Results against the top teams

[mil1lion]

This is ultimately what looks to cost us the title this season. For years we've been an inconsistent team with fans never knowing which Spurs would turn up. This season we have addressed that issue with a lot more consistency. Our defensive record is a testament to that both home and away. Sure there have been dropped points in games we should be winning but that will happen from time to time.

In a season we find ourselves in with a chance of winning the title it comes down to winning the big one. More so the home games. We've now drawn both home and away to Liverpool and Arsenal. We can be pleased with a draw at both Anfield and The Emirates considering our history at those grounds. Add to that the draw away to Leicester and the loss at home. We did great to win twice against Man City but it isn't enough.

We now face Man Utd who beat us on the opening day of the season and soon Chelsea who we drew with earlier in the season. We need to show in those 2 fixtures that we're capable of winning the big one. That's where titles are won. If there's one lesson we learn from this season it will be the importance of beating the top teams.

 

[Dougal]

If there is a lesson we learn this season I hope it's to appreciate how much we have improved and not just magnify our shortfalls as usual.

 

[yankspurs]

This is ultimately what looks to cost us the title this season. For years we've been an inconsistent team with fans never knowing which Spurs would turn up. This season we have addressed that issue with a lot more consistency. Our defensive record is a testament to that both home and away. Sure there have been dropped points in games we should be winning but that will happen from time to time.

In a season we find ourselves in with a chance of winning the title it comes down to winning the big one. More so the home games. We've now drawn both home and away to Liverpool and Arsenal. We can be pleased with a draw at both Anfield and The Emirates considering our history at those grounds. Add to that the draw away to Leicester and the loss at home. We did great to win twice against Man City but it isn't enough.

We now face Man Utd who beat us on the opening day of the season and soon Chelsea who we drew with earlier in the season. We need to show in those 2 fixtures that we're capable of winning the big one. That's where titles are won. If there's one lesson we learn from this season it will be the importance of beating the top teams.

We're not capable of it. Our attitudes after the games say it all. Everyone is perfectly content with drawing these games. That is the problem. Until we learn to not accept just draws in the big games, we'll always struggle to pick up 3 points in them. We need winners in this team and as fans, we need to learn to not be content with draws in these games. Especially when we should win. Like in both games vs Arsenal.

 

[Blake Griffin]

it's mainly the game at home to leicester that's costing us, kane's shot somehow spinning up onto the bar and then they skank a goal from a corner. so easily could've gone the other way and we'd only be one point off rather than seven.

 

[spurs mental]

Ye if we'd beaten Man City twice this season we'd have shown our credentials too.....

The results v Leicester and Newcastle are the two that stick out for me if I'm honest. Even a point v both and we'd be 3 points behind instead of 7

 

[Dougal]

We're not capable of it. Our attitudes after the games say it all. Everyone is perfectly content with drawing these games. That is the problem. Until we learn to not accept just draws in the big games, we'll always struggle to pick up 3 points in them. We need winners in this team and as fans, we need to learn to not be content with draws in these games. Especially when we should win. Like in both games vs Arsenal.

Win the big games, win the small games too I guess. I have to admit, that sounds foolproof.

 

[Saoirse]

Disagree. Much as I hate to say it, it's Mourinho who has this one down. You don't have to beat the top sides. You have to make sure not to lose even if you don't play particularly nice football to achieve it, and defend leads to the death when you do secure them even if it was against the run of play. We played nice and pretty at home to Leicester and conceded to a set-piece we should have defended easily, costing us a 3-point swing. We continued to push at home to Arsenal and away to Leicester despite being in front in both games and a man up in the former, when we should have closed them out instead. And we allowed ourselves to be beaten by Man United after idiotically playing a friendly abroad just three days before hand. If we were sensible, we'd have an extra 6 points there and Leicester would have 3 less. There are times where you need to be pragmatic rather than tactically ideological and that's what we need to learn as a young side. Still been a fantastic season of course but if we want to reach the next level that's where we need to improve (both on the pitch and in the dugout) - the experience of Ranieri as well as Robert Huth, who won the title under Mourinho at Chelsea, has been instrumental for Leicester and that's why they'll probably be champions.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

We're not capable of it. Our attitudes after the games say it all. Everyone is perfectly content with drawing these games. That is the problem. Until we learn to not accept just draws in the big games, we'll always struggle to pick up 3 points in them. We need winners in this team and as fans, we need to learn to not be content with draws in these games. Especially when we should win. Like in both games vs Arsenal.

So we're expected to win against mid table and bottom teams but we should also be beating big teams. So you expect us to go through a whole season beating everyone then?

Seems realistic...

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

I think we've done well vs. the top teams. Battering City as if their a conference team, drawing vs. Arsenal in matches that could have been won, losing to ManUtd in a match that should have been a draw, drawing vs. Liverpool on not our best day, we've come a long way already.

 

[mil1lion]

Ye if we'd beaten Man City twice this season we'd have shown our credentials too.....

The results v Leicester and Newcastle are the two that stick out for me if I'm honest. Even a point v both and we'd be 3 points behind instead of 7

So you ignored where I mentioned the wins against Man City and the loss to Leicester.

Taking points off the top teams is key to winning the title. I'm surprised people disagree with that. Beating the lesser teams too is obvious but we've done well in games against teams outside the top 6. Had we not lost at home to Leicester and won the home games against Arsenal and Liverpool we'd be top.

 

[danielneeds]

I don't think it's the results against the top teams at all. Our slow start - in particular the two draws against Stoke and Everton and the extremely unlucky loss to Leicester at home and we'd be top now.

Overall we're still not clinical enough when on top of teams. We should have never let Arsenal off home and away, but we need to find at least one really productive and creative attacker.

 

[spurs mental]

So you ignored where I mentioned the wins against Man City and the loss to Leicester.

Taking points off the top teams is key to winning the title. I'm surprised people disagree with that. Beating the lesser teams too is obvious but we've done well in games against teams outside the top 6. Had we not lost at home to Leicester and won the home games against Arsenal and Liverpool we'd be top.

I actually didn't see where you mentioned the wins v City one in a. Soz.

The result against Leicester was the biggest moment in the title race for me. A win v Arsenal would have gone a long way towards our challenge though we'd still be 5 points back if results had gone the same way after it.

 

[Star_of_Davids]

In games against the other 'Big 6' teams both us and Leicester have 11 points and we have played one game less. The difference is the result against the 'Big 6' team that we don't actually play! They are also unbeaten against all the other teams so what will cost us will be the home defeat to Newcastle and the direct play offs against Leicester

 

[Thfc15]

I do agree that we can't seem to see off bigger teams and extend one goal leads in to two or more. We huff and puff and play well and more often than not it seems like we've dropped two points rather than gained one.

That said, we haven't seen ourselves being thrashed as we see often see against the big sides so thats an improvement there.

I also believe that the start of the season and our 'undefeated' run is what has potentially made us fall short of the title rather than draws against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. We began to accept draws such as Everton at home and Swansea away because it meant another game undefeated.

Since we lost to Newcastle and subsequently to Leicester and also West ham we have responded with multiple wins and cut out the early season draws. Although we lost more games this is the form that propelled us to second when in say October we were only really aiming to make top 4 (not even really expecting too).

 

[shelfmonkey]

it's mainly the game at home to leicester that's costing us, kane's shot somehow spinning up onto the bar and then they skank a goal from a corner. so easily could've gone the other way and we'd only be one point off rather than seven.

Disagree, we've dropped more than enough points and ending up drawing games to be well ahead of Leicester at this point.

 

[fortworthspur]

we are sooooo much better against the big clubs than we used to be. As it stands, we have the possibility of finishing the season with just 1 loss against United, City, Arsenal and Pool. When was the last time that happened?

 

[yankspurs]

So we're expected to win against mid table and bottom teams but we should also be beating big teams. So you expect us to go through a whole season beating everyone then?

Seems realistic...

Lol. We had 8 draws at the beginning of the season and lost to fucking Newcastle ffs

 

[yankspurs]

Disagree, we've dropped more than enough points and ending up drawing games to be well ahead of Leicester at this point.

Because we dont have the mentality in the team to win these games and see them out. We rarely go for the nail in the coffins either.

 

[StartingPrice]

It's a funny one, really.

I read a post yesterday quoting Goons fans calling us flat-track bullies. At the same time they are claiming we are only where we are because of the failings of the top teams.

That doesn't compute. You can't have it both ways. If we haven't done particularly well against them we would be pretty much were we are regardless of how well or badly they have done. They may be higher or close to us in the table - but we would be were were are because our position depends on how we have performed against all the other teams in the division.

Regarding how well we have performed against the big clubs - if you take last season's top four and Liverpool (I suppose, for the sake of argument), United, Citeh, ArseAnal and Chelsea, I think our points total is actually round about the same. And we should really have taken more than 2 points against the Goons. So, regardless of performance, this shows, again, that were our improvement has come has been against the rest of the division. Which is ironic, really, because they have more money to spend and the top teams have struggled against them. But isn't that what all the other top teams do? I remember United fans laughing at Liverpool fans for celebrating doing the double over United because the United fans were celebrating winning the league!

We've improved our competitiveness in the league by being more consistent against the also-rans. At the same time, our performances against the top teams is probably better than the results show

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Lol. We had 8 draws at the beginning of the season and lost to fucking Newcastle ffs

So? Teams lose and draw matches through the season, shock horror, it happens.

We've made massive strides this season, with the youngest squad in the league. You can't just readjust your expectations and moan that we haven't beaten every team. It's pretty fucking childish. Everyone is frustrated that we drew yesterday but for fuck sake try and maintain some perspective.