From Brendan :
Myles,
I don’t share your view on Dele Alli… with regard to Aaron Ramsey at least.
Aaron has had up and down seasons, but I think it’s too soon to make sweeping statements about Alli, and it is wrong to write off Aaron because he hasn’t had the impact this season which he has in previous ones.
Let’s see what Dele Alli does next season, and the season after, and so on.
For me he’s a little too rash and impulsive. Eventually fellow players, managers and fans will tire of that, and if he doesn’t calm down he could find himself on the scrapheap.
That’s an extreme scenario, but only used to prove a point, that a footballer’s career is a delicate thing and if they don’t have the right attitude, mentality, etc, they won’t make it, however good they are.
I think Aaron has a good combination of natural ability and good attitude etc. Clearly similar would be hard to say of Theo, not sure about Ox personally.
I’m not trying to have a cheap dig a Tottenham either.
The Chelsea game was a disgrace though. Really, as you said, at least three Spurs players should have been shown red.
And what frustrates me the most is this – as you rightly point out, Chelsea (and particularly Costa) provoked Spurs players – but what happens when Arsenal players allowed themselves to be provoked? They get sent off, one by one. Spurs? The whole team plays the entire match.
I think there’s also a deeper issue with Tottenham – yes it is the inexperience that probably cost them at the final hurdle, but there is also something lacking at the heart of the Pochettino project.. some kind of ability to just calm down on the ball, in the game… this means that they have to keep that full-on high-tempo in-your-face attacking play which does leave space for teams who are good enough on the ball.
I think that this will get figured out and Tottenham won’t have such a hot season next time.
Look at what happened at Stamford Bridge – they couldn’t keep it going, and resorted to brutal fouling for a lack of ideas.
Again, this is not a Spurs dig! Just what I have observed.
Myles says:
Jose Mourinho always hated high scores in football. If a game was 4-3, he would scoff and say it was basketball.
When he lost 5-3 at White Hart Lane, he was very angry and shut up shop after that.
That game was in January 2015.
Chelsea had scored loads of goals before Xmas. Next two games after the 5-3, they kept two clean sheets.
When Spurs went to Stamford Bridge in March, Chelsea won 2-0.
Tottenham have a very young squad and their inexperience did show on Monday night. But I’m sure their style will evolve next year.
The manager was aware of that limitation before you were, Brendan.
A one-dimensional manager would move on and take his bag of tricks elsewhere.
Instead of doing that, he’s extended his contract, so he may be managing Spurs for the next five years.