Parker and anyone is too defensive for a home game vs Southampton which we absolutely NEED to win. Bring him on to tighten it up if we get 2 up with 15 left.
No way I would start Parker here, given his recent performances and needing three points. But I see no way he's not starting, if Dembele is out. If I had my choice, I'd think about Huddelstone, Holtby and Carroll. As long as they could get hold of the ball occasionally, and I think both Holtby and Carroll would, Defoe, Bale and Lennon would be a nightmare for Southampton minus Shaw.
If AVB stick Bale on the left wing, with Lennon on the right, exactly how good does this system work with Defoe as the lone striker?
I guess it depends who is supporting him centrally. Dempsey is an absolute no-no. Have we seen any of Holtby and Defoe together?
It doesn't, in my opinion. Very little chance of it being used, either. I expect us to line up like this: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto/Naughton; Parker, Huddlestone; Dempsey, Bale, Lennon; Defoe. Still won't work particularly well, but it might be enough to get us past a weakened Southampton side. I'd prefer to see Bale moved out back to the left, Dempsey pushed up alongside Defoe and a bit of a change in the middle (Holtby, maybe?), but I can't see it happening. I don't think that the balance of the side is being given enough consideration, unfortunately.
How AVB can consider starting Naughton in this - or any - game is beyond me!! He is suspect defensively and offers us nothing going forward. Until (and personally hope this is not the case in the near future) the club sell Benny, then he should be played. Equally Parker and Huddlestone would slow us down appreciably. Still hoping that Dembele will be available, but we should accommodate Holtby, who will provide the tenacity and also more in attack. Ade is allegedly fit again and when available seems to get the managers' nod. Personally hope he starts with Defoe.....
I tend to agree. I'm struggling to work out what Naughton is offering us at the moment, based on where he's being played. These last few games require us getting tactics spot on. - The same goes for Adebayor. We need goals, so there's actually no point in playing him. He never looks like scoring at any point in any game.
I don't think that Adebayor was unfit for the Wigan game, Relayer. The suggestion is that he missed the game because of a disciplinary issue. I'd prefer him to start ahead of Defoe, which I doubt many people would agree with. Bale's going to play behind the striker, but I'd prefer him out wide, especially if Naughton starts. What do I know, though?
It worked pretty well for you at St Mary's, with Bale and Lennon pulling our defence apart. That said, Defoe is the only striker I've ever seen actually hit the big screen over the goal, from 6 yards out, so hard it rattled. Our defence has improved a lot since then, but we may be starting on Saturday without a recognisable left back (Shaw injured, Fox suspended). Our only hope is to press you hard up the pitch and try to get you on the back foot early.
Our line up at St Mary's was: Friedel; Walker, Gallas, Dawson, Vertonghen; Sandro, Huddlestone; Lennon, Dempsey, Bale; Defoe. Extremely effective in the first half and then rubbish in the second.
Turns out I lied to you guys, Shaw has miraculously recovered and is fit to play, hurrah for us!... We'll probably still lose...
You rode your luck a bit in the second half, true. You looked rattled when we staged a late come-back of sorts. But our defensive frailties had left us way too much to do by then. I said before the game that I was terrified of Bale and Lennon tearing us a new arsehole, and I still am. I'm not entirely without optimism though - could be a high scoring game at both ends
Brutally honest words from Hugo. He's right though.... "We want to be in the next Champions League but we know that if we don't get three points against Southampton our chance will be finished," Lloris told Sky Sports News. http://www1.skysports.com/football/...ampton-clash-make-or-break-for-top-four-hopes
If this was Utd, i'd fully expect them to be absolutely ruthless and win 3-0. As it's us, I fully expect us to brick it, miss a number of chances and not get 3pts.
I just read Dembele is a definite maybe. If he starts, the team starts to look a lot better with him and Huddlestone in midfield. I think our best team would be Gylfi, Bale, Lennon and Ade. But I am really wondering at the moment if the combination of Ade being demoralized and many of the fans hating him wouldn't be more distraction than it's worth. The most sensible thing is probably to start the same team that came back against Man City.
If anyone is superstitious and worried about bad omens, Spurs haven't won a game this season which kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday!!
