Well, we're off and running. Having overslept and missed the start of the Premier League season thanks to Tottenham High Street going up in flames, we stumbled bleary-eyed, still in our pyjamas, in front of the Manchester freight train. The seemingly endless tedium of the international break over, we picked ourselves up, marched into the Black Country and returned with our first 3 points of the season. The journey starts here.
Our starting XI was encouraging. The absence of VDV allowed a return to a good old fashioned 4-4-2, with a debut for 'Manny' alongside Defoe, with Parker alongside Modric in the midfield. The return of Ledley King was a welcome sight, as we are quite simply a much much better team when he is playing. Ledley isn't human, he can't be. Like the Terminator, he could spend the week getting shot, blown up, put through industrial crushers etc and still emerge, brush himself down, have a light jog on the Friday and put in a world-class 90 minutes on the weekend. I have no doubt that if we get 30 games out of Ledley this season, we will qualify for the Champions League. They can give people new hearts, livers, limbs; why can't they replace his bloody cartilage?
I'm not going to give a blow by blow, I'm sure everyone's seen at least the highlights and read countless reviews of the game. It wasn't a pretty win but it was the only way a win was going to happen. Molineux has been a difficult place for Spurs to go in recent years and Wolves were flying high after a good start. Everyone knew that if Wolves scored first, they would probably go on and win the game, considering our mental fragility at the moment. The flood of negativity on twitter over our first half performance was irritating. What were people hoping for? We aren't Barcelona, I hate to say it but we're now a long way off City, we aren't going to go to Wolves, have 60-70% possession and dispatch them by 3 or 4 goals. We needed to keep things tight, remain patient and the individual quality of players like Modric, Bale and Adebayor would create chances. This is exactly what happened. We are a better team than Wolves and as long as we kept them at bay, our superior quality would eventually shine through.
The point of new signings is to improve the squad and that is exactly what Friedel, Parker and Adebayor have done. Friedel pulled out another excellent save to deny Karl Henry in the first half and it's nice not to have your heart in your mouth every time a cross or corner drifts into the vicinity of the goalkeeper. Parker is a nice mix of industry and invention, patrolling and breaking up play but also getting forward to set up the opening goal. A certain step up from Sgt Wilson's bull in a china shop approach and inability to pass the ball 6 yards. Parker should be a valuable member of the team, at least until the return of Sandro. Despite clearly not being fit, Adebayor already looks a class above our strikers of last season. Strong and quick, his ability to move into the channels and drop deep to link play was encouraging. Can you imagine Crouch beating the offside trap, rounding the goalkeeper and calmly slotting it home? Can you imagine Defoe beating the offside trap?
This is going to be a season where we have to take things one game at a time. Beat Liverpool next week, and we can start to believe that we can really push for the top 4 again. Lose to Liverpool, and we sink back into the mire of depression and recrimination. Back to back home wins against Liverpool and Arsenal? Yes bloody please.
Come on you Spurs.
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