Tottenham vs Fulham: Ending 2011-2012 with a Bang or a Clang?

Fulham will look to get a better result than the home fixture against Spurs this season, a 1-3 defeat

Tottenham invites Fulham to White Hart Lane on the final day of this wonderfully unpredictable season, with the hosts certainly having more on the line that the visitors. Depending on which Fulham team shows up, this could be a really exciting match or a horribly frustrating “away-day obligatory appearance”, in which Fulham fulfill their away fixtures without showing any real desire to actually play them.

However, given our current form and the fact that this window could see a lot of movement in the squad, I don’t think the latter will be the case. Players will either want to prove that they still have something to give to the club, or look their best for other clubs scouting them (hopefully not that for the two D’s), so we should see a committed, attacking performance. Well then, on to the preview proper!

State of Fulham:

Not in a bad way, coming off of the exciting 2-1 win over Sunderland and the rather painful but still extremely satisfying 1-0 win over Liverpool. The team looks motivated, happy, and focused, which is positive and should carry into next season. Obviously the away form hasn’t been the best, but a very interesting statistic from Opta reveals that Fulham average 1.58 Premier League points away from home in May, compared to 0.76 overall, so with some luck we’ll make our favorite travel month count!

Dempsey of course continues to look dangerous, and Dembele may be interested in adding another goal, so look for him to shoot a little more in addition to his stellar midfield play. Overall, the squad is in form and seems to genuinely want to perform despite the relative meaninglessness of these last few fixtures.

Edit: It’s been revealed that Dempsey will actually miss the match with a hamstring injury. Read into that what you will, but hopefully he doesn’t end his Fulham career on the sidelines, injury or not.

On the line for the Cottagers is prize money for finishing in a certain place, so the club in general will have that to play for.

Lastly, I think the team will want a bit of revenge for the reverse fixture, a rather unjust 3-1 defeat in which we dominated the second half and couldn’t break down the Spurs defense. Going even further back, the fixture at White Hart Lane last season was a strong performance that again offered no points. We can play well against Spurs, so perhaps we’ll find the finishing touch this time.

State of Tottenham:

Like Liverpool, Tottenham have had an interesting season to say the least (for a non-fan at least, one might even call it amusing). Their early season brilliance faded as ‘Arry for England rumors picked up, and the wheels well and truly came off after that incredible 5-2 Arsenal match in February. They went from “title challengers” (at least in their manager’s head, it never really looked possible in truth) to barely clinging to a Champions League berth.

More specific – and relevant – to the Fulham game was the farcical choke at Aston Villa last weekend. Arsenal had lost the day before, meaning Spurs just needed three points against one of the dullest and low-morale sides in the Premiership. Instead, they draw 1-1 and give the initiative back to the Gunners. In addition, they lost their backup full-back to a red card, meaning that the third choice will have to fill in there. Look for Fulham to attack the right flank often. Tottenham doesn’t seem to deal well with intense pressure, and they’ll certainly have that Sunday. If they win, they’re in the Champions League, assuming Bayern beat Chelsea in the final. Talk about pressure.

So, I’m predicting a nervy performance in front of a tense and impatient home crowd. They’ll want goals, and hopefully that will play right into Fulham’s hand. However, if Fulham come out lackluster, Spurs will no doubt pounce, and an early home goal could spell doom.

Prediction:

Spurs have struggled through the home stretch, while the Whites have gotten stronger and stronger throughout the spring. However, three points may be a little too optimistic – it is a Fulham away game after all – so I’m going with a 2-2 draw, with Pog and someone different (think Riise/Hangeland/you get the idea) getting the Fulham goals. A little on the optimistic side, but hey – we drew at Chelsea and Arsenal, two other sides reeling a bit at the time.