Mauling in Madrid
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 12:19PM I woke up suddenly early this morning, around 3am. A little disoriented and for a brief few seconds no recollection of anything other than the dream I had just lost. Then it hit me like a truck running over a rabbit caught in its headlights. That other dream, my memory returning, also lost. I did reach out to see if there was a white handkerchief I could use to wave despondently across my face to wipe away a tear. Instead I went back to burying my head under the pillow and asking myself...what if what if, as I lost consciousness (always with the losing) once more and fell back into what might as well have been a nightmare.
In all the match previews for our first leg visit to the Santiago Bernabéu, including mine, very few entertained the eventuality of what was witnessed on the night.
I cited we needed to stand tall, be strong. The usual pre-match battle cry dressed up with belief and desire with a dab of focus thrown in for good measure. It was always going to be about us finding out whether we could compete against a heavy weight side managed by heavy weight tactician.
Some quotes from my match preview:
“Jose knows his side won't be able to steam-roll us like the various assortments of Spanish fodder they dismantle week in week out”
That’s exactly what they did.
“We are not expected to win. We're not expected to beat them over the two games. So the pressure is on them. Leaving us to play without fear. Because to do otherwise would be regretful”
We found ourselves on the back foot before the game even kicked off with Lennon dropping out of the starting eleven due to, I’m not sure what. Illness according to Redknapp.
“I hope our defence retain unity.
I hope Bale has 'a game'.
I hope vdV galvanises his team mates on his return to his former club.
I hope Modric dictates.
I hope our players show resounding mental strength.
I hope Harry gets one over Jose”
Deliciously ironic if you’re a Madridista. The sudden change and resulting substitution that saw Jenas enter the field of play and then stupidity and lack of composure in the opening quarter of an hour was the catalyst for a nailed on defeat.
Apart from one of the goals, the rest were poorly defended. vdV sacrificed at half-time. Modric lost thanks to the constraints of seeing Crouch red-carded. Sure, we showed mental strength. Not so much in the way we knee-jerked and allowed us to be consumed by the occasion and subsequent reshaping. But the way we held it together, especially by going in at half-time at 1-0 was encouraging damage limitation.
I’m going to avoid any deep analytical break-downs regarding individual performances (some fought, others switched off, relentless pressure too much to handle) along with Harry’s tactical changes and the Peter Crouch kung-fu episodes. And not forgetting the forgotten fundamentals when failing to defend the two headed goals.
I'm going to avoid mainly because if you take a step back and remind yourself of the opposition and their quality and then admit they hardly shifted out of second gear – you’ll be grateful it was only the four goals conceded. There was no plan b. Madrid knew they would win, and picked us off patiently with all the time in the world to do just that. All things considered (36 Madrid shots on goal?) we might have escaped with a 2-0 or 3-0 which would still have had us dreaming. What with us being that way inclined.
Alas, back to harsh reality...
Ten men up against Real Madrid, away from home, having the absolute **** pressed out of us for practically the entirety of the match. These are not excuses; it’s just statement of fact. It’s horrible I know, to admit you’re being outclassed regardless of the way we surrendered any possibility of making a fight out of it. With eleven men, we might have scored an away goal. We’d have retained shape, cohesiveness. Instead we struggled to keep the ball with not a second allowed for us to catch our breath and try to salvage offensive movement rather than chasing shadows. Probably would have retained the ball, recycled possession effectively and had pockets of Lilywhite aggression. I guess, as one or two of you have already pointed out, it’s a nice to get-out clause to have.
That’s to be able to imagine that teasing ‘what if’ rather than say losing 4-0 with no caveats in sight. We worked hard because we had no other option to defend, we made mistakes, and we were duly punished for it. It’s happened to one or two teams in the past, taken to school. Lesson learnt. Then continued their progress next time round. Have to hope we won’t need to wait too long for that next time.
Let’s also respect the other perspective, the one we tend to ignore because we're so Spurscentric. As much as we’d have wanted to prolong the adventure, the other team – they had their own agenda. Fuelled by the fact they are second best to the best team in the world and finding themselves with the opportunity of meeting them in the next round what with personal redemption for all involved at Madrid and an obsession to avoid seasoned disappointment in the Champions League. It’s not always in our hands. As much as we’d like to believe it to be. Toe to toe, eleven against eleven might have been equally as painful.
Nothing to be ashamed of Spurs. But equally 'okay' for all of us to be disappointed as the return fixture is practically redundant what with the immediate (it’s been there all season tbh) urgency to reclaim a top four place with a handful of games left. Massive task for manager and players to react positively and not let the season fade away.
For the return game, do we rest our players or do we live for the moment once more? Home territory with the noise of the Lane in the stands, accompanied by a swan song of swagger out on the pitch? It would be rude not to oblige.
It’s been a majestic campaign in the only way we know how to journey through one. Ups, downs and shrugs. We were not meant to finish top of our group or knock out AC Milan. We did. And along the way created some cracking memories. There's room for one more, even if it's only a footnote.
COYS.
Reader Comments (74)
The 2nd leg has the potential to at least be interesting.
Based on the yellow card situation, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jose leave out the likes of Ronaldo, Carvalho and Ramos, thus ensuring their availability for the 1st leg of a semi-final.
Of course, they have a wonderful array of talent to come in as back-up, but it does leave a "what if?" option in terms of putting our line-up together.
This Saturday is quite possibly the most important Premier League game of the season though. We HAVE to take 3 points from a stubborn Stoke side, and then hope that Liverpool turn City over on Monday. Can't see Wigan getting anything at Chelsea......
If Jose leaves out the obvious players, expect them to set up with bus parked up. They will stifle the game to shit.
spot on spooky
I think most believed we could do something, purely bases on our campaign so far. 11 v 11 might have given us an away goal to cling to. Didn't help that Bale is nowhere near full match fitness.
Return leg 4-4-2. And go for it, If VDV plays he has to stop dropping right back into his own half.
Anybody else wondering if Modric and VDV are turning into our very own Lampard and Gerrard situation?
And also how did Lennon not playing make any effect on who Jenas had to mark at corners??? With Lennon, Modric and VDV corners were always going to be difficult to defend. Looked more like Crouch was marking no-one to me.
we're not meant to finish in the top 4 this season now either (especially if you listen to Redknapp). I'm just hoping this results in an excellent run in the league. I couldn't care less about the return leg. Sure, lets get some respect back but give me another beating as long as we get back into the top 4.
If Spurs, manager and chairman, get the message across to our key players - state we WILL be signing a top drawer forward in the summer and then basically outline our plans to go for the title (therefore hopefully sustaining a top 4 position) then next seasons domestic campaign will be monumental. Because if everyone stayed and we didn't finish top 4, we'd lose all those key players the season after.
Such is life.
Although the whispers on twitter last night (as expected) concerned how the club plan to sell certain key players for plenty of wedge THIS summer.
/sigh
Remember last season - portsmouth...we were downa and out apparently.
Look what happened then.
Too much to hope for a repeat?
If harry's arm around the shoulder style of managament works then its time to start doing that now.
We will push on next year that is certain...what isnt yet is what competition we are in.
The lads will put in a massive effort.
Just hope we go 4-4-2 when possible and play to our strengths. Sorry but vdV needs to ride the pine for a while...just like crouch. Pav & Defoe against stoke. Fuck the big man up against Shawcross bollocks. Run the arse off them i say.
Do and Dare etc
MAKE A STATEMENT LADS
There's no question that the occasion got to our players, and that we didn't really get going. But quarter finals at the first attempt, having beaten Inter and Milan along the way, is no disgrace. The worry is that we now need to push on in the league, if we want another bite next year, and we're toothless in front of goal.
we wanted this level and so we have to live with the pressure........we were unfortunate in losing height in defence and the midfield seemed weak also due to injuries etc.cant understand lennon,s last minute situation? play for the first 15 and then see?...jenas was out of his depth as his replacement.. crouch was wreckless . and defoe was on too early and did little .........after all the hard work in the previous games we lost the plot in concentration...gomes should have stopped the fourth!..........real madrid were great but we should remind ourselves this is the first year in the champs and so it has been a great acheivement by harry and everybody .........time to sort the run in in the epl......win mentality.!.......
All I was hoping for last night was a result that made next week's match worth playing and we didn't even get that. I can't see a clean sheet and I can't see a 6-1 either.
As people are saying, Saturday is crucial. The problem is that we made the Champions League this year because we weren't in Europe at all last season, in my opinion. Now that we are our league form is suffering.
2-0 would have been enough for us. 3-0, probably too much. 4-0? Fantasy?
Never say never ;)
Well said Dr Winston. All that matters now is getting back into the Top 4 next season. Let's not overanalyse last nights game, everything that could go wrong, did. Crouch looked too fired up, Gomes should have saved 2 of the goals imo and the general problem of nobody holding the ball up but instead hoofing it away to another Madrid player for it to come straight back. Why was Jenas marking Adebayor instead of Dawson as surely the best header in the team? But we move on. Finding a back 4 against Stoke will be the biggest problem, looks as though Sandro may need to slot in at RB if Gallas isn't fit with maybe Hudd and Modders in the centre. Let's go 4-4-2 with Defoe and Pav up front and really give them some problems. If Azza isn't fit, then play VdV on the right. Attack, attack, attack.
Everyone is so adamant that Real Madrid have a better starting eleven than Spurs, however if you look at the Spurs midfield for example, it is unquestionably one of the best around, and much better than Real Madrid's. One of the posts above states that Modric and and Van Der Vaart may be turning into a Lampard and Gerrard situation, but I would rather say it could be a Xavi and Iniesta situation. If we were to play a 4-3-3 we could play these two players in the middle with Sandro playing as a more defensive midfielder, much like Barcelona do with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets.
'Arry went to Real to play 4-4-2, that in itself was a gamble but commendable if not foolhardy. He knew all day Lennon was sick. He waited til 2 minutes before the game to change him when Lennon came in after the warm up and said he had no energy - crazy stuff. He replaced him with Jermaine Jenas who isn't even a Championship midfielder, definitely not a right winger instead of adding more defensive strength to the midfield and dropping VdV back in 4:3:2:1 with Modric and VdV behind Crouch. Jenas loses Adebayor for the first goal and Crouch gets sent off and what does he do? Does he drop everyone back? Does he try and use Bale's pace? Nah. They miraculously and bravely make it to half time and instead of taking the time to say "we are in Real, we are 1-0 down with 10 men, we are going to go bank of 4 and bank of 5 and try and hit them on the break if we can?" Nah. Take off VdV, at his old team after he throwing tantrums for being subbed and bring on who? Defoe !! A player who is nothing without the ball at his feet in the box, where Spurs hadn't been all game. It was a jokeshop performance by all bar the defence and even at that Gomes made some silly decisions which cost 2 of the goals.
Cap it all off though - 'Arry comes out in the press conference and after all the boo-hooing about the game says "we'll have to go on a run in the league now" implying 1. he thought he was going to win the CL and qualify that way and 2. that he had de-prioritised the league (as evidenced by the results) with the specific intention of winning the CL. What planet is he living on?
Arthur, to alongside the footballing merits we also need to be assured in our heads. One or two things triggered a mental collapse. We'll learn from it, I'm certain.
Die Crouch and Jenas!!!
@Walkerboy. Not looking to argue with you but the phrase "most important (any) game in our history" is rapidly becoming overused.
We have nothing to lose in the return leg. Why not try Bale as a striker?
i thought milan was our mini final................
anything more was a bonus
was defoe the right substitution when down to 10 men?
at least pav surely?
or try to hold on to 1 nil with palacious or even hudd and leave vdv bale mods to if poss score?
but i guess he got us there in the first place so what do i know?
i wish the strikers would wake up in the league
COYS
Anyway i think its still possible!!! Its only 4 goals to take it into extra time... Like everyone is saying all the best players will be out the match for madrid. We have 12 men on the pitch (fans). Why not give it a go? yes they will park the bus but can they handle cross after cross? They don't know about lennon do they? 4-4-2 against madrid. Their defence is poor.
Harry and his entourage are not the mangement team to take us on the bit further. JJ, JD, PC, RP, JJ, VC, should all be shipped out.
Not impossible. Just improbable.
How worried I am.
I need a mahusive confidence injection!
Only results are going to help me.
Or maybe I should have a long BS chat with Harry?
The pity is that it really seems like the players have had their heads turned by this CL run. No one thought we would get this far. No one thought we would get out of our group! But our points haul in the Prem looks below par for fourth place.
And now we are all faced with the (almost certain) reality: we aren't going to win the CL... this year.
However to win it next year we must be in it, certainly to attract the players (a striker, a striker...) who can aid this goal but mostly because you just can't win it if you're not in it.
Spurssince1980 - spot on mate. Pls everybody tell me Harry was not at fault - he was at fault as much as Crouch was.
What gets to me is everybody is still going on about the return leg. Screw the return leg - its now all about Stoke and it shoud have been all about WBA, Wigan, West Ham, and so on.
It seems to me that many are waking up this mornming and facing the reality that was facing us 10 weeks ago - no 4th place - and we are done.
How can harry be so flipant - "we'll have to go on a run in the league now" This so called f***** run should have been attacked 8 weeks ago not now its too bloody late.
Its been an overall collective disaster and im not talking about last night, im talking about the way the club as a whole got their priorities totally and utterly f -ing wrong - I cant beleive Levy allowed this to happen - unless he really though we could win the competition - come on now!!!!!
its going to be hard, but i still think we have the slightest of chances, 1 or 2 early goals Real get a bit nervous and to be honest i don’t think they are the best at the back either. we just have to pile the pressure on.
Horny - I presume JJ was in there twice for emphasis, right?!
If it wasn't for 'fucking' Crouch we wouldn't be in this competition.
Well done Spooky.
On the subject of what ifs, I was one of the people who saw Ouchy's red as an out. You raise the point that it would have been as bad with 11. I think it could easily have been WORSE. We might have been even more exposed and even more humiliated after fielding--let's face it--with the exception of JJ something very close to our best 11.
Not looking forward to Stoke to be totally honest ...
Never know now. The return game, especially if Madrid bench players and defend deep, will be a completely different type of game. One that wont give us much of a clue to what might have played out last night, had Crouchie not gone mental.
Come on fellow yids.... chins up, there's still everything to play for.
Here's a song for ya' all.....................
You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do just when everything looked so dark?
(Man, they said "We'd better accentuate the positive")
("Eliminate the negative")
("And latch on to the affirmative")
Don't mess with Mister In-Between (No!)
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
(Ya got to spread joy up to the maximum)
(Bring gloom down to the minimum)
(Have faith or pandemonium's)
(Liable to walk upon the scene)
You got to ac (yes, yes) -cent-tchu-ate the positive
Eliminate (yes, yes) the negative
And latch (yes, yes) on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between
We got a lesson, by a better team, with a better boss, 10 men and all of that. It happens.
Onwards.
So depressed it's unreal... pointless blaming anyone, it's been an amazing debut CL campaign that shouldn't be judged on one nightmare performance. Immensely proud of the lads so far this season and there's still one more game to go out in epic style...
"If we're gonna go down, we're gonna go down fighting"!
Quick question folks: If we don't secure 4th place, is it better to finish 5th (Europooh Lge) or 6th (no Euro football)?
2 words - utter shit. I have not been as angry last night as I have in a long long time with Spurs.
With the exception of probably Dawson, they were all shit. I know it was hard for them but the whole thing just reeked. You just knew this kind of calamity would happen, it always does!! I've had enough now, we seem to be doing our best to chuck the league spaces away, and if i'm totally honest, if we weren't to finish in the top four, I would rather liverpool DID catch us, as we hardly need anymore distractions for next season (as proven this year). It's like Saturday against Wigan for example, you could tell they were all focused on the Real game.
And on another thing, if Redknapp wants to go to be England manager so bad, FUCK off. I'm growing tired of hearing about Redknapp for England etc, it is like the worst kept secret in the world and he seems to love it. If this is so, ship him out so we can get someone in who actually wants to be there and will be for the long haul, and not using us for a stepping stone....
Not happy.
DY - no-brainer of question re 5th vs 6th.. In my humble opinion, you fight until the end to do as well as you can, therefore, 5th is better than 6th. It's the same answer to those that ask if you would sacrifice a trophy in order to finish higher in the league a few months down the line.
Lets back em on Sat as we need to rememebr it's been a superb debut season but we've lived on the edge since kick-off in Switzerland.
Oops.
http://img864.imageshack.us/img864/1193/azza.jpg
Maybe it will end up like your Football Manager game, Spooky. Chin up.
Well that puts the onus back on Harry planning to pick Lennon despite him being unwell for 2 days.
Speaking of Football Manager, I won the League & FA Cup in first season at Spurs, then won the quadruple (CL, FA, PL & Carling) in 2nd season. Now also manager of England, but Spurs season 3 is not going well, despite having Defoe, Gameiro, Tevez & Carroll as my strikers......
Anyone want to sell there Madrid ticket - £35 - yidual at yahoo co uk
Scandalous.............
How on earth can the Lennon saga have happended. Surely if he was ill for 2 days, then you cant play him in a game of this magnitude.
Ive said all along, the entire back room medical staff need to be changed, the injury list this season is unreal and i do not think its as straight forward as it sounds.
The medical/backroom team will soon be questioned.......watch this space!!!
Yes, Bale up front, i've long held the belief he really could play there. Defoe can stay in and learn the offside rule, crouch can stay in a hotel in Madrid. Does anyone know if it is possible to recall Kyle Walker from Villa?
Pav And Bale up front, Lennon, Modric Sandro & VDV in mid, Dawson, Gallas BAE & maybe Hudd in defence, spraying lovely balls for Bale to latch on to. Gomes between the sticks. get at them from the first minute, & i can just see us getting 3 goals & oh so nearly getting a forth but not quite.
Still proud of u Spurs, if it doesnt work what have we lost ?
Considering Spooks' FM game, I'd say we have an excellent chance in the second leg.
Just have to apply for emergency loans for Suarez, Aguero, Neymar, Dzeko, Gourcuff, Pastore and Wilshere.....
:@WHL Forever
There are usually clauses in the loan agreement that allows the team to recall a player, as well as the borrowing club to return the player before the end of the loan. Incidentally, I was chatting to a Villa fan a afew days ago who was talking a swop and cash deal: Kyle for Young. I asked how much he was going to cash he was going to give us.
It really pains me everytime desparate englishmen show up in chatrooms to preach the lie that "if it wasn't for Crouch we would'nt be (here) in the CL". Thats a f*cking LIE and you all know it.
Harry's Crouchy had what...4 goals in the entire season? If Crouch was not at Spurs the City game would have been insignificant. We would have been challenging Chelsea and Ars*nal for automatic qualification. Crouch was born to play for Stoke City. A striker who can't shoot? Give us a break. The first thing any new manager will do is rid the team of the horrific Harry favourites Crouch-y, Defoe and Jenas.
In my desperate search for glory, Wikipedia tells me that we've gone the furthest of any English Champions League débutantes. Stick that Madrid.
Odds on a 5-0 extra time win for Spurs in the second leg? Probably worth a bob or two, for larfs, no?
Many submissions to this thread mention Player Manager, i assume a game for those who wish they were in charge at the Bernabau, to be Frank any one of us would have done at least as well over the last 9 weeks. When we won 9 points out of 12 over xmas/new year expectations were high and a top 4 looked well on, all hoped the loss to Everton was just a blip, even by end of Jan all seemed fine but europe was becoming a priority. Did the team benefit from a trip to Dubai, surely Harry if you want to go racing you don`t need an entourage, then losing to Blackpool where we had 35 shots 1 goal, drawing with the 3 bottom teams and Humiliation against Real. Harry`s report card may look like this :
1. TACTICS..........Given a full squad even a novice could pick the starting eleven and bench, problems arise during games that are not going to plan, he either does nothing hoping things will change or subs the wrong player, rarely changing tactical formation. 5/10
2. SQUAD ROTATION.........With a large squad you would expect rotation but with so many crocks on board this has been difficult. This situation must be addressed and fringe players must be integrated. 5/10
TBC
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT CROUCH TOOK THE DOUGH.
LOOK AT ADEBAYOR, ALSO BOOKED EARLY BUT LEARNED FROM IT. ALSO, CORNERKICK TIME, CROUCH REFUSED TO MARK ANYONE.
We have been crap for weeks if not months and last night just shows the difference between what happens when we play a top footballing team as opposed to the average rubbish in the EPL.
I will be very surprised if we can "go on a run in the League" as Harry puts it, unless he means continuing with our point a game or less run .
I know we were down to 10 men last night but what was really depressing was the total inability of the team to play football, you know pass and move, take up a position in which your teammate can actually pass the ball to you instead of hiding behind opposition players. A proper team attacks as a unit and defends as a unit and we just do not know how to do this. If we can't hit long balls to Crouch, Bale or Lennon we appear clueless and this is not, nor has ever been, the Spurs way of playing.
Effectively, barring some improbable miracles, our season is over.
3. MAN-MANAGEMENT...........If a player dares to voice an opinion even in private they get the cold shoulder and some first choices become 3rd. VDV has said he likes him because he gives little instruction, just says " Go out and play"..........Then he strops at being subbed. Harry`s problem is talking too much to the media, players don`t like being talked about (mostly) unless it`s complimentary. 6/10
4. TRANSFER DEALING..........Buying VDV for £8m pre season was a coup but is more than offset by the inability to bring in a world class striker in Jan when it was obvious to every lillywhite supporter that the current crop were firing blanks, given our position at the time and the fact that he stated DL had ok`d £35m "for a Spaniard" this is inexcusable. 4/10
5. MOTIVATION............When strikers couldn`t hit a barn door and Harry`s post match interview states " we had plenty of shots but just couldn`t hit the back of the net", make sure the strikers up their game for the next one, don`t give them excuses and take them on holiday. 4/10
6. THE ENGLAND JOB............Given the above report Harry Rednapp would be a catastrophy for the national team but a godsend for Spurs, however it`s doubtful he could be any worse than that clown who can`t even speak English after 3 years, at least most of us can understand Harry even if it is mostly B-------.
Do not think these are the ramblings of a Gooner rather the views of one who cares and also remembers our greatest manager Bill Nicholson who put together Blanchflower, Mackay and Greaves and went on to win the first European trophy by a British club, the Cup Winners Cup in 1963. COYS