I was thinking about this earlier and tbh once Maddison and Son are back, for me Richarlison immediately drops to the bench for Werner, whose all round game is miles clear. Son Werner Maddison Kulu Is comfortably our best front 4
I don’t rate Richarlison at all but to say Werner immediately ousts him once Maddison and Son are back is harsh. Werner at Chelsea was atrocious with his finishing and was offside way too often. He’s quicker than Richarlison but I’d argue he makes the pigeon look clinical with the amount of chances he misses. I think Werner is just there to beef up squad options and possibly won’t play too much after mid February
When Werner exceeds the current KPIs for Richarlison this season, then the latter is no longer starting XI. < let the numbers decide >
My point was more that we saw earlier in the season how much better we were once Son moved up top. He doesn't have the pace to run the flanks anymore and besides that fact, it makes sense to position your best finisher as close to the goal as possible. Imo as soon as Maddison is back, Son should move to the front of the line again. At that point, the question becomes who should start at LW out of Richarlison, Solomon and Werner. I'd probably play Werner there until proven otherwise.
Son can play as an effective striker against sides that use a high line and press. He's pretty ineffective in that role against a team playing a low block and sitting back. He's far more dangerous cutting in off the left, in my opinion. I think that Postecoglou would do well to pick horses for courses when he has the option. Trying to defend a high line against the pace of Son, Werner and Johnson is nightmarish. The creativity of Kulusevski and Maddison are more valuable against defensive sides.
Agreed. Son is an excellent finisher off both feet, probably the best at the club. And most PL teams don’t sit in all the time these days, so Richy can become a more situational option. He has a few games where nothing sticks but the fact he’s more of a traditional mobile 9 vs Son or Werner who are more ‘channel’ 9s plays in his favour when dealing with a low block. I think it’s interesting how the forwards Ange is signing aren’t what you’d always think, especially the wingers/hybrid wide players like Werner. A lot of them are very quick and better in transition rather than being 1v1 merchants who can stand their man up and beat them in tight spaces from a standing start, which felt more like what he had at Celtic. It’s perhaps a feature of the PL being a higher overall quality league (he had such a quality gap at Celtic that most teams would sit off, so you need that 1v1 speciality, whereas the PL has more teams that will press you, or try and hold possession, so you often get a bit more space) and also how he’s using the FBs and 8s differently. Rather than invert deep alongside the 6, the FBs rotate a bit more, especially Udogie and the left sided, usually more creative midfielder. Sarr roams a bit more in buildup so we see Porro in deeper midfield positions more often when we’re not transitioning the ball (Udogie carries from deep basically, then can act as a pivot in the final 3rd, whereas Porro passes from deep more often, though it’s flexible). I think it’s a smart evolution though and I’m excited about Werner.
Similar can be said for the wingers, too Case in point, on the right we've scored a few goals lately from Johnson crossing to Richy at the near post, while Deki can cut inside and launch a shot into the roof of the net from a 45 degree angle Does beg the question what the plan is for the left wing
Fair point about Son being the striker in the system. Didn’t play Werner mainly play on the left at Chelsea though? I just worry that his finishing is even worse than Richarlison’s.
please log in to view this image There's rumours that, after Ndombele managed to play the full 90 minutes against Konyaspor the other day (why yes, the same Konyaspor that Fenerbahce put seven past earlier...) they've decided to keep him for the remainder of the season So to keep track of today's news - Dragusin chose us over Bayern, in spite Bayern offering so much more money - Bayern's top CB target is Eric Dier - Djed Spence set to be loaned to Genoa with an option, which could recoup €10m of the Dragusin fee (if he doesn't **** it up, that is...) - Cristian Romero is fit to play at the weekend - James Maddison to resume full training next week - Plane Guy is alive and well, and played a blinder - Ndombele won't be coming back until the end of the season please log in to view this image
Yes. Chelsea generally used him on the left in a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3. Leipzig played him on the left of a strike pairing in some variant of 4-4-2.
Hopefully Ange can work some magic and get Werner firing. If not then it will be a short Spurs career for Timo Werner
Comfortably’s probably a bit of a bold shout because I don’t think there’s a standout candidate to join Son and Kulu in Spurs’ best front 3 right now. Werner and Johnson have til the end of the season to basically stake their claim for it though. That forward spot is in fact the only remaining concern for our strongest XI, as everywhere else currently has a very good player when fit: Vicario Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison Kulu, Son, LW (or CF, Son). Squad will also consist of Dragusin, Davies, Bissouma, a potential new CM and a bunch of forwards. That’s only really lacking a GK, RB and possibly a LB. Borderline a miracle what Paratici has achieved in just a few years after the nightmare of a squad he inherited.
Not going to lie, great work from the club offloading Dier. A player who stole a living for the last 5 years at least. A classic example of preferential treatment to an England player. Donkey. bye bye.
This is extremely harsh. He has never been that bad, he got an England call up as recently as September 2022 as he was decent during that year. Clearly he isn't the right fit for the way Ange wants to play and so it’s the right call for all parties for him to move on. Considering he has been with us almost 10 years and only cost £4 million he has been amazing value for money. I wish him all the best and am grateful for what he has given to the club.
Guy gave me the best away day moment of my life. And a Not 606 username. May the footballing gods bless you, Eric.
Eric Dier has been a good servant to the club, not our best player by any of stretch of the imagination, but equally there have been a lot worse and he was a mainstay of a very good Spurs team. I wish him luck in Germany
SD asked me this the other day. Gonna have to mull it over. Could keep it, just like Hudd is still Hudd, or I could switch it to a Richarlison or Sessegnon one, worthy players if you ask me.
