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Spurs’ performance against Newcastle prompted me to remember a quote I’d heard.
I could remember a manager stating how difficult it was to come back from a deficit against a Jose Mourinho team. A quick google search, and 31 minutes of watching Alan Pardew talk about his career later, I finally found the quote I’d recalled.
“You knew if they took the lead, they just weren’t letting you back in. They wouldn’t run away with the game, they wouldn’t beat you five or six or something. But it was 1-0, it was like the greatest 1-0 ever, you never even had a sniff.” – Alan Pardew on facing a Jose Mourinho team.
After 23 shots at Karl Darlow’s goal on a cold Sunday afternoon in north London, Tottenham eventually conceded a 95th-minute penalty to draw with Newcastle.
Peter Bankes’ decision to penalise Eric Dier will undoubtedly control the headlines, and rightly so. The handball rule needs to be discussed as defenders continue to be harshly treated by referees.
But up until that point deep into stoppage time, Pardew’s hypothesis rung true.
A quick glance to the expected goal numbers revealed that Newcastle mustered just 0.2 xG alongside their late penalty. The Tottenham defence didn’t give them ‘a sniff’.
Perhaps, however, Newcastle should have been beaten by ‘five or six’.
The heroics of Darlow kept one of Pardew’s former employers in the game during the first 45 minutes.
Mourinho himself called the performance ‘very complete’ in his post-match press conference. It was hard to disagree with this. Despite the end result, the performance still felt positive among the on-going controversy and red card being handed out to goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos for his protests after the full-time whistle.
“The team played very, very well. It was a very complete match, offensively and defensively. No problem defensively, we created a lot of chances. Really, really good, I’m very happy with the performance.”
Harry Kane, Heung Min-Son and Lucas Moura were combining excellently, and the ever-reliable Giovani Lo Celso provided chances for the frontmen.
Moura would have been relieved to finally score again in the Premier League, the Brazilian netting for the first time since scoring the opener in a 2-1 win over Wolves at Molineux in December 2019.
It was hard to remember a time Spurs felt so in control of a fixture. Should they have finished the game inside 30 minutes? Yes, although Newcastle never appeared a threat, and but for a call which will be debated for the coming weeks they would have been delighted with their defensive endeavour.
Spurs were positive in possession, intent on breaking through the banks of Newcastle defence. There would be no shuffling the ball round the back during the first 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, instead Harry Winks and Lo Celso threaded passes into the front three or wide to Matt Doherty, who enjoyed success down the right-hand side.
The performance would have no doubt prompted ravenous applause from the home fans, were they allowed to grace the north London arena.
New signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg enjoyed his best performance in a Lilywhite shirt, while Ben Davies also looked solid amongst competition for his place from new boy Sergio Reguilon.
There would be a flood of positivity spamming Twitter timelines of a controlled, measured performance had Andy Carroll’s late header not struck Dier’s arm.
Of course this is hypothetical, and the table is measured by points and not performances, but Spurs fans should be encouraged.
The fact remains that this display should remain the template for future success and, in comparison to the 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle back in August 2019, Tottenham appear to have made progress.
The problem now is the onslaught of fixtures arriving for Mourinho’s men.
Chelsea visit in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, followed by Maccabi Haifa on Thursday in the Europa League and a trip to Old Trafford next weekend.
With Jose seemingly intent on using the same core group of 14/15 players, it’s inconceivable that injuries will be avoided. Son is the first casualty of the season, departing at half-time with a hamstring injury that his manager confirmed will keep him out for weeks.
Rotation is a must for Tuesday’s fixture when London rivals Chelsea arrive in N17.
Failure to manage his squad could see Spurs exit two tournaments in a matter of days, a fate they suffered under Mauricio Pochettino when exiting the Carabao and FA Cup’s to Chelsea and Crystal Palace back in January 2019.
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