Brighton v Tottenham: The Spurs view with Spurs Fanatic

When Brighton went to Tottenham Hotspur at the start of November and victory that day lifted Jose Mourinho’s side into second in the table, most home fans like the mastermind behind Spurs Fanatic were keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

Mark runs Spurs Fanatic and we like him because he is a realistic football fan. He told us prior to the match in North London that even with his side’s lofty start to the campaign, he did not feel a title challenge was on the cards. Rather than silverware, a top four finish was what Spurs were realistically capable of.

Fast forward three months and Mark has been proven right. Spurs have fallen from second to sixth in this crazy season and will arrive at the Amex having won just two of their last eight Premier League matches.

Should this give the Albion hope of repeating their stunning home win against Tottenham from last season? Is Jose Mourinho’s defensive football tolerable if you do not challenge for the league?

We discussed it all – and why Leandro Trossard would be a good signing for Spurs – with Mark from Spurs Fanatic before Brighton v Tottenham.

Spurs went second in the table following our November meeting in north London and were being talked about at the time as one of the title favourites. What has happened since for you to tumble to sixth?
We were playing well when we last met and our counter attack style was killing teams off. Since then we have drawn and given away too many points from winning positions – we have the worst record in the Premier League for dropping points from being ahead – and that has come back to bite us.

What’s more, the team has been a bit too defensive and negative. I think Jose Mourinho has addressed this slightly in recent matches, but it is still not perfect.

We have dropped down to sixth as other teams like Manchester United, Manchester City and Leicester City have been going well and consistently winning. However, we do have a game in hand, but we need to get out of the habit of dropping so deep and being negative.

This is proving to be quite a crazy Premier League season with nobody wanting to grab the bull by the horns. Last time we spoke you thought you could challenge for the top four but not the title. Has anything happened to change your view?
I am still of the same view. I think top four is very achievable, but we certainly don’t have the consistency to challenge for the title. We are not aggressive enough in matches to kill teams off.

Relying on counter attack can work against the other top teams as they naturally will leave space. However, we need another game plan that will work against other teams that want to sit deeper and make themselves compact against us. We don’t have the tools at the minute to consistently break these teams down.

What impact will what Spurs have done in January – or not done – have on the rest of the season?
In terms of transfers, I think January is only about addressing gaping needs in a squad as prices are at a premium and options are limited. We do need new centre backs, but that will have to wait for the summer.

On the pitch, the games are thick and fast in December and January, even more so this season which has been ridiculous in terms of the scheduling.

We need to keep winning to sustain a top four challenge, but squad rotation is key. We are in a good position with regards to this. We have plenty of good players to come in and having a solid back up for Harry Kane in Carlos Vinicius is a real blessing this season.

What did you make of that previous meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
A 2-1 win for Tottenham followed the usual pattern of the numerous tight one-goal games that we have had over the years.

I think us getting an early penalty helped loosen the game up a bit, but there were a few controversial decisions that could have gone either way. I an expecting a similarly tight game this Sunday.

Gareth Bale scored the winner in that one but doesn’t appear to have pulled up any trees since. How would you say his loan is going?
It’s been okay, but yes, he is not setting the league alight. However, he has been injured a lot and Jose is managing his minutes and game time.

He has scored a few goals though and does show real glimpses of quality in sporadic moments on the pitch. It is just a case of getting him in game shape.

Whether we can consistently get him on the pitch does look doubtful as he has broken down a couple of times since returning with small innocuous injuries and that never is a good sign.

If you could sign one player from Brighton, who would it be and why?
Leandro Trossard always catches the eye whenever I see him play. He has the type of skills and game that would work well for us. I was also a fan of peak Adam Lallana. He’s showed glimpses for Brighton, but like Bale, just seems to break down too often with small injuries.

What is the Spurs Fanatic prediction for Brighton v Tottenham?
I fancy another 2-1 win to Spurs. Tanguy Ndombele has been a real difference maker for us in recent matches and I think he will do the same here.

Thanks to Mark for answering our questions. Give him a follow at Spurs Fanatic on Twitter – and hopefully you can remind him afterwards of his 2-1 prediction if Brighton manage to do the unlikely and beat Tottenham to record a first win a first home game in 15.