Leadership void derails Spurs’ bid
Print Edition
FOR all Mauricio Pochettino’s fighting talk about remaining in the Premier League title chase, it was hard not to glimpse a white flag over White Hart Lane after Tottenham Hotspur’s lackluster 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
Instead of piling pressure on leader Leicester City, which is now seven points ahead with three games remaining, Spurs have now given their rivals firm sight of a title which would be secured by victory at Manchester United on Sunday.
Before this week, the focus has been on whether Claudio Ranieri’s side would blink in the spotlight. But while the Foxes dazzled with a 4-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday, one day later Spurs appeared blinded by the expectation of those who assumed they would win their remaining games with their customary panache.
Amid the hype over Leicester’s first title in its 132-year history, it is easy to forget that Spurs last finished on top in 1961, when the team was founded on the steely focus of Danny Blanchflower and uncompromising strength of Dave Mackay.
More than half a century on, the Tottenham side seeking to emulate them are much less experienced, with players like Dele Alli and Eric Dier in their first full season.
No one on the team has ever won an English title and on Monday their featherweight second-half display, played out in front of a rather funereal atmosphere at London’s White Hart Lane, pointed to a lack of leadership in vital areas.
How they could have done with a Blanchflower, who was famed for ensuring that those around him always produced their best. On Monday, Christian Eriksen struggled to assert his usual influence in midfield and was wayward in front of goal while Harry Kane, the team’s talisman, cut an isolated figure.
Tottenham’s frustration was encapsulated by Alli, who appeared to punch Claudio Yacob in a first-half incident captured by TV cameras.
Although referee Mike Jones missed the incident, Alli could face retrospective action in the form of a misconduct charge and a 3-match ban that would rule him out of Spurs’ final games.
Preparing for the West Brom game meant Alli missed Sunday’s Professional Footballers’ Association ceremony, where he was named young player of the year. Alli, who was playing in the third tier last year, has been a driving force behind Spurs’ unexpected title challenge.
Pochettino suggested Alli was being targeted by opponents. But Graeme Souness, a combative midfielder for Liverpool and Scotland, said the 20-year-old must mature quickly, particularly if he is to play a major role for England at the European Championship in France this summer.
“It’s just petulance,” Souness said of the Yacob incident. “He’s not going to hurt anyone but he’s got that in him. For him to become a top, top player he’s got to ... accept that lesser lights like Yacob will mess him around.”
Many admirers
And Spurs look like they will have to live with being second best to Leicester, whose many admirers include Pochettino. “Leicester deserve to be in their position — it will be a fantastic season if in the end they win the title. We have three games to play. But we need to believe.”
Even if Leicester fails to win at Old Trafford, manager Claudio Ranieri can be handed the title if his former club, Chelsea, beats Tottenham next Monday. Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
Leicester would have to wait until the final day of the season to receive the trophy when it plays at deposed champion Chelsea, which is 29 points adrift in ninth place.
Ranieri’s team of bargain signings and even castoffs is on course to become the first maiden title-winner since Nottingham Forest in 1978 by completing the greatest transformation of a team in the post-1992 Premier League era.
Although Spurs look set to miss out on a first title since 1961, they are close to qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in six years with their highest finish since 1963.
“We are very young and we need to use this experience for the next few seasons,” Pochettino said. “We needed to kill the game in these moments if you want to win the title.”
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