Well that one result was the rather desperate 1-0 home loss to the previously hapless Villa and consequently hell broke loose on twitter. Warnock was lambasted for his tactical ineptitude a mere ten days after being hailed as the architect of Liverpool’s downfall. Such is the speed of judgment these days that the transformation from hero to zero is instantaneous.
So how we do approach White Hart Lane? It is either with a mixture of trepidation, fear and anxiety in the post Villa mood or with the bold, positive confidence that was so evident during and after the Liverpool game. It is difficult to ascertain exactly how the players respond to such fluctuating opinions but one would hope it is with a certain amount of equanimity and they just get on with preparing as well as they can for the match ahead. If they started to worry about all the comments flying around then they probably would not step over the white line ever again.
Having said that, there are clearly some areas for concern from Tuesday’s performance notably the poor quality of the crossing with Zaha particularly wasteful when in good positions; the lack of firepower upfront, as proved by Jedinak being our leading scorer; weak set pieces, which posed so little threat it was embarrassing. The most positive aspect was the performance of James McArthur who put in not just a prodigious amount of work but also showed his intelligence and vision. If Jedinak and hopefully the returning Ledley can match him then we have a chance against Tottenham.
The inconsistency of our last few matches is nothing compared to Tottenham’s ability to blow hot and cold. Their customary capitulation to Chelsea on Wednesday was preceded by a gritty win against Everton and who knows which Spurs will turn up on Saturday. They have extremely gifted individuals such as Ericksen and Lamela but also there are weaknesses at the back that can be exploited if pressure is exerted. Harry Kane is probably the key especially after Warnock revealed this week that we tried to secure his services on loan. He seems to be a natural goal scorer and we are definitely in need of one of those so sod’s law dictates what is going to happen.
Richard’s book The A-Z of Football Hates is available in most bookshops and usual online sites and is the perfect stocking filler for any football fan.
Follow him on twitter @rcfoster and @AZFootballHates
