Shaping Up

More to the point, it's been a while since Ed has written anything: 

It’s been a while since I’ve written on Spurs, and a lot has happened.  First and foremost, Harry Kane put us past Arsenal with two magnificent goals.  Kane continues to play at a high level and pundits are wondering if this run is real or if he’s doomed to return to the norm or something below that.  We shall see.  Regardless, he seems to look like he knows how to play even if he’s not scoring, and Kane and Eriksen have become a terrific punch for Spurs.

The following week despite some good play int he first half, Spurs lost on a Mario Balotelli goal in the final minutes.  What are the odds of that happening?  Well, prior to his snatching the penalty kick ball out of the hands of his captain this week, Balotelli had about one goal for Liverpool, so I’d say the odds were pretty low.  But to be fair, this shot was really just a tap in for Super Mario, so it would have been hard to mess it up.  But what I liked most about this game was that Spurs seemed extremely annoyed and frustrated at the end of the game — as if they felt they should’ve won the game.  I can’t recall seeing a Spurs team react like that to a loss against a big Club.  Interesting, and I think a good sign.  (On an unrelated note, I’m still not sure why Brendan Rodgers thought bringing this guy in was a good idea; clearly a desperate move by a desperate manager.  But while Rodgers has Liverpool playing well with the return of Daniel Sturridge, it seems that the number of players he brought in that didn’t work out seems a luxury that only could be afforded the bigger clubs.
But returning to Spurs — has Poch’s style finally revealed itself?  Clearly he likes to press high in the pitch, and his forwards and midfielders are required to run hard the entire game.  The pressing style has paid dividends for Spurs, though, with several of their goals in the transition.  But more notably, in addition to preferring younger players like Mason and Benteleb, Poch also put all the players through intensive conditioning after his arrival.  Again, all of this suggests he likes his teams to play a little like the “Heavy Metal” style of the Jurgen Klopp, a coach that one clown of a FoF columnist suggested may be one of the best coaches in Europe.  A difference, though is that Klopp hunts in huge packs when he presses, and the attacks that follow are at full pace, whereas Spurs pressing is definitely more expansive.

Poch is also using the entire Spurs roster, one that may not have been his but is pretty deep care of Gareth Bale.  Will this depth allow them to make the top four?  Hmmmm, with Liverpool rebounding and Arsenal playing well, it’s going to be tough for anyone to make the top four, including teams that are already there.

This is farlieonfootie for February 21.