Drawing to a Close

Bad luck strikes again at Anfield | Spurs Women end the season on a high note | Previewing the crucial midweek NLD

Liverpool 1 - 1 Tottenham

Let's jump right in with the first Spurs match of the weekend. This was a game that had big implications for both teams' table standings; Liverpool were trying to stay alive in the title race with Manchester City, while Tottenham needed a result to gain ground on Arsenal in the top 4 race. After a 1-1 draw, neither team can be truly satisfied with the outcome. Perhaps it was a fair result, all things considered, even if Spurs only conceded due to an unlucky deflection. That's just the story of Tottenham playing at Anfield--weird things happen, and we often find ourselves a goal short of glory.

We can take some solace from the fact that our only goal was a wonderful team goal--and, I might add, not a counter-attacking effort, though most pundits would have you believe that's all Spurs are capable of doing. The move started all the way back with Hugo, who found Emerson (in the middle-left of the pitch, funnily enough), whose pass to Kane took some skill to control. Son made his initial run to draw Robertson and Konaté to him, while Sessegnon arrived unmarked at the top left corner of the six-yard box to receive Kane's pass. In spite of every Spurs fan's worst fears, Sess made the unselfish decision and squared the ball to Sonny for the clear shot on goal. It was Son's 20th goal of the season, bringing him just two goals behind Salah in the chase for the Golden Boot. Fun fact:  Son is just the fifth Spurs player to score 20 goals in a season in the PL era, and the only player besides Bale to have done so without any of them being penalties.

It's possible that we scored a little too early, especially after a tense first half of absorbing pressure from Liverpool. Spurs' defense did their job well though and limited the home team to just three shots on target total. Unfortunately, one of those, a shot from Diaz, went in off a deflection from Bentancur that completely misdirected the ball, leaving Hugo with no chance of a save. Because the shot was originally on target, it didn't go down as an own goal for Bentancur, which is the one silver lining.

I won't say the match was entirely free of refereeing controversies (there was a big shout for a red card on Fabinho for his shove on Son's general neck/face region, and he could have picked up multiple yellows throughout the game), but for the most part, it was a well-played, absorbing match of football from both teams. There was really no call for Klopp's post-game comments, which implied that Spurs had played purely negative, defensive football. Speaking as a fan who actually watches Spurs week in and week out, there is a massive difference between Mourinho-style parking the bus and Conte's brand of patient, pragmatic football. There's nothing inherently wrong with a style of play that requires less possession to execute, though I can see how it would be frustrating to opposing managers like Klopp who would prefer for teams to play as openly as Liverpool do--and play right into their hands. Klopp's comments didn't reflect the reality of the match and came off as the words of a sore loser (well, draw-er).

A similar situation happened with Jonas Eidevall's post-game comments after the Women's NLD last week. I highly recommend this piece from Spurs Women Blog which counters Eidevall's viewpoint, along with sharing some interesting stats and analysis from Spurs Women's season on the whole. There's a lot of commonality between the Women's NLD and the Men's game against Liverpool, because both Spurs teams were up against opponents who have far deeper squads and higher quality players in many positions. And frankly, it's just a bad look for managers like Eidevall and Klopp, who have squads other managers could only dream of, to deride opponents for strategically playing to their best advantage and trying to get a result against the odds. And frankly, if this level is what Conte can achieve with less-than-ideal wingback options, the rest of the league should be terrified of what he can do next season with a couple of quality incoming transfers.

Ahem.

To pivot to a more positive topic, I want to give a shoutout to Man of the Match winner Ben Davies, who was a huge part of Spurs' defensive solidity in this game. He had a highlight-worthy block in the second half, not to mention an important-headed clearance in the dying moments of the match, despite having been shifted up to LWB earlier in the game when Sánchez was subbed in. He covered a lot of ground from that LWB position and his attacking movements were similar to what we would see from Doherty (get well soon), while still maintaining his defensive commitment. Salah barely got a decent look in all game, largely down to Davies' performance. Ben doesn't always get the praise he deserves, so I was glad to see him recognized.

I will also extend some praise to Conte for his in-game management, even though the Winks sub made me panic in the moment. It seems like there might be a slight injury/fitness concern with Kulusevski and Sessegnon is just recently recovered from an injury, so it was smart of him to limit their minutes. We need them healthy for the remaining three matches. All that being said... I still feel for Bergwijn only getting five minutes a game, if he's lucky.

The less that is said about Højbjerg's big chance in stoppage time to score a game-winner, the better.

A win to end the season strong

Tottenham 1 - 0 Leicester City

There was something seriously poetic about Ash Neville scoring the game-winner in the final match of the season. She has epitomized, more than any other player, the transformation that is happening at Tottenham Hotspur Women. As one of the most tenured players (only Josie Green has been with the team longer), she would tell you herself how much the team has improved and grown since it first gained promotion to the WSL. We've weathered a managerial change, persevered through the pandemic, and achieved some historic milestones. I will talk more about the past season as a whole in an upcoming 2021/22 recap post after the Men's season has wrapped up, too, but for now, let's celebrate a win on the last day of the season--and a perfect record at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Women this year.

Neville actually had another big chance to score earlier in the match, but Leicester's keeper Demi Lambourne had a strong performance and made several key saves for her side, including that early effort from Ash. The eventual breakthrough for Spurs came in the 49th minute, when Naz collected a Summanen corner kick on the opposite side of the pitch, sat her defender down (literally), and crossed the ball to Neville for the headed goal. Ash placed a curling shot just wide not long after. Leicester didn't trouble the defense much and only had one shot on target, so this was one time where our lack of finishing didn't come back to bite us.

It's been encouraging in recent matches to see some players outside of the usual suspects (Williams, Naz, Neville) getting more involved in the attack and feeling confident enough to take some shots of their own, including Harrop and Ale. The team-wide effort on defense has been a key to our success all season long, and it's nice to have the same attitude coming through on offense now as well. We still need to score more, though, there's no getting around that fact.

There were some celebratory moments before and after the match. Prior to kickoff, Green and Neville were presented with commemorative shirts to mark their 100+ appearances for Spurs Women. Following the final whistle, the season awards were given out, including two Player of the Season awards for Neville (from the junior and senior fans), Goal of the Season to Williams, and PFA Community Champion to Bartrip. It's especially great to see Bartrip recognized for her advocacy work around mental health and disordered eating issues, which has surely changed a lot of lives already. On the playing side of things, she's the only Spurs player to have played every minute of every WSL match. You would hardly know this was her first season with the team considering how quickly she became an integral part of the defense, and it's clear she is an important part of the dressing room culture as well.

Now Rehanne and the players get to enjoy some much-deserved downtime before pre-season activities begin. Hopefully, one such activity includes their rumored participation in the Women's Cup in Louisville in August--which you can bet I will be attending! In the meantime, I will be eagerly keeping tabs on any transfer window moves.

No, you're hyperventilating

Honestly, I do feel confident that the Men can win the NLD on Thursday. I do! That doesn't mean I don't feel absolutely nauseous thinking about having to watch them do it. I would never avoid watching a game out of nervousness because I couldn't stand not knowing what was happening, but I will admit that this particular fixture provokes anxiety in me the likes of which I rarely experience in any other context. I do not enjoy watching the NLD. I merely get through it.

Of course, that wasn't always the case--in the early years of my Tottenham support, I didn't fully get the rivalry and treated it like any other game. But with every passing year, my dislike of "that lot down the road" has grown rapidly. And that is why I feel so torn up about the ordeal Spurs have gotten themselves into now, where not only are we at risk of finishing below Arsenal in the table, but we would also see them qualify for Champions League instead of us if that was the case. Brutal. Obviously, we can't let that happen, so a win at the home NLD is the only permissible option--for my sanity.

I know the players will be up for it. And I'm extremely jealous of every fan who gets to be there in person to cheer them on--I'm sure the atmosphere from the crowd will be amazing! I fully expect Arsenal's less seasoned roster to be overwhelmed by the occasion and slip up.

From a tactical perspective, you would think Arsenal would prefer to sit deep and frustrate Spurs' attack, since a draw would suit them just fine in the top 4 race. But honestly, how many times have we seen this Arsenal squad just completely lose their heads? Often enough that it seems likely. My only fear is that Romero, our most hot-headed player, might do the same. But he's shown a big improvement in his on-pitch temperament in the last few weeks, so we can hope that he will remain calm and not be easily provoked.

I won't dare to venture any more predictions, knowing that the old saying about derby matches is kind of true:  form goes out the window. Whoever wants it more on the day will win out. I believe it will be Spurs.

COYS