1. Home struggles
One of the most surprising things about Spurs season is that they boasted the best away form in the league until the defeat at Norwich last month. Unfortunately, while Spurs have been strong on the road, their home form has been poor and the 3-0 win over Stoke is arguably the only performance in which the team can claim to have genuinely impressed in front of their own fans, who frankly deserve better.
Five reasons for hope…
5. The fans
When things are bleak, it is good to be reminded of the positives. For Spurs fans, it was tricky to take any away from Anfield but the sound of their fans chanting throughout the game – even at 4-0 down – was a reminder that the heart of the club remains in tact. Sherwood has got plenty of things wrong this season but he was correct in claiming that Spurs have some of the best travelling support in the country.
4. Youth
None of the 14 players who featured in the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool were 30 or over. In fact, 28-year-olds Roberto Soldado and Younes Kaboul were the oldest Spurs players on the pitch, while six of the outfield players were 25 or under. Critics may cite this inexperience as a reason for Spurs’ frequent capitulations (particularly when Sherwood asks 19-year-old Nabil Bentaleb to protect the back four alone) but it also suggests there is significant room for improvement. This season will be a lesson, if nothing else, for Tottenham’s young squad and hopefully they will be all the stronger for it next term.
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