LONDON: For all the despondency yesterday’s 1-1 draw at home to West Brom dished out, there is little escaping that some Tottenham fans will still be thinking about their previous Premier League clash. Not because it was a defeat, but because it was a defeat to their arch-rivals Arsenal.
That 2-0 loss came as a huge disappointment for Spurs. After all the talk about a shift in the balance of power in north London, they were well-beaten at the Emirates. Yes, there were quibbles over the two goals, but the fact is that for the final half hour of the first half in an otherwise fairly even game, Arsenal were the better side. More worrying than the specifics of the defeat — although it did enhance the suspicion that there will be a real dogfight for positions some distance behind Manchester City — was that it was part of a more general trend.
Although this was the first time Mauricio Pochettino has lost to Arsenal as manager of Spurs, he has only won one of 18 away matches against other members of the big six. Pochettino, as he had to, dismissed suggestions that was a concern. All teams, he said, struggle away from home against good sides. To an extent he’s right: Chelsea last season won the league despite taking just four points from their away games against the five other members of the elite. But only to an extent.
One of the markers of City’s excellence this season has been how they have gone into tricky away games without fear, and the result has been wins at Chelsea and Napoli. Already, the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in two weeks’ time is looking like a last chance to derail the procession and generate a proper title race.
But the point for Tottenham is that that is the next thing they have to improve. This season, already, there has been a huge leap forward from the last campaign, less in the Premier League than in Europe. Tottenham’s Champions League group, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, was brutally hard and they have won it.
It’s true that neither Madrid nor Dortmund have been at their best this season. But then, Tottenham might argue they have been part of that. They were the first team to beat Dortmund and they are one of only three sides to have beaten Madrid. The most significant aspect, though, has been the improvement in their performances in Europe this season to last — and, perhaps more specifically, to their limp Europa League exit against Dortmund the season before that.
Where last season Spurs foundered bewilderingly at Wembley, losing at home to Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, this season they have played with great maturity. Last season they were a side that needed to dominate possession to dominate a game.
This season they had less possession in all four matches against Madrid and Dortmund and, while there were occasional uneasy moments, particularly at the Bernabeu, they came away with three wins and a draw.
They have learned a new way to play — and one that should, in time, help them in those Premier League away games against the top sides.
And that, really, is what Tottenham fans should focus on. There’s been a lot of talk recently about how Pochettino needs to win a trophy, but the byways of English football are littered with managers who lifted silverware and were sacked soon after: Does any Spurs fan really think Juande Ramos was a better manager than Pochettino? Would anyone swap the Argentinian for Claudio Ranieri, Manuel Pellegrini or Michael Laudrup? What is important is progress and, if there is constant progress, the trophies will come.
The danger, as ever, is money. Pochettino’s achievements are astonishing given his budget. Since he arrived at Tottenham, their net transfers spend is £12 million ($16 million). Arsenal’s in the same period is £199 million. His development of young players has been exemplary, but at some point those players are going to become frustrated with the knowledge that they could treble their salary by moving elsewhere. At the moment the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks are excited enough by the project to leave financial concerns aside. But there are loose threads, most notably the departure of Kyle Walker and the ongoing unease over Danny Rose.
Managing the financial demands of the squad will not be easy, particularly as Spurs move into a new stadium, but for now what is important is the sense of development. One defeat at Arsenal and a draw at home to West Brom does not change that.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke
Man Utd 1-0 Brighton
Newcastle 0-3 Watford
Swansea 0-0 Bournmouth
Tottenham 1-1 West Brom
That 2-0 loss came as a huge disappointment for Spurs. After all the talk about a shift in the balance of power in north London, they were well-beaten at the Emirates. Yes, there were quibbles over the two goals, but the fact is that for the final half hour of the first half in an otherwise fairly even game, Arsenal were the better side. More worrying than the specifics of the defeat — although it did enhance the suspicion that there will be a real dogfight for positions some distance behind Manchester City — was that it was part of a more general trend.
Although this was the first time Mauricio Pochettino has lost to Arsenal as manager of Spurs, he has only won one of 18 away matches against other members of the big six. Pochettino, as he had to, dismissed suggestions that was a concern. All teams, he said, struggle away from home against good sides. To an extent he’s right: Chelsea last season won the league despite taking just four points from their away games against the five other members of the elite. But only to an extent.
One of the markers of City’s excellence this season has been how they have gone into tricky away games without fear, and the result has been wins at Chelsea and Napoli. Already, the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in two weeks’ time is looking like a last chance to derail the procession and generate a proper title race.
But the point for Tottenham is that that is the next thing they have to improve. This season, already, there has been a huge leap forward from the last campaign, less in the Premier League than in Europe. Tottenham’s Champions League group, with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, was brutally hard and they have won it.
It’s true that neither Madrid nor Dortmund have been at their best this season. But then, Tottenham might argue they have been part of that. They were the first team to beat Dortmund and they are one of only three sides to have beaten Madrid. The most significant aspect, though, has been the improvement in their performances in Europe this season to last — and, perhaps more specifically, to their limp Europa League exit against Dortmund the season before that.
Where last season Spurs foundered bewilderingly at Wembley, losing at home to Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, this season they have played with great maturity. Last season they were a side that needed to dominate possession to dominate a game.
This season they had less possession in all four matches against Madrid and Dortmund and, while there were occasional uneasy moments, particularly at the Bernabeu, they came away with three wins and a draw.
They have learned a new way to play — and one that should, in time, help them in those Premier League away games against the top sides.
And that, really, is what Tottenham fans should focus on. There’s been a lot of talk recently about how Pochettino needs to win a trophy, but the byways of English football are littered with managers who lifted silverware and were sacked soon after: Does any Spurs fan really think Juande Ramos was a better manager than Pochettino? Would anyone swap the Argentinian for Claudio Ranieri, Manuel Pellegrini or Michael Laudrup? What is important is progress and, if there is constant progress, the trophies will come.
The danger, as ever, is money. Pochettino’s achievements are astonishing given his budget. Since he arrived at Tottenham, their net transfers spend is £12 million ($16 million). Arsenal’s in the same period is £199 million. His development of young players has been exemplary, but at some point those players are going to become frustrated with the knowledge that they could treble their salary by moving elsewhere. At the moment the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks are excited enough by the project to leave financial concerns aside. But there are loose threads, most notably the departure of Kyle Walker and the ongoing unease over Danny Rose.
Managing the financial demands of the squad will not be easy, particularly as Spurs move into a new stadium, but for now what is important is the sense of development. One defeat at Arsenal and a draw at home to West Brom does not change that.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke
Man Utd 1-0 Brighton
Newcastle 0-3 Watford
Swansea 0-0 Bournmouth
Tottenham 1-1 West Brom
