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Rival watch

Discussion in 'Tottenham Hotspur' started by Spurlock, Jan 2, 2012.

  1. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    I'd take either De Bruyne or Aguero in a heartbeat. Surely you must be joking!?
     
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  2. PowerSpurs

    PowerSpurs Well-Known Member

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    They are definitely better players (in terms of skill levels) than Kane or Lamela. But whether they would make our team better I'm not so sure. Kane and Lamela work so hard for us.
     
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  3. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Aguero is one of the top 3-4 strikers anywhere in the world. De Bruyne both creates and scores. Both are world class, IMO. we should always be able to find room for those types of player.,
     
    #33583
  4. Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane Danny Rosebud

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    Players of that calibre are so inherently talented that you don't need as much hard work. Bale's last season was a perfect example of this. I don't think he tracked back all year yet it didn't really matter - 2 or 3 defenders followed him wherever he went and sure as hell didn't risk pushing forward in case he got the ball in a few yards of space. We currently have a team who are brilliant at occupying the opposition. That calibre of player leads to the opposition occupying itself.
     
    #33584
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  5. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Exactly. Players of that calibre scare the crap out of the opposition. They always occupy defenders and their thoughts, whether in possession or not. And take your eye of them for one second to long, and you're dead!
     
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  6. PowerSpurs

    PowerSpurs Well-Known Member

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    That's theoretically true. But let's say De Bruyne is a lazy bastard on the training ground. He comes to Spurs, does **** all every week in training but still gets a place in the team over Lamela. If the other 10 guys play 1% worse because of the perceived injustice of it all then we don't have a team any more.
    I'm not saying that De Bruyne (or Aguero) is like that but it could be why he didn't make it at Chelsea (and he may have learned his lesson since).
    By the way Bale worked very hard for us - its not just tracking back.
     
    #33586
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  7. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Players of the class of Aguero and De Bruyne would enhance pretty much any team in the world, let alone Spurs.
     
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  8. vimhawk

    vimhawk Well-Known Member

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    The answer is not always "better players". It's all about the team. It doesn't matter who would get in who's team, just who would enhance ours. Enhance our team - and clearly this season if no other has demonstrated that you don't get a better team just by buying really expensive individuals and hope they can play together. It's no accident that Leicester and Spurs have topped the pile, with a team being greater than the sum of its parts. You have to think very carefully before disrupting that, and the ability of a player to fit in is at least as important as their perceived individual skill. I think there will be increasing clamour from people for Spurs to purchase players according to our new standing, and that could be a mistake.
     
    #33588
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  9. Spurlock

    Spurlock Homeboy
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    I know what you mean about Aguero. My brother is a City fan and he was saying if Pep gets rid of Aguero, he won't be up in arms about it. It's about what Aguero is not what he was. He is quite injury prone, a bit of a fast track bully. 5 goals against Newcastle etc. Worse thing is he isn't much of a team player. If he doesn't score he is anonymous. He does not take the bull by the horns enough if the going gets tough. De Bruyne on the other hand is the kind of player that can do something when the going gets a bit tough and I'd be tempted to build my team around KDB. Sometimes these kind of players need other players to compliment their skill set. City is a mishmash and a disjointed team. I can see 9 potential first teamers coming in for them in the next couple of transfer windows.

    I'd have Kane over Aguero anyday.
     
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  10. george the blue

    george the blue Active Member

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    so chelsea supporters are all racist?

    is that what you are saying here?

    oh, and i wouldnt know this mothers meeting was here if you hadnt gone to a chelsea board and quoted me for god knows what reason mate, dont act like im coming here to cause trouble.
     
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  11. SpursDisciple

    SpursDisciple Booking: Mod abuse - overturned on appeal
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    The fact that his girlfriend cheated on him with Courtois (and stayed with him) might have something to do with it. I'd have booted the keeper out and kept De Bruyne.
     
    #33591
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  12. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    Chelsea couldn't do that, though. They'd already set a precedent for that sort of thing. <whistle>
     
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  13. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Didn't know that, but yes...<ok>
     
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  14. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Of course it's all about the team. But there are certain players - Bale has been mentioned, so I'll use him,- who are capable of turning a game on their own. Of making something out of nothing, of just doing what the vast majority of players can't.
    In my view, you can nearly always make room for those sort of players. God knows we've needed one enough times since Bale left!
     
    #33594
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  15. Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane Danny Rosebud

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    There have been a few times this season - yesterday was one of them - where I've found myself willing a Bale-like moment from one of our players. To just pick the ball up, beat 4 players and howitzer it in to the top corner from 27 yards just because he can, and to hell with the fact that we don't deserve it.

    I love our starting XI, but it is, possibly for the first time in the PL era come to think of it, lacking that one player with a bit of a 'spark' to achieve the impossible at the drop of a hat. Historically, we could turn to Klinsmann, then Ginola, then Steven Carr <laugh>, then Berbatov, then VDV and then finally Bale to pull a rabbit out of the hat when we least expected it.
     
    #33595
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  16. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    Yeh, totally agree. Whilst the players I mentioned may not be quite in Bale's league, they're both capable of producing something single handedly that can change a game. Defenders get to know this and they therefore occupy much of their attention. As with Bale, that creates space elsewhere.
     
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  17. Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane Danny Rosebud

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    The comforting thought is that Bale also wasn't in Bale's league when he first arrived - far, far from it of course. The other legends I mentioned all arrived with reputations and impressive CV's that already pointed to the fact that they were class talents. Bale was the first one who was truly developed 'in-house'. Looking at the current squad, there are certainly players there who can reach that level if they continue advancing as they have been. After 3 seasons, I think we can safely say it isn't going to be Eriksen or Lamela. But Kane or Alli could well become so talented that they, as you say, occupy the opposition by dint of their mere presence on the pitch. The problem with Kane is that as a lone striker, you're always attracting loads of attention anyway as both CB's are able to focus on your movement. To my mind, Alli has to become 'that' player. I've seen enough from him already to suggest that, if he carries on as he has started, in a few years time his movement and reading of the game will be so good that he will drag defences all over the place, thus creating space for others to exploit.
     
    #33597
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  18. humanbeingincroydon

    humanbeingincroydon Well-Known Member

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    “We want to finish above them and show we are the best team in north London. We expect to win our home games so hopefully Newcastle can do us a favour." - Jack Wilshere

    Thanks for the motivation.
     
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  19. NSIS

    NSIS Well-Known Member

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    I've always been a fan, as you may have noticed. He's going to be a huge star, just hope we can keep him!...
     
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  20. "Thanks for that Brian"

    "Thanks for that Brian" Well-Known Member

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    George, nobody here wishes to indulge you in your "We're only a little bit racist, just enough, not too much" nonsense. We know what your club and support is even if you're not bright enough to work it out for yourself.

    How about a little independent journalism? This is from Caught Offside's investigation into Racism (25/3/2015) - recent enough for you, George?:

    "Chelsea, who have been involved in damaging controversy after their supporters were involved in a high-profile case of racism in refusing a black man entry on a Paris metro train in February, are leading the number of reported cases.

    The title-leaders may be flying high in the league, but the Blues are also topping an unsavoury table – having had 15 cases of racial abuse reported to the authorities since 2012 – the highest of any club."

    Your club remains the most racist in this country. Still, it's a table topping performance. Your fellow supporters will be so proud.
     

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