The only team to get some joy v Stoke this season are Utd when surprisingly they came out and played and took the lead through a Rooney own goal before losing 4-2. In the other 17 games, they have conceded just 9 goals, which suggests they have a very strong defence. On that score, they shouldn't be underestimated. They came with no ambition to beat Spurs, but were proved correct in their judgment that they wouldn't concede.
How have the best part of a front 4 that have done so well in the past having forged understandings...now look like strangers. I don't think Ade and JD as a pair have any chance of being prolific. I also don't give a **** about Ade's wonderful link play that comes to nothing in the end...where's the goals?? thats what he's on the pitch for. The only plus point was that we didn't concede.
Two home games with both away clubs going for a point with brickwalls to be somehow taken down by us. So I suppose 4 points out of 6 may be ok. Reading did the same against City then left a City man unmarked in front of goal for a winner! Some teams have it.Some don't!
It's always about the first goal, when playing Stoke. If you can get the first one, things usually open up. But, Stoke are a classic example of how difficult it can be to break down an organised defence, employed by a team whose main objective is not to concede.
Notso, i.picked up on this before about ade & defoe as i agree with you that it doesnt work, but i lay most blame at our manager as he doesnt understand our attacking unit doesnt play with composure and any fluidity when asked to break teams down. If he set us up to draw teams out, hassle them, break up play and hit on the counter then we would look so much better, yet were stuck with this dour brand of football that is predictable and lacking in creativity.
Damned when he does, damned when he doesn't. You can be absolutely sure that if he'd played one up front yesterday there would have been a bucketful of scything comments about lack of ambition when playing at home as well as extra condemnation depending on which one he'd left out. A different team on a different ground against Stoke might well have been celebrating a win today anyway based on a possible red card to the opposition and a pen anyway.
This isnt about having one up top or two up top, its about playing a system that doesnt suit the players. We play dour, borimg, un-imaginative football in a system that doesnt allow the players to play with freedom. we played one up top last season and played some of the best football we have seen in recent years and that was because arry used the right system/.formation. Once arry lost the plot and changed system, then we suffered, so playing a system which suits the players is key. You notice how urgent we are in trying to score and that is because defoe, lennon and bale are all direct and we have a lack of creativity in and around them so teams find it easy to stop us playing
The main problem there though is our lack of a replacement for Modric, Boss. If Huddlestone's used then his lack of mobility and relatively slow approach to the game costs us, whereas Carroll's inexperienced and lack of physical presence gives us a completely different set of problems. Assou-Ekotto's absence and Stoke's aerial threat meant that Villas-Boas went with Dawson and Caulker at centre-back, shifting Vertonghen to left-back and leaving out Gallas. I agree with what he did there, but it left us with two less-capable passers in the centre, in my opinion. The Belgian was our best player though, for me. On the plus side, it's the first time in the Premier League that we've kept a clean sheet against them, apparently. Our lack of creativity in the middle of the park and a front pairing that don't look to be on the same wavelength cost us, again. I wonder if we'll actually address either problem in January?
PNP, of.course mate i know the loss of Modric and also VDV, sucked the natural creativity and technical ability from the team BUT Villas Boas allowed VDV to leave without replacing him. To his credit he wanted dembele and i can see him becoming as important as modric. Yet why does AVB play a system that doesnt suit the players skill level? notice how we mostly score on the counter, only perform in short spells, lack any real creavtivty and srruggle to perform over 90 minutes? that to me suggests were playing the wrong system with a group of talented players.
I think that Villas-Boas was expecting Moutinho to join in the summer, Boss. He's not in charge of the transfers. If he'd have left out Adebayor yesterday and played Carroll, pushing Dembele further forward to support Defoe, then he'd have been criticised if Stoke had bullied the youngster. If he'd have started Sigurdsson instead, then he'd have faced accusations of negativity at home against a side that people think that we should be beating and taking the game to.
Im a big fan of carroll and would like to see dembele pushed forward, its something i mentioned during the everton game so from my view i wouldnt have moaned if it backfired as at least it shows AVB understands we need better passers on the team. However yes im sure some would have attacked him if carroll was bullied but we cant be scared of giving carroll more game time as the more he plays, the stronger he become. As for moutinho, do you honestly think levy would spend 24 million on one player?
It was a pretty big mistake letting VDV go but we don't know ALL the circumstances and we don't know if this was particularly down to AVB. He may well have thought he was getting Moutinho or he may have nothing to do with it at all. He also may not have been aware of how important VDV's role in the team was. He had only just arrived and had not had time to become familiar with all the players. What 'system' are we talking about here. I see Bale and Lennon operating in much the same way as last season even switching wings as before. As PNP says the missing players are more to do with this than any system. Lack of creativity? I have seen MORE this season. I have seen Defoe as a much more aware player. I have seen more imagination from the back and more options used in trying to break down defences. Set play has improved as has closing down the opposition. It was under Redknapp that we were clueless at breaking down defences, exciting yes, and creating chances yes, but in many games we created chance after chance and failed to put them away. THAT was lack of creativity, hoof ball to Crouch, that was lack of creativity. Oh and Redknapp had the advantage of Modric and VDV and a settled team. Despite all, we are still in contention for top four and getting results not too dissimilar to last season. Parker has just returned, that will make a difference, BAE and Kaboul in the new year and that will make a difference. Let's see the 'system' then.
The other thing that I believe has damaged our form is Adebayor's fitful start to the campaign and the lack of suitable back up for our strikers. We signed the Togolese forward far too late, he then got injured and was suspended as soon as he was available for selection. He hasn't had an opportunity to build up much of a rapport with Defoe and the player who was used in his absence was missing yesterday. Dempsey has slowly improved since his own dodgy start and he would've been a useful option.
spurf am on phone (stupid app.keeps crashing) so.i cant reply to all your points but its clear we view aspects of Arry &AVB in a different way. However we have enough talent in our squad to play exciting football. Yet we struggle to create chances unless we hit teams on the counter and for me thats an issue as AVB wants us to play a more dominant game but he is trying to achieve this with a squad that doesnt suit that style, which is why i have an issue with his tactics/system. Redknapp also tried to change the system last year and failed but for the large part of his spurs career he picked the most effective system for the players in the squad.
Many teams (including Spurs) used to do that to us for years though. You just have to persevere. Pulis paid Spurs a huge compliment after the game. He basically said you've moved up to that echelon of clubs where managers no longer expect to go to Spurs and win/draw
I don't think our reputation is yet strong enough to put fear into the opposition though whereas Chelsea's and even Arsenal's still is. When Kone was put clear through yesterday you could almost see him thinking 'I'm going to score against Arsenal' and then panicking and messing up. he would have drilled it home against us most likely.
