No matter what controversies surround Sunday’s match. No matter how unfair the result was to Tottenham, the fact of the matter is that it was a big loss, and may mark an end to talk of the title.
At 2/3rds of the way through the season it was the perfect time for Spurs to make their mark and draw themselves within touching distance of City and United. Man City haven’t looked invulnerable in recent weeks and Spurs had the chance to capitalise on this.
But they wasted this chance. Although much discussion will be around the penalty and Balotelli, it doesn’t hide the fact that Spurs didn’t really perform to their best. The second half comeback can not disguise the fact that for 45 mins (maybe more) Spurs stars did not click.
Just one week ago there was talk of a Spurs title challenge, and fans excitedly stared at the league table and did the mental maths. All this talk dried up remarkably quickly after the results against Wolves and City. It’s clear Spurs are having a good season but there are still many hurdles before they can mount a real title challenge.
-Reliance on Stars-
Spurs have a good squad depth on paper, but this season’s results have been built on the back of certain stars. Gareth Bale’s goal on Sunday highlighted his importance to the team, and anybody can see the difference Modric makes to a performance. These two, alongside Van Der Vaart and Parker have been the backbone, not only of the team, but of the style of play.
Tottenham’s tactics have become reliant on speed on the wings and Parker’s tough tackling. Although other players (Kranjcar, Sandro, etc) have played well when called upon, they do not necessarily fit the system Spurs play this season.
-Results against the top teams-
Spurs record against the other ‘top 6’ teams is OK, but does not match up to that of United or City. Spurs have only won 2 games so far against the other big teams, and have drawn one.
That means they have only taken 7 of a possible 18 points. Meanwhile the Blue side of Manchester have taken 16 of a possible 21, ad the Red side 10 of 15. It doesn’t get any easier either, as Spurs still have to face Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea in away matches, as well as a home game against Man Utd.
– Strikers-
Now, I’m not saying Defoe and Adebayor aren’t without their merits, and they do have an important role to play with the squad. However Adebayor is currently Spurs top Prem goalscorer with 9, while Defoe sits one behind with 8. It’s not a bad return, but when compared to RVP’s 16, Aguero’s 14, or Rooney’s 13, we can the Spurs pair are not in the same form. The team has still found goalscorers amongst the team, but it’s at this stage in the season that many teams rely on the spark and match winning goals that a top striker can give. Spurs have been searching for this, but have missed out on the likes of Diamao, Negredo, and Amauri, and the season draws to a close they may regret these misses even more.
