Spurs deeper into the abyss

After a brace from Keane this weekend it appeared that Martin Jol would not only save his neck but might also see his underachieving Tottenham side start to creep back to where they belong. However a famous victory at the Kop was snatched away by a last minute goal by Torres....on a play where Chimbonda should have done a bit better than allow the Spanish striker a free jump to the ball. However the malaise can be seen across the entire club. Paul Robinson is looking very shaky these days. It can be argued that the free kick he spilled for Veronin to tap in was not up to his apparent caliber of play. However why were no Tottenham defenders following the pony tailed striker after the initial strike? At times Tottenham looked sluggish and out of sync. They could have put this match away during the run of play but never seemed to get the proper rhythm. It just felt that the North London players were assuming that at some point Liverpool would find the equalizer and that it was just a matter of time....which turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy.

So where does this leave the Spurs? I think Jol will find himself out of a job post international break. I think his team is going through the motions and not playing anywhere near the level expected of them. I realize that King is out, and certain pundits point to this as causing instability on the Spurs back line, but I do not accept that. They still have what is considered world class players and defenders, it is unacceptable to allow so many leads slip away in the late stages of matches. Since you cannot fire the entire team, the Dutchman will be the one facing the prospects of getting the pink slip. Who will replace him? Not Mourinho, although that would be a great story line. I think Tottenham will have to find a care take manager, one that can ensure the Spurs stay in the Prem next season....which I woul dnot have thought would be a problem pre-season. Or do the North Londoners make a splash and go after Fabio Capello? You know the spectacled Italian will make sure the Tottenham defense does not sprout any more late match leaks.

This saga does overshadow something that must make the Anfield faithful cringe, the fact Liverpool has had a successful run of draws and poor performances. They cannot even turn to Champions League for solace having somehow lost to Marseilles at home. Benetiz is once again finding himself defending his rotation system and it becomes more clear to me that the Spaniard is better suited for knock out football. Games where he can tailor his rotation to meet the teams he is facing. When it comes to the Premiership, the rotation does his side no good when they need to get a rhythm for the long run, sustain it, and not worry about who is on the opposite side of the pitch. The Benetiz over thinking will once again cost the Reds a legitimate shot at the Premiership title.