that was Spurs best game of the season.
In a massive six pointer for the final Champions League spot Spurs put in one half of football against an Aston Villa team that looked a shadow of the side that had opened a five point gap in fourth place.
A few surprises as Villa lined up with what turned into a back five, no doubt they’d seen Spurs recent struggles against a packed defence and thought this was the way to go. And it probably was, as Spurs struggled with nearly 70% of the ball and their only shot in the first half actually being an attempted cross by Johnson.
Ah yes Johnson. In response to the young Welshman’s recent showings off the bench Ange decided to start him. But of course after seeing Johnson make a difference on the right, he chose to play him on the left. So yes we had inverted wingers who were both cutting inside to get it on their preferred foot. And guess what. It didn’t work. That packed middle again, with no room for Maddison and Son barely seeing the ball.
Villa were playing the long ball game, hoping to catch Spurs on the break and they could have quite easily, while also being helped by Spurs themselves trying to shoot themselves in the foot. This was in between Villa’s time wasting, if it wasn’t the keeper it was their players at throw ins or their players rolling around in agony for injuries that miraculously cleared up when they figured no one was paying attention to them. Bruno Fernandez style.
The Kulusevski fanbois were out to defend him after another atrocious half of football because he played his part in the goals that got Spurs the eventual victory. Well, he did, in that for once he played the ball forward, of course the ball didn’t go where he intended with hi pass, but Sarr got onto the end of it and put in the perfect cross for Maddison to finish off.
The fanbois missing the irony of Sarr’s run and cross being exactly how Kulusevski should play, especially against a team that’s packed the middle of the field. Amazingly he did later but it was once in over 90 minutes of football. It also asks the question, why do Spurs’ wingers never swap wings during a game? Other teams do it regularly.
Yes three minutes later Kulusevski pressed to win the ball for the second – but it is doing the bare minimum – as Son played in Johnson for his fourth league goal to go with his 7 assists – a G+A greater than the Swede’s in a lot less game time.
Villa then completely imploded when that extra from Trainspotting, McGinn, went in and had a wild swipe at Udogie. Nowhere near the ball, no intention of getting the ball, the fact he was shocked at the ref showing a straight red can only because he thought like the rest of us that the ref was a homer.
Nice reaction from the lads to this assault. Johnson was straight in there.
But after that Spurs dropped off, a complacency set in, two up against 10 men it looked like they were asking for trouble. That old Spurs routine of hanging on, gift them a goal and then be in real panic mode, with Spurs fans expecting to lose rather than even draw.
It took until a minute into added time for the third and finally Kulusevski ran forward, kept some width and actually kicked the ball with his right foot, putting a cross in for Son to slam home his 14th league goal of the season. And that’s why I’m so pissed of with Kulusevski this season. Why I’m so pissed off that he plays nearly every damn minute of every damn game, while others are subbed he stays on no matter how bad he’s been. Because he can do this. He just choses not to. He choses to stop, cut inside and kill breaks and chances, instead of staying wide and getting crosses in. He should have more than 3 assists for all the game time he’s played.
A couple of minutes later and the route was complete, as Sonny laid on Werner for his second goal in consecutive games. This one he took very well, didn’t have to think about it much.
So it was a four nil thrashing, a route, a great performance, if you just ignore that first half of ineptitude and that forty minute period between the second goal and the the third goal. And forget the fact that Villa just didn’t turn up at all.
The thing is it’s all there to put in a 90 minute performance – funny how people just overlook a 45 minute showing unlike when Conte was manager – if they just stop doing what they’ve been doing when teams defend like this. Play forward, stay wide, take as few touches as possible, get crosses in and actually have shots.