point.
Last nights 2-0 League Cup quarter final win away at Man City, has to be the best performance under the new regime.
The last three games have been good but City aren’t that great away and Pompey haven’t been able to find the net, bar one bizarre game, at home. So beating City at Eastlands, where they had previously won ever game in all competition this seasons without conceding many goals, while being down to ten men for over 70 minutes and keeping a clean sheet marks this game out for the new regime.
Spurs started off the better team, took an early lead with Defoe’s well taken 5th minute goal from Lennon’s cross. The winger has come on quite a bit under Ramos, he gets to the byline more and his delivery has benefited. Thankfully Defoe was given the start, ahead of the useless Bent, and even more thankfully he took his chance, so often when given the start he fails to deliver. Defoe showed his displeasure at being brought off for Tainio, who wouldn’t, and I did think at the time maybe it was a decision made to hastily – why not go to a back three? – but the boss was proved right.
So the sending off that cause the Tainio for Defoe switch, Zokora for a challenge on Elano, who if he was touched it was only slightly and he didn’t go down and make a meal of it unlike so many out there, yeah Zokora’s feet were off the ground but only cause he was of balance sliding on his arse but he got the ball. Nobody seemed to think it was more than a yellow except of course the ref.
Yes the same ref who thought a “everybody was kung fu fighting” by Villa’s Craig Gardner on Sunderland’s Dwight Yorke at the weekend was only worthy of a yellow. Well what do you expect of a man who was seen signing autographs before that weekend match, for some reason certain refs think they are part of the entertainment and should play a prominent role in the game, as he tried to spoil the first half by blowing up for everything even when the team offended had possession and were on the break.
Wouldn’t give much hope for a Spurs defence to hold out for 85 minutes after taking a lead, without conceding a goal with eleven on the park never mind when down to 10 but they did and defended as well as they have for some time. No Ledley, no Dawson, no Bale, a central partnership of Shimbomba (© David Pleat) and Kaboul, with Tainio and Lee at fullback and City didn’t have that many clear cut chances and when the did Robinson showed his class, who would have thunk it.
But as well as they defended the lead they also carved out chances themselves with Berbatov being imperious throughout, he does look on it now, again the ManUre crap is coming out, if Levy lets him go I sense a dwarf lynching taking place. Is it a coincidence that Berba has looked more happy the last few games without Keane, pointy pointy, flicky flicky, moany moany there? Well you can’t not start Keane when his ban ends cause he scores and scores far too regularly to be benched.
O’Hara has looked the part in the two cameos he’s had in the last couple of games and there should be no way the club should let him go back to Millwall, where he’s been on loan, he should be part of the first team squad from now on, brilliant ball through to Malbranque for the second goal last night. They can have Jenas if they want.
Juande Ramos says…
It was our best performance since I have been in England Juande Ramos
And you’d be hard pressed to argue with him on that…he’s change the club about a bit, they are certainly more fitter than under BMJ.
No doubt it’ll be the scum from Woolwich in the semis again…