You never know Danny Rose might score another 35 yard Volley into the top corner...no worries we got goals all over the pitch.
I was critical of Ramos BEFORE he started because of the way it was done. I am not suggesting no comment but if you raise your head then others will shoot just as you are doing
But did you criticise his tactics whilst we picked up 2 points from 8 games? or maybe not 'criticise' but 'observe and comment' ?
Well youre clinging onto the hope that Dele Alli's flicks might pay off i guess thats because you have seen posters commenting on how annoying they are. Personally i think his flicks n tricks are lazy attempts at getting the ball but yeah now n again they pay off.
Now that I totally disagree with. There are more ways to play this game than players in a team. We are lucky enough to have an unorthodox player like Dele he gives us a dimension few players can. Gilzean used to do this with Greaves. To have Sissoko and Dele in the same team is fantastic.
There you go Spurf...we all make observations but by no means is any of it suggesting 'Poch out'. Weve all been watching football for long enough to know a little bit and maybe at times things are seen with clarity from a distance as oppose to being in the mix of it. Thats why when it comes to some big games...managers can over think things. Poch has been guilty of it...fans are not completely stupid. I recall everyone face palming when Poch stuck Son at left back against Chelsea in the semi final. Fans were right...the pressure of the situation had Poch having a selection meltdown. BTW i think i was defo 'Ramos out' after 8 games...knowing me it was probably after 6 games.
I am not criticising the idea of criticising just the content of that critisism. We are disagreeing on the attributes of Dele for example and therefore making judgements on whether he should be dropped or not. I disagree with the idea that you or I are better placed than Pochettino to make these decisions but for sure it's easier in hindsight which as I have already said is what fuels a lot of fan comment. I also adapt my comments when talking about Ramos one of the most unsuccessful managers to Pochettino one of the most successful.
He should at least have the understanding of a supporter who makes their "judgements" with the benefits of foresight. If Alli and Eriksen had actually bother to front up in MF pressing in the first half as would be expected in most PL games, I doubt much of the comments would hold. The reality is that Spurs were not punished for the performance of the 1st half, and know that a 90 mins performance akin to the 2nd half + Son in the team should enable the win in the 2nd leg.
The reality is that for the first 30 mins we did exactly what you don’t do against this Ajax side, we sat back and let them play. That’s the road to disaster. When we changed tactics, brought Sissoko on and started pressing them, we started to push them back. It’s clear from their own words that they don’t like the physical and in your face football of the PL, so that’s what we should give them in The Dam.
Who do you think is responsible for ensuring an on-pitch player who is not putting in a shift gets the message that will not be tolerated (and there may be consequences) ?? The manager ?? Levy ?? The bar staff ??
Agreeing with Spurf, how easy it is to criticize in hindsight. Poch has admitted that he got it wrong but also what else could he have done. I've just looked back at the suggestions at the start of this thread. Most ( not all ) were relying on Sissoko. Yes he made a huge difference when he came on but Poch doesn't like to rush players back and it could have been a disaster if he would have pulled up 5 minutes in. However he took the bold choice when he needed to sub Jan. The easy way would have been a like for like with Ben coming on. He played arguably his best available 11 players to start, and the formation came about because of that. Anybody who has managed at any level knows the difficulty in that. I would expect the return leg to be very different as we will have a larger available squad. ( and maybe a little luck might come our way, with a couple of their players suffering minor knocks in their cup final on Sunday ).
This should please those who believe that MP invites the players to enjoy a leisurely Gin and Tonic and hors d'oeuvres at half time, especially when we're not playing well... https://thisisfutbol.com/2019/05/blogs/moura-reveals-poch-ajax-rant/
Providing no injuries from the Bournemouth game, hoping to see us lineup for the away leg: Hugo Foyth, Toby, Jan, Rose Wanyama, Sissoko Lucas, Eriksen, Son Llorente Son and Lucas on the flanks can hopefully cause problems. If the attacking players can be better positioned when Nando wins a header that’ll also be great, too many times the other night he won the ball and yet Ajax were more or less always first to the bounce. Foyth over Trippier all day long now, it’s pretty embarrassing that a CB playing RB looks more adventurous when going forward than the natural RB and is also a more solid option on the back foot.
I dont think anyone has got a problem with Poch to my knowledge. Are you telling me he wont play 442 in the next leg? Thats all i meant by 'crash course', he learned thanks to a 'blessing in disguise' that occured due to Jan's injury.
It pleases me, although to be Fergie-esque would be to play well in the 1st half in the full fear/knowledge of what would await you from the manager come HT.
