Hard to take only 1 point at Goodison

It's hard to take that. It feels like a defeat but let's not jump on the negative wave of views. Spurs did everything they could to win this game. With Davies and Walker playing as wingers rather than defenders, Spurs had space in the middle but had lots and lots of width.

Kane hit the post with a pile driver early on and Davies also hit the woodwork with a great effort. Lamela and Eriksen drifted from the left and right respectively and it seemed a matter of time before Spurs would take the lead.

So cue Aaron Lennon. The former Spurs Wing man received a knock down , controlled and buried the ball past Lloris who had no chance. It was the type of goal we have born witness many times before from Lennon.
The goal was so against the run of play though, I just kept asking how on Earth could we be losing this game?

Even after Everton scored, the home fans were edgy and it was no wonder because Spurs were all over them. Every second ball, third ball was ending up with Spurs and it was attack after attack. It was the simplest of balls though that led to the much deserved equaliser.
A long ball that was superbly taken down by Alli and finished with aplomb. The way he plays the game you would think he had been playing for 20 years. Simply sublime!

In some ways it was a shame that the half time whistle went at that point as another 5 or 10 minutes could have seen us take the lead. But half time it was and that gave Everton the chance to try and change the course of this game.

Everton started quickly and looked to press the ball quicker but it was still Spurs who looked the more likely to score and take 3 points. Only one team had set up to win this game and it was not the home team.

The fitness of this Spurs team is almost super human. Sadly only almost. As the game headed into the final 15 minutes, there were signs of fatigue setting in and Everton introduced Deulofeu and Belic who got in and around Spurs and cut off a lot of the space we had enjoyed for much of the game.
Belic hit a half volley that Lloris saved superbly and from the resulting corner nodded just wide. The warning signs were there and Spurs started to run out of tempo.

Lukaku got more space and started to cause trouble but there were signs that Spurs could still sneak a Winner. It never came and other than Carrol and Lamela Being booked for tired tackles, the game ended in a stalemate.

I would say that in the last 4 games we have seen that Poch does have at least 2 formations and the one used today I thought was attacking and very high pressing.

I know that this will be seen as 2 dropped points but I thought Spurs were fantastic today and simply unlucky not to win.
If we play like this, sign a couple more players, we will be in the top four come May. And I still think that we are in the title race right now.

Much to be positive about.

As ever come on you Spurs!!!! And now onto the FA Cup and part one of the Leicester City double header.

 

Agree with everything written Matt!

Good point, Goodison is a tough place to go no matter what form Everton are in.

Repeating myself again, but the only thing we lack is an out-and-out striker on the bench. Kane ran his socks off again today and was knackered by 70 minutes.

I think the only thing stopping us turning these draws into wins is a pacey striker who can come on and stretch the game for us - and run at some tired legs.

That being said, such a mature performance from a young team. I said when we were 1-0 down, it's hard not to like this Spurs side, even when they're losing (against the run of play today), every single player wants the ball - whether they're 29 or 19 - no-one is hiding or shirking their responsibility.

Final note, loved seeing Poch bring on Onomah (even if it was only 5 minutes to go). How refreshing is it that a manager puts faith in such a young player when the game is so finely balanced. No wonder they all work so hard for him on the pitch!

Upbeat and looking forward to Leicester!

COYS

 

Another game drawn that we should have won. Wasted our dominance in possession. If Pochettino thinks Carroll is the man to replace Dembele I'm very worried. He's a little boy playing a man's game. Not good enough for a top 4 team. Kane looks knackered. Desperately need a decent striker to take a load off of him. A decent left back would be nice too. All the team look a bit jaded but don't know when and where they're going to get the rest they need. A bit of squad rotation is required but I'm not all together sure we have the necessary depth/class in certain positions to maintain the standards required to finish top 4.

 

Tom Carroll absolutely shocking. Not even close to good enough. Not for the Prem, not for the championship, certainly not for a top4 team. He's about the same age as Barkely, yet look at the physical difference between the two...as well as technical. Caroll caught playing stupid passes, no technique when trying to head a ball and it nearly cost us - not a huge fan of Bentaleb but he'd be a much better choice right now. We need a striker, and a central midfielder, as a minimum. Wanyama, Kante and/or this Sandro guy would do me nicely.

Also, not sure if I've mentioned but Tom Carroll had an absolute shocker....

 

Agree with everything written so far, first half was the best performance of the season so far.

The one negative I have this season is Poch's substitutions, they often leave me baffled. I think 2 poor substitutions cost us the game against Newcastle, and possibly cost us the 3 points today.

Everton brought on an extra midfield player, we took off Erikson & they controlled the game for the final 20 mins.....and when we were being outnumbered there with 10 mins left, should have bought on Bentaleb, not Chadli?

But really a minor moan, would have taken a point today before the game started...onwards & upwards COYS

 

Carrol blew his chance today he looked weak and lost,Kane looked dead on his feet at the end,Poch has to find a way of getting the kid a rest, a call to Levy is needed,It is hard to understand the sub's,I would have liked to have seen them earlier,A good match but agree 2 points dropped but we are still in the mix,the run continues..COYS..

 

Typically Azza stepped up and equaled his entire Spurs career goal scoring record with his 1 goal today.
I said it had draw written all over it and continued my impeccable sequence of always being right.

And although a point isn't a bad result against a very capable Everton side, i am concerned about the lack of options and the fatigue/burn out it will cause. We may boss the possession stats and the yardage etc but we were not carving chance after chance laying siege to Howards goal.

We lack craft/guile and as i've said numerous times when we slow down or aren't able to over run opposing defences we become very predictable in our play. This is when we need quality that will influence a game pace/power/vision etc something different.

There are plenty of positives to take from this team and season so far but the league being what it is this year we were being talked up for a title challenge (6 points off) yet at the same time were (6 points off 7th) a couple of results either way, so nothing is secure although some fans have got a bit giddy.

Which is why once again it is imperrative to strengthen our position in this window else risk again blowing (possibly) a one off chance that we may not see in a while.

Id totally rotate for the FA cup all key players would be given a good rest.

 

I think what we must remember is that we have a great chance to finish in the top 4. Possibly never an easier season to do so. The title is there but I don't think Poch will be judged on whether he wins the league in the next season or even the next 2. Champions league football is a must.

We have all said at some point that we need a manager who can build a team to achieve. Yes, we are a couple of players short but there can be little doubt right now that Poch is building a squad that trusts him and more importantly wants to play for him whether it be for 5 minutes or 90.

As for Carrol, he showed naivety today and he does look lightweight in the premiership.

That said, when he lost the ball today he tackled back and won it back. I think he has talent but not yet at this level which is a shame.

Lamela again worked hard this afternoon and other than having a hot head is worthy of his starting place.

Alli? Unbelievable talent. We all know what's coming in the summer don't we? Silly money will be bid and levys resolve will be tested.

 

A great first half performance, yet typically 'Spurs' to find ourselves behind after one attempt from the opposition! So frustrating and definitely feels like 2 points dropped today (in light of the match/performance).

We do look solid at the back, that is until we get hit with aerial balls launched into the box e.g. today and against the goons. Jan could/should have done better with the goal - very slow to close down Azza.

Agree re. Carroll; looked average today and incredibly sloppy in possession - we missed Mousa. Harry didn't offer much (apart from a cracking shot) and is in need of a rest. Alli's goal, simply sublime and is looking a great bit of business.

Yes we had the possession etc, but we do need to find a way of becoming ruthless and putting teams away when we are on top. It is absolutely key if we are wanting to win the league or secure a position within the top 4 come the end of the season.

In any case, at least we didn't lose. There were a few twitchy moments 2nd half and Hugo's save from Besic was outstanding - he is certainly worth 12 points a season.

We move on and let's hope Levy brings in a couple of additions asap...

 

Pulsating. Drained after the final whistle. Was rose out of action? He would have been more inclined to go to the touchline before crossing so that the defence was occasionally turned around. I also think he's a bit faster than Davies. We need to punish Leicester in the cup so they know they'll have their hands full three days later when the points are on the line.

 

My thoughts exactly.

If only Spurs could reproduce 1st half performance every time an opposition parks the bus in front! 2 goals should have been scored and the game would be over.
Spurs looked out of gas mentally in the second half. Two point loss it was.
Now, let's go after Foxes! COYS!!

 

I dont remember Lennon scoring many like that but I think Delli's was better, I like Delli a bit deeper because of his energy and his willingness to get stuck in but he's showing that he can get on the end of a long ball and put it away nicely. Im definitely in favour of sensible rotation but agree that Tom Carroll isn't up to standard altho I didn't think he was as bad as some thought. Also thought Ben Davies was sound and slots in well when called on. Everton's substitutions were much more effective than ours and it kept them in the game. All in all a good game and a good performance from the lads and unlucky not to come away with all the points.
Imagine if we had another striker that we could bring on just like every other team on the planet.

 

Brilliant, haha

 

I would be inclined to start with Son up front and leave Kane on the bench on Sunday In the Cup. Let's see how Son does up top.
He clearly has ability, is 2 footed and strong.

 

Spot on notnats. Criminal that we don't have an orthodox and experienced striker that can be brought on/rotated with Harry. However, I have faith and feel confident that we will have another striker by the end of the window! An absolute minimum with the PL, EL and FA Cup fixtures.

One would hope we will have an even better points return for the second half of the season. We are in a good run of form and have the best points return over the festive period (since 19th Dec); 10 points from the last 12 available.... A great effort.

COYS

 

Son should have started yesterday,and with out doubt must start for our cup match Kane is badly in need of rest, and in his present state an injury is easy to pick up,Ali also took a knock any news about him.COYS

 

That's a little bit harsh on Tom Carroll. He played a number of poor passes, including a couple that left us open, and that is unacceptable at this level, but it wasn't all doom and gloom. I have often wondered if he would make the grade at this level as he doesn't have the stature to impose himself on a game, but I was quite impressed with how he got involved in the centre of midfield yesterday - a sign of progress. We dominated the first half totally and all eleven players helped do that, especially the midfield.
He's a good squad player and if he grabbed a larger share of the pork pies in the staff canteen he might gain a little more presence on the pitch.

 

Carroll will stay a squad player unless he bulks up and should only play in the EL until he can prove that a place in the first eleven should be his...

 

First we have all this"Spurs For The Title"Now every media gossip madam has Ali as the next messiah,the kid is young and still is a raw talent the pressure put on him to do the business week in week out at the same level is crazy,RM,MU,MC,PSG,All with big pockets they are like a pack of wolves,the kid just like Kane need's space and time to grow,the club MUST protect them and help to keep there feet on the ground.....

 

Agree with much of above apart from the Carroll nonsense.
But I'm sure MP will be seeing what we are seeing in that the team looks a little jaded and would expect the team to be rotated and refreshed for the cup game with wimmer trippier Chadli Son bentaleb Davies and onomah hopefully set to feature.
Also the squad needs livening up with one or two offensive additions to add pace and end product to turn these draws which we dominate for long periods into draws giving support or an alternative to Kane at times.
I'm sure berahino is very immenent and maybe a winger.