and all.
Spurs followed up last weeks uninspired draw with an uninspiring victory over Crystal Palace in the first home league game of the season.
Gaping big holes.
There was a couple at White Hart Lane, one in the corner of the stadium and one in the middle of the park. The former brings a promised brighter future the latter brings uninspired struggles over the likes of Palace.
The visitors have had a woeful 2016 with only two victories and haven’t won in their last 11 away from home. Added to that they hadn’t won at the Lane in the league since 1997. I tweeted at the time that this ebodes well
, it was a sarcastic tweet – for a change – in reality it was all set up for a visit from Dr. Tottenham.
While the good doctor didn’t help poor Palace he might have nobbled Vincent Janssen.
For the first time in living memory, well it’s been a while, Spurs started with two up front. Had wondered in the post for the previous game if Pochettino would go this way after Janssen’s introduction into that game changed things for the better.
This inclusion meant someone had to make way, said last week I’d go for Wanyama, Poch went for Alli.
The only problem with that was that second gap it created. A gap of creation. With Eriksen playing like he’d be more likely to get lumped with Bentaleb in the under 21s rather than picking up £150,000 a week, there was a rather large creative hole in the team, with two holding midfielders in there.
But the Doctor has done something to Janssen, something we’ve seen so many times before. All laid out in one glorious moment. Just moments after Alli’s introduction on the 68th minute, he’s played a good ball by Lamela, Alli’s ball through is a beaut and Janssen is through with just the ‘keeper to beat and he scuffs it wide of the goal.
It’s Roberto Soldado all over again, isn’t it?
Janssen like the Spaniard does everything right but isn’t scoring and the longer he doesn’t score the worse it’ll get. Earlier he was denied, like last week, by an excellent save from a ‘keeper who was part way to having a Tim Krul day. It was a double save actually, now if he had scored then, well that real duffer would have gone in, sweet as.
He just needs that first but then so does Kane, that in a way is helping Janssen the fact Kane isn’t off the mark yet. Can he match last season before opening his account?
Spurs haven’t matched last term, where it took them a while to register their first win in the league. But that was about the only plus from the game. Somehow Wanyama opening his goal account isn’t quite as pressing as the strikers.
Yeah, I know I said I’d have dropped him but I don’t think even Poch picked him for his match winning goal scoring.
Oh and Vorm didn’t let anyone down but with those penalties handed out for pulling in the Stoke Citeh game I wonder when Walker is going to give away his first with his latest grab ass antics.
So a win is a win, a clean sheet and three points earlier than last season, and I don’t know where the not so smug Pardew got the idea that Palace deserved anything from the game. Yes Spurs were stodgy, especially after the break but Palace offered very little.