AVB - Balanced team

[Pete Spur]

What i'm enjoying is the total lack of pressure our opponents have been able to put on us recently.
We're dominating nearly every game & our only issue related to that is finishing, but Lloris has been a bystander for long periods of most games and I can't remember us shutting down Utd like that before.

In fact, their goal was somewhat of an anomoly. As they swept forward, I looked at us and we looked all over the place, they switched the play & we were still all over the place, found Cleverley & scored. Throughout, we were all over the place.

Point being, it came as a shock & my thoughts were a surprised 'What the fuck are we doing?!'

We've been the total opposite of that these last few weeks.

Yeah it was a real lapse in concentration whilst trying to get back to defend manures counter. Afew to many people ball chasing and we completely lost our shape ending up way to narrow. Cleverley was very smart drifting outwide but there's no way he should've been given all that space to cross. Cleverley looks to be developing well this season, very impressed with him not to mention his attitude for a young player seems to be spot on.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Yeah but we're rocking the cas bar and looking upwards while doing it. Last year we spent this period looking back

That just gave me a Downham Tavern flash back flush.

 

[nuttynoah]

Dembele is amazing.Ball retentions as good as Modric, and he always seems to have so much time

Agreed. He's a good/great player right now and I reckon soon with the right players around him he'll become a great/amazing player. The futures lillywhite.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Dembele is amazing.Ball retentions as good as Modric, and he always seems to have so much time

I like Dembele, he does see plenty of ball, and his retention is excellent but his movement of it is a bit slower and less incisive than Modric's.

 

[Mr Pink]

I like Dembele, he does see plenty of ball, and his retention is excellent but his movement of it is a bit slower and less incisive than Modric's.

But better defensively for sure. More of an all rounder.

 

[ShelfSide18]

It's just important that we look to introduce a CM brain to the equation, to complement Dembele and Sandro/Parker and so we can move to a middle 3. Dembele does what he does very well, as do Sandro and Parker - if you add a CM passer like Mod or a no10 creator then that will be a formidable midfield.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

But better defensively for sure. More of an all rounder.

Agree. Definitely better defensively.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I really hope we can bring in Holtby if no-one else, he plays in the position we desperately need and although he's no VDV, he's got a bit about him and will be an improvement on Dempsey.

 

[ItsBoris]

I cant remember a better run of balanced displays by any Spurs squads in last 20 years.
We have had some great attacking displays with H, but AVB has given us stickability and we can now defend!

We are doing a good job defensively for sure, in the last 11 games we've only let in 7 goals which is the best defense in the league in that period.

Not a coincidence that it coincides with Lloris being brought into the team.

 

[stevespurs]

I thought our bench looked weak yesterday, but bringing on Benny was a great move, it gave us a direct attack on the left. I think Naughton has showed us he's a contender for right back, but Benny gives us the width on the left (and can defend and understand his keeper). I like Walker but he was nowhere to be seen until it was too late for the goal. Not for the first time.

Props to Dempsey for being Jonny on the spot again.

Great second half performance from the team, half-time talk must have been ok.

With a hungry manager and team, I feel we will push all the way to the end of the season. AVB mentions wanting to bring city back into the chasing pack, so he has one eye on second. I like it!!

 

[mrbrightside73]

I keep hearing how we're worse off points wise than this time last season, and that may be true, but i wouldnt expect a 2nd half collapse like last season either.I expect a 3rd place finish if im being honest,and i have all season.

 

[KILLA_SIN]

I keep hearing how we're worse off points wise than this time last season, and that may be true, but i wouldnt expect a 2nd half collapse like last season either.I expect a 3rd place finish if im being honest,and i have all season.

Thats relative to the points total of the teams above us if they have similarly less points this year than last its not really such a big problem

 

[Flashspur]

a good time to be a Spurs supporter and AVB looks like the dogs balls finally as a manager. The transformation by the team on the pitch has been wonderful to see and that is the true test of a manger isn't it?

 

[Kendall]

a good time to be a Spurs supporter and AVB looks like the dogs balls finally as a manager. The transformation by the team on the pitch has been wonderful to see and that is the true test of a manger isn't it?

Transformation? really?

We've been good and our pressing has been better, but there's still the 1-0 defeat at home to Wigan, the 0-0 stalemate against Stoke at home, the inability to break down QPR, the lack of ability to see the game out against Norwich (twice) the 5-2 hammering at Arsenal.

I have seen some improvements, yes, but not really anything that suggests AVB is doing a shit hot job. He's not doing a bad one, no worse and no better than Redknapp at the moment. This time last season we had 46 points, had scored 44, let in 24 and had just lost THAT game at Man City, which seemed to begin the tumble that followed.

We've scored less, let in more and have 5 less points. I know we've lost some key players, but still.

We have a difficult run coming up and it could make or break things for us.

 

[fortworthspur]

great thread. we are thoroughly unspectacular but far more consistent. we've been competitive in every fixture this year save Arsenal, and that was in part due to Ade getting sent off.

 

[daehanmingook]

great thread. we are thoroughly unspectacular but far more consistent. we've been competitive in every fixture this year save Arsenal, and that was in part due to Ade getting sent off.

I reckon we would have won that had Ade not been sent off! We were ahead after all..

 

[YiddoInPoland]

we are not perfect by any means, but we do have a poweful midfield unit, we are just missing that bit of guile in the final third.

what i am really enjoying is AVB does his homework on teams and sets us up accordingly, last year against Man U we rolled over at their place and at home even though we played well at hom they just soacked us up and suckerpunched us with ease.

Also, we have just got on with it, lost some big players in the summer but we do look to be improving, and hopefully it continues.

 

[brendanb50]

Vertonghen and Lloris as well.

Agreed - Arguably some of the best business done in Europe on these two. Top players coming into their peak for reasonable fees.

I know fans get fed up with our repeated failures to sign a striker but it's plain to see that some of our work is exceptional IMHO.

 

[Kushal]

AVB's Team - A Very Balanced Team