War of attrition ends in stalemate

It showed today just how far the Spurs have come when the Chelsea fans, players and managers celebrated a point as if it was 3.
I had a feeling this might not be the most attractive game of football and Chelsea certainly did their homework on us with 3 men constantly chasing Spurs players down when we had the ball.

Spurs had a lot of possession in the first half and certainly had the chances to go into a lead, with Kane testing the keeper, before turning provider , putting in a stunning cross which Son headed down, but only into the arms of the keeper.

Mason got forward early on, but as in midweek, some of his passes were sloppy. In fact a lot of Spurs passing was sloppy today. Walker has been playing really well this season but I have to say that he played some awful square balls today that could have caused real damage had it not been for Dier, Toby and Jan making crucial interceptions to save his blushes.

The second half was frenetic but still not pretty. Chelsea clearly came with a plan not to lose rather than being interested in winning the game.
Hazard caused some problems for Spurs today but even then it just felt that this game as heading for a goalless draw.

One concern I have at the minute is the amount of yellow cards we are picking up. Whilst losing players to injury is worrying, we don't want to be losing players to suspension for silly tackles. Dembele, Rose and even Kane committed silly fouls today and we need to cut that out of our game.

As the game went on it seemed that the not so special one would bring Costa into the fray, but he left him on the bench, but much to the players disgust who threw his bib in the direction of his manager. I have a feeling he is on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

I'm a tad disappointed with only a point, as I felt we could have won this game today, but we worked hard and perhaps a point was fair enough.

We remain 10 points ahead of Chelsea and are still right behind the title chasers.

I think our best players will be rested on Thursday for the visit of Monaco, and after a good rest, it's back to business on Sunday.

There is still every reason to be optimistic.

As ever, come on you Spurs!!!!

 

Given that we went to the ends of the earth this week, were a key man down and we were playing a 6 man quality midfield, 0-0 is about right.

We weren't at our best, tired after half time, so it's almost a case of take the point and move on. Sure a 13 point buffer would have been great against a key rival, but we're a better side now, so let's rest up and recover in time for the Baggies.

Yesterday I said I was looking for a few things, including no silly bookings, so Kane and Rose get silly bookings. FFS. Rose should be fined for his one.

Now I wish for a Christmas present of an additional striker - Bolasie, Mahrez perhaps. The lack of pace is one of the key things missing from the Harry days....come on DL....get it sorted soonest.

COYS

 

We did seem a touch sluggish today but I half expected that. Chelsea came to not lose and we found it hard to break them down although we did have the best chances of the game, albeit from outside the box other than Son's header.
Son is a good foil for Kane but we do need an extra injection of pace. I wonder how Lennon could have performed in this Spurs team?

We lacked fast movement movement today and that played in to Chelsea's hands but it is still a point earned and we are more than in the race for the top four going into December.

 

Fine margins and a few numbers.......

Based on current standings, if the first day defeat at MU, pretty harsh really, had been a draw, we would be level on points with them, but above them on goal difference into 4th.

Only MU have conceded fewer goals than us...a great transformation....Toby is a fantastic addition to the team.

Based on average points per game in 14, we would total 68 points across the full 38 game season, still not enough to displace MU last season, who finished with 70.

There is a trend here....looks like a must win game when MU come to The Lane.

COYS

 

Had to edit my last post....sorry - we have played 14, not 13.

I guess when you look at 7 draws in 14, you feel a little concerned. In there are games like the Gooners, Swansea, Leicester, Stoke that shouldn't have got away. Knowing that these fine margins add up at the end of the season, it would be great to improve the win ratio up from less than 50%.....there you go! as easy as saying it.

 

I can understand the concern over the amount of draws, but if you think back to the last few seasons, we have drawn games that previously we were losing.

 

Id like to congratulate Chelsea on their longest unbeaten run this season. A round of applause is due for this great achievement of going two games unbeaten. I loved Pochettino saying Chelsea are a small club. In all seriousness though, Mason was awful, the three supporting Kane didn't do much and we created few chances. However I felt some of the defending was superb. Alli was sorely missed. We didn't do badly thigh considering we played only two days after grovelling to Baku, and Chelsea having almost five days rest.
As ever Come On You Spurs!!!

 

It's not a surprise, that 2nd half we had no legs. There's a lack of rotation within our team and a lot of players coming back in the fold seem to be out of place (Mason, Lamela). Our consistent squad selection has helped get us on this great run but we need to find the balance in rotating the players available. Townsend, Josh and others that are health deserve a chance on the pitch; if anything to give our main squad a break and keep them in the loop.

Can't select the same squad for both Europa and Premier, these kids are young but it's not possible. Would mind giving Onomah a start in Europa and maybe an early substitution for Townsend, if he's served his suspension well then give him some time on the pitch. Eriksen, Kane, Son, and my goodness Dier were exhausted, we keep playing them this often and they'll be susceptible to an injury god forbid.

All in all though, we have lots of injuries we are dealing with....just like most other teams, a draw against chelsea isn't so bad today. Game against Monaco will give a lot of young players a chance to show their value so that'll be exciting.

COYS

 

Its vital in my opinion that we play the fringe players against Monaco. They all need game time.

 

Well, on a day when least NL club draw with Canaries (losing their two of best players to long term injuries) I would take draw with Chelsea. Win was within a reach, but it would have been an overachievement under the given circumstances.

 

Given our midweek exertions the draw today was a good result. The important thing is we did not lose ground to Chelsea. A 7 point gap would not have looked that big. The positive about the draws we have been getting is we have not lost ground to rovals (Arsenal, Liverpool etc). Being out of Capital Cup is a blessing in disguise and with Europa League qualification assured it gives opportunity for much needed rest for some of our players. The problem now is who can we target in January to complement the team. Have gone off Berehino, but badly need a striker and midfielder. To stop tiredness in 2nd half of season. On the positive note this is most optimistic I have felt in a long time. Only 1 league defeat and capable of matching any side. I did not think that possible at start of season

 

I agree the game time is needed for the fringe players but caution what you wish for,if we lose against Monaco or draw we could go second in the group meaning we get a team dropping down from CL group..
Also regarding the amount of cards,can any one tell me how the card system works??How long do the players sit on 4 before returning to zero???

 

A very good point v a Chelsea side that inevitably look like they have turned a corner. Decent performance against Chelsea's best performance of the season. With a run of very winnable games in December a good rest on Thursday becons and last chance saloon time for one or two to get some action.

 

A decent performance albeit on very tired legs. If we want to continue this current form then we have to come to terms with the need of a sensible rotation policy, especially in the Europa if we want to avoid player burnout and injury. I cant argue with he fact that we had a win and qualified for the next stage of Europe but im still concerned with the lack of rotation or is it lack of confidence in the squad players ? These players need games to keep up their match fitness and to integrate themselves into the team so when called upon they can easily slot straight in instead of coming off the bench cold. We have one striker only. Like most Spurs fans I swing between feelings of dread and cynicism, and then blind optimism. While being very positive about our very real chances of top 3 or 4 this year, im also worried that we are also one or two key injuries away from slipping out of contention. I also don't believe at all that we will get in a striker in jan.

 

It is to do with cut off dates. For the PL one is 31st Dec. So you can't get a ban for picking up a 5th card from 1st Jan. ....but if you get to 10 cards before second Sunday in April...you get a ban.

as for Jan additions......I think Pochy might well see where we are after the xmas period of games. If we are sitting well and free from injuries.....he might not get anyone in.....as doing so means he has a new face which might have a negative impact in terms of the team gel.