Where do Tottenham go from here?
In case you missed it, Spurs beat Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates this weekend. They haven’t beaten Arsenal away from home since 1993 – that’s 17 years. They’re currently sixth in the Premier League table but the result was important not because of the 3 valuable points that Spurs garnered, but because of the significant confident boost it’s likely to offer the players. It’s a result that’s sure to play as significant a role in Tottenham’s season as their two performances against Inter Milan in the Champion’s League. It means that they’re not looking over their shoulder any more to see which teams are catching up with them, but looking forward with the confidence that they can overtake the likes of Bolton and Manchester City.
Yet prior to the second half of the North London derby, things were cast in a significantly different complexion. Arsenal were 2-0 up and dominating the game. I’d love to know exactly what Redknapp told the players as they slouched into the dressing room. Whatever it was, the reaction is sparked was nothing short of amazing.
Arsenal looked like they thought they had the game won. They decreased gears, started coasting and gave Spurs a chance to get back into the game. A chance that their two star players this season, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart took with glee. Arsenal seem to be too soft, too malleable to be considered title-contenders this season, but what of Spurs?
I will not side with the BBC’s Phil McNulty who believes Spurs to be genuine title contenders this season. Such a belief is nothing but reactionary. The fact is that Spurs have yet to add consistency to their game. One week they’ll beat Inter Milan, the next they’ll lose to Bolton. They do not have the steel and spirit we associate with teams like Manchester United.
For the moment they need to concentrate on picking up fourth place. They have tough competition from the likes of Bolton and Manchester City, but they have the squad, and in Harry Redknapp, the manager to see them make it into the last Champion’s League position. Despite being sixth in the League, the result against Arsenal has put them in the driving seat. If they show that kind of spirit and determination week in and week out, they’re sure to see their way to fourth place.
Where they’ll be in two-three years time is another question entirely. Harry Redknapp, if he isn’t snapped up by England is a man capable of turning Spurs into a real force in the Premiership and beyond. He has told the press that all he needs is two more world-class signings to be competing for the title. I don’t disagree – if Spurs had two more players on their books of the quality of van der Vaart or Bale, they’d certainly be competing for honours.
Before Spurs can consider themselves title contenders, they need to start expecting wins and not hoping for them. That means that they should come to Arsenal not as outsiders, but as a team expecting to win. It’s consistency, which Arsenal currently have and that Spurs are lacking. If things continue in the same vein for Tottenham, that’s something that’s sure to change.
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