Spurs News - Thoughts on Villa Away

By Sunshine
September 18 2005

The early goal settled Villa and unsettled us. We were fragile for the next quarter of an hour, but we managed to weather the 'predictable' storm as our hosts tried to capitalise on their newfound enthusiasm.

Villa are an average side and I'd be surprised if they manage anything better than 10th place in the league come May.

This was a match which we'd have lost not such a long time ago and whilst Baros and Co did indeed have the opportunities to extend their lead and nab all the points on offer, Spurs also had their own gilt-edged opportunities (a point blank strike by Tainio at the very start springs to mind, but so does the penalty that Defoe saw saved and the bar he struck when a goal looked to be the only possible outcome).

That we plugged away, had by far the better of the second half and got a well deserved equaliser is a sign that we're 'gowing up' as a side. That Villa and O'Leary feared us enough to hand over the initiative after the interval says more about how far Spurs have come in the collective imagination of those in the game than a thousand words on the subject.

Player by player ratings:

Robinson - 8
England's number 1. Hard to find an original way to pay the compliments that this player deserves. Consistently churns out quality performances. I don't know what we pay him, but he's worth every single penny.

Stalteri - 5
I thought he delivered a few good crosses, but I expect so much more from this experienced international, especially as far as his defensive play is concerned. Obviously, it is still too early to judge him, but he needs to start improving if he is to justify his place in the first XI.

Lee - 6
Might seem a harsh mark (out of 10), but I'm used to forming an opinion based on the entire time that a player is on the pitch and Lee was dead on his feet for the last half an hour. On a couple of occasions, our new left back was pushed off the ball, which is more than a little worrying. As with Stalteri, Lee, too, needs time to adjust to the Premiership. He's a good player, so I'm confident that we won't regret signing him in the medium to long term.

Gardner - 7
Unfortunate to pick up an injury in the second half, he'd had a good game up until then against two awkward customers in Baros and Angel. I do not regard Gardner as being good enough for a side which has ambitions of a top 6 finish in the Premiership, but if he continues to perform as he has done over the last two games, then I'll have to eat my own words (which I'll be more than happy to do).

King - 8
Got caught out a couple of times and got lucky a couple of others, but his speed and composure really are a massive asset to the team. Covers the ground with uncanny ease and recovers his position in an instant. He is the foundation upon which this side is built.

Reid - 6
Away from home, his graft is precious, but largely goes un-noticed. The side tend to play deeper and he also maintains the 'line' of the rest of the midfield, which makes it very difficult, given his relative lack of pace, for him to excell at what most onlookers expect of him, which is an impact on the attacking side of the game.

Jenas - 6
At fault for the Villa goal with a pass that can only be described as careless and sloppy. Having only just arrived at the club, off form and with a mere handful of training sessions under his belt, this fine athlete needs to be given the time to find his feet. When he does so, I'm sure we'll have a very good player on our hands.

Tainio - 6
Ran all day long and was often in advanced attacking positions, which was pleasing to see. How he managed to sky that early chance in the opening minutes is a mystery. A useful, versatile player, he was given the arduous task of replacing the injured Davids in the first XI. Davids hasn't even begun to reach his usual levels of performance, yet the Finnish midfielder was not able to fill his boots, despite the effort and industry. Very good squad player, though.

Carrick - 7
The hype which seems to have surrounded the player of late has lead to unreasonable expectations, in my opinion. In the first half, O'Leary had obviously singled him out for special treatment by his players, as every time that he got the ball, a Villa player or two would instantly be snapping at his heals. Carrick failed to shine, but his defensive work was still first class. In the second half, with Spurs pushing for an equaliser, it was Carrick that pulled all the strings. The reason he is rated so highly is that he can be relied upon both not to dither and to always play the ball simply and cleanly. He rarely gives possession away and, when the side is under pressure, has the ability to keep the ball and allow his team mates to re-organise. He is the player that sets the tempo and when the opposition are in the lead, he's the one in whose hands the fate of the side reside.

Rasiak - 5
Won a few headers, but is not showing flashes of class which make the spectator believe that he has the potential to become a major player in the Premiership. As a fourth choice striker, he's more than acceptable, but the sooner Mido returns, the better. Again, he's only just joined the club, so he has as much right to be given time as our other recent acquisitions, though I doubt that he'll start too many league games this season when our Egyptian forward is available.

Defoe - 5
Off the boil. No one doubts his ability, but Defoe simply isn't firing on all cylinders. Thing is, though, that all it takes is a split-second and he's capable of stumbling across a rich vein of form. He must have worked on his awareness in training, since he wasn't getting caught offside every other minute. It would be unfair to say that he missed the penalty. He didn't. He may bot have struck it with the utmost venom, but it was hard and well placed enough to haved deserved a goal had it not been for a great save by the keeper. Should have done better with the left foot shot that saw the ball cannon of the bar. He'll come good.

Substitutes:

Naybet - 6
Came on for the injured Gardner and organised the defence. Picked up a booking for an experience foul which stopped an almost certain goal, a goal which would have killed the match. Fantastic to have a player of his calibre available on the bench. Seems to have accepted his 'secondary' role with elegance. A 'club' captain, if ever there was one.

Keane - 7
Scored a very good goal and his reaction afterwards showed just how much it meant to him. Players in his position often become forlorn figures who rarely manage to have a positive impact when they are called upon and that unsatisfactory situation usually continues until they are moved on to another club. Keane has proved what a true professional he is. Well done.

Jol - 7
Must be feeling pretty pleased with himself. Injuries and a lack of cover in certain positions (left back, in particular: Ideally, Lee would have been substituted at some point in the second half) tie his hands to a certain extent. He also needs to get to know his many new players in order to understand which system to employ in order to get the best out of them. Still, results so far, though not exceptional, clearly put him in a position of strength within the club, so much so that his responsibilities are no longer overshadowed by those of the figure of the Director of Football.

What would I have done differently to Jol as the match unfolded?

I'd have kept Reid on the pitch, brought on Lennon for Lee, moved Tainio to left back and jenas to the middle to partner Carrick, whilst Keane would have come on for Rasiak to form a partnership with Defoe which, although uneasy under normal circumstances, would have benefitted from the quality service on the ground that both Reid and Lennon could have provided, especially with Villa on the back foot, and from the space that Lennon's forays into the last third of the pitch would have created.