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From the erratically racing heartbeats to the screams of pure elation, we as Spurs fans have experienced almost every possible emotion while supporting our beloved team. This past Sunday, though, we all shared a feeling of complete and utter boredom, a feeling which was the direct result of viewing the putrid contest that was Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Putrid may seem a rather harsh description, but in fact, it is probably an understatement for the dull, dreary match that progressed on Easter Sunday. While Burnley initially looked positive and Ings had a massive chance to take a 1-0 lead in the 5th minute, the game simply went all downhill from there. Neither team had any clear-cut, spectacular chances and the defence and goalkeepers pretty much kept out any viable threats.
Sunday’s performance begs the question…is it our generally lackadaisical defending that spurs on our attackers? Knowing that there is a mistake waiting to happen, understanding that they have to be on their game to ensure the attacking play is up to scratch, making up for our often diabolical defensive efforts, is that the environment wherein they thrive? As a supporter who recently criticised our Leicester City performance, I wonder which game our fans enjoyed more…I know which one I did.
Imagine for a second that Ings’5th minute strike nestled in the net, much like early goals went the opposition’s way in so many games this season. Considering our 2-1 win record away at so many grounds and that wonderful statistic of gaining 16 points from losing positions this season, it is honestly a strong possibility that the game could have sparked into life after we conceded a goal. Being so used to having to produce remarkable and riveting comebacks, it would not have been a surprise to see us emerge victorious by our familiar 2-1 scoreline.
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Undoubtedly, Sunday was an extremely poor day for our attackers, with even the mercurial Kane and Eriksen failing to create anything worth mentioning. Paulinho and Chadli were quite abysmal and it was a massive surprise to see Paulinho complete the 90 minutes (Chadli was subbed off for the almost equally ineffective Lamela) Perhaps the lack of urgency was down to the relative solidity of our defence (who performed quite admirably despite lacking the key figures of Lloris and Vertonghen and later, Walker who was injured on the cusp of half-time).
Keeping clean sheets is indeed a crucial part of football but it seems as though Spurs have forgotten how to balance a solid defensive display with some attacking determination (such a performance was emphatically on show in our 3-0 West Brom victory). A key part of our philosophy is to play beautiful, attacking football and what we viewed on Sunday was certainly not adhering to it.
So, ultimately, was a clean sheet of much value? Wouldn’t we all have been happier with our traditional 2-1 victory? Did anyone honestly enjoy Sunday’s game more than the fast-paced, nerve wrecking 4-3 Leicester victory 2 weeks ago? I know I certainly didn’t!
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