Gareth Bale inspired Spurs to a big first half to overcome Liverpool

Tottenham and Liverpool have produced some entertaining matchup in recent years. Although not as high-profile as any London Derby, the intensity of the match has always been enormous. An enjoyable night was well anticipated.

Both teams may not be at their peaks, but there are things to cheer about recently. Luis Suarez, despite all the controversies around him, has been in magnificent form. Together with the revived Jose Enrique at a more advanced role and the promising Raheem Sterling, Liverpool has been showing some spectacular attacking football.

Wingers combined for Spurs' first goal

November has been a nightmare for Tottenham, with consecutive losses to Wigan, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as the fans incident at Rome last Thursday. However, they recovered with a London Derby win over West Ham. There were more delights for the fans, as they witnessed Clint Dempsey finally live up to expectation, also the return of Moussa Dembele after a long rest.

While both midfielders started for Tottenham on Wednesday night, Stephen Caulker was absent due to illness. The agility of Suarez and Sterling was a concern for Michael Dawson and William Gallas, but it seemed Liverpool had more to worry about in defence. Glen Johnson, who is never famous of his defensive ability, could not match Gareth Bale's speed, with Stewart Downing, the unnatural left back, caught napping at the far post to allow Aaron Lennon send Bale's cross into the net with ease only 7 minutes into the match.

Tottenham have often found themselves fail to clinch matches from winning position this season. This time, they made use of the momentum from the opening goal and did not let chances slip. Gareth Bale had already threatened Pepe Reina with a freekick earlier, but he didn't miss his second attempt. Whether it was the loosely-organised wall or the poorly-positioned goalkeeper, the well-struck thundering freekick gave Tottenham an early two-goal margin.

Dembele's return was a great boost to Tottenham's midfield. With the presence of the all-rounded midfielder, Tottenham dominated the midfield and had endured a 3 minutes possession spell in the first half. The fluid football was surely delightful to watch, but there were moments of fragility in front of their goal. Kyle Walker who twice rescued Spurs, with a crucial clearance to keep Suarez's attempt half a yard away from a goal.

Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson had been far from effective and were outshone by Sandro and Dembele. Steven Gerrard had little room to operate and in consequence, Suarez was left frustratingly alone up front. Careless passing by Tottenham's defenders granted the away team a handful of opportunities early in the second half, but none of them did actually worry Hugo Lloris. Jose Enrique had a couple of decent chances, though ruined by his own decision making and Walker's solid defending.

Kyle Walker was the star of the night in defence

Crowds were getting impatient as the home team could not reproduce their performance in the first half.  When Gareth Bale scored again, there was little cheering in the stadium. The innocent Welsh could not get out of the way of Lennon's clearance from an empty goal. The own goal brought Liverpool back in the game, while Spurs once again found themselves on the brink of gifting points away from a winning position.

Sigurdsson continued his disappointing campaign. The Iceland midfielder, who shone on loan with Swansea last season, completely lost his direction at White Hart Lane. Spurs was essentially operating with one man less when Dempsey was taken off. Composure was nowhere to be seen when under pressure and Liverpool was so close to pulling off a leveller. Suarez fired a volley in the box way over the bar and Jose Enrique's stunning shot following a clearance from corner just clipped the outside of the post. With time ticking by, the quality of the match deteriorated. The Kop was in a rush for a late equaliser, but lost the ball cheaply at least three times in the last 5 minutes of the game. 

Finally, Spurs was able to hang on for the second consecutive home victory.  Bale would be relieved that their brilliant first half was just about adequate to overcome Brendan Rodger's side. With results elsewhere at their favour, Tottenham races ahead of Everton and Arsenal and is now only 3 points away from the fourth position. 

QPR managed a draw at Sunderland on Harry's arrival

Having previously rescued Portsmouth and Tottenham from troubled water, Harry Redknapp reckons his mission at Queens Park Rangers is even tougher. With little margin for error, the former Tottenham manager opted for safety ahead of fantasy. Bosingwa and Granero returned to first team, with Mbia and Diakite shielding the defence in midfield. To anchor the players' belief that the season is not over yet, to leave Sunderland with at least a point is a must.

Sunderland's recent struggle would have given Redknapp a hand. Movement up front was very limited, with only Sessegnon being able to threaten occasionally. Adam Johnson again looked toothless in the left wing, which left Steven Fletcher isolated between Ryan Nelsen and Clint Hill. Cattermole once again was bothered by his knee and had to leave merely 5 minutes into the match. Since, the Black Cats was never able to take control in midfield, even though QPR's passing had been off the mark.

While Djibril Cisse is having a poor season, QPR is boosted by the return of Jamie Mackie, who had not been Mark Hughes' favourite. The strong winger does not shy away from strong tackles and shows great desire for victory. Being a frequent receiver of Taarabt's passes, Mackie was fractionally close to scoring for the second consecutive match, only to be denied by Mignolet, who looked to recover from his horrible mistake on Saturday.

The flow of the match sums up the story so far this season for the two teams. Neither showed flashes of clinical touch in the final third. QPR never prepared to put much manpower beyond half way line, but Sunderland, who ought to have more initiative to go for a win, often found their attack terminated due to inadequate support in the box. Their two best chances in the game both came from Steven Fletcher. Julio Cesar and Robert Green, who came in after half time for the injured Brazilian, split the responsibility of retaining the clean sheet.

The introduction of Louis Saha and James McClean gave the home team more physical presence in attack. However, they have nearly lost the match late in the game when Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had substituted Taarabt, came close to snatching the win following a fastbreak.

In the end, it was only a goalless draw. The competent and spiritual football QPR displayed might be still far from the quality Tony Fernandes expects from his investment, but QPR has at least got their first step right towards the great escape. Harry Redknapp would have every reasons to be satisfied with his first match back in the Premier League.

Four problems that are stopping Tottenham from reaching top four

A derby loss is more than just a loss. To lose by a hefty score from a leading position makes it hurt even more. Tottenham fans may argue they were the winning side when head counts were still equal for both teams, but Andre Villa-Boas has wider issues than temperament to resolve to re-establish their stance at a challenger for the Champions League berth.

1. Where is the leader?

The retirement of Ledley King has not left Tottenham short-handed in the centreback position, but the Yids have been struggling to find a replacement to the influential leader. Tottenham has not been once buckled under pressure this season and conceded late goals to gift away victories. When Adebayor was sent off, the absence of the outspoken character under crisis cost them dearly. By the time AVB had the chance to restore the team order, Tottenham already had left themselves with the task of overcoming a two goals deficit with a man down.

2. Why still Gallas?

Ideally, William Gallas is capable of providing the much needed leadership to Spurs. This might well be the sole value of keeping the aging centreback in the starting XI. It is obvious, though, that the Frenchman failed to deliver once again  on Saturday. He was never the source of confidence and stability at the heart of defence. What made worse was the display of a lack of interest to play approaching the end of the match, something you do not expect to see from your captain. In contrast, Michael Dawson had been more than spiritual joining the game half way through. At his peak, Gallas may be a fitter centreback than Dawson, but it is growingly obvious that he has become the defensive liability. Fans will be hoping it is not long until the loyal Dawson re-emerges as the first-choice captain again.

3. Optimising the tactics

It would be impossible to judge whether employing a 4-4-2 at Emirates Stadium was a sensible option now, but this does show Tottenham's versatility in tactics. No matter they are playing one or two strikers, it is important that they maximise their capabilities. The match against NK Maribor was a perfect demonstration in utilising their strength in the passing range and width of midfield, but seldom can they maintain the consistency throughout a match and often find themselves losing the balance of attack. How well can AVB address this problem with the team could be the key in avoiding unnecessary points-dropping and bagging a top four spot.

4. Lack of self belief

This is one of the main reasons why Tottenham completely collapsed and lost out to Arsenal in the Champions League race last season. Although recording some victories over their rivals in the last few seasons, the lack of historical success leaves the players struggle to self-convince of their capabilities to be the winner. When Mancity was pouring the attack in Etihad Stadium, Tottenham looked no different to the QPR side who involved in the dramatic title-deciding game last season. The departures of Van der Vaart and Modric do not help either, as neither Sigurdsson, Dembele nor Dempsey has equivalent achievement in top flight football. More than an inspirational speech is needed to anchor the players' confidence and belief in their own capabilities. This will be a stern test to AVB on his ability to exert positive influence and get the maximum out of the players.

A weakened but promising Three Lions side at Sweden

Conservative and unimpressive squad selection steered England to Quarter Final of Euro 2012, prompting criticism over their playing style and tactics. The shout for inclusion of young talents into the national team prompts increased chances for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, but it is nowhere near a revolutionary change. Unconvincing performance against Ukraine and Poland demonstrated that this could not be the team to win the World Cup in 2014.

Whether the disappointment at Poland has enlightened Hodgson is questionable. After all, international friendly matches are perfect opportunity to experiment new tactics and players. Injuries drove or forced Hodgson to hand several players their international debuts. While their performance is encouraging and promising, it might not be strong enough to persuade their manager to grant them a second chance during the build-up to World Cup.

Out of all debutants, Raheem Sterling would be the most exciting one. He may not be better than Walcott or Lennon at this stage, but he definitely qualifies to be their understudy. His speed, bravery and passing vision made him the star of England at Sweden. He would also be thankful to have Glen Johnson and Stephen Gerrard around to settle his nerve.

Stephen Caulker starred in Swansea's defence last season and has emerged as Tottenham's first choice centreback lately. There was no Terry, Ferdinand or Ashley Cole there to give Caulker covering and assurance. While the young centreback hardly settled in the first half, he did manage to utilise his strength and earn a debut goal by converting Gerrard's marvellous freekick.

On the other hand, Ryan Shawcross did not have Caulker's luck. Coming in with a 2-1 lead, he saw himself bully by Ibrahimovic to equalise and the world-class striker went on to add two more in the last ten minutes of the game. It was hardly Shawcross' sole responsibility, but the scoreline surely would not please Hodgson. While Ferdinand would be kept out of the team for footballing reason, should other young centrebacks be given more chances to play against world-class calibre strikers to shake off their nerves, as shown by Shawcross and Caulker?

Can Osman win Hodgson's heart with his maturity and established game?

Another interesting selection from Hodgson was Leon Osman. He is never the stand-out player in Everton throughout the years and remains in the bottom of the pecking order in England midfield. Nevertheless, the techniques, work rate and football intelligence he possesses make him an all-rounded midfielder, which one would wonder why he has been kept in the dark in the last few years, when Frank Lampard, Stephen Gerrard and Gareth Barry, the automatic choices for the Three Lions, are declining. However, at his age, he will hardly be the preferred choice for Roy Hodgson, in particular with the rise of Tom Cleverley, the return of Jack Wilshere, Tottenham's pair Livermore and Huddlestone, and not to forget Osman's previous teammate Jack Rodwell.  

With John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard set to return for the upcoming qualifying fixtures in March, it would be likely that these debutants will again be left at home to watch their national team play. The argument that whether this is the best move for England's football development will continue, but for sure the combination of aging veterans and nervy youngsters will not win them the World Cup they are longing for.  

Tottenham raced past Maribor behind Defoe's hat-trick

Tough and congested fixtures left AVB in dilemma of squad selection on Thursday night. The Portuguese once again emphasise their focus in Europa League, despite knowing their main priority is to return to Champions League. The former Europa champion manager believes that top teams do have the mentality to thrive in the congested mid-week fixtures. Whether these "trainings" could bring improvement to Tottenham, who surprised AC Milan in 2010 but failed to get back to Champions League, will only be known by the end of the season. 

While Sergio Aguero was at the O2 arena to support his country Tennis hero Del Potro, Tottenham had to labour at home, with Sunday match against Manchester City in mind. With two days less to rest and having to give way to Chelsea and Liverpool, Tottenham may argue that the lunchtime Sunday slot is a bit unfair. However, it was their lacklustre performance at Slovenia and Greece that left them in the must-win position tonight.

Hat-trick hero Jermain Defoe

Playing without Sandro and Dembele, AVB turned to the more aggressive 4-4-2 formation, handing young Thomas Carroll the start in midfield. Adebayor and Defoe started together for the first time this season, while they would have different persons in mind to impress. Since his return, Adebayor have not won the trust of AVB yet and would be keen to impress in his rare opportunity to start. Fans favourite Defoe was unhappy with his short spell against Wigan. His form has indeed declined lately and would be determined to rediscover his goal-scoring touch.

However, it was Gareth Bale who was the sharpest early in the game. The game plan was simple and clear --- feed Bale as early as possible. Tom Huddlestone's diagonal passes targeted Bale accurately and the left winger utilised his speed and footwork to give right back Milec a horrific night. When his cross finally found Defoe, the poacher skilfully guided the cross towards the bottom corner and beat keeper Handanovic.

Without much pressure from the Slovenian side, Tom Huddlestone mastered the midfield with his composure and passing range. With Thomas Carroll shaking off then nerve, Tottenham gradually dominated and an easy victory was in sight. However, young full back Kyle Naughton's suicidal back pass victimised Lloris and gave Maribor a moment to cheer.

The fans paid tribute to Fabricio Muamba at half time, while AVB was busy to re-energise the team in search for their first European victory this season. They did not spend long to regain the lead. Carroll's through pass found Defoe and the English striker scored his second with another poacher effort. He may not have as many starts in his career as he has this season, but the 30-year old shows he still has something left in the tank to stay as their first-choice striker.

Lenient officiating left Bale and Defoe frustrated, but with Huddlestone and Carroll controlling the possession and Adebayor, though not at his best, linking up plays with his technique and physicality, Tottenham displayed fluent attacking football in the second half. The combination of Huddlestone, Gareth Bale and Defoe sealed the victory and granted Defoe the game ball.   

The furious celebration by AVB showed how much he wanted the victory. It is a much needed one to re-gather the morale of the team ahead of their tough fixtures. Tottenham finished the night on a high note and would be looking to reproduce this confident performance at Manchester coming Sunday afternoon.  

Tom Carroll deserved the praise

The Brilliant TomTom

Tom Huddlestone and Thomas Carroll are not well-known of their work-rate, but they shone in the night which Maribor hardly challenged them. The two Toms showcased their passing and ball-control skills and distributed the ball wisely and timely all across the field. Their first-time passes had led to Tottenham's second and third goals of the game. Their performance tonight made Dembele's absence forgettable and AVB would require Huddlestone to be at his best again on Sunday.

4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2?

Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon make their 4-4-2 very penetrating, but they undoubtedly need the workhorses Sandro and Dembele in the midfield to make this effective in Premier League. Adebayor is also the key in this formation, with his ability to shield his partnering striker and create space with his height and skills. It would not be surprised to see AVB restore to the 4-2-3-1 against Manchester City, in order to crowd the midfield, but 4-4-2 maybe a better alternative to clinch matches against weaker teams. The results tonight is the best proof.  

Chelsea celebrates thrilling victory amidst defensive woes

The unlikely hero

The 2-1 win at Ukraine over Chelsea may have shocked some England fans, but Shakhtar has been impressive in the last few European campaigns. Di Matteo's decision to bench Terry even though realising the threat of the Brazilians Fernandinho, Luiz Adriano and Willian was indeed a brave move.

Also without Ashley Cole, the loopholes on the left hand side of defence was very obvious. Ryan Bertrand tested his own goalkeeper with a comedic header following a corner. David Luiz's adventurous style left huge gap at the back. Mikel managed to fill in the gap for numerous time, but not when Fernandinho thoroughly exposed their weaknesses with a daring run and crossed for Willian to finish.

It seemed Chelsea's best strategy of defence was to attack. David Luiz looked fully inspired by the talents in the field and was more interested to be an attacker in this decisive group match. Fernando Torres looked lively and determined, and it was his hard work that earned a goal resulted from the Pyatov's poor clearance.

Both teams were frequently throwing punches at each other and Shakhtar emerged as the better team after Willian's leveller. Nevertheless, Pyatov was again involved in another avoidable goal. Having forced to clear Chelsea's counter attack as a sweeper, his header could only reach Oscar and the Brazilian fired a fantastic shot near halfway line over the goalkeeper. Shakhtar had themselves to blame with the poor defending but Oscar deserved the credit for the amazing goal. Chelsea found themselves in the driving seat despite conceding  majority of the possession to Shakhtar.

The goal, though, seemed did little to deflate the Ukrainian Champion. Shortly into second half, the game was back to where it began. Another quality attack started by Fernandinho, whose pass released Srna and the cutback cross found Willian once again to level the match at 2-2.

Shakhtar was flying with confidence and played the Barcelona style to play the way out of defence. Rat nearly gave them the first lead in the game but the post denied his long-range shot. Pressure was exerted on Bertrand and with Willian moving to the middle more often,  Ramires and Mikel struggled to contain the Shakhtar's mobile midfield.

Willian tormented Chelsea's defence led by his compatriot

Having dominated the game but failed to capitalise the chances, tired legs started to hit Shakhtar, which in turn gave Eden Hazard the space to shine. His quick feet gave Kucher and Rakitskiy some moments to suffer. A spell of great football put Chelsea in the favourite position again. Mikel missed marginally with his shot following a corner and Ramires was brought down by Srna in the box, though no penalty was given.

Just when the game was tilted to the home side once again, Shakhtar found the magic to recover and attempted to grab the unlikely winner with rapid counter attack. David Luiz was inevitably the clown when Chelsea was under pressure. Unnecessary fouls and mis-positioning left Chelsea wonder whether they could leave the stadium with even just a vital point.

Bagging four points from Chelsea would leave Shakhtar in a favourable position to qualify for knockout stage. Getting six would make it a certainty, but whether it would be the right move in the dying minute of the match was debatable. Shakhtar remained faithful with their style, but it was Chelsea who ultimately benefited from it. Ramires' breaking run from a Shaktar's corner eventually led to a corner of their own, which gave substitute Victor Moses the opportunity to enjoy the heroic moment.

The dramatic victory rocketed Chelsea to the top of the group on goal difference. With Juventus winning at home with ease on the same night, the group remains tight with only one point separating the three teams. Di Matteo will have little worries over the attacking, but will the defence let the team down? Chelsea fans will be praying for Terry and Ashley Cole's return in their trip to Turin. 

Manchester City's fading European dream stays alive

Roberto Mancini obviously knows the Maths well. 3 points are vital to qualifying in the group of death regardless of the outcome at Madrid. England trio James Milner, Johan Lescott and Micah Richards were dropped, so as bench specialist Edin Dzeko. Mancini employed a 4-2-2-2 formation, pairing up Tevez and Aguero with the support of Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri.

In the do-or-die match, Manchester City's terrible 1st half performance put them on the back foot. There was lack of energy and intensity. Organisation at both ends of the field was poor. With Javi Garcia sitting deep in midfield, Gareth Barry could not define his own position and was often found running aimlessly. Ajax did not find their opponents hard to defend with the lack of width and teamwork. As a defender himself, Frank De Boer found the magic to neutralise a team which Ajax's winger Ryan Babel commented as a group of great individual but could not play as a team.

What made worse was the collapse of Mancini's proudest department --- defence. Two poorly coordinated corner defence left De Jong unmark and beat the innocent Joe Hart from close range twice. Just as Mancini was finding the white flag in his pocket, Yaya Toure reduced the deficit with an impromptu back-to-the-goal volley. Individual excellence kept Manchester City's hope alive.

At ultimate desperation, Mancini turned to Mario Balotelli. With Javi Garcia removed, Barry was more settled and Manchester City eventually took control of the game tempo with the more invasive formation. Ajax attempted to contain with  team effort but often found themselves struggle to get out of their own half. The better attacking plays were never converted, with Aguero twice disappointed the fans with boot slips near the box. Meanwhile, De Jong was marginally close to complete his hat trick but was denied twice by Joe Hart.

Just as if the experience of Christian Poulsen had helped stabilise Ajax, and De Jong and Eriksen were able to see more of the ball, Manchester City constructed a simple but important leveller. A long goal kick, Baloetelli's flicked header and Aguero's right foot shot reignited the hope in Etihad Stadium.

15 minutes to go and with the deflated and tired Ajax, fans started to recall last season's dramatic scene of Aguero's last minute title-winning strike. Nevertheless, it was officials rather than goalkeeper Vermeer standing in their way. Aguero's goal was disallowed when linesman judged another substitute Kolarov was offside before his delivery. The last minute shirt-pulling incident involving Balotelli in the box was neglected as well by the referee.

 It would be another furious press conference for Roberto Mancini, but in truth Manchester City was never the team who deserved to win. The point earned at home tonight extends their Mission Impossible to Germany. A much better and convincing performance is in need for a victory over Dortmund next game week.