Tottenham's Draw with Palace Shows That Despite Progress, Spurs Are Off the Pace

LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur missed a golden opportunity to jump up the Premier League table when they drew 0-0 with the impressive Crystal Palace.

Spurs could have moved level with Arsenal but had to settle for merely making up a point on their eternal rivals.

The brightest moment of the match for Spurs fans came when the big screens incorrectly showed Stoke City to be four goals ahead at the Britannia. Predictably, it drew a great cheer but there was little to celebrate in north London. 

Spurs began their third match in seven days with a point to prove. Last Sunday's win over Everton had been hailed as a turning point, but the defeat to Chelsea in midweek deflated that optimism. 

Yannick Bolasie quickly disabused them of the notion that Palace would simply roll over. The Congolese winger has helped beat Liverpool twice in the last 12 months, and he was at his best again at White Hart Lane. 

Spurs' rotating crew of makeshift right-backs continues to be a major weakness in an otherwise maturing defence.

Jan Vertonghen and Federico Fazio are developing a solid partnership and evidence of a deepening understanding can clearly be seen. The pair communicate constantly with word and gesture and gave another solid performance against Palace. 

Unfortunately, Eric Dier struggled mightily. Deputising at full-back has seen Dier get far more time on the pitch than he probably expected when he joined Spurs in August, but he has routinely been pushed around by experienced wide men. 

So it proved against Palace, as Bolasie put on a real show down the wing. Flicks and tricks are integral to his style, but he combines that with real substance. He terrorised Dier with his pace and intelligence.

That Palace were unable to make their opportunities count was fortunate for Spurs, because they were making comparably little progress at the other end. 

Both Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane were brilliant against Everton, but the architects of that victory struggled to express themselves against Palace.

There were moments of outrageous skill. Eriksen produced a delightful nutmeg and a pair of fine crosses but there was precious little support.  

Roberto Soldado was largely anonymous, while Erik Lamela had his most frustrating day in a Spurs shirt. The Argentinian was dispossessed often and was overwhelmed by Crystal Palace's physicality. 

As if sensing the opportunity that was slipping away, the home crowd turned on Lamela, greeting each lost ball with loud groans. 

Unsurprisingly, the more robust Nacer Chadli started the second half in his place. Chadli made an impact but was unable to leave a decisive contribution. 

The second half was little improvement on the first. Mauricio Pochettino withdrew Ryan Mason for Paulinho and threw on Aaron Lennon as a final attempt to break down the resilient Palace defence, but it had little effect. 

Throughout the match, Spurs lacked the poise that defines the strongest sides.

The best teams in England and Europe will recognise when an attacking move is breaking down and change the angle of approach or return to the goalkeeper/defence to start over again. 

Spurs panicked virtually every time they won possession. Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb and Eriksen were all guilty of wasting possession. There are few more gifted trios of young central midfielders in Europe, but they were all guilty of reprehensible decision-making throughout the match. 

Despite the size of their squad, Spurs lack real options to replace these players and, as Pochettino himself noted after the match, this was their third game in seven days and the fourth in ten. Young players are more capable of dealing with a crowded schedule than older ones, but mental fatigue can be devastating.

Eriksen should be experienced enough to overcome this, but players like Kane, Mason and Bentaleb have never played so much football. That perhaps goes some way to explaining the wastefulness of normally circumspect players. 

Spurs were desperate for a cool head but none could be found. That Spurs' squad is so bare is a real cause for alarm. 

This performance would have been of lesser concern if Spurs had found a winner. Had they done so, it would have been seen as a representation of their progress; victory when playing poorly is often seen as the mark of champions. Unfortunately, a sterile draw at home to a weak opponent demands closer examination. 

It reveals that, despite the excellent victory against Everton, this team remains well short of the top class in England. 

It doesn't devalue that performance entirely. Spurs are a far better team than they were when losing abjectly to West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, but they remain very much underdone. 

Tottenham won't win the Premier League. This is a surprise to no one given their resources and ambitions. They also won't qualify for the Champions League. There is too much talent and more mature teams fighting for what seems to be two available places after Chelsea and Manchester City. They may however, move beyond clubs like Everton and Southampton by season's end.

Those are clubs undergoing similar periods of adjustment but are further along than Spurs. If Pochettino's team is ahead of both Roberto Martinez's and Ronald Koeman's in terms of style and substance by May 2015, he will have succeeded. His is a long-term goal and expectations must be adjusted accordingly.

Pochettino spoke after the match of disappointment and frustration. Those sentiments were echoed by the fans that booed at the final whistle. 

During the match, as yet another Spurs attack broke down, Pochettino shouted to his players to have "patience." As difficult as it is for fans and football in general, that is what is required. 

While Neil Warnock has had even less time at Palace than Pochettino has had at Spurs, it is an unfair comparison. Warnock was asked to take over from Tony Pulis and simply maintain what had already been achieved. Pochettino has been asked to rebuild Spurs' philosophy and squad.

A dull goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace is frustrating but it's better than losing the same fixture. 

Against Tottenham, around the hour mark, Palace produced a great spell of possession. The wide players were causing trouble down the flanks while their solid back line kept the lid on the pressure cooker. 

That spell encouraged them to push out further. Sensing their moment, they abandoned their rigid setup only for Spurs to break rapidly and almost punish them. 

That triggered Palace to drop back into shape.

Spurs are not yet capable of breaking down the teams that play this way. A draw is far more valuable than defeat and is a small but important indicator of progress.

Pochettino has a plan, and his young team is blossoming, but progress is excruciatingly slow. Spurs should be beating teams like Palace. Eventually they will.

Follow me on Twitter @SamRooke89 or come tell me why I'm wrong.