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Tottenham and the Doomsday Clock: Just before the hour mark, an impending man-made disaster

Competitive sport is filled with intangibles, but in my opinion, none more so than ‘mentality’.  Mentality and commitment have been a prominent feature of football punditry for my entire life. As former players make comments on a performance, the topic of mentality is the seasoning. It can be applied everywhere and sprinkled on to benefit any argument.  Held on for a win. Mentally strong. Let go of a lead. Mentally weak.  Concede from a set piece. Were not ‘switched on’. Win a 50/50 challenge. Focused. Aggressive.  It provides some colour to any match analysis, which helps to build narrative around particular players or clubs. Narrative is a fundamental part of sport, but I feel it’s not super helpful if you are going into analysis with pre-established perceptions. I found Postecoglou’s comments after the loss to Brighton interesting, not because it represented any new stance from the Spurs’ manager, but because it demands more from already one of the most dy...
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Spurs vs Arsenal: Set Piece rhetoric detracts from more relevant questions

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It was a difficult game for Spurs fans. The opening four games of this season, other than a comprehensive win against Everton, have not been what many had hoped for going into this season. After a particularly frustrating loss to Newcastle before the international break, an attitude had developed and festered over the two week break that 'things are not great, but win against Arsenal and everything will be ok'.  The North London Derby is a game which is often difficult to rationally analyse when you are on the losing (or perhaps unsatisfying draw) side. The emotions of the game tend to tilt reactions, quite reasonably, towards the negative.  I appreciate that one form of analysis is going to be looking at performances and considering them through the lens of squad depth and first XI quality/profile fit. I think this is totally valid, however, I would rather look forward than spend too much time commenting on how the past transfer window could have been better/different. Especi...
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