Worth the Wait

It was certainly a day of slow starts. The Manchester United team bus was caught in traffic, a benign but fitting excuse for a team inherently drained of ingenuity bar Martial. The resulting performance, however, was well worth the wait from a Tottenham perspective.

This was essentially Man United v Tottenham at Old Trafford from my childhood. United are traditionally the big team, struggling to get into gear occasionally but once they do, tearing the smaller opposition - who had defended so well for 70 minutes - apart. How times have changed. While the sour away support sang about Tottenham not winning the league, our side quietly went about their business, slowly but surely growing into the contest. And when Alli put us ahead on 70 minutes, it was curtains.

While discussing role reversal, it was interesting to see United crumble in a rather Tottenhamesque manner. Their side is almost a spitting image of us under previous managers, complete with out of position players and an incredible lack of desire across the pitch. I mean, the second half saw left winger Ashley Young play as a lone striker, while forward Anthony Martial continued to operate from the left wing. As threatening as the latter is, this mismanagement from Van Gaal will only hold back his development.

Again, it's the polar opposite for us at White Hart Lane this season. We've seen Toby Alderweireld develop into the best defender in the league. Only a fit Vincent Kompany comes close. Elsewhere, Erik  Lamela continues to silence his critics, providing a terrific delivery for Toby's goal before finishing one of his own moments later. I feel like I say this far too often but Lamela's progress under Pochettino this season is a testament to everything that is going right at Tottenham. So long as a player has spirit, fight, and a level of technical ability that the coach can work with, they will have their part to play at Tottenham. Fortunately for Erik, he has all three in abundance.

Another player I would like to highlight for their turnaround this season is Danny Rose. Never before have I been so wrong about a footballer. Halfway through last season I put aside my disdain for Rose and his constant defensive errors and began to appreciate him for what he was: a decent attacking fullback. Fast forward a season and Rose has to be considered one of the country's finest left backs. He is tenacious, energetic and constantly giving 100% week in, week out. He is the living embodiment of Pochettino's Tottenham and I was so, so wrong about him. Forgive me, Danny!

While the title may be a step too far this season, we cannot begrudge Leicester's achievement. If they win it, it's because they'll have earned it. There's no shame in finishing second to them. We have to carry on winning games and hoping for an opportunity to capitalise if Leicester do slip up. But whatever happens, we're on course to deliver our most successful Premier League season ever with an extremely likeable bunch of players and a manager that will, in all likelihood, go down as one of our best ever if he carries on this upward trend. I've never been more proud to be a Tottenham fan.