when they play the “little teams”.
In a surprise to everyone, Dr. Tottenham didn’t make a house call to the ailing champions, but somehow came away on the right side of a 4-0 thumping at Man City.
City coming off their worse run of results, four defeats starting with the one against Spurs in the league cup, facing a Spurs side doing their bipolar routine of wins and losses, but with a pretty poor away record and a poor record against top half of the table sides never mind top four sides.
Also missing their first choice starting centre-backs. It looked like only one conclusion. Dr. Tottenham’s Cure-All…
Early on it looked like panning out that way. Bissouma on a yellow card after just 15 seconds, for a challenge that wouldn’t see any City player in trouble for most of the match – hell by the end of the first half Lewis and Savinho had half a dozen fouls between them and the ref hadn’t even contemplated reaching for a card – and it was all City.
The first 13 minutes saw the home side have two thirds of the ball and register three attempts.
It took two balls. Dragusin hit one forward, funny hearing the City fanboi in the vid calling it pretty ordinary, Kulusevski was playing out there – no I didn’t originally want to see that, but was happy that it meant Maddison was in the number 10 spot, and not crowded out by the Swede – for once he put in the perfect ball and didn’t dither about, Maddison had made the run and he just had to let it hit him for the opener.
Spurs had seen more of the ball but City had chances before the 20th minute, when Maddison doubled his tally and the lead. This was a lovely goal. Son – who a little earlier had a curler brilliantly saved, finger tip stuff – received the ball from Maddison, who picked up the loose City pass, played a lovely reverse pass to Maddison, who had kept running by his captain, where the England player lifted the ball over the keeper. Lovely footwork from a player that was flourishing after his recent disappointments of not starting and coming on very late.
By the end of the half the possession was more even but while City had more attempts Spurs had double the number on target. You were just wondering if they were going to rue missing those chances they did have. I mean, we’ve been here before with City. City were ballooning their shots, while Spurs defence was open they also closed down at the right time.
Dragusin, looked like the player that Romanian had during the summer at the Euros. Maybe it was the absence of Romero. The Argentinian World Cup winner has had a lackadaisical season so far and this was the first league game that Dragusin hadn’t played alongside him in the league, since van de Ven’s injury.
And when the defence opened up Vicario was there to make some cracking saves.
The second half onslaught would be coming though. Well, eight minutes in and no it wasn’t the comeback, it was the third. Another good goal. Kulusevski picks the ball up midway in his own half, after another City attack breaks down. Skipping through the light blue shirts, nice nutmeg, the ball falls to Son, who plays it forward and Kulusevski has continued his run. It’s two on two. The Swede’s ball to Solanke was a bit over hit but he chased it down. One touch to control it, then look up and Porro is charging in, laid off and the fullback smacks it home.
They were saying everyone was playing on top form but were they. Solanke was on his heels and making the wrong decisions a number of times. A number of times which could have seen the lead increased. One after, Son had been replaced with Johnson could have seen him play the Welshman through, but he chose the wrong option, going for Kulusevski instead. The Swede then made the wrong option when he greedily went for goal. Johnson was free on the far side still, while yet again Solanke had rushed in and got himself hidden behind a defender. A couple of times he did that, when going slower and dropping back he would have been left open for an easy pass and easy shot.
Spurs truly were though taking the piss with the fourth. Two minutes into the four added on and Timo Werner leaves behind a barely bothered Walker and crosses for Johnson to slide in his 8th of the season. Was funny reading people say that you get nothing from Johnson, when he wasn’t in the starting XI. Yeah, he’s just the top scorer on the season for Spurs.
Well, no one really saw that coming, Pep might have lost to Spurs more than any other club in his career, this run might have started with defeat to Spurs but even the most happy clappy Ange fanboi can’t have seen this.
The thing is, would you take beating City and being the first team to lose to both Palace and Ipswich, or the reverse and being three points better off. Which would see them third in the table on goal difference, a healthy goal difference, instead of 6th. One point off 2nd, with a far better GD. Yeah, wow top scorers but what does it matter if you keep losing to the likes of the relegation fodder.
And there’s the rub, if only they played like this against those lesser teams. Spurs have now scored 4 goals five times in 2024. Last season away to Villa, then lost to Fulham, who are next up for Spurs. This season after the three previous times they’ve lost. Including those losses to Palace in Ipswich.