Rock and roll football is back in north London people!
After Saturday night’s 2-0 dismantling of Manchester United, when full-time came around, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium turned into a rave scene.
You had delirious Spurs fans, me included, jumping up and down, singing Freed from Desire, Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur etc.
You had the players down on the pitch celebrating, each with a huge grin on their faces, and of course, our manager Ange Postecoglou striding around the pitch clapping the fans who chanted his name all game long.
This was something I hadn’t seen in too many years.
The breath of fresh air that has wafted through n17 has gone from the pitch and into the stands. Gone are the days of muted atmospheres and toxicity from the fans.
Freed from Desire I thought was quite an apt song choice after full-time. Freed from the shackles of the Parmesan Pulis, Nuno and the so-called ‘special one’. Mind and senses purified with attacking, front-foot football. And we just want to see Spurs more and more.
I always have been a Spurs fan, my family have always been fully COYS as Paul O Keefe would say, but in recent times it has been quite easy to feel slightly disconnected with the club.
You have the failure in managerial appointments, you have the transfer of your best-ever player because he couldn’t win anything at Spurs, you have the fossil football, you have the fairly shocking transfer windows in past years, the list could go on.
While ticket prices have gone through the roof, it is fair to say the hierarchy of our club is still rotten to the core, but with Big Ange at the wheel, it finally feels there might be a shift of power over team affairs. Something that has been lacking for decades.
But enough of that boring stuff, let’s talk about the match.
Tottenham on fire against Man United
Where do I start, the first half hour or so I thought we were quite passive and shaky, not having the confidence to play our game and actually dictate the tempo.
With Bruno missing the absolute sitter, it felt like then the momentum had shifted and we finally got out of 2ndgear.
Ever since then, the game was only going to end up one way.
As for the players well…
I’ve got to give Expressions Oozing credit here for this nickname, “Yves Saint Laurent Bissouma”, because it couldn’t be more fitting.
Bissouma rang rings around Casemiro and to think we stole him for 25 million pounds from Brighton (The Athletic) is mind-blowing. That man oozes class, confidence and a certain degree of swagger as he just glides with the ball, effortlessly bypassing United’s hopeless midfield.
Pape Matar Sarr played like a combination of Yaya Toure and Paul Pogba. This lad is special, and I have to give credit to Fabio Paratici here because he’s found a star.
Last season in the Champions League against AC Milan, the Senegalese midfielder absolutely rang rings around Sandro Tonali and was a shining light in what was a pretty shoddy tie.
It is absolutely criminal that Skipp started ahead of him towards the second half of the season.
James Maddison, WHAT A PLAYER. The man I have been craving us to sign to finally fill the Eriksen-shaped hole in our side has not failed to disappoint. We got him as well for an absolute steal. There is no doubt he is world-class.
Vicario and Porro also deserve a fair few plaudits considering fans have not been completely sold on Vicario’s all-around game and Porro’s defensive abilities.
Vicario was a saving machine and looked far more comfortable on the ball than against Brentford. Porro was incredibly solid defensively as the game grew and now provides real competition for Emerson in the starting RB spot.
Overall, this game was a real signal of intent. Comfortably dismantling a team tipped for top 4 and now with the fanbase 110 per cent behind him, Ange Postecoglou can shut people like Paul Merson up and exceed preseason expectations.
The days of 5 at the back are over, Big Ange is here and it’s going to be a hell of a ride.
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