I just don't know enough about Paulinho. Let's hope that's the case, as it'll save us shelling out money for more players. However, i epxect it's just down to the fact that you need to have strength in depth, and in reality we'll be rotating our midfield regularly to prevent injuries. We got a glimpse last season how AVB rotated, often using players who he probably wasn't completely comfortable with. If he's got his own players to do this with now, I think we're going to have a difficult job predicting the team from game to game, as i mentioned yesterday.
it would seem AVB's philosophy is that the EL is almost as important as finishing 4th. The days of sacking off every cup competition in order to finish 4th, are over IMO. As we witnessed last season, you need a decent squad to handle the trips across europe for Thursday games, followed by a game on a Sunday. I think the mentality of the "El team" being the players who didn't get a game in the prem the previous weekend, are gone. Each of us might have our own first XI we'd choose, but I strongly believe that some of the what we might call "fringe players" will be included in that "first XI", so those who are left out will make a very strong strong team for the game 3-4 days later. we might see Dembele, Paulinho, Holtby, Defoe in 1 game, but then Sandro, Bale, Soldado and Sig in another, for example.
it matters little what the philosphy is, when we get up to our normal number of injuries (getting there already) we'll only have 11-13 fit players anyway
I still think we need a CB post haste. But we could now be looking at the following teams in rotation between League and Cup. -----------------Lloris--------------- Walker-----Kaboul----Verts----Rose ---------------Capoue--------------- Sandro----------------------Paulinho Lennon--------Bobby-------Chadli 2nd ----------------------Friedel---------------- Naughton-----Dawson--Chariches??---BAE ----Thud/Gylfi/holtby------Dembele------- --------------------Bale---------------------- Defoe-------------Ade------------Townsend With Livermore, Falque and Parker sold or in the mix. If we were to get a cb and Coentrao then this squad *will (*should be - this is Spurs after all) be formidable!
that's exactly what I was getting at SG. That's 2 strong teams, which still obviously allow 3 substitutions to shake things up.This way, game time is spread evenly, fatigue is reduced, injuries can be prevented and the squad remains happy. - Especially if you never know which team will go out for which competition. The only player who might have more game time is Lloris.
I don't think its a case of 2 different XIs, but players will chop and change on a rotational basis depending who is fit. So we might see 4-5 changes between Thurs-Sun with the other 6-7 playing twice. Then at a later date a different 4-5 will get rotated out. We need 2 players per position for this, especially with injuries. (Brackets are emergency cover) GK: Lloris, Friedel (Youngster RB: Walker, Naughton (Kaboul) LB: Rose, Benny (Verts, Naughton) CB (2 positions): Daws, Verts, Kab, ????? (?????) DM: Sandro, Capoue? (Livermore) CM (2 positions): Paulinho, Dembele, Gylfi, Holtby, Carroll (Hudd, Livermore) "Attackers" (2 positions): Bale, Lennon, Chadli, Townsend (Gylfi, Holtby) Striker: Ade, Defoe, Bobby (Kane) Its clear a CB is needed. 1 "first teamer" essential, i don't know the state of young CBs at the club for emergency cover (having real difficult time posting today, site being a pain)
I'm having not606 issues. Stay on page, leave page, message not appearing, then its there like a million times. Sorry, not my fault
I know, i just had the same problem. (I just remembered how to deal with it, as the site was like it for weeks and weeks not so long ago)
What is it? The first time i selected "leave page" and i lost my entire message. It wasn't posted at all (not even one of those dupes is it). So the next time i select stay on page (but copy and pasted my message, well most of it hence the slightly differing endings) and that message didn't appear either, did that twice. So next i shut my tab and reopened it and pasted my message and it worked. Then the other 2 were there too.
it's a right ****er. I always click leave page. it usually then takes you to the "go advanced" page. at this point i right click on the thread name (blue link above) and open it in a new tab to see if my post was made. if not, I go back to the original "go advanced" page and click "submit reply".
Agreed, I don't actualy think we will change the full 11, but I was showing the possibilites and formation changes. A CB (Chariches?) willian and Coentrao would give us a squad that SHOULD be going for 2nd or 3rd. In fact I will as far as to say if Fergie or Jose had that squad (including rumoured players) they would be going for the title. The prospect of say - Sandro and Paulinho holding in front of Bale in the league then on thursday - Capoue and Dembele that level of depth exites me! especially as Dembele and certain other players defo fatigued at the end of the season.
ATM Sandro is injured and I, and most people, have little or no idea what he will be like when he returns. So I would expect first of all Capoue to play as a CB, then play in midfield, when we have two fit CBs to start a game. The rest I'll wait and see about.
Exactly all this 'first XI' stuff and Paulinho at No.10 (Downing Street?) is so much fantasy and lala land stuff for the most part. All summer so many people have had Sandro and Kaboul in the 'first XI', despite the fact that they are, er, injured. Do they expect us to start at Palace with nine men and two people hobbling about the place? Injuries happen, suspensions happen, cup games happen.
Hi James, not sure if your comment was about my possible first team, second team scenario but that was just really to see how the squad "could" shape up, assuming all is well and good. As mentioned I expect all players to be rotated to some degree as I believe we will take every competition seriously. I know it's minor but I was extatic at us winning the League cup in 2008 and would welcome it again (especially as it would keep our record of one trophy every decade since the 60's going). Obviously if we won a Europey league.....i'd go ****ing mental! Fact of the day - If we won the Europa league Spurs would go Joint top most successful team in Europes second cup competiion with Juve and Inter (W3 L1) and ahead of Liverpool by virtue of our defeat. Liverpools record is W3.
I don't want us to get carried away before players have been signed etc, but if the next 3 weeks going according to plan, we have a good chance of becoming the "Borussia Dortmund" of the prem this year. The team is exciting, it's full of young talent, there's passion, hunger, and there's an awesome team spirit. - Not to mention a winning mentality that's gradually being installed by AVB & co. The future is bright.
