Spurs Are Three Points out of Fourth

Article by Jon Lewis

The French have a saying about making difficult choices: that “your ass is caught between two chairs.” With AVB’s ouster and the now semi-permanent appointment of Tim Sherwood, we’re rather completely rid of the rather negative (but mostly successful) mindset of AVB’s team (2 holding midfielders, a high line compressing the field, an emphasis on possession and tempo – a style that produced enough ugly wins to stay in contention until the final day of last season and to remain, despite two awful losses, within a few points of the top 4 this year). In its place we have the more freewheeling, and lots of fans say more Spurs-like 4-4-2 with, except for the Capoue substitution for the injured Paulinho on Sunday against Stoke, no holding midfielder, passes out of the back that bypass the midfield altogether and an emphasis on attacking football over possession). Gone for the time being are the ground-out 1-0 wins and in their place we’ve got 3-0 cakewalks (like Sunday) that are a whole lot of fun to watch and blown leads (the West Ham and West Brom games) that are thoroughly heartbreaking.

In the end, whatever chair on which we choose to rest our asses – a choice made for us last week – the good news is that Spurs’ chance at a top 4 finish seems about the same. Despite Levy’s best efforts to screw things up, we’re still just three points out of 4th place; under Sherwood we’ve taken 7 out of 9 points (a decent tally; the 3 points at Southampton was a nice surprise; the 1 point at home against West Brom a disappointment) and have not since AVB’s exit lost any ground on 4th place (our only reasonable goal this season).

The real test comes on Wednesday against Man U … and it’s also a test of Sherwood’s resolve. Does he stick with the go for broke 4-4-2? Assuming Paulinho is healthy and Sandro is not, does he line-up with Dembele and Paulinho again in the middle, which worked well against an awful Stoke team? Does he play Erikson on the left, which didn’t work so well and leaves Spurs vulnerable to counters on the right? Does he play Chadli instead of Erikson on the left, opting for defensive cover and a player better suited to the position? Assuming they are healthy, we should see Walker, Dawson, Chiriches and Rose – and that will have to do.

Two big decisions loom for the new year. When Vertongen is healthy does Sherwood sit Dawson (who has consistently not played well enough) or Chricihes (who has terrific and awful games – some better than Dawson and some worse)? That choice may well speak volumes on his philosophy at the back: the gambler chooses Chiriches – if he’s a religious man, maybe he prays for Kaboul’s full recovery. The second concerns Sandro: what will Sherwood do when he’s healthy? Is he willing to play a 4-5-1 (to accommodate Sandro, Paulinho and Dembele)? A modified 4-4-2 (which is what he played on Sunday with Erikson slotting inside; I wonder if Dembele can play a similar role, but better?) Is he crazy enough to sit Sandro (because right now there’s no one playing holding midfield)? Are there different plans for different teams (so far he’s played teams we can dominate, justifying the free-wheeling 4-4-2 – so, again, what he does on Wednesday may be the key)? Does he try to get Capoue on the field against Man U with Dembele and Paulinho protecting the very vulnerable back 4?

I liked AVB and saw a decent future for Spurs with him in charge. Still, I am happy with the seven points out of nine and I was particularly encouraged with Sherwood’s rather practical post-game comments on Sunday. Asked if the players were buying into his system, he replied: “They have to buy into it or they won’t play.” As to the team’s morale, he was shrewd and honest: “They’re happy when they win.”

So, while some of us are “caught between two chairs” right now – between AVB’s and Sherwood’s Spurs – it’s useful to take stock in Sherwood’s advice to his team. We have to buy into this new system, because the alternative is unthinkable – we can’t stop supporting the team. And as fans we’re happy when we win too. Sherwood’s run as manager very much depends on that simple, practical observation. When he took over the team 4th place was still a possibility. It still is. Let’s hope we can say the same thing a month from now.

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