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What Can Spurs Take From The Last Four Matches?
There’s a negative atmosphere surrounding White Hart Lane at the moment, that’s for sure. Knocked out of Europe and falling out of the top four and fans believe this is the beginning of the eventual capitulation between now and the end of the season. Not for Nick Harris, however, who, as Monty Python as it may sound, is instead looking on the bright side of life.
Over the last few weeks, Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked out of Europe, slipped behind Arsenal in the Premier League and lost several key players to injury. After the end of season collapse last year, the assumption is that Spurs are once again set to stumble over the finish line without a Champions League place.
While there clearly is a fair chance this could happen, the negative atmosphere around the club might have clouded what has not been the worst run of results over the past few weeks. In four games Spurs have won at Swansea and drawn with Everton in the league, and drawn twice with Basel in the Europa League.
Given how tight the race for the top four is that draw has allowed Arsenal to move ahead, and they were indeed knocked out on penalties in Switzerland, but the actual performances Spurs have delivered have shown fine resilience under a great deal of pressure.
Winning at Swansea was an excellent result, arresting a run of defeats and completing a league double that no other side has been able to accomplish so far this season. The draws against Everton and Basel all involved coming from behind, with late equalisers in the last two matches, a handy trick Spurs seem to have mastered in the second half of this season.
Those two results came without Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, who have been so key to everything Spurs have achieved this year, and despite other long term injuries to players like Sandro and Jermain Defoe.
These results will not mean a great deal if Spurs then lose to Manchester City and finish out of the top four, but they demonstrate the side is fighting for everything, in contrast to this time last season where each poor result seemed increasingly inevitable.
Throughout this season the quality of this team has not been demonstrated by blowing sides away through daring displays of attacking dominance, but by their continuing ability to pull results out of the fire and subvert expectations, and this resilience might see them claim a top four place yet.
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