Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

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Sunday 13th May 3pm
Premier League
Wembley Stadium​

Our win against Newcastle may not have been the perfect performance, but it was a massive three points.
Champions League football for the new stadium is now guaranteed and third place is still up for grabs.
Can we seal it with another display like our penultimate game in the last campaign or will it be more of a struggle?
Our visitors have been in poor form recently, but they saw off the Goons in midweek.
Are they on the beach already and have our players joined them?

The Foxes started the season badly, as Craig Shakespeare failed to inspire the form that kept them up.
One win in the first eight matches was enough and he was shown the door after less than a year in charge.
Claude Puel took the reigns a week later, following his harsh summer dismissal by Southampton.
Eighth place and a cup final wasn't good enough in his first season, apparently.
He quickly set about restoring their solidity and making them hard to beat.

The months since have seen them veering through runs of mixed form, while slowly climbing the table.
Any thoughts of a relegation battle were soon dismissed and they're currently sitting in ninth place.
Some dour football might be responsible for Puel's apparent unpopularity, though.
There's already talk of him leaving in the summer, despite turning around their fortunes.
Could he save his job with a win at Wembley?

The home game last season was a familiarly frustrating affair, as we dominated possession and chances.
Leicester seemed content to soak up pressure and bide their time, until a penalty gave us a big opportunity.
Vincent Janssen was pulled down just before half-time and he took advantage to give us the lead.
It didn't last long though, as poor concentration allowed Musa to equalise just after the break.
It was their only shot on target, but it was enough to give them a share of the points:

The match at the King Power was another disappointing one, as a poor start and equally poor finishing cost us.
Jamie Vardy volleyed home unmarked to give them an early lead and Mahrez doubled it before half-time.
Some spectacular misses allowed the scoreline to remain the same until late on.
Harry Kane pulled one back to give us a glimmer of hope with ten minutes remaining, but an equaliser never came:

Harry Winks is still unavailable, while Dembele and Aurier face late tests.
No official word on Dier, Wanyama or Trippier, but they must all be doubts, too.
Ndidi and James are out for Leicester, while Schmeichel, Simpson, Chilwell, Huth and Amartey are all doubts.
Albrighton is suspended, as his ban was extended for his reaction to being sent off against Palace.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Sissoko, Wanyama; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Alderweireld, Foyth, Rose, Moura, Lamela, Llorente.
League form: WLDWLW.

Leicester: Jakupovic; Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs; Mahrez, Choudhury, Silva, Diabate; Vardy, Iheanacho.
Subs: Hamer, Benalouane, Dragovic, Iborra, Thomas, Barnes, Gray.
League form: LLDLLW.

Referee: Craig Pawson.

TV: Not televised.

Should we approach this as a normal match or leave out some of our more weary regulars?
Who's more likely to be up for this one, given the upcoming World Cup and that we've sealed a top four place?
Any fringe players that you'd like to see given a chance?

 

I think we should throw our best XI on...they've got rest coming up.

We should be wanting these 3 points...3rd to earn, which, by my calculations is better than 4th.

 

would love a win to guarentee a 14 lead over the goons ... in our worst season in 3 years

 

But if they win, then it's their 4th away win of the season.
It would come against Huddersfield, the same side that we won our fourth away game against. In September.

 

I can remember us being like that ... this way round is way better

 

Paul Stewart will be returning next season.
But not for Stoke.

 

I'm going to this one. Haven't managed to get to a game all season but was able to get tickets.

Am up in the top tier but hoping we turn up and get the 3 points! COYS!

 

Mauricio Pochettino, when asked about being at Spurs next season.....

"I don't know, but today it's 100 per cent because I have a three-year contract here but tomorrow I don't know what is going to happen."

"I think it's a fantastic achievement [to be the top London club]. In the last three years we have achieved a massive thing to play Champions League at this football club but we never celebrate [it].

"But in Southampton we avoided relegation and finished eighth in the table and we had an unbelievable party. It's true! My wife was so unhappy because I was dancing but no one recorded it, so don't worry!

"Sometimes we miss those things. Clubs like Crystal Palace and Southampton - there's always a massive party at the end of the season. They are happy with what happened so they can celebrate.

"So it's a little bit strange that always the feeling is not great - we finished our first season fifth, finishing better than the previous season - it's okay, but it's not enough.

"Then the second season we finished third because we lost the possibility to win the league and then we lose against Southampton and Newcastle 5-1, the feeling was so bad.

"Last season we finished second, but not enough because we don't win the Premier League.

"This season again, despite playing at Wembley, there's still a situation [with people saying] the team need to win some titles. After four years we never celebrate - I am going to celebrate with my people, my staff because for us it's a massive achievement.

"[It's] not enough because we want to win titles but it's not the only thing in football to win titles but I think this club, the players and the fans deserve to celebrate some trophies."

After four years we never celebrate - I am going to celebrate with my people, my staff because for us it's a massive achievement.

"[It's] not enough because we want to win titles but it's not the only thing in football to win titles but I think this club, the players and the fans deserve to celebrate some trophies."

He sounds tired. We need to celebrate on Sunday. Celebrate getting into the CL, yes, but celebrate doing it away from WHL and what going home means to us all. Let's party and show MP and the players what they and the club mean to us......

"We're going home, We're going home,
Tottenham's going home"

 

Thanks to @PleaseNotPoll for doing exceptional match day threads. Bit of a reluctant battlefield promotion, but they are spot on in terms of detail and starting the debate.

 

Pre-match stuff ...

 

Well said, SD - and cheers PNP

 

KWP to start then...

 

I still have 2 spare tickets for this game, as a friend and my godson can't make it. 1 adult and 1 junior ticket. I am happy to give them to anyone wanting them. PM me to make arrangements to collect on the day.

Cheers.

Brian

 

Our final 90 minutes at Wembley in the Premier League. That sounds so good, man.

It's been a nighmare getting to and from there this season, I didn't even make the game on Wednesday as there were major cancellations on my line and it would've meant having to chop and change so much on public transport in the humid weather that I just opted not to go once I'd waited over an hour on my train platform. Up until this season, in roughly 13 years I'd only missed about 4 games at the Lane in all comps, this season alone I've missed about 6 due to the troubles of getting to Wembley - ironically I'll be back in Wembley in a couple weeks as there's a Bellator MMA event at the SSE that I have tickets for but apart from that, I'll hopefully never have to see the place again but for Spurs getting there for cup finals!

The idea of being able to go back to walking just 15 mins to the ground next season is absolute bliss.

 

Thank you PNP your match threads are always well written and thought provoking, a pleasure to read unlike so many of the "professional" articles. Also so much better than the dire commentators on so many of the channels who are so keen to talk about who is going to leave Spurs and this season in particular how they need to win a cup. These guys are so unoriginal they all trot out the same tired nonsense.

Well done PNP for bringing us some sensible comment.

 

cheers for all the hard work PNP ... live our match day threads... wish some of the miserable posters on here were as sensible in their posts as you

Mrs RCL says thanks too...without these she'd have to tolerate my inane ramblings on match days

 

Spurs leave a stadium that's falling apart for one that might still be in one piece fifteen years from now.

Sounds good to me...

 

Todays piece of hacketry: Football Transfer Tavern report that 82% of Spurs fans want Reo Griffiths to play against Leicester

I'm pretty sure more than 18% of Spurs fans are aware that Griffiths is one of the players currently a little bit busy with the Volksbank Cup, especially since it's been reported that he's at the Volksbank Cup via our official site and various social media pages...approximately two days after I suggested that one of Sterling, Griffiths, Shashoua or Roles feature on the bench against Leicester, of course.

 

Just love the man, a perfect manager for Spurs. Intelligent, Focused on every detail, Fair minded but not afraid to make difficult decisions, Ambitious but grounded in the realities. Dare I hope he stays at Spurs for many years. To Dare is to Do.

 

Just one more sleep 'til New Stadium.

Well it is Leicester we're playing...