Cock on Ball

5 games to define our season

by Scott

England still have to play Russia on Wednesday but the international break is almost, thankfully, over. There was a time when the whole club v country decision was a tough choice for me but now there’s nothing to discuss.

The hiatus from club competition has given us a chance to reflect soberly on what has been a sticky start. After two months we are floundering in 17th place, our pre-season dreams of Champions League qualification lie in tatters and our deadliest rivals are topping the pile. Our main problem can be encapsulated by the terrifying fact that we’re third top scorers in the Premier League yet have a negative goal difference. There is little or no case for the defence.

I have, however, become more optimistic since the calamitous home game with Arsenal. With a bit of luck – and more confident finishing – we could have won that game, even though it was plain that they were the better side. The defeat could have had serious repercussions for the team and Jol’s position was weakened even further (if that were possible). The papers gave him six games to save his job. They’ve now been and gone: two home cup wins and four draws, two at stadiums where we rarely emerge with anything (Anfield and the Reebok) and, in the circumstances, a very creditable draw with Villa after trailing 4-1. Only the Famagusta performance was poor, albeit understandable.

It is easy to forget that last season’s fifth-placed finish was less of a march than a stumble, gained a little fortuitously on the final day courtesy of an Everton draw at Chelsea. Again we had a torrid beginning to the season before we began to put some decent runs together throughout the campaign. It could be said that shaky league performances – think Sheffield United away, the 4-0 home hammering by Manchester United, a last-minute scrambled point at Craven Cottage – were cemented and given impetus by industrious and, at times, scintillating cup games.

Our next sequence of 5 games in 13 days will, in my eyes, define our season. Following Newcastle away on 22 October, we face Getafe in the UEFA Cup on 25 October with Blackburn at home three days later. We then have a Halloween home game against Blackpool in the Carling Cup before a trip to Middlesbrough on 3 November.

Two tricky away games in the North East should give some indication whether we are on the right track. We cannot afford to drop further points away from the Lane, especially against sides which would be happy to finish in the top ten this year. And we also cannot afford to wait until just before Christmas again to win away in the Premier League. We should have beaten both Fulham and Liverpool but have failed to do so owing to our obvious defensive frailties. We have an awful record at St James’ Park, although I can remember Atouba’s winner with his wrong foot and an opening day Sheringham winner in the early nineties. On a cold Monday night, though, I am not overly confident. The Boro game should be full of goals if last season’s 3-2 win or the 3-3 draw in the previous year is anything to go on.

Sandwiched in between these two games are a trio of winnable home games. Getafe had a great season last year under Bernd Schuster, now Real Madrid boss. He was replaced by Denmark legend Michael Laudrup with the former Arsenal free-scoring midfielder John Jensen as his number two. This season, they are in a similar predicament to us: the club is languishing second from bottom with two points from seven games. In the group stages – with three teams to go through – it is especially important to win your home games so it is imperative that we start strongly in this one.

Blackburn are a forceful team with some excellent players, especially in wide positions, and I was surprised to see them crash out of the UEFA Cup to Larissa. Last season I was very impressed by their quick passing and deep, incisive crossing. Robinson and co. will undoubtedly be tested from wide, as you would expect with the defence in such disarray. That said, I would expect home advantage to count on the day and we need the three points.

I am not convinced by the argument that we should somehow jettison the Carling Cup to concentrate on other areas and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jol sends out another relatively strong side in the game with Blackpool. It is worth remembering that we had some very difficult games in this competition against lower league opposition last season, with both Southend and Port Vale forcing extra-time. Another quarter-final would be excellent for morale and a good opportunity to get some silverware on board. It would also be a decent route to Europe. Let’s just hope it’s not a Fright Night for us, I can see the headlines already.

While it would be superb if we could come away from these five games with victories, I am enough of a realist to think that at the moment the side doesn’t quite have that mentality to go on and see games out. We now need to approach the next month with the right attitude and the determination to keep the unbeaten run going. Once those draws turn into wins, we’ll all be a lot happier.

Cock on Ball

Tottenham Hotspur Podcast

5 games to define our season

Archive