Attack is the best form of defence. So we’re told. If you’re in their faces then they can’t be hurting you. Can they? And sometimes you defend before you’re attacked. Then its called an attack. Which is confusing. But we’re not talking war, we’re talking football. In which sustained attacking is the best way of keeping the ball ‘down their end’ and thus away from your goal. Ok, defending teams use this and attack ‘on the break’ and that’s dangerous if you’re attacking too strongly, leaving your own defences weak. You’ve basically got 11 men and its all a matter of how you deploy them.

Last night at Spurs, Chris Hughton, the ex-Spur and nowadays Brighton manager, deployed his men in what is known as the ‘parked bus’ formation. In which you line up your 10 outfield players in front of the goal and keep them there for 90 minutes. The ball gets hoofed away up the field so your forwards can break but… they’re all in their own penalty area so back it comes. Wave after wave. And its very hard for attacking teams to break down. Doesn’t make for the most exciting game of football but it is pragmatic.

And Chris Hughton needs to be one of them. A pragmatist. His team currently sit 4th from bottom. Just 3 points ahead of Cardiff and with Arsenal and Manchester City to play in their last 3 games, he’s hoping Cardiff can fare worse than his team and he might be able to nick a point here or there.

That was the plan. And it seemed to work for 88 minutes. It was also playing to Brighton’s strengths. Because they are great defenders and not too brilliant in attack. Their plan is generally: defend, defend, defend, score from a corner. But last night they didn’t get many corners, enjoying less than 30% of possession.

Yet this wasn’t all about Brighton. There was another team involved. A team who had dodged one bullet when they lost on Saturday because the three other teams who could have threatened their league position all miraculously failed to win. In Manchester United’s case, rather spectacularly. So Spurs desperately needed a win to secure 3rd place in the league, at least for another week.

Indeed a battle of desperation. As so many are.

I almost felt sorry for Brighton when Christian Eriksen’s goal screamed in. Almost. I was too busy shouting, screaming and leaping up and down with the immense relief. The pundits said how Brighton ‘deserved something from the game’ (footballing euphemism for ‘a draw’) but in a way playing with no intention of any kind of attack really shouldn’t be rewarded.

Manchester United play tonight. They play Manchester City. In what is almost the league decider. It’s Manchester City’s game in hand. Win it and they overtake Liverpool. And then, with both having 3 matches left which should all be easily won (as if), that would leave City as champions. And to be honest, no-one wants that.

Brilliant result for Spurs. Sorry Chris, that’s the way it goes.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx