US Spurs Fan: 2011 Tottenham Hotspur December Review

Posted Wednesday, January 04, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Tottenham Hotspur will enter 2012 as title contenders and a top three side. Things could certainly be worse. With that said, December was a rather up and down month for Spurs. Their Premier League winning streak came to a frustrating end, they were (somewhat happily) ousted from Europa League and ended the month with a laundry list of injuries. Spurs are still just six points behind both Manchester City and Manchester United with a game in hand.

Title contenders? Hey, why not?

2011 Tottenham Hotspur December review: The big story

Wasn't the results of matches, but the injuries to several significant members of the Tottenham first choice lineup. Manager Harry Redknapp, already without a couple of lineup mainstays, watched as Gareth Bale, Rafael Van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon, Ledley King, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko all picked up at least slight injuries that caused those men to miss playing time during the final month of 2011. Scott Parker was then forced to make an early exit from Tottenham's December 31 contest against Swansea City due to what is reportedly not a serious injury. It's not yet known when Parker will again be ready to take the pitch.

Injuries are, of course, part of the game, and Spurs have quite a bit of depth. Still, facing Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United without half of the club's first choice lineup is not a way to remain in the top three. Spurs are, heading into early January, set to have most lineup mainstays back by month's end. Let's hope nothing changes that fact over the next four weeks.

2011 Tottenham Hotspur December review: Best result

Spurs were aided by a harsh red card in their 3-0 victory over Bolton back on December 3. That doesn't change the fact that the visitors hardly showed up, if at all, for this particular contest, as Tottenham probably should have had a two or even three goal advantage heading into the halftime break. Tallies from Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in the early stages of the second half put a lackluster Bolton side away for good with roughly 30 minutes remaining. For a fan base that's usually suffering through close contests filled with missed opportunities to increase leads, this was a relatively easy game to just sit back and enjoy.

2011 Tottenham Hotspur December review: Worst result

Losing at Stoke is hardly a reason to panic about any team's title chances. The 2-1 result back on December 11 was especially difficult for Tottenham supporters to endure, as shoddy officiating wrongly removed one goal from the scoreboard, a decision that ultimately cost Spurs what should have been an earned point. No team wins every match, as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all proved over the past few weeks. Still, this was a defeat that stings just a little weeks after the fact.

2011 Tottenham Hotspur December review: MVP

Gareth Bale is often criticized for being less-than-consistent. Bale found his form during the 2011 holiday season, reminding fans and critics alike why he is often mentioned as one of the most elite wingers on the planet. His performance against Norwich City on December 27 was as good as we've seen from any Spurs player during the current campaign, and Tottenham will need more of the same this winter from the Welshman if they're truly going to overtake United and City in the league table.

2011 Tottenham Hotspur December review: Overall

Spurs failed to pick up all available points in December, yet still remain ahead of both Chelsea and Arsenal with two games in hand heading into January 3. I'll certainly take it. Tottenham will now have to prove they have the staying power to hang in the top three before their showdown with City at Etihad on January 22. The next few weeks could prove to be make-or-break time for Spurs. Six points isn't all that significant a gap.