Hello. This is the kind of game that Tottenham, being Tottenham, would lose in the past. Real Madrid one minute, Crystal Palace the next; you know how these things go. This is where we’re supposed to laugh at Tottenham for being Spursy, their version of Cityitis, and tip them to lose at home to the Premier League’s bottom side four days after walloping the European champions at Wembley. What are they like!
But let’s not go down that route. Thanks to Mauricio Pochettino, the definition of Spursy is starting to change. The word was once associated with flimsiness and farce, with softness and sloppiness, and Tottenham could always be relied upon to let you down. Now, however, to be Spursy means being sturdy at the back and rather brilliant in attack. They might not win the league this season, not with Manchester City in such scintillating form, but that would not be down to any kind of mental weakness. Not under Pochettino. Standards have been raised.
Which isn’t to say that Tottenham can simply expect to turn up and have it all their own way this afternoon. They face a Palace side scrapping for their lives, meaning that they will need to guard against any complacency after reaching the last 16 of the Champions League with that win over Real. Palace remain in peril, but they have shown signs of improvement under Roy Hodgson in recent weeks and will know that Tottenham have occasionally toiled at Wembley this season. Hodgson will hope that his side can take advantage of any dip in intensity from Tottenham, both on the pitch and in the stands, where the atmosphere is likely to be a little more sedate – it is the dreaded midday kick-off, after all – than it was while Madrid were being torn apart under the lights.
Kick-off: 12pm BST.
SOURCE : GUARDIAN SPORTS posted by CAMPUS94
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