Match Preview: Spurs v Sheffield United (… round and round we go)

 

Match Preview: Spurs v Sheffield United (… round and round we go)

When I was a kid (that was many years ago…),  there was a nursery rhyme my mum used to teach me; “round and round the garden, like a Teddy Bear, one step-two-step tickle you under there”. That rhyme comes back to haunt me where Spurs is concerned. “Round and Round the Tottenham circle Levy’s managerial circus goes, one-step-two-step but nobody know where it emerges.” Poor, I know. But it does seem we are going around and around Levy’s garden of tricks, where it will end, nobody knows.

Usually, I am optimistic, but nowadays, just deflated. I don’t think we deserve to be in the Champions league with our performance this season, and nor do I want to be in the Europa League. And maybe none of them if UEFA has a say over our Superleague conduct.

I was at the League Cup Final, and even though I had a brilliant day out, the performance on the field was predictable and awful. Nobody was shocked by the result. Granted, our hearts said we could win it, but reality said we would get thrashed, but escaped with a one-goal defeat. Since then, Kane has commented about winning trophies (not at Spurs he won’t, unless Levy changes his policy and competes with his other top-six wealthy rivals).

Usually, our game against a team that will be relegated at the end of the season would be quite easy to predict, a win for us. But nothing is straight forward at Spurs anymore. You’ve got a child-man managing a team that has a great history behind it. God knows what Levy was thinking when he decided – in his wisdom – to put an inexperienced person in charge of players worth millions and have talent (allegedly). Rather insulting to the team and fans, wouldn’t you say?

Anyway, we are 7^th in the league, five points behind the Russians. Not impossible to overtake them, but I am sure that we can cock that up. So many times this season we’ve relied on the results of the other teams so that we could be in shouting distance of a place in the champions league.

Hopefully, other results will go away (provided we beat the Blades).

Leicester Titty take on Southampton, away (today), Chelski take on their London rivals Fulham, while Everton face Villa, on Saturday. Then the day we face the Blades, Man United and Liverpool battle it out. On Monday, Burnley take on the Spammers.  So, whatever we do, we need to look at the other clubs in whether we smile or not (that is if we beat Sheffield United).

TEAM NEWS

Spurs

Ryan Mason confirmed Harry Kane is fit to face Sheffield United, having felt no ill effects from his comeback last weekend. Ben Davies remains Tottenham's only injured player. Apart from these players, everybody should be fit.

Sheffield United

Sander Berge will be in the matchday squad for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury before Christmas. Chris Basham could also return, but Oli McBurnie, Jack Robinson, Jack O'Connell and Billy Sharp remain out.

My thoughts and prediction

Nobody was really surprised how poor we were in last weekend's Carabao Cup final. Mason got his tactics all wrong.

We couldn’t get the ball off the City-slickers in the first half and couldn't even get out of our own half. The second has slightly different. However, the City-Slickers battered us without scoring a goal before the break, and even in the second half, we never looked like winning the game. So, that was then. Of course, the Blades are no Sky Blues, but that won’t stop them from trying to humiliate us (again).

This game should be a lot easier for us – in theory – and we should create some chances (my optimism is returning).

Sheffield United had a good win against Brighton last time out, but the Seagulls still had plenty of chances to get something out of that game. I am hoping that we will find a way through (we’ve got to).

My prediction: 3-1 (that is to us)

Their scorer, David McGoldrick, has scored 39% of Sheffield United's league goals this season. It's the highest percentage of any player for his team in the top flight

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

We won the reverse fixture 3-1 and are looking to complete our first league double over Sheffield United since 1976.

Sheffield United's most recent away victory in this fixture came in 1991.

Spurs

We have only lost one of our 17 Premier League matches this season against teams in the bottom half of the table.

A sixth home league defeat of the season would equal our most in any of the past 12 seasons, having finished with that many losses in 2014-15.

We have scored at least once in each of our last 10 Premier League games, the longest current run in the competition.

Forty-four of our 56 goals have been scored or assisted by either Harry Kane or Son Heung-min.

Sheffield United

Sheffield could win consecutive Premier League fixtures for the first time since July.

Before beating Brighton last Saturday, they had only taken two points from their previous 23-weekend games.

The Blades have lost 14 of their 16 games on the road this term.

United have won just one of their last 25 Premier League games in London, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in February 2020.

They have equalled the club record of 26 league defeats in a season.

Aaron Ramsdale has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of his last 26 top-flight away starts. If he fails to do so in this match, it will be the longest run by a goalkeeper in Premier League history.

So, I’ve left you with a bit of disparagement and ended with optimism, all rolled up in a heartache. Even if we win this game, we’ve still got a mountain to climb and hope that the other teams start falling well short of their potential.

Some fixture changes and the hope that some of us can enter Levy’s lair before the end of the season (i.e. crowds back in the stadium).

Fixture changes

The latest Premier League TV selections will see a change of date for our home fixture against Wolves. This game will now take place on Sunday, 16 May, kick-off at 2.05pm.

Our games against  Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa have been rescheduled to provide a chance for each club to welcome the safe return of supporters these matches, subject to the government’s further easing of lockdown restrictions.

Aston Villa (at home) will take place during the midweek of 18/19 May. Further details will be announced by the Premier League in due course.

Has your eye's seen the Glory? If yes (or even no) click HERE and follow the link, then they will and for those that are longer in the tooth.... be prepared to be dazzled all over again!

Until we meet again, take care and all the best, Glenn

COYS!