| He is a star. He is the
most skilful player at the club. He features most
prominently in the Opta Index statistical analysis (that
gives points for tackles won and lost, goals scored, passes completed etc) of players involvement in
the game . He scores spectacular goals. His dribbling is
mesmerising. He can play like a dream, but he can be a
nightmare. We’re
talking about David Ginola. The enigma from France, who
was brought in to add the fantasy to the football at
Spurs, but who it was thought would not fit in with
Francis’ and Gross’ work ethic. There is no
doubt that he does work hard, but it tends to be when he
has the ball and not when he doesn’t. His mazy runs
rack up the points on the Opta Index, but as far as the
fans are concerned what does all his endeavor produce?
For such a skilled and experienced player he should know
when to release a killer ball (i.e. to Klinsmann to score
against West Ham) rather than beat the same player for
the third time just for his own amusement. At the moment,
he is the only truly creative player in the squad;
that’s why so much of the play is channeled through
him. To his credit, he is always available to receive the
ball, but that often involves him appearing in the back
four, which is an area you definitely don’t want him
taking on players. Do it where it is going to hurt them.
It’s the one of the best things in football to see a
player going past opponents, but when it doesn’t
work it can be costly. In the home game v Leicester,
Ginola’s trickery didn’t pay off and losing
possession resulted in the visitors taking the lead. A
similar situation cost us points when Palace came to the Lane. I’m not saying that he’s the only one who
has been guilty of giving the ball away and on his day
(Barnsley - home, Everton - away) he can be a match-winner.
The major quibble I have
about his performances is his commitment to the team. His
recent comments (although they may have been misinterpreted) about not wanting to play in Division One
disappointed me as a Spurs fan. He may have meant that he
wants Spurs to stay up, but it sounded like he was too
good to play in a lower league and would be off if we
went down. If we did, he would have been part of the team
responsible for getting us into that position and we
would need players dedicated to the cause to get us back up. While he is obviously trying very hard, he will need
to harness his ability for the good of the team to
achieve a position of safety. His attitude during the
Leicester game was very poor. With Nielsen shuttling
between two defenders to close them down, he beckoned
Ginola to help, only to be greeted with a Gallic shrug of
the shoulders. This can only cause friction between
players and is unnecessary as they are all in it
together. In the Palace game, the Frenchman hit a pass
into touch yards in front of Carr and then berated him
for not getting to the ball. It was a petulant display
which may have been borne of frustration, but instances
like this just don’t help.
By playing a simple ball on
occasion, goalscoring chances could have been created.
When the ball does not arrive, the player making a run
could think twice about it next time. A supply line to
our forwards is vital. In the ongoing absence of
Anderton, we need quality balls to put them in on goal.
Our goalscoring record this season is embarrassing and is
a result of the lack of service from midfield and the
continued injury situation, but it is pleasing to see
Ginola sticking a few away himself. I fully admit that
without them we may be down already. My main concern is
that the statistics used by the Opta Index (by which
Gross sets great store) are over-shadowing his
contribution to the team. If we are to believe the
numbers, he is the second best attacking midfielder in
the country and the best player in London. If so, what
does that say about the rest of our team ??
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