Defeatists defeated, table looks healthy now
The defeatists were defeated. Tottenham won, fully vindicating the sensible midweek selection of Fazio and his fellow squad members to give as many players as possible a rest for the more important game.
All the talk of it just meaning we will lose by two instead of four was shown to be wildly inaccurate. The crowd took a more positive view and got behind the side cheering on a performance that should silence a few more Pochettino and Levy critics.
The game could hardly have ended better, a thumping 4-1 victory, Harry Kane getting off the mark for the season and Erik Lamela getting his name on the scoresheet again. I was discussing last season how it was more important to sort the defence out than the attack, if you are continually conceding goals then you are negating the work of your strikers and putting them under greater pressure.
Fans were calling for strikers during the summer, but you only sign the players you want at the price you want, we acquired a very goos one in Son Heung-min and strengthened the defence. That emphasis is now paying dividends with the best defensive record in the Premier League along with leaders Manchester United.
Some of the Tottenham passing and movement was excellent, even when we were 1-0 down and we are clearly now starting to see more interchanging from the front four, as we were expecting last season. Restless fans complaining the system doesn't work, the manager isn't good enough show their impatience when the players are learning the system and Pochettino hasn't got his own squad.
Those complaints are heart on the sleeve stuff, but the head says the system does work and the head coach is long term so it would make more sense to get behind them, but that would vindicate a Levy decision so that will never happen for some, even if we won the league.
Tottenham have many times been vulnerable from our own corners and so it proved again with a Walker pass inside that Eriksen let run across him, perhaps unaware who was around him. Both were partly to blame and those errors were compounded when Eriksen didn't professionally foul Yaya Toure to stop the Man City attack. One through ball and Lloris went for a near post shot when strikers nearly always go for the far post, another slight error, only small but it made the goal easier.
To improve as a team, you have to look at every small adjustment even your best players can make to improve their game. The mental shift Lamela has made has improved his game significantly, he arguably had his best game in a Spurs shirt yesterday, given the opposition. It is the first time against quality opponents he has looked as though he belongs out there. That leaves Mousa Dembele with a problem, he is really going to have to up his game to get back in this side when he is fit.
Clinton Njie, for me, for the first time showed himself to be a footballer and why we bought him. He played a lovely ball into Lamela for the fourth goal which will give him confidence because he will now feel he has contributed instead of watching everyone else contribute. His performance after that showed skill and it is results like this one that will encourage other young players that Tottenham is the place to be. Obviously that won't happen because of one result, but a season playing to that standard would auger really well.
All the talk of it just meaning we will lose by two instead of four was shown to be wildly inaccurate. The crowd took a more positive view and got behind the side cheering on a performance that should silence a few more Pochettino and Levy critics.
The game could hardly have ended better, a thumping 4-1 victory, Harry Kane getting off the mark for the season and Erik Lamela getting his name on the scoresheet again. I was discussing last season how it was more important to sort the defence out than the attack, if you are continually conceding goals then you are negating the work of your strikers and putting them under greater pressure.
Fans were calling for strikers during the summer, but you only sign the players you want at the price you want, we acquired a very goos one in Son Heung-min and strengthened the defence. That emphasis is now paying dividends with the best defensive record in the Premier League along with leaders Manchester United.
Some of the Tottenham passing and movement was excellent, even when we were 1-0 down and we are clearly now starting to see more interchanging from the front four, as we were expecting last season. Restless fans complaining the system doesn't work, the manager isn't good enough show their impatience when the players are learning the system and Pochettino hasn't got his own squad.
Those complaints are heart on the sleeve stuff, but the head says the system does work and the head coach is long term so it would make more sense to get behind them, but that would vindicate a Levy decision so that will never happen for some, even if we won the league.
Tottenham have many times been vulnerable from our own corners and so it proved again with a Walker pass inside that Eriksen let run across him, perhaps unaware who was around him. Both were partly to blame and those errors were compounded when Eriksen didn't professionally foul Yaya Toure to stop the Man City attack. One through ball and Lloris went for a near post shot when strikers nearly always go for the far post, another slight error, only small but it made the goal easier.
To improve as a team, you have to look at every small adjustment even your best players can make to improve their game. The mental shift Lamela has made has improved his game significantly, he arguably had his best game in a Spurs shirt yesterday, given the opposition. It is the first time against quality opponents he has looked as though he belongs out there. That leaves Mousa Dembele with a problem, he is really going to have to up his game to get back in this side when he is fit.
Clinton Njie, for me, for the first time showed himself to be a footballer and why we bought him. He played a lovely ball into Lamela for the fourth goal which will give him confidence because he will now feel he has contributed instead of watching everyone else contribute. His performance after that showed skill and it is results like this one that will encourage other young players that Tottenham is the place to be. Obviously that won't happen because of one result, but a season playing to that standard would auger really well.
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