This is why I'm advocating we follow Lyon's lead and have a rotating pivot, because the main issue with our pivot for the past few seasons, be it Dier/Dembele in 2015-16 or Wanyama/Dembele in 2016-17, was that it was ineffective against teams whose players jogged back into their own penalty area at kickoff and stayed there for the next 90 minutes as our pivot had no creative spark in it e lined up against teams like that with an Ndombele/Tielemans pivot those tactics would not be as effective, as not only would Ndombele be bulldozing through their lines and finding teammates in good positions in a way Dembele and Sissoko weren't able to do so on a reliable basis, we'd also have Tielemans both pinging passes around to open them up from deep as well as getting into dangerous positions opened up by Ndombele's run Yet at the same time, if we were facing a team that did come to play an open game, we could partner Dier with either of them to break up play and let whoever was alongside him do the creative bit (because, as has been obvious when we've had to use Dier/Wanyama pivots, Dier is not a player you want trying to spray the ball around), while in European games we could partner Winks with either of them so we retain possession There is an obvious issue with this, though: as there would be various combinations of Ndombele, Tielemans, Dier and Winks to chose from, it is crucial that Poch identifies which pivot suits which opponent, for example a Winks/Tielemans pivot would be more than enough against Fulham this season but wouldn't open up a team like Burnley
He's the hero Tottenham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Unless of course we are bringing in a left footed wide attacker to accommodate the departure of another left footed attacker who once upon a time was our record signing.
I don't really see Poch being someone to rotate his midfield like that on a game-by-game basis. It's not something he's really done before, nor do many other managers if truth be told. CBs and CMs are generally quite critical to the stability of a side. The option to switch things up mid-way through a game would be great but from a starting perspective, I'd generally expect the first choice pairing to start the majority of games providing they're fit. Domestic cup rotation would be easy but then top players wouldn't be satisfied with only starting those types of games.
More sources jumping on that Sessegnon story, likely copying the original fella although a separate journo has said he's also heard the same (though take that with a pinch of salt as he too is probably copying the original source).
Er… but he did perform as a backup, and he carried the team. Why can't both be true? I am not arguing that Sissoko hasn't done brilliantly this season. What I am saying is that if we had a fully fit Dembele that stayed this season, Sissoko would have effectively been backup to Dembele, or in-form Wanyama / Dier. Or at best a partner to Dembele, who would be in front in the pecking order. Dembele would have been the one doing the carrying. Sissoko has effectively been a band aid to cover a multitude of squad deficiencies and injuries, top of that list being a lack of replacing Dembele. Next being Dier and Wanyama's injuries and form dips. That doesn't make Sissoko the new Dembele. I was one of the few who wanted Sissoko when he signed, I figured he'd be an important squad player, but even I could see that Dembele was different class at his best. Yes, I understand that it's too early to call Ndombele, but his style is very similar to Dembele, with added passing accuracy and a higher assist ratio than Sissoko, all be it in a different league. To now speak of Sissoko as if, because of his improvements, we no longer need to replace Dembele as top priority is scary to me. Ndombele with Poch's work has the potential to far exceed what Sissoko offers the team even now, and even what Dembele offered us at his best. Replacing Demeble is the priority. There is definitely money for Ndombele, plus whomever else we need at CM. The last player we bought was Moura for fook sake!
Well he is going to have to be more selective from now on. No guarantee that the injury plagues of this season will not be same/worse next. Running the same core group of players into the ground, or expecting squad players with little competitive game time to front up here and there on demand, is a failed strategy.
As I said, Lyon have been doing it all season and it's certainly been effective, as they beat PSG in the league with a more traditional Ndombele/Tousart pivot, yet they also beat The Sheikh Mansour Team in the CL with the more proactive Ndombele/Aouar pivot That's the key (other than guessing which game is right for which pairing) as you need to make sure everyone plays enough games. Ndombele's the ever-present in Lyon's pivot, with Aouar and Tousart rotating in alongside him based on whether they plan to attack or counter
For an entire season, that is wages of around 230K. What is Bale going to materially deliver (the PL, CL) that a deeper / more balanced squad will not ??
Shirt sales. Story. Ticket sales. Attraction of sponsors and other players. Experience. Fear in opposition. Levy will be all over this I reckon. Whether we should or not will be up to Pochettino. Can't we have a more balanced squad and Bale on Loan?
My knee jerk is a widnae, but I’d be sorely tempted because when he’s fit he’s still class. Why on Earth are clubs paying to take players on loan these days though, 10m is not a small amount of money when you assume we’ll also be covering some of his wages. For that money for a loan fee, plus wages, I’d have reservations about his fitness, particularly playing Poch’s game.
