In the Dog House

No, I’m not referring to the stadium. Big day, big game. The first FA-cup final in the beautiful new Wembley. The Dream Final, starring the winner and the runner-up of the league title. Stadium packed to impressive full capacity with fans; hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people eagerly watching on television all over the world. All set for a classic game, a game to remember, full of football of the highest quality from the best league in the world…

I managed to stay awake during the first half because I was standing up, during the second, when a kind man had offered me a seat in a freakishly comfortable sofa, it was increasingly difficult to do so. Looking at the bizarrely congested midfield scenes during the first half I sometimes forgot which team was attacking where; balls were always played backwards – attacks seemed to happen accidentally. 7 minutes for the first half-hearted attempt; another 7 before I realised that Ronaldo was actually playing. The only goal, which, to be fair to Drogba and Lampard, was a lovely one, came minutes before the goalless drudgery had to be ended in penalties. Now, I decided to watch the game partly because, well, you kind of have to, and partly because I hoped to be surprised. But deep down I was so sure that this was exactly what was going to happen that, in planning the rest of my evening, I had allowed extra time. The 90 minutes were up at 5.45 – so I told my friend I would meet her at 7…

Maybe I’m just being mean and bitter – I’m sure that the fans at the stadium had a splendid time – but I haven’t heard the phrase ‘dream final’ in conjunction with this game now that we have seen how it turned out. Whose dream was that again? In fact, so dull was the game that it was immediately forgotten in the media – unlike the unlikely story about José and the dog, which is still running. Mr Mourinho may be the best manager in the world, but what he undoubtedly excels at, on a scale utterly unattainable for his fellow mortals, is making headlines with absolutely nothing. And I’m sure that that is part of his greatness: few people remember to discuss the football played at Chelsea when they can discuss the latest sentence uttered by its manager – the drama and innuendo is better than a reality show. The dog added whole new a dimension and scope to this: The News Quiz on BBC Radio4, a football free zone even during international competitions, couldn’t refrain from mentioning José and his dog. Chelsea Football Club – Big Brother with balls. Boularouz will be voted out of the house next.

No, my dream final, so cruelly denied us, was Spurs beating Watford 5-2 in a thrilling display of attacking football. Even better, thus beating Manchester United! Actually, even being beaten by Man U would have been preferable – and certainly more entertaining for everyone else… Oh well, next season. Next up, the Champions League final, and dear, oh, dear, am I happy that it didn’t end up being between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Some season statistics

Fifth in the league or ‘best of the rest’, as our dear manager would have it. 59 games. 104 goals by 16 different scorers; the bulk, 63, distributed between our three main strikers, who are all in the top 20 list of the season’s goal scorers. One FA-cup semi-final. One Carling-cup semi-final and one UEFA-cup quarter-final. Unbeaten in Europe until beaten by the cup winners. And top of the Premiership’s Fair Play League.

According to the 06/07 ACTIM stats of the Premiership, and to no surprise for those of us who watch his every move week in and week out, Dimitar Berbatov is our best player; the third best player in the Premiership and part of the ‘team of the season’. Not sure if a person or a computer has counted all this but apparently our wonder has contributed 12 goals, 76 shots, 43 tackles, 31 clearances, seven interceptions, 30 dribbles, 388 passes, 21 crosses and 11 assists in 2,893 minutes of football. The other Spurs players who made it into the top 100 are Pascal Chimbonda (35^th; 8^th among defenders), Paul Robinson (38^th; 8^th among goalkeepers), Michael Dawson (39^th; 10^th among defenders), Aaron Lennon (68^th; 22^nd among midfielders) and Jermaine Jenas (99^th).

Some goal statistics

In all competitions:
30 games in 2006, 45 goals; 29 games in 2007, 59 goals
Scored 104, Conceded 76 = Difference +28
Scored 81% from open play, 7 % from penalties, 1 % from corners and 11 % from free kicks
Conceded 57% from open play, 13% from penalties, 13% from corners and 17% from free kicks

In the league only:
21 games in 2006, 25 goals; 17 games in 2007, 32 goals
Scored 57, Conceded 54 = Difference +3
Scored 75% from open play, 11% from penalties, 3% from corners and 11% from free kicks
Conceded 57% from open play, 11% from penalties, 13% from corners and 19% from free kicks

Simple summary: our goal scoring improved as the season progressed and we are better at open play than set pieces – both scoring from and defending against. One goal from a corner kick all season (unless, as I have done in the stats, we count Angel’s own goal at Villa Park, then it’s two) is just not good enough. Our free kick heroes, apart from Dimitar Berbatov (with his stunning kick against West Ham) and Paul Robinson (with the only slightly accidental goal against Watford) are Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone, who have taken all the remaining free kicks that have hit the target – directly on or with the ball being played in.
Our goal scorers: Berbatov (23), Keane (22), Defoe (18), Jenas (8), Lennon (5), Malbranque (5), Mido (5), Ghaly (3), Huddlestone (3), Murphy (2), Tainio (2), Dawson (1), Davenport (1), Chimbonda (1), Stalteri (1), Robinson (1).

A season of good and bad spells, an overall shaky defensive record balanced by a good scoring record; thankfully we did end the season with a positive goal difference. We didn’t win anything, but the season as a whole was an improvement on last and it can only be hoped that next season will be even better – we certainly seem to be the pundits’ favourites to break into the top four! Work on defending and set pieces, combined with a few relevant signings, should add consistency to our game and allow the development to continue. Attacking flair we already have... Right now the future looks bright.

(Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City

According to Bill Edgar of The Times, always a source of useful (or just silly) statistics, Manchester City’s 10 home goals of the season mean that they have broken the previous record for smallest amount of home goals in a campaign in the league. In any division. Ever. That's out of 8174 league campaigns since 1888. Despite all their problems in finding the net at all they have actually scored nearly twice as many away from home. So you could really bank on the fact that they would get one in here… All part of the entertainment. As are the sumptuous goals by Keane and Berbatov that we are so blessed with. The build-up to the first goal was a thing of beauty: King passed the ball to Gardner and made a run through the middle while Gardner found Berbatov, who flicked the ball with trademark elegance and uncanny precision back to King. King found Jenas, Jenas lifted the ball over the defenders, Keane swivelled and volleyed in.

Next up came a pass from Gardner, finding Berbatov via a Lennon dummy which sent Richard Dunne sprawling on the ground. It was a wonderful trick, and Berbatov continued the tricks as he tried to send the ball back to Lennon without taking his eyes off the defender in front of him. When the ball was, after all, intercepted, he got it back and smacked it past two defenders and goalkeeper into the corner. The direct route does work…

City came back with some pressure and a goal, the build-up of which had begun with an unfortunate Gardner back-pass. Hamann crossed for M’Penza, who headed in. Michael Johnson headed over an empty goal after Robinson had saved a shot from M’penza and our England goalkeeper had to make another cracking save from a powerful header by Beasley. Defoe, on as a substitute again, could also have added a goal to his name when he stepped up to take the penalty awarded for Dunne’s pushing of Zokora, but not only shot it within Isaksson’s reach – he then fired the rebound over the bar.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Gardner, Lennon (Malbranque 75), Jenas, Zokora, Tainio, Keane (Defoe 81), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Assou-Ekotto.
Booked: Gardner.
Goals: Keane 10, Berbatov 32

Manchester City
Isaksson, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin (Hamann 28), Jordan, Vassell, Jihai, Johnson, Ireland, Beasley (Samaras 81), Mpenza.
Subs Not Used: Weaver, Dickov, Laird.
Booked: Vassell.
Goals: Mpenza 40

Attendance: 35,426
Referee: S Bennet

Celebratory hug between Keane and Berbatov, a regular feature these days (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Tottenham 1-1 Blackburn

Three games in one week (again) was probably one of the reasons for Martin Jol to give Robbie Keane a rest and Jermain Defoe a long coveted start. Anthony Gardner made another emergency appearance at left-back and Hossam Ghaly made a much talked-about appearance as a substitute. Neither team controlled the game in the first half, a sparring-match more than anything else. There were some nice moves between Berbatov, Lennon and Defoe, of course, but headed efforts from Gardner and Chimbonda were about as close as we got to trouble Blackburn’s well organised defence. When Malbranque had to be substituted, injured by a tackle, after half an hour there was a further loss in fluency. Blackburn had similar problems, but found the target when a lovely cross from Pedersen was headed into goal by McCarthy on 30 minutes.

As the second half threatened to be a repeat of the first, Jol decided that the game needed Robbie Keane after all; the choice between Ghaly, who wasn’t having a great game and Lennon, who was a little, but not much, better, fell on Ghaly, who tore off his shirt, threw it to the ground and stormed off. This added a little drama to the evening, but not of the pleasant kind. The fans were disgusted. (Ghaly has since apologised and been forgiven, but speculations about his future are, predictably, rife.) Again Jol’s attacking substitution paid off and Keane made an instant impact on the game by energising his team mates; Spurs now were truly the stronger side. Some minutes later Keane sent a clever pass to Berbatov, who brilliantly worked the ball around the box and sent a low shot at goal which Friedel only managed to parry. Defoe, the third man in the attack, was in perfect position to tap in the rebound. After that we controlled the game, had several chances and should really have had a winner in injury time when Keane hit the post and Berbatov hit a free kick just over. Oh, well, point taken.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Gardner, Lennon, Zokora, Tainio, Malbranque (Ghaly 29), Berbatov, Defoe, Ghaly (Keane 60).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Ifil.
Goals: Defoe 67

Blackburn
Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Kerimoglu (Gallagher 90), Mokoena (Derbyshire 76), Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts.
Subs Not Used: Brown, Henchoz, Berner.
Sent Off: Roberts (90).
Booked: Mokoena, Pedersen, Roberts.
Goals: McCarthy 32

Attendance: 35,974
Referee: R Styles

Charlton 0-2 Tottenham

You have to feel sorry for Charlton, who, due to this result, have now been relegated and who fought for their lives throughout the game. They displayed passion and commitment and had spells of threatening possession as well as a fair amount of chances, but in the end lacked both cutting edge up front and solidity at the back.

Starting the game with some minutes of near complete possession, Spurs were put ahead by an astounding solo goal by Dimitar Berbatov in the seventh minute: gets the ball at the halfway line, flicks it past El Karkouri, who is unable to get past or stop him and takes his shot at the perfect moment. Unbelievable. See video below.

Charlton, fired up by this, came into the game after about 20 minutes, but were unable to cut through the Spurs defence completely. They tried to expose the soft spot that was left-back (Rocha filling in for Lee), and were nearly rewarded when Darren Bent’s cross found Alexandre Song’s head. The midfielder, however, headed out and Bent had a shot which also just failed to hit target. At half time, Ricardo Rocha, who had picked up an injury, had to be replaced by centre-half Anthony Gardner, recently back from injury. Alan Pardew replaced Song and Marcus Bent with Lloyd Sam and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the latter forcing Robinson to diving save with a few minutes to go.

Spurs continued to pose a threat with elegant play, and Charlton continued to respond in what was an entertaining and clean game – no bookings and few free kicks. Berbatov had ample opportunity to showcase his skill with clever little balls and mazy runs – and also provided the best comedy moment of the game. Apparently forgetting who was playing left back, he sent a ball up the side which would have been excellent for Lennon or Lee, but which was impossible for Gardner to get near. The look of exasperation on the face of the big defender was priceless. A perfect ball to Jermain Defoe, who had replaced Keane with 6 minutes to go, became the final say in the game. The England striker timed his run, got past the defenders and sent the ball in a perfect arch over Carson and into the net. The UEFA cup beckons for Spurs, while Charlton are headed for a season in the Championship

Charlton
Carson, Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Hreidarsson, Zheng (Hughes 84), Holland, Song Billong (Sam 71), Ambrose, Marcus Bent (Hasselbaink 71), Darren Bent.
Subs Not Used: Randolph, Bougherra.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Rocha (Gardner 46), Lennon (Malbranque 60), Zokora, Jenas, Tainio, Keane (Defoe 84), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone.
Goals: Berbatov 7, Defoe 90.

Attendance: 26,339.
Referee: M Halsey

Striking Awards

Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov have been named joint player of the month for April. They have scored 9 of Spurs’ 12 goals in the month, 8 of which in the five league games, and have done it in such a combined fashion that the award had to be shared. Our strike force is inseparable – quite sweet really. In addition to those two, and Jermain Defoe who has 17 goals in all competitions to his name, Spurs boast 16 different goal scorers for the remainder. We have finally managed to secure a positive goal difference (+2) and have more than 100 goals in all competitions, 54 of which in the league.

Players of the month for April, Keane and Berbatov (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

The Nightmare Final and The Revenge Thriller

As soon as it became clear that Liverpool was one of the teams in the Athens final we knew that there were only two possible scenarios left – on one hand an all-English, indeed all-North-of-England, final which has had the authorities in Greece and England in nervous trepidation since it became apparent that it was at all possible; on the other hand the biggest revenge drama in European football of the century. Yes, it’s a young century. We now know that we are to be served with the latter, as AC Milan have an opportunity to get back at Liverpool and claim the trophy. Looking at the form of the teams we can expect a cracking game.

Liverpool versus Chelsea was a long, harrowing battle which seemed like it would go on forever until the world stopped. Had the rules been different, say, you have to play until either team scores a golden goal, however long it may take, we might still be watching them now. I had backed Chelsea, simply because of their unnerving ability to close a game down and snatch a goal from nowhere in the last minute. Liverpool, while much more aggressive and creative than in the first leg, also closed down well on their side, however. Terry and Carragher, two draconian defenders placed at opposite poles, fiercely guarding their treasure. Rob Smyth wrote in the Guardian that this was a display of English football at its most… well, English. Basically. Lowest-common-denominator football, reckons Rob, risk-free and defensive. I concur. Even the tough battles for the ball were not very interesting. And since this was in fact a European game it was “like showing an episode of EastEnders at the Cannes film festival”. Quite. Of course, if I had assumed that Chelsea would grind a victory out of this, a re-evaluation of the situation became necessary when the war turned into firing squad execution. Anfield, despite 120 minutes of admirable noise, had been unable to guide their team to scoring another goal, but would surely be instrumental in unsettling even the sturdiest of Chelsea veterans. Especially since Liverpool boast a penalty king in goal. And thus it was that Pepe Reina put an end to a long evening by saving two penalties.

The all-English semi-final was certainly less compelling than the mixed one; Manchester United against Italian teams have been great fun lately. This time, however, they did not so much inflict a sound thrashing than receive one. San Siro, noisy, at times shaking, and the heavens obliging with enough water to fill an Olympic size swimming pool set a perfect stage for entertainment. Players falling over, unable to see the ball… funnily enough Manchester United, who, one might suppose, would be better used to harsh weather conditions, seemed the only ones disturbed. Milan were mighty and did exactly what Man U did to Roma, even if this did not turn into a goal scoring circus: omnipresent aggression and creative cooperation. They seemed to be everywhere at once, never let their opponents pass a ball in peace and were confident in their attacking moves. Even United’s star players were unable to get into the game; Paul Scholes, in an attempt to play clean, was nowhere near it. The role of midfield terrier, so convincingly played by Darren Fletcher lately, was entirely taken up by energy bundle Gennaro Gattuso, who also found time to fire up the audience. So, again I was wrong – I had expected Man U to come through, even if we knew the San Siro game would be tough, perhaps because the images of the previous games were in my head. But things can turn around, this was Milan’s night and Liverpool are up for a hard time. What fun it will be.