Since the game at the Emirates...

[ItsBoris]

So I was playing around with custom premier league tables when I'm supposed to be studying for my midterm, and I wanted to see what our form was like since we started playing Lloris, but after the Arsenal game since Adebayor's antics definitely cost us in that game.

I'm actually surprised by the form we're in. Played 14, won 9, drew 4, lost 1, scored 24, conceded 9.

We're in second place behind United in this custom table. United have 38 points, we have 31, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Man City all 25.

We also have the meanest defense in the league conceding only 9 goals. The next closest is Swansea with 13 conceded, then United, City, and Everton with 14 conceded. We also have a better goal difference than Arsenal and City in that period, who have +11, and +9 respectively (we have +15).

So we've closed the gap to City by 6 points in the last 14 games, anyone think we can close it another 6 points in the next 12 games especially if we do them at WHL?

Btw if we continue picking up the same points per game, we will finish on 75 points.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Nice work, man.

9 goals conceded is pretty much unreal. Especially considering our Top-5-DM-In-The-World has gone down for a portion of that span, and our first-choice LB as well.

If we can get Adebayor clicking with Holtby in behind him, we should have a much more well-rounded attack and the options on the bench (Dempsey/Siggy) to really start putting together more and more wins.

 

[ItsBoris]

Nice work, man.

9 goals conceded is pretty much unreal. Especially considering our Top-5-DM-In-The-World has gone down for a portion of that span, and our first-choice LB as well.

If we can get Adebayor clicking with Holtby in behind him, we should have a much more well-rounded attack and the options on the bench (Dempsey/Siggy) to really start putting together more and more wins.

Yep, if our attacking players start performing like we know they can, especially Adebayor, we would be quite a force for the remainder of the season. The fact that we are second in the league by a margin of 6 points in that period really surprised me because it hasn't seemed like we've played THAT well, just our defense is so good.

You can see from those stats what a difference to our defense Lloris has made, because in the first 12 games we conceded 21 goals. The 14 games after that in which Lloris has started all of them, only 9 conceded. Also shows that Dembele helps us a lot defensively.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Yep, if our attacking players start performing like we know they can, especially Adebayor, we would be quite a force for the remainder of the season. The fact that we are second in the league by a margin of 6 points in that period really surprised me because it hasn't seemed like we've played THAT well, just our defense is so good.

You can see from those stats what a difference to our defense Lloris has made, because in the first 12 games we conceded 21 goals. The 14 games after that in which Lloris has started all of them, only 9 conceded. Also shows that Dembele helps us a lot defensively.

If I'm being honest, I would have never thought we were that good over that time.

I think you can make a real strong case that we should have been a lot better as well (Defoe out of form, Ade at the ACN and out of form, not capitalizing on tons of goal scoring opportunities across those matches). There have been a couple matches where we just needed a little extra (QPR, Man Utd. and Norwich are the ones in the forefront of my mind) for us to get the full 3 points.

It makes me even more excited about the possibility of hopefully having a legitimate striker next season. It's really the only thing holding us back from being a Top 3 club (Well, and a little more depth in midfield/wings).

I'm desperately hoping Adebayor can put together a nice final 12 games of the season. He's really the missing puzzle piece for this side to be a complete group.

 

[ItsBoris]

If I'm being honest, I would have never thought we were that good over that time.

I think you can make a real strong case that we should have been a lot better as well (Defoe out of form, Ade at the ACN and out of form, not capitalizing on tons of goal scoring opportunities across those matches). There have been a couple matches where we just needed a little extra (QPR, Man Utd. and Norwich are the ones in the forefront of my mind) for us to get the full 3 points.

It makes me even more excited about the possibility of hopefully having a legitimate striker next season. It's really the only thing holding us back from being a Top 3 club (Well, and a little more depth in midfield/wings).

I'm desperately hoping Adebayor can put together a nice final 12 games of the season. He's really the missing puzzle piece for this side to be a complete group.

If we see the Ade of last season, we'll finish top 4 imo. I think our results despite our relative weakness is testament to how good a job AVB is doing and what he could do with the team if we back him in the summer window.

As it is, I like our chances of getting good results against Arsenal and Man City at home anyway. If we win those two games we'll have nothing to worry about I think.

 

[Flashspur]

lots of criticism of AVB from many quarters inlcuding this site on his so called 'cautious' approach almost as if its 'fear' rather than incremental progress. Some talking head in the media even referred to him being too cautious like Jol. Thats a criticsm the big man was guilty of from time to time.

Every great side gets built up from the back first. In other words you get the defence sorted and everything else falls into place. I am comfortable with how we are progressing. A miserly defence and an attack that sputters occasionally but does the business when required. Its been much better than the transitional season I expected with all the changes post HR's departure. Long may it continue!

 

[RichSpur58]

I thought AVB was a little slow in putting Adebayor on today. Had we not won, I'm sure alot of people would question BAE and Verts being on the bench too.

Luckily it worked out and we have some key players back for the game against Lyon.

 

[spivmaster]

Our recent defensive record certainly hasn't been talked about enough. A lot of credit goes to Lloris and I know we like to knock on some of the defensive players, but that's a phenomenal record. Last time we conceded 2 was at Everton if I recall.

 

[Dempsey2]

Don't neglect to mention that when he put Lloris in Dembele and Sandro happened to come back from injury. Which is about oh..a 100x bigger factor.

 

[ItsBoris]

Don't neglect to mention that when he put Lloris in Dembele and Sandro happened to come back from injury. Which is about oh..a 100x bigger factor.

Sandro was starting every game before that as well, and I didn't neglect to mention about Dembele I actually specifically mentioned it.

I don't mean to be rude, but is the reason it is a "100x bigger factor" because an American wasn't playing in either of those positions? If your comment is about Friedel then I would just say that I think it's fairly clear that Lloris is our future in the GK position and Friedel knows that and is ok with it at his age.

 

[marion52]

Looking good but in the actual/realtime table our gd is letting us down.
Glad the defence is looking mean but now we need to step up to the plate and score more of our chances

 

[buttons]

I was trying to work out yesterday just how good our recent form has been. That (P14, W9, D4, L1) is bordering on title winning form, but lets not get carried away!

Is that as good a run as the run, the media w*nked themselves stupid over, that we went on under Arry last term?

 

[WiganSpur]

That table is no coincidence at all. Lloris is quality, arguably the best keeper in the league at the moment alongside Cech. Friedel is a good keeper but Hugo is a class apart. He's a decent shot stopper, brave, relatively commanding, quick, excellent anticipation and awareness etc. I could go on forever. There are so many times that i've thought if Friedel was in goal then it would have been a goal.

 

[Spurs1960]

And of those 9 goals conceded, 7 have come down our left hand side. The plus is that freeing Bale to attack more is giving us goals, wins and points.

 

[mattyspurs]

I thought AVB was a little slow in putting Adebayor on today. Had we not won, I'm sure alot of people would question BAE and Verts being on the bench too.

Luckily it worked out and we have some key players back for the game against Lyon.

I've never understood this logic. "Luckily" it worked out.

If Fergie or Maureen or pep had done those things, would they be questioned? Or called Lucky? Or would they just be heralded in the genius bracket as they always are.

Sometimes you just have to give the manager/coach the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt.

 

[Gbspurs]

Before we all start sucking each others dicks, we have had a much easier run that arsenal in that period. Our futures bright definitely but we need to keep this going as 1 bad result, especially if it comes against arsenal and we could be staring at 5th again.

One thing that impresses me most is at the beginning of the season I expected us to really struggle this year. Lose 3 of our best players, change in management etc but we have been fantastic. Younes is coming back, BAE is back, Ade can now have a run, Holby has come in. We feel in much better a position this year to kick on than last despite it being closer.

Also we have exciting European games to look forward to and get to watch Bale strut his stuff. Great time to be a spurs fan!

 

[SpurSince57]

So I was playing around with custom premier league tables when I'm supposed to be studying for my midterm, and I wanted to see what our form was like since we started playing Lloris, but after the Arsenal game since Adebayor's antics definitely cost us in that game.

I'm actually surprised by the form we're in. Played 14, won 9, drew 4, lost 1, scored 24, conceded 9.

We're in second place behind United in this custom table. United have 38 points, we have 31, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Man City all 25.

We also have the meanest defense in the league conceding only 9 goals. The next closest is Swansea with 13 conceded, then United, City, and Everton with 14 conceded. We also have a better goal difference than Arsenal and City in that period, who have +11, and +9 respectively (we have +15).

So we've closed the gap to City by 6 points in the last 14 games, anyone think we can close it another 6 points in the next 12 games especially if we do them at WHL?

Btw if we continue picking up the same points per game, we will finish on 75 points.

This really shouldn't be a surprise. We conceded an average of just 1.18 goals per game under Harry, so AVB's simply carrying on the good work. Coincidentally, after 26 games last season we'd also conceded 30 goals, 16 of them in just four games (City, United, Arsenal); 14 in 22 is 0.63 GPG, 9 in 14 0.64—spooky! The fact is, since October 2008 our defence is the best it's been in our entire history—there have been occasional individual seasons like 70-71 and 05-06 where we've been fractionally tighter, but as a sequence this is unprecedented.

Edit: I have a strong impression that Lloris has had fewer saves to make than Brad because we're got better at restricting the opposition's chances as the season's progressed, but as the Telegraph stats page has gone bonkers (our keepers are Robbo and Jansson and Berbatov and Keane are still up front) I can't substantiate that.