In the long term- Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Article by Sean Walsh

Sadly, there was no fairy tale. No Bentley 40 yard screamer. No Rose 25 yard volley. No Adebayor running the length of the pitch carrying Tim Sherwood on his back. No FA Cup glory this year. But, it’s not all doom and gloom.

People say stubbornness was what led to AVB getting the sack, so Sherwood will need to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor if he’s going to have a successful stint as Spurs boss. 4-4-2 isn’t going to rule the world, especially when we’re putting square pegs in round holes.

The players had seemed to have lost their touch since the Old Trafford win; passes were sloppy, touches were poor, and frustration became the overriding emotion of those in lilywhite. Being overrun in the midfield didn’t help either, especially with a teenage full-debutant playing with someone so similar to himself.

I won’t bore you with more of the depressing side of the match- I’m sure plenty other reviews out there have that covered. Instead, let’s be optimistic, realise the positives.

Look at the picture. Look it at. Stare right into Theo Walcott’s cheeky little eyes until they begin to burn. This is the reason to be cheerful. This reason alone should be enough to give the players a real kick up the arse and snap them out of the blues and back into form. For Arsenal, games against us kick-start their season, so why can’t we do the same? Why can’t we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and nail down a Champions League place? We have the players to beat any team in the Premier League, so it’s time for them to prove their worth. When they get home and watch the highlights, I want Walcott’s smug face to haunt them. I want them to feel disgusted and, more importantly, motivated. I want them to play their hearts out because they don’t want that same sort of humiliation. I want them to run down the street in their dressing gown and boxers at the crack of dawn because they’re ready for whatever challenge lies ahead. We lacked desire and passion against Arsenal, and that image may be a blessing in disguise.

We’re still in the Europa League, and have a good chance of progressing into the last 16, where a tasty tie with Benfica will probably await us. Elsewhere, the other giants in the competition have been pitted against each other, so if we do make it to the quarter finals again, we’ll have a real chance of European glory. How does that sound? A chance for Tottenham Hotspur to burst onto the real European scene again. Timmy hates losing, so I’m sure he’ll take the competition seriously. If not, he’ll probably give the youngsters a run out. Even then, they’re gaining valuable experience that’s served the likes of Tom Carroll and Andros Townsend well.

I thought our Champions league dream was over a few weeks ago, but I’ve been impressed by the turnaround- we’re now just 2 points off of ‘title contenders’ Liverpool. The top 4 places may not necessarily go to the best teams. Everyone will need to grind and scrape out results, just the way Tim Sherwood as a player would. This is his turf, and he wants the job in the long term- he won’t take this lying down.

Seasons don’t end in January- a lot can happen from now until the end of the season. We’re still strong, and we have every reason to bounce back.

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