| S |
|
65.6% |
| P |
|
73.4% |
| U |
|
61% |
| R |
|
67.4% |
| S |
|
56.8% |
| = |
|
64.84% |
Form Guide February 2011
P W D L F-A GD Pts
5 4 0 1 7-5 2 9
Pos:- 4th
1 Cup Match
· January 2011 figures
· Last year's figures
February 2010
Remember the highs!
For the second consecutive month, we finished on a low with a poor defeat. January ended in shame with that 4-0 defeat against Fulham in the FA Cup. February ended in mystery as Spurs dominated the statistics regarding goal-scoring chances, but it's goals that count and Blackpool got three to our late, late, almost meaningless one.
However, February 2011 should be long remembered for its highs for Spurs. There were four consecutive league wins, three of which were away, and there was of course the ultimate high of victory in the San Siro Stadium against AC Milan.
As I write, we still sit in fourth place, despite the Blackpool loss, and we hope that Manchester United take something away from Stamford Bridge tonight to keep Chelsea below us. Whatever that result, Spurs are well and truly immersed in the fight for a place in the top four and even a possible third place.
The achievments of February have been attained without Gareth Bale, and with restricted availability of two of our other star players, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart.
The month started with victory at Blackburn, thanks to Peter Crouch's second league goal of the season - the other also being scored against Blackburn! Crouch's goal came in the third minute, and Heurelho Gomes was called upon enough to win your man of the match votes.
Then came our only home game of the month and a 2-1 win over Bolton sealed in the second minute of added time by substitute hero Niko Kranjcar. Referee Mark Clattenburg struggles to keep out of the headlines, and this game was no exception as he awarded Spurs two early penalties, one of which was scored by Van der Vaart, but the second of which was missed after Mr. Clattenburg ordered a re-take for encroachment. Aaron Lennon just about nicked the man of the match vote from Kranjcar.
Off we went to Sunderland, where we hadn't won for 10 years. We did it this time, without all three of the triumvirate of Bale, Modric and Van der Vaart, who are Spurs leading players this season. Michael Dawson headed under Craig Gordon for an equaliser, before Niko sealed the win with another cracking goal, after a great run and pass by Sandro and a Defoe attempted shot that was only half-cleared. Aaron Lennon had started on the bench for this game, with the trip to Milan in mind, and Kranjcar was your man of the match.
The events of Tuesday 15th February will be etched upon the minds of Spurs fans for life, and I can add little here to enhance the tale of a truly heroic performance and historic win. Let's just hope we seal the tie in a week's time on March 9th! Of the starting eleven, only Pienaar and Corluka failed to reach 8 out of 10 marks, and neither of them finished the match. Peter Crouch scored his seventh Champions League goal of the season. However, he does not lead the goal-scoring charts because his hat-trick against Young boys was a qualifying match. Sandro had come of age at Sunderland and had a great game in the San Siro. Gomes made some great saves, but the abiding memory for us all will be Luka's pass, Lennon's run and Crouch's finish.
The least said about Blackpool the better then, but we could have gone third with a win. Let's accentuate the positive then, and remember the highs, and also consider that our next three league games are against the current bottom three sides. They'll all fancy their chances of course against Spurs, but maybe a bit of Dubai sunshine and a mini-break will perk the squad up. There are only three games to come in March, but a possible 9 (depending upon Champions League progress) in April, so we are in for an exciting run-in!
Despite his goal-scoring heroics, Niko Kranjcar has just been pipped for this month's player of the month award by Aaron Lennon, whose wing play has been back to his best.
Don't forget to check out the cumulative appearances and grades for the players as the season progresses - below. The grades are based upon a mark out of ten.
...if you want to remind yourself of the matches played during this month, then See the Fixtures page here. By working your way back through the previous month's figures, you can review the performances over more than 10 years!
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