Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

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Saturday 29th October 3pm
Premier League
White Hart Lane​

The last of our four consecutive away games is out of the way, but we didn't manage a single win.
Three disappointing draws, followed by a poor performance and a loss. Not great.
We only scored twice in that sequence too, so we're in something of a lull, to say the least.
The team needs to play well and get a win to restore some confidence, for me.

It's hard to complain when you're still unbeaten in the league and a point off the top, though.
We've started the season pretty strongly and our results have generally been positive.
With so many games so close together, a bad or even mediocre couple of weeks can seem like a long time.
Hopefully that'll be fixed soon, preferably starting with this Saturday.

Our visitors this week have had a mixed start to the campaign, following their dream season.
They've won all of their Champions League games and are on a long unbeaten home run.
The last side to beat them in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium was Liverpool on Boxing Day.
We beat them there in the FA Cup in January, but both sides had a lot of changes.

Their away record so far has been quite different, though.
A shock opening day loss to Hull was followed by big losses to Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea.
The last three would probably be expected in a normal season and the first was against a newly promoted club, though.
Perhaps we shouldn't read too much into this run?

It's been suggested that Ranieri has been focusing on the Champions League and it may have affected Leicester's start.
That would make sense in a lot of ways, as the financial rewards for wins in that competition are great.
Nailing top spot in the group early on would also allow them to rotate effectively in the later games.
One more win would do it and they could give games to fringe players and rest important ones for the league.

Last season's fixture was something of a snapshot of the season as a whole.
We dominated possession, territory and chances, but couldn't make the breakthrough.
Lamela, Eriksen, Alli and Kane all wasted opportunities, while there was little for our defence to do.
Robert Huth scored the only goal of the game in the last ten minutes from only their second attempt on target.
As a side that was happy to absorb pressure and hit on the break, it was a job well done.

The game in Leicester took place early in the season and was seen as a poor result at the time.
We huffed and puffed for 80 minutes, desperately trying to find a goal to kickstart our season.
A loss at Old Trafford and a draw with Stoke had left us winless and it showed, a little.
The possession and chances were quite one way, again, but we managed to take the lead this time.
Dele Alli's goal was countered almost immediately by Riyadh Mahrez, though and that's how it finished.

Sissoko serves the second game of his suspension, while Kane and Alderweireld are not expected to be risked.
No news on any issues from Tuesday's visit to Anfield.
Leicester have no suspensions and only Mendy out through injury.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Lamela; Son.
Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Davies, Winks, Sissoko, Janssen.
League form: WWWWDD.

Leicester: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, King, Musa; Okazaki, Slimani.
Subs: Zieler, Schlupp, Amartey, Albrighton, Gray, Ulloa, Vardy.
League form: LWLDLW.

Referee: Bobby Madley. Had some controversial games in our fixtures.

I'd expect wholesale changes from the Liverpool game, but did anyone do well enough to keep their place?
Do we need to do anything tactically, either to deal with Leicester or help our creativity?
Son to lead the line again or Janssen to take his place? Both as a pairing, perhaps or Son out wide?

 

Paul Stewart would have liked to have played for both,
but his style of play did not conform to the world-renowned decades
old most attackingest philosophy of Leicester.

 

Gary Lineker

 

Poor mans' Paul Stewart.

 

Paul Stewart was not considered attackingest enough to play for Leicester.

 

Kasey Keller, who is far too attack-minded for their current team

...also, who chose the official hashtag? It looks like somebody mis-spelled "toilet", which is more fitting for West Scam's visit.

 

Who the **** leaves Robert Huth unmarked in the box for a corner?!

 

Someone who has been elbowed in the face for the entire game up until that point?

 

Something to point out...

The last team to beat us at home in the league was Arsenal on the 26th September 2015.We were beaten by Liverpool last Boxing Day but it was at Anfield.

We've lost once at home in 27 home league games.

 

I like to think she's wondering how such a monumental bellend is allowed to moderate their board...

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I'd forgotten about Vertonghen's assault on Mahrez in the box in that 1-1 draw.

 

Spurs are playing the team in 12th place, who have been spanked away from home by
at least 3 goals by three of the current top 7, with only 25% of the PL season gone.

If the games against similar teams this season are anything to go by, Spurs should expect a
lot of bus parking from them with a view to a smash and grab on the meagre chances they get.

 

Reverting to 4231 will help, not least because there's been times where the 4141 formation looks more like we're trying to keep as many of the starting xi happy instead of putting out a team that can win the match

With that in mind, I'd go for something like: Lloris; Walker, Dier*, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele; Son, Alli, Lamela; Janssen
* = assuming that Toby isn't match fit

In other words, Poch has to start making tough decisions - chief among them, we can't start matches with all three of Eriksen, Lamela and Son on the pitch so somebody has to make way, and given his poor form so far this season Eriksen is the one I'd have make way.

 

Bobby Madley gave you that dodgy penalty against us in the FA Cup last season.

 

If Toby isn't injured i'd hope he's match fit! He's only been out like 2 weeks. Even i would struggle to get fat(ter) in 2 weeks

 

Yeah, about that...

 

****sticks

 

Ranieri has never lost to Spurs as a manager in the premier league. Think I read it was 7 wins and 3 draws in 10 matches.
We have struggled goal wise in our last 4 games...think it's 2 goals in 4 and Leicester seem to be getting their act together so I am not expecting that to change this week.

 

I manage it in one week when I come home from Africa on leave. In order to put on weight try for breakfast every morning:

2 thickly buttered toast (thick sliced bread)
Two fried Eggs, sunny side up
5 rashers of bacon
1/2 tin of baked beans
7 small cherry tomatoes fried in bacon fat and oil
3 inches if black pudding nicely fried again in bacon fat and oil
3 deep fried hash browns
3 large field mushrooms, again fried in bacon fat and oil
Copious amounts of Dijon mustard on the black pudding
Lashings of HP brown sauce
All washed down with a pint of full cream milk or Guinness.

And no I don't eat sausages with breakfast.

 

I think Janssen should lead the line, Leicester will no doubt play very defensive and look to counter, so Son's speed will be somewhat void as I can't see there being much space to run into, Janssen's physicality will hopefully unsettle the two CB's which can possibly lead to some chances if the attacking midfielders play off of him well enough. Danny and Kyle will need to be on top form - as they have been - to ensure that they're not caught out from a Leicester counter, they could also be key in opening up the opposition's defence by drawing fullbacks/ DMs out wide, creating gaps in the middle.

I'd go with:

Hugo
Walker, Dier, Jan, Rose
Wanyama, Dembele
Son, Eriksen, Alli
Janssen

Vorm, Tripps, Davies, Kev, Winks, GKN, Lamela

COYS!