not even a whimper.
That’s how Spurs exited the F.A. Cup on Saturday at Old Trafford.
Now the way they played after taking the lead through Pavlyuchenko’s excellently set up and taken fifth minute goal…
…makes you wonder what is going on at the club. Were they playing to lose because:
A) ‘Arry didn’t want more games, either a replay or a fifth round tie at either Derby or Forest, because the League Cup final and more importantly fighting relegation and staying in the league are higher priority. Then the show of frustration at the lack of any forward momentum on the touchline by ‘Arry was just that a show.
…or…
2) The team wanted to show ‘Arry that if he carries on slagging them off after games then they can not play for him the way they stopped playing for Ramos and Jol before that. ‘Arry didn’t have bad word to say about them after this game, which pretty much made him the only one that didn’t. Have they taught him a lesson?
Play like that against Stoke on Tuesday in the league and like that against ManUre in the League Cup final and they might all start wishing they’d bothered to turn up for this cup.
To fade so quickly from such a promising start as well doesn’t bode well, Pav’s goal as I said was an excellent bit of work all round, great cross by Huddlestone and a smart piece of work by the Russian striker to get across his marker and deftly glance the ball pass the static Foster in goal.
But did we see it again, did we buggery, Pav hardly got any more service and what he did get was of no use. Far too often he was asked to chase long balls humped into the corner that Lennon and Defoe would have struggled to catch up with. Huddlestone just reverted to wandering round a small patch in the centre circle doing one of the best Butch Wilkins sideways/back passing impersonations I’ve seen for a long time.
‘Arry tried to change things at half time, he got one part right in bringing on Dos Santos for Modric, the little Croat wasn’t in the game and his distribution had been shocking. But really it should have been a straight swap, player and position, it shouldn’t have led to the Mexican playing wide right and Bentley moving inside, that was a mistake.
But pace had been introduced, it was so obvious that Spurs were desperately lacking it even Andy Townsend noticed. Taarabt was brought on to inject even more but what happened they all caught the Huddlestone disease. Any fast break forward was stopped mid run so they could pass it back or sideways, killing any momentum. I mean even Taarabt the guy who never passes just keeps running and running head down kept doing it.
There was some pluses, Gunter though he didn’t really get forward to support his winger, defended well and subdued Ronaldo with Bentley. Dawson was commanding and seems to have got over his spell of being bumbling fool of a centre back could easily be the man-of-the-match, Corluka is paying for himself, with assured performances in the defence. Alnwick didn’t make any howlers in goal, though he didn’t have much to do really but I’m happy about the Cudicini signing, especially at the price – £0.
ManUre’s equaliser was a lucky pinball job, though yet again a big hulking footballer, Huddlestone, ponces out of blocking a shot and instead stands there cocking his leg in like a girl who has just seen a mouse run across the floor. The winner was a piece of class from of course two Spurs old boys.
Now if we just had someone of the commitment and talent of Tevez, Rooney says if he took the aggression out of his game he’d be a different player, yes he’d be the Argentinian. Just think Levy, with what you wasted on Bent and various others you could have afforded the little terrier. Though would he come to the club? Doubtful.