into the next round of the Cup.
In the end Spurs really didn’t need those two goals that Bolton scored for them to get into the quarter finals of the FA Cup last night.
Yes the first one helped just steady nerves and probably helped contribute more to the final score than just being 4-0 rather than 3-0. But this was a bit of a cruise from the moment Owen Coyle decided where his and his club’s priorities lay – league survival.
Can’t be many Spurs fans unhappy to see Kevin Davies and his elbows on the bench. The only real problems Spurs had were self inflicted, as this was probably the sloppiest four nil stroll you’ll see. The number of times a player in white gave the ball away was shockingly slack. Passes straight to Bolton players, couldn’t really be called misplaced as they went straight to opposite players who had no Spurs player anywhere near to them. Then when the game was beyond them and Coyle made some substitutions that finally injected some life into the away team, with Spurs dropping off and being a touch more casual, did they look like they were interested.
Who thought ‘Arry could remove the midfield steel, in the form of Palacios, to have a whole play-maker midfield against the likes of Bolton.
‘Arry bowed to the pressure of Pavlyuchenko’s brace against Wigan at the weekend, giving the big Russian a well deserved start and he didn’t disappoint – well except for Peter Crouch probably. Another two exceptionally well taken goals, which if you add up minutes on pitch makes it 5 goals in pretty much 2 whole games, not a bad strike rate. Crouch with 10 goals in 33 appearances. should be resigned to a spell on the bench. The player on form and in possession should keep the starting place, Big Pav is on form and now in possession, it’ll be interesting top see if ‘Arry starts him against Everton at the weekend.
One thing about Pav playing the “big” striker to Defoe’s “little” one, there was less humped up long balls than when Crouch plays.
‘Arry though did throw one curveball, two left-backs. All those years Spurs didn’t have two left footed players in the side never mind specialist left-backs and now here’s two on the pitch at the same time. Assou-Ekotto coming back into the side but on the wrong side and it told. As an experiment it didn’t work, it also showed the folly of letting two right-backs go on loan while recalling one right-back and signing another player who was thought of as cover, both of whom are cup tied. At the end there with Rose coming on it meant four left footers on the park, with Bassong starting at the back.
With the way Bale performed again BAE will struggle to get his proper position back, he kept coming inside and his crosses were far too heavy each time, defensively he didn’t do too bad but the room was there to be an attacking force and he didn’t take it because it meant using his right. It didn’t help Bentley playing wide right but then Bentley didn’t help himself either, another lacklustre performance. There’s been a few of them lately, getting back in the side he seemed to have upped his game but now looks to have fallen back to the old player. Useless flicks and needless fancy Dan crap, added to a succession of nothing crosses and even worse set pieces, every corner heading into the box an aimless long loping floater to the back stick. Just living off Lennon’s injury currently. In possession but not on form.
A sloppy four nil victory over a Premier League side, the joy of fans and team-mates alike from Pav scoring again and again, some delightful stuff by Modric, another clean sheet with some cracking saves by Gomes, another good game by Bale, linesman denying Gudjohnsen from making it an even more emphatic margin of victory. Only two more games to Wembley?