Two games, One Cup
Leicester City on Sunday and then Wednesday. The FA Cup followed by the Premier League. Both games at White Hart Lane and both massive in terms of owning momentum. Make no mistake about it, the fixture list has given us two clashes that might not make or break either team but could well push one ahead of the other in terms of confidence. Two wins for Spurs and we've kicked off a cup run and closed the gap on Leicester to a point. At the start of the season if someone had said we'd be competing against each other you'd have scratched your head and quizzed whether this would be taking place in mid-table.
In the previous blog I said we need to find more of the killer touch in home games. A perfect opportunity this along with it being another test in terms of rotation. I'll hazard a guess that the league game will take selection priority. Every year I always write about how important the FA Cup is and how utterly besmirched we all feel about not adding to our collection for an embarrassing amount of time. We've sacrificed* the cups in previous years but perhaps this time, with the team in a far better state physically, we'll be far more focused and competitive. I'm asking for a lot here but one of the best ways to consolidate a winning mentality is to actually win something. Crazy concept.
*The cup has also sacrificed a lot. 3pm Saturday kick-offs. Replays. Wembley not exclusive to just the final. The fact the word Emirates is in its name. Little things.
Of course if you wish to step away from the light and into the dark side, two defeats will be demoralising for the fans and 'disappointing' for the players (the clue here is the players are stronger than us, but still, you can't pretend it won't hurt our season and stutter our progress). We're capable of picking ourselves up and bouncing back, but there is no way back if you're dumped out of the cup that was once synonymous with us. As for the league game, can't even consider a defeat in that one. Should be an absolute belter and the three points is all I can think about. Would be nice to send out another memo about us being 'serious' with contending by saying 'we are really really serious' with contending. I'll only step into the dark if I get pushed there.
COYS
