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Ratings vs Liverpool

MOM

  • Lloris

  • Walker

  • Dier

  • Vert

  • Rose

  • Bentaleb

  • Mason

  • Lamela

  • Dembele

  • Eriksen

  • Kane

  • Paulinho

  • Chadli

  • Soldado

  • Undecided

  • None deserved


Results are only viewable after voting.

carpediem991

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2011
8,836
20,308
I praised Poch for his decisions on Saturday, today he just got some wrong. Paulinho is the most dull player he uses and it was always going to bite us not to have a real cover for central midfield on the bench. Rather get Dembele back next to Nabil and play Chadli as no. 10 for half an hour.
The last substitute should have been Townsend as we needed someone to create anything of magic, not another converter.

Team looked tired but thats not surprising given the tempo we are always playing.
The 9 day break will do us favours.

Lloris - 5 - first fault this season in the lague really. Shame it had to be against the deluded Pool
Dier - 6.5 - mixed bag. Some class defending but in the end lost Balotelli for the winner and gave Lazar too much space
Vertonghen - 6,5 - in my opinion not great but a solid game. To handle Sturridge is very very difficult. SOm eshit passing though.
Rose - 5 - Ibe gave him a mare
Walker - 6 - not convincing
Mason - 5
Bentaleb - 5 - Both had a few good moments in offense esp Mason unlucky not to get the ball by Lamela but my god they invited Pool to score at times. They put Sturridge through more often than any Liverpool player and lost some balls too easily. They are both young and will learn.
Lamela - 7 - Surprisingly solid game by Erik unlucky not to score but hell yes he got an assist. Improved
Dembele - 7.5 - My MOTM, very good hold up play and finally first goal of the season shame he is soo one footed
Eriksen - 6 - not a good day for Eriksen. Looked a bit tired and today is defensive work wasnt too good, Rose needed more help
Kane - 7 - another goal and assist. Quiet aside from that, but he did his job as a striker

Paulinho - 3 - joke of a player. I blame Poch for picking him
Chadli - 5 - Needs to start a game
Soldado - NET- Townsend would be more useful I guess. Or even Fazio for long balls.
 

MattyP

Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
May 14, 2007
14,041
2,980
Am hoping that someone from Dyson was watching Paulinho's contribution tonight and will offer us £20m for him as a prototype for one of those robot hoovers.

Because he covered quite a lot of the pitch without ever looking to make contact with anything.
 

Spurs 1961

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
6,665
8,739
Worst fears came true in that game.

I feared the movement of the Liverpool team would cause us problems, it somewhat happened. I feared the 3-4-3 would cause us problems, and that definitely happened.

That was a frustrating game to watch, and not a good advert for the Premier League. Both teams lacked quality and so it was neck and neck. We did show more resolve than previous Spurs teams would, and by hook or by crook got back in the game, but ultimately we failed to adapt to the system we came up against and in the end we were punished for it.

@jonathanhotspur , as you asked elsewhere what I felt we did wrong...

Tactically I think we have had an awful night, and as much as I praised him on Saturday, tonight unfortunately Poch has had a bit of a 'mare. It was some more evidence that he isn't the best at adapting to what's happening in game.

The areas where we could hurt them were obvious early on. A couple of times we won the ball back, sprung forward and had a man spare on the outside. Unfortunately we didn't make best use of the opportunities. With the three man defence their was also space down the sides to exploit. Liverpool were also pressing us quite high and doing a reasonably good job of reading what we were going to do with the ball, particularly recycling it through our centre mids, and swarming us. This created a couple of alarmingly misplaced passes that could have been punished.

Without the ball, where we might get hurt was also abundantly clear. We made the error of trying to close down too high and got our 'marking' all wrong... Wide players were too high, leaving Walker and Rose pushing up to Moreno/Ibe and leaving gaps for Markovic and Coutinho to run into, and dragging our centre backs out (Sturridge also drifted into the space vacated in the channels well at times). Especially on our left this was an issue all night, where we were constantly two against one.

For me the solution was obvious. You accepted this was a night to play on the counter against this formation and approach. Let their centre backs have the ball, two disciplined banks of four (Lamela on Moreno - Mason/Gerrard - Bentaleb/Henderson - Eriksen/Ibe then Walker/Coutinho - Rose/Markovic and the centre backs deal with Sturridge). Let them have the ball at the back, be disciplined, then counter at pace and expose the gaps in a three man defence which isn't the quickest, neither is Gerrard getting back in to cover.

We never did quite do this though and for me it was disappointing, especially not getting to grips with what we were doing off the ball and getting organised against their shape. It took till the end for it to be really punished, Rose is left 2 vs. 1, has to go out to Ibe, the ball is slipped inside to the second man who isn't picked up, goal scored. I have little sympathy for us, because there was enough of a warning in the previous 85 mins to do something about it. I'd have had Davies on at half time, pushed Rose to left midfield and gone from there to combat that side in particular. The subs that did come on offered little, and I didn't see the thinking behind them, it was just like for like when that wasn't working.

I think tonight also showed we could probably do with more pace up top in one of those four positions. As I said, their was space to be exploited but we don't really have anyone who has enough about themselves to hurt teams in this way when the situation calls for it. One for the summer to sort out...

We were a tad unlucky, we kept scrapping away and the players kept trying... But I think we need to play smarter at times, and Poch, although having shown us some good things to look forward to under his stewardship, has to find a bit of nous for what's happening during the game and show some signs of reacting to it. Work to do...

Lloris - Very disappointing for the first goal. Nearly got to the penalty, and a couple of decent stops. That first goal though...

Walker - Meh. Exposed at times, but also made a few silly errors and lacked composure.

Dier - I felt he did ok and acquitted himself well on the whole. A few times his pace and recovery challenges dug us out of danger. Maybe can fault him for losing Balotelli for the winning goal, but it was rifled across the 6 yard line between defence and keeper and one of those that's a nightmare to deal with.

Vertonghen - Did ok. Maybe a bit weak for the opening goal.

Rose - One on one defending was shaky, but in mitigation was left completely exposed and had two men to mark all night long. Silly challenge for the penalty. Not a good nights work.

Mason - Just about ok. Tried to drive forward a few times to reasonable effect. Never really stamped his authority on the game though.

Bentaleb - Pretty anonymous tonight.

Lamela - Tricky one. He got a nice assist, forced a great save and put in a real shift as per usual... Its just when he gets it wrong, he gets it spectacularly wrong... The one second half where he passed right for some reason instead of going left being one of them. I also thought his dribbling was very below par at times, got crowded out a lot. Did ok overall, but leaves you tearing your hair out along the way.

Dembele - first half especially did pretty good as a conduit for the ball. Less effective in the second. Still not much in terms of output...

Eriksen - I thought he was our most disappointing player. Booked early on and then seemed totally reluctant to get involved. Could/should have been subbed off even earlier. Week off will do him good.

Kane - A goal and an assist, but I felt he had a slightly below par game overall. Didn't really go for him, and when he did get it often made a poor choice. Tracked back well on a couple of occasions though, and as I said a goal and an assist, so I feel bad for pointing out the bad stuff and shows how far he has come and what we are starting to expect from him.

Subs:
Paulinho - No impact, where was Stambouli?
Chadli - Disappointing cameo, major culprit for the winning goal.
Soldado - n/a.

Sorry I have to disagree with all the so called 'tactical' inadequacies. I just thjought as good as everyone was on Saturday the whole team was ten percent off so lacked the sharpness needed to focus and cut out errors. Sure some had better games than others but tactics had little to do with it. Sorry if that goes against the trend for pseudo tactical analysis
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
Sorry I have to disagree with all the so called 'tactical' inadequacies. I just thjought as good as everyone was on Saturday the whole team was ten percent off so lacked the sharpness needed to focus and cut out errors. Sure some had better games than others but tactics had little to do with it. Sorry if that goes against the trend for pseudo tactical analysis

So being 10% off left us completely unable to sort out the 2 vs. 1 down our left hand side for the whole game... As just one example?
 

joseph

Icarus
Aug 20, 2013
69
139
I try not to slate our players, but Paulinho is absolutely stealing a living. I've never ever seen a player bottle more challenges than him. My mum has more bollocks than him, and she's only got one.
Eriksen may run alot but he bottles more challenges than anyone in the squad
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
The lord giveth and the lord kicketh in the bollocks

I can't think of a game that's had me steaming more than this one this season. But not because we were poor, but because of the sheer injustice of having to concede a late winner in a game that our players had put so much into, under very testing circumstances.

That was a real test tonight, Liverpool are the form side, at home and we'd played our bollocks off three days prior. LIverpool set about us and both teams basically applied the same hard pressing approach. It was frenetic, and our young team made plenty of mistakes, both teams were careless with the ball in the final third numerous times. Everyone was guilty of really poor decisions or execution when attacking and likewise, numerous players were guilty of making hazardous passes around the back end, under pressure, that caused us palpitations.

What we cannot criticise, what we must applaud with gusto, is the work our players put in tonight. Mistakes were made, some stupid but mostly honest, but we showed no fear, we gave no quarter for free.

For 80 minutes this was like two very evenly matched middle weights both wanting to be on the front foot, both jabbing, jabbing, jabbing, working the ribs, tenderising the abdomen, if the game ebbed, it only ebbed in inches. The cruel irony was that I felt we were actually starting to marginally edge it at the time they scored that dagger through my bollocks winner. I knew that was it, we'd been done by as we had many times done to others. Even crueler was the doer was that fucking clown prick, scoring his first EPL goal.

Dembele was excellent, when all around him losing their footballing heads a little, he was calm, and where in CM his calm dribbling begets ponderousness, tonight it provided much needed composure and retention. His work rate matched others and he gave the ball away less than everyone. MOTM for me.

Lamela also deserves a mention. It was a superb piece of play that got us back to 1-1, a quick set of passing interchanges and movement, followed by a clever reverse through ball. He worked as hard as anyone and several times chased back and won the ball back, as well as the assist and general hard graft, he tackled and intercepted more than anyone in our team.

I am liking what I am seeing. My heart is far more compassionate of error when it is bettered by endeavour. The last two weeks I've liked this team more than any other in recent years. It lacks Modric's purity and VDV's romany twinkle, but it is developing something that no Spurs team has had for decades, bollocks. And I like it.

Individual stuff:

Lloris - That ball clearly took a really small bobble.

Walker - It wouldn't be Walker if he didn't do a couple of daft things, but generally was pretty good and provided needed energy on the right.

Dier - Deecent game, couple of brilliantly vital tackles. I don't blame him for the goal, it was just one of those things.

Vertonghen - very good game.

Rose - Defensively a couple of lapses but generally decent, like Walker, worked hard to get up and down.

Mason - After another iffy start I thought he got better and had a very decent game after that.

Bentaleb - Like Mason, got off to a hesitant start, but grew into the game and was decent.

Lamela - Don't understand why he didn't play Mason in, but that aside it was a very good performance. Great build up play for the 1-1, lots of work without the ball and with.

Dembele - Really good game, his ability to put his foot on the ball and calm things down was a benefit mostly instead of of the hindrance it has been when he's playing in CM. Still needs to release it a bit quicker at times, but overall a damn good performance. MOTM

Eriksen - Shed a little tear of pride when he got a booking for fouling their guy. Who'd have though the flimsiest viking to ever leave Middlefart would become a busy ****. More examples tonight of why his assist count is suffering I think, a poor couple of crosses and miserably failed through balls, but his other game play was good and work rate exceptionally good.

Kane - Got to compose himself and make a better choice at times. Should have played in Eriksen (I think) first half for example, and should have pulled the trigger when put through by Eriksen I think. But he is a kid, and still popped up with a goal, worked his bollocks off and was generally decent.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
So being 10% off left us completely unable to sort out the 2 vs. 1 down our left hand side for the whole game... As just one example?

To be fair, I think Pochettino tried to address this second half and we saw Eriksen doubling up with Rose at times and Ibe was quieter I thought.
 

Strikeb4ck

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
4,483
9,409
Poch: Absolutely inexcusable not to rotate. Absolutely no way players like Mason, Bentaleb, and Rose were going to be fit for this game. They worked tirelessly on Saturday, just no way to put in a repeat effort with this recovery time. Furthermore, the "letdown spot" is a pretty well known phenomenon, especially for younger players, and you could see they were all half as good as Saturday, coming off the high of a big derby win. Mason and Bentaleb in particular were absolutely woeful. Our squad is young and the mental/physical letdown simply had to be factored for, Poch failed to do so and we paid. I actually got Disagree ratings for saying Davies, Paulinho, Chadli, and even Fazio should all come into the side, look what happened...

Lloris finally messed up. He did it enough at Lyon and has done it for France too, so was going to happen eventually. Still the best GK in the Prem.
For what it's worth, much like Soldado and Adebayor in the strikers debate, we better not butterfluff this mistake and then criminalize Vorm for his blunder vs Leicester. Both GKs have been outstanding on every other occasion, but if you mess up as a goalie, you cost your team a goal.

Lloris 3
Walker 4.5
Vertonghen 5
Dier 6.5
Rose 3.5
Mason 3
Bentaleb 3
Lamela 6.5
Eriksen 4
Dembellly 6
Kane 5

Away support: 10

Dier (did well for the majority of the night and some crucial tackles) and Lamela (fantastic workrate and bagged an assist - unfortunately the workrate wasn't matched by his teammates and the pressing was useless unlike v Arsenal) were the standout players for me.
Getting nothing but disagrees and dislikes and all for this post, still have not got one valid reason why???

You really want to tell me you'd rather have had some of the 50% physically/mentally fit players we had out there today as opposed to say this lineup?

Kane
Chadli Eriksen Lamela
Dembele Stambouli
Davies Verts Fazio Walker
Lloris​
 

tippspur59

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2006
2,771
2,522
Dembélé motm,Dier and Lamela played well,not much after that.Bentaleb very poor I thought.
 

MattyP

Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
May 14, 2007
14,041
2,980
Getting nothing but disagrees and dislikes and all for this post, still have not got one valid reason why???

You really want to tell me you'd rather have had some of the 50% physically/mentally fit players we had out there today as opposed to say this lineup?

Kane
Chadli Eriksen Lamela
Dembele Stambouli
Davies Verts Fazio Walker
Lloris​
You gave Dier the highest rating and said he played well, but still maintain Fazio should've started in his place?

Overall, and with the greatest of respect, I'll trust the judgement in terms of team selection and mental/physical fitness to the swathes of professionals we have at the club than someone posting on an Internet forum after the game has finished.

It's a bit like watching the lottery draw and afterwards saying I would've picked different numbers. Hindsight is 20:20.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
I don't really remember Ibe terrorising us second half like he did a few times first half. He saw the ball less second half for sure.

I wouldn't say that was due to anything we did. I still saw numerous times where Rose was left two vs. one. If I had to hazard a guess as to why he did a bit less I'd say it was a case of a kid new to the PL getting tired towards the end. Still wasn't properly sorted out though, as we saw for the winning goal...
 

spurs-r-us

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2008
2,201
3,017
Lloris - 4
Walker - 5
Dier - 6
Vertonghen - 5
Rose - 4
Mason - 5
Bentaleb - 4
Eriksen - 5.5
Dembele - 6.5
Lamela - 5
Kane - 6
 

Strikeb4ck

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
4,483
9,409
You gave Dier the highest rating and said he played well, but still maintain Fazio should've started in his place?

Overall, and with the greatest of respect, I'll trust the judgement in terms of team selection and mental/physical fitness to the swathes of professionals we have at the club than someone posting on an Internet forum after the game has finished.

It's a bit like watching the lottery draw and afterwards saying I would've picked different numbers. Hindsight is 20:20.
Yes, because rotation is a comprehensive thing. That's my point: I'm not giving a kneejerk reaction based on the match. I was saying we should have rotated 4-5 players on Saturday afternoon. Dier played great today but he could have pulled a Mason/Bentaleb too.

And of course, we are all trusting the club's professionals for the judgement of team selection. We have no choice. That doesn't mean we can't vehemently disagree with it. Saw that loss coming as soon as I saw the starting XI. I watch all sorts of sports and letdown spots are 100% real things and occur repeatedly. Was a completely different performance compared to that of Arsenal.
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,280
52,491
I'm a big fan of Bentaleb, but without doing full ratings for everyone I thought he had a real stinker tonight. Liverpool scored one and could have had two or three more as a direct result of passes he misplaced in dangerous areas. Bad day at the office, but I'm confident we won't see anything like that in his next run-out.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
Lloris - 4
Walker - 5
Dier - 6
Vertonghen - 5
Rose - 4
Mason - 5
Bentaleb - 4
Eriksen - 5.5
Dembele - 6.5
Lamela - 5
Kane - 6
Don't be fecking daft. Liverpool won't lose many at home for the rest of the season, and perhaps won't get pushed to wire like we did tonight.
 

yusrisafri

Well-Known Member
Jun 27, 2004
6,369
7,548
People are calling out Hugo for his error. It was 2-2 until dier fell asleep. Not saying he wasn't good but that error cost us.
Do you actually realise that he was slightly tugged back by balotelli, causing his momentum to stutter? I'm not saying that balotelli's goal shouldnt have counted but to blame dier for that goal is actually wrong
 

carpediem991

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2011
8,836
20,308
Always impressed with your analyse @Bus-Conductor. Again a good read where I can nearly completely agree. Only think Bentaleb and Mason weren't decent at all. But thats okay they won us the game on Sat.
 

spurs-r-us

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2008
2,201
3,017
Don't be fecking daft. Liverpool won't lose many at home for the rest of the season, and perhaps won't get pushed to wire like we did tonight.
We're above them on the table and just did Arsenal.

I'm not settling for regular Tottenham here. They scored because of our mistakes, and only didn't put more past us because of theirs.
 
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