AVB's 4-3-3 w/ Spurs: Tactical & Player Analysis & Discussion

[SpurSince57]

Nice post.

Amazing to think how far we've come under AVB in just one season, tactically anyway. Redknapp couldn't even fucking read.

Nevertheless, despite some manifest faults he was the best manager we've had since Nicholson himself, and AVB praised what he'd done. A shame some of our support can't offer the same generosity.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Yeah, I'll admit I thought we would play 4-3-3 against Espanyol, I would be surprised if we didn't use 4-3-3 this season though, AVB already has a balancing act on him making a midfield trio out of Capoue, Sandro, Dembele, Paulinho, Holtby, Sig, Carroll, Huddlestone (I don't see him going, even if AVB wants him to go or not) etc But I just can't see him using 2 holding midfielders and balancing that out between Capoue, Sandro, Dembele & Paulinho! I may be wrong but I guess like at points last season we will be using the 4-3-3!

I completely agree. I just don't get it. Maybe he thinks putting an extra attacking biased, further forward player (Sig today used in the hole position) instead of another cm might be more productive.

I really like Capoue, but if we are going to continue to play 4231, I would have gone and spent that money on Eriksen to play where Sig did today. He's perfect for that position and would have used the ball better today.

We actually created the square root of nish today.

I love the signings we've made, and Chadli looked decent enough, but we still haven't added any craft or guile to the team and that was what we lacked most last year.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

So much for the 433 eh ?

Every year the same! We talk about 4-3-3 and never play it. We have been talking about it since HR and even before that.
The culture of wide players is so ingrained in the club, similar to 4-4-2 at UTD.

Rule is simple for me, if you see Lennon on the team sheet it's not gonna be 4-3-3 and whilst he is still here as a main player the same. Even our youth teams are all taught to play with wide forwards. Sure AvB allowed Bale to roam and made it more flexible but we have never really played with 3 central mids. Not gong to happen this season either.


Question now is....WTF happens when Sandro, Dembele and Paulinho are all fit?

My guess is an all Samba midfield.

And that's ignoring spending 9m on Capoue!!

 

[Darth Vega]

Nevertheless, despite some manifest faults he was the best manager we've had since Nicholson himself, and AVB praised what he'd done. A shame some of our support can't offer the same generosity.

I didn't say otherwise. I was fully behind Redknapp till the end of his last season where it was clear it had all gone to shit but I can't say he was the most tactically astute manager we've ever had. He was great when he came in and we reached many milestones and broke many hoodoos under him and some of my best memories as a Spurs fan have come under his reign, but in a lot of big games he was found out.

 

[LukeBB]

I honestly have no idea what that final sub achieved. Or why Hudd is still being used instead of the far more adroit Carroll.

I reckon Carroll was being rested because of his involvement in the u21 game against Chelsea yesterday.

Final sub: When I saw Stewart warming up I thought Walker would be coming off for sure but I reckon AVB just wanted to make sure Chadli didn't pick up a knock and at the same time see the game out maybe as well as seeing how Walker would play out for a few minutes as a holding mid. Coentrao plays as a LB and DM so I reckon that's where AVB's creation came from

 

[LukeBB]

Every year the same! We talk about 4-3-3 and never play it. We have been talking about it since HR and even before that.
The culture of wide players is so ingrained in the club, similar to 4-4-2 at UTD.

Rule is simple for me, if you see Lennon on the team sheet it's not gonna be 4-3-3 and whilst he is still here as a main player the same. Even our youth teams are all taught to play with wide forwards. Sure AvB allowed Bale to roam and made it more flexible but we have never really played with 3 central mids. Not gong to happen this season either.


Question now is....WTF happens when Sandro, Dembele and Paulinho are all fit?

My guess is an all Samba midfield.

And that's ignoring spending 9m on Capoue!!

negative attitude is negative

 

[hodsgod]

Nice post.

Amazing to think how far we've come under AVB in just one season, tactically anyway. Redknapp couldn't even fucking read.

Lets decide how well we are doing tactically in a few months, when we have a full squad and some points on the board. Because if we are struggling, I guarantee tactics will not be important. Zonal marking may be!

 

[mill]

I think we will move to 433 once sandro or capoue are available to play the dm role

 

[stevenqoz]

Really lacking in creative talent today. Two problems I see are with Sig and Dembele. The former is not any sort of number 10. He can't hold the ball, lacks a yard of pace and will struggle in the EPL against most decent teams. It stood out yesterday like a sore thumb...no need to shoehorn him into the starting eleven.
Dembele is a potential killer in attack but has been convinced to sit deeper....he needs to play further up and take players in more dangerous edge of the box areas.
I'll say it here....if Bale goes we need to get Midric back in exchange ( with Contrau)....we have enough musclemen...we need the subtlety

 

[Bobbins]

Oh how this team could do with vdv in the no.10 role!

 

[Bobbins]

He did make a bad defensive error and misjudged a ball and the Espanyol player got behind him into the box but Walker brought him down.

It's great direct running, but pointless if your brain goes blank when you arrive.

I honestly have no idea what that final sub achieved. Or why Hudd is still being used instead of the far more adroit Carroll.

Carroll played in the u21s yesterday so wouldn't have played today, though it worries me that AVB obviously didn't feel he needed him involved in our final Pre-season game, as it suggests he might not be planning on using him much this season. And for me, Carroll (and Townsend) absolutely must be in the first 16 every week.

 

[Lilbaz]

He did make a bad defensive error and misjudged a ball and the Espanyol player got behind him into the box but Walker brought him down.

It's great direct running, but pointless if your brain goes blank when you arrive.

I honestly have no idea what that final sub achieved. Or why Hudd is still being used instead of the far more adroit Carroll.

Carroll played in the youth game against Chelsea.

 

[ItsBoris]

I doubt we've signed this many midfielders without the intention to play 3 of them at once. Fact is that 4-3-3 now suits our strengths and I think we will see us start playing it soon enough.

 

[Gilzeanking]

I was sorry to see Chadli is another determindly one footed player. Its a continuing bug bear of mine . I recall my first training session with my local town youth team . I , playing as a winger , steamed down the left and having time , turned back in order to cross with my more accurate right foot . The trainer howled with fury 'Whats up with your left' he raged .

It occurs to me that noone has ever said this to our multimillionaires . Dembo's dribbling is massively reduced in effectiveness because defenders know he has to go left . Chadli permanently will be cutting in from the left to get the ball on his right foot .Defenders don't need to worry about him going for the byeline , he never will , making him waaay easier to read . Lennon , Bale Defoe on and on , its one foot all the way . Only under pressure will the weaker peg reluctantly be used .

We practised endlessly to get our weaker sides up to par , we'd have training sessions specifically targetting our weaker sides . I am constantly baffled that it never occurs to our millionaires to ever do this . With all the scientific modern approaches to training , it seems that something so basic as this is simply overlooked by management .

 

[raj]

Who is the most intelligent player in our team, in the football sense?

AVB's intelligence off the field cannot be translated into the game , when such a player, IMO, don't exist in our team.

Are we in the hunt for such a player? Is there a creative genius available out there in this transfer window?

Is there a xavi or iniesta out there or a mata! Do we have such a gem in our development squad?


Panic or pjanic ! Baldini please raid Rome for our Julius cesar, our midfield maestro, in a ninety mins plus refree time can we have the player to give us the moment of brilliance or inspiration. We need our Super Genie. The Special one who will be the difference and make the difference.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

negative attitude is negative

How is my post negative dude?


I wud like to see a 4-3-3. It's just not been the Spurs way that's all. This season, I have been trying to prevent everybody's disappointment as they to all excited discussing the 4-3-3 they were so sure we'd play.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

Who is the most intelligent player in our team, in the football sense?

AVB's intelligence off the field cannot be translated into the game , when such a player, IMO, don't exist in our team.

Are we in the hunt for such a player? Is there a creative genius available out there in this transfer window?

Is there a xavi or iniesta out there or a mata! Do we have such a gem in our development squad?


Panic or pjanic ! Baldini please raid Rome for our Julius cesar, our midfield maestro, in a ninety mins plus refree time can we have the player to give us the moment of brilliance or inspiration. We need our Super Genie. The Special one who will be the difference and make the difference.

Holtby is an intelligent footballer as is Soldado and Bale has become a decent football brain. Paulinho looked very intelligent on the ball to me too!

 

[trasores]

I just feel that we dont have the players for a 433. Andre's system needs a big, hard working, fast player who can play in any of the 3 positions and create/score. Unless we have one of these somewhere.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Carroll played in the u21s yesterday so wouldn't have played today, though it worries me that AVB obviously didn't feel he needed him involved in our final Pre-season game, as it suggests he might not be planning on using him much this season. And for me, Carroll (and Townsend) absolutely must be in the first 16 every week.

Carroll played in the youth game against Chelsea.

He shouldn't have played in the U21 game, he should have been used in yesterday's game. He offers more to a team than Hudd does, just on basic merit/ability, not just potential.

Very disappointing.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I was sorry to see Chadli is another determindly one footed player. Its a continuing bug bear of mine . I recall my first training session with my local town youth team . I , playing as a winger , steamed down the left and having time , turned back in order to cross with my more accurate right foot . The trainer howled with fury 'Whats up with your left' he raged .

It occurs to me that noone has ever said this to our multimillionaires . Dembo's dribbling is massively reduced in effectiveness because defenders know he has to go left . Chadli permanently will be cutting in from the left to get the ball on his right foot .Defenders don't need to worry about him going for the byeline , he never will , making him waaay easier to read . Lennon , Bale Defoe on and on , its one foot all the way . Only under pressure will the weaker peg reluctantly be used .

We practised endlessly to get our weaker sides up to par , we'd have training sessions specifically targetting our weaker sides . I am constantly baffled that it never occurs to our millionaires to ever do this . With all the scientific modern approaches to training , it seems that something so basic as this is simply overlooked by management .

Absolutely GK. As a kid I spent hours and hours just kicking a ball against a wall with my "wrong" foot, dribbling with it, shooting into empty goals with it, taking corners, set pieces and pens with it. until eventually I didn't have a "wrong" foot.

Anyone can do it. For a professional it's a crime not to and one of the things that drive me nuts.