I think you've gone a bit OTT there. The idea of saying that Toby/ Eriksen etc aren't good enough is harsh and in my opinion incorrect, those players are good enough but some of their team mates aren't. We won nothing with Walker, Modric or Bale (well, he missed the LC win anyway) when they were here, they left to join better sides and have been winning trophies ever since. Our problem with this team and others over the years is that we've been very strong in certain areas but not strong enough in others and ultimately that's been the difference with Spurs always being the bridesmaids but never the brides. Had we signed a top quality CM in the summer (and maybe with hindsight, a RB), just like how Pool signed a top quality GK, we could well have been the side who won the Champions League last night and given City/ Pool are good battle for the title. Pool have shown how just one or two signings can completely change the fortunes of a team, pre-van Dijk in 2018 they were comfortably weaker than us, his signing coupled with Alisson this summer has elevated them tenfold. The last thing we should be considering is selling our best players (though granted we don't have much choice with Toby/ Eriksen) when all we need to do is add a couple of top signings to compliment them.
You've undermined your own argument there by referencing Liverpool, who of course sacrificed their best individual player for the sake of developing the team. But that aside my point was more that we shouldn't be scared of life beyond Toby and Eriksen, we should embrace the opportunity to change things and after 5 years perhaps try a new approach that opposition sides haven't seen a dozen times over. To dare is to do. We haven't dared enough and so we haven't done enough. But I am excited to see what the future will hold. Excited to see the player Dave could develop into. Excited to see how we can adapt to different styles of play that don't rely solely and exclusively on Eriksen as the creative fulcrum of the team. Would I keep Toby and Eriksen if they wanted to stay? Of course. But then I would be wondering where we'll get the money to sign the likes of N'Dombele and Lo Celso. If we have it, brilliant. If not, then yes - I would honestly sacrifice a big name player for the betterment of the team. And that player would be Alli without the smallest shadow of a doubt.
I thought it was telling last night that of all the forwards to be hauled off, it was Alli and not Son as has happened so often in the past. Unless I'm mistaken, that isn't usually the case? Has Poch finally ran out of patience with him , as we are?
Coutinho wasn’t their best individual once Salah arrived. He immediately became the main man and from an attacking standpoint, Coutinho was no longer as relevant as he once was especially as Mane really stepped up too. Once Pool got offered £130m for a player who was no longer as crucial, they ran to the bank, especially as that then funded moves for a much needed CB and eventually a world class GK. If we were selling Eriksen but had ‘player x’ who was offering a lot more, Eriksen’s loss wouldn’t be as problematic as what it likely will be but we don’t have a ‘player x’ at present, so that either means signing an Eriksen replacement that likely won’t be as good or hoping we sign players in different areas that can be more effective. Dave may well become an elite defender in time to come but we need to focus more on the present than the future and right now Toby is a better player than Dave. So if Toby goes, as expected, we become weaker. Which is also my worry should Eriksen go too. I’d agree, if we absolutely had to sell a player who could help fund moves for others (if that was necessary) then I’d also sell Alli. Alli if anything is more like Coutinho to us than Eriksen, because he was once a key player (like Coutinho for Pool) but the form of Lucas and Son on the flanks along with Eriksen’s creativity has meant that he’s taken more of a back seat, just like Coutinho did once Salah arrived.
I'm not trying to start an argument, but I just don't like Kane. All that business about swearing on his childs life, just horrible. The dive in the final, pathetic. Do what liverpool did with Coutinho, sell him for a hundred and somthing million and buy two top class players with the proceeds. His value will start dropping soon, so sell him now.
Kane used a well known phrase...personally, I never use it but it seems ott to slate him for it...especially considering the **** others get (or the lack of it) for truely ****ty things they do. He did dive in my opinion, but that is a problem throughout football. Modern footbsllers are brought to go down when touched. Salah and Mane do it and Salah did it 2 or 3 times on Saturday. You liking or not liking him is neither here or there. He does s great job for us and imo we will be weaker without him.
I do love "sleeper" accounts (a poor one in this case) . They have been waiting for 6 months to post (well hardly as if anything has been happening with Spurs since then to talk about) , and we have the privilege of receiving their first message.
This is where the "Selling Kane = Selling Coutinho" dullards fail miserably Coutinho wasn't their main source of goals - hell, he wasn't a source of any goals last season - as Salah, Mane and Firmino were the goalscorers Coutinho wasn't the main source of assists, as they were spread out among Salah, Firmino, Mane, Robertson and Oxlade-Chamberlain Selling Kane is not the equivalent of their selling Coutinho - but it is the equivalent of us selling Berbatov & Keane in the same window, or Bale for that matter, and that's where the DGCkheads fall flat because when you ask who'll replicate the goals they suddenly sound a lot less confident in their answers and a lot more like pigheaded morons who know nothing about football but won't let go of their idiotic Narrative even though it's clearly filled with more bollocks than a cruise ship hosting the Tory conference
Selling Kane remains a ludicrous idea purely because while players like Eriksen and Son are very good for us, the struggles of Chelsea and United to secure a reliable top class centre forward show just how irreplaceable Kane is for us, and that’s before you take into account the intangibles - he clearly is a talisman for his teammates and having him out there affects the positivity of the crowd as well. Even with all his injuries he still got 17 in the league and when you consider he played a fair few of those games nowhere near fully fit, and has a better mins per goal than Hazard, Sterling, Vardy and Salah, I think it shows that if he can get some proper R&R after the Nations League this summer we don’t have too much to worry about (unless his ankle problem becomes truly chronic). If you had to objectively pick one of the DESK to sell it would sadly be Dele. However if we continue this hypothetical scenario of having to sell one of them, Eriksen isn’t a bad shout because unlike Dele he’ll almost certainly move abroad (therefore not strengthening a PL rival), will likely fetch a bigger fee, and he’s older than Dele who still has time to recover his previous form and start improving again. We simply can’t fit them all in and play the way we used to with Dembele because that won’t work with the current team. Selling one is a shame but especially in the case of Eriksen, probably inevitable, so let’s make the best of it by finding a new way of setting up this team and investing what should be a sizeable transfer fee to fix the glaring issues at CM and RB.
Jesus, they weren't even subtle enough to ease their way in. Post 1 the bizarre anti-Kane campaign starts immediately.
I'm a bit surprised how quick we are to judge some players. None of our England players have had a great season. All of them suffered injuries (or illness in Eric Dier's case). Dier was having a worse season than either Harry Kane or Dele Alli before his illness. Both forwards have suffered and carried injuries whilst playing and been rushed back too quickly....again. We have very few goals in the team, apart from the forwards....none of our defenders score, no do our deep-lying midfielders. I can't think that there's double figures out of the lot of them. Worse than that, the creativity has started to dry up too. Ben Davies is a good crosser but injured. Danny Rose's crossing is iffy most of the time. Aurier's all over the place and Trippier is carrying an injury and off form. The balance of the team's off and Dele doesn't get those crosses to the far post he thrives on. Kane's playing too deep to allow Trippier to cross first time. No Lamela and Eriksen's form's been patchy. Our best forwards, Sonny and Lucas make their own space and chances with their pace and dribbling skills. Just as well because we're not creating enough from the rest of the team. It has pretty much come down to Eriksen. The deeper lying players need upgrading in terms of creativity and fitness. If our forwards struggle then, we've got a problem but I think the issue is the flanks and midfield.
This.^ Too little depth, too many games for some players, no breaks and a host of injuries because of it. Kane needs a rest and we need to buy someone to compete for his place and use him. Alli needs to play the advanced role that he did when he was at his best and not have to try and make things happen from a deeper position. Eriksen needs someone capable of filling in for him and more creativity behind him. The squad as a whole needs more depth and quality.
Excellent analysis Bri. I think it's worth adding though that we've never had many goals in the team. Nor for that matter have we ever had much creativity. Even at the height of their powers, Rose, Walker and Dembele provided paltry assists and even fewer goals. The big difference has been one thing: space. Two top quality FB's and a beast in the center who could draw 3 opposition players to him and take them out of the game with one deft swivel was 'creative' more in what it did off the ball than what it did on the ball. Opposition midfields were dragged from pillar to post, back lines were stretched across the full width of the pitch. And our attackers - the only true source of creativity and goals in the team since day 1 - thrived in the pockets of space left behind. Nowadays we are far too rigid, too ponderous and too static, and are subsequently too easy to defend against.
Totally agree. We don't play nearly as well as 3 years ago, even though the players that we have lost didn't contribute many goals. We're relying on ever smaller margins and starting to lose more often than before. More pace and ambition needs to be injected now. Moussa Sissoko has improved so much but others are regressing and that collective regression is placing an additional strain on some very good forwards. Moussa shouldn't be eclipsing the rest of the team to such an extent. We've come very close with inadequate squad size and balance. Let's address those issues and stop competing with one hand tied behind our back.
Kane - had an injury which ruined the end of his season, but when he's fully fit, he's the most consistent and clinical goalscorer in the PL alongside Aguero. No reason he can't keep doing that for the next half dozen years if he stays fit. Spurs won't be selling him. Alli - peaked at a very young age and most effective running beyond Kane into space. Has often had to play deeper this season and has been worked out by opposing teams. When Spurs replace Dembele and he can play his best role, he will be more effective again. Eriksen - like Alli has often played in a position this season which doesn't enable his best skills to be showcased as often as they should. With two midfielders behind him, he can play further forward where his passing is more dangerous and he can have more attempts at goal. He seems to need to be highly motivated to perform at his best, which might explain why he stars for Denmark - and which might be a good reason for cashing in on him in the transfer market if there's any doubt about his commitment. At 27 and with 12 months left on his contract, taking £60M+ would be good business.
It's pretty certain that he's off. If, as is strongly rumoured, it's to Real Madrid, we'll get more than that out of them or Bale thrown in. Levy may not be great at buying but selling to Madrid? He puts on his PJ's and dreams about that.
I'd be really surprised is Eriksen went to Madrid, especially if they get Hazard. Harzard has the pace and finishing that Madrid desire yet Eriksen isn't the quickest, not to mention goes missing in big (Premier League/Champions League) games. For me, he's better suited to Serie A.
Where ever CE goes I very much doubt that he will play the amount of games that he has done for us over the last 2 years, if he was a donkey there would be adverts to help his plight. Despite what people think of him how many times has he drawn the ace for us with a killer pass or the last minute goal , as for going missing in big games the same could be said for a majority of the team , we need new blood in this team and Maybe an old head to teach us how to get over the line
Must admit I don't agree with the idea that Eriksen goes missing in big games, even the stats suggest he's more consistent than the others. Yet all of them combined don't seem to get the same amount of stick as he does for whenever he has a bad game. Vs fellow big six: Eriksen - 6 assists Lucas - 3 goals Dele - 1 goal, 1 assist Son - 1 goal, 1 assist Lamela - 1 goal In CL: Eriksen - 2 goals, 4 assists Son - 4 goals, 1 assist Lucas - 5 goals Dele - 3 assists Lamela - 1 goal, 1 assist Whilst I'm very much optimistic the club will bring in some good players this summer, I can't deny that I'm absolutely dreading losing him. There are very few playmakers better than him in Europe.
