Spurs raise white flag

LONDON. — For all Mauricio Pochettino’s fighting talk about remaining in the English Premier League soccer title chase, it was hard not to glimpse a white flag over White Hart Lane after Tottenham Hotspur’s lacklustre 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.

Instead of piling pressure on leaders Leicester City, who are now seven points ahead with three games remaining, Spurs have now given their rivals firm sight of a title which would be secured by victory at Manchester United on Sunday.

Before this week, the focus has been on whether Claudio Ranieri’s side would blink in the spotlight. But while they dazzled with a 4-0 win over Swansea on Sunday, one day later Spurs appeared blinded by the expectation of those who assumed they would win their remaining games with their customary panache.

Amid the hype over Leicester’s first title in their 132-year history, it is easy to forget that Spurs last finished on top in 1961, when the team was founded on the steely focus of Danny Blanchflower and uncompromising strength of Dave Mackay.

More than half a century on, the Tottenham side seeking to emulate them are much less experienced, with players like Dele Alli and Eric Dier in their first full season.

No one on the team has ever won an English title and on Monday night their featherweight second-half display, played out in front of a rather funereal atmosphere, pointed to a lack of leadership in vital areas.

How they could have done with a Blanchflower, who was famed for ensuring that those around him always produced their best. On Monday night, Christian Eriksen struggled to assert his usual influence in midfield and was wayward in front of goal while Harry Kane, the team’s talisman, cut an isolated figure.

Tottenham’s frustration was encapsulated by Alli, who appeared to punch Claudio Yacob in a first-half incident captured by TV cameras.

Although referee Mike Jones missed the incident, Alli could face retrospective action in the form of a misconduct charge and a three-match ban that would rule him out of Spurs’ final games.

Pochettino suggested Alli was being targeted by opponents. But Graeme Souness, a combative midfielder for Liverpool and Scotland, said the 20-year-old must mature quickly, particularly if he is to play a major role for England in the European Championship this summer.

“It’s just petulance,” Souness said of the Yacob incident. “He’s not going to hurt anyone but he’s got that in him. For him to become a top, top player he’s got to . . . accept that lesser lights like Yacob will mess him around.” — Reuters.