Being a part of Spurs News is quite an interesting experience. The good, the bad and ugly of football fandom presents itself on social media almost every day. This week I was threatened for saying I believed Serge Aurier was not having a good season despite many believing different with my view based on the fact that a defender, even a full back should be able to … you know… defend. I have also seen some good where a young Spurs fan lost his scarf from his first ever game at our new stadium and fans shared and shared around until finally someone was able to reunite the lad with it. The power of social media and community!
The downright ugly side however is what I see more and more every day and its exhausting. Everyone has opinions on players, the tactics, formation, manager, board etc and I enjoy nothing more than debating points or discussing these views I really do – why do you think we have the facebook page with over 50,000 people on it – however its become all to evident of late people do not want to discuss they want to argue. They want someone to shout at and to blame for everything they see as wrong and being admins on a page like ours, or our twitter account, or hosting our podcast seems to have painted a target on our backs and we are getting it in the next constantly no matter what we do or say.
As I reel from yet another morning where a post on our page has led to attacks on me personally via message I am left wondering about the abuse currently being aimed at our manager Jose Mourinho and I am trying to work out if any of it is actually justified or fair and the more I think about the more I think no, none of it is.
Shock horror right? I never once thought I would see the day where I am defending Jose Mourinho .. no more than I ever thought I would see the day where he is our manager. However here we are, the year is 2020 and our man in charge is the Portuguese legend himself.
The Media.
Something I did not really see happening before he joined us and I guess its because I didn’t care is the sheer amount of journalists who simply do not like Jose. I get it. When he arrived in England he was an arrogant ass but you know what, he backed it up, he won trophies galore and did it well. Is it arrogance when you are actually that good? I am sure that could be a fun debate but not for today.
After leaving England he conquered both Italy and Spain domestically also picking up another Champions League win with Inter Milan before returning to England where he won the league once again with Chelsea and then went north to Manchester United and despite lots of problems off the field (his family not moving, him living in a hotel etc etc) he lifted the FA Cup and Europa League with them.
I think it is that level of success and the fact he is not shy about it which leads to certain sections of the British media to simply want him to fail. It is a very British thing isn’t it? Nothing quite like someone successful failing / falling on their ass. I do get it, I am British after all however seeing it from this side where every game, before and after and in the week building to it almost constantly there is something negative to say about him and team is new to me.
No do not get me wrong, I do not think Jose gives a flying **** about what they have to say about him anymore, I believe given his CV he can simply smile back at them and on occasion remind them all to go forth and multiply however as a Spurs fan it is quite different for me to see it and I do think the agenda that exists telling everyone how much of a dinosaur Jose is and how he is tactically past it etc etc . football is boring etc etc is creating a perception that simply is not true.
The Fans.
As per my point above, the media are really driving the point hard that Jose is some tactically out of date numpty who no longer has any right managing in the Premier League however that is simply not backed up with any evidence. Since taking over Jose has changed the Tottenham was of playing but he has not done it over night, he is working hard while games are coming thick and fast to transition the club, which has been trained for five years by one manager one way to play, to something new and he is having to do that while also trying to win games.
From day one he recognised Serge Aurier is called a defender but cannot defend, so he developed a system where the wing back could act as a wing back despite playing a back four and the three remaining players while we are in possession would transition to create a back three. Davies being the perfect left back for this system given his years of playing as a left sided central defender for his country at international level.
This was innovative and a clever way of solving an issue at the club while using the players he had at his disposal. Anyone who thinks he actually rates Aurier should wait and see how quickly we try and sign a new right back in the summer… just saying…. however back to my point, Davies was injured in Jose’s first game so that clever tactical plan had to be adjusted right away.
Danny Rose, our other left back at that time does not have the tactical discipline of a Davies and so the system failed when he and Aurier were both playing and that led to the experiment of a young lad from the academy in Tanganga getting a go. He came in and covered at RB, CD and of course LB. He did it so well in fact Jose was happy to let Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters leave the club on loan in January.
Remember the media claims Jose never trusts or uses young players? Well Tanganga was one that under Poch was never getting any game time and was letting his contract run down – looking like a move to Germany was close – now he is in talks to sign a new deal and is looking set to be a big part of our defence for the next decade. Amazing from a manager who never ever gives youth a chance no? Another media position debunked quickly.
Fans sadly do seem to have bought into the boring football point more than any other though and the game against RB Leipzig and the pundits and ‘expert’ attacks on Jose seems to have fuelled this view but once again it simply is not accurate.
Tottenham had no focal point / striker for the game. Harry Kane and his only real cover in that role in Sonny is now also out injured. Lucas, Dele and Bergwijn can all run and run and do all that they can but none of these three, or Lamela from the bench are not strikers / forwards in that sense.
The main criticism from the game it seemed comes from the belief we were set up to just defend, two banks of four and two closing down but in essence trying to keep 11 men behind the ball at all times. However yes, without the ball we were clearly trying to be rigid and hard to break down – welcome to European football everyone – however when we had the ball we were anything but rigid with us adjusting to that back three quickly and Serge Aurier bombing forward to add an extra man and width to one side of the pitch, in doing so he was dragging a defender out and guess what, that opened holes for our other players to try and exploit.
The image here shows exactly what I am talking about. The perception pushed by every pundit and expert post game is that we offered nothing, we had no intent to attack and they used this to drive home the attacks on Jose and his brand of football however this is by no means an isolated image is from the first half. You can see where Serge is and you can see with the ball our players have transitioned into this attacking formation.
Our use of the ball in these moments was not good enough but that will improve with time, just like it did under Pochettino when he first came in and wanted how we played to change.
So this is my final point for everyone to keep in mind. In Pochettino’s first season we did not make the top four, we were awful in most games and only the emergence of a young academy striker called Harry Kane really gave us as fans anything to cheer about. If you have read his book Pochettino himself was expecting to get fired up until Harry went on his scoring run. That first season was a big transition and in that summer it was like the night of the long knives with the squad being taken apart and put together again in the managers image – from that point on we were a much better team and we all remember those next couple of seasons being in title races etc.
Jose joined mid season so his first season in charge is actually tougher than that first one from Poch. He is adjusting our style and we are not playing well, much the same, however we are all seeing the green shoots of progress from certain players and systems he is implementing. Those who are looking for them anyway.
If you listen to the media and not open your eyes and watch yourself you would honestly believe we are bottom of the table with no chance of saving ourselves. The reality is much different and I would like to encourage everyone to see this season as one of transition, look for the positives like the signing of Bergwijn who is already showing glimpses of real promise and the performances of Lo Celso and Ndombele as they are both still adjusting to England however are clearly going to be VERY good for us going forward.
The future under Jose is bright, people just need to see it and block out the negativity. Judge him on what he is doing and not what people say he is / was at other clubs.
-Admin SJ
