Tag Archives: fear

The Fear Factor

Tottenham are probably better equipped to beat Manchester United tomorrow than they have been at any point in the last ten years. I have no doubt Spurs are more than capable of beating Utd at White Hart Lane on Saturday and I think they just might.

Personnel aside, the difference between the current Tottenham squad and those of years gone by is belief. This current crop of players actually believe they can beat anyone. We may have had our ups and downs over the last few years, and some players have come and gone and come again, but the fear that used to mean we could never get anywhere against the top four clubs in the country has now gone.

On current form, Spurs should be the favourites going into this game. Based on history and reputation they are not, but if you look at the actual results and analyse the performances on the pitch so far this season, Spurs have outperformed Utd. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing Man U off and it’s asking a lot for Spurs to continue the 100% record against the current Premier League Champions, but as far as I’m concerned, there is a very good chance of us doing just that.

The two games this season that have really stood out for me have been the first and the last. Think back to when Liverpool were awarded their penalty. The Tottenham sides of years gone by would have fallen apart at that point and very likely lost the match. The current side didn’t panic, took the game by the scruff of the neck and got another goal to ensure the three points.

A similar story could have unfolded against Birmingham. A goal around the 75min mark for the visitors would often have seen past Spurs sides get nervy and concede a scrappy late goal to lose the game. Instead, we kept going and found a winner. While you can say it wasn’t a great performance, in my eyes it was. The difference between the top four Premier League sides and us in the past has been our inability to win games that we might not have dominated or even deserved to win on the balance of play. We now seem to have overcome this failure.

Under Harry, Tottenham play with a new confidence and the fear factor that has been holding us back for so long appears to have almost disappeared completely. Obviously the quality players he’s added to the squad have helped, but the mental aspect of the game is just as important. Win, lose or draw tomorrow, I’m just happy in the knowledge that the players on the pitch believe they can do it.