That’s Inter-taiment

The feel good factor that has been building around White Hart Lane over the past few months exploded in a glorious footballing display. Italian giants and 2010 Champions League winners FC Internazionale Milano were swatted aside as Tottenham cruised to a 3-0 win.

From the moment I stepped off the train at Northumberland Park, the feeling of optimism was infectious. We were playing a team that at the height of their powers in 2011 we took apart, now with a starting line up lacking the household names, the result was surely going to be the same? It turns out that the modern day Spurs fan is right to be optimistic.

When Tottenham fans look back over the reign of our previous manager, the key stock phrases are: exhilarating, free flowing and exciting. We tend to gloss over the inefficiencies of that team and instead remember the 100mph football and lung bursting dashes, last night we were treated to something different. Andre Villas-Boas’ team gave us all of the above but added the one element that has been missing from Spurs for a generation: tactical nous.

Last night we played beautiful football, but it was more than just allowing the players to go out there and do their thing. The beauty was that Gareth Bale, Mousa Dembele, Aaron Lennon and Glyfi Sigurdsson were performing to a tempo and style orchestrated from the sidelines. Like an Academy Award winning director, AVB has managed to imprint his vision on to his cast. They believe and have faith is his directing, meaning we as Tottenham fans are getting to sit back and enjoy the show.

Over the last few weeks the level in performance among certain individuals has improved markedly. Sigurdsson is one of the main benefactors, but last night it was another maligned figure of late 2012 that caught my eye, Kyle Walker.

The promising right back has been suffering that from a phantom psychological condition called “Second Season Syndrome” which apparently affects a player who has had a break out first season. Personally I would call it a loss of form or the weight of expectation affecting him. Due to this dip in form Walker has added aggression to his game, which has only led him to become too eager. Over the course of this season we have seen him attempt to win the ball in areas where doesn’t need to, resulting in countless cheap free-kicks to the opposition, from some of which we have been punished.

Last night though, Walker picked up from where he left off against West Ham and Woolwich. He is finding that balance between defence/attack, getting close and standing off, and with Lennon in tandem he is re-launching one of the most fearsome right sides in the Premier League.

Up front Jermain Defoe started his first game since limping off against West Brom and instantly reminded us what we’ve been missing. His movement and goal threat in 90 minutes was far greater than Emmanuel Adebayor has managed in a month. The Tologese man remains the arguably the better of the two, but if you could inject Defoe’s determination, first touch and all round application into Adebyaor’s game you would have a hell of a striker.

Over the last few weeks it’s been impossible to comment on Spurs without mentioning our on-fire Welshman. Esteban Cambiasso, one of the decade’s finest defensive midfielders, was given the task of controlling Bale, but rather like Maicon two years ago, the task was beyond him. Culpable for the first goal, the Argentine, one deft through-ball apart, drifted meekly like the rest of his team out of the game and in affect the tie.

[linequote]Last night we played beautiful football, but it was more than just allowing the players to go out there and do their thing.[/linequote]

The one dark mark on Bale’s evening was his yellow card for alleged simulation, from the Park Lane Lower it seemed a stone wall penalty, but TV replays have shown it to be less clear-cut. Personally I am quite relieved that Bale will sit out the second leg, and hopefully start the quarter-final fist leg with a clean slate. Perhaps it was a tactical booking?

One issue over which there can be no ambiguity though was the atmosphere at White Hart Lane. If the first game against Lyon was a love-in, then this was a full double dropped on oysters and asparagus orgy. When The Fighting Cock talk about Sing for the Shirt and the 1882 movement, last night was an example of how a positive vibe can have and incredible effect on a team and the other more restrained supporters.

Some cup games due to the splitting up of certain sections can have a negative affect on the singing, but last night there were some tremendous renditions of Oh When then Spurs, Glory Glory Hallelujah, It’s a Grand Old Team to Play For and even the Nicola Berti Song got some airtime. It was one of the best nights this season so far……Long may the glory continue!