Given our injuries, it's maybe not the end of the world that we're out of the FA Cup - but the manner of that defeat is really disappointing. Don't think any one of our players could come off the pitch tonight thinking they'd played well. Dembele was our best player but he didn't really contribute anything. Soldado was woeful - I wouldn't mind him not scoring if he was at least testing the keeper with some shots - if he does shoot it's miles off target. Not quite sure where the prolific player from Valencia has gone. Our tactics were wrong from the start as well - time after time Arsenal set up in their 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation to take over the midfield and dictate the game. The best way to beat them is either to physically press their passing game or counter with a similar midfield-heavy formation with quick, accurate passing. Going in in an open 4-4-2 was stupid - left us far too open. Arsenal's midfielders had all the space they needed to set up their passing game. I hope Sherwood learns from this - he needs to realise that 'The Tottenham Way' is not applicable in all games if you want to win.
It would be a stretch to call VDV a midfielder, more of a number 10. I was referring to Bale before his transformation to a forward out of desperation.
So that's two Bale & VDV any advance on two. In todays terminology surely VDV would be described as an attacking midfielder, what else? He's not just a striker is he.
All I can say on Soldado is that Giroud couldn't hit a barn door in a barn door shop in his first stint, its happened to many a striker, or is it just a Spanish thing, Torres is one, but remember Morientes, prolific for his country but what a lemon for Liverpool! I feel sorry for him, he is better than this.
Not a striker so to speak, but a forward - whether playing with Crouch or Adebayor, he was positionally very similar to Rooney is when he plays just behind RVP. Irrespective of the syntax, the point remains - in the last 10 years we've had a woeful record of getting supposedly high class midfielders to score goals. Dembele is by no means an isolated case.
The goons have a better team, better manager and play a more settled system so while you always hope for a win, especially being the cup, it was too much to ask. If we had Tommy Carroll and Sandro in midfield could have been a different story! As this is Sherwoods first job he will be learning game by game, so it's difficult to be too harsh as at least Sherwood has ideas, he wants to use the kids and he wants us to play better football, he's trying to make improvements yet Arsenal and Wenger are just in a different league at the moment. Shame as we had a manager who made us competitive in North London derbies and played attacking football with wonderful players like Vdv but we sacked him and alot of fans wanted him sacked so now we have to build something new.
Is that not a product of the discipline of the modern game with more defined roles? A couple of seasons ago I seem to remember we had more goalscorers than anybody else as goals came across the team. We also keep changing manager and game plans which does not help at all.
I'm all for playing the kids but if it's to the detriment of the team when a perfectly capable more senior player is benched, then that's not right imo. I am of course referring to Bentaleb over Capoue - Capoue would have sat back far more than Bentaleb and broken up their play more as well.
Spot on. Arsenal played like a team who wanted the win whereas we turned and did nothing. Pains me to say that they were far better and hungrier than us all over the pitch. Waste of £62, plus booking fee! If we'd lost but gave it a go then I'd take that but it was a meek performance all round today.
I accept Capoue is at a stage where he can perform to a level higher than Bentaleb but we won't get far with players like Capoue in the long term. I can understand Sherwoods thinking as he believes by showing faith in kids he can create something special and in the long run that will help us progress. I'm not saying it's gauranteed or always wise but at least he has an exciting and positive plan and for that I can give him the benefit of doubt unless he is an absolute crap manager!
Yes I remember that, largely because it was such an anomaly compared to surrounding seasons. That season stood out for two reasons: 1. Our whole team was pitching in with goals fairly evenly distributed. 2. Our strikers (Pav, Defoe and Crouch) were truly abysmal, putting the goal scoring burden on to the rest of the team. I just wish that we could combine a season where our strikers are in form, with one where other players feel like scoring a few goals.
My Lord.Whatever next? I'm beginning to think Tottenham Hotspur should be a registered charity club.What is it now? 3 points and a cup game to West Ham and now 3 points and a cup game to the Arsenal. Who else can we help? Crystal Palace next?
Just back from the Emirates and feeling down about the performance and the result. Not helped by the very poor behaviour of some of our away support. I know Theo Walcott behaved like a prat, but to chuck coins at him or anyone, is unpardonable in my view. Two weeks ago at Southampton, several Spurs fans were ejected for drunken and disorderly behaviour, I do hope this isn't becoming a trend. Fair play to Arsenal, 2-0 was a fair scoreline and we never looked like pulling one goal back, never mind two. I haven't read back through this thread, but I hope Rose hasn't been made a scapegoat. He's a good young player who made a bad mistake. He'll not sleep at all tonight worrying about his balls up, but will learn from it and move on quickly. I don't think Tim set us up well today, but his is a learning process and I am certain he will find some positives and take them into the next game.
Ultimately too many players for us had off days today for us to get anything out of today, likes of Soldado, Eriksen and Ade really drifted in and out of the game today and didn't look half as dangerous as they have done recently. Interesting thing about Rose is that he has been caught on the ball a few times in dangerous areas against Southampton and United and got away with it, so he's had warnings about getting caught in possession. Hopefully this is a big wake up call for him and he learns from it. Bentaleb had a solid debut but in my opinion was fortunate to get away with his stamp at the end, he's picked up a few reds for the under 21's if i'm right? Disappointing from some of our fans towards the end but Walcott really should know better. Additionally Wilshere continues to make me think that he's another Rooney regarding his temper and I could see him getting sent off at the World Cup in the summer. Last point is that i'd be interested to see how Sherwood lines us up when he has more of the squad back fit. I could see why he stuck with what has worked recently and it is early stages but hopefully he can mix it up tactically. After all that was one of the main faults of AVB and Sherwood has the squad at his disposal to play a variety of ways.
From where I'm sitting, we were still in the game to an extent at 1-0 but the Rose mistake and subsequent goal killed the game and from there it looked like a group of knackered players coming to the end of a very busy schedule of games in a squad ravaged by key injuries, just trying to finish off a match in which they'd been reasonably well outclassed and spent a lot of time chasing the ball. Its not really the attitude you want to see in a cup knockout game, especially one thats also a NLD but if we take 3 points next game and then hypothetically say we qualify for the CL by 1 point then its going to be justified in a way isn't it. As others have said it'll be interesting to see if Sherwood shows some flexibility now. He's obviously still learning his trade at this level and while the gamble of playing an open game sometimes pays off, like it did at OT, it backfires sometimes like tonight. As everyone has said if his youth teams were playing a 4-3-3 then there is no reason to think that he's not considering having that in the 1st team locker as well. If he wants to persist with 4-4-2 he's going to need another striker as 3 isn't enough IMO, they'll get fatigued with injuries to the squad etc. I see no footballing reason to get particularly down about tonight though. Its never fun to lose to Arsenal and hopefully the players will get this, and be able to channel some of that feeling into their next few performances to make the fans realise that they do really care about local rivalries. Teams have off days and despite the tactical setup being perhaps somewhat lacking today, its clear that a number of players had off days as well. Theres not a lot you can do about that as a manager. Hopefully, when the situation next calls for it, Sherwood will demonstrate some learnt tactical nous and play in a slightly different way if thats what is appropriate. So far, we have no reason to suggest that he won't.
If he's going to persist with 442 then we're going to need a playmaker in the Modric mould as one of the 4 mids, none of ours influence a game in the way he did, Eriksen although good in phases of play doesn't look like he can run a game yet. He may well have in Holland, and if he did just shows the gulf in quality between the two leagues. The comment is tongue in cheek btw, as I obviously do not hope he persists with 442 for all occasions.
Having it as an evening game was a stupid idea. Vastly increased the likelyhood of something like this happening, in my opinion.
Yes, what on earth were they thinking? Most from both sides had been in the pub since mid day, never wise on a derby day. Typical of the powers that be to put the 'TV spectacle' above the safety of fans.
What did Walcott expect for goading the fans like that. It's every bit as much inciting the fans as Adebayor was when he ran the length of the pitch to slide infront of them. Not great from our fans but I don't think there's a group of fans in the country that wouldn't have reacted the same. I see Wenger's said they were chucking coins before he did the gesture, if that's true then obviously our fans are fully responsible. We were pretty awful all over so I don't think there's a chance of Rose being scapegoated. I think if you look at the bench Sherwood didn't have a lot of choice in how to set us up but that said I do think we started to look a little better when Chadli came on. Still I did think they got lucky with the penalty shouts, as ridiculous as the challenge was it was pretty much a nailed on pen when Monreal barged Walker out of the way and the handball decision looked bad when he gave a freekick for an almost identical situation outside the box late on. Not that we deserved a result but I did feel we were unlucky not to have at least one of those given.
