Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United

please log in to view this image

Saturday 19th November 5.30pm
Premier League
White Hart Lane​

We hit one international break on good form, then stumbled through to the next one.
No wins in seven games, out of the League Cup and struggling in the Champions League.
Let's hope that we return to our previous form now that the latest break is over.
Seven games at seven different venues is odd, but it's quite a winless run.

Our opponents have fared better in that time, picking up a bit after a very poor start to the campaign.
Wins over Palace and Sunderland in the league were followed by knocking Chelsea out of the cup.
A loss at Goodison Park is not a massive blow nowdays, but their home draw to Stoke wasn't great.
They'd definitely have taken that run going into the five games, though.

This fixture was one of our better performances last season.
The teams were level on points going into it and a lot of people were expecting a close game.
It was anything but, as Dimitri Payet's absence was keenly felt.

Early pressure paid off, as Harry Kane opened the scoring halfway through the first period.
He turned his marker well and took full advantage of a deflected Alli shot, as it fell into his path.
Alderweireld doubled the score before the break, heading home from a corner, utterly unmarked.
Kane spurned a superb chance to extend that lead, hooking wide when clean through on goal.
It was a well deserved scoreline, though and probably should've been larger.

That miss was soon corrected, as the game resumed after half-time.
A defensive mistake was picked up by Eriksen and his ball to Kane was dispatched with aplomb.
Further chances weren't taken, until Kyle Walker's delightful fourth.
His one-two with Son left him free on the edge of the box and his finish was superb.
The only blot on the copybook came shortly after that, as Lanzini grabbed an unlikely consolation.

The reverse was the ridiculous to the former game's sublime.
Nacer Chadli had a real off day, allowing Michael Antonio to score from a corner that he'd been at fault for.
The day didn't get any better after that and the 1-0 scoreline could've been worse, if anything.
A good run of form was interrupted and momentum was lost.

Moussa Sissoko's ban is now complete, so we have no suspensions.
Alderweireld, Davies and Lamela are out, while Alli is a doubt.
Club Captain Mark Noble is suspended for the visitors.
Byram, Carroll, Tore and Oxford are injured, while Collins, Reid and Sakho are doubts.

Lineups for each team's last league game:

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

West Ham: Adrian; Kouyate, Collins, Ogbonna; Antonio, Noble, Obiang, Cresswell; Lanzini, Ayew, Payet.
Subs: Randolph, Nortveit, Fernandes, Feghouli, Calleri, Fletcher, Zaza.
League form: LDWWLD.

Referee: Mike Dean.

TV: BT Sport 1.

Should we stick with three central defenders, given our positive performance against the Goons?
Do we need to change any of the personnel or rest anyone, given the upcoming trip to Monaco?
Any switches on the bench?

 

Mike Dean .

 

Wot no Paul Stewart

 

Paul Stewart
(would hit you with a massive libel suit if you even dared to suggest he)
played for both.

 

I'm more interested about the Scammers' next visit to Selhurst park, given the recent bellended comments by their chairman...

 

My bank slows down the amount of cash I can withdraw as I approach
the credit limit, it's a pity that this simple technology wasn't applied to
the funding of the Olympic stadium football stadium conversion.

 

Both goals conceded were at the near post. I'd always assumed they were the easiest situations to save, but Hugo has done his utmost to convince me otherwise. @O.Spurcat could you shed any light as to why our beloved captain finds those shots so hard to keep out?

 

Come on then lads. Let's get this show on the ****ing road.

 

When is Toby back?

 

This is the latest from PhysioRoom, usually quite accurate and reliable. I reckon we'll see all of the November 19th brigade in the match day squad, with the possible exception of Alli. Toby missing the 2 London derbies and the Monaco game is a massive blow but I think we've coped surprisingly well without him so far. Lamela being out also means that, sadly, we'll be seeing quite a bit of Mr Sissoko over the next few weeks.

 

I think he would have cut out the mistakes that have cost us goals in his absence. There have been some rookie errors on the pitch recently.

 

Another Pochettino masterclass in how to give the "media" nothing for gossip.

 

So do you think Sissoko is a write off? No hope that we he will settle in?

 

I'm torn on this one. I think both Rafa Benitez and Didier Deschamps proved beyond a doubt that his best position is through the middle. Indeed, when we signed him I thought he was being brought in to cover Dembele at the same time as Wayama would cover Dier and we would rotate the 2 DM positions between the 4 of them.

He is too one-dimensional to play on the wing. Plenty of pace and strength but little guile, poor control and has a terrible cross. He was most effective in the summer at simply picking up the ball in central areas, and using his brute strength and sheer speed to carve a hole through the opposition ranks. Much like Dembele albeit far less refined.

For him to get game time ahead of N'Koudou and Onomah and obstruct their development seems a shame. He spent 3 years trying and failing to play effectively as a winger, so why Poch deems it a good idea to go and play him there anyway is a mystery.

Useful squad player, but as I said at the time I think come the end of his time at Spurs the most memorable thing about his signing will be the fact that Levy blinked.

 

Managers like to put players in different positions as it proves how astute they are. If it works they are hailed as a genius by the media and if it fails it's easy to rubbish the player. Sometimes spectacular results occur like Bale and perhaps Dier, and sometimes it's the ageing process trying to prolong the playing life of a special talent. Sissoko has not looked good with us so far and the comments from Toon fans are a little worrying. Have we landed ourselves with another Adebayor or will he prove the match winner that Spurs must he thought he was to flash out so much money. It's a very well know buying trait of humans that once you can get them to spend for the first purchase their resistance to following purchases crumbles. Levy was on a role and even he succumbs after Spurs best season for years.

 

ag

Wenger loves to do this. He had huge success with Henry moved centrally, and now he buys really similar players and puts them in different position. Sanchez as centre forward is good, but it's not where he'll create the most damage. Same with Ozil on the wing.

 

I am still hopeful, but I am always prepared to give players a chance, and so far he has had limited opportunities and is still settling into our system.

I was unsure when he was signed and the fee certainly took me by surprise, and the level of criticism form Newcastle fans genuinely surprised me as from the limited amount i had seen of him (mainly MOTD highlights) he had looked ok, but when the review is as consistently bad has his was you maybe have to take notice.

So it's in hope more than expectation that I will get behind him, and he may yet perform to France levels for us once he settles.

 

Still waiting for some ITK confirmation on the mythical T+Cs that Levy pays
the Toon 6m for every season Sissoko is at Spurs, and nowt to them if he leaves before then.

 

We did at least get 1 very good season out of Adebayor before things started going South - and for most of the time Citeh were footing a large part of the bill. Compared to the Sissoko situation, that looks like a success

I also hope that he finds a role for himself and the club, but there are few positive signs at the moment.

 

Sissoko is suffering from Kleberson syndrome - big price tag, a reputation based on a higher profile at international level, not signed as a first team choice, but back- up and an inferiority complex based on being a small fish in a big pond rather than the opposite. He needs a regular run in the team, playing in his preferred role and being the focal point of the team.