Tottenham discover clinical edge to banish talk of ‘Spursiness’ | Stuart James

A year ago Spurs’ lack of killer instinct was being flagged up by Giorgio Chiellini but their professional win at Borussia Dortmund suggested they are now made of stronger stuff

They call it “Spursy” these days. It is a term that has come to symbolise Tottenham’s reputation for losing their nerve, choking, blowing it – call it what you want. The chances are Giorgio Chiellini has never heard of the expression but the Italian was tapping right into that theme this time last year after Juventus eliminated Spurs from the Champions League, despite drawing the first leg in Turin and going behind at Wembley. “It’s the history of Tottenham,” he said. “They always create many chances and score so much but, in the end, they miss always something to arrive at the end.”

Maybe it is time to change the record. Forget all the talk about mental fragility, brittleness and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory; this was a night when Mauricio Pochettino and his players rewrote the narrative. Professional, disciplined and clinical, Spurs put on a performance to admire as they took their place in the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition for only the third time in their history.

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