please log in to view this image Saturday 7th March 5.30pm Premier League Turf Moor Our chances of any silverware this season are basically gone and our league form is spiralling. There's very little to be positive about at the moment and a visit to Burnley definitely isn't one of them. Our squad's looking very ragged and they'll be out for revenge after the embarrassment at our place. A win for them would also take them above us in the table. Can the ginger Mourinho get one over on the real one or can we salvage something from this? The Clarets have had a rather rollercoaster campaign so far, as their form has been all over the place. A mixed start lead to short runs of consecutive losses, followed by similar runs of consecutive wins. They've only drawn five games in the league and their scorelines have tended to be quite wide. 7 of their matches have ended 3-0 to one of the sides, showing how Jekyll and Hyde they can be. They're playing very well at the moment, though and they're unbeaten in the last six league games. Sean Dyche will probably fancy a late push for Europe and an opportunity to right some wrongs. Their last campaign in the Europa League was a bit of a disaster, which I'm sure they've learned from. His style of hardworking football came a little unstuck that year, showing the lack of squad depth at the time. It's a blemish on his record that I expect he'd like to do something to address. The club needs to be able to deal with it if they want to continue their growth. Our visit to their ground last season was the beginning of the end for our season and the then manager. A controversial Mike Dean performance and the return of a half-fit Harry Kane made the headlines. The first half passed without much note, as we had most of the possession and territory, but didn't create much. Burnley took the lead after the break via an incorrectly awarded corner, which Chris Wood headed home. Harry Kane levelled it up before Ashley Barned gave them the points and Pochettino lost his rag: The home game in this campaign has probably been Mourinho's highlight at the helm, so far. The players came flying out of the blocks and put the visitors to the sword in some style. Harry Kane smashed in the opener after just 4 minutes, but we could already have been a couple ahead. Lucas Moura added a second shortly after it, then Heung-Min Son made it three with the goal of the season. Kane and Sissoko made sure of the result after the break, having both missed earlier chances to score: No injury news yet, but Kane, Son and Sissoko are out, while Lloris may make it back. Lowton, Barnes and Gibson are out for Burnley. Gudmundsson is a doubt. Neither side has any suspensions, though we've probably got a couple coming. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Gazzaniga; Sanchez, Dier, Tanganga; Aurier, Lo Celso, Winks, Davies; Moura, Alli, Bergwijn. Subs: Vorm, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Skipp, Fernandes, Ndombele, Parrott. League form: DWWWLL. Burnley: Pope; Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Cork, Westwood, McNell; Rodriguez, Vydra. Subs: Hart, Long, Pieters, Brownhill, Brady, Lennon, Wood. League form: WWDWWD. Ref: Jonathan Moss. VAR: Craig Pawson. TV: Sky Sports. How would you like to line up for this one and what would you change from the Norwich game? Would you stick with much of the same lineup, make a few changes or go for a wholesale switch? Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Burnley to go with?
Not having reason to say "...what?" when I see the starting lineup would be a welcome change after the Norwich match Also, and this is just a stab in the dark...maybe a balanced central midfield? If nothing else, we haven't played Tanganga as a DM yet
Burnley - where the malaise really started last season, from the moment that Poch backed down, apologised and meekly accepted his ban rather than actually tackle the Mike Dean incident everything went downhill. Tomorrow we go there in terrible form, they by contrast are in very good form and they can go above us if as expected they win. Towards the end of Pochs reign it was hard to 2nd guess his selections, and a few months into Joses time its more of the same, I really don't have a clue who will start tomorrow, but with extra time on Wednesday I think we will see wholesale changes. If it was my choice - It Would be Lloris, Tanganga, Dier, Sanchez, Davies, Skipp, Ndombele, Lo Celso, Lamela, Dele, Bergwyn, but if I have chosen more than .5 who actually start I won't be surprised.
I may well be biased but the punishment they hit Poch with after he apologised was completely over the top. I cannot believe that certain other managers would have had such a punishment - but then again they've probably got fewer bad decisions to dispute!
Lamela and drop Gedson into midfield. Then I’d have to sub Lamela off as well at about 80 mins seeing as he ain’t fit either . Give Dele 10 mins.
WE have conceded 39 Premier League goals this campaign, equal to last season's final tally. Spurs have not had a worse defensive record since 2014-15, when they let in 53 goals.
Carlo Ancelotti fined for confronting referee Chris Kavanagh after Man Utd match. Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has been fined £8,000 for his post-match red card against Manchester United but will not face a touchline ban. Compare with Poch recieving a £10,000 fine and 2 match touchline ban.
So today, Mourinho's line is... “The good news is that we hate to lose, and we always look to the next match in a positive way. It doesn’t matter about our sadness, doesn’t matter about our number of injuries or fatigue, although that can be a negative influence. “Yes, we know how difficult the game is going to be. Yes, we know the game is important. Yes, we know in the game two days after, we have a decisive match in Germany, but we go with everything we have. “As I was saying after Wolves and Norwich, the players give everything and my feeling towards them is very, very good. Obviously, I hate to lose, but I have a positive feeling with the players, I believe in them and I believe in this tough match, we are going to fight with everything to win it.” ...Yeah mate, saying that you wanted to move immediately on to July and that you were going to ask the board which of the next 2 games to throw, is completely unacceptable for any manager. I'd have sacked him. I guess he's been reminded that he's on about £1 million a month and to stop behaving like a spoilt 5 year old? How the **** are you supposed to inspire the players when you're acting like that?
Dele looked knackered after 30mins on wed night I've never seen a team so done this early in the season
Our drop in fitness levels this season has been baffling in a lot of cases - however, Dier and Dele at least have a reason for them, Dier for missing so much of last season through illness that he's lost a lot of his muscle mass so it's simply mass this season, while in the last eighteen months Dele has had two hamstring injuries and a thigh injury on top yet each time was rushed back into the team so it's not a surprise that, after his burst of form back in October-November he's hit the wall since the turn of the year The best case scenario for both is that Southgate gets distracted by some other shiny toy that The FA's corporate partners want him to play with, which is highly probable in Dier's case as Henderson and Rice are likely to be picked ahead of him, although Mount is the only player likely to be picked ahead of Dele at the moment (although that might change if Man Utd sign Grealish and The FA suddenly realise that he exists...)
New Decade, New Year, New RCL says that this was the match that really saw us implode last season...So this season it'll be the start of the revival. We will win, Dyche will whine like the gruff voice twat he is and we will go to Germany and win on Tuesday making it the greatest turn around since the Captain of the Titanic said "Oh....THAT iceberg" COYS
I don`t expect a result on current form etc and certainly won`t be putting any money on a Spurs result, but I would not be surprised if we pick up a point or 3 either. I can see the Burnley Cloggers targeting Ndombele (if he plays).
