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Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United

Discussion in 'Tottenham Hotspur' started by PleaseNotPoll, Dec 2, 2019.

  1. Lovearsenalcock

    Lovearsenalcock Homeboy
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    Agree with that point totally and is why I was looking forward to his appointment...right now though, 4 games in...I think Jose is being careful of who he upsets...I expect it to change as his tenure develops.

    Also agree that the obvious downfalls are still as obvious as ever and I’m not quite understanding his patience with the wantaways. As much as Jose knows the game and the players...I reckon we probably know more over a longer scale of time about our players deficiencies. He still probably feels fresh and hopeful of changing it...you and I know better. Think Jose will find out soon enough too...then once again I have to go back to Levy and to see if he backs Jose.
     
    #201
  2. The RDBD

    The RDBD Well-Known Member

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    The Jose formation of the first 2 PL games, with a bit more steel and
    creative nous/possession in CM, IMHO would suffice for most PL
    opposition and ensure comfortable wins.

    Games against the PL top 6 OTOH will have to be different while the Jose
    "philosophy" is in churn.

    For this season, this is where I expect(ed) Jose to show his "special one" abilities
    and do something different. Yesterday I was very disappointed in his selection
    (which IMHO was worse than those for the first 2 PL games) .
     
    #202
  3. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    You could land a ****ing plane in that gap and if there were any more players on the right wing we'd be joining UKIP.
     
    #203
  4. "Thanks for that Brian"

    "Thanks for that Brian" Well-Known Member

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    <laugh>
     
    #204
  5. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    I don't understand why he felt that the system needed to change drastically.
    The back three was looking promising, but we were fading late in the game.

    Dier running out of steam and having to cover a lot of distance might have something to do with that.
    He either needs to be subbed off after an hour, given more support or replaced until he can handle it.
    Sticking Skipp on the bench and using him when Dier's knackered seems like the best option, to me.

    The balance of our bench as a whole needs sorting, too.
    We've got players there that aren't going to be brought on and areas that we can't address when we need to.
    No strikers, no wingers and nothing to force the opposition to change things.
     
    #205
  6. Citizen Kane.

    Citizen Kane. Well-Known Member

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    Losing and not replacing Llorente means we've lost that as a plan B to at least make the opposition sit up and pay attention. Other than that, much of what we see coming off the bench is like for like, seemingly relying on the hope that a fresher pair of legs will have more success doing exactly what the old pair of legs failed to do for 70% of the game.

    The only drastic changes we can make are as we did against Olympiakos when we went all-out attack. But against most PL teams that won't work.

    Which is why I am so bemused about Sessegnon's complete lack of involvement. He isn't some kid fresh out the academy. This is a bloke with 3 seasons in the Championship and 1 in the PL under his belt. He is probably the only option we have from the bench who can trigger a complete change in tactics to 3 at the back with him and Aurier stretching the play as WB's. Probably a very good option when our midfield utterly lacks the ability to control the play down the middle. That Aurier was our out ball last night goes to show that the entire team recognises this issue and is crying out for some decent wide playets. And yet Sess currently isn't even making the bench, let alone the team.
     
    #206
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  7. Left on the Shelf

    Left on the Shelf Well-Known Member

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    Last night was a wake up call for a number of reasons, highlighting again the weakness / inconsistency at RWB and the lack of a 'top' influential DM or CM.
    What is also a problem for me is the lack of development in Sanchez. Big price tag for a young, inexperienced CB when he arrived, but still seems to be trying to (almost literally) find his feet. He looks uncertain in possession and his distribution is dreadful.
    Spending big bucks on another CB shouldn't have been a priority right now, but its looking more and more necessary.
     
    #207
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  8. humanbeingincroydon

    humanbeingincroydon Well-Known Member

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    A quality DM will remedy those issues far more than buying another CB
     
    #208
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  9. Left on the Shelf

    Left on the Shelf Well-Known Member

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    Certainly wouldn't hurt.
     
    #209
  10. humanbeingincroydon

    humanbeingincroydon Well-Known Member

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    Having a quality DM made people think Danny Rose was an elite left back for a couple of years, so it would definitely fix a lot
     
    #210
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  11. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    He'd also allow us to move or replace Son, as needed. We could go to two up front and still have width and pace.
    Maybe he's still not completely over his injury, but he should be getting game time at some level, even if it's with the U23s.
     
    #211
  12. Citizen Kane.

    Citizen Kane. Well-Known Member

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    I personally think the following could be a really, really strong line-up. Similar approach to what we often saw in 17/18:

    Gazza
    Aurier Toby Dave Jan Sess
    Sissoko Ndombele
    Son Alli
    Kane

    I see that as a solid base platform to start games with. It can turn into a 4231 at the drop of a hat by moving Sess upfield and Jan to LB. And with one substitute becomes 433. Starting games 4231 with Jan already at LB and no one on the pitch able to play anywhere other than their fixed positions is a massive problem that sees us set up far too rigid and inflexible. To change it, subs must by definition be made, unless we want to witness either Alli playing stupidly deep in a 433 or Son's car crash impersonation of a LWB in a 3421.
     
    #212
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2019
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  13. KingHotspur

    KingHotspur Well-Known Member

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    Gazza, Aurier, Dave, Sissoko aren’t up to the level required.

    Sess and Ndombele possibly could be but so far haven’t impressed me.

    Spurs urgently need a RB and DM with a CB and new number one keeper in the summer as both Lloris and Gazzaniga aren’t consistent enough.
     
    #213
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  14. PleaseNotPoll

    PleaseNotPoll Well-Known Member
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    I think that we need to play a holding midfielder and possibly sacrifice one of the deeper players to do it, depending on the opposition.
     
    #214
  15. Citizen Kane.

    Citizen Kane. Well-Known Member

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    I agree with a lot of that, King. Although I am confident that Dave is still really young for a CB and needs more time. He's certainly been the best of a bad bunch at the back this term. Tanguy has shown enough to make me believe he can make it.

    My point is more about the here and now than 6-12 months' time. Which team do we go with for the fixture pile-up between now and any January signings even sitting down to sign a contract? I don't think our current set-up is making the best use of the tools we have - something Poch was also getting wildly wrong in the past 8 months. For me, the team I've suggested ticks the most boxes. 3 at the back to provide more cover in a leaky backline, a CM with excellent energy and good at laying off the ball if not running the game, pacy wide men to stretch the opposition and stop them overloading the central channels, and a fluid front 3 interchanging positions throughout to keep opposition defences guessing. If I was in charge, that's what I'd start with. And I wouldn't charge £12m a year to do it, either.
     
    #215
  16. Citizen Kane.

    Citizen Kane. Well-Known Member

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    As above. In the here and now, we don't have a holding CM good enough to play in any system. So why bother? Currently, I see the best way to protect the central channels is to stretch play down the flanks and create the same gaps in the opposition's midfield as inevitably appear in ours.

    But yes, in the long term, we need to upgrade Aurier, Toby, Jan and Sissoko.
     
    #216
  17. bigsmithy9

    bigsmithy9 Well-Known Member

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    I was reading that the Everton owner had spent 450,000,000 on players and still had to sack their manager.Are those players messing with the manager too?
    I sometimes think it would be a good thing to not pay the players when they play crap.But,what chance that? If you all screwed up at your work,you wouldn't last long,would you?
     
    #217
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  18. Dier Hard

    Dier Hard G'day mate!

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    Disagree on Dave. He's been the only shining light in that backline this season. He's still got a ton to work on but I'm positive he'll become one of the top CBs in time to come.

    Too early to be possibly writing Sess and Tanguy off. Sess has barely kicked a ball, so I don't a conclusion can be drawn on him yet. Whilst Tanguy seems to be brilliant one week, anonymous the next and I think that's down to his fitness. He doesn't look like he can play 90 mins at the moment but I'd rather he consistently gets 70 or so minutes each game with the idea of that boosting his fitness along with a dedicated training regime.

    Keeper wise you may be right. Hugo has been **** more than good for too long now, he carried us for many years but I feel we've been carrying him for the last 18-24 months. Gazza deserves a bit of time but his shot stopping this season is a worry, last night was his first genuine **** up but some of the other goals likely would've been saved by Hugo who we all know is the better shot stopper. If Gazza can't cement the spot, a new keeper has to be on the wishlist along with multiple other positions.

    For me right now - excluding the new boys - the only players truly worth keeping are Foyth (still has massive potential), Dave (same as Foyth), Davies (Mr Consistent), Son (must up consistency to be truly elite) and Kane (no words needed). I'd like to put Jan there but I'm worried that's more sentiment in my thoughts and I've always said sentiment can't cloud your judgement. Looking at that, it really is a ****show at how bad some players have become.
     
    #218
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  19. "Thanks for that Brian"

    "Thanks for that Brian" Well-Known Member

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    Not Dele? <yikes>
     
    #219
  20. Dier Hard

    Dier Hard G'day mate!

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    Dele's not a player, he's God at the moment...
     
    #220

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