Tottenham - 'One Point was all that was Needed'

Spurs finished season 2011-12 in fourth place, again equalling their highest finish in the Premier League era.  Once again, at the death they failed  to get the better of their closest neighbours and greatest rivals, Arsenal.  Having had a strong advantage in late February, Spurs had their destiny in their own hands but by the end it was all about one point.

It Was in Spurs' Own Hands
Some will be dismissive and say that Spurs' current situation is all down to themselves, that in the early months of the year, with a strong hold on third there is no way that they should now be waiting anxiously on the outcome of next weekend's Champions League Final to know if they will be competing in next season's Champions League or Europa League.  That is true but every team has a poor spell at some time in the season but unfortunately Spurs was a rather extended run which coincided with the departure of Fabio Capello as England manager and the lengthy silence from the Football Association with the associated speculation that Harry Redknapp was a cert to take over ahead of Euro 2012.  Only after the appointment of Roy Hodgson did the Spurs team rediscover some of their form and confidence to produce the style of football that had so pleased the football public earlier in the season.  Unfortunately, this rekindling of their form came too late to reclaim third place which they had held from late November through to the end of March.

Missed Opportunities
Even in the final weeks of the season Spurs managed to spurn opportunities to redeem themselves and take advantage of others misfortune.  Twice in the last month of the season, Arsenal provided them with the chance to make up lost ground but Spurs were unable to make the most of these gifts - an unexpected home defeat for Arsenal against Wigan Athletic but Spurs lost to QPR the next weekend while a home draw with Norwich meant that a Tottenham win at Aston Villa would restore Spurs to third with a single point advantage going in to the final day's matches but Spurs could only manage to take a point from the relegation fearing team.  

Adebayor's Disallowed Goals
If only one of those goals which were incorrectly disallowed for off-side against Emmanuel Adebayor had been given as they should have, Spurs would have had the point they required to be ahead of Arsenal at the end of the season.  Against Stoke City, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, three games in a five week period that saw Adebayor denied a perfectly good goal as Spurs were on the wrong end of mistakes by the officials.  "These things even themselves out over the course of a season" say some, but there's no evidence that it happened for Tottenham this year.

Caution v Ambition
Over a season, depending on circumstances, a team needs to take caution in its approach while at times it has to show an ambitious streak to take a gamble in the hope of gaining some reward.  Looking at this aspect of Spurs play in two games when they got it wrong on both occasions.  At the end of January Spurs went into added time against eventual Champions, Manchester City, level at two goals each.  Spurs were in the ascendancy at this point and Benoit Assou-Ekotto had the option of cautiously allowing the ball to go out for a Spurs throw or playing it forward in an attempt to get a winning goal.  He took the adventurous option but City collected the ball and started the move which led to a penalty award and a winning goal.  Spurs lost out on a point and the extra two points helped City to their first title in forty four years.


In the penultimate match of the season Spurs were down to ten men against an Aston Villa team lacking any ambition as they tried to hold on to a point to rescue them from the outside chance of relegation.  Spurs had just equalised but Harry Redknapp, on hearing that Newcastle United had lost their match, appeared to take the cautious approach and decide on safety first rather than make any positive substitutions in order to try for the win.  In the final minute he brought on Scott Parker for Rafael Van der Vaart, a defensive move, rather than try to seek out the win, as he settled for the point.  At the end of the season, the point gained made no difference but a win would have given Tottenham third place in the final reckonings.  A defeat at Villa would also have seen Spurs finish fourth, with Newcastle unable to take any points from their final match. 

A Winning Mentality
When Spurs were good they were very good and often won with ease, although without the instinct to go on and score the additional goals that were frequently there for the taking.  On the other hand, when Spurs were going through their bad spell they never looked capable of rescuing the situation and there was an inevitability about the result.  Spurs only gained 6 points during the season from a losing position while Arsenal were the masters of the comeback, winning an incredible 24 points from losing positions, including their remarkable turnaround against Spurs at The Emirates and another three points against West Bromwich Albion in the vital final game of the season.  They managed late winners in three matches against Sunderland, Liverpool and Newcastle in February and March at the beginning of their revival in fortune.


It has been a memorable season for Tottenham and as Harry Redknapp says most people would have accepted this position at the beginning of the season and especially after the first two defeats to the Manchester clubs.  Looking at the season as a whole, however, it would seem to have been one of missed opportunities.  Having worked their way into such a strong position in mid-January that after defeating Everton they were level with United and three points behind City, they were being considered as title contenders.  That, however, was as good as it got.  In a season when United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, the traditional 'big four', were well below their usual standards, there was a golden opportunity for Spurs to have achieved much more, to have set down a marker that they could compete with the very best and so avoid the unsatisfactory situation of having to await the outcome of the Champions League Final to know their fate for next season.  Unfortunately, this ending to the season causes an inevitable delay on forward planning for next season and allows time for uncertainty about progress, retaining players and possible new signings to develop. 


'If only' scenarios could be played over endlessly but it's time to 'get over it' and 'move on' - next season's only twelve weeks away.
   

Tottenham 1 Wolves 1

With four home games in January in the Premier League it was always likely to happen that Spurs would slip up somewhere through the month and so it proved against Wolves who battled well for their point, assisted once again by some basic refereeing mistakes.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Scorers:  Modric                                         Fletcher 

Team: Friedel; Walker, Dawson, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto (Rose); Lennon (Defoe), Parker, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart, Adebayor  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Kranjcar, Bassong, Liveremore, Pavlyuchenko 

Luka Modric

Disappointment, annoyance and frustration are the main feelings following Spurs home draw with Wolves.   Disappointment that two points were dropped against a team that Spurs should have beaten, annoyance that once again Spurs have lost points due to basic refereeing mistakes and frustration that those dropped points have prevented Spurs from sitting joint top of the League level on points with Manchester City and United.

Scott Parker's return to the side after injury in place of Jake Livermore was the only change from the team that defeated Everton on Wednesday evening.  Former Spurs schoolboy, Michael Kightly started his first League game of the season for Wolves after returning from a loan period with Watford.

Wolves showed their intent for hard work and endeavour from the start and Luka Modric also showed his early ambition of scoring a goal with a shot which passed just wide after four minutes.  The move had started with a good cross-field pass from Rafael Van der Vaart to Aaron Lennon who interpassed with Kyle Walker to set up Modric on the edge of the box.  As was to be expected Tottenham enjoyed the majority of the possession with Wolves working hard, high up the pitch, to deny them space and time.  The visitors tactics were very effective but Younes Kaboul was taking the game to them with powerful surging runs out of defence towards the Wolves area and from one of these runs after seventeen minutes he set up Emmanuel Adebayor who took the ball to the bye-line and pulled it back to Modric but as he tried to get control a defender managed to knock the ball away.

A minute later a Gareth Bale shot was deflected over for a corner as Wolves tackled quickly but the visitors were finding it more difficult to get out of their half as Spurs hemmed them in and started to build up some pressure.  On twenty minutes Modric again shot over following a good run by Lennon.

Then Wolves received just the boost their game plan needed.  On twenty one minutes Wolves were awarded their first, and only, corner.  Walker had carefully marshalled the ball out for a goal kick but the referee incorrectly gave them the corner.  Wolves play lives on corners and free-kicks so the defenders came forward and with poor Spurs defending Johnston got a header on goal.  Brad Friedel made a reflex save but it dropped to Steven Fletcher who poked the ball home from a few yards.  Spurs defenders should have coped with the corner but the referee's decision had cost Spurs and to add insult to injury it was the 1000th Premier League goal Spurs have conceded, the first club to reach that unwanted landmark.

Taking the lead inspired Wolves to maintain their hard work and for a time Spurs showed their annoyance with increased efforts on goal.  Two minutes later Modric found Bale in the centre but his shot went over.  Following good play between Van der Vaart and Adebayor, Bale had another shot blocked.  Van der Vaart had a long range effort deflected for another corner and then with over half an hour gone a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross was headed out by a defender to Modric on the edge of the area but the goalkeeper saved his shot easily.

As Spurs pushed for a goal Wolves saw greater opportunities to counter attack and in the five minutes before half-time they had two goal scoring attempts - a shot wide and one over by Kightly.  Spurs retaliated with a shot from Kaboul which was saved and a goal disallowed for offside.  Bale had a shot which could possibly have been going in, touched into the net by Adebayor who was incorrectly given offside.  This is the third occasion since early December that Adebayor has had goals incorrectly disallowed for off-side - at Stoke and against Chelsea.

The half ended with a free-kick from Van der Vaart being caught by the goalkeeper.  Wolves had the interval lead when if the refereeing decisions had been correct Spurs would have been one goal to the good.

Spurs started the second half determined to get on level terms as Bale shot over but poor defending allowed Frampong a shot which Friedel saved.  Then on fifty minutes Modric scored.  It was a goal similar in creation to the one against West Brom.  Van der Vaart received the ball in the area and passed out to Bale on the edge of the box and he played it across the area for Modric to score from twenty five yards.

Three minutes later the goalkeeper saved Wolves when stopping a shot from Modric and the follow up from Lennon.  On the hour Bale headed a Assou-Ekotto cross over and then two minutes later he headed a Lennon cross towards the centre but neither Van der Vaart nor Adebayor could get a scoring touch.  Van der Vaart put a free kick just wide as Spurs searched for the goal to put them ahead.  Bale and Walker both shot over and then the goalkeeper saved with his feet from Jermain Defoe who had replaced Lennon with seventeen minutes remaining.

Spurs continued to press as Walker had a shot blocked and Modric shot over.  The last opportunity to get a winner came in the final minute of added time but Bale's free-kick sailed over the bar.

Wolves deserved their point for their determined play and looked dangerous when they broke from defence but there is that annoying thought that Spurs were deprived of the three points by refereeing decisions going against them.  All the papers today are focusing on the 'Spurs fall short' theme in their attempt to go level on points with City and United but overlooking the refereeing decisions.  Similar decisions against Stoke City and Chelsea have now cost Spurs seven points.

The result now makes next weekend's match even more important for Spurs as they need to prevent City opening up an eight point gap, unless Wigan can do a 'Wolves' tomorrow evening.