Thierry Henry is right about Spurs
Thierry Henry has been there and done it, nobody can claim he doesn't know what he is talking about. When he answers questions as his role on a football panel he gives common sense answers that generally are not loaded with team bias, as so many are.
I fail to see the point of having a former player of a club on for a football game and asking them what they think the result will be, none of them say their club is going to lose, they all say they think they could grab a draw, it's pathetic TV. Space filling that tells us nothing, it's TV for the brain dead.
When an expert can take his club colours off, then we get some sense. Thierry Henry was discussing the upcoming European Championships and England's chances. He came out with a remark that has elements of truth.
Mentally weak Spurs players. It is a topic I have been coming back to for three years. You win nothing if you don't have it mentally. When the going gets tough that's when you see if a player has it or not, we didn't. We lost our heads against Chelsea, we bottled it against WBA and simply gave up against Southampton and Newcastle United. Wimmers don't do that.
I fail to see the point of having a former player of a club on for a football game and asking them what they think the result will be, none of them say their club is going to lose, they all say they think they could grab a draw, it's pathetic TV. Space filling that tells us nothing, it's TV for the brain dead.
When an expert can take his club colours off, then we get some sense. Thierry Henry was discussing the upcoming European Championships and England's chances. He came out with a remark that has elements of truth.
“Wayne Rooney is going to be key, to be in and around those youngsters.
“We saw with Tottenham recently that some of their youngsters can be mentally weak sometimes.”
Mentally weak Spurs players. It is a topic I have been coming back to for three years. You win nothing if you don't have it mentally. When the going gets tough that's when you see if a player has it or not, we didn't. We lost our heads against Chelsea, we bottled it against WBA and simply gave up against Southampton and Newcastle United. Wimmers don't do that.
The talent is there at Spurs and some of the players are exempt from that criticism. Harry Kane, for instance, is an example of what other players should aspire to mentally. When Tim Sherwood first brought him into the team I wrote that the players needed to learn from his mentality, I haven't changed my mind. He has simply reinforced that and proven my point.
Dele Alli got himself sent off, Eric Dier should have been sent off, Mousa Dembele (although not young) got himself sent off, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min stopped making forward runs giving Eriksen nobody to pass to. The team from a winning position at Chelsea simply gave the game away through fear. We sat back, defended deeper, let Chelsea have the ball and therefore had nowhere to go and nobody to pass to when we had the ball. We blew it mentally.
Dele Alli got himself sent off, Eric Dier should have been sent off, Mousa Dembele (although not young) got himself sent off, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min stopped making forward runs giving Eriksen nobody to pass to. The team from a winning position at Chelsea simply gave the game away through fear. We sat back, defended deeper, let Chelsea have the ball and therefore had nowhere to go and nobody to pass to when we had the ball. We blew it mentally.
Spurs have come a long way under Pochettino, but this is the beginning. The squad needs strengthening, good players need to be made better and everyone needs to learn from the end of season experience. All were fine when we were winning but couldn't handle adversity. Countless times we gave up leads. What happens on the football field over a season doesn't lie. If something keeps occurring then there is an issue that needs tackling.
We have shown the system works, we have shown the tactics work, we have seen what happens if the off the ball running stops or if we stop playing with positive intent. To do what succeeds and keep doing it under pressure and with fear is mental toughness. Tat is the biggest challenge for us next season, add stronger mentality to our game.
There are plenty of plusses to draw upon, Harry Kane and Dele Alli has got to where he is through mentality, he is still learning, Danny Rose improved, that takes a positive attitude, Kyle Walker has rediscovered his form after a stale period, Erik Lamela stopping wanting to return to Italy and knuckled down. The performances of Hugo Lloris.
ther are plenty of positives to take away from the season, but we fans mustn't simply pretend there are not mental weaknesses that need working on.
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