First half was disgustingly bad. Second half a huge improvement but still lucky to get a win. Kolasinac missed a sitter which would have won the game for them. Spurs weren’t in control at all in that game. Showed good character to win but seriously papering over cracks again. Last 16 will likely be as far as they go because the performances just aren’t good enough at the moment and all these matches are taking so much out of the players.
Kane in the CL has been a huge disappointment, he’s scored one penalty in the group stage and that’s it.
But we won the group, will play a runner up with the 2nd leg at home and with the January transfer window to add players and we should have Kulu and Richarlison available too. In the end its a knock out competition and the last time we were in the ECL we sneaked through the group stages with a late draw in Barcelona and got through the groups with 8 pts by the slimmest margin (away head to head goals with Inter), but that season we reached the final, so I am not going to judge anything now just look forward to last 16 and hope to get a ticket for the 2nd leg.
Hjojbjerg goal was really well taken by him. Son would have been proud of that finish. We have winners in this group they just need to be allowed to show it. Bentancur, Peresic, Hjobjerg, Lenglet and Lloris all came out that game with credit and by the way Royal did well when he came on.
Once again, a dire first half and a much improved second. Credit to the players, as we’re far from full strength, picking up more injuries, and still able to produce enough to get the job done. this first half nonsense we’re continuously seeing cannot be a coincidence now, IMO. It’s been suggested on here that perhaps it’s deliberate in order to conserve energy due to the fixture congestion. I’m beginning to think the same to be honest. our first and second half performances are consistently like Jekyll and Hyde. It’s almost like they’ve been conditioned with a mentality of “45 minutes is enough time to score enough goals to win a game”. I genuinely cannot see another reason why we are so poor in every first half, yet we see a completely different performance in the second. But my god it’s painful to watch us for that first 45mins!
I'm almost desperate to believe it's a cunning plan (Baldrick), but I fear not! And the after match comments by coach and captain suggest not too. Not taking away from what was ultimately a really impressive result in a difficult situation against (most of) the odds, but that first half was feckin' toilet!
I thought this, but what if that’s part of the plan too? Claim on camera to everyone that our first half performances aren’t good enough etc etc, when really they’re briefed to sit back and absorb pressure and try to go in at half time at 0-0. it’s happening in EVERY game. But the second half is like watching a different team! I wonder how we’ll approach the Liverpool game, though? I do fear that this approach will end badly. Liverpool, whilst a bit dodgy at the back this season, have got so much in attack to punish us during the first half, that we may not be able to turn it round if we’re 2-0 down at half time, for example.
I'm not at all convinced that professional footballers are that clever to pull that off! And on a more serious note, I think we wil get hammered at the weekend. And I might have to join them!
That’s exactly what I think it is and the reason Stellini and Conte keep saying we’re not good enough in the first halves is because we keep conceding which isn’t part of the plan, but no team can realistically sustain so much pressure without finally being broken. It’s a seemingly crazy tactic, especially when some of the selections are just as bad too, makes the job doubly hard, especially for the forwards who basically only have 45 minutes to bag goals against a team that will likely increase their defence to preserve a lead. Second halves show this team has a number of players that really know how to play, a shame they aren’t allowed to show it over 90 mins.
absolutely, IMO. It’s so risky, as it’s questionable whether some of our players have the ability to play this tactic. And it’s even more riskier when you’re relying on a select few attackers (due to injuries) to produce the goods at the other end. But we’re consistently playing this way. Non existent in the first half, and like a rocket up our arses in the second. In any other situation, a team would expect to get the hairdryer treatment at half time after a terrible performance, and would come out with an improved performance in the second half. But then in the next match, you’d expect them to have learnt from that, and therefore fear the wrath at half time if they played as badly in the first half as the previous game. But we’re literally repeating the same **** in every game. It can’t be coincidence now, surely?
Yeah we definitely don’t have the players for it. We generally sign players that prefer to attack/ control the ball, so then asking them to sit back for a half helps no one. I don’t even quite get why we do it either because energy isn’t being conserved as we’re going all out in the second to try reversing the damage of the first. Odd decisions. All decent sides have punished us for it too and we’ve got one on the weekend, even if they have been below par this season. Will need to be far better.
Mad to think Bentancur cost just £15.8m, in an era where we’ve spent £42m on Lo Celso and £55m on Ndombele. He’s better than both of them combined, mind you, so am I.
Not sure we were lucky in the second half. Kane nearly scored two and Hojbjerg hit the bar (should have scored). They only had the Kolasinac chance.
The KO stages are effectively an aeon away. There is much work that Conte and the squad should be doing between now and then so that Spurs are more akin to the final third of last season than now.
I think he's knackered. He's playing every game and Gary keeps picking him for England, too. We should've brought someone in to play as backup, even if it was just a veteran. Richarlison could do it if he was fit, but we played him when he was injured and it got worse.
At the moment he is likely to even have to play against Forest next week unless we give a debut to someone from the youth teams, he is our only fit Striker. I thought he played well 2nd half last night too, made good runs held the ball well and was involved in a lot of our best moments.
Really hoping we’ll have Richarlison for Forest. He apparently told Conte he’ll be fit for Marseille so must be close to a return.
