Spurs Out of Slump?

            Across the past few games, the Tottenham Hotspurs have been under the weather to say the least. They have seemed to be very uninterested in staying in the competition, and that is what was expected again from fans as they took on Newcastle. Shockingly to everyone, the Spurs came out flying with a seemingly new excitement and rejuvenation. In the end, the Spurs took home a 3-1 victory, hopefully reinforcing their performance against Newcastle. Throughout the beginning of the game, the Spurs controlled all of the chances, holding the game to their liking. Then, they went ahead in the first half following a long range effort put in by Chadli. Then, they came out of the break slow, and they were punished when Colback scored within the first minute back. Following this, the game’s future looked grim, as both teams seemed content with a draw and took little initiative. Finally, Eriksen’s free kick went through the entire team and put the Spurs ahead again, reinstating the confidence they needed. After this, they controlled the game confidently and went on to score one more final goal.

            As for the meanings and implications of this outcome; they are kind of mixed results. First, it is good that the Spurs are (currently) back to some kind of form and are capable of winning a game and scoring goals. Manager Pochettino was able to organize his team, for this game at least, to focus and defeat their opponent. This also gives them a sure chance at qualifying for the Europa League. These results do come with another side, however, and not all is good in Tottenham. While they were able to beat Newcastle, that is barely worth mentioning in light of their recent performance. Newcastle has been playing with few expectations recently, rarely hoping for even a draw. They are even on the edge of relegation, and fans have definitely shown their dislike for recent performance. As to the Europa league, the Spurs have had mixed results in this as well. While they may qualify for the Europa, they then lose focus on any domestic league play, drawing away from what arguably matters more. They have had little luck balancing attention to both in the past.

            Although not all that can be taken away from this game is good, it was definitely helpful in the long run for Tottenham. This was a much needed win for the Spurs, and one can only hope that they can continue the performance that they showed tonight. 

City Still Fighting

            In another Premier League match, Manchester City took on West Ham United at home. City were coming in to the game in need of a boost in confidence following a slump of sorts for the past few games. The final score of 2-0 should serve to that purpose quite well, especially considering the means by which it came. For City’s first goal against West Ham, the visitors even went so far as to score for them, bringing energy to the team. The second goal came from a successful counter attack and put the game far enough out of West Ham’s reach to ruin any hope of a comeback.

            The game also held some controversial playing and calling by both the players and the officials. To start, Silva was booked for his arm brushing up against West Ham’s Winston Reid who was quick to dramatically fall to the ground holding his nose. Then, David Silva had to be treated on the field for a face injury caused by, you guessed it, Winston Reid. Not only was this the same offense (except actually real) committed opposite earlier, but it led to a lengthy treatment that added 7 minutes of stoppage time to the already stretched out game. The 7 minutes gave no more hope to West Ham as the game was already way beyond reach.

            Now for some player overviews throughout the game, the center back position held some hope and confidence for one player but inactivity for another. Martin Demichelis started the game well, but fell into a slump later in the game, losing concentration (and the ball) during important times and even becoming injured due to silly errors later in the game. However, Eliaquim Mangala took the game a different direction; playing confidently and efficiently, he took care of things in the center back position and proved himself well. As for City’s attacking end, play was quite efficient for the most part and players took care of business. Aguero took to excelling as usual, and was able to be involved in the buildup and even scored the second goal. Frank Lampard was involved, but not majorly, and just did things as he needed to: nothing outstanding but was not lacking in any way. Jesus Navas was one City player that stood out among the team, and for good reason. The entire game, Navas was all over the place in the midfield, taking advantage of West Ham’s lazy defending. He was involved in both goals, and was able to make passes when he needed to.

            The main goal for Manchester City from this game was obviously to get themselves back into the title race. With Chelsea far above the pack and the season coming to an end, City needs to do all they can to stay in the race. A 2-0 win against West Ham should get the job done, and it hopefully serves as a good confidence boost for the team.

Changes for Borussia

            Bignews for Borussia Dortmund followers and soccer fans in general came about this week, as it was announced that current manager Jurgen Klopp would not return next season. Instead, Thomas Tuchel will take the reins starting July 1 with a three year contract. That is all that is known now, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out. At Borussia currently, Klopp is truly the team’s leader in all aspects, emotionally and also tactically minded. Klopp acts as a sort of father figure to the squad, and this would definitely be a hard role for Tuchel to fill.

            However, I do not believe that this is the role that Borussia brought Tuchel in to fill. Dortmund’s off the pitch side may be taken care of by Klopp’s leadership and support of the team, but their issues on the field are evident. Too many mistakes have been made this season by Borussia, and especially against smaller sides that should be easily beaten by Dortmund’s dominance. I believe that Tuchel will bring in fresh ideas and tactics that should give the team the edge that they have been missing as of late. At Tuchel’s previous clubs, like Mainz, he has been known to lead tough, demanding practices that should help to improve a stagnant team like Borussia. He focuses on the details and is a supporter of coaching styles brought about by the likes of Pep Guardiola. I think that he will be strict enough to make a change at Dortmund, and hopefully it is for the better, as things have not been the best this season, especially for a team of their caliber.

            As for the way that the club is going about this process, I don’t think that they could have done it any better way. First, it is important that they let fans, players, etc. to know that this is going on, which they did very openly. Also, they gave the most basic, yet important details to help people make the best decisions, such as who is coming in to replace and when. Also, I really admire their decision to hold any further discussion of the situation until the end of the season. I feel that this is the best way for them to let the team focus on this season still, but have enough information to know what lies ahead for the club and to stay out of the dark.