What happened to having a midfield? We have another manager who seems to think that playing tica taca in the oponenents half is the way to win. It would appear that this does not work. Parker and Sandro gave us some strength in midfield Capoue is that kind of player and Dembele but both seem to get too little time on the ball. So at present with Lamella Erikson and Chadli we are far too lightweight in midfield for the PL. In fact many of our players, our Technical Director and our Manager have far too little understanding of the PL to be in the positions that they are. It is a nonsense that a club like Spurs with all it's resources should be employing people with so little experience.
For me, it's the same old story. If a team comes to WHL and sets itself up to defend, and does it well, then we struggle. We seem to have no creativity, no width, no idea how to break down any reasonably well organised defence. It's been the same for a while now. Bale papered over the cracks for a time, but once he went....
Something in Pochettino's post-match comments: "With mentality, we need to work hard. It is not easy. We need to be more strong, like a team. This is our challenge. "We need to speak, we need to create a different situation on the training ground and work. "We know how but always you need to spend time to work in this area. It is not the same as in physical or tactical situations. It is a different area." Most of that we know, but what's the bit about the training ground? There was some stuff about a poor attitude there as far back as when Redknapp was in charge. The fact that successive managers haven't been able to do anything about that is extremely problematic. The main issue is that if we have a clearout and bring in those with the correct mentality, then we're basically starting again. Does Levy have the patience for that? Probably not.
I think this speaks to the importance of Poch signing Schneiderlin. Every manager needs a captain who will be a conduit for the managers ideas on the pitch. With Harry it was King and Parker that made the difference. Poch said that the mentality changed when they equalised, every player starting playing their own game and forgot what was said in the half-time team talk. This transfer window will be very telling indeed. Levy is running out of options. I think patience is the only option left.
When we finished 4th and under Harry for the first time, Ledley King only played about half the matches and Parker hadn't even been signed. Our CM pairing was most often Huddlestone and Palacios that season. Although we all have fond memories of Parker and Sandro and the like they didn't actually seem to improve our results. Whatever our problem is I don't think its the absence of a 'leader': such problems only seem to occur in the fan's and manager's mind.
I wonder if Pochettino will consider making big changes against Brighton and then keeping as many of them that work as possible for the following game? He's clearly concerned about the mentality of those that he selected today, so perhaps some of them need a big kick up the arse? I'd actually single out Rose today for bucking that trend, bizarrely. He kept going and doing his job all game, despite a number of those around him not seeming that bothered.
Don't you agree that he has improved the club? We were nowhere pre-ENIC. He's no miracle worker but he's done better than any other chairman in the PL over his tenure except for those with lots more money at their disposal.
I think Pochettino has a better understanding than most. A look at his Southampton team tells us this. He has to work with the squad he has however. Most of the players can't simply be sold and replaced because of their market value. Levy must sell at profit, understandably, and most were not bought on the cheap or developed. It's not a Southampton situation where players were sold at high value and then replaced. Plus, they have to play to show / increase their value. I agree that our more manly players could make a good midfield three, but then who would be the three strikers to make that work? Kane, Soldado, Lamela? That means leaving out Eriksen, and maybe Chadli, two of our most effective players when it comes to goals and assists.
Levy only tends to net spend decently when Spurs are under threat from the regulation places . Maybe we have to go backwards to address our constant problems such as strikers, creativity , and decent wingers .
There's a lot of PL inexperience in the Spurs team. Formation, tactics, positional sense, energy, commitment etc all play a big part. You can't rely on beating teams with a couple of moments of brilliance every game unless you have a player like Suarez or Aguero. All teams are competent and organised. When you play any team in the PL, you have to know what you're doing when attacking and defending set pieces, in particular. They are such a big part of the game. And space and time are always at a premium when in possession of the ball. And drop your intensity and you hand momentum to the opposition. A rabona kick in an easy EL tie may gain headlines, but it has no relevance to a PL game against a team desperate for points. It's a culture shock for a lot of these players. And how does an inexperienced manager instill in them the hard work and mental strength he recognises they need?
Watch Poch's interview. He pretty much spells it out. It's not in our heads. He can shout from the sidelines, but someone on the pitch has to rally the team in difficult moments. We all used to talk jokingly of Robbie Keane pointing and shouting, or Dawson, or Gallas, but these things do make a difference apparently, especially when you have an authority figure spouting. Either that, or hire a sports psychologist.
By dropping them and letting those that replace them show them how. People can knock the likes of Lennon, Kane and Townsend, but they're definitely not lacking in effort. I remember Robbie Keane constantly shouting and pointing at Darren Bent in one game. He was relentless. Bent put in a shift that day, simply because he couldn't ignore the guy berating him at every turn. It's hard to let your effort drop off when someone's reminding you of it every time you take your foot off the gas. Keane may do a lot of shouting, but he also works as hard as he'd like everyone else to.
