Premiership Big Match Reflections: Spurs, Jol Prove The Poin

Premiership Big Match Reflections: Spurs, Jol Prove The Point

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Liverpool and Tottenham produced a superb match on Sunday at Anfield in a 2-2 draw. After the late equaliser that broke Spurs’ hearts, George Tsitsonis reports how despite another disappointment, it’s Spurs who should be the happier of the two sides.

Fernando Torres’s late strike on Sunday seemed to have an aura of inevitability about it. Not necessarily due to Liverpool’s play, rather they were playing a Tottenham side who this season have become specialists at giving up goals at crucial time periods. And while Torres wheeled away in celebration, Martin Jol must have thought that the football gods were against him this season.

However, despite the heartbreak of not being able to hold on to a 2-1 lead and pick up a win at Anfield for the first time since 1993, Tottenham proved on Sunday that they are one of the top sides in the Premiership and that probably sooner rather than later they will begin their climb back up the league table. That said, a Champions’ League berth, which was so highly sought before the campaign began, is certainly out of reach barring a miraculous run through the rest of the season.

Tottenham’s week began with a fantastic comeback against Aston Villa where the Londoners found themselves 4-1 down only to fight back to tie the match 4-4. It was a testament to the heart of a side who have been under tremendous pressure all season after early results were quite poor. Since then every match has seemed to have a sort of ‘job on the line’ feeling for Jol and the embattled boss has survived. A 1-1 draw against Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta on Thursday may not have helped his cause, but Jol may have just put to rest speculation about his future, at least for the time being, with the performances of his side against Villa (post 4-1 down) and Liverpool on Sunday.

Though the match at Anfield was being billed by some observers as one where both of the managers coming in were under pressure, it quickly became a battle of the two strikeforces. Andriy Voronin and Fernando Torres featured for Liverpool while Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane line up in the Tottenham attack.

Early on it was all Liverpool as Voronin and Torres, both so at home in dribbling at opposing backlines, were giving Tottenham all sorts of headaches. It was of no surprise then when the home side took the early lead 12 minutes in. Steven Gerrard fired in a free-kick that Paul Robinson should have handled, but the England number one spilled the ball into the path of the onrushing Voronin who scored his third of the season. This was only the second time this season Voronin and Torres started together and judging by their performances in the first half it has to be said that those calling for Rafa Benitez to settle on one attacking duo may have a point.

Voronin seemed to be everywhere in the first half hour and if Liverpool had been a bit more decisive in front of goal the Anfield supporters could have seen one or two more goals by their side before the break. In truth, the first half hour was one of the better Liverpool performances of the season with a couple of beautiful, flowing moves and in stark contrast to the below par defeat to Marseille at the midweek in Champions’ League action. Tottenham were not mere spectators in the first stanza, as Berbatov and Keane tried to put pressure on Sami Hyppia and Jamie Carragher, however defensively Jol’s men were not as strong as needed against a quality Liverpool attack.

Tottenham rode the waves of some Liverpool attacks and then struck perhaps a bit surprisingly on the stroke of half-time. It was all thanks to their big and small duo up front as Berbatov knocked down for Keane to coolly slot past Pepe Reina. It was another piece of evidence that no matter what shape Tottenham are in, Berbatov and Keane are always a dangerous pair. The two have developed a great understanding of each other and have become arguably the best strike pair in the league. While Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent may be upset at sitting on the bench, Berbatov’s classy and skillful play and Keane’s recent prolific streak (12 goals in his last 16 Premiership matches) means that Jol is picking the right two.

The opening stages of the second half saw more of the same and minutes in brought about a carbon copy of Keane’s goal in the first half. Robinson sent a long ball up-field and Berbatov beat Hyppia to the header. The ball was knocked into the way of Keane and he duly dispatched past Reina again. Cue delirious celebrations in the away stand. Tottenham didn’t appear ready to stop there though and like Liverpool in the first half they were left to rue some opportunities that came immediately after the goal. Had Jol’s side had more of a cutting edge then 2-1 could have easily become 3-1.

As it was Liverpool, though they didn’t look too likely to claim an equaliser, did eventually fight back to claim a draw through Torres’ injury time header. After going missing for about an hour, Torres popped up at the right time and Liverpool stayed undefeated.

Credit must go to the managers for making this one of the better matches of the season thus far, a wide open affair with plenty of chances. Benitez brought on Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, all attacking substitutions as he went for broke and was eventually rewarded at the death.

From here on in, Benitez will be closely scrutinized with regard to his team selection. After a bright start to the campaign, Liverpool’s form has dipped a little, even if they are still to lose in league play. The loss to Marseille had brought some rumblings in and around Anfield specifically about the rotation policy of the manager. While Benitez is a strong character who won’t care much about criticism of his constant rotation, it is true that his side has failed to gel as of late.

Against Tottenham there was a superb first half hour performance by the club only to be followed by an hour of mediocre play which, thanks only to the late intervention by Torres, did not end in defeat. In some ways this club still seem a season away from being serious title challengers, which isn’t to say that Benitez’s side won’t be there at the end. But first, they will have to find that cutting edge that champions always seem to possess that will turn matches like this one from close defeats and draws into victories.

Jol meanwhile will likely face some criticism again for not solidifying his backline as his change was also more offensive than anything else. Steed Malbranque on for Teemu Tainio is a hardly a defensive substitution. Though many observers may have been hoping the manager would have brought on defender Anthony Gardner or midfielder Tom Huddlestone to add some more steel, Jol stuck to his guns.

To his credit, he is not coaching like a manager on the brink. In fact, fear hasn’t seemed to have crept into his managing at all despite the media pressure and speculation. Jol is confident that his side will come out of this slump and do so by playing attacking and attractive football. At Anfield he had his players trying to win the match instead of being happy with only a draw. They didn’t succeed, but the performance for the most part was cause for optimism.

The defence needs to be solidified for sure if Tottenham are going to climb out of the Premiership basement. The side have already been involved in matches with scores such as 3-1 (loss), 4-4, 3-3, and 2-2. That may mean Tottenham are exciting to watch, but surely they will need to be tighter at the back. Against Liverpool the likes of Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, Pascal Chimbonda, and the young star Gareth Bale were all impressive and that was all with Robinson still undergoing a spell of poor form as his handling was once again very shaky.

With a favourable schedule coming up where Spurs have five of their next seven fixtures at home, there is a chance to climb up the table. Certain media outlets however still seem set on insisting that Jol will face the axe. Depending on what happens into early December that may be true.

Whatever happens, perhaps the Dutchman said it best in his post-match comments when asked about his future and his team’s display. “I do not know about the future, I do not pull the strings and I do not have any control over the scenario. If I did, everything would be quiet,” said the manager, and he continued, “But see my team, they want to fight and they fight every game. The players always stay the same, it is very positive.”

That sort of positive attitude off the pitch and the approach to chase victory rather than avoid defeat on the pitch leaves this author in no doubt that Jol will turn the tide. The Spurs board had set some lofty expectations this term with qualifying for the Champions’ League as a main goal. That looks quite difficult now, though another UEFA Cup berth is not beyond this team if they can get going.

Tottenham’s budget is quite small compared to that of the top four and it remains to be seen whether the board will keep Jol should he fail to break the incumbent quartet at the top of the Premiership. One thing is for sure though and that is that Jol hasn’t lost the support of the fans or of the players and that could steer the Dutch boss successfully through what has been a difficult and stressful autumn.

George Tsitsonis

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