Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v AS Monaco

please log in to view this image

Tuesday 22nd November 7.45pm
Champions League Group Stage
Stade Louis II​

Grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday sets us up nicely for this tie.
We've basically got to do the same against the Principality side in their own ground or we're out.
Losing both of our home games in the group has left us in a precarious position.
We've not lost either away game though, somewhat bizarrely.

Monaco's form has been extremely erratic since we played them.
They've had some big wins, big losses and the odd draw thrown in, though they've won the last three.
They're scoring a lot of goals and Falcao appears to have regained his old form.
The player that never surfaced in England has reemerged in France.

Most people were expecting PSG to walk the league again this season, but they're currently 3rd.
Nice are 3 points ahead of them, while Monaco lead them on goal difference.
That probably says everything that we need to know about their ability to find the net at the moment.
We need to stay solid and hope that the West Ham result kick-starts our own goalscoring.

Here are the highlights of their weekend game against Lorient:

That's not French for Leyton Orient, if anyone was wondering.

The game at Wembley saw them sit back and hit us on the break, where we struggled badly.
We looked comfortable at the start of the match, but rarely troubled their goalkeeper.
That's been something of a theme this season and we need to sort it out quickly.
Two goals before half-time left us with a mountain to climb and we couldn't manage it.
Alderweireld's goal looked like it would set up a high-pressure ending, but it didn't come.

No bans for this game, but we have various injuries and doubts.
Alderweireld, Davies and Lamela are still out, but everyone else has traveled.
Monaco have no suspensions or confirmed injuries.
Moutinho, Toure and Dirar all face fitness tests, though.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Winks, Dembele, Eriksen; Kane, Janssen.
Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Carter-Vickers, Onomah, Alli, Son.
League form: WDDDDW.

Monaco: Subasic; Sidibe, Glik, Jemerson, Mendy; Silva, Fabinho, Bakayoko, Lemar; Germain, Mbappe.
Subs: De Sanctis, Raggi, N'Doram, Traore, Boschilia, Carrillo, Falcao.
League form: WLWDWW.

Referee: Björn Kuipers. The Dutch supermarket owner who oversaw Chelsea's away goals defeat to PSG.

Which system and personnel should we start for this one, given our recent performances?
Did Winks do enough to keep his place and if so, should Alli replace someone else in the lineup?
Do we need to change our bench, in order to provide better options late on in games?

 

Glenn Hoddle .

 

Paul Stewart played for (money on a casino table at) both.

 

Not too dissimilar to Emmanuel Adebayor then...

 

Paul Stewart was more Morecambe than Monaco

 

Damien Commolli

 

No idea what sort of team we'll line up with tonight, I have the hope we'll go pretty much as strong as possible and pray the lads can have the energy for two tough 90 minute matches. I'd probably give Jan the night off and throw Big Kev in, I'm presuming one of those will play LB on Saturday and seeing as Kev can do with the game time, it'd make sense in my opinion for him to play tonight as well as Saturday, he's a lot fresher than most of the others.

Seeing as we've played about 20 different formations in our last few matches, I'd go 433 for this.

Hugo
Walker, Dier, Kev, Rose
Winks, Wanyama, Dembele
Son, Kane, Alli

Vorm, Tripps, CCV, Onomah, Eriksen, GKN, Janssen

COYS!

 

Injuries to key players have given Poch a selection nightmare for the next two games, and he will seriously have to earn his stripes over the next few days. The closest equivalent I can think of to compare to a Monaco - Chelsea back to back is probably last season's complete hash-up of the Arsenal - Dortmund test which Poch managed to botch even though we didn't have any injuries.

The only players we seem to rotate regularly are the FB's due to their enormous workload in the system we use. That said, I think we'll see Trippier come in for Walker. Rose will play because he quite idiotically decided to pick up a pointless yellow against West Ham, ruling him out of Battle Royale II. I also think Son and Sissoko's absences (at least from the starting line-up) means that we'll see them in the team tonight. So:

Hugo
Trippier Dier Jan Rose
Wanyama Dembele
Sissoko Alli Son
Kane

Subs: Vorm, Winks, Wimmer, Walker, GKN, Eriksen, Janssen

Not a bad team on paper, even if it does include Sissoko Plenty of options and variety on the bench too.

 

Yep, I think you've nailed it. Wouldn't change one of those selections. The only worry is whether we are risking Kane having only just come back? Janssen's anger after he sat on the bench makes me wonder if he could be ready to step up fully?

 

Assessments of Kane and Alli are crucial, as you say. Both can cope in theory with 3 games in a week as they won't be feeling any long-term fatigue due to being sidelined. The question is: will playing them that much exacerbate their injury problems? Alli only played 25 minutes against West Ham so I'm hopeful he'll managed 2 x 90 minutes over the next few days. Kane is a worry, but shows a resilience that is rare in the prima donna era of footballers.

Janssen was simply dreadful against West Ham. I've been one of his most vocal defenders on here, but even I am getting frustrated at what I'm seeing. He needs a prolonged spell on the bench or even in the stands just watching Kane show how it's done.

 

I know what you mean about Janssen, but you have to trust that Poch likes (enough) what he's seeing in training. He looked so frustrated (as he should) sitting down on Saturday, I'm wondering whether, if called upon, he might be fired up to show us what he can do. You heard it here first.

 

Janssen always looks fired up. And I think therein lies his problem. He plays with a certain air of tension surrounding him, understandable given the fact that he's probably low on confidence and over-eager to impress. But above all, a striker needs to play with fluidity, confidence and a certain opportunist ease. Janssen's body language on and off the ball is more like a Terry Butcher than an Alan Shearer. I'd compare him to Diego Costa, another very physical, very tough presence for defenders to deal with. But the latter, as much of a bellend as he is, shows time and again how important it is for a striker to be able to flick a switch and turn off the tension, the testosterone and adrenaline and simply block it all out at crucial moments. Without that, it is almost impossible to score goals.

I was hopeful that playing alongside Kane (one of the most naturally calm players in the game by the way) would bring the best out in Vince; and maybe it still could once Kane is back to 100% fitness. But against West Ham his only notable contribution was giving away a silly penalty. Again, a result of being too tense, too focused on the minutiae of details in front of his nose and as a consequence, losing his man and panicking.

What we really need is a nice easy run in the FA Cup for him to get a few goals in and slowly build his confidence up towards the business end of the season. Saying that, we'll now no doubt get City away in the 3rd round

 

i want 3 points on Saturday.

 

Followed by a freak meteorite destroying Stamford Bridge an hour after the game has finished. Yes please.

 

What's annoying me with Janssen is that he's looking poorer by the game. First four or five games of the season he was looking quality, even without the goals he was bringing his team mates into the game and often testing the keeper, now he's barely getting into decent positions in order to get shots off while the link up play hasn't been great either barring a few decent passes here and there. I know that the confidence factor is huge for a striker but he really needs to up his game if he's to give Poch something to think about with regards to competition for places, because right now, a 75% Kane looks far, far better.

 

^^^That folks is how you get an easy 'like' off me.

 

I tell my mate every week, we signed the Dutch Conor Wickham.

 

Providing it is an hour after the game, I'm bloody going there Saturday!

 

It'd be hard to argue with that at the moment, sadly.

 

Dutch Kevin Davies imo. No pace, not expecially big yet bullies the **** out of defenders and is a useful nuisance.

I thought he was good on Saturday and did all that. Just a shame he went and ruined it all by giving away the penalty but that's just the way his season's been going.