Crisis Averted

You'd have been forgiven for fearing the worst going into Sunday's showdown at the Emirates - after Wednesday's Wembley woes, many tipped us for a heavy defeat. But derbies rarely follow form, and this one certainly didn't feature the same spineless Spurs of midweek.

All across the Internet, both Spurs fans and neutrals were discussing what appeared to be a full-blown crisis under Pochettino. Our immediate future in the Champions League seems questionable at best, and we were without a league win in our past three matches. November looks notoriously difficult, but if the players couldn't get themselves together for a match of the NLD's magnitude, when could they perform?

Injuries are fast becoming the bane of our season. Getting players back fit again, such as the talismanic Kane and Sunday's man of the match Dembele is extraordinarily helpful, but we're losing personnel at an alarming rate. Alli is now said to be out for a couple of weeks after suffering a knee injury in training, joining a growing list featuring regular first teamers Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela, both of whom would've been guaranteed to start at the Emirates had they been fit. This comes as a stark contrast to last season, where Alderweireld and Kane for instance started every game.

But let's get back to the subject at hand - the Spurs pandemic. Reading Football 365 last weekend would've had fans thinking we were on the brink of relegation. Moussa Sissoko has played a pivotal role in attracting the blame but in truth, nobody played well against Leverkusen. Eriksen was marginally better this weekend but has been largely woeful all season, especially when compared to his previous dynamic self. It's easy to target our £30m Frenchman, but people forget he's a confidence player - turning on him will only make things worse. He hasn't set the world alight yet but I'm sure Pochettino will find a place for him.

Similarly, Vincent Janssen has flattered to deceive since his summer arrival, so much so that he has drawn comparisons with apparent Spurs fan and former misfit Roberto Soldado. It's a similarity no striker wants, but failure to score from open play and sporting the famous number nine will naturally remind fans of its former owner Soldado. It's important to remember, however, that Janssen failed to score in his first eight AZ Alkmaar appearances, before eventually reaching twenty goals that season. It's apparent that, like Sissoko, Janssen is a confidence player who can build up form, he just needs that goal from open play to kick start proceedings. Let's not forget the likes of Erik Lamela and Heung Min Son took a year to settle, and they came from far more competitive leagues than the Eredivisie.

Janssen was not called upon to start Sunday - rather, another young forward who starts the season slowly but still delivers took his place. While Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld may be more highly regarded within the Tottenham ranks - and rightly so, they're genuine world class talents - I'd argue that the lift Kane brings to every facet of the club makes him our most important player. He didn't set the world alight against Arsenal, but his industry, link up play and presence - not to mention coolly taken penalty - meant we didn't leave empty handed. Just like Ledley King could slot seamlessly into a back four whenever required, Kane came straight into the starting line up and made sure we secured the point our industrious performance deserved.

We dominated the opening half hour or so before losing our way and eventually conceding before half time. We have no right to come to the Emirates and outplay them on their own turf but we've done it three years in a row now. Pochettino is unbeaten against Arsenal, and even the deployment of an unorthodox three at the back couldn't change that. We were arguably the better side in the second half too, with Eriksen hitting the post and squandering an easier chance as well as Janssen's failure to convert an acrobatic effort. Arsenal were not without their chances either, and in truth could have nicked the game, as much as it would have done our performance a disservice. But considering our current form and injury record, we performed excellently for the most part.

For a side in crisis, we defended well on the whole. Kevin Wimmer was dreadfully unlucky with the own goal but otherwise had a good game in a slightly different set up than usual. It's funny hearing pundits and journalists question Pochettino's decision to use what they refer to as an unfamiliar formation. As the Argentine rightly pointed out, we've used it on occasion to success, including last season's away win at Watford. This tactical flexibility is a potent weapon for a club in crisis such as Tottenham, who Sunday confirmed their unbeaten start of eleven games, the first since the famous double winning campaign of 1960/61. Funny, that.

I think the term crisis is only relative to the scintillating form of Liverpool and Chelsea. Sure, we've struggled for goals lately, but take Hazard out the Chelsea team and Coutinho out of Liverpool's side and they're bound to struggle at times too. We haven't shown the flair of a title-challenging side yet, but we've certainly shown the resilience - no Premier League side can boast a defensive record anywhere near as good. Everton, who had the second best record going into last weekend, shipped five against Chelsea. We're certainly hard to beat.

With Kane back in contention, Sissoko back from a ban and Alderweireld training again, our squad should begin to look stronger and stronger. Tough derby games against West Ham and Chelsea lie ahead after the international break, but the squad understand the importance of these games and will be out for revenge, particularly after the costly draw at Stamford Bridge last season. It's not so much a crisis at White Hart Lane, more an understated start. We've set ourselves high standards under Pochettino and it's a testament to the man's managerial prowess that an unbeaten start and a draw at the Emirates is seen as disappointing.

To dare is to do.