THUDD v Everton

southlondonyiddo · Nov 26, 2008

Ok so he's had a couple of very good games against very poor Central Midfields where he's had all the time in the world and he's had a couple of decent games against pretty ordinary central midfield opposition

Sunday we face Everton at home and Thudd comes up against Tim Cahill a rough tough all action midfielder who loves to get stuck in and try to bully his opponents.

Will the gentle giant come of age, win the battle and kick the mouthy aussie into touch before letting his footballing skills do the talking?

Or will he ponce around and leave it to others to try and compete with Osman/Cahill/Neville etc

Rackybear · Nov 26, 2008

I guess we will find out come sunday afternoon wont we.

Personally I think JJ and Hudd have got what it takes to dominate the midfield battle if they can pick their passes and keep possession well. Im more worried by how we react off the ball if anything else, but if the blackburn game is anything to do by, then our two banks of four should make it tough for them.

jonnyp · Nov 26, 2008

Tom will do good, as usual. Everton's midfield may be physical, but that he can deal with. He usually has major problems with quick and nimble midfielders.

Adam · Nov 26, 2008

Couple of reasons why i think he will be fine:

1) Nigel Martyn did an interview on SSN today and one of the things he discussed was that because of Saha's form, he has become undroppable and has forced Moyes' hand into playing 4-4-2. This works out well for us IMO as in a 2 vs 2 battle in the centre of the park, Hudd will not be outnumbered and i would back him to win his personal battle-if they come flying at him then even better; his opponent will have moved out of his zone leaving space for Hudd to play a simple triangle around him and be running at their defence.

2) Cahill's presence probably makes things easier again for him as Jenas is currently playing as the more defensive minded of the 2-if Cahill bombs on and takes Jenas with him, Hudd has the whole of the central midfield area to work in and if he is closed down tightly, Lennon will be given an awful lot of space in the centre to work with which is when he is at his best, Sunday being a classic example.

Obviously this all goes totally out of the window if either him or JJ have a shocker or if the Everton players have an abnormally good game but without Huddlestone and Modric we look like a pretty shoddy outfit in terms of creativity so Hudd really does have to play.

By my reckoning this is the fifth time he has been given a run in the side in his Spurs career, the previous 4 times have ended in him being dropped-this time is different i feel though and i am really expecting him to push on and become a permanent member of the starting XI, continuing with his excellent form on Thursday and then Sunday.

guy · Nov 26, 2008

Hudd has been putting himself about more in the last 2 weeks so no problems with that part. Him and JJ will need to think quick though against everton, they will pressure us at all oppurtunities. Lennon will be key in this game, if Hudd and JJ can get the ball to him early he will be able to take alot of pressure off the CMs

CMON TOM TOMMY!

Pav and Campbell to start up top for me!

LM and LB are about the only positions I cant easily pick for this game

Has1978 · Nov 26, 2008

I was at the game when Zokora and Jenas were in the middle against them at home in the first home game last season. Worse than death

Hudd can only be an improvement.

DC_Boy · Nov 26, 2008

one thing I want to see is our crowd get straight at any roughouse tactics from the Toffees (the way that for example their home crowd go apoplectic at the oppo when they're up for it)

both sunderland and blackburn have come to the Lane to bully us and kick us and generally foul as much as they could get get away with - and both times our fans seem to have accepted it way too easily for the most part

put some pressure on the ref FFS (don't just leave it to Joe Jordan

luckily for us Rovers had a weak link that the Mackems didn't, and also lennon had the skill to exploit it

I don't think the Toffees have such a weak link -

maybe they won't do too much fouling and play an open fair game of football, maybe I live in Lapland and my best friends have antlers

I'd love an open physical but fair contest and I'd fancy our chances to win - but come on crowd let's make it a hostile fortress by showing massive displeasure if the toffees get stuck in (couldn't resist it

) too much

DEFchenkOE · Nov 26, 2008

At the start of the game against Blackburn as soon as the Hudd picked up the ball from the defence Blackburns midfield began to close him down immediately forcing him to play it back to the defence. This changed a bit after they went down to 10 men but it would have been interesting to see how that would have panned out. It seemed to me that he had been identified by Ince as the dangerman and they were trying to stay very tight to him.

If we play 4-4-2 against Everton and they play 4-5-1 I don't see us picking up the 3 pts. They will just get one of their 3 central mids to man mark him and we will be screwed.

SpurSince57 · Nov 26, 2008

Osman as well.

However, I took advantage of She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed being out on Monday to waste 90 minutes of my life watching them play the Wiggies and they were, frankly, awful (not that the Wiggies were a whole let better). A lot of tackles flying in, but Kirkland had to make maybe one save whilst Howard needed to play a blinder. Saha did a hamstring and is very doubtful for Sunday, and the Yak's going through one of his donkey phases.

That said, I do share SLY's concerns, but I'd sooner play the Hudd alongside JJ than Zokora.

walworthyid · Nov 26, 2008

He has not been great in every game and he definitely benefits from playing with Modric. I am still not convinced about Hudd and JJ in a flat 4-4-2 but when we play with Modric in front of them Hudd has really shone. Having said all of that, he was immense against Liverpool in the cup and we played 4-4-2, so who knows?

Pav and Campbell would be the way to go if Modric is not fit and they play 4-4-2. If they play with 5 in the middle, we must match them up.

InOffMeLeftShin · Nov 26, 2008

We really need to take it to Everton this year after being beaten at home by them in pretty awful performances 2 years in a row.

Hudd will play in advance of the other central defender and will spray passes about. We need to take advantage by making sure we have plenty of outlets. Lennon is playing well and has to keep attacking the fullback. Bentley needs to step up his game and without Modric we will almost certainly play 2 strikers again. Everton aren't a particularly quick team but they will pose a big threat aerially. I think we can win and I am sure we will play better than against Blackburn.

stemark44 · Nov 26, 2008

I am apprehensive about the Everton game and there are a few elements of their game that will cause us serious problems.
As DC rightly said they are a very physical team who get stuck in all over the park and they are a massive threat at set pieces which will cause Gomes a lot of problems.
Is there any chance of Modric being available for this game?

SpurSince57 · Nov 26, 2008

What's the alternative?

If Saha's out, as seems likely, they won't have much option but to go 4-5-1, unless they play Anichebe up front with the Yak. If it's 4-5-1, as it probably will be, I agree, we have to match that—it may seem negative, but if we stick with 4-4-2 the Hudd's going to get swamped. In that case I'd sooner O'Hara than Zokora—or, possibly, put Gunter at RB and give Charlie his run-out at DM.

Chris12345 · Nov 26, 2008

The key is going to be our right flank as opposed to Center mid, even when playing 4-4-2 they effectively play with 3 center mids as Arteta is a CM at heart and will drift in to the center alot.

Lescott also has a nasty habit of bombing on past Arteta, while Arteta's in Center mid, meaning that they have no players covering their left side properly...

Lennon is absolutely key to this match, if Lescott has gotten right into the corner, and then passes back towards Arteta who will be hovering around the corner of the 18 yard box, and Lennon can nick it off him, Lescott and Arteta are never going to be able to get back, in time, if Lennon can then get passed the covering player coming across him, he will effectively have a free run down their right hand flank...

Basically any attack that breaks down should bypass the CM and go straight out to Lennon, while our ACM/Strikers bomb forward...

SpurSince57 · Nov 26, 2008

It's also worth pointing out that Arteta's delivery was poor (and has been for some tiime according to Everton fans). He was also having to drop back into defence to cover Lescott's runs.

Their defence does look shaky, and if it hadn't been for Howard they'd have been well and truly tonked. They really seem to be missing Carsley—Castillo's hardly played, and Fellaini just isn't doing the same job. One poster on an Everton forum described him as a box-to-box midfielder who only plays in one box, and it's not theirs.

Kendall · Nov 26, 2008

It's not as physical as it was. Carsley was their rock.

ravo · Nov 26, 2008

Whilst I would like to see Charlie have a game at DM, I'm not sure if this is the one, esp. as he would be partnered with Thudd (and JJ). Charlie and Hudd would collectively be too slow methinks.

I agree that if they employ a 4-5-1, we must also. It would have to be Jenas and Zoko/O'Hara in the middle with Thudd just in front.

COYS

SpurSince57 · Nov 26, 2008

But a player many on SC would have claimed was 'not good enough for Spurs'.

Their midfielders were certainly putting in the tackles on Monday, but as a unit they didn't seem terribly organised to me. As a team they were certainly on the back foot for all but the first 10-15 minutes or so, and if Zaki had been playing they could have been in deep doo-doo.

tRiKS · Nov 26, 2008

The impressive change in Huddlestone has been his tackling and closing of his opponents though. Nothing to do with how much pressure he's been under on the ball. The only game recently he did miss from the start we lost against Fulham and only when he came on did we look to have a foot hold in the game... and that was agaisnt 3 CM opponents verses our 2??!
Not convinced the starter of this thread has watched any games.

walworthyid · Nov 26, 2008

tRiKS said:
The impressive change in Huddlestone has been his tackling and closing of his opponents though. Nothing to do with how much pressure he's been under on the ball. The only game recently he did miss from the start we lost against Fulham and only when he came on did we look to have a foot hold in the game... and that was agaisnt 3 CM opponents verses our 2??!
Not convinced the starter of this thread has watched any games.

That could be the case? Or maybe he has watched the vast majority of the games Huddlestone has played in to come to the conclusion he has?

The fact is, other than a few games, often against weaker opposition, Hudd has looked lost and has had very little impact. Whether this has been because we have not had the right players around him, or whether he has needed time to develop, or both, those are the facts.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to still ask the question as to whether Hudd can really do it on a regular basis, particularly when up against an extra man in midfield!

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