Not a massive pre-match write up today because like the players and coaching staff, with the exception of possibly Modric and Gallas, I’ve switched into summer break mode already. Whether you rate this season as a disappointment or one of the best in “God knows how long”, there’s no doubt it’s starting to wind down and it’s ending in a forgettable way.
However, there’s still time to start laying the foundations for next season. Anfield’s our final away game on Sunday against a team who’s resurgence since Kenny Dalglish took the reins again or more accurately since the January transfer window shut with them one lightweight, has been, injury prone striker less having been replaced with two bright, young and very talented ones, has been nothing short of miraculous. Scoring goals, looking tight at the back and bringing players from their academy into the first team successfully it looks like ‘pool’s time outside the top 4 could be a short one.
I remember back in August speaking with people about how we needed to start the season well because I wouldn’t want to go to Anfield needing anything from it. Losing at Anfield has become routine for many clubs but we at Spurs have a special record similar to our Old Trafford one. One win since 1986 and we’ve only drawn 6 of those. As with Old Trafford it’s a mental thing. No matter what players we have or who’s in charge we don’t go to Anfield believing we can win.
Last season was a prime example of this. We were playing well and aiming for a top 4 finish for the first time and they were in free fall, with fat Rafa looking to systematically bring them down from within and yet we went there and rolled over, losing far more comfortably than the 2-0 scoreline suggested.
Forget about the fact this game will no doubt decide who finishes 5th and therefore play in next season’s Europa League, its bigger than that. After what can only be described as a poor final third of the season little victories like 3 points at Anfield could help in years to come. For starters the 1 win in 26 visits would stop being brought up and mentioned to players before every match which must play on their subconscious to a certain degree making doubts enter their minds before they’ve even arrived at the stadium.
If you don’t want to play in the Europa League then you’ll be hoping, maybe hoping isn’t the right word but you won’t be too upset if we continue with tradition and lose but imagine this time next season and we’ve got a trip to Anfield much like last season’s champions league decider at Eastlands. Would you prefer the players had the self belief that they could win there because they’d managed it 12 months earlier? Of course you would. Hell, if you really don’t want us to play on Thursday nights you’d be better off hoping we win on Sunday but lose against Birmingham so Liverpool still finish above us.
Fifth place or sixth really doesn’t make much difference to either team. No matter what sound bites are made, neither position is where they want to be. Liverpool fans will be happy they appear to be turning a corner and can go into next season with more belief than they did this and we Spurs fans need something similar to happen to our season that wipes away the cobwebs that have appeared in the last couple of months, so for that reason and the importance of this fixture on future visits we must win or at least put in a performance that’s been lacking since the end of February.
COYS
Submitted by THFC1882
