Stats don’t lie:
Dele Alli pass completion 67.9% the lowest by miles everyone else over 80%.
Total passes 28 only Kane was lower with 19.
67.9% For AM is pretty awful by any standards.
This is all about space, mate. Alli is a very dangerous player when given a bit of room to breathe. Some of his more precocious moves pay off in these types of matches. But the PL is a different rhythm and opposition teams have figured out how to knock him off his game, by clinging to him tightly. Limit his space and he'll make his own mistakes. Give him space, and a higher percentage of his tricks n flicks come off, and he looks like a Galactico!!The other thing is while Alli has been on a poor run of form in the league he has been one of, if not the, outstanding performer in the games hes played in the champions league.
This really isnt understanding Allis game. His passing completion stats have always been pretty poor in comparison to most midfield players. Think of him like an Athletico Madrid style player. He tries things that will lead to a great chance when they come off but they often dont come off because they are high risk high reward maneuvers.
He isnt there to pass the ball about but to create chances and press opponents. Look he made an outstanding pass for one of the goals he also ran and moved about and pulled defenders away creating space. No he didnt have a good game, and he is in a poor patch of form, but if you are using pass stats to make an argument of why Alli was bad you dont understand what makes Alli a useful player.
If you want everyone to pass the ball around with 98% passing stats we should bring AVB back.
You get a funny for the samelar hound referenceWorking for the Man
Collectively that was so much better than what we've been watching the last few weeks. It wasn't about formation, or about any personnel changes (Dembele and Winks starting in a CM2 for the first time this year I think), though both were tinkered with (we started 4231), it was all about Poch clearly getting into them the need to get back to the collective work ethic that has earned us whatever success we have had over the last three years. Getting back to the ABC's of Poch.
Really, for the first time this season we did exactly what you have to do, we set about them. Our combined tackles and interceptions from our front four was 12 (9 tackles, 3 interceptions), last week at Leicester it was 4, Against WBA at home it was 2.
This rediscovered vim in the press was never more evident than in our third goal. Straight from their kick off from the second, we are at them, ending up with Kane hunting it all the way back to their keeper, Son, Alli and Eriksen are all squeezing options and eventually we force the keeper into the error that leads to the corner and third goal.
We have to be honest and say this Stoke were a wet dream today, set up very badly by Hughes both tactically and in terms of personnel, way to flimsy. But we really put them to the sword, which is what can happen with this spurs side when they work hard and several players all click on the same day. Heading that roster of the click was Son (1 goal, 1 assist, 6 key passes), having his best game in a Spurs shirt, leading the charge. Son's always scored goals at a very healthy rate for us, but what we saw today was him creating more than we've ever seen in another game. He ended up with one assist, but should have had three or four. His ball was shanked in by Shawcross, he played Kane in twice, and played Eriksen through for his goal. Speaking of Eriksen, he was back to his better self, little give and goes, orchestrating quietly, involved in a few of the goals, including making a great run and finish himself, but also seeing double (64 - 83%) the ball of both Son (33 - 87%) and Alli (28 - 68%). He also led the pressing stats, with 4 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Winks was also excellent - I loved the pass that he rolled with the outside of his boot to set Alli away for the break away 2nd goal, a beautiful piece of improvised progressive thinking, exactly what we need - and has been a quietly influential in just about anything good that has happened this season. Dembele was looking sluggish first 45, but seemed to pick up second half and in the end this pair ended up balancing quite well, Dembele providing the robustness, Winks the tempo, be interesting to see if Dembele can hold up against better opposition than this shower of shite though.
We have to talk about Alli. I cannot fault his work rate today, he was involved, and he played a sweet through ball for Son's goal, but he simply has to reduce the cheap wastage. I don't mean calculated risk taking. There are times when Eriksen (and Lamela for example) takes risks and doesn't come off, but you can see clear logic in the thought process, even when it's instant or instinct, with Alli there's times when he just does irrational and careless things that aren't maverick genius, they are just poor decisions, or lack of decisions, poor technique and irresponsible waste. Trying a difficult through ball that fails is one thing, trying to Cruyf turn/nutmeg someone when even if it works means you are just losing possession because there's another guy behind the first guy, is just stupid. Do it once, but not 5 times. Alli was dispossessed 5 times and had 5 mis-controlls. A joint total of 10. Next nearest was Eriksen with a total of 4, Son and Kane 3. His pass completion was also a woeful 67%, well below anyone else. I get what he brings, but this wastage and poor decision making does not come for free, it comes at a cost to the team, and yes, some weeks it gets balanced off just about with the goals/assists column, but less so this year and we now have viable other options such as Son and Lamela. He was decent enough second half today, trouble is he has been one of the guiltiest in terms of contributing to the collective funk we have been in, and there were at least 3 other attackers who were better than him today, maybe even Lamela too when he came on, and he's got to evolve his game, and he's got to do it quickly, because competition is now strong, and automatic selection should not be guaranteed for much longer.
This was a good team performance. Collectively we were on it, and gilded by several players who were individually outstanding.
Individual
Lloris - Blotted his copy book last the end.
Trippier - Decent game
Dier - Decent game
Vertonghen - Decent game
Davies - Much better today, put in a great ball for Kane's goal and was very involved generally.
Dembele - Started sluggishly but grew better as the game wore on.
Winks - Tick tick tick. Lovely ball to set us into transition for the crucial second goal. Just what the doctor ordered.
Eriksen - Good football, good pressing, good goal. Thank fuck he's back because when he's conducting it invariably means the orchestra perform better.
Alli - Good work rate, reasonably well involved, great assist but has to reduce the really silly fuckery.
Son - Eyes bright like a samelar hound today. Outstanding attacking performance. MOTM
Kane - This is what makes Kane, Kane. Misses a coupe of sitters first half. Some striker's head would dip at that, but Kane is just indomitable and ends up with a brace of beautifully different goals. Worked hard as well today and his pressing led directly to the third goal.
So much patronising, so few posts.
Seems to be the rise of the rarely spotted lurker this week. Amazing what happens when we actually turn up. Everyone wants a pop
Take away his goals and you have a player who in his 2 full seasons in the PL finished 8th & 11th in the league for assists and is still only 21.Out of form? Or did the goals just paper over the cracks. Technically it’s very hard to make a case dele is near Lamela. You could see as soon as he came on the link up with winks and eriksen was different class is just flows. For me dele makes our play disjointed. I’ve always thought if you took away his goals there’s not to much left.
Working for the Man
Collectively that was so much better than what we've been watching the last few weeks. It wasn't about formation, or about any personnel changes (Dembele and Winks starting in a CM2 for the first time this year I think), though both were tinkered with (we started 4231), it was all about Poch clearly getting into them the need to get back to the collective work ethic that has earned us whatever success we have had over the last three years. Getting back to the ABC's of Poch.
Really, for the first time this season we did exactly what you have to do, we set about them. Our combined tackles and interceptions from our front four was 12 (9 tackles, 3 interceptions), last week at Leicester it was 4, Against WBA at home it was 2.
This rediscovered vim in the press was never more evident than in our third goal. Straight from their kick off from the second, we are at them, ending up with Kane hunting it all the way back to their keeper, Son, Alli and Eriksen are all squeezing options and eventually we force the keeper into the error that leads to the corner and third goal.
We have to be honest and say this Stoke were a wet dream today, set up very badly by Hughes both tactically and in terms of personnel, way to flimsy. But we really put them to the sword, which is what can happen with this spurs side when they work hard and several players all click on the same day. Heading that roster of the click was Son (1 goal, 1 assist, 6 key passes), having his best game in a Spurs shirt, leading the charge. Son's always scored goals at a very healthy rate for us, but what we saw today was him creating more than we've ever seen in another game. He ended up with one assist, but should have had three or four. His ball was shanked in by Shawcross, he played Kane in twice, and played Eriksen through for his goal. Speaking of Eriksen, he was back to his better self, little give and goes, orchestrating quietly, involved in a few of the goals, including making a great run and finish himself, but also seeing double (64 - 83%) the ball of both Son (33 - 87%) and Alli (28 - 68%). He also led the pressing stats, with 4 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Winks was also excellent - I loved the pass that he rolled with the outside of his boot to set Alli away for the break away 2nd goal, a beautiful piece of improvised progressive thinking, exactly what we need - and has been a quietly influential in just about anything good that has happened this season. Dembele was looking sluggish first 45, but seemed to pick up second half and in the end this pair ended up balancing quite well, Dembele providing the robustness, Winks the tempo, be interesting to see if Dembele can hold up against better opposition than this shower of shite though.
We have to talk about Alli. I cannot fault his work rate today, he was involved, and he played a sweet through ball for Son's goal, but he simply has to reduce the cheap wastage. I don't mean calculated risk taking. There are times when Eriksen (and Lamela for example) takes risks and doesn't come off, but you can see clear logic in the thought process, even when it's instant or instinct, with Alli there's times when he just does irrational and careless things that aren't maverick genius, they are just poor decisions, or lack of decisions, poor technique and irresponsible waste. Trying a difficult through ball that fails is one thing, trying to Cruyf turn/nutmeg someone when even if it works means you are just losing possession because there's another guy behind the first guy, is just stupid. Do it once, but not 5 times. Alli was dispossessed 5 times and had 5 mis-controlls. A joint total of 10. Next nearest was Eriksen with a total of 4, Son and Kane 3. His pass completion was also a woeful 67%, well below anyone else. I get what he brings, but this wastage and poor decision making does not come for free, it comes at a cost to the team, and yes, some weeks it gets balanced off just about with the goals/assists column, but less so this year and we now have viable other options such as Son and Lamela. He was decent enough second half today, trouble is he has been one of the guiltiest in terms of contributing to the collective funk we have been in, and there were at least 3 other attackers who were better than him today, maybe even Lamela too when he came on, and he's got to evolve his game, and he's got to do it quickly, because competition is now strong, and automatic selection should not be guaranteed for much longer.
This was a good team performance. Collectively we were on it, and gilded by several players who were individually outstanding.
Individual
Lloris - Blotted his copy book last the end.
Trippier - Decent game
Dier - Decent game
Vertonghen - Decent game
Davies - Much better today, put in a great ball for Kane's goal and was very involved generally.
Dembele - Started sluggishly but grew better as the game wore on.
Winks - Tick tick tick. Lovely ball to set us into transition for the crucial second goal. Just what the doctor ordered.
Eriksen - Good football, good pressing, good goal. Thank fuck he's back because when he's conducting it invariably means the orchestra perform better.
Alli - Good work rate, reasonably well involved, great assist but has to reduce the really silly fuckery.
Son - Eyes bright like a samelar hound today. Outstanding attacking performance. MOTM
Kane - This is what makes Kane, Kane. Misses a coupe of sitters first half. Some striker's head would dip at that, but Kane is just indomitable and ends up with a brace of beautifully different goals. Worked hard as well today and his pressing led directly to the third goal.
Was at the game, very easy MOM in Son. Clearly going through his purple patch and needs to be one of the first names on the team sheet atm. Beyond that, Lamela, so damn good seeing him back. That lofted through ball to Kane was sublime, the sooner he is 100% fit the better we will be. One of our most important attacking players regardless of him starting or being a bench player. His reading of the game is unique as is Alli’s and Eriksen’s. They all three see different things which makes each a killer on their day.
Love Dembele and he was in so much better form and that can only be a good thing. Though I did have a laugh when Davies was wide open on the left flank, Dembele picked up the ball on the right, took a look, Davies signaled, and we all knew Dembele was not making that crossfield pass so he dribbled it to the middle and I think passed it up to Kane.Honourable mention for Dembele today, I thought he had a very good game, bossed the midfield.