There are sixteen players available for a manager on match day, but how many really believe that three of the five on the bench will all change the game when they come on. Yesterday at the Walkers' Stadium, the three substitutes used by David Pleat all played a major part in the outcome of game, helping Spurs come from a goal to down to win two one. It began with a switch at half-time, someting that is almost an admission of defeat by a manager, and even a caretaker manager for that matter, as if they are saying 'I got it wrong, here is what I should have done'. The Frenchman immediately added a different dimension to Spurs, a forward dimension.
None of the four midfielders that started the game had any real drive towards the Leicester penalty area, and the service to the front two of Robbie Keane and Freddie Kanoute was limited to say the least. Many Spurs fans were surprised that it was Ricketts who was taken off, and not Gus Poyet who had been completely inocuous. The Uruguayan has an unbelievable knack of scoring crucial goals, but more often than not, the game bypasses him and against a side like Leicester that play with real vigour and spirit, he can often go missing. He did just that yesterday, and was replaced by South African international Mbulelo Mabizela who received the cries of 'Whoooo?' from the home fans as he arrived on the pitch. He soon silenced the crowd with a wonder strike on 70 minutes, only his second touch of the game. His third touch was a magnificent cross-field ball to Robbie Keane, his fourth a recless tackle on Muzzy Izzet who did not realise yet that he deserved it.
The third substitute used by David Pleat was Bobby Zamora who came on in the unfamiliar role of left-midfield but had a hand in both goals. It was his cut back that allowed Mabizela to shoot first time high into Ian Walkers' goal, and when Dalmat played a one-two with the former Brigthon man, the second goal was moments away. The Frenchman curled a shot past Walker onto the post, and Freddie Kanoute was on hand to tap home the rebound for his sixth goal of the season. Kanoute was to end the game on a stretcher after a horror tackle from the frustrated Izzet.
It is now four games unbeaten and two wins in a row for David Pleat. He know has to take the good points from yesterday into Sunday's clash with Middlesbrough, beginning with a starting place for Dalmat and we may not have to wait until half time for the team to come out and play.
Spurs: Keller, 5 Carr, 6 Richards, 6 Doherty, 5 Taricco, 6 Ricketts, 5(Dalmat 45, 8) Anderton, 5 Poyet, 3 (Mabizela 70, 7) Konchesky (Zamora 75, 6) Keane, 6 Kanoute 6