and passion in the player with psychology? Take your pick.
I am not buying into the player not being very good. He’s our record signing and the club will surely be asking Jose to use his experience to help the player. Afterall, unlike say a ‘Roberto Soldado’, Ndombele has shown us (in those pockets and cameos) that he has an eye for goal and the finesse in the final third (something we lacked in the two games played so far). In those moments, his quality is also too undeniable.
He has brains, brawn and bubbly brilliance. Is he now fit? Apparently he is. Jose is dismissing conspiracies and is suggesting it’s a squad game. We’re allowed to make five subs and although I don’t expect Jose to just sub for the sake of it (and at the detriment of balance and shape), I do find it odd that Tanguy hasn’t played a minute. More so because it could end all the tin foil hat bantering or, well, add more fuel to the fire.
Damn it.
Regardless, I’d like to see what he can do. I want to know at what level his fitness is at. Of course, we all like to take sides and also expect there to be a clash of personalities or a divide. The reality might be that the player was suffering from a lack of confidence that impacted his training and conditioning. Jose might be doing his utmost in helping our record signing find himself as a Spurs player. The bubble wrap and cotton wool needs removing, but in Jose we must trust.
Am I clutching at straws?
Perhaps.
The fact is, he’s exactly the type of player we are in need for. Be it in central midfield or an elevated position behind the frontline. Along with Lo Celso, these are the players with the killer pass. That cute touch into space. The difference makers. If I could choose an identity, it would be to have these two in the starting line-up. Then a full pelt Kane up top, accompanied by the foil, the space invader Dele and the pace of Son. If they’re allowed to be expressive and expansive, if…then that identity goes from myth to legend.
Until then, it’s much ado about nothing and nothing much about daring to do.
On the plus side, we’re not quite Del Boy falling through the bar. And we can do without the canned laughter if we fail to grab a Champions League position and end up playing on Thursday nights.
COYS tho