A bit of a contradiction, but this was a fantastic match to watch. It ended in an unfortunate draw for a Tottenham side which assumed the Tony Soprano role of bossing the opposition around. The opposition here being a quality Aston Villa.
The 1st half was intense right from the start. Villa’s counter-attacking was constantly met with clinical defending, instantly mirrored with a wave of Spurs counter-attacking. Unfortunately, to no avail.
Crouch was a major weapon in the 1st. Villa had little or no answer for our long range passing game to the lovable giant. They seemed to rarely get a touch on the ball. We had a foot in every direction they attempted a pass. On the attack, Spurs were much more composed and tactical in the build up of play. A 4-touch combo involving (in order) Bentley, Crouch, King and Defoe at the 40th minute was Spurs best chance of the half.
When the 2nd half whistle arrived, I was praying for more tenacity over the next 45 minutes. Was it too much to ask for? Am I a greedy supporter? Not if you compare me to the 30-odd thousand fans at the Lane. Greedy and smug bastards. I love each and every one of you.
A resurgent Villa side came about. Not so much on the counter attack as one would expect, but trying to use their forwards to draw fouls in dangerous places. Two close set pieces and they were left with nothing.
Defencively, they accomplished all they set out for. Keep a clean sheet and maintain momentum for their 4th spot run.
Palacios was doing his job in the midfield. On the attack though, his passes were quite weak. He managed to be at the right place at the right time, but then he seemed to taint it with Zokora-esque decision making. His role is all about heart and intimidation. Check on the list for both of those attributes.
Modric was a delight, but needs to work on his finishing. Add a little more muscle in his shots and he could be a major threat within shooting range.
“Boy wonder” Bale was super-impressive. BAE must feel nervous watching these spectacular performances he’s putting in consistently. Bale made Ashley Young look amateurish at best.
So at the end of the day, was today’s match a disappointment? We did enough to warrant the win, but without goals being scored we sealed a brilliant display but not a brilliant victory. Still, this could have been one of our best performances in a long time. If we manage to play like this week-in week-out, we could very well be on our way to the Champions League. That’s if we score, of course.
What did we lack? I can’t say it enough but there is a need for another instinctual finisher. I’m not going to go on and on over this issue; the window is closed and we must make with what we have. We can do it.
What did they lack? Defence being the exception, they lacked everything. “Are you West Ham in disguise… Boring boring Villa.”
Classic.
