In an astonishing 13 days, Tottenham Hotspur has reduced a comfort cushion of 10 points to just 1 point from Arsenal. In actuality, the downward spiral started at Anfield, 20 days earlier, when Spurs could only achieve a scoreless draw against Liverpool, and everyone felt it was a good result. In the FA Cup against Stevenage, a forced draw meant the embarrassment of a reply at White Hart Lane had to be played, before progressing through to the next round and face Bolton Wanderers.
At the Emirates Stadium, Tottenham were favourites. After taking a 2 goal lead, all the Spurs supporters were feeling supremely confident. Then, reality stepped in and it seemed that every subsequent attack the reds made resulted in a goal. Realists had to concede the Arsenal team played an unbelievable game and Spurs were broken. The following Premier league game, a week later, although Spurs outplayed Manchester United for most of the game, as soon as Rooney scored, just before half time, the Lilywhite defence seemed to lose ability to defend which resulted to Spurs losing against inferior opposition. The last straw was the away match to Everton, where the whole Spurs team played a very ordinary and unproductive game, very different to the labels attached to them during the first half of this season.
Where did it all go so badly wrong?
Ever since Harry Redknapp won the court case, and after Capello’s resignation from the England Job, things seem to be very different at Camp White Hart Lane.
Bale, the Welsh Wing Wizard has been giving a free role to play wherever he wants. The full backs, have been released to bomb forward on the both wings and offer more crosses into the opposing penalty box. This year’s rock in defence, Younis Kaboul has now been giving the blessing to roam forward and offer a further option in midfield. Modric has been pushed from one side to the other of midfield, while Scott Parker is covering all on the defensive midfield, mostly alone. Adebayor has been left out front with no service, and when someone has been put to partner him, whether Saha or Defoe, they have not been given any service with which to create chances.
Harry Redknapp has to be blamed for this mess. He has fiddled about with the team and they have now lost that magic ingredient that made watching them play, so special.
With the next matches in the Premier league coming, the hope of maintaining a Champions’ League place by the end of the season looks increasingly unlikely. Tottenham Hotspur may even slump to sixth or maybe seventh. It does not look at all good for Spurs, at this moment in time.
Is the FA Cup the real target now? We will be hoping that the form will return to Spurs immediately, or we will be back to the days of mid-table mediocrity.