Brave New World

by Guillem Balague

  Three matches lie ahead before we face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals. It would be great to cut the gap at the top further before then. They’re at home to Manchester City. Antonio Conte has told his team that we’re their only title challengers and that we’re going to win all our remaining fixtures, so they simply can’t slip up.

  *

  Whenever you have a congested fixture list ahead of you, everything happens very fast. You can only think about the next game and little else. There’s not even time to head to the gym.

  On the morning of the Swansea game, we all met up at the airport. John McDermott also travelled with us on this occasion.

  The first time my team and I travelled to Wales, one of those things took place that helps everyone understand their role at the club. It was with Southampton and Nicola Cortese was in the travelling party. Jason Puncheon, now of Crystal Palace, asked him about his holiday. I could not believe my ears. I had to make it clear to Jason and Nicola that things didn’t work like that. It wasn’t appropriate for a player to ask the chairman a personal question, nor was it the time to ask. It all had to go through me.

  Winks is facing a spell on the sidelines due to an ankle problem. Wanyama travelled, but we left the decision of his inclusion for after our afternoon nap.

  After landing in Cardiff, we got on the coach to Swansea which was when Lloris said that he didn’t feel well. When he arrived at the hotel, he had a siesta and woke up feeling better. After the briefing, Hugo told Toni that he was feeling dizzy again, so we left him out. It was the same story for Victor, whose back trouble persisted. It’s better to give him more time and for him to be fit for Watford. Jesús observed that our spine was lacking, with Wanyama, Lamela and Kane out, so we decided to play a back-four, with Rose absent too, and Dier in midfield. It was going to be a new test for our young group.We bumped into many familiar faces at Swansea. Nigel Gibbs had been our Under-19 coach and Karl Halabi head of physical performance at the academy. I exchanged hugs with Kyle Naughton, Tom Carroll, Jordi Amat and Gylfi Sigurdsson. I told Gylfi it was a shame that he hadn’t stayed because he would have fitted into our style perfectly.

  We were fast out of the blocks and carved out two decent chances in the first five minutes. We then took our foot off the gas. Swansea earned a few corners and we seemed to be wasting possession. Swansea broke . . . Goal! Bloody hell! We were only 11 minutes into the game. It was scored by Wayne Routledge, another former Tottenham man. Did we think it would be an easy match?

  Swansea, who were fourth from bottom, one place clear of the drop zone, were playing with confidence. They were compact and left us no space to play. We weren’t set up well positionally to attack them. We lacked that finesse and cutting edge, which is why we seemed off the pace.

  We went in 1–0 down at the break.

  ‘We’re going to change formation,’ I told them. ‘We aren’t doing well going forward and we’ve dropped ten yards deeper defensively for fear of their long balls.’

  After giving my instructions, Jesús went over set-pieces and reminded them of the mistakes for their goal, while stressing the importance of positioning. Sometimes half-time gets away from us and recently we’ve been fined for being late back out on to the pitch, so I made sure this was not the case this time.

  All sorts seemed to be going on at Stamford Bridge. Jesús said that Chelsea were 2–1 up, but the game could yet go either way and Manchester City were on the attack.

  Swansea defended very deep and we were struggling to get in behind. We lacked precision in our play.We kept trying to unlock the door. We moved certain players around. Sissoko went out to the left before moving centrally. We’d made two changes so far.

  Janssen then went on for Sissoko. We moved Eriksen further back and Son lined up close to Janssen. We pushed Eriksen further forward. Son went out to the right, Son dropped back, Son to the left.

  We tried a total of five formations. We cracked jokes afterwards about how if any scouts from rival teams had come to watch, they’d have been rather flummoxed and would have needed a whole notebook to explain what was happening.

  Their goalkeeper, Fabianski, got injured. He received treatment, but didn’t want to come off. He ended up being withdrawn, but was not best pleased. The whole saga lasted seven minutes.

  There were two minutes remaining and we were losing. Chelsea were still 2–1 up.

  At least we weren’t just launching long balls up top. We spread the play, got in between the lines and our movement all over the pitch was excellent. We tried to force an equaliser in keeping with our style.

  88th minute, it’s in! Eriksen drilled the ball towards goal from just inside the area and Alli stuck his foot out to make it 1–1.

  Come on! We were right back in the game and the players grabbed the ball to speed up the restart.

  91st minute. GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL. Son! The ball came through to Janssen on the edge of the box who flicked it on to Son who ran on to finish with a first-time shot. I jumped for joy, what else could I do?

  Our goalkeeper, Vorm, picked up an injury from a corner. Alderweireld fell on top of him, seemingly causing damage to his knee and ankle. Toni’s facial expression suggested it may rule him out for the remainder of the season.

  94th minute. What a pass by Dele Alli! Come on, Eriksen. He bamboozled the defender and broke into the box . . . Incredible! The third goal! The boys all ran straight over to the fans, our amazing travelling fans! They were celebrating, we were celebrating. It was 3–1 after three quick-fire goals in five minutes!

  After the final whistle, I went over to show the supporters my appreciation. I just felt like it, although it’s not something that I usually do. It was a real pleasure to see them all so happy. Since I took over at Tottenham, we’ve picked up 53 points from losing positions, and already we have the best record in the league for that this season. We’ve scored the most and conceded the fewest goals, while also losing the fewest games in the Premier League. And we’ve racked up more points over the last two campaigns than any other club. The Swansea game was one of the most one-sided this season in terms of possession. At times it was over 80 per cent in our favour. We didn’t give up. That’s what we’re made of and progress is inevitable.

  If only we’d done slightly better in a few areas . . .

  We greeted Paul Clement, the Swansea manager, whom I wanted to cheer up. They aren’t a team that deserve to go down.

  My message in the press conference was clear: ‘The most important thing is the badge. When you play for Tottenham it is not about the names, it is about the team. This season we are showing that we are a team. I don’t care what people say or what people think of the history of the club. This season we are fighting again. We are in a good way.’

  *

  Kane is fit. The press expected him back at the end of the month. We’ve won games without him, but our opponents will now have a new problem to face.

  *

  8 April. Our third match of the week was against Watford at White Hart Lane.

  Dele Alli once again notched our first goal. He turns 21 next week and has better statistics than Cristiano Ronaldo had at his age: 26 goals and 14 assists compared with 14 and 13 for the Portuguese star. Another statistic: he’s been involved in as many goals (40) as Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham combined at his age and he’s the top scoring player (16) under 21 in Europe’s top five leagues. Muhammad Ali said about himself, ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,’ which I quite like for Dele as it happens.

  Dier and Son, with the latter grabbing a brace, rounded off the scoring. It ended 4–0 and the players celebrated the win on the pitch. I waited for them in the technical area, as I almost always do, to give them a hug.

  The group is as united as ever.

  Chelsea are four points ahead of us and have a game in hand. They are away to Bournemouth later today.

  *

  Chelsea ran out 3–1 winners. They’re seven points clear.

  *

 
9 April. We couldn’t go to see Sting; it’s been a chaotic week.

  *

  I have been named on the list of candidates to replace Edgardo Bauza in the Argentina hotseat. A proud moment to see my name on that prestigious list but I am committed to my project here.

  *

  I’m keeping a close eye on the Borussia Dortmund team-coach attack. I found out on the way home and have now switched the television on. It’s a big reality check. Certain thoughts are once again swirling around my head, including memories of a beloved family member whom we’ve stopped contacting. How often are we guilty of not taking the time out to enjoy fresh air, smell a flower or chat with a friend or family member? Sometimes we’re so foolish and arrogant that we get angry over nonsense and create problems where they don’t exist. Every day is a preciously decorated chest for us to open and revel in. In our football bubble, value is attached to things that should be underplayed, including victory and defeat. People come up to you and insult you, they want to knock you out, they want to launch objects at you, but it’s no more than a game of football!

  The lads, or people in general, spend eight hours asleep and eight hours at work every day. Fine. The other eight are to be enjoyed. So why spend them glued to your phone on Twitter or Instagram? We don’t communicate, we don’t share. Being with someone no longer has the same significance as it used to. One eye is always glancing at a phone.

  Maybe I am getting old. Older. So there is a natural tendency to see the past through rose-tinted glasses. I feel our generation (maybe all generations) lives between two worlds, different but equally exciting, sometimes prompting us to ask ourselves, ‘Are we losing the essence of what life is all about?’

  *

  15 April. We were in action before Chelsea once again, with Bournemouth coming to White Hart Lane.

  Dembélé, who opened the scoring with a goal from a set-piece that we’d rehearsed, performed very well. Harry Kane was back in the starting line-up and scored our third, becoming the first Tottenham player to score more than 20 league goals in three consecutive seasons since the legendary Jimmy Greaves towards the end of the sixties. We were completely dominant. A Bournemouth side that like to be in possession had never had so little of the ball. We registered 14 shots on target to their one. Son and Janssen also got on the scoresheet in the 4–0 success. We’ve scored four or more goals on 11 occasions this season and have notched 28 goals in our last eight games. The level of intensity has been remarkable. That’s eight wins on the bounce, including five clean sheets. There isn’t a single spectator on our books: everyone is committed to their responsibilities.

  We’re back to within four points of Chelsea who make the trip to Old Trafford tomorrow.

  *

  We have hardly any injuries, we’re carefully calculating our rest periods and are in the best shape we’ve been in this season. Confidence is very high and the players have made the most of their opportunities, while championing a style that we all believe in. Almost everything is coming off at the moment and I couldn’t hide that in the press conference after the Bournemouth game. The club’s statistics haven’t been this good in half a century. After 32 games three years ago, we were on 54 points. It was 62 last year and it’s 71 this time around, trumping our total from last season. If we’d sustained the same points per game average in 2015-16, we’d have won the league ahead of Leicester City.

  I did something else in front of the press, which was to remind everyone that what’s happening here is down to the team’s commitment and hard work combined with our approach. Our starting line-up against Bournemouth included five players that I signed, and six of the seven on the bench were also my recruits. Absolutely everyone has improved. ‘Tottenham aren’t building in an artificial way. It isn’t about putting in more and more money to build a fantastic team,’ I told journalists. ‘It’s a very natural process, ours, with our rules and projections, so, as a consequence, unique in the world.’

  And so the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, our next game, was effectively already underway.

  *

  We all sat at home watching Manchester United take on Chelsea. I gave the players the day off and we didn’t even exchange messages during the game, although we were all keeping up with the action. The locals in and around Tottenham certainly celebrated when Rashford put United 1–0 up.

  The feeling surrounding us now is vastly different from last year. Nobody wanted us to ruin the Leicester fairy tale and there was very negative energy enveloping us last year. Even Ranieri admitted as much on Sky Sports a few days ago: ‘The whole world tried to help Leicester.’

  We always played after them, for example. The pressure on the youngest Premier League side was huge. Ranieri and his charges deserved the title, but I think that everyone now has a better understanding of what happened to us in that game against Chelsea where it all fizzled out. We were battling against our opponents, the media and football fans alike.

  This time it’s more balanced and the same conditions are in place for each side. As a team, we’re much clearer on what the target is and how to achieve it. All that matters is the next game.

  Manchester United scored again! Ander Herrera struck in the 59th minute.

  Full-time! United won 2–0, leaving us four points behind Chelsea after the same number of games. There are six league matches remaining.

  Jesús just sent me a message. He heard Conte say that Tottenham are the best side in the Premier League right now. He was surprised that the Italian added that his team lacked desire and motivation, and blamed himself. Antonio claimed it wasn’t normal for them to be top, having not come into the season as contenders on the back of finishing tenth. When it’s not all going to plan, things can be seen in a different light. You can never be entirely sure where a rival coach’s words come from or his true intentions, but he seems to think his team are in a tricky situation. They’ve gone ten games without keeping a clean sheet and so, maybe he’s taking the pressure off them.

  We have a week to get ready for our semi-final date with Chelsea at Wembley.

  It’ll be a huge derby.

  *

  The planets aligned when I scored the winner for Rosario against Central and met the woman who changed my life. But you have to be careful when it comes to derbies. You feel everything more strongly and your senses are sharpened.

  I was 18. I had scored the first goal in a clásico between Newell’s Old Boys and Rosario Central that we went on to win handsomely 4–0. It was 14 April 1991 and Marcelo Bielsa was our coach.

  I opened the scoring and instantly ran towards Newell’s fans behind the goal. I climbed up on to the fence where the ultras were and yelled at the top of my voice. As you would expect after a convincing 4–0 victory, we were gods in Rosario that evening. It was crazy. I took Berizzo, Ruffini, Franco and Boldrini back to my flat where we drank beer and ate pizza into the night. We ended up at a nightclub called Arrow and, of course, we had to make a grand entrance. It was around 3 a.m. and we were already quite tired, but still elated. That’s where I met my wife, a girl from Misiones who was studying pharmacy in Rosario and had also gone out that night. She wasn’t that into football, in fact she preferred rugby. What I didn’t yet know was that she’d already set her sights on me a few months earlier, which she told me after we got married.

  She was watching the telly with her flatmate who was a huge Newell’s fan. We were shown celebrating the Apertura title on a Rosario television channel. I was with Gamboa, who had long, black hair and green eyes. I was blond and also had long hair. They were doing a fun interview with us and Karina’s friend told her how much she loved Gamboa. My wife said to her, ‘I like the other one, the blond guy.’ She didn’t even know my name.

  Six months later, Newell’s team went to the discotheque and headed straight for the VIP room. People saw us go in and it was mayhem, as you’d expect. Women, men, everyone! We made a big impact, not because we were so good-looking, but because we were representing
a winning team. I remember that I wanted to dance with her friend, a strikingly tall blonde, and chatted a bit to her, but I then set my eyes on Karina, who I liked more. At that point I was with a non-footballer friend of mine who I grabbed by the arm, sent him in the direction of the blonde girl, and said, ‘We’re now going to dance as a four.’ I’d already told the blonde! For the record, I ended up spending more time chatting to the one that would later become my wife.

  I got married a couple of years later, soon after turning 20.

  I blame, in part, the Rosario derby.

  *

  Although Arsenal are our historic rivals, the derby that has defined our progress since I arrived at White Hart Lane has been against Chelsea. It has been the source of frustration and, on occasion, extreme jubilation.

  Results weren’t going to plan during the first half of my inaugural season here. In fact, there were enough disappointing moments for some to deduce that we were simply going to churn out another underwhelming campaign. Our football wasn’t exciting and we weren’t capable of keeping up the level required to compete at the top. Exactly halfway through the season on 1 January we welcomed Chelsea to White Hart Lane. They were top and we were seventh, although unbeaten in five games. Just a month earlier they’d comfortably beaten us 3–0 at Stamford Bridge. Harry Kane’s tally already stood at 15 goals, but he hadn’t scored in a big game. Diego Costa put them ahead, but we kept going and battling. We equalised through Kane. Then we went 2–1 up, 3–1, 4–1. Harry again! 4–2, 5–2. It ended 5–3 against a Chelsea team that went on to win the title.

  The result, which moved us up to fifth, made everyone stand up and take note, from supporters to the press, and it was possibly a turning point in my time at the club. Something was happening at Tottenham, so they said. The guy in charge of that group isn’t just a crazy Argentinian who speaks bad English.

  We faced Mourinho’s Chelsea again in early March in the League Cup final. I insisted on the premise of learning from every second that led us to Wembley. Eriksen hit the crossbar before we conceded a goal from a defensive mistake on the stroke of half-time. We didn’t manage to get back into the game in the second half and lost 2–0. I said to them, ‘Guys, keep this losing feeling with you. Use it and remember it, because if you do and if we get to another final, you won’t want to feel it again.’ I asked them to stay and watch as Chelsea lifted the cup. Many steps in the right direction were taken that day.