to quote blackadder... I hope your mother dies in a freak yachting accident unless that has actually happened in which case ... sorry for bring it up
Jack Pitt-Brooke produces a very fair review of the game. Maybe I should review my dislike of him..... https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...m-lionel-messi-champions-league-a8567591.html
Just read Twitter. Any discussion/thread about signings has a Levy lover piping up saying that we’re absolutely fine. So, how does this leave us now? We don’t play Barca away until the final week, so there’s 9 points to play for against the “easier” teams. At the same time, inter play Barca twice, and then us. Let’s say we manage to beat PSV both times, and inter lose to Barca twice, that would leave us both on 6 points, with Barca at the top on 12. After that, we’ll play inter. If we beat them, but they go onto beat PSV again in their final game, and we lose to Barca, it would mean we both have 9 points. Am I correct in thinking that goal difference doesn’t count? And it’s down to our results against them?
The more I see of that first goal, the more I’m convinced someone had control of Lloris and held down the triangle button. Just unbelievable,
The second half was fabulous a really great game of football - Messi was mesmerising I am really glad to have witnessed seeing him play live there are no superlatives left to describe his performance, Rakitic and Arthur were superb too. But Lamela, Moura, Kane, Toby and Winksy were all up there with them, just a shame that the shambolic start left us with a mountain to climb. Suarez is still the worst cheating footballer in the world and don't get me started on the referee, clearly one set of rules of them and one for us to the point that in the second half Pique was down for 5 minutes being treated having kicked Harry and was allowed to take the free kick now I realise thats not the worst thing he did but it sums up what a terrible match he had. But all in all I enjoyed the match Hugo apart we were always in it and with all the absentees that was a fabulous effort.
It wasn't a bad effort considering all the absentees...there's something to be said about squad depth though when we hit panic stations and have to resort to a workman like midfield once we get a few injuries. We need fullbacks to compliment our game and we need a midfield that exists and with at least one of them with the ability to play a pass. Barca were fully deserving of their victory but I dont think they were great...we had the ball..we just didn't have the guile in midfield to make anything of it yet we still got 2 goals. Many might think that shows how well we played, to me it shows we are a class midfielder short of seriously competing over 90 minutes against the very top teams...ohh and a few fullbacks with the menace to suit our system.
We were missing Jan, Dele, Eriksen and Dembele...I honestly think that given that our second half performance was excellent. We will go on to have a good season IF we perform like the second half in the rest of our games.
I think so...therefore we need to beat Inter by 2 clear goals. That first game is going to be the one that kills us. Barca I can accept losing to..even though I do believe that game showed our frailties once again in key areas...but fair enough...even though I'm not convinced that that they were out of this world...think our lack of quality in key areas contributed. We've lost our pressing game of a few seasons ago and I don't think steady Eddie Davies possesses the right kind of aggression to play the way we expect our full backs to play...or at least me, as I think that the flying wingbacks is our best attacking game. Barca were giving Davies the freedom of the pitch because they knew the demeanour of his game. I'm not blaming Poch or the players that tried yesterday..they can only do so much.
I think that’s probably a slight exaggeration. You could call me a “pro-Levy” type of person but even I recognised the need to strengthen in the summer. We didn’t even need much, literally just a CM or two would’ve sufficed. I know I’ve joked about it but I really don’t know why we dallied about with the Grealish deal. His energy and drive from CM is exactly the sort of attribute we’ve lacked so far this season. Winks showed it in the second half yesterday but I don’t have the confidence in him to do that on a regular basis. We’ve got a big January coming up, that’s for sure.
Thing that’s annoyed me about Davies is last season he was awesome for the most part, got up and down well and knocked some Trippier-esque crosses, this season he’s started really poorly, looks so laboured and that shouldn’t be the case for someone who wasn’t involved in the World Cup. Only thing I blame Poch for with regards to last night is the keeper situation. Hugo is brilliant, not for one minute saying we don’t need him but when Gazza is in excellent form to the point where he’s winning back to back MOTM awards (how often do keepers do that?!) then the spot should be his to lose. Poch just waltzed Hugo back in after weeks out against one of the best sides in world football and it cost us within 2 minutes. Gazza must be absolutely gutted as well, massive knock to his confidence, no one should play that well and then get dropped.
Totally agree about the keeper situation....Lloris can pull out some worldie's but to be fair to Gazza...I reckon he can too..he's commanding..he's confident...he's not a flapper. Every keeper in the world makes mistakes, if they didn't every game would be 0-0. However only a few have the ability to have brain farts like Lloris. Was reading somewhere yesterday that in the last 3 years Lloris has lost the ball on more than 10 occasions that has led to a goal...more than any other player and no doubt more than any other keeper. Like yourself, I appreciate Lloris's qualities but I've felt absolutely fine with Gazza in goal and have not once had to say I miss Lloris...unlike when Vorm was in goal. I've said it before and I'll say it again....Poch needs to stop being daddy for a select few players and play them on merit. Winning managers have no problem doing that. Aguero couldn't get a look in at City when Pep came in because he wasn't doing what was expected...only until he reached Pep's expectancy did he start getting more game time..he responded like a true pro aswell though and came back firing. Poch seems to take a very long time in learning a lesson sometimes.
This is the article closest to my view of the game "https://amp.theguardian.com/footbal...es-spurs-toiling-lower-plane-sporting-reality">
Tough result to take but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Even with all the injuries and players returning from injury we showed we can compete against one of the best going. Obviously we can be better than that and there were still self inflicted problems but it was still a performance that dripped in courage, effort and a commitment to exciting, ambitious football. That represents what's the best thing about supporting Spurs imo. It's why we love Spurs beyond an inherited curse gifted to us by our masochistic fathers. Harry Winks was really good last night and Lamela and Moura did well too. Kane reminded us why we're so lucky to have him with a brilliant goal. Ultimately it leaves us in a perilous position with Inter winning but if the competition was easy why would we want to qualify for it? Hope we stick with 4231 now, surely Pochettino realises this shape gives us the best chance of recovering our best form.
"Davinson Sanchez almost got something on the clipped ball through to Luis Suarez that set up the second, giving Spurs a 2-0 lead." I much prefer his version of events too!
I have few quibbles with our manager overall I think he is the best we have had since Burkinshaw but if there is a criticism it is on his loyalty to some players. The playing of Loris is this game is an example. I suppose it's difficult to ease in a goalkeeper like you can with an outfield player, it's a waste of a substitution to give him a 20 minute appearance and also pointless. A goalkeeper needs to be pin sharp and on top of his game to perform at this level, Gazza was, Loris clearly has not been since recent personal events and injury. Loris get's the same favour as Kane and Eriksen. Maybe MP is right, I certainly prefer his approach to Mourinhio's in recent years. Maybe the reasons for MP's loyalty to these players can be found on the training ground where they may well be setting examples to other squad members on what you need to do to keep a place in his team. Maybe! but on the surface these decisions just look wrong. I am not suggesting he should not have played Kane last night btw, but certainly following the world cup he has produced displays that warranted him coming off.
I think that the referees in this year’s CL have been poor not just in the Spurs games, but in most of the matches I have watched. Our referee last night showed a complete lack of understanding of the rules when he failed to make a Barca player leave the pitch after receiving on-field treatment for an ‘injury’ after he kicked Kane. This demonstrates incompetence rather than partiality as it is not a judgement call but a factual one, although he demonstrated partiality on numerous other occasions. This was not a decision he had to make a snap judgement on. He had plenty of time to apply the rules and failed. He should be removed from the list of refs for this competition.
