shelfboy68
Well-Known Member
- Jun 14, 2008
- 14,566
- 19,651
We have won today without really having our scoring boots so what is there to complain about.
Match Ratings Ratings vs Crystal Palace
- Thread starter Bulletspur
- Start date
mw828
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2010
- 1,122
- 1,674
This would be my biggest gripe of the last month or two. We have been on a good run, but we have left it late often and probably could have turned some draws into wins with a more proactive approach. Never making subs until the last 20 minutes is clearly sub-optimal. Today he made the right moves, but probably too late. We got fairly lucky this time despite it being a well earned victory.
Plus, I would have hauled Aurier off immediately after the second foul throw. Inexcusable.
- Oct 17, 2006
- 10,701
- 25,259
- Thread starter
- #46
He said he was MOTM which I am okay with, but then went on to say he was great from start to finish which he wasnt. Just continue to be selective in what you read when the rest doesnt fit your agenda
Last edited:
SEANSPURS1975
Well-Known Member
- Sep 21, 2005
- 1,929
- 4,787
Not a good performance today. Sanchez and Dier were good together at the back, with Sanchez just shading Man of the Match.
Basil Brush
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 1,691
- 3,080
Goals win matches so Kane gets man of the match for me.
Otherwise everyone else was fine.
Otherwise everyone else was fine.
Bus-Conductor
SC Supporter
- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
Death and Taxes - Embrace the Grind
Weirdly, I enjoyed that game. I think we actually played very well in two thirds of the pitch against an incredibly well drilled unit and but for abject wastefulness, poor decisions by the ref and a bit of rub, we'd have won a very tricky game more comfortably.
Selection wise I didn't really understand the logic of Aurier for that one, I'd have had Trippier in there, and I don't understand the logic of Sissoko on the bench instead of Winks when you also have two other attacking options on the bench as well, if Wanyama or Dembele needed to be replaced (a not unlikely event seeing as both have had their injury issues) who would we rather bring on as a CM, Sissoko or Winks? But I did like the inclusion of Lamela over Son, in this type of game it makes sense to have someone who sees a clever through ball and can often play it, especially as Eriksen has to spend a lot of time being a CM as well these days as we don't have an incisive passer there.
It was great to see Wanyama back properly today, I thought he had a really good game, and demonstrated why he should always be in that midfield ahead of Dier, he's tenacious, dynamic, can press properly, expedient and efficient with the ball, and on the odd occasion a team breaks on us, he is the only one of the three (Dier/Dembele/Wanyama) that really has the energy and dynamism to get back quickly. He genuinely gives us a proper double pivoting CM2 instead of the much more inflexible deep Dier and half deep Dembele.
Games like today are the ones that the Dembele fans like to pretend don't exist or matter. But the trouble is they are far more frequent than the world beating games. He wasn't bad or anything, he was perfectly competent, but in games like today, which is what the vast majority of our games are, when we are up against the stiflers, the obdurate deep blockers, you need a player who sees a pass quicker and makes that pass quicker.
I though Eriksen was also really good today. I know many were bitching about him in the match thread but I just don't understand what they are thinking. If you extract Eriksen from that game it becomes so different, in fact, it becomes Southampton or Newport, a game bereft of any tempo or direction or creativity at all. Eriksen saw more midfield ball than Dembele FFS, he also set up the goal (and that was no fluke, that was the third time him and Kane had tried it) and set up Kane and nearly Alli with superb passes. That was another masterclass. Constantly on the ball, tick, tick, feeding Davies, feeding Aurier, feeding it into Alli or Lamela and then popping up in the final third too. If you can't appreciate what this fella is bringing to the party you really aren't paying attention. There are so few players who do what he does, play as CM, ACM, ARM and ALM in the same game.
Against an opponent like this, who are organised and disciplined, sitting very compact centrally, our approach play was actually spot on. We constantly got the ball out to FB's in very good positions, the shame was that neither of them delivered a single decent cross or pass from this great positions all game, Aurier in particular was incredibly wasteful from some exceptionally good positions, you just know Trippier would have done a shitload better.
And that was the one area of disappointment today, our decisions and executions in that final third, because our approach play actually did create numerous situations that should have yielded more. Kane misses two absolute sitters, Eriksen shanked badly when in another position, Alli should have two penalties but his own tomfuckery is now inevitably costing him. But it's not so much your CF missing sitters, it's annoying, but it happens, as long as he keeps getting into those positions, you know he'll get one, it's more the repeated waste of the situation before the situation in that final third that's killing us as much as anything. And this is why I don't understand why Pochettino continually seems to prioritise "quick" over "wit" every transfer window?
Eventually death (Kane) and taxes (Eriksen) did arrive for Palace and there are few sweeter feelings in football than a very hard earned 88th minute winner. It was thoroughly deserved, we'd dominated, we'd created openings and chances, got behind them whilst at the same time rarely allowing them in our half.
Individual
Lloris - SFA to do really.
Aurier - It's just pretty much Walker all over again. Defensively pretty similar, pretty sound, and he does get up and down energetically but his delivery in good forward positions is as bad as Walker's was - maybe even worse today. He's not a terrible RB, any more than Walker isn't, but Would we really have been worse off if we'd given KWP his development time ?
Sanchez - Good game.
Dier - One very careless pass out of defence aside, good game. He has got to eradicate those from his game though.
Davies - Similar to Aurier really. very involved, got into some good positions, wasted all of them pretty much. Unlucky not to have a penalty though.
Wanyama - Very good game. Saw more ball than anyone, moved it quickly and efficiently, which exactly what you need, and his ability to cover ground gives us a genuine double pivoting CM pair which is much harder to play against. VICE-MOTM
Dembele - Against tough opponents, when he's at it, he can be a don, but games like today when what we need is more vim and less dawdle, he can just slow things down. Thought he was very laboured today, especially second half.
Lamela/Alli - Worked hard, played their part in the build up play, which was important, but creatively a bit wanting. Alli's diving bit him in the arse big time today, because he should have had two pens.
(The Tax Man) Eriksen - Like the taxman, some don't really see what he does, but like the taxman, he's everywhere, quietly, Insidiously and constantly taking little bites out you, and even the killer brown envelope at the end of the year that finishes you off often arrives without you hearing it glide through your letterbox. He's constant. Great ball for the goal, should have had another assist at least. MOTM
(Death) - Kane - you might have one lives, he doesn't care, he'll get you on the tenth.
Weirdly, I enjoyed that game. I think we actually played very well in two thirds of the pitch against an incredibly well drilled unit and but for abject wastefulness, poor decisions by the ref and a bit of rub, we'd have won a very tricky game more comfortably.
Selection wise I didn't really understand the logic of Aurier for that one, I'd have had Trippier in there, and I don't understand the logic of Sissoko on the bench instead of Winks when you also have two other attacking options on the bench as well, if Wanyama or Dembele needed to be replaced (a not unlikely event seeing as both have had their injury issues) who would we rather bring on as a CM, Sissoko or Winks? But I did like the inclusion of Lamela over Son, in this type of game it makes sense to have someone who sees a clever through ball and can often play it, especially as Eriksen has to spend a lot of time being a CM as well these days as we don't have an incisive passer there.
It was great to see Wanyama back properly today, I thought he had a really good game, and demonstrated why he should always be in that midfield ahead of Dier, he's tenacious, dynamic, can press properly, expedient and efficient with the ball, and on the odd occasion a team breaks on us, he is the only one of the three (Dier/Dembele/Wanyama) that really has the energy and dynamism to get back quickly. He genuinely gives us a proper double pivoting CM2 instead of the much more inflexible deep Dier and half deep Dembele.
Games like today are the ones that the Dembele fans like to pretend don't exist or matter. But the trouble is they are far more frequent than the world beating games. He wasn't bad or anything, he was perfectly competent, but in games like today, which is what the vast majority of our games are, when we are up against the stiflers, the obdurate deep blockers, you need a player who sees a pass quicker and makes that pass quicker.
I though Eriksen was also really good today. I know many were bitching about him in the match thread but I just don't understand what they are thinking. If you extract Eriksen from that game it becomes so different, in fact, it becomes Southampton or Newport, a game bereft of any tempo or direction or creativity at all. Eriksen saw more midfield ball than Dembele FFS, he also set up the goal (and that was no fluke, that was the third time him and Kane had tried it) and set up Kane and nearly Alli with superb passes. That was another masterclass. Constantly on the ball, tick, tick, feeding Davies, feeding Aurier, feeding it into Alli or Lamela and then popping up in the final third too. If you can't appreciate what this fella is bringing to the party you really aren't paying attention. There are so few players who do what he does, play as CM, ACM, ARM and ALM in the same game.
Against an opponent like this, who are organised and disciplined, sitting very compact centrally, our approach play was actually spot on. We constantly got the ball out to FB's in very good positions, the shame was that neither of them delivered a single decent cross or pass from this great positions all game, Aurier in particular was incredibly wasteful from some exceptionally good positions, you just know Trippier would have done a shitload better.
And that was the one area of disappointment today, our decisions and executions in that final third, because our approach play actually did create numerous situations that should have yielded more. Kane misses two absolute sitters, Eriksen shanked badly when in another position, Alli should have two penalties but his own tomfuckery is now inevitably costing him. But it's not so much your CF missing sitters, it's annoying, but it happens, as long as he keeps getting into those positions, you know he'll get one, it's more the repeated waste of the situation before the situation in that final third that's killing us as much as anything. And this is why I don't understand why Pochettino continually seems to prioritise "quick" over "wit" every transfer window?
Eventually death (Kane) and taxes (Eriksen) did arrive for Palace and there are few sweeter feelings in football than a very hard earned 88th minute winner. It was thoroughly deserved, we'd dominated, we'd created openings and chances, got behind them whilst at the same time rarely allowing them in our half.
Individual
Lloris - SFA to do really.
Aurier - It's just pretty much Walker all over again. Defensively pretty similar, pretty sound, and he does get up and down energetically but his delivery in good forward positions is as bad as Walker's was - maybe even worse today. He's not a terrible RB, any more than Walker isn't, but Would we really have been worse off if we'd given KWP his development time ?
Sanchez - Good game.
Dier - One very careless pass out of defence aside, good game. He has got to eradicate those from his game though.
Davies - Similar to Aurier really. very involved, got into some good positions, wasted all of them pretty much. Unlucky not to have a penalty though.
Wanyama - Very good game. Saw more ball than anyone, moved it quickly and efficiently, which exactly what you need, and his ability to cover ground gives us a genuine double pivoting CM pair which is much harder to play against. VICE-MOTM
Dembele - Against tough opponents, when he's at it, he can be a don, but games like today when what we need is more vim and less dawdle, he can just slow things down. Thought he was very laboured today, especially second half.
Lamela/Alli - Worked hard, played their part in the build up play, which was important, but creatively a bit wanting. Alli's diving bit him in the arse big time today, because he should have had two pens.
(The Tax Man) Eriksen - Like the taxman, some don't really see what he does, but like the taxman, he's everywhere, quietly, Insidiously and constantly taking little bites out you, and even the killer brown envelope at the end of the year that finishes you off often arrives without you hearing it glide through your letterbox. He's constant. Great ball for the goal, should have had another assist at least. MOTM
(Death) - Kane - you might have one lives, he doesn't care, he'll get you on the tenth.
Last edited:
Basil Brush
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 1,691
- 3,080
I am a Dembele fan and I actually thought he was better than Eriksen.
I don't want to start an argument re Eriksen but i think he is extremely overrated.
Onions and all that.
Edit: Watch me get "disagrees" from the Eriksen fan boys without them giving any reasons.
Wheeler Dealer
Well-Known Member
- Jul 29, 2011
- 6,924
- 12,436
He strikes that he may not be the most intelligent.
THFCSPURS19
The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
- Jan 6, 2013
- 37,890
- 130,524
THFCSPURS19
The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
- Jan 6, 2013
- 37,890
- 130,524
I'm guessing Aurier played because we need Trippier for the Juventus game so Trippier will play mid-week until then.
Basil Brush
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 1,691
- 3,080
Anything you would like to add.
parj
NDombelly ate all the pies
- Jul 27, 2003
- 3,624
- 5,954
It's nothing to do with fanboys. You must have seen the difference between the games where Eriksen played and when he didn't. Without him it's like we don't know what to do with the ball. There is nobody linking play or trying the clever passes and moving the ball forward.
Watch the retaliatory disagree
Bus-Conductor
SC Supporter
- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
How the bajesus is Dier winning the MOTM vote ? I mean he was perfectly good for much of that game, but it's not like Palace were in our half much or that he had loads to do. Even if you don't agree with me that Eriksen was, surely you have to go Wanyama, those two were at the hub of the game, keeping the hammer down on Palace relentlessly.
Dier did what he had to do really competently, apart from one very careless moment, but a CB won't get much easier days than that ? Did he do anything exceptional ?
What's the thinking ? I'm genuinely intrigued.
Dier did what he had to do really competently, apart from one very careless moment, but a CB won't get much easier days than that ? Did he do anything exceptional ?
What's the thinking ? I'm genuinely intrigued.
Bus-Conductor
SC Supporter
- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
an "F"
Basil Brush
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 1,691
- 3,080
I will never give a retalitory disagree as i like all opinions.
Eriksen for me is very good but not great.
Dembele is a better player.
If you want to discuss further let me know and it is better we take to the Dembele or Eriksen thread.
Bus-Conductor
SC Supporter
- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
Come on Basil, that deserved a “creative”.
Basil Brush
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 1,691
- 3,080
Done
