One could not escape the feeling of déjà vu yesterday. Whether it is naïve optimism or the innate self-loathing Spurs fans suffer from, with expectations so high, there was no hiding from the disappointment following the 2-1 reverse at Teesside yesterday.
History lessons need to be learned, if not by the squad, then at least by the fans. Excitement was bubbling to near fever pitch after a very successful pre-season campaign. Sheets were clean and goals were seen, players crowed with form and confidence, Ramos even conducted interviews in English. But it was back to business yesterday and, unfortunately, back down to Earth.
Last year's pre-season was nothing if not surrounded by hype. Back pages splashed the fact we were going to finish fourth, even the bookies backed us. The worst thing about it? We, the fans, believed the hype. I thought we had moved on from there, but clearly not far enough.
There was little desire and forethought against Middlesbrough, but overall it was poor team selection that let us down. Heads were scratched when the team news was posted; Berbatov, King and Bale all on bench warming duty. There may have been questions asked about the fitness of King and Bale given the two spent the best part of last season at the doctors. But regardless of what may be going on in the 'will he won't he saga', Berbatov is our best player, and as long as he is our number 9, he should start.
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Not only were we toothless in attack, but porous in midfield, and with regard to the full backs, we were adrift. There were too many attacking midfielders on the pitch, and the age old problem of not having someone to win the ball once again reared its ugly head. The lack of a midfield bully seemed all the more strange given that Zokora was playing right back while Gunter, a regular fixture at right back in the preseason, was on the bench. The inclusion of Assou-Ekotto at left back was ultimately unjustified, and given that he's barley kicked a competitive ball in two years, leaving out Bale, if on the basis of fitness, seemed all the more strange.
But before I chastise the entire team, spare a thought for Modric. Considering it was his league debut, you'd think Ramos would like to make him as comfortable as possible, supposedly not. Modric is incredibly talented, but he is no holding midfielder; you want to see him getting forward and slicing defences in half with incisive passing, not keeping us ticking over. Deploying him so deep is a waste of his talent so let's hope it was a one off.
Modric was not the only debutant having trouble finding his feet. Gomes, a player I'm sure will come good, was not given the protection he needed and his first outing will be one he will want to forget quickly. Bentley was more 'Reliant Robin', though we can still expect more to come from him. Dos Santos showed glimpses of what might come, but he is still a work in progress.
As for other performances, there seemed to be a few still suffering a hangover from last year. The effervescent Lennon fizzed out; he's still a long way from proving his doubters wrong. Jenas gave an average performance and was by no means our worst player. Bent will have been disappointed given his excellent form of late, but he was never given the supply he needed, and if Ramos continues playing one up front, a lot of work will have to be done to ensure he is not isolated.
The team selection was all wrong, it was too lightweight, especially against a Boro side who aren't afraid to get stuck in. Given the amount of debutants on show, a steelier selection may well have fared better. Huddlestone could have given a bit more strength in midfield, while Berbatov should have definitely started ahead of Dos Santos.
It is easy to get carried away and start baying for blood of those who have let the side down. But it is still early days; we have a good squad with some new faces who will take a while to gel. The foundations are there, it's just a case of building on them.