Literally, a game of two halves
Bale and Reg
Gareth Bale. Sergio Reguilón. Give me a moment to compose myself…
Damn you Spurs, we can never stay mad at you for long. Even after the turgid second half non-event against Everton, you go and do transfer bits. Every summer (in recent years), we’ve been linked with a ‘Bale to return’ narrative. We all laugh for five minutes and then move onto the next transfer target that won’t be joining.
We’ve had his agent laugh off the suggestion a couple of times. Mocking us even, whilst the player works on his putting game on lush Madrid courses. But occasionally, there’s a Tottenham fan that reminds everyone that Spurs ultimately be Bale’s final destination. A marque re-signing of a former legend to go alongside the new stadium and branding and marketing and yadda yadda. Why? Why not. We love a bit of romance down at N17. And that Tottenham fan would be right. Cause it’s only gone and happened!
Was this a chance signing? A van der Vaart moment? Or a calculated ploy by Levy to distract us from the dour football Mou plays? Or has Daniel woken up to the fact that when a manager requires an overhaul to fix a broken team, as chairman, he actually has to do some business and aid the galvanising of the squad? You know, with spending money and getting deals down weeks before the deadline day is upon us.
I don’t know. Honestly, it could be pure desperation. Jose incapable of igniting sustained identity in the short term, so he needs to skip ahead. Win that tin pot before leaving Spurs in the same place he found them.
Who cares right now. Bale is back.
Before both players we’re announced, we listened to Mou moan about having too many bodies in the squad. It’s like a peak Christopher Nolan movie this. Everywhere you look there’s an inception, confused as to whether the totem will ever stop spinning. Then out of nowhere, we get taken back in time and find ourselves reunited with the prestige himself; the Welshman.
The pressure is now on. I guess. When isn’t it on. We’re still in for a striker and a centre-back too. If that happens, if we sign two more players, then there really isn’t any wiggle room to once more deflect and assign blame.
As for the two new players. Reg is a tremendous signing, truly. What a great piece of business there. I’m dumbfounded we got ahead of others for the boys signature. As for Gareth. I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. The two day edging before we got the social media money shot was an epic emotionally struggle of aligning reality with fantasy. He might not be the same player we sold but to suggest (as the British media have) he’s a sticking plaster, is a bit daft and tragic and salty. He’s still (when fit) a world talent and a player that can galvanise the side. Give us that bit of extra oomph. Elevate expectancy and give the manager an alternative to lumping it high and long.
This is a big, joyful moment and it’s what football is all about. Feeling happy, bouncing, punching. That romanticised notion of glory in the shape of one of the most imperious left pegs in our history.
Welcome home. Chick King > tapas. In case you were wondering.
Dele Alli
Dele is a luxury player, that can be supremely effective if we play to strengths and accommodate him. Which is asking a lot considering we need to build around more adaptable players that are perhaps more inclined to follow instructions (and not be expressive, roam freely). But he's our luxury and I don't want anyone else to have him. This doesn't need to make sense.
But if Jose refuses to find a way to include him, inspire him, man manage him - to bring out the best of Dele - then the player himself won't find the room to improve and reclaim some of that ruthless space invading brilliance.
I also think his downfall is greatly exaggerated. He broke through seasons before we expected him to. Set a benchmark nobody could have lived up to. But his role kept changing, he did in fact adapt to a different responsibility (had to dig deep, do dirty work, graft) - but this was completely misread by some. Also, let’s forget he was told to ‘calm down’ a touch with the spite and the petulance (a good thing). He matured quickly but at heart, he remains an enthusiastic footballer that also give a sh*t.
I'm also not saying that Dele is innocent in all this. It takes two, right? He has had a confidence knock but he’s also struggling / failing to produce what the new manager wants from him. But considering most top tier elite sides have so many game changers, losing one that we do know CAN change games just seems weak to me.
But then I'm a bit soft when it comes to undying loyalty. COYS tho We're in the hands of a serial winner, that wins things, and also guts teams in the process and then usually leaves them in needing another major overhaul. Which we needed regardless. Take it on the chin.
Last thing on this: The team has more or less had no synergy for a good 2 seasons, we struggled massively. I'd like to think we have learnt something from Bale going 23 odd games without experiencing a win. Swapping Dele with Lingard is just, I mean…come on now. Perhaps a Dele loan might be the best thing if the player wants to escape for a bit. Let’s face it, if he stays, he will no doubt still out live Mourinho at Spurs. Jose is a dirty weekend. Dele is a soulmate. At least, that’s my opinion. And I’ll die on this hill. Wearing my grey Leo Fortis cap.
Epilogue: Interesting that when Spurs, as a collective including Dele, were at their spiteful best - it was thanks to a chubby Argentine placing his arms around his players. Togetherness. But what do I know.
Soton 2 Spurs 5
In this game, we showcased what we are capable of. It’s reactive. Not everyone will be daft enough to play that high. We need to control and dictate too. But Mou loves sacrificing possession and it was good to see us come out for the second half with the mentality to gleefully punish the hosts. Swiftly and with beautiful violent football. Kudos to, well, to everyone.
I’ve got to stop flip flopping with my aspirations for the season and whether Jose is the right fit for a club like Spurs. This narrative will no doubt be the spine for the seasons blogs ahead.
If Spurs can sort the nucleus of the midfield and defence (with that potential centre-back) then perhaps we can settle into some ilk of certifiable consistency. Going forward, we have everything. More so now with Bale in the mix and Reg too. But if we plan to contain and counter, the team has to be elite with their application. There is no way we can afford to give up so much possession against quality sides. We also can not invite pressure by defending like drunk slugs trying to avoid sprinkled salt.
In fact, going back to ‘identity’, can we at least attempt to look like we have positional awareness? Some structure in what our midfield is meant to do when seeking to claim the ball?
That first half wasn’t great evidence of an evolution. But thankfully, half time (and the equaliser) paved the way for a quite brilliant second half. Saints, bless their naivety, were higher than that fateful day at DC10 in Ibiza when I took so much MDMA I spent two hours searching for a mate before realising I was looking for myself.
It was breathtakingly simplistic. Killer balls, killer finishes. Chaps, I’m gonna stop pretending I understand football, because in no way did I see this coming. We got cameos in the first half. I could see what Spurs were attempting with their counter attacking play. The early offside a testament to the tactics. But in the minute to minute battles across the pitch and centrally, we looked far too static, giving Soton the freedom to play a bit of attractive footie.
Anyways, this isn’t a match report. Here’s some thoughts I scribbled down post-match…
The Tanguy sub, was probably more to so with the player still not being 100% (Jose citied his yellow card also played a part in the decision to sub him). That and our congested week ahead. Still, the only game that matters is the one we’re playing in. Having Gio come on aint too shabby a swap and it worked out perfectly. The player did bits by starting the move for the equaliser, using his strength to retain the ball before releasing Kane to assist Son. The only worrying thing here is the reliance on individualism to get us out of a sticky situation.
What do I mean by this?
There’s an argument that Jose is setting us up to be a counter attacking side but this only works if we can contain the opposing side when they have the ball. Retain shape. Which we are struggling to do. Punditry. It’s all so fragmented and we create chances not because the system is set up to be a conduit of the quality we can produce as a team but rather as a consequence of either desperation or reactive energy and luck.
This might still be because we are still building towards whatever it is Jose is designing, on the fly. We are not accommodating the talent we have. And yes, the degradation of Poch’s side has pulled many of our players into purgatory and yadda yadda. The second half was a masterclass in terms of punishing a side with a weakness and exploiting it until they were sat in shallow grave they dug up for themselves. Classic Mou this. Every game, prep for the opponent. This time it worked a treat.
The treat was quick, incisive passes over or through the last line of defence - a counter slap of shock and awe levels. If we can muster some mettle with defending and contain teams that attempt to apply pressure, then the sheer pace and creativity we have up top….yadda yadda right?
Other worthy snapshot mentions:
PEH being instructed to hold back, sit back rather than rage forward seemed to settle our midfield into a more coherent and combative group.
Son scoring four, assisted by Kane each time was just insanely delicious. The quality of the finishing matched the finesse and vision of the passing. Kane is on another planet right now. Play up top, play in-between the lines, play deep. There is nothing this man can’t do. I’m salivating now on what we can create with these two complimented by Bale. Yum.
Keep playing Tanguy please Mou. Get that man fit for the full 90 minutes. Lo Celso too. This is just me wanting Spurs to have a full strength side. A little dream of mine.
I think that’s it, aside from the handball rule still being a dizzy mofo, as displayed by the pen stuck away by Ings.
A concluding statement here would be one that’s been shared by a fair few. This Prem season, thus far, seems like it’s one being played with a hint of the pre-season about it. All out attack, goals galore, not much in the way of stern defending. This could work out for us.
Orient postponement
At the time of writing, it looks like this game will not be going ahead thanks to COVID-19. Hopefully all is well with the Leyton players. I guess for us, in a selfish way, this is a bit of a blessing considering the hellmouth of congested fixture list we have this week.
Although:
Mou asked if he wants to keep Dele: "I want a balanced squad. He doesn't have to be scarified but a squad is a puzzle."
Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Dele "will play on Tuesday," "He's fresh. He has to be motivated by being out of the squad for a couple of matches.
"Tuesday is a knockout game and it's a big opportunity for him to show how good he is because we know he is very good."
More cryptics from the puzzle master. It would have been nice to play Orient and to see Dele and others stick in a shift. But it looks like we’re getting a bye to the next round and a possible Chelsea clash. The footballing Gods are already doing their utmost to stop The Serial One from claiming some silver by fast-tracking him to disappointment.
KF Shkëndija of North Macedonia is up next on Thursday night. You’ll have noticed I haven’t bothered writing about that comedic ‘win’ against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Why? Honestly? It was a travesty of a game, one that we managed to over turn, when humiliation was embracing our lethargic effort, and thus continue the plodding march to the upper echelons of the group stages. I’ll start taking these games seriously when Spurs do.
As ever, COYS.
