Two Points Stolen
Yeah, I'm going there. It was a 1-1 draw that shouldn't have been when Spurs took on Southampton at St Mary's Park.
Actually, I'm not going to go there too extensively, because I've already spent too long feeling annoyed about this match. I try not to let myself get too worked up about any given result, unless it's, like, the NLD or something. But I can't help but feel Tottenham was legitimately robbed of the full three points against Southampton.
Let's keep this short and (bitter)sweet with some things we know and some things we don't, in lieu of my traditional play-by-play recap.
Things We Know:
∙ Southampton played a physical game (fifteen fouls to our five), to their detriment in the end, since Salisu earned himself a second yellow and was sent off. Former Spur Kyle Walker-Peters was also walking the red card tightrope but managed to finish out the 90 minutes. We definitely could have exploited their red card more, and did get off plenty of shots (our record for the PL season with 21, 11 on target including the penalty), but it appeared that the two-matches-in-three days and post-COVID fatigue took their toll on our finishing. We looked super leggy at the end.
∙ We did enough to win the match. Ben Davies' headed goal was certainly offside, no complaints, but Kane's goal was level. It seems to be the consensus amongst Spurs fans, pundits, and neutrals alike, so I think we have reason to feel aggrieved at VAR. And considering what a sublime assist Harry Winks delivered for Kane, it's all the more tragic that the goal was disallowed. Justice for Winks! It's harder to say that the would-be own goal that was disallowed was fairly "earned" by Spurs, but at the same time, goalkeeper errors are their own form of punishment. Southampton's keeper Fraser Forster made an incredible 10 saves against Spurs, but mostly thanks to weak finishing on our end, so it would only have been right for his sloppy gathering in the box to cost his team the game. I'm still struggling to understand why head referee Anthony Taylor was so quick to declare a foul since Forster didn't appear to actually have "control" when Doherty challenged him for the ball. One of these fishy refereeing incidents in a game would have felt frustrating but could have been chalked off as something that happens in the course of a season and would balance out eventually; two incidents in one match is just egregious.
∙ Kane is back. I feel more confident saying this after several matches of our star striker registering several goals and chances (albeit only a penalty goal this time--a superb PK, it should be said!), and seeing him more in sync with the rest of the team. I don't think there's any risk of him wanting to leave in January, if indeed he still wants out at all, so let's hope his strong run of form continues in the new year.
What we don't know:
∙ Why the VAR powers that be are back to being inconsistent. It really seemed like things had improved at the beginning of the season: players weren't being called for marginal offsides when they could fairly be considered "level" with the defender; the improved handball rule was being implemented reasonably; and for the most part, head refs were dutifully consulting the pitchside video screen and taking the advice of the VAR referee in most cases, even when it overruled their original on-pitch decision. Now it feels like all bets are off again. And I don't just say this because of the Tottenham result. I've watched quite a few other fixtures during the festive period and there have been a lot of head-scratchers. Remember that weekend that all of the top 4 sides were given dubious penalties? None of us want to sound like conspiracy theorists, but the league makes it really hard to trust in the refereeing quality sometimes.
∙ What Ndombele and Rodon did (or didn't do) to continue being frozen out by Conte. Genuinely, we don't know. Best not to speculate, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one or both of them heading out on loan (or permanently) in January. Lo Celso is a trickier case since he has had injury problems once again. For all we know, he could still be in Conte's plans when he regains fitness.
∙ How much we might come to regret those two dropped points. It's tempting to say that a draw isn't a bad result away from home, and especially considering the context (having played less than 48 hours before and having a few injuries that constrained our rotation options, as well as the potential for lingering COVID fatigue). However, I can't help but be disappointed, because this season's Southampton team is the kind of team that you expect to win against, whether you're home or away--and definitely if you had the man advantage thanks to a red card. Only time will tell if this (unfair) result will come back to haunt us at the end of the season. Please, no more Europe Conference League!
And some specific player praise:
∙ Harry Winks had a very strong game, with the exception of one moment in the defensive box where he just about gave me a heart attack (to be fair, he cleaned up his own mess). Leaving Ndombele out of it for obvious reasons, Winks just might be the most naturally talented passer in the squad. If Conte can continue getting these kinds of performances out of him, I am all for him staying with Spurs.
∙ While Dier had a few bobbles (unfortunate on his 300th appearance for the club), I've been pleased with the developing partnership between him and Sánchez. They've consistently been there to clean up each other's mistakes, and I rarely feel tense anymore when we're going through a period of defense in a match. Davies appears to have been given license to get forward more, so they are usually the pair shouldering most of the defensive responsibility (unless we have a matchup that favors the right flank for our own attacking and Sánchez is the one being released). All three of our current center-backs deserve some credit for turning their seasons around and becoming locked-on starters (at least until Romero returns...).
∙ Bryan Gil looked promising in his fifteen-minute cameo. What I appreciate most about him is his fearlessness. He looked the most likely to find/create a game-winner when he came on. Does he need some polishing? Of course he does, he's 20. I hope he does stay with the team in the spring and doesn't go out on loan, because there should be enough matches where we have a comfortable lead (or are playing minnows like Morecambe... sorry, Shrimps) and he can get some quality minutes. Plus, learning under Conte besides the likes of Son, Lucas, and Kane can only benefit him at this stage in his career.
The road trip continues at Vicarage Road
Our second away match out of three in a row takes place on Saturday, at Watford.
Watford are down bad, no matter how you look at it. They had three matches postponed in a row, bookended by four losses before the postponements and a thumping loss to West Ham in the most recent matchday. If it weren't for Emmanuel Dennis' 8-goal season, they'd be in an even worse spot, since Ismaïla Sarr is out injured. Former Spur Danny Rose is also injured, for the record, though it doesn't look like he's been getting much game time anyway. I suppose they just like what Tottenham players can bring to the dressing room in terms of experience, since they only went and made Sissoko their captain upon his signing. Strange football club, that Watford FC.
We just have to win this match. We will win this match. It is extremely winnable. It will help that Spurs get a decent amount of rest in between Southampton and this game, unlike for the previous matchday. We do have the first leg against Chelsea in the League Cup coming up on the 5th, but I trust Conte's man-management. Get the win wrapped up early, then sub off the players who most need the rest before Chelsea.
I know we all would have liked to see Skipp come on against the Saints (and the midfield was clearly missing his dominant presence), but I fully support Conte keeping him firmly on the bench. It's easy to forget how young Skipp still is. There's no sense running him into the ground so early in his Spurs career. And, for the millionth time, we should have won that match handily even without his help! He'll surely be back in the starting XI on Saturday and doing his Skippy best. It might be a good time for his usual double-pivot partner, Højbjerg, to get a rest of his own. I'd like to see Skipp and Winks work together... just to see if it actually works. This is one of the better matchups to try some experimental changes in.
We got confirmation that Bergwijn is indeed injured and will miss out, so it should be another Son-Kane-Lucas forward line. I'm backing Kane to score for his fourth match in a row.
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