I agree that Dawson and Huddlestone would not suit the system. But if a system has no room for a midfielder with a superb range of passing and an absolutely sweet strike of a ball I'd say the system might be at fault. Since Harry left the emphasis has been on mostly athletic players who can cover a lot of ground and close down. Footballing technique and skill have been a little secondary. So much so that terms like "defensive number 10" have crept into the vocabulary and 30m attackers get praised for doing absolutely nothing positive in a creative sense (one pass aside) whilst being dogged and determined whilst out of possession. I'm sorry but once again Lamela did almost nothing good in possession yesterday. Who would I want to see in a Spurs shirt with the ball at their feet? Lamela or Huddlestone? Absolutely 100% no question for me - Huddlestone every time. And it'd be nice if the team was actually set up to do positive things in possession rather than *just* being good at closing down and slowing opposition attacks. I remain amazed by how little Lamela has to do to get praise. I'm finding it hard to remember when we have had a player who has been such an absolute passenger for two seasons in a row. Any offer north of 10m and he has to go this summer.
Lenny a few weeks ago I would have been completely with you on Lamela and although he's shown glimpses in the last few games to make me doubt that viewpoint a bit, I'd still be sorely tempted to take the money and run if we had a good offer. What is annoying me about Spurs under Pochettino is that, as some have said, we haven't seen a commitment to a 'high press' style of play without the ball, and we're not playing consistently good stuff with the ball. His Southampton team did both and were a good team to watch - we haven't got there yet and often don't even seem to be trying. Maybe Pochettino needs a transfer window with a bit more free reign to really implement the style, or maybe he needs to be more flexible and commit to trying something a bit different.
...Chadli, however, is turning from a player I don't rate but grudgingly see that he has to play due to our lack of scoring options to someone I'm happy to see in the team. I still feel he can improve a lot with his size and strength and finishing but I can see it happening. Danny Rose, however, has to be the player about whom I've changed my opinion the most this year, though. Finally we're seeing what those Sunderland fans saw. Also want to add to the comments about Stambouli. He really does look very good when he plays. Decent tackle, very composed in possession, doesn't seem to waste possession. When our two young CMs were starting to look a bit jaded I can't see why he's not been used more. Is it just a plot by the club to try and make the 2014 transfers worse than the 2013 transfers so that us fans never put pressure on the board to sign players again? It's kind of working on me. We could sign Messi this summer and I wouldn't be excited. He'll just turn **** as soon as he puts on the shirt and then get dropped for not closing down space well enough.
Yeah, I mean *all* teams close down. It's just how far up the pitch you do it and how much you do it that marks you out as a particularly "high pressing" team. And if it's not happening a) loads more than other teams manage and b) much further up the pitch than other teams manage then I'm left thinking " Sorry, what's the plan again?". Our players simply don't look good enough to really get at a team once we are in comfortable possession and the opposing team is well organized. So if we're not forcing mistakes on the opposition in the final third it all looks very flat and uninspired.
Well, I agree about Stambouli, Rose, Chadli, Pochettino and how we're playing. The build up has been too slow too often and too predictably through the middle. How many times did I watch Hull clump players around Erikson and Kane as they got the ball near the middle of the box yesterday? If you trot forward and do that time after time, that's what will happen. If you move the ball at a sprint down the wings and cross to someone else sprinting, it keeps defenders honest and relatively sparse near the keeper. But I don't want to completely dismiss the best games this year. Even in Harry's last year, we weren't able to destroy top teams the way we destroyed Chelsea and Arsenal this year. Maybe the problem is not having the right players. I tend to think not, though, simply because I have trouble believing in any system. I could understand how Redknapp and Sherwood tried to play, but not how AVB and Pochettino try to play. We've got to back Pochettino and give him at least another year, though, I think.
Agree with this. There must be something going on here? Half the team look out on their feet - Bentaleb, Mason, Eriksen and Kane spring to mind - you'd think Dembele Stambouli Paulinho and Soldado would have got more time. I'd really like to understand Poch's thinking here - surely he sees it.
As I mentioned last week, Stambouli has been having what appear to be fitness tests on the pitch before several games, both home and away recently. The inference being he is not quite sharp enough to start, backed up by the fact he has been an unused sub most of the time since the beginning of March.
How can he be fit enough to be on the bench for 2 months without progressing enough to be fit enough to start? What is going on with him? Its not as if he's had a long lay-off and his overall fitness has had enough time to drop off massively
Have to say, that sounds like he is being taught a lesson for something - surely if you are on the bench you are fit? If the player in your position is injured in minute 1, you have to be ready.
I agree with both of you. I was really trying to suggest the player has been carrying an injury and also that it appears he is a player Poch perhaps wants to keep in his plans.
Weldone. You won this at a canter. We could've been there all day and not scored. It's pretty poor going when your scraping to stay up and you don't force the opposition keeper into any saves. Same Old City.
I'll be rooting for you against Man U. A win will probably keep you up, and Man U may have nothing to play for, but not being able to score against us is not a good sign, considering our record this year of solving teams' scoring problems. I feel for you. Just when you'd taken control of the game, and we were playing particularly badly, we get a quality goal and a lucky mis-hit off a clever pass.
Lucky mis-hit? I thought it was a quality finish. I echo your hopes (and fears) for Hull against Utd though. Would be great to see Dawson and Huddlestone celebrating at the end. Unfortunately the bizarre performance against Burnley seems to have done for them.
I thought it was an excellent finish also. Then some comment claimed Rose was holding his head in a bit of a "that was lucky" gesture which I agreed with when I looked at the photo. It was a quality finish, I think, just not the quality finish Rose intended. When you get yourself in alone on the keeper at point blank range thanks to clever movement and a brilliant dink, you've given your luck a great chance to help you, in any case.
The hand over the mouth thing? He always does that, though I don't know why. Chelsea: please log in to view this image Hull: please log in to view this image Burnley: please log in to view this image It's become some sort of trademark celebration for him. Nice to have a defender that scores enough to be able to do it!
From what I recall from the Europa League games, he'd be all action in the first half but seemed to fade around the 60 minute mark - so based on that, he needs to improve his stamina in training. This goes pose a dilemma, though: if he's capable of shutting out opponents for 45 minutes, then he's a player we should be bringing on to close out games - with the Leicester and Swansea games from March both springing to mind.
