audition.
Spurs somehow came back from two down to draw with Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, in a game in which the Spaniard’s side were left ruing not taking their chances and Spurs good fortune and nothing to do with Ange’s coaching.
Ange, again was outcoached by a man many have tipped, or want to see replace the Aussie fraud. He’s not the first to fluff his audition, remember Poch losing at White Hart Lane with Southampton but I just don’t see him joining Spurs.
Why would he want to leave a club where he seems to have all the control he wants, a team that is currently 8th, having an excellent season even with a large number of injuries – now where have I heard that before? Injuries not excellent season bit – for the size of club. And there’s talk of bigger and better eyeing him up.
Ten years between the two there are similarities between both Poch and Iraola. Came to a south coast team and did not bad, in relation to what had come before for those clubs in recent years, after spending time managing small teams in a big pond, in Spain. The exact opposite of Ange, whose success has come at big clubs in small ponds.
Anyway, as I’ve said so many times before. One team looked coached.
From the off, Bournemouth looked dangerous but they were also helped out majorly by Spurs. The returning Romero. Apparently the Argentine was rusty, except he was pretty much like this ta the beginning of the season when he was fit – head was in Madrid back then, probably in an Argentina shirt this time. It was amazing that it took Bournemouth 42 minutes to open the scoring. But in that near half of the game, Vicario was already putting in a man of the match performance. Hell, he’d already done enough to get it it five minutes in. But by the time of the opener he’d made four saves from the 8 shots Bournemouth had attempted despite having about half the possession of Spurs.
The goal came from Spurs yet again giving the ball away, cheaply. On the attack a pass to a player in black and red and the visitors were off. A charge from deep in his own half to well over halfway inside the Spurs’ half with a white shirt getting anywhere near him, followed by an excellent cross over the far post, where Tavernier was flying in to meet the ball.
It was so obviously not working at the break that even Ange saw it. Not only saw it but actually did something about it. As Bissouma and Johnson made way for Son and Bergvall. Interesting seeing all the criticism coming Johnson’s way, for being dispossessed a number of time. It was a number that is a regular number for Kulusevski. A number Kulusevski has beaten on a number of occasions. Yet the Swede gets a free pass.
15 minutes later Romero made way for Micky van de Ven and Bentancur for Maddison. Just before then Bournemouth had a goal chalked off that was a real cracker. Again it came from a Spurs attack, in the Bournemouth box, forward running, a give and go, a pass a cross and a goal. But Semenyo was lollygaging a bit getting back onside, for the give and go. Other than that a brilliant team goal. Exactly how Spurs should play. Exactly how they could play. If they were coached and played right.
Funnily enough it came when Spurs had finally turned up. But the Bournemouth did get their second shortly after. Again a lovely goal from the visitors, let the ball go past, nice little ball through and the man they bought to replace Solanke dinks the ball over Vicario into the far corner. Sell Solanke for £65m buy a replacement for £25m less, they’ve got similar league numbers. And Solanke was pretty anonymous against his former side. A side which their manager got the best season out of the bum, much in the way Poch did at Southampton.
Just minutes before Sarr had missed a sitter. Completely missed the target. Shortly after the second Bergvall hit the woodwork. Then the luck. People screaming what a goal from Sarr but you just have to watch him to know it was a cross. He’s on the right, looking left, looking for someone to cross it to and when he kicks the ball, you can see his attempt to curl his foot round it. As he mishits it to float over the keeper’s head and into the goal.
Bournemouth wasted chances, as they had done earlier. They were gonna rue those chances. And they did when their keeper rushed out and took out Son as he knocked the ball out of reach. Needles and stupid. Gifting Spurs a pen and the chance to equalise. Which Son did as the keeper committed and he dribble dinked the ball down the middle. Would have been highly embarrassing if the keeper had stood his ground.
The comeback, the score and the point were doing a lot of papering over cracks. Yes, they were looking to Thursday and this was a bit of n afterthought but take out those Vicario saves, if Semenyo was onside, Sarr actually put a cross in, Kepa hadn’t been stupid. Then it could very easily have been another bad beating, at home. It would have been the 15th in the league, the 8th at home.
He’s got Thursday to save his skin…