One swallow doesn’t make a summer, we as Spurs fans know that more than most. But one thing is for sure, yesterday afternoon couldn’t have gone any better even if Ange had written the script himself. (Although there would have been a few more ‘mates’ chucked in and probably a few more goals such is his penchant for attacking football!)
The atmosphere at the ground seemed different before the game. People seemed genuinely excited to be there and the optimism of a fresh start together with a few subtle changes to the pre-match routine by the club had the stadium bouncing.
Harry Kane was a notable omission from the legends shown in the VT. I am sure he will be prominent again when he retires…….or returns. Bearing in mind this was the 1st home game since his departure I heard very little Kane talk such was the buzz that Ange has created.
Usually, the bubble is burst by 15.05 or in today’s case 17.35 but today was different………
The atmosphere at the new ground has probably been a little bit disappointing to date. However, there has always been the age-old question of whether the crowd should inspire the players or vice versa.
In my opinion, yesterday was probably the first time since Pochettino that we properly took the game to a ‘top 4 side’, maybe the NLD three zero in 2022 was a rare exception. It is fair to say the fans responded to what they saw on the pitch today magnificently.
By deciding to go ‘toe to toe’ with the opposition we will undoubtedly ‘take some blows’ and ride our luck as we did at times today, but one thing is for sure we won’t be waiting for opposition to “die of boredom”.
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Ange has promised a rollercoaster and we will certainly be on the edge of our seat especially when we play the ball out from the back! I am sure we may concede a few like this, but one thing is evident, Ange has a way of playing football and he will stick to it!
We will lose games, of course, Ange has always warned it takes a while to get teams playing his way, but even in defeat I suspect there will be “echoes of glory”.
Vicario was noticeably more confident on the ball than last week but felt there were times that Micky Van de Ven didn’t look too comfortable and struggled to move the ball quickly. That will undoubtedly develop (especially as the manager will have whole solid weeks on the training ground). It was otherwise an excellent home debut for them both.
We should also be doth our cap to the recruitment team as the performances of Udodgie and Sarr seemed to display the potential that Spurs saw in them a few seasons ago.
Sarr seems to move the ball slightly more progressively than Skipp and his long legs make for excellent ball recovery.
With Sarr and Porro starting over Skipp and Royal (who were both solid last week), it suggests the manager is developing confidence in the depth of his squad and is happy to rotate. Not quite the halcyon days of Walker and Trippier but certainly squad depth of sorts.
Yves Bissouma impresses once again for Spurs
Bissouma was excellent in midfield and seems to be revelling in the greater responsibility he has been afforded. If he carries on this form the £25 million transfer fee will look an absolute steal.
Talking of which, if the James Maddison reported fee of £40 million is correct then this represents excellent value, especially in today’s market. Maddison has perhaps settled as well as any new signing in a Spurs shirt and was again at the heart of everything good today. I need to try to sleep tonight but am already contemplating a midfield three of Bentancur, Bissouma and Maddison. Just imagine if they had a forward to pass too……..
Without naming names, if you surveyed 100 people and asked them if they would be happy to replace an England number 9 with a Brazil one, I think you would have a fair few takers.
However, the jury is still out with Richarilison. I thought he held the ball up slightly better today (managing to stay on his feet) but Spurs have a decision to make. Do they sign a young striker (Gift Orban looks electric) or wait until January and sign Ivan Toney who would fit like a glove into this system? The fact that a large proportion of the Kane money was paid upfront should mean we can do both. I suspect we won’t though.
Son finished the match as a centre-forward and it will be interesting how long it will be until he gets a chance down the middle.
I was also slightly disappointed in Kulu. He was a great outlet and rarely gave the ball away but felt his final ball was lacking and there seemed a reluctance to cross with his right foot. If taking the ball to the byline is a tactic, he has been asked to do then I apologise! Obviously, Ange knows more than me!
Maybe Manor Soloman (who made a very brief cameo) could push for a start. He reminds me of Jose Dominguez but is a giant at 5ft 7 compared to the Portuguese winger!
Keeping feet on the ground, I will add that Manchester United certainly look like a team in flux and felt they were poor today as they were v Wolves. But to dominate any Manchester United side as we did in the 2nd half still deserves a lot of credit.
It would be quite typical for Spurs to now struggle against Bournemouth to quash the enthusiasm. But for this weekend I will be daring to dream.
In recent seasons there hasn’t been a great deal of ‘Dare’ or ‘do’ to get excited about. Let’s hope that Daniel Levy has finally managed to replace Mauricio Pochettino. Time will tell……
COYS
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