Remember when we walked all over Roma pre season and then made a dreadful start to the league. So good omen to lose this.
Nice also to see the mythical N'Koudou burst of pace to skin his full back! So what is known of this Georgou? From the thread I assume he was impressive, but I don't even recall the name before.
Yeah definitely. If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that pre-season means absolute jack with regards to performances/ results. It's good though that we're playing top sides, the intensity will be nowhere near a competitive match but it's solid preparation to be playing such high calibre sides.
Until Inda appears to save the day : 1. Portuguese commentary 2. Video time lag a few seconds behind audio/subtitles < beggars cannot be choosers >
From the reports I've seen the ref was either grossly incompetent, or had received a little "bonus" from Roma before the game * Not only the wrong call on CCV, but the wrong call made thirty seconds later * Didn't award a penalty when Fazio rugby tackled Kane in the area * Ignored a clear shove on Wimmer for Roma's third Has the Clattenberg School of Refereeing expanded to the US?
https://www.reddit.com/r/footballdownload/comments/6pl3bx/tottenham_hotspur_vs_as_roma_international Might be better replays here
Done 1st half. Roma were a typical Serie A side, good defensive shape and tidy/controlled passing. The typical Spurs MF press was not there, but more importantly IMHO the passing went too AVB 2013-14 against their defence (a common complaint of mine) . We are very light in creativity without Eriksen, and Lamela/Son still on physio watch. Onomah looked aimless out there, definitely not ready to front up for the seniors yet IMHO.
2nd half done. Once Spurs played near normal tempo, Roma couldn't get out of their own half. They only started playing again at 2-0 up (when they thought they would catch Spurs on the counter) . Big nod to the boy Georgiou. Perhaps he will be the academy break-out of 2017-18. I am quite meh about the result, but concerned about the mental damage this is doing to Wimmer (nothing seems to be going right for him of late) . Similar concerns re some of the Roma handbags collapses. The Spurs MF press is physical, but UEFA land is not the PL. We saw it a bit last season, and the team is going to have to temper this aspect to avoid losing momentum in games.
That is what ruined the Leverkusen match for me last season, far more than our bad performance. Sure people can say that is what you should expect from the CL, but if that really is the CL then I honestly don't want anything to do with it. I can't afford to go to many games and when finally do get to one it is hardly a good advert for football to witness that "gamesmanship" (I call it charitably, it's actually cheating I think).
Loving @The RDBD 's delayed commentary on the game I can't say I regret staying up for it as it was a thoroughly entertaining affair played at a surprisingly high tempo and with quite a bit of passion on display, especially from our side. Roma are an excellent team - you can't push Juve all the way in Serie A without being one - and it was good to see our lads up against some real quality once again. I know it was only a friendly, but from what I saw through bleary eyes... PROS - Harry Winks just oozes confidence and is full of probing, dangerous passes. Rewarded with an easy tap-in. Can't wait to see him in action this season. - Anthony Georgiou. Literally never heard of the lad prior to the game and surprised that no-one on here has ever mentioned him either. Did more in 45 minutes than Sissoko and GKN managed in an entire season. Aggressive, direct, pacy and willing to try the unpredictable. He's already 20 so we might see a bit more of him this season. - Dembele. Orgasmically good on the ball. Simple as that. - Janssen. I can FINALLY tick "see Vincent Janssen make an intelligent near-post run and put it past the keeper" off of my 'to-do list'. CONS - CCV looked very, very uncomfortable throughout the first half. Struggled to deal with Dzeko's strength and experience and Perotti's pace. Clearly a distance off of being PL ready and I would like to see him sent out on loan. - Wimmer. Is beginning to resemble Ryan Shawcross in size and style with every passing game. By size, I mean that he could do with shedding a bit of puppy fat. By style, I mean that as long as the action is happening in front of him, he is fine. But as soon as the opposition start playing off the shoulder (as most decent attacking sides do), he looks utterly lost. I wouldn't fault him for the 3rd goal as it looked like he was shoved, but the "clearance" for the 2nd goal was appalling, and other than a couple of wayward or misjudged passes I can't recall him doing anything positive. Such a shame but it may well be the right time to be a bit ruthless and sell. - Alli. Spent the first half wandering around in search of inspiration. - Trippier. Confirmed my fears about him. Hardly put a foot wrong defensively, but as the game wore on and it became clear that Perotti, Strootman, Under and Nainggolan are top drawer players, he was pushed deeper and deeper into our own half and as a result the crosses dried up. As I have said, this will happen against any team with talent in the last third as Trippier just doesn't have the pace or engine to push forward and then track back to prevent the break. - GKN. THAT cross aside, the lad looks utterly clueless. Reminds me a lot of Jose Dominguez (remember him?). Clearly talented and with bags of pace, but seems incapable of making the right decision. - The Ref. Just
