LONDON // If last weekend's narrow defeat to Manchester United suggested Tottenham Hotspur were progressing under Mauricio Pochettino and beginning to shed some of their identity as unreliable and always liable to let the fans down, Saturday's draw with Stoke City was a worrying repeat of many of the mistakes of old.
A two-goal lead at the interval was no less than the home side deserved after a first half showing that featured some crisp passing and neat interplay, albeit with one or two hairy moments at the back from which Stoke should really have capitalised.
Their performance after the break, though, will be hugely concerning for Pochettino.
Tottenham let the game slip from a position of strength, losing control of the midfield and looking increasingly nervous as Stoke began to throw caution to the wind.
It was Tottenham's form at White Hart Lane that let them down last term, with three draws and six losses – including avoidable defeats at the hands of Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Stoke – proving fatal in their hunt for a top-four spot.
On this evidence, Tottenham may wish they could play more of their 36 remaining Premier League encounters away from north London.
It all started so well for the hosts, who enjoyed all of the early possession and took the lead through Eric Dier.
Deployed as a central midfielder for the second successive week after spending most of last season at right-back, Dier helped to win the corner from which he scored, rising highest to nod home Christian Eriksen’s delivery from the left.
The sight of the opposition net bulging seemed to compel Pochettino’s charges to up the tempo and immediately seek out a second.
Tottenham were suddenly quicker and sharper, their passing more progressive and their pressing more intense.
Eriksen, as is typical, was impressive, finding pockets of space across the forward line to work his magic.
Dier was also catching the eye at the base of midfield, with Toby Alderweireld looking assured alongside Jan Vertonghen at the heart of the back line and Moussa Dembele providing some thrust in the engine room.
After Nacer Chadli doubled Spurs’ lead, it was difficult to see any way back for Stoke, whose display in the first 45 minutes featured plenty of wastefulness, both in possession and in front of the opposition goal.
Things did turn around, though, and while Mark Hughes’s men deserve credit for their spirited revival, Tottenham should have done far more to preserve their advantage.
It was alarming how quickly things fell apart, Tottenham crumbling almost as soon as Stoke built up a bit of prolonged pressure.
Dier and Nabil Bentaleb, a 69th-minute substitute for Ryan Mason, could not get a grip on proceedings in the middle of the park, while Harry Kane’s withdrawal just after the hour mark robbed Tottenham of a focal point up top.
In truth, it was a rather soft penalty that allowed Stoke to halve the deficit, Joselu showing some fine footwork to turn Alderweireld inside the box and the Belgian foolishly tugging him back.
Regardless, Tottenham – indeed, any team aspiring to qualify for the Uefa Champions League – should still have had enough to see the game out.
Instead, they became apprehensive, sinking deeper and deeper and becoming more careless in their use of the ball.
There was a feeling of inevitably about Mame Biram Diouf’s equaliser, one of several opportunities that Stoke created from balls into the box from out wide.
Pochettino pointed to poor defensive play after the game. With 53 goals conceded, Tottenham had the fifth-worst record in this regard in 2014/15 in the Premier League, and they must improve if they are to match or better last season’s fifth-place finish.
The new campaign is still young, with plenty to play for in the coming nine months.
There is certainly room for improvement from Tottenham, who, despite the advances made under Pochettino, must stop repeating the same old mistakes.
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