A Sandro Sized Hole

Any Spurs fan that has followed our club for any considerable amount of time is used to setbacks, disappointments and false dawns. The result on Sunday was terrible, for a number of reasons, not least the fact that the West Ham support is one of the more tedious to deal with. Their delusions of grandeur and obsession with our far superior in every way club has always been a constant source of annoyance to me over the years. What we cannot do though as a fan base is let this result cloud the optimism surrounding Spurs these days.

That optimism has been there for a reason. A squad which improves year on year, world class training facilities, a new stadium on the horizon, sound ownership with excellent business acumen and a leader in AVB that we can believe in and is capable of beginning a Ferguson like dynasty. One bad result does not override all these facts and let’s face it; the results before Sunday were not that bad. In addition to that the answer to Sunday’s issue was sitting on OUR bench not playing for another club.

The Beast was exactly what was called for in such a game. As I described above I believe in AVB and his methods. I see that using Dembele as a deep lying playmaker makes sense to break down a defensive unit but I can’t help but feel that Sandro needs to be an automatic selection as a defensive screen for our back four and ball winner for our more creative midfield players. If Sandro is not fit or not in form then the use of Capoue in that role is perfect. A two way battle for one spot between these two fully fit midfield generals can only be a good thing for the team.

Our midfield has worked when things are going well and against inferior opposition. Now West Ham are inferior opposition but this was a derby that means a lot to that club. The 2nd half against Chelsea also highlighted the need for Sandro’s inclusion. When a team wants to attack us Sandro is the solution. The lack of cover to the counter was deeply exposed too on Sunday, something Sandro would have helped. If we go back to the derby away at the Woolwich Wanderers we can see that despite a loss we dominated possession and had more goal attempts than the home team. This was because we were set up with the holding midfielder. Capoue before injury and Sandro after. At that stage we were playing without the brilliance and creativity of Erikson or the current form of Holtby. Who with either I believe we would have secured at least a draw that day.

With the international break now upon us we cannot have that instant fix of a win to make us feel better. What we do have though is two weeks for the likes of Rose, Lennon and more importantly Capoue and Sandro to get back to full fitness. Stay positive and believe that AVB will have this figured out sooner rather than later.

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