Yesterday’s performance was everything I’ve come to expect of a Spurs away game. The team were inept and lacking passion with a lumbering midfield and fragile defence.
How any Spurs supporter can delude themselves in thinking that we are even approaching the level of the Big 4 or even some of the lesser lights of the Premier Division away from home is beyond me.
I simply cannot fathom Jol’s thinking when we play a midfield of Huddlestone, Malbranque, Tanio and Murphy. Where was the width, where the balance in the team by at least including ONE player who could kick with his left foot? First 10 minutes apart, it was very clear well before half time that this midfield would not work. Tainio (who appears to be Jol’s favoured son) was again poor, Huddlestone slow to the extreme and Malbranque seemed unable to control let alone pass a ball accurately.
I actually felt sorry for Murphy, who was again played out of position and who has never had an extended run in his favoured central attacking midfield role. Yet again the midfield (without the width and without a left sided player) displayed a laboured build up and appeared incapable of being able to pass the ball quickly and accurately.
Watching the comments of the respective managers afterwards I truly felt that I’d watched a different game. Let’s get this in perspective. Even allowing for the weather and the pitch, <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Cardiff</st1:city></st1lace> were poor. They couldn’t shoot and looked like a team who hadn’t scored or won for some time and yet they matched us for large parts of the game.
It could be that a left back, a left sided midfield player (preferably one who can actually pass the ball) and another winger (so that we have some backup in this position) will improve our team out of all recognition. But in the meantime let’s continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that we are something we’re clearly not.
How any Spurs supporter can delude themselves in thinking that we are even approaching the level of the Big 4 or even some of the lesser lights of the Premier Division away from home is beyond me.
I simply cannot fathom Jol’s thinking when we play a midfield of Huddlestone, Malbranque, Tanio and Murphy. Where was the width, where the balance in the team by at least including ONE player who could kick with his left foot? First 10 minutes apart, it was very clear well before half time that this midfield would not work. Tainio (who appears to be Jol’s favoured son) was again poor, Huddlestone slow to the extreme and Malbranque seemed unable to control let alone pass a ball accurately.
I actually felt sorry for Murphy, who was again played out of position and who has never had an extended run in his favoured central attacking midfield role. Yet again the midfield (without the width and without a left sided player) displayed a laboured build up and appeared incapable of being able to pass the ball quickly and accurately.
Watching the comments of the respective managers afterwards I truly felt that I’d watched a different game. Let’s get this in perspective. Even allowing for the weather and the pitch, <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Cardiff</st1:city></st1lace> were poor. They couldn’t shoot and looked like a team who hadn’t scored or won for some time and yet they matched us for large parts of the game.
It could be that a left back, a left sided midfield player (preferably one who can actually pass the ball) and another winger (so that we have some backup in this position) will improve our team out of all recognition. But in the meantime let’s continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that we are something we’re clearly not.