For as poor as the month of August was for Tottenham Hotspur, the month of September went the opposite way (minus the loss to Arsenal). Four wins out of five and a side that looks to be gelling on all fronts is what we have at this point in time.
As I watched the City game, I tried to find justifications why we were up 4-1 being the somewhat pessimistic supporter that I can be. I came to the conclusion that it was a great Tottenham Hotspur performance and nothing other than that. I took away five things from that game and the month in general which are as followed:
1. Erik Lamela has gotten a second wind. I truly am happy for Erik Lamela and what he is doing. At this time last month, most fans, including myself would have loved to see him leave the club because of many poor performances. Come September, he has really put in good efforts his play, which even if the performances weren’t there would be enough for me. When he left the game against Manchester City in the 87th minute, it was to a deserved, standing ovation from the White Hart Lane crowd.
2. Solid at the back. Believe it or not, Sergio Aguero was on the White Hart Lane pitch today. You just didn’t notice him a great deal because of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Granted he did have a couple instances where his close control almost freed him up, but in past years he would have certainly been on the score sheet against us. Prior to keeping Sergio Aguero quiet, the starting back four kept three straight clean sheets in the league and now have the best defensive record out of any team in the Premier League.
3. Harry Kane finally. He came as close as he could have with the scissor kick against Arsenal. Today he finally put one in the back of the net (possibly from an offside position, but who am I to judge). The effort from Harry Kane was second to none in every game that he has played in this season even without the goals to show.
4. We have a very good goalkeeper. The pope is also Catholic. We all know how good Hugo Lloris is; we’ve had the pleasure of watching him for the better part of three seasons coming into this one. In every game this season, he has made at least one key save that 95 percent of other goalkeepers would not make. Today it showed with two superb saves against Sterling and Navas. He has also kept three clean sheets this year.
5. The new fan favorites: Dele Alli, Eric Dier, and Heung-Min Son. In all seriousness, there are many more I could put on this list but we will stick to these three. 19-year-old Dele Alli has turned into a fearless midfield player in the Premier League. He looks to get forward when the chance presents itself, he doesn’t shy away from tackles, and he has a pretty good partnership with Eric Dier at the moment. Eric Dier has turned into the first choice defensive-midfielder for Mauricio Pochettino and quite frankly has been superb in that role. He passes with purpose and precision and today he scored from 30 yards out showing why he is loved at White Hart Lane. Finally, Heung-Min Son has won the hearts of the Spurs faithful everywhere. He is a very lively and good player and already fits into the team brilliantly. He scored the winner against Palace, he scored in the Europa League, he has a good partnership with the other attacking players, and most importantly, he has an incredible attitude about him, which is a pleasure to watch, and has had a clear effect on the rest of the team.
Writing this after the result against City, naturally I am quite happy. However, I have been pleased with what I’ve been seeing over the course of September. Gone are the days of Emmanuel Adebayor’s half-assed performances, poor defensive play (unless Fazio has to play), a woeful Erik Lamela, and seeing players who don’t want to be at Spurs. This Tottenham team is one that gives great effort, has talent, and could go on to do good things this season.
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