There is only 7 more games left and then Jose can bring in a couple more players that he can use and rely on and get rid of the ones he doesn’t want.
Completely agree. Ndombele’s issue isn’t his talent that Jose is struggling to unlock, it’s his fitness. I’m far from a fitness freak but I’m pretty sure one of the very first and most basic requirements of being a professional footballer is to be in good physical shape. To be puffing after 30 minutes in games isn’t down to a manager, it’s down to the poor application from the individual. Rafa van der Vaart was someone who didn’t have the best of fitness levels but he at least lasted for a good 70 mins at a great level. At the very least Ndombele needs to match that otherwise he’ll never realise his phenomenal potential. Fix up and become a world class talent, or enjoy the cold nights of Russia/ Ukraine sooner or later.
This is the point I'm making. Just before the Christmas glut of matches, I wrote that Mourinho was overplaying some players, Kane and Sissoko particularly. He didn't rest them and pretty soon after, their bodies gave out. Skippy doesn't completely replace Sissoko but for 15 - 20 minutes, he can do a job and stop the more experienced player getting injured. So can others, no matter what their current limitations. Parrott may not have been ready but was losing Kane for months a better option? Not for me. The disappointing level of new signings can be less obvious as the opposition tire and it's better that Sessegnon or Ndombele gets on the pitch in those circumstances, than having to play as first choice because others have been run into the ground...again.
I'm not confident that we're going to be able to buy too many players that Mourinho can rely on. It's likely that we'll buy more players that are well down his list...if they're on there at all. Which Spurs manager has consistently got the players that they wanted under ENIC?
How many times has he played as a winger, though? Munich away when he scored and... that's about it? The rest of the time he's either been a fullback or wingback, where he looks caught between getting forward and sitting back. Fernandes has been preferred to him on the left, which simply doesn't suit him at all, as he's very right footed. That last Winks sub last night should've added a couple of extra players to it. Kane was absolutely spent and Lo Celso had just returned from an injury and wasn't fully fit. Why risk them for ten minutes against a knackered West Ham side, when other could benefit from some game time?
Well hopefully whoever comes in will be used by him, surely by now they’ve learnt not to sign players that the manager doesn’t want
Up until the 82nd minute we were only leading by a goal. Our best players were required up until that point because the game wasn’t safe. They probably were played to the end because that’s what they can do, being our best players, plus we have got 9 days rest now that glut of games we have coming up, 3 in 6 days I expect more efficient rotation
Yeah admittedly he’s not played as an actual winger often but in his roles as a LWB or LB I just haven’t seen the same player that got all the praise and attention at Fulham. 9 times out of 10 when down the wing he’d go all Winks-esque and look to pass it sidewards rather than trying to beat his man or get a cross in. A young player like him should be at that no fear stage and yet he hasn’t done anything so far to suggest he should be knocking on Son’s door, nor Davies’. I’d have still liked to have seen him come on in the past couple games and I agree with you that we should’ve utilised more subs. Not sure why Jose’s been so tight on those, the Utd game especially could’ve potentially changed the outcome of the game in our favour because it was only til Utd made a number of theirs that we started looking tired and in danger.
Jan and Toby sitting it out again? Contracts or no,it looks like they are on Jose's bye,bye list!!!!?
They weren’t playing great before lockdown...both seem to have lost a yard of pace for a start, unfortunately.
As I said in the sentence that you left out, the Winks sub should've added a couple of extra players to it and it was after we went 2-0 up. The previous two substitutions were quite like-for-like, but they made sense because we were well on top. Adding fresh legs and pace to stretch the tired Spam players was the right thing to do. Moyes waited far too long to make any changes, in contrast. Antonio blew himself out in the first half and it was clear by the hour that he was totally done. I've no idea if Ajeti's any good or not, but he scored plenty of goals for Basel last season and they had nothing to lose. Making Antonio play 90 minutes was ridiculous, as was only making two subs when you're losing 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.
Jan is gone at the end of the season, don’t get why Toby got a new deal if Jose doesn’t want him though.
Not sure that those add anything to the PL ones, barring the dig at Merson at the end. That Moura miss, though.
Has anyone seen an angle of the own goal that supports Moyes' claims about it clearly hitting an arm? I've not seen one in either of the highlights clips and I didn't see the post-match crap.
All the sky pundits say it was so that is gospel, the very first thing out of their mouths was it was hand ball not the inch perfect pass from Son or the interplay with lamala , nothing about Harry's finish , no it had to be the hand ball First thing about Harry was that it was his 1st goal of 2020, no **** sherlock the poor ****er spent most of it on the treatment table or lockdown