You tend to feel a tad foolish trying to discuss how we could defeat Liverpool as we all know its about 80/20 in favour of Liverpool hammering us, but just to think from a positive (or foolish view) their last draw at home was agaisnt Aston Villa, 2-2 who caused them no end of problems. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25693308 (match report) and their last home defeat was agaisnt Southampton (a team we have beaten twice) http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24089810 Then their was the 4-3 win over Cardiff http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26214204 If we somehow manage to hold tight agaisnt their first 20 minute onslaught and keep the ball when we win it back, then Liverpool concede goals, just their attacking play is their defence. Of course I know that's clutching at straws and I expect a heavy defeat but we stand a chance...honest!
Swansea. If you guys are actually up for it, you may make a game of it. We do have a tendency to concede, but we have conceded less than Tottenham this season and scoring more than double. As for your season, do you guys have a target? Do you think Arsenal are catchable? Or happy with Europa, considering the winners next season get champions league.
There is no point in talking about targets now as it sets us up for disappointment, all we can hope for is for the squad to play with freedom and approach each game with the right attitude and then we finish where we finish. However at the start of the season the target was top four but when you sack your manager and hire a rookie and have various expensive flops then targets and expectations tend to be focused more on next year and making sure we have a season with no upheaval.
4th was the target at the start and then as the season progressed that became a distant dream. Now it's just hoping for good performances and maintaining 5th place. There's a threadbare hope of 4th but we all know that's 99% unlikely unless one of the top 4 has a monumental collapse which allows us to capitalise. Next year (it's always next year!), the new lads will have had a season behind them so hopefully we can expect a lot better from most, with a bit of strengthening at LB and the odd tweak here and there, I really don't see why we can't get 4th unless the teams around us strengthen massively.
"There is no point in talking about targets now as it sets us up for disappointment" The target now is 77 pts. That is the best Spurs can do. Achieving even that could mean no CL slot. So push on and see what that means in CL terms after the season ends +/- Man Utd do not win the CL.
Hope we get a strong ref,to stop Skrtel doing his come dancing routine,with the strikers grabbing them and pulling their tops etc., that he does every game,and gets away with it
Dawson and Chiriches have returned to full training, according to the OS. Strange, seeing as the former was on the bench against Southampton. We seem to have gone from no centre-halves to four in the space of less than a week.
We started this season with false expectations (or most had false expectations for us, anyway) based on the phrase 100 million in new players, which does indeed sound like we ought to have won the league. When the fine print is zero net spend, and effective turnover of half the squad, the prediction might be "will struggle to maintain their position," which would have been accurate. We've been lucky to almost be doing that, as it happens. It's been a combination of snatching a lot of wins at the death and brilliant keeping from Lloris. On top of the problems we could have expected to have, an even bigger one IMO was one I never would have guessed: there are few things worse than having too many players at about the same level, most of them new. If we'd had three or four fewer players, we would have sorted out our lineups ten or fifteen games into the season, instead of only possibly having found one now. As it was, the difficult lineup decisions and the failure to establish a style of play anyone could slot into created a vicious cycle of chopping and changing. Fourth is out of the question unless Arsenal collapses, and even then Everton is effectively a few points ahead of us with a much better GD. I'm not even going to think about fourth unless we're within six points at the end of this weekend, and three within two weeks. And even then it probably means we'll contrive a way to lose the last CL spot on or after the last day of the season, as has become a tradition. I'd prefer fifth to sixth, naturally, but seventh and no Europe might be the best option of all. Arriving at a starting lineup and style of play that are successful is the main goal at this point, I think. Which makes the matchup interesting, quite aside from us having good reason to worry. We had an excellent effort last week from what looked like a pretty decent team, who even had something which could be called a style of play. What happens when (and if) they play at Liverpool? Do we collapse like we have collapsed all year against top three teams? Or do we at least make a good game of it? More important than the points is to see whether the following lineup looks like the way forward: Rose Vertonghen (would prefer Chiriches) Kaboul Naughton (till Walker is healthy) Bentaleb Gylfi (though there's a lot to be said for starting Sandro) Eirksen Chadli (or Chadli Eirksen) Lennon/Townsend Soldado
"We started this season with false expectations" My expectations were that the squad would have collectively strengthened, so that when the injuries started adding up, we would not suffer as in 2011. The thing is that over the 6 seasons Spurs have been fighting for a CL slot, no matter the path taken, right now we are where we have so often been. We got a CL slot in 2010 simply because the boys dusted themselves down after that FA Cup SF shambles, and decided to front up for the last 7 weeks of the PL season when everyone was writing them off. A timely lesson indeed right now.
Agree with SOS and RWAEB on the team line up. Bentaleb or Sandro and Gylfi definitely deserves to start. Along with Eriksen he is our only midfield goal threat. For all Lennon and Townsends qualities they are hardly prolific goal scorers. The back 4 pretty much picks itself provided everyone is fit. I thought Naughton was much better recently until 2 howlers v Southampton. Hopefully his confidence isn't shot to bits. Away from WHL might not be a bad thing for him. Soldado should start although it would be nice to have Ade back in contention. Not expecting anything from the game. Just hope we perform like we did away against Benfica and restore some pride.
Gylfi does have to start, doesn't he? Eiriksen's on a good run, but I always am afraid a player won't score after he's bagged a couple (see Chadli last game). Chadli's a decent threat, all things considered, but we need more than that. Hoping Soldado will break out of his slump in one of the most challenging fixtures of the year seems wildly optimistic. Gylfi's the only other player we have with a good goal scoring record, and it's quite good, overall. There's no question our fullbacks are a huge worry, but they've both had good games, and now would be a good time for another one. Kaboul is a huge plus. The other factor we can only hope will help us out is that it's the other team with a midweek game, for once.
Think dawson needs to sit this one out...would personally go for kaboul and vlad...vertongen has already left mentally and it is showing in his performances
Although Vertonghen has a good goal scoring record at Anfield RCL! I wouldn't put Chiriches back in so soon. It's pretty simple do not play the high line. Second half v Southampton we looked so much better.
