AS Monaco Vs Tottenham: Pre Season Match Thread

[Adamspurs]

I know most people are moaning but 53 pages on a preseason friendly is incredible. Fair play!

 

[SouthStandBilly]

Good grief.. Over reacting doesn't begin to cover it..it was a friendly with a second string side..the important result today was to come away without any injuries.. The result was irrelevant..
We fielded a strongish side against Sunderland and Vert got injured.. We couldn't afford that to happen again.
Friendlies are just for fitness.

 

[SpurSince57]

Bollocks, didn't realise it was on.

I don't give a shit about the result and looks like we put out a pretty mediocre team, but how did the younger players do ? Was Stewart played at RB ? seems daft ?

For all of two minutes.

Livermore and Fryers did altogether better than I expected in the first half, and we would have gone in equal if Lloris hadn't let in a softie at the near post. (He was also questionable on two of their second-half goals.) Kane was OK, took his chance very calmly, sliding it under their keeper who was almost on him, and showed some good control, particularly when he pulled down a ball coming over his shoulder and fired off a 20-yarder (if the shot had been anywhere near as good as the control people would be raving). Townsend did well, Rose was a mixed bag—good going forward, question-marks defensively

 

[The Apprentice]

Good little run out for the squad.

This was a full strength Monaco fine tuning before their kick off next week. Don't piss your pants over it.

Shame Bentaleb didn't get longer. Really want to see some of Veljkovic.

 

[Francis Gibbs]

ffs get our best 11 on the pitch next weekend !!!!

 

[The Apprentice]

I'm convinced Townsend offers more than Lennon in the right of the attacking three.

 

[Francis Gibbs]

No Sandro Kaboul yet again - not liking what our starting will look like come the first game of the season

 

[SpurSince57]

another season of slow stagnant unimaginative football about to be served up? without the 90' screamers from gareth to save our asses though

we've bought a world class striker yet unless we bring in a few players capable of picking up their head and providing him with service, i cant see him faring much better than ade and defoe did last season. Paulinho and chadli arent the answer to that either and youve got to ask questions over AVB and management why this isn't being addressed when its been evident since the beginning of last season. It seems andre is obsessed with fielding a team of 6ft brutes without any footballing intelligence. Who do we have that can chip a ball over a defence? send a winger into space with a calculated through ball? where are our triangles? everyone stands around like statues waiting for something to happen.

This is not knee jerking, ive been saying this for a year and we only seem to be losing more players with any intelligence creativity and passing range.

Ade put away one in six, which isn't awful but is hardly top-notch; one in five, and better still one in four, is what we need. Defoe's conversion rate was worse than one in seven. Between them, Lennon (who, amazingly, was our most clinical finisher by some margin, needing just four shots for every goal) and Bale created 130-odd scoring opportunities; 11 were put away.

We saw this afternoon why AVB wanted Moutinho, but the fact is that when we had Modric and VdV we were creating plenty of chances but they weren't being put away.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

For all of two minutes.

Livermore and Fryers did altogether better than I expected in the first half, and we would have gone in equal if Lloris hadn't let in a softie at the near post. (He was also questionable on two of their second-half goals.) Kane was OK, took his chance very calmly, sliding it under their keeper who was almost on him, and showed some good control, particularly when he pulled down a ball coming over his shoulder and fired off a 20-yarder (if the shot had been anywhere near as good as the control people would be raving). Townsend did well, Rose was a mixed bag—good going forward, question-marks defensively

Cheers. Just pleased to see a few of the young players getting a snifter. How did Bentaleb do ?

 

[SpurSince57]

ffs get our best 11 on the pitch next weekend !!!!

Why? It's another meaningless Mickey Mouse kick-about against Espanyol.

 

[SpurSince57]

Cheers. Just pleased to see a few of the young players getting a snifter. How did Bentaleb do ?

Again, only on for a couple of minutes in place of Parker, who wasn't great but not as terrible as some are making out.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Again, only on for a couple of minutes in place of Parker, who wasn't great but not as terrible as some are making out.

Shame, what is the point of giving a kid 2 minutes in friendly ? What do you learn, how quickly he can undo his tracksuit ?

 

[mill]

Shame, what is the point of giving a kid 2 minutes in friendly ? What do you learn, how quickly he can undo his tracksuit ?

Avb's no wenger then, he knows exactly how long it takes for his youth team players to get out of their tracksuits

 

[mpickard2087]

Bollocks, didn't realise it was on.

I don't give a shit about the result and looks like we put out a pretty mediocre team, but how did the younger players do ? Was Stewart played at RB ? seems daft ?

As has been said Stewart and Bentaleb only got a couple of minutes, Carroll had 10 mins at the end. Townsend I'm not sure but maybe 25 mins and looked about 100000000000000000000000000 times more lively than Lennon and scored. Defoe went off very early so Kane had like a full match. He looked to hold up the ball, link-up play and get involved and come looking for work, which, knowing you, you would have appreciated BC, but he was often isolated or not helped by players looking disinterested in giving him an option to give it to. Messed up one opportunity but slotted in his goal nicely.

Livermore and Fryers didn't do as badly as feared, a couple of times they got opened up but they stuck at it all game. Rose also tried his fucking heart out and had some good moments but is still a work in progress. What didn't help the defence was that particularly 2nd half Monaco started getting through the midfield with ease, so our defence was often swamped with people to deal with, I felt a bit sorry for them in all truth.

To follow that point, the senior players seemed to give up early and look a bit disinterested and friendly or not didn't set much of an example today, and considering they are theoretically trying to push for starting places was disappointing to see. Lennon was pretty disgraceful, Sigurdsson offered diddly squat, Lloris had a shocker, Parker tried hard but didn't offer much protection in front of the rookie defence, Chadli looked neat and tidy but didn't really do a lot. Dembele looked a class act first half but not really doing anything purposeful, and made a surging run that led to Kane's goal. But along with Parker didn't protect the defence very well.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

As has been said Stewart and Bentaleb only got a couple of minutes, Carroll had 10 mins at the end. Townsend I'm not sure but maybe 25 mins and looked about 100000000000000000000000000 times more lively than Lennon and scored. Defoe went off very early so Kane had like a full match. He looked to hold up the ball, link-up play and get involved and come looking for work, which, knowing you, you would have appreciated BC, but he was often isolated or not helped by players looking disinterested in giving him an option to give it to. Messed up one opportunity but slotted in his goal nicely.

Livermore and Fryers didn't do as badly as feared, a couple of times they got opened up but they stuck at it all game. Rose also tried his fucking heart out and had some good moments but is still a work in progress. What didn't help the defence was that particularly 2nd half Monaco started getting through the midfield with ease, so our defence was often swamped with people to deal with, I felt a bit sorry for them in all truth.

To follow that point, the senior players seemed to give up early and look a bit disinterested and friendly or not didn't set much of an example today, and considering they are theoretically trying to push for starting places was disappointing to see. Lennon was pretty disgraceful, Sigurdsson offered diddly squat, Lloris had a shocker, Parker tried hard but didn't offer much protection in front of the rookie defence, Chadli looked neat and tidy but didn't really do a lot. Dembele looked a class act first half but not really doing anything purposeful, and made a surging run that led to Kane's goal. But along with Parker didn't protect the defence very well.

Cheers MP.

 

[mpickard2087]

Oh and we also conceded another set piece goal which is what annoyed me more than anything in that match, as its clear we haven't learnt lessons from last season. You know the drill... Every player is set up in a line 'marking' their zone, free kick comes in just past the front post, Monaco player just simply runs into space between players and buries a free header.

Deja Vu.

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

This is not knee jerking, ive been saying this for a year and we only seem to be losing more players with any intelligence creativity and passing range.

Which one of Clint Dempsey and Steven Caulker did you feel had intelligence, creativity and passing range ???

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

Of course a team with fryers and livermore as our centre hacks is hugely indicative of how our team will perform this season.

 

[ClintEastwould]

Which one of Clint Dempsey and Steven Caulker did you feel had intelligence, creativity and passing range ???

Dempsey midfield maestro...


lol in all seriousness we obviously lost VDV and ratboy but its also the incoming players who i feel arent quite what we needed. if you asked me at the beginning of the summer what kind of player we needed a bx2bx/DM wouldve been almost last on the list yet thats exactly who we brought in. Chadli also looks to be less of a creator and more of a scorer. These players are probably in the 1st team yet they arent the answer to our problems from last season which was unlocking stubborn defences. A CM/CAM/WF would've been top of the list, the likes of bernard banega moutinho eriksen ljalic etc. providers who can lift their head and pick a pass. I really hope Holtby is utilised a lot next season as i feel a midfield of sandro paul and dembele will leave soldado very frustrated.

 

[guy]

Speaking of holtby, where is he/ hasnt feature all pre season has he?