Do Spurs have that desire to win at any cost which the top clubs po se s? Those clubs have players who dont know what it is to be beaten and when they are, they dont like it. That makes them stand out from all the other clubs around them but do the players at Tottenham have that same desire and winning mentalityTottenham have always been regarded as a soft touch a team who wont perform on a cold wet night in the north west. Players will go mi sing and wont take responsibility when the going gets tough. Do the current players have the desire to turn such opinions around? Jack Blomgren Jersey Last year the team managed to gain 22 points from losing positions but they gained only 11 points out of a po sible thirty from the bottom five teams in the Premier League which affected their final position dramatically.The team has won their last two Premier League games but went out of the Carling Cup on penalties at Stoke. The weakened team contained eight international players but they were unable to score in two hours of football and when it came to penalties their defeat was the sixth consecutive penalty shoot-out lo s. When Delano Hill Jersey it came to the pre sure of the shoot-out, it was an international striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko, who mi sed a crucial early strike so transferring the pre sure to other le s experienced players. Similarly, the defeats in the Carling Cup Final and UEFA Cup match against PSV Eindhoven saw seasoned Premier League players with international experience mi s vital kicks at a crucial time in the shoot-out, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas. Top teams regularly play under-strength sides in the early rounds of the domestic Cup competitions and have progre sed to the latter stages, even going on to lift the Cup. Tottenhams squad players aided by some talented youngsters werent able to produce a similar result this week.The victory at Wolves suggested greater application from the team against opposition who have proved difficult opponents since returning to the Premier League. The win over Liverpool was very satisfying in the energy that the players showed from the start taking the game to their visitors and not giving them a chance to control the game. The four goal succe s was their largest win over Liverpool since 1963, so we shouldnt be too critical. However, the one question that has lingered in my mind since last Sunday is should it have been more?If things had been the other way round Spurs at Anfield, reduced to nine Jalen Rose Jersey men and three down with twenty five minutes remaining, would Liverpool have settled for four? I suggest that they would have gone for the jugular and it would have been an even greater embarra sment than Liverpool felt last weekend. Manchester United didnt settle for 5 1 or 6 2 against Arsenal they went for it and left the visitors totally shell-shocked. Spurs, however, having gone three up and with Liverpool offering nothing, settled for playing keep ball with pa s after pa s in midfield, not looking to create anything and Liverpool were content to let Luke Wilson Jersey them do that as they werent under any threat. A team with a winning mentality would have benn looking to create more chances, score more goals and make their opponents really suffer, as frequently happens to Spurs. As it was Tottenhams fourth goal didnt come until the last kick of added time with Emmanuel Adebayor putting away Benoit A sou-Ekottos cro s.Succe sful teams have players who lead by example and never know when theyre beaten. Steven Gerrard is the perfect example of that special type of player when he is wearing the red of Liverpool. He has pulled them through many lost causes to succe s and they have an outstanding penalty-shoot record in vital European and Cup games. Last seasons defeat to Northampton Town at Anfield when Tottenhams Oscar Jan sen was in goal for the visitors was an amazing blip on an incredible record. Manchester United had Roy Keane and Brian Robson who led by example, Livwerpool also had former Spur, Graeme Soune s, but it is some time since Spurs had such a player in the team.The most notable example is Dave Mackay from the 1960s with Graham Roberts and Paul Miller created from the same mould. In Tottenhams UEFA Cup succe s in 1984, Roberts led by example in scoring the equalising goal against Anderlecht and then as Juwan Howard Jersey captain on the night, by taking the first penalty in the succe sful shoot-out. Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman had similar qualities and were prepared to roll up their sleeves and get on with it when the going was difficult. Who of recent Tottenham experience has had such a presence in the team? William Gallas is certainly a winner who doesnt take kindly to losing and on a number of occasions last year he showed that spirit when battling on with minor knocks and injuries bandaged or strapped up, rather than be substituted.Harry Redknapp has often lamented the lack of a player with such character and qualities and the experience of Scott Parker was something that the manager felt would be of benefit to the current team. A player prepared to fight for the right to play and not afraid to battle when things get tough. He showed such leadership qualities while battling with West Ham last season.The match against Wigan wont provide any conclusive answers but a defeat would further strengthen the argument that the Spurs players still lack a winning mentality while succe s would provide an indication that Karl Kauffmann Jersey they might just be moving away from that soft Londoners tag.