We’ve see Spurs concede late before and let down by fringe players so I can see why he went strong with subs. Topping the group was crucial and they’ve done that.
Permutation time CL dropouts: Dynamo Kyiv, G Fuel Vienna, Olympiacos, Krasnodar EL runners-up: Benfica, Real Sociedad, Lille, Braga, Young Boys, Granada, Crvena Zvezda, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Slavia Prague, Royal Antwerp, Wolfsberger, Molde Any preferences?
We'd just taken the lead, though. It certainly didn't need three subs and he unbalanced the midfield with them. He realised that himself shortly afterwards and had to correct it by using our last sub and throwing on Sissoko. We'd looked a lot more balanced after the break and the introduction of Bergwijn. Winks was doing fine, Vinicius had just scored and Bale looked a lot more like his old self. I didn't see the need for it.
Very easy win in all honesty, whilst we never really got out of 2nd gear they were never really threatening, did Joe make a save? Subs were odd we were in control and winning were we much better after the changes? Or had the goal broken them anyway. Lo Celso was excellent but probably won't start on Sunday, not much else to say but Jose's lack of trust in certain players maybe coming to a head and January may yet be interesting as some of supporting cast may be looking for a way out.
I wondered how they got through the group, as they were awful last year in our Champions League one. Had a quick check and Gent finished bottom with 0 points. Having a nightmare season and they're onto their 4th manager!
It's definitely weird to feel disappointed at an easy win which also meant topping the group but the decisions in-game were just really bemusing/ annoying and I think could have an adverse effect in the coming weeks. Everyone on planet earth knows I can't stand Winks as a player, genuinely think he's a terribly suited to this football club and wouldn't even look out of place playing for a bottom half Prem side and so seeing Jose drop him from the Prem squad has been an absolute joy for me but in a game like this it's perfect for him to keep up his fitness whilst he's still at the club, so taking him off when we did only further demoralises him (and a motivated Winks is bad enough!) whilst it put a key player on at a time it wasn't required. Bale's never going to get match fit if he keeps getting hauled off at 60 minutes, we all know he's not set the world alight but we also acknowledge he'd barely kicked a ball prior to joining us and that it'd take time, playing 60 mins in a rotated side once a week though won't help him. However, Vinicius has been playing really well in his appearances yet seems to be getting absolutely shat on and considering we - and the manager - had been crying out for a second striker, it's really tough seeing how poorly he's being managed, especially as you just know that with our luck Kane is a hammy away from missing a couple months. I've criticised Dele more than most but again, with the squad we have and the fixtures coming up, surely someone like him is good enough for minutes in this fixture? Like Winks I'm happy he's been dropped from the Prem side as he's not done the business for ages now but games like this are where he could possibly build his morale/ form/ fitness or at the very least make him appealing for potential buyers. Getting zero minutes in any competition is just seeing his value decrease rapidly game by game.
I suspect the star players came on to keep their fitness levels up. They were only on for 30 minutes. I believe Jose doesn't go heavy with the training schedule when the schedule is packed.
I hear what you are saying but I think Jose is playing the longer squad game. Everyone needs to be able to seamlessly be drafted into the side. To have a first team squad and a reserve squad doesn't work. You have to be able to mix and match.
