Rival watch

[notsosmartspur]

I'd get tonight out the way first, don't leave yourself wide open on the Chav board, Lazio are 3rd on GD, or joint top level on points with Juve, however you want to read it.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

I can handle it. It's better to be out in the open facing than hiding away. I like putting myself at risk because it starts a bloody good argument and we all like that. Nothing will change my mind that Chelsea have been on the longest and luckiest flight of shight ever seen.

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

I can handle it. It's better to be out in the open facing than hiding away. I like putting myself at risk because it starts a bloody good argument and we all like that. Nothing will change my mind that Chelsea have been on the longest and luckiest flight of shight ever seen.

...and then their luck started to fade away in the second half against Juve.

Here's hoping that result is the real demonstration of how Chelsea season will go.

 

[notsosmartspur]

It's only fans of teams whose seasons are over by Christmas who demand that their teams hit top form in September. Utd never have.

SAF has the most outstanding record of getting his teams to peak in May when it matters. A quick thumb through the Rothmans yearbook will illustrate this point.

At this stage players are finding their feet; there are new players bedding into the team (RvP and Kagawa have linked up particularly well very quickly), others need to gain fitness and form after long lay offs (Vidic, Fletcher), others are missing through injury etc etc. Results are more important than performances Utd have won 4/5 competitive games- 4 wins in a row.

Come the New Year, when Utd have just won 14 consecutive games and are 15 points clear of Spurs, I'll remind some of their second rate punditry

You do that!

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[The Mighty Thor]

Luke,why do you so often talk up Man U,do you have an inferiority complex?

 

[Spurlock]

I think he is a closet United fan TMT.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

Yep Spurlock I think you're right,he always chips in with Utd whenever we talk about other subjects and wants us to share his inferiority complex,to somehow make us feel bad. He won't succeed with me,nobody will. COYS.

 

[Boss]

I missed the chelsea goals last night so went onto youtube and saw the title "oscars amazing goals against juve", so am sat there watching, 3-4 replays (by the person who created the video) of a shot which takes a huge deflection of a juve full back, looping the ball over Buffon.

Not all bad though, as the second was a great goal.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

It was a fairish result for a team which finished 6th. Oscar is credited with the goal for some reason. Yes,the second was a belter

 

[Spurlock]

Why don't we ever get any luck like that?

When it comes to luck...we hand it out like a bunch of gypsies!

 

[totsfan]

Wisdom has put the mouser's 2-1 up

 

[notsosmartspur]

I'd normanlly make some sort of quip at that.

 

[totsfan]

that is now the h/t score,the other goal was an own goal

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

I'd normanlly make some sort of quip at that.

Dalglish could've used Wisdom last season. The board certainly think so...

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

Heskey's signed for Newcastle!
Jets? Ah, balls...

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

Robbie Savage in almost-sounding-like-he-knows-what-he's-talking-about shock: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19643626

Meanwhile, it appears Jon Mikel Obi Jon Mikel John Obi has deleted his Twitter account as a result of Chelsea fans responding to his apology over his error that led to Quagliarella's equaliser with death threats and racial abuse.

 

[notsosmartspur]

For once thats observant of RS, showing the drawbacks of a formation (4231) that has been used by us.

...where's the jar!

 

[No Kane No Gain]

City haven't really played with wide players under Mancini, but Spurs have been most successful when two out and out wingers are used with both full backs getting forward to support them. So whilst City struggled with a formation they are used to, Spurs are struggling with a formation which is alien to them. If the limitations are all too apparent in a team with City's quality, how confident are you that AVB can make it work at Spurs?

Plenty confident. We should've won last night, were dominant on the weekend and will only improve as we get more comfortable in the formation and with the new players. It'd help if Lennon started shooting but apart from that it's looked very encouraging. Did you watch the game last night?

 

[Spurm]

Yes, I watched most of the game. It was spoiled by Lazio's tactics and the ref.

However, I wouldn't rush to any conclusions after performances against two very inferior teams, especially with 0 in the goals for column at home. Whilst there may be reason for optimism, at present, this team is nowhere near the level of the team which beat Inter 3-1 or made light work of Liverpool and Newcastle with expansive attacking football. The wing play with supporting full backs was key to those displays. And there is no Modric or vdV to pull the strings either.

I've no doubt that the current Spurs team, in any formation, is better than 75% of the teams you will play this season. But whether they are good enough to maintain a top four challenge and progress to the latter stages of other competitions is open to doubt. This team is a work in progress. Spurs have gone backwards, IMO, in an attempt to go forwards. Chelsea trusted AVB to do the same when they saw the need to rebuild, but weren't prepared to allow a period of transition.

Being better than 75% of teams we will face basically means we are good enough for a top 4 challenge and to progress to latter stages of competitions

 

[No Kane No Gain]

Yes, I watched most of the game. It was spoiled by Lazio's tactics and the ref.

However, I wouldn't rush to any conclusions after performances against two very inferior teams, especially with 0 in the goals for column at home. Whilst there may be reason for optimism, at present, this team is nowhere near the level of the team which beat Inter 3-1 or made light work of Liverpool and Newcastle with expansive attacking football. The wing play with supporting full backs was key to those displays. And there is no Modric or vdV to pull the strings either.

I've no doubt that the current Spurs team, in any formation, is better than 75% of the teams you will play this season. But whether they are good enough to maintain a top four challenge and progress to the latter stages of other competitions is open to doubt. This team is a work in progress. Spurs have gone backwards, IMO, in an attempt to go forwards. Chelsea trusted AVB to do the same when they saw the need to rebuild, but weren't prepared to allow a period of transition.

As much as the Inter result was brilliant, they played into our hands and if you remember that was the season when we finished 5th after struggling to break down teams that weren't prepared to commit forward against us, a bit like last night. We probably have gone backwards a little in terms of first 11 quality but we've improved the squad depth and got an all round more balanced squad. Liverpool and Newcastle also played into our hands, would you say we're also nowhere near the level of the team that lost 5-1 to Chelsea or 5-2 to Arsenal?

Yeah, it will take time but we weren't playing a terrible team last night and were unlucky not to win by at least a goal. Your side was lucky to get 3 points at home against a worse side this week, these things happen.