CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?
Spurs battle for crucial win
WE may have to redefine the meaning of crisis if this is what Tottenham Hotspur are meant to be enduring right now.
It dawns on you that all cannot be that bad when the England captain — man of the match and scorer of the winning goal here — emerges to immediately target victory during tomorrow’s Champions League visit of Bayern munich, another match in front of a sold-out stadium.
Crisis? yes, there are grumblings of discontent and uncertainty over the future of several players as well as the manager, but afternoons such as this remind you of one thing — Spurs have some damn fine footballers. Chief among them, Harry Kane. ‘This was a massive statement to the fans and the club to show how much the players want to fight for this club,’ declared the striker, who scored his sixth of the season to seal a gritty victory for the 10-man hosts.
‘Whenever you go through a tough spell that’s all you can do — dig deep and find ways to win. I know the crowd would have enjoyed that win.
‘Of course, it wasn’t the prettiest we’ve ever had at home, but it shows how much we all care about the club.’
and Kane was right. In a perverse way, this was exactly what they needed after a week in which accusations surfaced of players being unhappy with mauricio Pochettino’s claims that some of them have ‘different agendas’. That came in the wake of the midweek Carabao Cup exit at lowly Colchester and on the back of last weekend’s defeat at Leicester.
So going down to 10 men here — Serge aurier dismissed for two senseless yellow cards — and gifting Southampton an equaliser in the first half inked the beginnings of a script which would have had Pochettino answering questions on whether he had lost the dressing room. There were even murmurings among the home masses at the impending sense of the inevitable unfolding.
Instead, however, the scenario seemed to serve as inspiration, uniting the team in a common cause and Kane climaxed a brilliant break to fire the winner two minutes before half-time.
So what about the agendas Pochettino alluded to — do they exist?
‘No,’ snapped Kane. ‘I think this performance speaks for itself in terms of everyone fighting for the badge. That comment is in the past. all I can say is that I am proud of all my team-mates.’
There was certainly no sense of crisis in the demeanour of Kane. Nor was there panic in the tone of captain Hugo Lloris when he was pressed on talk of discord behind the scenes.
‘It’s always easy to find excuses (for results),’ he said. ‘But it’s the responsibility of every player involved in the squad and the team to stick together.
‘This game showed that togetherness still in the club. at no moment have I seen a lack of professionalism from any player.’
Now for Bayern, where a win would go a long way to calming those who fear this campaign is in danger of unravelling.
It is not, of course, not with the likes of Kane and fellow scorer Tanguy Ndombele, the £54million summer signing who for the first time looked worth every penny of that fee. Ndombele and Harry Winks formed a midfield two which took control of the contest despite their numerical disadvantage. again, a reminder of the talent here.
and fans who harbour concern should perhaps remind themselves of how far they have come under Pochettino. During the final game of the season before his arrival in 2014, their side finished with a midfield two of Nabil Bentaleb and alex Pritchard.
That does not mean there is no cause for inspection, but take a close enough look and all is not as bad as it may seem. Blip not crisis would be a more apt analysis of recent events. Beat Bayern, however, and all of that will be very quickly forgotten. TOTTENHAM (4-1-2-1-2): Lloris 5; Aurier 4, Alderweireld 7, Vertonghen 7, Rose 6.5; Sissooko 7; Winks 7.5 (Wanyama 90min), Ndombele 7.5 (Dier 78); Eriksen 6.5; KANE 8, Son 7 (Lamela 64, 6). Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Alli, Davies, Moura. Scorers: Ndombele 24, Kane 43. Sent off: Aurier. SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-3): Gunn 5; Bednarek, 6 Yoshida 6.5 Vestergard 6 (Armstrong 79); Ward-Prowse 6, Romeu 5, Hojbjerg 5, Bertrand 6; Redmond 5, Boufal 6 (Long 89), Ings 6.5 (Obafemi 83). Subs not used: Danso, Lewis, Valery. Scorer: Ings 39. Booked: Bednarek, Yoshida. Referee: Graham Scott 6. Attendance: 59,645.