Match Day Thread General Match Thread

[PowerSpurs]

If

It could all be completely random, of course.

But there is no question that injuries have played a major role in our historically poor league performances last season and this. And if relegation will result in a loss of circa £270m in revenue, it's worth leaving no stone unturned and assuming that luck plays no role.

If our current physio team is poor it is very likely because Scott Dunn sacked its previous very experienced Head after the first spate of injuries under Ange. If you are going to make decisions based on data you need to be sure the data is significant.

 

[Citizen Kane.]

If
If our current physio team is poor it is very likely because Scott Dunn sacked its previous very experienced Head after the first spate of injuries under Ange. If you are going to make decisions based on data you need to be sure the data is significant.

It can't be that difficult to find someone competent. 19 other clubs playing at the same level as us seem to be doing much better, and several of them have played up to a dozen more games than us this season.

If they can all find someone who doesn't think it's good practice to tell a player who has just ruptured his knee to jump up and down and try to run it off, why can't we?

 

[Dier Hard]

I'm the same apart from Xavi tbh...with the rest it's a case of their replacement can't do any worse.

I don't see the issue with Xavi as a player like some fans seems to.

People forget that this is his first season in the self proclaimed 'best league in the world'. Just because we have been mega **** collectively shouldn't result in us forgetting that fact. If, like some fans think he is too lightweight etc etc then you can't expect much from him anyway. However if he joined a club with a squad built with intent then as a first season his output wouldn't be deemed to be so bad this season. We don't have a good squad so some fans expect him to pull rabbits out of hats or they are disappointed.

He's the only ACM, rest are crocked, the club should have done their job in January. It all comes down to the owners for me.

Think it's a bit unfair that people expect Xavi to be playing like he's a seasoned Premier League player. He cost a lot less than Wirtz and has had a similar impact.

This is a club created problem...Xavi has been progressing fine considering the **** show of a club he joined.

I just don’t think he’s very good, or perhaps more a case of not suited to the Prem.

Like with Wirtz, plus many other attacking mids or wide forwards (Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Sancho, Werner, Nkunku etc) they stat pad in the Bundesliga, come to the Prem and struggle because they don’t have the same time and space as they do here that they did there.

IF Spurs ever had a fully fit squad (that’ll be the day), Xavi doesn’t make our best XI, he can’t lay a glove on Maddison or Kulu.

It’s disappointing he’s another to add to the injury list though because he was the last remaining attacking mid available, unless of course Maddison can actually play but considering how long he’s been out, we won’t be getting any 90 mins from Maddison this season, nor will he be anywhere near his best.

 

[Roo]

I'm the same apart from Xavi tbh...with the rest it's a case of their replacement can't do any worse.

I don't see the issue with Xavi as a player like some fans seems to.

People forget that this is his first season in the self proclaimed 'best league in the world'. Just because we have been mega **** collectively shouldn't result in us forgetting that fact. If, like some fans think he is too lightweight etc etc then you can't expect much from him anyway. However if he joined a club with a squad built with intent then as a first season his output wouldn't be deemed to be so bad this season. We don't have a good squad so some fans expect him to pull rabbits out of hats or they are disappointed.

He's the only ACM, rest are crocked, the club should have done their job in January. It all comes down to the owners for me.

Think it's a bit unfair that people expect Xavi to be playing like he's a seasoned Premier League player. He cost a lot less than Wirtz and has had a similar impact.

This is a club created problem...Xavi has been progressing fine considering the **** show of a club he joined.

Agreed.
Xavi has been the only one where I’ve genuinely thought… ok who is replacing him?
All the others, like you say…
They’re like a conveyor belt of nobodies taking the place of another nobody.

At this point, Tel would be the only other one.

you have to laugh or you’ll cry. Everything is completely against us. It’ll be a miracle if we stay up.

Although, the **** show unfolding at West Ham could unsettle them a bit…

 

[The RDBD]

I'm the same apart from Xavi tbh...with the rest it's a case of their replacement can't do any worse.

I don't see the issue with Xavi as a player like some fans seems to.

People forget that this is his first season in the self proclaimed 'best league in the world'.

Faster-paced ?? Most physically demanding ?? Most competitive ??
More likely.

Most technically competent ??
Nope.

 

[Spurlock]

Faster-paced ?? Most physically demanding ?? Most competitive ??
More likely.

Most technically competent ??
Nope.

And he's definitely got technical ability that shines through and he's also struggling to adjust to the physical demands of the league....which time can only be of assistance and this boy hasn't been here very long at all.

 

[Spurlock]

Agreed.
Xavi has been the only one where I’ve genuinely thought… ok who is replacing him?
All the others, like you say…
They’re like a conveyor belt of nobodies taking the place of another nobody.

At this point, Tel would be the only other one.

you have to laugh or you’ll cry. Everything is completely against us. It’ll be a miracle if we stay up.

Although, the **** show unfolding at West Ham could unsettle them a bit…

Yeah I like Tel too

He's got raw talent...he's no Lamina Yamal but I'm not expecting that. He's has exciting moments in the game and seems to up our tempo when he comes off the bench more often than not. More so than when he starts tbh...that for me is another sign of inexperience.

He plays like he's not been coached at all and his decision making shows his age which is only 19...but with coaching which I don't think he's had much of it seems, I expect him to improve a fair bit.

 

[The RDBD]

And he's definitely got technical ability that shines through and he's also struggling to adjust to the physical demands of the league....which time can only be of assistance and this boy hasn't been here very long at all.

Due to the past two seasons, the boy does not
currently have the luxury of slow progression or
low scrutiny that he would have got in a Spurs
squad from say 2019 to then.

 

[Citizen Kane.]

Yeah I like Tel too

He's got raw talent...he's no Lamina Yamal but I'm not expecting that. He's has exciting moments in the game and seems to up our tempo when he comes off the bench more often than not. More so than when he starts tbh...that for me is another sign of inexperience.

He plays like he's not been coached at all and his decision making shows his age which is only 19...but with coaching which I don't think he's had much of it seems, I expect him to improve a fair bit.

Not for me.

Andros Townsend 2.0 imo.

 

[The Huddlefro]

Faster-paced ?? Most physically demanding ?? Most competitive ??
More likely.

Most technically competent ??
Nope.

The former 3 place more demand on the latter as a factor in success or otherwise. I’d not watched a lot of Xavi at all before we got him and he noticeably has a heavy touch or poor pass in him in the final 3rd, which can completely kill our buildup. I was expecting him to be smoother and a player of his physical profile will need to improve there if he wants to make it in the PL.

The days of La Liga etc being noticeably more technical than the PL are way gone IMO. Part of that was the increasing financial pull of PL clubs in bringing in really good foreign talent, and part of that was the elite academies and England youth setups making a conscious shift to prioritising, and coaching for, technical ability rather than selecting for pure physical capability.

The very best young English players - think Nico O’Reilly - now have that blend of both. They’re the ones that will succeed at the sharp end of football.

Interestingly I think while the youth system in England has done a great job pivoting to have more of an emphasis on technical ability, what we still haven’t don’t well is coach young players how to think and understand the game. It’s why there’s a real deficit of good English 6s. Players at City do seem to have an edge there in terms of their game intelligence, which speaks to Pep’s prowess as a coach (and of course his experience as a player) albeit often that’s an understanding of their very specific environment which causes them to struggle elsewhere (see Phil Foden).

 

[PowerSpurs]

It can't be that difficult to find someone competent. 19 other clubs playing at the same level as us seem to be doing much better, and several of them have played up to a dozen more games than us this season.

If they can all find someone who doesn't think it's good practice to tell a player who has just ruptured his knee to jump up and down and try to run it off, why can't we?

If all the clubs had equally competent medical teams then statistically one club would still perform a lot worse than the others (and one a lot better).
Perhaps it's harder than you think to distinguish between and ACL and a painful knock to the knee by what you can test in a couple of minutes. I have no idea to be honest so I am not going to be critical

 

[Tilly'sowner]

Perhaps it's harder than you think to distinguish between and ACL and a painful knock to the knee by what you can test in a couple of minutes. I have no idea to be honest so I am not going to be critical

A medical on-field examination should easily differentiate between a potential ACL injury or a knock to the knee. There will be certain abnormal or excessive movements with an ACL injury. At any signs of a potential ACL, the last thing you should do is to hope that it's just a knock.

The whole thing with Simmons is utterly shambolic!

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

Not for me.

Andros Townsend 2.0 imo.

Definitely not

Tel's actually capable of hitting the target from outside the area

Also him falling out with the coach was more understandable since the rest of the squad were doing it as well...

 

[SpursDisciple]

I'm the same apart from Xavi tbh...with the rest it's a case of their replacement can't do any worse.

I don't see the issue with Xavi as a player like some fans seems to.

People forget that this is his first season in the self proclaimed 'best league in the world'. Just because we have been mega **** collectively shouldn't result in us forgetting that fact. If, like some fans think he is too lightweight etc etc then you can't expect much from him anyway. However if he joined a club with a squad built with intent then as a first season his output wouldn't be deemed to be so bad this season. We don't have a good squad so some fans expect him to pull rabbits out of hats or they are disappointed.

He's the only ACM, rest are crocked, the club should have done their job in January. It all comes down to the owners for me.

Think it's a bit unfair that people expect Xavi to be playing like he's a seasoned Premier League player. He cost a lot less than Wirtz and has had a similar impact.

This is a club created problem...Xavi has been progressing fine considering the **** show of a club he joined.

Gutted about Xavi. Without Kulu and Maddison he is our best playmaker. I like Bergval, but he's not quite ready for what we need.

 

[Dier Hard]

Not for me.

Andros Townsend 2.0 imo.

I’d probably take early days Andros over most of our wingers, too.

There was a brief period where it looked like he’d actually go on to be a top, top player. I’ve yet to ever get that feeling over Odobert and Tel and not sure I really will.

Would love to be wrong.

 

[Citizen Kane.]

I’d probably take early days Andros over most of our wingers, too.

There was a brief period where it looked like he’d actually go on to be a top, top player. I’ve yet to ever get that feeling over Odobert and Tel and not sure I really will.

Would love to be wrong.

For me they both share the reason Andros never made it to the top:

Appalling decision making.

It would seem that a 'footballing brain' can't be coached or trained into a player. You either got it or you don't.

 

[KingHotspur]

Definitely not

Tel's actually capable of hitting the target from outside the area

Also him falling out with the coach was more understandable since the rest of the squad were doing it as well...

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Townsend scored 11 in 93 for Spurs which isn’t great but Tel will probably be at the same rate given he’s got 6 goals in 50 odd appearances

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

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Townsend scored 11 in 93 for Spurs which isn’t great but Tel will probably be at the same rate given he’s got 6 goals in 50 odd appearances

Townsend's biggest problem was he'd be looking for the 25+ yard screamer as his first option, even when there were 2-3 teammates in the area getting into positions to tap any kind of pass into the net, when realistically that should have been the option when all other bets were off

Which made it all the more aggravating that he couldn't get those shots anywhere near on target, as more often than not they were more likely to land in the sixth row of the stands...that's the sixth row of the upper deck

 

[The RDBD]

The former 3 place more demand on the latter as a factor in success or otherwise. I’d not watched a lot of Xavi at all before we got him and he noticeably has a heavy touch or poor pass in him in the final 3rd, which can completely kill our buildup. I was expecting him to be smoother and a player of his physical profile will need to improve there if he wants to make it in the PL.

The days of La Liga etc being noticeably more technical than the PL are way gone IMO.

The ability :

1. to pass accurately a high % of the time, under pressure or not

2. of defenders to be comfortable with bringing the ball out,
before panicking into hoofing


is a basic technical competence in other leagues
that is woefully bereft in the PL.

 

[BinghamSpur]

The ability :

1. to pass accurately a high % of the time, under pressure or not

2. of defenders to be comfortable with bringing the ball out,
before panicking into hoofing


is a basic technical competence in other leagues
that is woefully bereft in the PL.

100% and something seriously lacking in the current squad...