Spurs make a statement with steely display
COMEBACK Inspired performances by Kane, Eriksen help Tottenham shed image of developing cold feet under pressure
LONDON: There is an old cliche that has followed Tottenham Hotspur around pretty much since the club’s glory days in the 1960s.
A bit “Spursy” is the expression that has often summed up their football, meaning style without substance. Harsh or otherwise, the perception was that Tottenham could not be relied upon under pressure.
Seven years ago, when the north London club reached the knockout phase of the Champions League at the first attempt under then manager Harry Redknapp, they went to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in the quarter-final first leg and lost 4-0.
Memories of that chastening defeat came to the fore when Juventus’ wily striker Gonzalo Higuain, part of that 2011 Madrid squad, scored twice in the opening nine minutes at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday as the Italian giants seized control of the last 16 tie.
What followed was 80 minutes of near-total domination by Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side as they stormed back to earn a 2-2 draw with goals by Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.
This was a Juve side featuring seven starters from last year’s final, who had conceded one goal in their previous 16 matches in all competitions and who had never let slip a two-goal lead since moving to their new stadium in 2011.
The measured way Tottenham pushed Juventus deeper and deeper sucked the life out of the Serie A side and silenced their fans. Victory on the night would have been fully deserved. It was all very “un-Spursy”. Pochettino has assembled a team with no obvious weaknesses and world-class back-up on the bench to boot.
In the likes of goal machine Kane, cultured defender Jan Vertonghen, keeper Hugo Lloris, Mousa Dembele and Eriksen, Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld he boasts players with the big game mentality.
Juve must still be finished off but whatever happens at Wembley on March 7, Tottenham are unlikely to be “Spursy”.