For those who don't know, I'm a Spurs fan. Just thought it best to get that out of the way before writing what would otherwise have seemed to be a rather biased article! Last night, Spurs welcomed the European Champions, Inter Milan, to White Hart Lane, and, as even the most ardent of Arsenal fans would have to admit, gave them a masterclass in how to play football. This Inter Milan team was composed of some of the finest players of the current generation - Samuel Eto'o, the prolific Cameroon striker who scores goals for fun; Wesley Sneijder, one of the World's finest attacking midfielders; Lucio and Walter Samuel, a formidable centre-back partnership of pace, power and brute force who have contributed significantly to a side that has only conceded 4 goals in 9 Serie A games this season; Javier Zanetti, the legendary Argentinian utility man, whose experience and career success is almost without rival; and Maicon, widely recognised as the best right-back in the World. This Inter side strikes fear into almost anything in its way, but last night, it was the Nerazzuri who were running scared.
The final score of 3-1 was no more than Spurs' performance merited. While the plaudits will largely rest with Gareth Bale, who, time after time, ghosted past Maicon, Lucio et al. as though they didn't exist, producing chance after chance and coming away with two assists (for the goals of Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko) to add to his magnificent hat-trick in the San Siro a fortnight ago, it would be wrong to attribute such a magnificent result to the efforts of just one man. The whole team played magnificently. Peter Crouch did a terrific job as the lone striker, holding the ball up and linking play, and while he did his best to ensure his name would not be on the scoresheet with a woeful effort following some terrific work from the Welsh wonder, his goal was no more than his performance merited. Indeed, it was reminiscent of his performance at Eastlands in May, which secured Spurs' place among Europe's elite. Rafael Van der Vaart was as outstanding as ever, making intelligent runs, finding space and linking play brilliantly between midfield and attack. Aaron Lennon tormented Christian Chivu at left back, running at and beating both him and Javier Zanetti again and again. Luka Modric ran the show from the centre of midfield, dancing circles around Sulley Muntari, and it was his stunning combination of skill and vision that set up Van der Vaart's goal, darting past the helpless Ghanaian midfielder and slicing open the Inter defence with a magnificent pass. His performance left Wesley Sneijder trailing in his wake. Tom Huddlestone, who by his standards was not particularly involved in the Spurs attack, should receive no less credit. Playing in a holding role, Sneijder seemed to be his responsibility. That the Dutchman was chiefly limited to tame, speculative efforts from the edge of the area, and was left squirming to find space to pass in, is testament to Huddlestone's defensive efforts, which have often been called into question. Jermaine Jenas, equally, gave a solid performance when he came on, and more than justified Harry's decision to put him on ahead of Wilson Palacios. In defence, Alan Hutton did a great job against Goran Pandev, who may as well have been sitting on the bench for the first half, and particular praise should be given to Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who put in a tireless shift against Jonathan Biabiany, who ran riot in the San Siro two weeks ago. Younes Kaboul and William Gallas were solid at the back, and despite one or two errors of judgement, never really looked out of their depth against the sublime Eto'o, whose solo-effort goal was a brief moment of consolation in what was otherwise a night to forget for the black and blue half of Milan. Last, but by no means least, Carlo Cudicini made a few top-class saves when called upon, notably from one of Wesley Sneijder's notorious free-kicks, frustrating the Inter attack on the rare occasions when they did manage to create a shooting opportunity. All in all, it was a terrific team performance, and this should not be overlooked, even if particular praise should be reserved for the terrific performances of Bale and Modric.
Now, the crux of the matter: why was this so important. It was important because Spurs don't normally do this. We don't outshine legendary teams (and I don't think it's too far to go to use the term 'legendary' to describe this Inter side). On the rare occasions that we beat them, it is usually an expert example of the smash and grab technique - get our goal(s) and then hold on for dear life. Our victories against the top 4 sides last season demonstrated this: 2-1 against Liverpool, 2-1 against Arsenal, and 2-1 against Chelsea. We might get the goals, but usually we then invite pressure upon ourselves by allowing the opposition to control possession and gain momentum. There's a reason why Spurs fans have no fingernails! Yet over the last few seasons, we have at least been winning these games, and last night was an important milestone marking our progress. With the exception of a 5 minute period before half time and a 10 minute period late in the second half that culminated in Eto'o's goal, Spurs dominated the match. Sneijder and Eto'o were largely spectators to a flowing and skillful display of attacking football from the North London side of which any team would be proud. This is an Inter side that, as a rule, does not concede goals. One could be forgiven for siding with the sceptics about the almost-comeback in Milan, that Inter were complacent after taking a 4-0 lead, and that their lack of concentration was the main factor in Bale's hat-trick. Last night, there could be no such explanation. Spurs' performance was an example of sheer class, of flair and of brilliance. In truth, we could have scored 5 or 6. It is a sign of our progress. Two seasons ago, if a team like Inter had got a goal back in the last 10 minutes, we would have caved, and probably not only gone on to draw the game, but more often than not would have lost it. Now, there seems to be a steely determination in this squad. The players we have here are winners, and winners don't crumble. When questioned, they prove their ability. And that is exactly what goal number 3 was: Bale, just for the benefit of those who may not have quite understood his class up until this point, knocked the ball beyond Lucio and Maicon, obliterated them once more with his pace, and produced an inch-perfect cross which stranded the keeper and left Roman Pavlyuchenko with the simplest of finishes to secure the game. It would be wrong to overlook the influence of Harry Redknapp, who has been simply remarkable for the club since taking over two years ago. His role last night cannot be overstated, demonstrating his considerable tactical expertise in setting up a team that crippled the Inter attack.
All in all, this was football at its best, at least from a Tottenham perspective. It was a demonstration of how much the club has grown, of how high our ambition is, and just how capable we are of success. It is, of course, crucial that our key players, the likes of Bale, Van der Vaart, Modric and Huddlestone, stay at the club, that we develop some consistency in the squad, and no longer bow down to the big money offers of the 'big' clubs. This is not just because we can't afford to lose our best players. This is because if we really want to be one of the 'big' clubs again, an ambition which I genuinely believe we are on the verge of turning into a reality, it is crucial that we start acting like one in the transfer market. We need to start believing in our own ability to challenge, and in our own power to attract and keep the world's premium talent. We have just beaten the champions of Europe. If that's not enough to signal to our players that we are a club with the ability to match their ambition, then I don't know what is. But I don't think it's the players who need convincing. I'm talking to you here, Mr Levy. If you really want Tottenham to achieve the heights that you claim, if you want to look back on your time at the club and see success, then please, don't sell our best players when the big money offers come in. Because ultimately, money is great, but success can never be taken away from you. I'll leave you to decide which you'd prefer to have...
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