please log in to view this image Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City at White Hart Lane on Saturday 21st March 2015 (KO 15:00) in the 30th round of the 2014-15 Premier League. This will be the 108th time the two teams have played each other. Leicester were founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse by old schoolboys from Wyggeston School, joining the Football Association in 1890. They moved to Filbert Street in 1891 and were elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1894. They won promotion to Division One in 1908-09, the same season in which Tottenham Hotspur joined the League in Division Two. The first meeting between the clubs came in the first round of the FA Cup (today's third round) in January 1914 at Filbert Street and ended in an astonishing 5-5 draw. Spurs won the replay 2-0 at White Hart Lane. Financial difficulties before World War One forced Leicester Fosse to fold and the club was restructure under the new name of Leicester City. The first League meeting with Spurs came in September 1919 at the Lane in Division Two with Tottenham winning 4-0. The reverse fixture was also won by Spurs 4-2. The next meeting came in Division One in October 1925 with the Foxes winning 5-3 at Filbert Street and completing the double with a 3-1 win at the Lane in March 1926. The clubs met for four more seasons in the Top Flight and two seasons in Division Two before League football was suspended during World War Two. Four games were played during the War years and when the League resumed the clubs played for four more seasons in the Second Division before Spurs won promotion in the 1949-50 season. Every League encounter from the 1954-55 season onwards between Spurs & Leicester has been in the Top Flight. The 1960-61 FA Cup Final at Wembley saw Tottenham beat Leicester 2-0 with goals from Bobby Smith and Terry Dyson to complete the League & Cup "Double" for the first time in the 20th Century. The clubs participated in the 1977 pre-season Nolia Cup in Sweden with Spurs winning 2-1. Spurs were founder members of the Premier League in 1992-93 but the first game against Leicester only came in September 1994 with the Foxes winning 3-1. Tottenham won their second Wembley Final against Leicester when they finished 1-0 winners in the 1999 Football League Cup Final with Alan Nielsen grabbing the only goal. In 2002, Leicester moved from Filbert Street into their new home, which was first called Filbert Way and then Walkers Stadium. It was re-named King Power Stadium in August 2010. Leicester have had the better record in the 16 Premier League games played so far with 8 wins to Tottenham's 5 with the other 3 games drawn. The last meeting came in the FA Cup third round in January 2006 with Leicester winning 3-2 on home soil. The Premier League meeting on Boxing Day 2014 at the King Power Stadium resulted in a 2-1 win for Spurs. Harry Kane scored Tottenham's first from a Nacer Chadli cross almost from the kick-off. Leonardo Ulloa pulled things level for Leicester after 48 minutes but Christian Eriksen completed the scoring with a 71st minute goal. Leicester City won the FA Cup 4th Round match at the Lane in January 2015 2-1. Andros Townsend put Spurs ahead after 19 minutes from the penalty spot but late goals from Leonardo Ulloa and Jeffrey Schlupp ensured the Foxes progressed in the competition. Spurs striker Harry Kane had a loan spell with Leicester City in 2013 making 13 appearances for the Foxes and scoring 2 goals. Overall, Spurs have won 55 of the 107 games played with Leicester winning 34 and the remaining 18 matches drawn. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image They Played for Spurs & Leicester... Ben Alnwick Joe Barlow Tommy Clay Stephen Clemence Terry Fenwick Les Ferdinand Steffen Freund Márton Fülöp Ricky Hill (Spurs coach, City player) Jimmy Holmes Percy Humphries Harry Kane Kasey Keller Paul Konchesky Bill Lane Billy Leech Gary Lineker Jim Milliken Fred Milnes Paul Moran Kyle Naughton Taffy O'Callaghan David Pleat (manager with both clubs) Tom Roberts Buchanan Sharp Harry Sparrow Cyril Spiers (Spurs player, City coach) Peter Taylor (Spurs player, City manager) Ben Thatcher Ian Walker Ralph Ward Keith Weller Mark Yeates please log in to view this image Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 1993-94 to 2014-15 Leicester City Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 1994-95 to 2014-15 please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Created by @THFC6061 Full Match Article on MyFootballFacts.com
Big next 4 games for us. All very winnable on paper, although it's never that easy with Spurs, and with Liverpool playing United and Arsenal there's the certainty of some of those above us dropping points. Given United and Arsenal's final 5 games, losses to those 2 boosts our slim chances of top 4 more than draws or Liverpool losing so I'll be supporting the red Scousers over the next 2 games. Come to think of it, Everton have Southampton so I'll be supporting the blue Scousers too. The most important thing is that we win our games though, and that starts with Leicester in a run of very important games. Less than 10 points from the next 4 and we're out of it, barring a total collapse from the sides above us.
Mathematically we are still bang in the mix. Current form suggests we have little chance. It's the hope that kills.
A lot can change in the next month, I don't think we'll get top 4 either but I'm optimistic that we'll give it a real go. Time for our young side to show some mettle.
Despite the team playing poorly against Utd, I'd make just the one change to our line-up against Leicester: Lloris Vlad, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose Mason, Bentaleb Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli Kane Walker has been the poorest outfield player for a few games now in my opinion and despite Vlad being a terrible CB, he has looked half decent when at right back. I'd be open for a Yedlin debut as another option, though don't think Poch favours the idea of playing him at the moment. Need to watch out for that Mahrez fella, caused way too many problems for us at their place.
I get why you want to change the defence around but I think you're harsh on Walker there. Walker was good against QPR, other than one moment of absolute ridiculousness, kept Hazard quiet in the Chelsea match and was okay against Liverpool. Not sparkling form and I'm not saying he's beyond criticism in those games but I don't think Jan and Dier have been any better. Rose is probably the only one that can come out with much credit out of the back 4 in recent games. I think Chadli's been our weakest outfield player of late, he's been really poor ever since he got back from his leave, although he did take his goal against Swansea well. He's the one I'd drop first and replace with either Dembele or Lamela, hell maybe even Soldado deserves another shot.
Chadli has never had much impact in the game other then appearing out of nowhere to score or assist. Having him in the team creates issues yet he does manage to provide end product so I would have him on the bench and bring him on if we have leicester pushed back and needing a goal. Never thought I would say this, but Chadli is a useful option.
Oh I agree, the performances, like at home against Chelsea, where he makes a nuisance of himself all game are few and far between but since his leave it has been worse because he hasn't been scoring and he's missed a few great chances, especially the two against Fiorentina in the first leg. I don't blame him for the loss of form but I don't think he should be starting whilst he's contributing so little.
I just feel he's allowed too many mistakes to happen, his footballing brain is pretty poor in my opinion and I don't feel he's progressed further since his debut season, in fact I'd say he's probably regressed. That debut year where he knocked Corluka out of the RB spot he looked like a world class RB in the making and yet now, I feel like it's looking at a player who you'd class as an average Prem RB at best, if he hadn't been blessed with blistering speed Walker wouldn't be a Prem standard RB right now, although the same could be said about many others in fairness. I'd love for him to reach his potential but right now, I think he's the weak link in our current back 4, I'm probably being so harsh because I have/ had such high expectations of him and he's not delivered. As for Chadli, I don't think he's been worse than Eriksen (I'm huge fans of both for the record), the scariest thing is Townsend has probably been the better of the 3 in the past 6 or 7 games and he's not been great either.
You would think with his goal/assist record that he would end up as a striker as ideally if you look at how our players are involved and Chadlis size, he could be useful up top and link up with Kane. That would maybe work on a computer game, just we know he would struggle as a striker in reality as he isn't a natural finisher, so what is his best position? We have a few like that, Dembele (still doesn't have a set position) with his best role appearing to be off the bench to keep the ball. Soldado looks impressive as times as a link up player but thats not why we signed him.
I think that Chadli's lacked influence in games since the unfortunate passing of his father. Can't blame him for that, obviously, but I'd give him a break for this one and stick Dembele in. Dier's struggled a bit in a leaky defence, so I'd take him out too and stick Fazio back. His pairing with Vertonghen got us a decent run of wins and I think it deserves a second chance. Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Mason, Bentaleb; Townsend, Dembele, Eriksen; Kane. We're a little lacking in options at the moment, as a number of our players seem either unsuited to the system or unfancied by the manager. Our bench is an issue and it'd be nice to see someone come on and have a positive impact in this game, especially if we're not in a position where it's necessary. This is a game that we definitely need to win and an impressive performance wouldn't go amiss, either. Potential banana skin and it leads into the international break, too. It would be typical Spurs, wouldn't it?
I'd run with some of that PNP, although I'd perhaps stick with Dier and give Stambouli a chance in place of Mason because I think the balance of Stambouli/Bentaleb might give us more protection to the back 4.
Lads please there is no weaker link than Townsend Football braindead total lack of support for his fullback and when MU pushed two players up on Walker Townsend offered ziltch assistance I actually like our manager and trust in time we will continue gradual progress but selling off Lennon and playing Townsend is a gross error
I thought Walker made a very positive impact on his return from Injury but has declined since. He makes some unbelievably bad decisions sometimes and quite ridiculous back passes. Another of our players who seems to have little in the way of a brain. Cirches, Vertonghen, Walker, Dembele, and Lamela all make very poor passing decisions on a regular basis, that's far too many. We really need an experienced head to be added to this team. EDIT: Yep and Townsend is another one
Vertonghen and Dembele have 'experience' though. Verts had years at Ajax, won a decent haul of trophies and is in his third year with us, and Dembele has been playing in England since 2010 and won the Dutch league with AZ too. Experience isn't THEIR problem specifically - for the former its sub-par form and for the latter its simply a sub-par footballing brain. Vertonghen needs to step up to the plate more often now as a leader and as a player though for sure. I agree wholeheartedly that we need more experienced heads in certain areas of the pitch, if not to start all the games then to have an impact on the pitch at key times of the season, like Sunday. Lennon has plenty of experience and heart for sure, but I do find it odd that we're throwing his name into the hat as a player we miss when we all know that his ability to make key decisions on the pitch hasn't progressed for literally years. We're not short on heart or even particularly ability, we're suffering from the naivety of youth both on the pitch and at times on the touchline I feel.
I was simply pointing out that Lennon did at least offer a fair degree of football intelligence when required to defend Yes the manager did not see him in his plans but he must be replaced by an improvement Agree with all above and Oh for a proper skipper of proven performance record
I think the Lennon out scenario is the only situation in terms of personnel that Poch has got wrong. Start of the season he made Kaboul skipper with Ade and Hugo vice, also started Ade and Kaboul in games along with other players and as he realised that their influence and performances weren't effective enough he got rid and corrected the mistakes. With Lennon, even though he can be ineffective up top at times, his work rate defensively was superb and we could've done with that work ethic in a number of games, loaning out Lennon was a poor decision, especially as no one was brought in to replace him.
Lennon has been getting worse every year since our top four seasons where he did well. Townsend, Lamela and Chadli all have the potential to be much better than Lennon and need to play to have any chance of fulfilling that potential. Its a sensible long-term plan to let Lennon go and I'm very pleased we have a manager who does the right thing for the longer term.
