I swear there was a 20 minute period where the commentators didn't even mention the game once. Didn't even mention Winks' presence on the pitch til he'd been on for 15-20 mins! Anyway - why is Kane our only striker? By which I mean that, imperfect as they may be, what exactly is wrong with at least preparing our two very experienced international strikers who aren't in the current first 11? Is Soldado that close to a move? I mean really, not in Newsnow terms. Injured? Cos if not why not have him in the shop window or at least give the impression that he's an asset of some value to us? Why not (here's an idea) have him match-ready if Kane gets injured? Ditto Adebayor. Say what you want about him and there's this sort of accepted truism about his being motivated only by a new contract/money/new manager or whatever but how do we know that for sure and which player does not try to get the maximum possible wages? All we know for sure is that sometimes he looks what he is - a proven top Premiership striker - and other times he doesn't. How we access and tap that ability in him is part of a manager's job. I'm not saying he's not a pain in the arse and I wouldn't sell him but since he's there you've got to try and get the best out of him right up to the point that he is definitely not your player. I can't believe that his presence in the dressing room is so very harmful. Having two very well-proven (and Soldado does look a decent player - it's just worked out horribly so far for him - poor ****er started his Spurs career in a team that afforded him about 10 touches per game) strikers, warts and all, who are not even in pre-season squads 3 days before the start of the season seems amazing to me. The only excuse I could see would be that they were both literally hours away from signing for someone else. Anything else is absurd. I can accept one player being frozen out and I probably wouldn't be saying stuff like "Ade can't be that bad for morale" if Soldado was part of the picture. But we seem to have created a situation for ourselves which seems very avoidable to me. Oh - and I thought Alli looked good. Rose was at fault for the goal but then again the question has to be asked - why were our left back and DM the only players near a ball played into the centre of the box?!
A training ground exercise that was also the penultimate terrible distraction from needed preparation. I don’t think you can read too much into a game where both sides went at a canter, and the referee blew the whistle anytime we did anything that looked threatening. I think Winks got called for looking like he was going to get on the end of a cross. Real haven’t given up a goal yet. When a team that good plays on the counter, they’ll always be hard to break down. Marcelo’s a freak of nature: a man built like a tank who goes down at the slightest touch. Our individual abilities look much better than our teamwork and passing. We were completely unable to switch play today, and that has to change. On the other hand, the talent level looks a bit better than I’d hoped. Alli and Dembélé may have had the best moments of skill in the game. Not having a backup striker or two isn’t good, but I’m not that worried either. We could have everything perfectly ready to go and not have much chance of top four, I think.
And I have to get my annual reminder to everyone in: "It's only pre-season and doesn't mean a thing" I've not exactly kept track religiously but I reckon that if you were to go through our pre-seasons over the last 10-20 years and say which ones we looked good in and which ones we didn't I doubt there's much of a correlation to how well we started the season. Ramos's 2 points from 8 games season we looked awesome in preseason and I was confidently predicting great things for Dos Santos...
Soldado's in Spain negotiating with Villarreal and Adebayor's in the Midlands doing the same with Villa.
Actually, I think there’s a benefit in losing a couple of competitive games: the players know they have to get better, but that the mountain they have to climb isn’t insurmountable.
I have a slight fear that I may have blended together Dembele's best moments with Ali's best moments when assessing Ali. Picture wasn't that great and commentators zero help.
Well that would be unfortunate if that's the case and would make our position a little more understandable. I just wonder if it actually is the case, though. Hasn't Soldado supposedly been in Spain negotiating a deal for about a week or so at least? Is it really OK to let a player **** off for as long as they want to sort out a deal? Especially in a position you're short for? And Adebayor has been "on the verge" of signing for a while now hasn't he? I mean - is he really, literally, in a room the Villa chairman or whoever and his agent actually bloody well doing something right now? I mean all I'm asking is that they train and work and play with the squad and if they need to talk to their agents after training or need to literally, physically be in Villa cos an agreement is that close then fair do's. But to say "Alright, we don't need you - off you go and piss about finding a new club for a few weeks" seems bizarre. If both deals are confirmed in the next 24-48 hours I'll understand but it's not Villareal's right to have Soldado's full attention this close to the season when he's (effectively) our only back-up striker. They worried about him getting hurt if he gets injured? Tough tits - our only reserve striker HAS to be fit and ready to play.
I didn't see the game but I've just seen the goals on Sky Sports News. What crap goalkeeping for both goals from Vorm.
He's not been anywhere near his best for us whenever he's been selected. He might not be suited to being backup.
Yeah - he's really been a huge disappointment overall since he joined. Looked to be a no-brainer of a signing but maybe being a back-up isn't for him. Wonder how much of a run he'll get at the start of this season?
I liked him at Swansea and I was pleased when we signed him. But whenever he has played for us, he has looked very nervy and hesitant. We're desperate to get someone in as McGee is nowhere near good enough to be our third choice, but our main target turned us down.
I'm hoping that Lloris will be fit. He's featured in training clips. Oh, great. Looks like that's this window's mantra!
In a way losing today might be a blessing, even if the performance sounds like it was a bit poor especially from Vorm. At least we don't have to take the (presumably) AC Milan game too seriously tomorrow, mainly play the youngsters and the guys not starting Saturday. If Kane, Eriksen and Chadli get more than 45 mins I'll be a bit annoyed. Alli sounds like he was good though. Potentially in the frame for a Saturday start? I hope this Dier as a DM business is just a stop gap...
Alli looks an athlete and he's definitely got something about him, but he's not ready for a regular Premier League start. I don't think that he's particularly suited to playing in the two in front of the defence, either. I hope he maintains his place in the squad though, as he could be useful and develop well. Signings could push him down the pecking order and into a loan, if we make any.
Very boring game. Both goals should have been prevented, the marking was non-existent for James' goal and Vorm done poorly with Bale's effort. Alli again looked very good, nutmegging both Kroos & Modric and genuinely looking to get involved in the play. Nothing really else to say, it was just a "meh" performance and a "meh" result.
To those discussing Soldado and Adebayor, they're close enough to leaving that we've not bothered to take photos of them in the new kit. Check the OS - they're photoshopped
Alli was playing against a midfield of Modric, Kroos, James and Isco. That was his first game against that sort of quality and he handled it well. There are very few midfields that good in the Premier league so I think he will do even better against most and very soon be a regular in the first team squad.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/first-team-profiles/ Supposedly Adebayor, Soldado and Lennon are photoshopped Lamela and Yedlin are also photoshopped apparently but they were in the US when the pictures were taken.
If you go to the main spurs site then go team--->first team profiles soldado, adebayor, lamela and yedlin are on fake background, I'm guessing lamela and yedlin were away on international duty, adebayor was doing his 6 week medical at bodymoor heath and soldado was lost somewhere in southern spain.
