One year on from The Beatles arriving at White Hart Lane some of our fans are, quite understandably, still not sure what the name is of the one with the round glasses.* Our record signing. *Of course once the contract's signed someone realises it's not John Lennon but Sue Pollard.
You think Lamela will/should get enough minutes in the league? And is Dembele over Holtby more a sign of how Holtby's important for us in the league and saving him? For me he's starting to look a bit like a player that you don't want to just chuck into the Europa if you can get by without doing so in these early rounds at least. Dembele on the other hand - well even if he plays a blinder it hardly makes any difference cos we know what he's capable of it's just a mental/attitude problem with him - something about his character that means he's just probably not going to be as good a player as he can be.
Yeah, I think Poch rates Lamela highly so we'll see him start a number of BPL games, at least for a while and then depending on his form a decision can be made as to whether he starts more or drops to the bench. Holtby I've kept out for this match as I'd like to see him start in the trio behind Ade against QPR. I think it could be interesting lining up with a creative trio who aren't all about pace but have the ability to find space and find others well on the field. Holtby, alongside Capoue and Lamela were our best players in pre-season (in my opinion) so deserve the chance to carry on their form. Dembele hasn't had a pre-season, like the rest of the WC players so I think they'll need to be slowly bedded into the team, which is why I'd want him, Paulinho, Chadli and Vertonghen all playing tonight. If any of them seem at home straight away and put in a strong performance then I'm sure it'll leave Poch with a tough decision for Sunday but I think it may be too risky throwing some/ all in vs QPR and then potentially looking out of place. I agree though that I don't think Mousa will reach the level we know he can, he has all the attributes to be a top class CM yet seems to be too inconsistent and I think he somewhat doubts his own ability.
Perfect opportunity for the world cup lads to get some game time. That with some of the fringe players.
MP says the Europa league matters now because the winners go into the C/L the following season,he dismissed it at the Saints saying,all you get is a trophy,and nothing else
I assume he was just saying what suited each club at the time. Southampton were fairly unlikely to qualify for the Europa and it would've badly strained their squad if they did. A ready-made excuse for any subsequent poor form. Spurs need the competition to keep people happy and fit, which he clearly recognises by his comments about the large squad, and winning it would be great for us. Football managers today are part-time politicians, part-time babysitters and part-time pinatas. No wonder they need so many staff members to keep things ticking over.
It matters more now for sure. In terms of a manager keeping the Spurs job its probably better to qualify for the CL than win a trophy.
Doesn't matter much as the chances of us winning the Europa league are slim to none, not just because of the CL drop out teams making it tough but we lack leaders to see the team through the later stages against the top teams.
Did not know this was an early kick off! #THFC team: Lloris (c); Naughton, Dier, Vertonghen, Davies; Bentaleb, Paulinho; Holtby, Townsend, Kane; Soldado. #COYS #THFC subs: Friedel, Rose, Dawson, Chadli, Dembele, Sandro, Lamela. #COYS
Lloris captains the side. Lloris Naughton Dier Vertonghen Davies Bentaleb Paulinho Holtby Townsend Kane Soldado.
Interesting that Dembele, Sandro and Chadli don't get starts. Sandro and Chadli may be on the trading block. I really think if Chadli gets a starting role with a midtable team they'll be quite happy with him. He generally does useful things, puts in good crosses, has a good shot and controls his side of the field. He certainly looks like he should be playing on the left in a 4-3-3, rather than a 4-2-3-1. Doesn't Dembele have a long term hip problem? It would explain why he looks so good sometimes, especially against top teams, and seems to not do much others. The biggest problem to winning the Europa are the number of ties you need to win. I'm one of those who thinks luck is an underrated factor. Add to that that Spurs will need to not slip up against weaker teams, beat a few teams around their level, then beat a couple of stronger teams, and the chances do look slim. The lack of a leader who knows how to win things, as Boss says, certainly doesn't help either. Nor does the fact that Pochettino shouldn't be the kind of manager who does well in cups, and isn't. Usually, the cagier, more defensive types do well, while the ones who try to play free flowing football don't grind out the results they need.
Looks good,world cup boy's getting a run out,suprised Hugo's in goal,looks like MP is taking it serious,but as boss say's we have little hope of winning it
Oh right. Why do you say that? Wasn't Lamela 26 rising to 30 and Soldado 13 rising to 26? I mean that's just going by what papers say.
