Tottenham are our Premier League games in to the new season, just the 34 to go. Hardly the moment to make any sweeping predictions for the destiny of honours for the coming season. Anyway, I never make predictions, especially about the future.
But unbeaten and in the top three demands, even at this early stage, some modest celebration before it all has a tendency to go pear-shaped. Which in these post-‘Spursy’ days under Antonio it might not of course.
The football is fairly dire, low block, low energy, defending perilously deep and trusting to luck and good fortune is not the way that Spurs fans like to see Spurs play. But while we are winning and challenging we will keep our reservations to ourselves.
Forest might easily have had a couple yesterday but don’t have an accredited striker to finish their enterprising build-up. We’ve got several, though Son for the moment is out of sorts, but, we’ve got braces as well as a belt and some baler twine.
Conte is a rigid and stubborn man; inspiring through his track record and personal enthusiasm and nothing will change until results go sideways or backwards. ‘My way or the highway’ Spurs fans’. So we will have to put up with this tedious success and even get to like it.
We’ve ridden the wave of success so far even if it has come perilously close to foundering. Southampton was workmanlike and effective; Wolves was touch and go especially in the first half as usual: Chelsea was fortunate but crucial and Nottingham a triumph of quality over effort.
The defence even without ‘Cuti” has been solid with the much-maligned Sanchez stepping up again. He clearly has a mistake in him but Romero will be back soon. The midfield has struggled especially Hojbjerg but Betancur gets better with each game.
Antonio is relying on the world class counter-attacking triumvirate led by the magnificent Harry Kane supported now by Richarlison, the Master of the Dark Arts .
But you have to have the quality to justify the show-boating, Both were on display at Nottingham with a close to contemptuous ‘keepy-uppy’ display, the moral of which was, ‘If you want the ball come and get it.
His improvised cross for Harry’s second, with imperial aplomb, was the other side of the Richarlison magic. With fixtures coming thick and fast I expect to see him and some others make their starting debuts quite soon.
Rumours that we were looking at signing Zaha for just these complimentary qualities seem misplaced. Who needs the Apprentice when you’ve got the Sorcerer?
Emerson Royal has secured the right wing-back role for now and has been busy and effective but surely Doherty will be called upon this week. But Antonio is unwilling to change things unless he has to as evidenced by his tardy use of substitutes.
Ivan Perisic is clearly Sessegnon’s mentor, but again I expect Ryan to step up quite soon. He finds space well but is too hesitant in delivering the ‘coup de grace’. He might have scored a couple and set up Harry for a goal yesterday but for this.
Ten games in is probably the earliest we can come to any firm conclusions but as last season proved even the final ten games kept us guessing about top four and I changed my mind several times, sometimes on an hourly basis.
Am I complaining under the Fans Right to Moan Charter? Certainly not: top three and unbeaten after 4 games, our best start in over a decade, will do nicely for now. But the football, the football. A couple of defeats will soon have the fans revolting.
