Spurs Disappoint

This was not the performance of a top four side with ambitions to compete in next season’s Champions League. Spurs have obvious class in players like Ledley King and the elegant Carrick, but they lack consistency. In addition to being prone to concede sloppy goals, as they did early in the game, there is too often a tendency (especially on the part of Dawson and Stalteri) to resort to the kind of hopeful long ball which is a betrayal of the club’s proud tradition of attractive attacking football that reached its height in Bill Nicholson’s time.

By contrast, Paul Jewell’s side were well organised, industrious and brilliantly marshalled by the outstanding De Zeeuw, with no real weaknesses apart from an ineffectual performance in midfield by Thompson, who played like an alien. Both Johansson’s goals were well taken and but for two defensive lapses, the first of which allowed Mido to deflect a cross and the second the result of a slip by the otherwise outstanding De Zeeuw, they should have taken all three points.

To their credit, Wigan have already virtually assured their place in the Premiership next season and are widely respected as a side which is very difficult to beat, but in spite of their league position Spurs are not yet capable of matching the class of their North London rivals, even when they are having what by their standards is an indifferent season.