I'm extremely happy with the business that we've done, but we still need upgrades to some positions - CCB, RWF and probably RWB. Today, I don't want us to spaff any money on players who are only slightly better or at similar levels to what we've already got. We've seen that **** before and it doesn't work. It wastes resource and bungs up the squad with inferior players who we'll struggle to move on again. We'll be better off waiting until January/next summer.
I can;t think why you would think that ...oh wait, because they were out in force after our U21s lost to Wycombe on penalties the other night, because apparently we need £80m worth of talent in our academy now
1. < In Cointe we trust ... ?? > 2. The recent starting XIs played well over the final third of last season, so the personnel is not ostensibly the current performance issue. However, we know from the 'Bs' games last season and two games this, that the Bentancur/Hojbjerg combo is too slow and inaccurate in CM when Spurs are not running riot and stretching the opposition defence So write this month off, and now is where Conte is going to have to earn his money on both correcting #2 and sensibly managing squad rotation.
I'm fine with that and I'm sure most fans are too. My concern is we are about to hit a run of 2 games a week almost every week, and with the fourth competition being the CL this year, I am conscious that we are an injury to any of the front 3 away from having literally nothing on the bench to change a game and grab a goal. It's been an issue for years now but unsurprisingly those years have coincided with thinking top 6 is an achievement and playing part time teams from Latvia midweek. It's a different level this season but we haven't addressed the problem sufficiently imo. Same for CB. We are an injury to Dier away from our defensive shape and standard plummeting. We saw it already last season. I'd also say that we face a much sterner test just for top 4 than last season. Arsenal and Newcastle look stronger this year, Brighton could well be a dark horse and United might start turning a corner. We were very fortunate in that last season our key players stayed remarkably injury free. But truth be told, even without injuries the sheer number of fixtures this season plus world cup fatigue means we have to rotate a lot more than we did last year.
You’re not taking into account that we’re not the only team in multiple competitions though. Arsenal are an injury to Jesus away from having no goal scoring striker, unless Nketiah suddenly becomes good. They’ve scraped wins against Fulham and Villa because they’ve had a couple injuries, they never had Europe last season either so it’s going to be a big test for them. Chelsea have lost key defenders and currently have no striker. They’ll likely get Auba but they’re also in a position in that one or two key injuries will impact them just as much as it will us. Pool without Mane don’t seem as dangerous as they were last season. Their midfield is ageing big time and an injury to van Dijk turns an elite defence to an ok one. City in truth are the only team fully equipped for this season. They’ve got more or less a world class player backed up by a very good player in almost every position. Our squad isn’t perfect and there’s no doubt injuries will hit us hard but we won’t be the only team in that situation either.
I think as football fans we have a picture in our mind of Spurs playing slick exciting football. We look at the players we have signed and mentally add them to our good performances at the end of last season and imagine how good we will be now. Then we watch a game like yesterday against West Ham or the game against Wolves and not forgetting the game with Chelsea. We have managed good results but it has not been awe inspiring has it. We have seen Perisic and love how silky smooth and confident he is. Perhaps not since Van De Vaart have we had a player as relaxed and smooth. I'm not forgetting Kane or Son but they posses more explosive qualities. Romero is the signing that also looks like a big step up in class. It is yet to all come together and we know it will take some more games for this to happen. The intensive programme will hopefully speed up the process of our new signings fully bedding in. The excitement built as we saw the new players coming in and the media contributed their hype and it's against that background that we watch games like yesterday and can't help but be disappointed. Patience and excitement do not mix well do they?
I think we’d have heard something by now if negotiations were underway with anyone else except for Dan James. These things just aren’t kept secret on deadline day anymore.
I think the mood around the club is probably more upbeat than many of the fans, especially the cesspit that is football Twitter. We’ve had a very good window that is maybe one or two signings away from being an excellent one and are improving on results from last year. Maybe fans would be happier if we made a big signing late in the window but after years of lamenting late business, I think it’s definitely worth compromising on late excitement for the business we have done so far. I think stylistically many fans (not on here necessarily but more broadly) are coming to terms with Conte’s football - it’s not going to be handbrake off, Redknapp or Poch style football that many identify as ‘The Spurs Way’ but we do have an elite manager who has an amazing track record of recent success playing this way. There are clear problems with the team as it currently stands which are compounded by one or two injuries to key players and a lack of form from others, but as other new signings bed in I think we can ride those out a bit better. We’re about to really hit the fixture congestion for all teams, especially those in Europe, and the form of teams in the first few games I think is really going to go out of the window in the coming weeks. We have a good squad that is deeper in most regards than last season’s and I think the manager knows how to use the tools at his disposal to get results. It may sometimes be frustrating but you sign Conte because he knows how to get results in difficult games even if it’s not always pretty. I think we’re well positioned going into this season now and while I’d like another central CB and/or forward, I think we’ll also see improvements as we settle on a more dynamic attacking RWB and get Bissouma properly bedded in and Skipp back to fitness. As long as Sonny hits his stride soon as well, hopefully we’ll deal with the coming meat grinder well.
Largely agree but remember we have an Italian manager now. not Portuguese. The Italians are master defenders but the major difference from Portugal in Italy is the way they attack. I think we can look forward to some exciting football when the team is fully bedded in. In a nutshell I see Italian football as defend, defend, defend then attack at speed and that can be very exciting to watch. This is not a million miles away from Pochettino, certainly closer to him than Nuno, Mourinho or yawn, AVB.
I don’t read as much into the nationality of managers as you do but I do think the characterisation of Conte as a low block, counterattacking manager is wrong. He will sit deep and cede possession against some teams but most of the time we press situationally and look to move the ball quickly through the phases. The end to end stuff is also effective but our reliance on it is a myth. Where we need to improve is the speed and accuracy of midfield and CB distribution and to replicate the technical, progressive quality we have on the left on our right side too. That will help when we get outnumbered in midfield. Once Bissouma settles it’ll be helpful too as he was very press resistant at Brighton.
I think that's probably an age thing. I grew up in a world where world football was very much locally controlled and managed. Italian managers in Italy, British managers in Britain, Spanish in Spain and so on. The modern football world is quite different where it is not so easy to see the national differences. There is also the fact that a manager in PL has to alter his strategy to suit the characteristics of the league. So are the league differences now greater than the national ones? Does an English manager going to Spain have to change his game, and vice versa? It would be interesting to hear what people think who know more about other leagues than I do.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and City all making deadline day signings. Spurs need at least 1 one more in (creative midfielder) otherwise it leaves the squad light. A quality CB can probably wait until January or next summer but would be annoying to end the window without anymore business (although I’d rather sign nobody than Dan James or Adama Traore)
Different leagues have different styles, but those change over time. Tika taka was popular in Spain and with their national team, but they've move on from that. Rangnick popularised gegenpressing in Germany relatively recently. Italy's known for Catenaccio, but has drifted towards Conte's preferred 3-5-2 recently. Lots of wingbacks and inside forwards, for lack of a better term. Solid, hardworking sides with a nasty streak, but who have plenty of talent with the ball. I think that styles, formations and systems change, but traditions remain. British football fans admire a hard tackle (oo-er) as much as a well placed pass. The Dutch still want total football and the Germans strive for technical perfection and clinical attacks. The Premier League lets us see these variations chucked at each other to see what works.
Definitely seems like a speed demon is something the club want judging by links with Traore, James and Martins. James having a medical at Fulham.
literally that’s it. That’s all we’re looking at. Even Martins’ stats from last year are about 40 odd games, 5 goals and 4 assists. Nothing to rave about, especially in an inferior league.
