I said on Tuesday’s show it would be close, and it was — Arsenal came within a late Cesc Fabregas 3-pointer of getting into tying distance of Tottenham before eventually falling 5-1 in that massive Carling Cup battle.

OK, fine, maybe in this league Fabregas can one day do his best John Paxson impersonation.

But it’s Spurs who thunder into the Carling final, not that they have time to relish finally accomplishing something tangible for the first time since (shoot, there go those crickets again.) A look at what’s forthcoming for Tottenham in the two weeks to come:

Sun 1/27 @ Man United (FA Cup)

Wed 1/30 @ Everton (Premier League)

Sat 2/2 vs. Man United (Premier League)

So the time has come to plant the turning-point flag yet again at White Hart Lane. Only in this instance, Juande Ramos has a golden chance to take it and run wild in the streets of north London. The man has kept the crows from circling so far during his tenure, but finding a way to win two of these three fixtures in the wake of this blasting of Arsenal may ultimately render Rafa Benitez the Premiership’s No. 2 Spanish managing talent.