A Reality Check

Article by Jon Ruskin

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Yesterday saw our first real test of the season. So far, we've played a couple of 'also rans' and passed our European test with ease. We faced a team against whom we shipped 9 goals with no reply last season. We faced a team in transition who's close season has mirrored ours from 12 months ago. We faced a team who would show us whether we're progressing, and whether our team and manager are starting to become a cohesive unit or not.

We failed yesterday.

Now, I'm a realistic Spurs fan. I dream big but am aware of the reality of the stature and potential of our current crop. I think we have the potential to challenge for top four, and to have decent cup runs in all the competitions we're in. If I was to make a prediction, I'd say we're going to finish 5th or 6th and winning a trophy this year would be a fantastic achievement regardless of whether it's the league cup or the Europa League. However, I couldn't help but feel any building optimism slip away yesterday. Speaking to a colleague last week I said that I was sure we'd score but ultimately Liverpool would have too much pace for our defence and that we'd probably end up losing 1-3. Disappointingly, I was actually only half right.

Tottenham Hotspur are not above a 0-3 home defeat. We can't be too precious about that. None of us like it, and we always hope it'll only ever happen sparingly, but we certainly shouldn't be calling for a revolution just because we performed poorly and were well beaten. However, it is very difficult to leave the 5 major drubbings we received at the hands of Manchester City, Chelsea and, yesterday's opponents, Liverpool, out of contention when assessing this latest blip. This was an opportunity to show that last seasons performances in these fixtures were a thing of the past, and that we were serious contenders for 4th place. Sadly, we let ourselves down once again.

We had a lot of the ball for long spells, yet created nothing. Tottenham have got into a habit of being able to keep the ball but not hurt a decent side when we have it. Passive aggressive attacking football, if you will. We constantly threaten to play a killer pass, but seldom deliver. We had one clear cut opportunity yesterday, and that came from a defensive error. Adebayor is too often found hiding behind his marker, offering nothing for his support unit. It's difficult to tell whether Pochettino has adopted a fluid front four because it suits Adebayor's style of play, or whether he's just resigned himself to the fact that too often our target man is seen strolling around out wide, when really he should be making a nuisance of himself in the middle, and therefore has to allow freedom of expression in the final third. He's a frustrating beast, because he has all the attributes of a fantastic footballer, but only ever applies himself when he has a point to prove.

A poor defensive display is one thing, it happens, but it seemed all to predictable yesterday that we'd see wayward pass after wayward pass coming from the back line. We'd all agree that Lloris is genuinely world class, Vertonghen is a solid, cultured, modern defender, and Dier has been impressive in all aspects of his performances so far this campaign. So, why yesterday, did we see the ball given away far too often from our defensive line? Liverpool like to press, but it seemed as though we were panicked by them, all too often rushed into a silly error rather than using the space and width provided by playing a back four and two deeper midfielders. I'm not saying it was exclusively the case, but it was happening, as it did last season, and it's cause for concern.

However, I think it is Pochettino himself that has the most to think about this evening. At Southampton, any victory over one of the 'big boys' was seen as a surprise success, but that isn't going to be the case at Tottenham and he needs to learn that very quickly. We set up well, as we did against QPR, and that's fine. They had spells of pressure and had chances, but we should have expected that. We also had a spell of half decent pressure towards the end of the first half where you could see his game plan coming to life. Yet, at half time, being 0-1 down, we came out and played the same game again. There was no shift in emphasis, no movement in game plan or speed, we were no more determined in the tackle and no more likely to take the game to Liverpool. I'm aware that an 'all guns blazing' approach could of resulted in letting in 5 again, however, there seemed a lack of urgency to do anything other than pass the ball around until the ref blew the final whistle. Possibly most disappointing were his substitutions on the hour though. Like for like changes on a day when it wasn't working – fresh legs rather than a fresh idea. He has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, yet seemingly only one formation in which to display them.

It is possibly a good thing that we have not only had this mini wake up call this early in the season, but also that we have an international break now, so everyone has a mental break.

Yesterday isn't the end of the world – absolutely not – however it is a reminder that we have work to do, both on and off the pitch, so we don't find ourselves being embarrassed as we were last season. At the time of writing, there is roughly 24 hours to go until the transfer window shuts. I've been impressed with our activity so far, however I do wonder whether yesterday might have thrown up a few question marks about whether a new striker might be in the frame. Adebayor is too often found wanting in my opinion, and Soldado might just not be the man to get us the goals we dearly need to challenge for 4th, so maybe Levy might just spring a surprise at the 11th hour.

Yesterday was one game. It's gone. I still believe Pochettino will get us playing in the way we want to see. However, there are ongoing lessons to be learnt, and those were highlighted yesterday.

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