Only at Tottenham could you win your fourth league game in a row and finish it feeling like we’re on the verge of some kind of crisis.
They joy of scoring a winning goal within the depths of injury time, was rather undercut by the injury to Luka Modric. Luckily, he’s only out for six weeks, but with the midfield already looking light following the departure of Jamie O’Hara on loan, all eyes will be on Sky Sports News as the transfer window ticks down.
For all the talk of our strength in depth, it has been clear to anyone who actually analysed the situation, that we are lacking in numbers in certain positions. Martin Petrov would be a useful direct replacement for Modric, although a very different type of player. Palacios, Huddlestone and Jenas aren’t going to be enough to see us through the season in central midfield either.
Another position which is an increasing concern is between the posts. All those years spent on the bench at Chelsea seem to have done some permanent damage to Carlo Cudicini, who looks a shadow of the keeper that was once considered the best in the Premier League. He was hesitant to come off his line throughout the game, which we were eventually punished for when Birmingham got their equaliser (though Hutton wasn’t without blame).
The biggest positive from the game was the performance of Peter Crouch, who could have scored a hat-full, were it not for pesky Brum defenders clearing the ball off the line. We might be getting the results, but I’m still not convinced regarding the Defoe/Keane partnership and I’ve a feeling that Crouch will eventually force his way into the side via the weight of his cameos.
Another plus was the fact that Lennon netted again, especially as he scored the goal from a left wing position, which he may well have to occupy for a few weeks. In years gone past we would have ended up with a draw from this game (or worse) so I’m loving the fact that we working our socks off right to the end and not accepting anything but victory.
So we’ve rode our luck for the second successive fixture, but that’s what we’ve always been told that good teams do. Now comes the two week international break, which if your going to get your key player injured in a game, is the perfect time to do it.
In the next couple of days, we’ll find out exactly what options Harry will have at his disposal until the start of January. At the moment those options seem quite limited, but by the time we face Manchester United, things could be very different.
