Gutted
Morning. Short and sweet today (like me).
The 5-0 Milk Cup victory at home to Gillingham was nigh perfect entertainment. The Gills were gutted in a great run-out for the kids and first teamers present, showcasing fluid and compact football, controlling the entirety of the game like one big fat training session. This is exactly what you would have ordered pre-match. A professional and confident dismantlement of opposition that had no real right to wish for an upset.
The League Cup still remains an afterthought for most clubs, especially the top tier ones. It's the cup of rotation and man-management and if you find yourself in the quarter-finals then you start to think about a possible Wembley appearance. But it's not quite got the same buzz it had once upon a time. It's actually only decent in producing big games that pique interest (as witnessed with the next round Manc derby, West Ham v Chelsea and us away to Liverpool...oh and Arsenal got their standard Championship opposition with Reading).
The Gills were poor in comparison but you'd expect them to be naive and perhaps consumed by the evening and its venue. Justin Edinburgh (Tottenham's most 'decorated' player of the past twenty years...no seriously, he is) stood on the touchline knowingly accepting the ease of chances we created and that at some point, they'll all start going in. What was great about the performance was the shape Spurs retained with the mix of youth and experience. It was not disjointed but you could argue the team was hardly tested or pressured. Like I said, it was akin to a glorified training session.
Harry Winks was impressive on the ball, measured with his passing. Cameron Carter-Vickers also very assured at the back. A late cameo by Marcus Edwards excited too. Josh Onomah enjoyed the occasion with a goal and the much maligned Tommy Carroll took the captains armband when Eriksen left the field of play. Alton Walkes also came on for his debut.
Eriksen himself scored a brace and Erik Lamela was involved in practically everything that produced a goal. Vincent Janssen scored from the spot. He has so much conviction in what he does, he's quite obviously a player that believes he can score and was unlucky not to (from open play). I always felt I had to encourage and support Roberto Soldado (that he would start producing the goods). It was like having a puppy that had forgotten how to bark. Janssen, in comparison, has plenty of bite. He just needs to sink his teeth deeper.
Kevin Wimmer was alive and present and we got a cameo from Georges-Kevin Nkoudou. Not too much time for him to impress but he did produce bursts of pace that could be a weapon once he's refined and acclimated enough to make a Premier League impact.
All smiles, not a single thing to complain about.
Was about to hit publish and saw Danny Rose had signed a new contact (Spurs have quite obviously nabbed the signatures of most key players and appear to be releasing the news slowly). The difference in the social media reaction compared to the last time he signed, testament to the fact that as a collective, we can never truly know how the future will pan out. Rose and the club were slaughtered back in July 2014. And now? He's arguably the best left-back in the country and the fanbase is celebrating the news. Don't judge the present until the future confirms it.
"Everyone knows that the Club is going in the right direction and I'm over the moon that I'll stay here until I'm an old man!" - D Rose
Man, I love hearing quotes like this. Let the good vibes continue.
