It will be that back 5. Then Mikel and Lamps. Ramires is a doubt after Swindon. In midfield Oscar will definitely start but I don't know about the other 2. Probably Hazard and Willian. Then I think Torres should start up top. He was superb against Swindon but he'll go for Eto'o
Often the case with Torres, superb against **** opposition outside of the league! Eto'o a much better choice, think his movement has been superb and when he clicks with the team he'll score goals.
Agree Torres is crap against decent defenders. Worried about Mikel and lamps together v slurs. Maybe try Ess?
I agree that Eto'o's movement has been very good but I don't think it's a case of clicking with the team from what I saw in the Everton game, I thought he just looked a bit rusty which is what playing in a crap league can do for you. That said, I think you might be better off with Torres on Saturday. When Torres plays he comes deep or goes wide a lot and the box is attacked by midfield runners, I can see that causing us more problems than Eto'o playing a more standard striker's role.
Eto still has world class movement, doesn't just vanish when you get past 30 so he may not be the dynamic player of when at barca and inter but I fully expect him to go through a spell where he scores fairly freely and if we play a highline (which we will) then I do worry about Eto finding space as he doesn't have the speed of before, yet he isn't a grandad yet. Torres as we know has lost part of what made him a great player at Liverpool so that confidence won't ever return and would be more worried about Eto then Torres...........but thankfully Mourinho let Lukaku go out on loan as he would have been a nightmare this weekend, the guy is an absolute beast of a player.
Cech Ivanovic Cahill JT Cole Mikel Ramires/Lampard Schurrle Oscar Hazard Torres I reckon anyone that wasn't in the squad on Tuesday will most certainly start on Saturday. Torres' performance against Swindon will probably earn him a start ahead of Eto'o. Don't think Willian or Luiz did enough to displace Cahill or Hazard really. Personally I'd much rather go with a midfield of Oscar and Mikel then stick Mata in at CAM with Willian and Hazard either side of him. Genuinely feel Schurrle will get found out due to the pace of the game being quick. He thrives off space and won't get it in this game IMO. So long as Ramires is fit I don't think we should have many problems getting a result. I don't think Mata will feature at all if Ramires doesn't make it though. Shame it isn't a Sunday kick off.
Ramires crucial to three points. Everyone goes on about oscar in the pivot; it ain't gonna happen unless we have a lot more injuries. Is the sours end still on general? They barely managed 2k to villa! All those spurs fans who thought football started in 2010 have lost interest it seems
@Rami7oficial: I am recovering well from the problem I had against Swindon and I hope to play on Saturday.
Tottenham v Chelsea (12:45 BST) Tottenham are going very well and they have only conceded one goal in their first five league games. If they can beat Chelsea, this is a real yardstick for Spurs' season. Spurs already look stronger than last year - defensively they are very good and have lots of options coming forward. This is a Chelsea side that is in a little bit of transition - their manager Jose Mourinho is trying to make his point to one or two of the players about what he wants from them. But the Blues have a good record against Spurs and I don't see them losing this one. Mourinho has an over-abundance of attacking midfield players but I think his bigger problem is that he needs at least one of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Sammy Eto'o to emerge as his first-choice striker. At the moment, none of them are looking like the front man he needs and the loan of Romelu Lukaku to Everton looks a strange decision. Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea Lawro has Spurs in 3rd place on 13 points, one point behind Arsenal & Manchester City on 14... Lawro's 2013-14 Predictions
Spurs have beaten us 3 times in 42 attempts.... Ouch. Jose v AVB will be an interesting battle.... This is definitely a rivalry that is developing more and more... What with us winning the Champions league and screwing over Spurs.... Nicking Willian while he was in London to join Spurs...
Good morning Pop pickers, I think Spurs have a team to compete with Chelsea over a season and beat them on the day. Doing it is another matter. Man to man little in it. As some have already said Chelsea have a built in resilience that is hard to tackle. Two clubs but run with different cultures, one decadent , one frugal . A bit like beauty and the beast. On Willian this does look like a very little loss for Spurs , maybe a hollow victory for Chelsea. Not a financial loss as cash has little relevance for the Pensioners . In the spirit of 67/68 I will wish you all well and l will have a flower in my hair. Peace and love to you all. Sid.
Im keeping quiet on this one coz I think it might come back to bite me on the bum. But I think on the spurs prediction league a few are wishful thinking more than predicting lol
That's usually the case. Some, like me, won't predict us to not win because it's bad juju or they just can't bring themselves to predict it. Plus it is only a game
Lol . Perhaps it should be called the wishful thinking thread instead then.. Im actually really looking forward to this game it should be a good one, team against team but manager against manager just as much. Hopefully no penalties or sending off's to ruin it. Then no excuses at the end of the game. My smileys are not working but would be a whistle one here .
Going into tomorrow's Chelsea game, Tottenham Hotspur have lost just 1 of their last 17 home matches at the Lane... please log in to view this image ...and we've kept consecutive clean sheets in our last 6 home games.
