Portsmouth 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1:Anyone who believes Fabio Capello's less than basic grasp of English will not hinder his ability to transform the national side from lost souls into relentless winners should have tried getting a comprehensive answer from Juande Ramos on Saturday evening, or rather from his translator.
Ramos was asked from various quarters about his side's first away win of the season and each time the Spaniard was polite enough to give long and what appeared to be detailed responses in his mother tongue. There was then a mixture of bewilderment and mild hysteria when those responses, converted into English by the man standing by Ramos' shoulder, ran to barely two sentences long and were so basic in nature that they appeared to have come from a shy child on his first day at school. It is unfair to tar all translators with the same brush but may be best that Capello does not employ one but becomes capable of giving orders directly to his squad.
Thankfully for Tottenham, Ramos can do that and uses a translator for press engagements only and Capello may do the same. The Spaniard's orders on the training ground and in the dressing room are all in English and, judging by the performance at Fratton Park, his messages are getting through. The visitors were dominant throughout and suggested that perhaps the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, was right to pursue Ramos with such vigour.
The players themselves are in no doubt that new life has been breathed into a club that was 18th in the Premier League when Ramos replaced Martin Jol at the end of October. Tottenham have lost only once in all competitions since.
"As a whole we are more compact and a lot stronger. There's a feeling things have changed," Jermaine Jenas said. "The gaffer had his own thoughts and what he needed to do was strengthen us up, not just defensively but as a team. I think that's showing now, the wheels are starting to turn."
Jenas was one of many in white who played with a fresh appetite on Saturday. Aaron Lennon, whose recent form has been so wretched that Steve McClaren felt he had little choice but to recall David Beckham to the England squad, was a constant menace on the right, so much so that the left-back, Noe Pamarot, pulled a hamstring trying to keep up with the 20-year-old and had to be replaced. It was Lennon's cross that set up Dimitar Berbatov for the only goal.
Paul Robinson also looked more assured and on 60 minutes showed it was possible for an England goalkeeper to face a long-range shot from Niko Kranjcar without letting the ball escape through his fingers.
Perhaps the most significant performance of the day, however, was that of Didier Zokora, who had to play as an emergency central defender after Michael Dawson was rushed to hospital on Friday with a severe migraine. Along with the usually calamitous Younes Kaboul, Zokora helped Tottenham record their first clean sheet in 14 matches.
"We are a club that belongs in Europe, so we will definitely be pushing for a European spot this season," Jenas added. "The manager belongs in Europe as well, especially with his record. He has won the Uefa Cup the last two years running, so he won't want to let go of it now."
