Talking Points From Tottenham 1-0 Palace
And they’re off! Spurs made heavy work of their first win of the season on Saturday, in a game which had the look of 0-1 Crystal Palace (Townsend ’86) written all over it. Luckily for Tottenham, Alan Pardew, forever the trailblazer, has somehow managed to assemble a football team that is incapable of scoring goals. So, once Wanyama had eventually put the hosts ahead after 80-odd minutes, the result was all but secure. A half-arsed performance, rewarded handsomely with three valuable points. The lesson?
Never try.
Here’re some of the highlights:
Lamela’s Nutmeg
Danny Rose’s hands-on-head reaction told you everything you needed to know about the Argentine’s microsecond undoing of Andros Townsend. Endlessly circulated on social media during the game and the ideal riposte for anyone still wondering if Spurs had kept hold of the right man. The distance between their talents is as vast as the one between the England winger’s legs.
Townsend isn’t always the easiest of characters to love— chipping off at fitness coaches, having a default mode of shoot-on-sight aren’t exactly crowd pleasers— but you’ve got to admire his continued efforts to defibrillate his career. A footballing nomad whose gifts deserve to find a settled home. With new teammate Christian Benteke around to get the most out of Townsend’s skillset, Palace could be where he finally plants his roots.
Wanyama Winner
Perhaps not the new signing that one might’ve expected to score on their home debut on Saturday, but no-one— not even Vincent Janssen— will be bothered about that. Harry Kane greeted Erik Lamela’s outswinging corner with a forceful header towards goal, which was steered past Hennessey by the well-stocked Kenyan. A reflex headed finish that any international striker would be delighted with.
There’s been something of an overreaction in regards to what these two fine Wanyama performances might mean for Eric Dier, who hasn’t had the most dazzling of starts to the campaign. The short answer is nothing. The former Southampton dynamo chalked up some impressive stats against Palace; as well as the winning goal he recorded 3 ball recoveries, 3 tackles, 3 take-ons and a 93% pass accuracy. All categories in which he surpassed the England midfielder. But it’s early August, so probably a little early to be writing off Eric Dier’s career just yet.
Dancin’ Janssen
Oh god he’s another Soldado, isn’t he? Vincent Soldado. That’s what they’ll call him, isn’t it? That, I imagine, is how some of the darker recesses of social media would’ve reacted to the Dutchman’s skewwhiffed effort in the second half at the weekend, after Dele Alli’s gloriously bowed throughball.
Apart from a couple of missed chances, though, Janssen was Spurs’ best player. His movement is excellent. A bulking, Johnny Bravo-esque frame means he’s not hyper-quick, but his thought process is nimble enough for him to locate those spaces between the lines. Hard working, not technically perfect, but an archetypal handful for any defence. He’s going to score a million goals and we should all be very pleased.