Source: SpursMAD

CHRIS HUGHTON HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

Spurs had a belief they wouldn’t concede goals away from home last season. In contrast to this season that was a fair appraisal by Tottenham’s assistant coach. He went on to explain how it was a slightly tighter unit than this season which in turn bred confidence. (News, Thur)

Already this season Calum Davenport has come into the side on numerous occasions when Ledley King has been unavailable through injury. Tom Huddlestone has been given his chance because Didier Zokora is still settling in to life in the Premiership, Teemu Tainio has benefitted over the past few weeks from Jermaine Jenas being more troubled by injury than himself. Young-Pyo Lee has reclaimed his place at left back from Benoit Assou-Ekotto after the young Frenchman’s nightmare performance at the Emirates, while Steed Malbranque has come in as Edgar Davids’ replacement on the left of midfield.

Martin Jol admitted the team still hasn’t played the way he would have liked away from home (News, Fri). However his recent claims that the statistics paint an unrealistic picture because out of the clubs currently in the top six Spurs have so far only not faced Chelsea halfway into the campaign is an attempt to cover the cracks. Otherwise, the run of 12 home wins must then surely be less significant also, which we know isn’t the case. Micheal Dawson said: "There was a lot of pride about that winning run."

People have suggested Spurs haven’t done as well overall as last season because after the same number of league games away from home last season twice as many goals had been scored. Furthermore, with eight games on the road still remaining Spurs are only three conceded goals away from matching the total number last time around.

The optimists will point to the fact that in the month which began with humiliating defeat at Arsenal and ended with a satisfactory point at Portsmouth on New Years’ Day, Spurs accumulated a quarter of the total number of games they were involved in throughout last season.

And with injuries affecting players such as Aaron Lennon, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas and Paul Stalteri, Martin Jol’s side still managed to top their group in the UEFA Cup, reach the semi’s of the Carling Cup and climb to within four points of a place in the top six of the Premiership.

Jol described that as a positive and rightly so, but it ought to be taken into account only three of Tottenham’s last ten games were away from home - their one and only league victory on the road so far, the defeat in the North London derby and Monday’s draw at Fratton Park.

The trouble has naturally enough been conceding the first goal. While the deficit was not large enough to make the task of coming back impossible at Blackburn and Portsmouth, Arsenal scored twice before Jol made any changes and by then the damage was done.

With Lennon and Keane’s returns anticipated to be very soon, the Spurs coach has moaned about how the side is less creative without the pair, yet six defeats away from home some of which they were involved tell a different tale. Neither of them were when Spurs fought back to rescue draws. They might have combined to work the winning goal in Jol’s proudest moment as Spurs coach, against Chelsea at White Hart Lane, but he should be aiming to build from the back and not concede, then maybe grab a goal at the other end.

Malbranque was moved behind the front two against Portsmouth in the second half, in effect Spurs played with three central midfielders from that point on but why wait until it becomes an uphill struggle? Why not begin games away from home with that formation?

Everyone is looking forward to seeing Lennon and Keane playing again, but let’s hope they can come up with the goods against Newcastle on the 14th and give a performance akin to the one against Chelsea, but away from home let’s just sort the midfield out first.