5-0! We're Going Out To Eat Tonight!

It's easy to get excited about Tottenham's 5-0 victory to kick off their 2011 campaign. Especially when what was supposed to be their inaugural match against Everton was cancelled due to (protesters? / rioters? / hoodlums?) threatening to burn all of London down. Just playing the game seemed like a miracle. But it was just the first match, and it was the lowly Europa League, and it was against a Scottish side called Hearts. The match, which was comfortably in hand within the first half an hour didn't tell us anything about Spurs we didn't already know. However, there were some encouraging things to take away.

Jermain Defoe appears to be fully recovered from his hamstring, groin, ankle, and whichever other injuries were plaguing him last season. Harry Redknapp predicted a breakout from Defoe this year and today's match strengthened his claims. Although take what Redknapp says with a grain of salt. He's the same manager who said he wasn't going to play his main players in the Europa League qualifier because the team needed to concentrate on the Premier League and all that. We see how well he stuck to that script, although his decision was probably aided by the cancellation of the Everton match. Defoe was the most impressive Tottenham player. He scored the second goal, hit the post on what would have been an amazing third goal, and delivered some excellent passes. I can't praise Defoe too much because he beat up on a leaky defense, but his team needs him to return to the goal-scorer of two years ago and he looks like he's becoming that player again.

Oh, how I missed you Gareth Bale. Bale missed the last month of the 2010 season with an ankle injury. Back injuries had been nagging him all year. He scored the fourth goal of the match, and showcased his patented runs on the left side all night. He brought me right back to San Siro, where we, but mostly Maicon, saw him grow up before our eyes. Just seeing him on the pitch was important, and the fact that he played well was only  icing on the cake.

Winning 5-0 in the first leg is an enormous advantage, especially for a team as injury-taxed as Tottenham. Redknapp now has the option to rest his main players in the second leg in preparation for Manchester City at White Hart Lane. Teams like City and Manchester United are deep enough to throw their reserves out their for the early qualifiers and still come away with victories. Tottenham doesn't have that kind of depth, so locking the first qualifying round up after the first leg is extremely beneficial for them. It's going to be interesting to see how Redknapp handles the Europa League matches going forward. Tottenham is currently the best of the lot and will still be one of the top teams after some of the Champions League sides drop down (welcome aboard, enjoy your short stay in Europa, Arsenal). Does Redknapp chase a Europa League trophy and compromise the Premier League season? I doubt it. He probably would have played the reserves tonight had the Everton match not been cancelled. The good thing, at least for the time being, is Tottenham's reserves can beat most of these teams in the early rounds. Despite this, an early exit from Europa and a 5th place Premiership finish seems all-too-Totttenham.

Lost in the overwhelming positive attitude emanating from Scotland is what I like to call the Heurelho Gomes problem. Gomes started in goal and fortunately was only tested four times. Even then he was shaky and looked downright confused on corners. He made numerous bad challenges and wasn't able to hang on to a routine ball that led to a corner. Gomes erratic goalkeeping cost Spurs last year, most notably in the second leg against Real Madrid. Redknapp brought in former Aston Villa and US National Brad Friedel, presumably to start, and still has Carlo Cudicini on the bench. Both seem to be better options at this point. Why Redknapp stuck with Gomes is anyone's guess. His goalkeeping didn't cost Tottenham against an inferior opponent, but it will in the Premier League.

As tempting as it is to fall over in excitement over an early season blowout, it's important to keep things in perspective. Hearts aren't very good. The real test will come Monday against Manchester United. Let's see if Spurs can lose by less than three before scampering to the rooftops and screaming "5-0, 5-0, 5-0," to the people on the streets.

It's Not "Just" The Carling Cup

For many of the bigger and more successful clubs used to playing in the Champions League, the Carling Cup is merely an exhibition tournament for their younger players. While many feel this cheapens the competition of the tournament, it's hard to argue with a manager that wants to rest his players for the Champions League and Premier League season.
Don't tell Harry Redknapp it's just an exhibition game. He criticized Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for the handling of his roster the last few Carling Cups, and down 1-0 at halftime, substituted the high profile Aaron Lennon and Robbie Keane to start the second half.
Redknapp's substitutions made an immediate impact, as Keane scored in the 49th minute to even the game.
Tottenham has achieved a fair amount of success in the Carling Cup the last three years. They were eliminated in the fifth round last year, lost to Manchester United on penalty kicks two years ago in the championship, and won the Cup three years ago under manager Juande Ramos.
For a Premier League team that faces an uphill battle to qualify for one of the various European tournaments, the Carling Cup provides the only big game atmosphere they will encounter in any particular year. For that reason alone, they deserve a shot to go up against a more successful team that takes the tournament at least semi-seriously.
More importantly, the fans deserve a show. They don't care if the game means anything or not. That's one of the more underestimated qualities of being a fan there is. It doesn't matter the situation or importance, a fan wants to win every game.
Think of this in terms of the NFL preseason. The fans know the point is to get a look at players battling for roster spots. The starters are rusty and just looking to get on the same page. But that doesn't stop the fans from wanting an impressive performance from the starters, as well as a win at the end of the game.
The same logic applies in the Carling Cup, which is why this defeat was so disappointing for Spurs fans. It's not that they lost, it's the way they lost.
Three boneheaded mistakes in extra-time led to three goals. This coming after a hard fought second half to come back and tie the game, despite looking dreadful in the first half.
Two penalties in the box are inexcusable. Especially in extra time, and the first committed before a minute ticked off the clock. The third goal was even worse. While Spurs defender Kyle Naughton was complaining about a foul call, Jack Wilshere took a quick free kick and set up Andrei Arshavin who snuck easily behind Naughton for a goal that officially put the game out of reach.
Tottenham's miscues were not limited to the defensive end. Down 3-1, David Bentley missed a header from seven feet away after receiving a perfect cross. Had he connected and put Spurs within one, the game could have had a different outcome. Instead, it was just another mistake in an extra-time first period that was filled with mistakes.
For the players, it was just the Carling Cup. They still have the Premier and Champions League to concern themselves with.
Don't tell that to the fans who had to witness Samir Nasri put home two penalty kicks and smile his way down the field like his first child was born. Don't tell that to the fans who had to leave early hoping to avoid the Arsenal fans who flooded their stadium with chants and songs, only to be serenaded across North London for the rest of night.
For the fans, it's never just a game. They all mean something.