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Tottenham v Chelsea – The Opposite View
AVB by Matt Craig Green (@mattcg)
We can be a fickle bunch at times. I didn’t watch the Sunderland game on Sunday but kept up to date through the various communication methods available to me in this wonderful modern age.
What did surprise me was the grief Pavlychenko got when he missed an opportunity in the first half, which to be fair wasn’t half as clear cut as the shots both Adebayor and Defoe fail to convert on a regular basis. I can see why Pav has lost the hearts of many Spurs fans but I also felt, having watched the opportunity back the following day it was a pretty harsh assessment from some of the Spurs faithful.
But it was job done, and back to winning ways which is what we needed going into this game with Chelsea. It would seem a lot of us have been talking about this game for weeks. Like Liverpool and Arsenal it has been signposted as a game which will show us just how far we have come this season. A result here would of course lead us nicely into the upcoming Christmas fixtures which could feasibly yield maximum points with games against two of the newly promoted teams.
Still….one game at a time yeah?
It is with great pleasure I get to welcome back Tom Wood, a Chelsea fan of some years to give us his view ahead of what will no doubt be another thrilling London derby.
WAFR: Welcome back to What A Fantastic Run. How would you sum up Chelsea’s season so far?
On the whole it’s been as expected. I didn’t forsee the defensive catastrophe we’d be, but I always expected it to be a season of transition.
WAFR: AVB has now had a few months to put his stamp on the team, how would you assess his performance so far?
I think the last few weeks have been good, it seems he’s finally running the show. In Portugal the talk still centres around how he left Porto too soon, everyone reckons that he needed another season to really settle as a manager. I think there is an element of truth in that, but it also seems that the Chelsea hierarchy are standing by their man (the only realistic option anyway). I think we’re continuing to improve and I expect AVB to be pushing for big things next season.
WAFR: Do you feel Chelsea are in a transitional phase or is it that the teams around you have improved over the past few months?
I think we’re in the biggest transitional phase since José was at the club. With the exit of Anelka around the corner, Lampard’s increasing bench time and the persistent rumours linking Malouda and Kalou away to Russia this is easily the most turmoil the squad has experienced since 2005.
WAFR: I seem to remember last season we talked about Torres and the blame was set firmly at the management team at the time. There does appear to be little to no improvement under the current regime. Is the guy shot or will the confidence come back?
Good question, and one I’m wary of answering. With Shevchenko I always believed he’d come good (despite being 65 and past it) and I was hideously wrong… this time I’m not going to predict the return of the el Nino, I expect the club to get fed up and sell him on at a huge loss where he’ll inevitably rediscover his form. As long as it’s not back with Liverpool.
WAFR: Spurs fans are obviously very happy that the Modric deal never happened, and it has appeared to have gone very quiet with the January window around the corner. Do you think Chelsea will go back in for him or is the deal dead now?
I think the deal is dead, especially with the emergence of Romeu in our midfield. That kid looks a real talent. Coupled with rumours linking us to Rodwell and it seems as if the Modric ship has sailed.
WAFR: What players were bought in during the summer and how have they performed so far?
So we brought in Mata, Meireles, Lukaku and Romeu. Mata has been precisely the tonic we needed. Only David Silva has created more goal opportunities and provided more assists than our man, so from that perspective I’m elated although I’d like to see him play a more central role. Meireles has been as expected, I’ve always been a big fan of his since his days at Porto and he’s doing just the job. Recently he seems to be getting an extended run in the side too which is a good thing. Of Lukaku not much can be said. He must be the only player in our team who I know more of from Football Manager than from real life. He hasn’t had much game time, but he’s still young and he’ll get his chance. Hopefully he can do a Sturridge and really prove his worth. Romeu may also be the answer to a longstanding defensive midfield problem we’ve had.
WAFR: Do you think there will be more players bought in during the winter and what positions need to be look at?
I think I wrote this last time, but we really need some support of the left of the attack. Hopefully the Alvaro Pereira rumours are true as he could do a good job for us. He’s also close to AVB which is something the dressing room needs (although this didn’t work out at all with Deco being close to Scolari). I don’t see us getting Rodwell (plus I’m not enormously keen on the fellow) and elsewhere we need to wait till summer.
WAFR: Now we are approaching the half way point how do you feel Chelsea’s season will pan out?
I expect us to go the distance in the title race, by that I mean we’ll be in the top 4 and have a realistic chance of catching the leaders for the rest of the season. I think we’ll get past Napoli but then who knows – we’re not good enough to win the Champions League that’s for sure. I also worry that voices of dissent will rear their ugly heads once again from within should there only be one competition for AVB to rotate his squad in. A nice FA Cup run could be something good to detract from an average domestic season.
WAFR: There have been rumours about AVB being dismissed since the start of the season, surely with his age and the money spent to get him in, he is more of a long term option?
This is a chat I’ve had with many people this season. It doesn’t make any sense for the club to dismiss AVB. Firstly there are no viable alternatives and secondly there can never be progress if that continues to happen. Now that we can’t compete with City financially the board are realising that perhaps we need to build a legacy or at least implement change whilst the old guard (JT, Lamps, et al) can still do a job. No, I don’t see that happening. Well, not unless something catastrophic happens.
WAFR: What is your assessment of Spurs this year?
Where to start eh? Easily the most exciting team to watch in the league, although overly reliant on Bale and Lennon. How they’ll do without one or the other (or both) may be quite telling. Walker looks like a very exciting player, and Kaboul has really come of age this season. Friedel and Scott Parker may also have been two of the best signings this season. I genuinely can’t see Spurs carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season, although having said that, if they can get through this Christmas period in the top 4 then who knows how that confidence will help for the second half.
Perhaps the only downside to Spurs is the quality of the “B” team. The Europa League performance was somewhat shambolic (refereeing disasters aside), and at the moment Rose, Townsend and Kane don’t look like they’ll make the step up. On the plus side the Europa is no longer a distraction and with some better luck that Top 4 spot is there for the taking.
WAFR: And finally, lets have a score prediction
The way things are going? 2-1 to Spurs. Maybe a 1-1…
