Actually we tried similar things on a number of occasions during the match and only one came off. Presumably a manager who knew what he was doing would have had has putting in aimless crosses over and over again
I always like to read your point of view, Power, but you can't have thought that was a good performance that was likely to end in a win, surely?
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on BBC Sport: "We will assess Mason tomorrow. It was a big knock on the knee."
I've just watched 75 minuites of that in a bar in the algarve, sunk many a super bock, left early because I thought it was gunna finish 0-0 and find out we have won 1-0 COYS. Not our best performance. How up for it were Sunderland though.
Win when you don't play well. All the experts say that that's the sign of a good team, so who am I to argue.
Aside from the obvious comment that a manager who persists in doing something that hardly ever comes off is a complete idiot, one has to look more closely at the numerous things that didn't happen for us - and there is a long list of them. Dreadful set-plays, hopeless corners, painfully slow passing, at times zero penetration from our midfield, little to no movement from the team during alleged attacking phases, lack of variety in passing, poor use of width, etc, etc, etc. These are things that it is down to the manager to address, and they are the things that I want to see being addressed by Poch before I give him any kind of endorsement for this season.
...and let's not forget this was against probably the poorest side in the Prem. If we play like that against City, we are going to get crucified.
Nice touch please log in to view this image Roberto Soldado R9Soldado Amazing goal!!! Well done @ryanmason
Couldn't care less how we won it was desperately needed. The match after the international break is always tricky what with so many players away from training; especially when you start the season as woefully underprepared as we tend to do. However, in the back of my mind I am aware that that is the 3rd excuse of its kind I've made this season for Poch and the players. I'm not sure it's a problem with the 'system' nor with the personnel. I just think we're painfully short on experience and know-how. It was evident in our erratic style of play all afternoon, quick when we could've taken our time, ponderous when we needed to be quick. There's a limit to how much influence a manager can have from the touch line. Sometimes you just need a play on the pitch to take the team by the scruff of the neck... One small positive is that our subs appeared to improve us rather than cost us the game, which is progress I suppose.
No idea why Son took all of the set-pieces, as he's just joined the team and barely done any training. He wasn't on the same wavelength as everyone else and every chance was completely wasted. Having said that, I doubt he'd be in that position if Eriksen was fit. He'd have been wasting them all, instead!
Especially nice when you consider that Villarreal actually played earlier today. Soldado played the whole 90 minutes in a 3-1 victory at Granada. I think it finished a short time before our game started.
Not a great performance, Sunderland deserved a draw or even the win. Good move for the goal though and any sort of win was what was needed so I won't complain too much
perhaps. unless you don't take your 10 chances, or they stop you. Or it takes you 76mins to register a shot on target.
It was great, but we should be coming up with stuff like that at least a handful of times during matches. That's what Spurs used to be famed for, in days long gone.
Firstly, how many of those chances came after we scored in the 82nd minute and they had to press for a goal at home? I can think of at least four shots of ours straight off the top of my head that came after the goal - we did look more dangerous after the goal though, I'll give you that. But for the vast majority of the game we displayed the lack of creativity or danger that we've experienced for a long time. Basically we rely massively on Eriksen and Kane and if they're not playing or playing well then we look absolutely average. We were playing perennial relegation strugglers today and were a coin-flip away from losing. They hit the woodwork twice, should have had a penalty and generally threatened more. I know we also had a couple of penalties turned down but that just goes back to the fact it was a coin-flip at best. I would say Sunderland deserved to win that game more than us personally.
