When Darren Fletcher was a Manchester United player and Premier League titles were on the line he would look at certain team-mates and at Sir Alex Ferguson and know that everything would be OK.
“I think it all comes down to experience really,” the West Bromwich Albion captain said after playing his part in the team’s 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday – a result that tipped the championship race further in Leicester City’s favour. “We had Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Roy Keane – they’d been there and done it. They were calm, and the manager had been there and done it. We were very fortunate to be around such people. It isn’t easy.”
Fletcher won four titles in five seasons with United between 2007 and 2011 and the example that he highlights is an extreme one. Not every team is blessed with a Giggs or a Scholes. Or a Ferguson for that matter. But there were degrees of resonance to Fletcher’s comments when he assessed the climax to what has been a gripping race for this season’s prize. Leicester now sit seven points clear of Tottenham in second place, with three fixtures apiece to play.
It is in the tight games, Fletcher said, often against the mid- or low-ranking teams who will compress the space, keep men behind the ball and, in general, make things ugly, that those experienced players are worth their weight in gold. They are the ones who can help to protect a one-goal lead and see out the vital wins . At White Hart Lane on Monday Tottenham – who have the youngest team in the division – did not have such characters, or at least not enough of them.
It was extraordinary to see how the tide turned in the second half. Tottenham had started brightly, at a high tempo, and they led at the interval through Craig Dawson’s own goal. There was plenty of outward brashness at that stage and it was summed up by Micky Hazard, who was the guest at half-time.
The charismatic former Tottenham midfielder took a microphone and declared that this could become “the best Spurs side in all our history” and he had time for a final point. “One other thing, you lot,” he shouted. “Eden Hazard – he’s no member of my family.” It was pretty funny.
Nobody with Spurs in their hearts was laughing at full time. Tottenham chased the second goal and they almost got it in the 58th minute when Christian Eriksen crossed and Érik Lamela’s first-time shot hit the far post. But West Bromwich had created a foothold after the restart and they had clear chances through Salomón Rondón before Dawson headed a 73rd-minute equaliser, at which point Tottenham disintegrated as a defensive unit for Craig Gardner’s corner. Thereafter, it was Albion who looked the likelier winners.
“I think our goal was a real sucker punch to them and that’s what you have to respond to sometimes in games,” Fletcher said. “We’re not an easy team to play against and it was always going to be difficult for them if there were maybe 15 minutes left and we scored.
“When you play a big team they come out and attack you but we’re going to come and make it really difficult for Tottenham. Sometimes these games are more difficult. You’ve got to rise to the pressure and thrive under it. You’ve got to see it as a challenge and win games ugly.
“You’ve got to throw people in the box and see games out where you win 1-0. Passing the ball out from the back is nice and it’s pretty on the eye but when you’re winning 1-0 against West Brom, you shut up shop, see the game out and hit on the counterattack.”
Tottenham have no Premier League title winners in their ranks and only four players who can call themselves league champions: Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eriksen and Mousa Dembélé won the Eredivisie in the Netherlands while Alderweireld also won La Liga with Atlético Madrid.
But what of Leicester? They have even less experience in this area and the vast majority of their squad have never been close to a Premier League title challenge. It has merely added one of the layers to a story that has been impossible to explain and it shines a light on just how remarkable their game-management has been.
Fourteen of their 22 league wins have been by a single goal and seven of them have been by 1-0 scorelines. When they beat Southampton by that score at the beginning of the month – their fifth victory by the only goal in six matches – there were mutterings that they were grubbing their way to the title.
But there can only be praise for their ability to close out results when the pressure is on. As Tottenham demonstrated against West Bromwich, it is not straightforward to shut the door on any team in this league. Claudio Ranieri, the Leicester manager who does bring with him great experience, has routinely got his tactics exactly right while his players have shown nerve and steel.
“You can’t comprehend what Leicester have done, it’s unbelievable,” Fletcher said. “But at the same time, they’re thoroughly deserving. They’ve played some fantastic football. You know how they’re going to play but you can’t stop it. They’ve got quality, desire, they can sit in and defend for their lives. They’re dogged and they can play counterattack.
“They’ve got pace – that’s the biggest thing – and they’ve got experience at the back. It seems to have all fallen together nicely for them. They’ve had a team spirit that’s been there from the Championship and a core that knows what the club’s about. That run at the back-end of last season has continued into this season. So credit to them.”
