Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Stade Rennais FC

Marseille 2-0 Rennes:

Hmm...

 

A little context to our rivals

 

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Can’t see Poch lasting much longer there. He’s been very underwhelming since taking over and with the signings he got this summer and the team they have, they should be winning by roughly a 2 or 3 goal margin in pretty much every game.

 

They're six points clear at the top of the league, having won their first eight games.
They also beat City 2-0 in the Champions League.

 

They were 100% until today in the league and 4 points from 2 in CL including beating City. Not a terrible start.

 

They’ve been quite underwhelming in their style of play and have relied on one or two late winners. Struggled against Brugge too and were lucky to draw. They also lost to Lille in essentially the French Community Shield, not one to cry about but equally one PSG are expected to win.

 

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His experience there must be almost the polar opposite to what he had here.

Everything on his CV suggests he is at his best when charged with forging a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Nothing on that CV suggests he's any good at coaching a group of individuals. There is a world of difference between the two and surprisingly few managers are actually good at the latter.

Tbh I was quite surprised they didn't part company with him in the summer and hire Zidane, especially once our interest in Poch became known.

Instead, they've stuck with him and compounded the problem by signing even more massive personalities in Messi, Ramos and Donnarumma.

 

Donnarumma is reportedly already harrumphing there

What's the Italian for douchenozzle?

 

He said this was bollocks the other day.

 

Didn't he also say he'd sign a new contract at Milan?

 

A lesson from the Judas Campbell play book

 

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Thursday 9th December 8pm
Europa League Group Stage
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium​

A few consecutive wins has steadied the ship in the league and improved morale with the support.
This being Spurs though, we have to follow it up with some sort of disaster.
First up? A covid outbreak that decimates the squad and takes out a couple of coaches, too.
It'll leave us drastically weakened for our final group game, but it doesn't mean anything to Rennes.
Can Conte get the result that we need and do it in emphatic enough fashion to progress?

We head into this final game level on points with Vitesse and level on head-to-head, too.
Their 1-0 win at home and our 3-2 victory cancel each other out and away goals don't matter.
That just leaves goal difference, where we're currently at a +2 advantage.
Vitesse are at home to Mura though, so we may need to score a few to maintain it.
Rennes have nothing to play for, having already won the group, so they may rest players.

Our visitors are currently in very decent form and are sitting in 2nd place in Ligue 1.
They're 11 points behind Pochettino's PSG and Marseille do have a game in hand, though.
They may be handed a victory in that game too, as it was abandoned due to crowd trouble.
Former West Ham man Dimitri Payet was struck by a water bottle thrown by a Lyon supporter.
It would still leave Rennes in a very respectable 3rd place, of course.

They negotiated this group fairly handily after their initial home draw against us.
A victory over Vitesse in the Netherlands was following by narrow back-to-back wins over Mura.
They seemed destined to beat the Dutch again in their last game, but only managed a draw.
Laborde struck to give them a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes to go, yet Openda equalised at the death.
None of that mattered, of course, as we were busy ****ing it up in Slovenia:

Son, Moura, Romero, Royal, Gil and Davies are supposedly out due to positive covid tests.
Romero's injured anyway and Reguilon probably joins him, though Lo Celso may return.
Sessegnon is suspended, following his red card against Mura, so we don't have a left-back.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Tanganga, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Moura, Kane, Son.
Subs: Gollini, Doherty, Rodon, Sessegnon, Winks, Ndombele, Alli, Bergwijn, Scarlett.
League form: LLDWWW.

Rennes: Gomis; Assignon, Omari, Aguerd, Truffert; Majer, Martin, Santamaria; Bourigeaud, Laborde, Terrier.
Subs: Salin, Traore, Bade, Ugochukwu, Diouf, Sulemana, Abline, Guirassy, Tchaouna.
League form: DWWWLW.

Ref: Horatiu Fesnic (ROU). 32-year-old, inexperience Romanian ref. Great.

TV: BT Sport 2.

How would you like to line up for this one?
Would you stick with much of the same lineup from the Norwich match, tinker a little or change it completely?
Which system and tactics would you use and what are you expecting Rennes to go with?

 

If we don't get anymore COVID withdrawals then I would suggest that as many as possible from the Norwich game play.

So something like Lloris Sanchez Dier Rodon, Doherty! Skipp, Winks, White, Lo Celso, Bergwijn and Kane

 

For me the main priority is the Premier League so I’m not too fussed about this game. Never want to see Spurs lose but I wouldn’t shed any tears if they go out of this ridiculous competiton.

 

I have never known a competition to split the fans as much as this since the intertoto Cup thing back in the mid 1990s.

Personally I want us to go through cos we desperately need to win a trophy so don't want us to throw away one of the three chances we have this season.
Also it would really boost belief if some squad players actually helped to deliver a result on Thursday.

The squad players will be needed over Xmas so a bit of belief will do them good.

Not picking on what you've said btw ... cos it is a widely held view but on balance I am on the other side of it....until Dele, Ndombele, Doherty and Winks and Co get us knocked out...then you may find I was always against it

 

If PNP's list of COVID positive cases is correct, and Reguilon is out, it certainly makes for some head scratching as to who will be LWB.

Would you believe lo Celso? Or is not showing up for work not so much a habit as a principle?

 

Just a reminder, but group runners up have to go through a two-legged playoff round against the third-placed Europa League teams in February while the group winners get to put their feet up

Sack this tournament off

 

Believing in Lo Celso is similar to believing in Father Christmas, once you get older you realise they don’t exist.