analysing that game on TV.
In another dimwitted, insipid performance losing 3-1 at home to Benfica in the last 16 of the Europa League, Spurs put in a Jenasesque performance.
It was all there on show over 90 minutes, everything that Jenas did over his eight agonisingly long years at Spurs. Everything that made that players presence in the team so excruciatingly painful to watch.
So who better to tell us about it all?
There was players hiding. Players too scared to have the ball. Players who played others into trouble because they didn’t want the responsibility. Players who couldn’t pass to their own team. Players whose first touch couldn’t trap a bag of sand. Players who hadn’t a clue what was around them.
All overseen by Clueless Tim who was happy with the “desire” and “commitment”.
How anyone can be happy with any of that dimwitted display – bar Eriksen’s free-kick – is beyond me. They certainly didn’t look happy in the crowd. Nor did they look entertained.
Apparently again though the fact that for nearly a half an hour Spurs held out it was a good start by Timmy’s team. A team that was bizarrely Bentaleb free, well to begin with. A team that also had Naughton at left-back, while two left-backs sat on the bench. A team with Harry Kane as the number 10 and Eriksen on the left wing.
Apparently Harry deserved it, he’s been patient. Soldado patiently sat on the bench for 75 minutes while the two up front proved time and again incapable at the job. Looks like Adebayor hasn’t anything more to prove, so has reverted to default position. Lazy, useless, lump. He filled a couple of the Jenas positions. Constantly found behind a defender, hiding, and those bags of sand would be a good few yards away after his first touch.
Funny how Sherwood was talking Soldado up, especially after his last goal, yet he hasn’t featured since. Kane was absent for most of the game. Not his fault, he was put into a position where he was out of his depth. Trying to find space against such a well organised defence was far too much to ask of him, never mind trying to find that defence splitting pass.
The type of pass Benfica found with ease. Especially for the opening goal. The irony being the only Spurs player to even try and defend it was Lennon when balls like the one Rodrigo was on the end of – between Vertonghen and Naughton – are the type Lennon should be serviced with but rarely is.
It was a good finish as well giving Lloris no chance.
Again Lloris had no chance. Badly let down on each of the three times Benfica scored by those in front of him. No marking for the second from a corner. And then after making a good save, Luisão was left all on his Tod to slam in the third.
In between those three goals Spurs did sod all but huff and puff. Most of the time resembling, yet again, a Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis team. Lloris out to Vertonghen, to Naughton, to Vertoghen, to Kaboul, to Walker, to Kaboul, hump up the park, maybe in the region of Adebayor – didn’t matter if it was or wasn’t possession was lost either way.
One time someone did something, strangely it was Kane, finally activity, he ran at the defence and was brought down. Eriksen’s free-kick was yet another peach. One of the few time it seemed he actually found the target he was aiming for.
Did anyone actually believe that Spurs managed by Sherwood would beat Benfica? Really? Though it was funny seeing the media talk up the visitors and their achievements in the Portuguese league this season when winning that league was meaningless when AVB did it – though of course not when Jose did.
Timmy got into a nice little barny with the Benfica manager after the visitors third went in. I don’t care who said, did, what or started it but you do feel Timmy got involved to try and deflect from the rubbish out on the park.
He is that conniving. It’s about the only thing he’s half decent at.
Christian Gross is always put up as the nadir of Spurs management. Gross has won 6 league titles and 5 cups, yes it may be Switzerland but can you see Timmy doing that even at that level?
Played five cup games under Timmy. Lost four. Won one. Scored five conceded 9.