Have Tottenham become the architects of their own demise?

Written by Daniel Blazer for Footballfancast.com: After a fairytale season for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League this year following their triumphant assault on the ‘top four’ last year, many expected come the end of May for the Lilywhites to be there again, especially with a faltering season for Aston Villa and, once again, Liverpool, and with Manchester City still trying to find their best ‘World XI’. White Hart Lane, however, isn’t guaranteed European football of the highest order (or even at all) next season after having capitulated in recent months, the North London outfit dropping points against Wolves, West Brom and Blackpool; this is the same side that beat both San Siro giants, but why have Spurs struggled against the ‘lesser’ teams this season?

Tottenham boast a squad that doesn’t have the greatest Champions League experience, so when playing in European venues like the Bernabeu and the San Siro, then re-accommodating yourself with places such as Molineux and Bloomfield Road, no matter who you are it is a huge ‘come down’. I’m not saying this is the case, but Tottenham’s players may have the mentality that these games pale into insignificance alongside such epic European nights. Not only is this a grave disrespect to these ‘smaller clubs’, whether intended or not, but it is also suicide in footballing form.

Tottenham have this bizarre trait in which it appears that they only really get going once they concede; thriving on pressure is what can make the good clubs great. However when the lesser teams of the league come to the ‘big boys’, they tend to try for a point, so if they do nick a goal, they then play a 10-0-0 formation (otherwise known as ‘the bus’), not even an intricate flick for Van Der Vaart can unlock such a compact and determined defence on their day.

Harry Redknapp isn’t famous for being the greatest tactician, more of a man motivator, and his ‘lack’ of tactical awareness has probably been the key to Spurs’ European heroics. In Europe, the Spurs manager plays a more fluid system, allowing the likes of Lennon and Bale to switch flanks and Van Der Vaart to drift, but this isn’t the case in the League for Spurs and ‘Arry knows this. Having to play a rigid formation doesn’t suit spurs, but it is the Premier League way, so playing Van Der Vaart as a winger doesn’t get the best of the Dutch midfielder as it doesn’t allow him to be at his most attacking. It is this apparent preference for personnel over team play that seems to be hindering spurs against the lower teams, who tend to play fast counter-attacking football. No doubt this con-tributes largely to spurs’ defensive lapses against these teams

If the form book is anything to go by then Tottenham will more than likely become accustomed to Channel Five Thursday nights again next season and will be cursing such scenarios as Stephen Fletcher’s 87th minute equaliser for Wolves back on 6th March.

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