Challenge Spurs™ - Another day, another win
Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 5:16PM Challenge Spurs™ Series
Game 04 v (A) Manchester City
2-1 win, 3 points
Total points: 12
Position: 16th
'Out of the bottom three'
It was meant to be tricky. Bolton, Arsenal, Liverpool and City. Four daunting games for a sorry Spurs team with no confidence, direction or sense of balance. Yet Harry Redknapp's honeymoon period seems to be going longer than a groom on a triple dose of Viagra. Four games, 10 points. Just two points dropped.
Modric given the freedom to express himself, tucked behind the front man but roaming all over the shop. Bent re-discovering his goal-scoring form. He suddenly looks a bit good. Humble pie all round?
So Spurs, a proper team now, keeping possession and playing with confidence. Coming back from one down to win - away. Its dizzying stuff. Manchester City, consistently inconsistent. Hughes blaming the ref and the wet ground, otherwise they would have won comfortably. Keep on believing Sparky, just keep on believing.
Sure, today we were a little casual at times, and with City down to 9 men (thanks to red cards and that wonderful referee) we should have been a little more comfortable going into the final ten minutes. Assou-Ekotto also saw red for us, but arguably not having him on the pitch was an advantage. Maybe we can make it a double and ask Zokora to lunge in with two feet next time. Or perhaps, and I know this is revolutionary in thought, we could look at not starting either of them.
So, great start to the game, tidy football and Modric coming close. Only then to go 1-0 down. Ekotto forgetting his positional responsibilities and Robinho netting after Gomes could only parry the ball. Bit messy.
Fernandes then gets sent off for a second bookable offence, and not long after Bent runs onto the ball after Dunne drunkly allowed the ball to whizz past him. Bent made no mistake, 1-1. The second was created by the returning Jenas, chesting the ball and laying it off for Bent (all from an inital Huddlestone pass). Bent brace. Glory! Dunn then sent off for taking Bent down (who was clean through) then Ekotto picked up a red card for a clumsy foul on Zabaleta.
For animated picture footage, just watch MoTD2 for the obligatory 2 minute Spurs footage and analyisis.
I'm not going to put on my '6th spot isn't that far away' hat on just yet. Any club sitting between 20th and 5th spot can get into Europe or be relegated. Exciting stuff. Lose next week, and we could be bottom again. Win, and it wil be our best run of league form since quite a while. So onwards to the next four games of the Dirty Dozen run of fixtures:
(A) Fulham - Hoping for 3
(H) Blackburn - Hoping for 3
(H) Everton - Possible draw, thus 1
(A) West Ham United - Hoping for 3
Followed by Man Utd (then Newcastle, Fulham again, then WBA). There's room for a lickle defeat somewhere in amongst those games. Just the one mind. It's looking like a festive happy-go lucky Christmas for the Spurs.
Oh, and no Gareth Bale today either. No Bale = Prem win.
Reader Comments (4)
Loved Match of the Day's footage. Where was the Bent chance of a hat trick? Tut tut BBC.
I think its all down to 'challenge Spurs'. I reckon you've tempted fate with this one and we're going all the way. I reckon we'll draw at Manure.
" Loved Match of the Day's footage. Where was the Bent chance of a hat trick? Tut tut BBC."
Not even a showing of Bentley's bit of trickery and shot. Gotta love their guest studio too, wasting our license money on them two melters.
Modric continues to impress. Berba-who?
I think with every passing week confidence grows and that little bit of arrogance thats sometimes needed might also make a re-appearance to give us an extra edge. Harry still needs to decide on the midfield.