I like the optimistic end to this thread! The 2 results against l'arse this season don't tell the story of the games (especially the away tie, where we out played them in every department but were a little too green to see it out). Seems many on their board are resigned to fantasise on what we can't do rather than what they can. They've mostly turned on their team and manager. I love what we have going on with this Spurs team. The next 2 games are bigger than the last 2 in a way. 6 points is required, no less!
It's certainly true that you get the same number of points for beating Villa as you do beating Arsenal.
The president of Ligue 1 proposed such a thing about ten years ago due to how low-scoring the league had been for a few seasons. Either that or he's a rugby fan and failed to understand the bonus point in Rugby World Cup matches mainly exists so the All Blacks don't take their foot off the pedal once they go a couple of tries up against the cannon fodder.
Still might be good, at least Spurs might not sit back a try to defend a 1 goal lead against the goons, or Newcastle for that matter.
12 yrs ago, after we sacked Hoddle, Bergkamp gave an interview stating Arsenal players don't view us as rivals. We went 9 yrs without beating them and were pleased with a draw against them. It says everything about how much things have changed that after both NLDs in the prem this season that spurs players, manager and fans have been disappointed with drawing whereas goons have been delighted.
Yet again I feel as if we're left ruing two points dropped against the South Londoners. Like the away match, we seemed to dominate possession and find ourselves in decent positions but poor finishing or good defending prevented us from taking all the spoils. Arsenal did have about 20 minutes combined of being a threat but I think we should be kicking ourselves that we only left with the single point. Thought Rose was superb, don't know why he was subbed off unless due to injury but he was bombing it back and forth and generally being a nuisance to the Arsenal team. If I had to single out a player for a poor performance, unfortunately - for what I feel is the second game running now - I'd say Hugo could've done better on the goals. Like West Ham, I felt he could've prevented the ball from going in and on Saturday, Sanchez's shot seemed certainly preventable to me whereas Ramsay's could perhaps also have been palmed away. Very uncharacteristic of Hugo to be what I feel is below-par but here's hoping this blip is well and truly finished with him. On a plus note, that goal from Harry was just ****ing unbelievable, an absolute rocket that had a great amount of curl on it too, that deserved to be a match winner. Excluding the Europa's against Dortmund, the next two games really are must win. If Villa are to have any sort of chance or surviving then they're going to have to go on a great run from our game 'til the end of the season and so I'm praying we don't come up against a rejuvenated side hell bent on trying to survive as it can be just as tricky as going away to Man City or any other elite side chasing the title. Bournemouth are also chasing that 40 point mark and are only 5 points away so again, we'll be facing a side trying to cement their status in the Prem and it'll be really tough. We have the players and mentality to get through both, just hope we indeed do so if we're to have any chance of keeping up the pressure on Leicester.
Bournemouth have Swansea at home next. Win that and they are safe. As it is 2 of Newcastle, Sunderland and Norwich need to win 4 games just to catch them up even if they lose every game. Whether a relaxed Bournemouth is more or less dangerous, I don't know. But let's hope their full backs are Spurs fans from their time with us.
There's reports saying he picked up a calf injury - with The Sun saying he could be out for up to four weeks, which presumably means Nathan Gardiner needs to get a new phone...
Bollocks, just what we needed. Busy Schedule for Ben over the next week or two then what with Dortmund twice and Villa & Bournemouth.
If Rose is injured, then it might be a way back into the side for Bentaleb, rather bizarrely. His performance at left-back against Everton at Goodison on the last day of our last campaign was superb.
Pretty astonishing how far down he's fallen in the pecking order, I remember saying at the end of last season and throughout the summer that we have one of the best young CM's in Europe and while I'm not saying I've changed my mind on that statement, it really is surprising at how much we don't miss him such is the form of Alli, Dier and Dembele. It seems as if, like Veljkovic, Nabs is becoming a casualty of the clubs' success in terms of playing many young, promising players to the point where others are going to miss out. While I'd definitely use him as an option at LB because as you mentioned his performance against Everton was superb, I'd begin to raise the question of his long term future. He's still very young but the problem for him is so is Alli and Dier. Where does he go from here? Does he stay and fight next season, take a loan to a Prem side or leave permanently (likely to fetch £10m - £15m I'd say)?
I liked what Bentaleb brought to the pitch when he was on his 'A' game. Injuries and from what I've read here and there his attitude and illusions of grandeur are exactly what Poch dislikes around the squad. I like Nabil, I've got the kind of bias affection for him that I have for Townsend, Lennon to name a few. I see them as Spurs lads. However this attitude, the kind Taarabt and Mido also displayed is no coincidence. He gets rid of that and screws his head on and I'd love him to be a part of what's happening at Spurs.
I think the problem with Nabs is that, despite being a truly gifted player, our team has evolved over the past 18 months from a pantomime cabaret to lots of round pegs in round holes. Nabil's skill set means that he remains in may ways a square peg, never quite looking comfortable in any one position.
Whenever I think of Bentaleb now, all I can think of is when he kept passing it straight to man united players in the first game of the season. Including the beautifully threaded pass for their winner.
I can remember when we had beaten Arsenal more times than they had beaten us.Apart from a German and a Frenchman,i can't recall having much on the field,player wise,during those 9 years.Were we really that bad financially and had to buy the rubbish?
