After two weeks of international break, i was starting to get withdrawal symptoms..... I am impatient for Spurs to continue the good start to our season and make our way back into the Top 4 where we belong. Having said that, it was not going to be a push over for us, as we have not beaten Newcastle United away in six seasons or so, and they have had a good start to the season as well. With an unbeaten run of 7 games, this game against the 'Toon' looked like it would a good test of our resolve and allow us to see how far we have come.
Our team formation has settled down recently, and apart from the inclusion of Livermore in midfield, it's pretty much that same squad we have used in the Premiership over the past month or so. Having said that, not sure why VdV could not start in central midfield and allow Defoe to start up front with Adebayor..? I mean is VdV really an attacker or a midfielder/supporting striker, he does spend a lot the game coming deep most of the time...? I guess Harry knows what he is doing....
The first half was a cagey affair, with both teams feeling each other out for weaknesses & openings, which were few & far between. Whilst there was some good build up play from Spurs in midfield, the Newcastle defence was resolute and easily contained our efforts to break through on goal. The major 1st half event was losing Leadley King to another injury, as he pulled up with an abductor strain, and was replaced with Bassong. King has been immense in the past 4 wins, and this was a big blow for our defence.
Livermore & Modric at the heart of the midfield were both fairly quiet for the first half hour, but equally there was little for Friedel & the defence to worry about. That all changed on 40 minutes when Livermore stole the ball from Cabaye and nudged it through to Adebayor running through on the box, where Steven Taylor clipped the tall striker, who took the opportunity to go down for the penalty. It looked like a pretty weak foul, but Taylor was nowhere near the ball, and after a moment’s hesitation, or intervention from the linesman, the Ref pointed to the spot. Van der Vaart stepped up and took a finely executed penalty, sending Krull the wrong way, and planning the ball firmly in the back of the net.
The second half was an altogether different story, with Newcastle taking the gloves off and coming at Spurs right from the whistle. Gutierrez was given far too much space on the left and easily strolled to the by-line before delivering a neat lofted pass into the area where Demba Ba was on hand to slide in an push the ball past a sprawling Friedel. The marking on the goal was a bit random and Newcastle were given far too much space and time to walk through the defence, Walker & Modric did little to stop Gutierrez on the left, and Bassong & BAE did not pick up Ba’s run into the box.
The good news was that the equaliser happened early enough in the 2nd half that Tottenham had plenty of time, and inclination to came back at Newcastle in equal measure. Adebayor was unlucky not to put Spurs back in front a couple of times, the closest chance being a low angled shot that beat the keeper but went narrowly passed the upright. Harry threw Defoe into the mix, replacing a ‘leggy’ VdV, which paid immediate dividends, when a neat through ball found him with his back to the goal and being closely marked by Taylor, but with a quick spin inside, he managed to let loose with a fierce low shot that Krul could not react quickly enough to.
At 2-1 up, it was game on, and while Tottenham look like they wanted to put the game to bed with a 3rd goal, Newcastle were also doing all they could to get that vital equaliser and save their unbeaten run. Spurs had a couple of efforts and if Defoe & Adebayor had been a little less selfish, we could have scored. The game had gone end-to-end with Newcastle coming close with some long range efforts from Tiote & Ryan Taylor saved by Friedel, but Spurs were holding on valiantly. That is until substitute Shola Ameobi was given just a little bit too much room on the left and launched a missile of a shot that Friedel had no change of saving.
Even at 2-2, it was still a very open game and it could have gone either way. Defoe has a couple of chances to score, and Newcastle kept coming with Coloccini going close, but in the end I think it was overall a fair result, and it was good to come away with a point where in the past we may have capitulated at the end. Newcastle, while not being flashy, look very solid and hopefully will continue their good run of form.
My Player Ratings: -
- Friedel – 7.0 – Not much to do in the first half, but was he too slow to get down for the second goal.
- Bale – 6.5 – Pretty much anonymous, and didn’t look comfortable on the right
- Kaboul – 7.5 – Very solid at the back and looking like becoming a regular in the centre-back pairing
- King – 5.5 – Always a sad sight to our heroic talisman hobble off yet again….
- Bassong - 6.5 – Slotted in nicely but should have picked up Ba for the first goal
- Walker – 7.0 – Looked good going forward, but may need to keep focus on his defensive role as well
- Assou-Ekotto – 7.0 – Some good forward forays and look dependable at the back
- Parker – 6.5 – Not his best game in a Spurs shirt but still adds a lot of strength in the middle
- Van der Vaart – 7.5 – Great penalty, but still not looking at his best
- Defoe – 8.0 - This week’s super sub, reasonable to ask why he was not playing from the start..?
- Modric – 6.0 – Sub-par performance from the Croatian
- Livermore – 6.5 – Nothing sensational, a little quiet at times, but still a good game for the lad
- Adebayor – 7.5 – Could do with being a little less selfish sometimes, but still plenty of chances
- Pavlyuchenko – 5.0 – Why do we persist with this clown…?
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