Spurs visit the Liberty Stadium this weekend. The equivalent fixture at White Hart Lane finished 1-0 to Tottenham in August but was one of a number of early games where we struggled to create chances and the points were only secured after a 58th minute penalty from Roberto Soldado.
Reports in the media suggest Tottenham are preparing to offload Etienne Capoue barely five months after signing him. He arrived as part of a raft of new signings triggered by the sale of Gareth Bale. At the time these signings were hailed as a coup, turning the potential negative of losing our best player into a positive.
We may have changed manager but a lot of the same problems persist. Is this because Sherwood needs time or is it an issue with the players?
As in so many games against “lesser” opponents at White Hart Lane, we dominated possession but couldn’t turn this into chances. Things improved in the second half but even so, by the end of the game we had 10 shots to Palace’s 14 despite enjoying 68% of the possession. The passing still seems slow and laboured at times but at least now we are playing a consistent team each week, giving them a chance to get used to playing together.
This weekend sees a repeat of the fixtures on the opening day of the season. A lot has changed at White Hart Lane since then, and it is two different managers who meet in the game this afternoon.
The game against Everton sums up all that has been wrong with Spurs this season. We play well in fits and starts but not for a whole ninety minutes. More specifically we normally start well and we usually finish badly.
When Andre Villas Boas was unveiled as Tottenham manager I was excited. I thought it was a brave, forward thinking appointment. Some fans and a large proportion of the media didn’t seem to agree. Since then AVB has had his ups and downs and the jury is still out. He seems to polarise opinion; some like him and want him to succeed, some hate him and mock his every decision. I’m not sure whether he will ultimately be a success, nor whether he’ll be given the time, but here’s why I for one think he’s worth persevering with.
Anything But Penalties 