Chelsea for that performance.
Don’t know but I just have a feeling that had QPR been turned over by Chelski last week then we wouldn’t have seen Spurs play the way they did in the first half yesterday.
Facing newly promoted side that had been stuffed Spurs would more than likely gone in with that attitude of we don’t really have to bother here
that seems so prevalent with them in such situations but even with Chelski not being that crash hot they look at the result and decide a performance is required.
So instead of the rubbish we’ve seen for the last few weeks, that would have made for a far tougher game, it was back to the first 45 against Wigan and stuffing of the scouse. Through the first 45 minutes it was a prime example of what is so good about Spurs when they are at it and also what is so bad about Spurs when they’re at it.
Complete control of the game, running rings around the opposition, flying past them at pace, scoring great goals – all the good stuff we want to see week in week out – but not putting away the chances they should, not going in at half time with the game done and dusted.
The opener should have come before the 20th minute – have we seen the best of Adebayor goal scoring wise already? One thing is for sure he does tend to play a number of balls into dangerous areas in the box that he should be the one that’s on the end of, too much work elsewhere? Route one with skill. Punt up the park from Friedel, nod on by Adebayor to van der Vaart he lays it off to the incoming Lennon – oh he is playing – who for once didn’t run into a crowd of QPR players when coming inside, he plays it Bale and The Lane sees his first goal there since Boxing Day last year. Up to that point neither wide players had really figured in the game.
Didn’t have much long to wait for the customary van der Vaart goal. A chance for Bale eventually is cleared by QPR but only under pressure from Adebayor leading to the ball just finding Ledley – who obviously figures as Assou-Ekotto and Walker are playing as wingers, they’re so high up the park, he might as well play midfield. A bit of a swinger from the captain, finds the onside vdV after a deflection and he wasn’t going to miss this one.
Jermain Defoe anyone? No one? OK.
But this is the bad of Spurs in this mode, it was only two nil at the break, should have been a lot more. Yes we have the usual their ‘keeper has a blinder – Paddy Kenny has always been not bad for a fat lad – but there’s always too many gilt edged chances fluffed.
And you just know with only a two goal; lead what’s coming. A bollocking from Warnock. After the break you know they’re going to be up for it now, more in Spurs’ faces, actually doing something not just sitting back and letting the players in white put on a show.
And so from cruising they’re now under the cosh. All at see, sloppy and just not at it at all.
You could sense that two goal lead being halved any time soon during that open 20 minutes of the second half as all composure left Spurs and QPR just kept humping balls into their new forward line. From a corner, what a surprise. Barton over to Helguson heads it back for Bothroyd.
So during and after the game one player has been getting somewhat overblown praise – Dave Mackay, oh my god do me a favour. Now I’ll admit Parker didn’t suck as bad in this game as he has in the others – he actually won tackles and 50/50s here unlike the last few games – but why is it for nearly all the goals against Spurs he has run away from either the player with the assist or the scorer? He was at it again here. Running away from Helguson, into an area of the box where there was no danger. In the build up to the corner he was also lucky not to get a yellow card, in fact with his clodhopping throughout he could quite easily have seen red in this day and age for persistent fouling and one studs in stamping motion.
He had an easy opening 45 as QPR didn’t press and the player that he was positionally placed against, Taarabt just didn’t turn up – not for the first time at The Lane. But he made all those passes, 90% wasn’t it? Yes 90% Chuckle Brothers passes – to me, to you – as soon as someone gives him the ball he passes it straight back at them as long as they meat two requirements – they can’t be further than 5 yards away and they can’t be ahead of him, it’s not as if it’s penetrating one-twos it’s just stats padding. The 10% that failed that were those that required some greater skill. I notice that a number of times when Modric has the ball and Parker is in plenty of space, he just didn’t want to pass it to him, much like when Jenas was in there.
I don’t know if his pass to van der Vaart that led to Spurs third counted as a success, if it did it was nothing to do with Parker but all down to the Dutchman. Great footwork from vdV, off to Lennon – barely touched the ball and two assists – a one-two with Bale a productive to me, to you – and lovely finish for the Welshman’s second.
Finally some relaxation. Yes nearly 20 minutes to go and only a two goal lead but QPR were done now.
But with 22 goal attempts, 13 on target it should have been far easier than it panned out.