Tottenham Hotspur Seek to Prove Flattering New Perceptions over Christmas Period
It has been a while since the perception of a Tottenham Hotspur team has been as positive as it is right now.
Save for occasional credit given to an impressive win or an individual player's run of form, such as Harry Kane's lead role in some terrific derby displays last season, the last time was probably in Harry Redknapp's final season in charge in 2011-12. The likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric inspired some scintillating football up until form gave way in late winter.
The upcoming Christmas and New Year period offers Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham an opportunity to prove the current flattering analysis—ranging from observers such as England coach and pundit (EDIT: and also new Valencia head coach) Gary Neville to Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho—is not wrong.
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If, over a hectic and demanding schedule, they can maintain that consistency, it will further strengthen their chances of enjoying a strong finish to the season.
While congratulating his players on their efforts in recent performances, Pochettino has been careful to deflate a gathering inclination from outside parties to raise expectations around his side.
"It’s true that we show from the beginning of the season that we are consistent," he responded when asked about a possible title challenge after their 4-1 win over West Ham United. "But to try to win the title we need more, we need more."
Asked again after the 0-0 draw with Chelsea about a prospective push for first place, the Spurs boss was keen to "speak only about the present. We need to prepare the next game in a good condition and the important thing is to go step by step."
Pochettino's players have given no reason so far to suggest they are not as focused in the moment as their head coach is.
Unbeaten in the league since the opening-day defeat to Manchester United, they have looked more organised and confident in applying the high-octane gameplan assigned to them with each passing month.
"The run says something about the team, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard," defender Toby Alderweireld told Tottenham's official website after the Chelsea game on Sunday. "The statistics say we’re going in the right direction but we have to work hard because we want to get better."
Taking things a match at a time this week means preparing for a West Bromwich Albion outfit that have taken four points off Arsenal and West Ham in the last fortnight.
It is part of a schedule heading into FA Cup third-round weekend in early January that, on paper, is not the most daunting.
With Europa league qualification already achieved, next week's visit from Monaco is less significant. Trips to Southampton and Everton (currently 10th and ninth respectively) a week either side of Christmas look set to be the period's toughest assignments. Around them come fixtures against four clubs currently in the bottom half.
Pochettino will almost certainly know he cannot afford to look at things with such simplistic logic. Not with the various distractions, impediments and unforeseen issues that will undoubtedly accumulate as they move between fixtures.
It is credit to Spurs that they have navigated similar problems so far with calmness and resilience.
Injuries to starters have been negated with a next-man-up mentality, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele covering successfully for the likes of Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason and Heung-Min Son. The greater attention on players like Alli and Eric Dier after their England call-ups has not been allowed to damage their focus.
Such things can be intensified as the hectic schedule begins to take a more exacting toll on mind and body. But even here, Spurs' solid form following the short turnaround after cup matches—12 points from six matches—suggests they are well equipped to handle what is ahead in the coming month or so.
Perhaps the biggest unknown will be the collective response to increased attention being paid to a continuation of their good form—or the scrutiny that may accompany any slip-ups—from media, fans and rival clubs.
There was a taster of how perception can be manipulated in the form of Chelsea boss Mourinho's post-match press conference last Sunday.
Asked whether he was pleased to keep a clean sheet in a difficult game, the Portuguese coach turned it into a re-framing of how he observed the match. One that was certainly different to Pochettino's belief Spurs "deserved more than we got in the end."
"I think if we deserve credit to keep the clean sheet—and I think we do—I think Tottenham deserves even more credit to keep the clean sheet because we were the most dangerous team and we had the best chance," Mourinho replied, referring to Eden Hazard's second-half volley while ignoring Son's first-half point-blank miss.
There was nothing wrong with Mourinho looking to boost his side's dented confidence with a positive appraisal of their good effort. Genuinely complimentary of aspects of Spurs' play too, this was not a fully fledged rendition of his more infamous mind games.
Nonetheless, it served as a useful reminder that the best intentions of Pochettino and Tottenham to stay focused on themselves and not be influenced by others will not be easily maintained.
In years past, they have suffered after giving in to voicing opinions relating to rivals. See ill-advised comments about Arsenal by Robbie Keane in October 2009 and Andre Villas-Boas in March 2013.
Maintaining the current perception around them is about performance first and foremost. But this Christmas and beyond, it also about keeping cool and calculated when it comes to expressing the self-belief that informs it.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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