Benoit Assou-Ekotto

[Kendall]

The only problem I see with him is that he constantly lumps the ball forward aimlessly. I don't get why he does it because he has shown himself to be capable of neat passing play further up the pitch but in his own half he seems to panic and hoof it. It wouldn't be so bad if it went behind the opposition defence but it seems to drop straight to them, early in the game yesterday he did a crossfield hoof that went straight to either Ronaldo and Nani, was shocking but came after a really good interception from him. Bit hit n miss really.

He doesn't always but I prefer that than him trying to play his way out of trouble This is something he was doing when he was first here and got murdered for it. For me, he only lumped it up as much as Evra did for United.

 

[ravo]

bent had his first shot after about 85mins! Pav may have been shooting horribly but he got into positions for 3 or 4 good chances before bent had 1

I'm not sure if either are good enough...

 

[ravo]

They do, Evra and Clichey rarely get a game because of Abidal, which says a lot.

Off topic - but it's a strange one - I believe they're both better than Abidal.

Did well but let Ronaldo past him with ease just before end of normal time

Not good enough

:rofl: clown.

Haha, name me a left back who contains Ronaldo completely for 120 minutes.

1 proper shot in TWO HOURS

Evra let Lennon get passed him 4 or 5 times before half time, I suppose he's not good enough either.

Some fans really do my head in.

Thanks for that. Save me saying it.

 

[Bobishism]

i think we should be playing him in the centre of midfield, honestly. he's got good distribution, he can tackle, read the game and he's got good football intelligence.

 

[Lucky22]

At the start of the match my mate (a Liverpool fan) said that he would get killed by Ronaldo but by the end of the game accepted that he's a more than decent full back. Thought he had another solid game yesterday and linked well with Luka.

 

[Bobishism]

I disagree with that. I thought Bent was very very good. Got himself into some good positions, hit the target and worked Foster when he had the chance, chased and harried down the flanks and hounded their defenders. He really helped give United's defence the runaround.

Pavlyuchenko was a flop.

hahahaha. bent created 2 chances for himself. pav created around 10. it wasn't his best game by any stretch of the imagination, but he was still better than bent.

 

[Kendall]

Absolute rubbish and I'm glad 90% of people in the ratings thread noticed too.

Pav didn't create any chances for himself, he skied and sliced his way through efforts he should never have even tried.

 

[bubble07]

I'm starting to think we will not be able to get a better left back then him. What's his contract situation? It may be the time to extend his contract. He can't have more then 1 more year I don't think. Wouldn't wan't him to go for nothing

Evra, Cole, Clichy are better but he is showing great improvement

 

[SoulDog]

I have to admit last season I thought he was rubbish. This year he has deffiantly Proven he is a good player, who is good on the ball he's still not the best defender, yesterday he got beat and let in a few crosses still but deffo a good player.

 

[miles_64]

Praying that we keep him. Been my MOTM a couple of times recently.

To all those 'haters' - rewatch the game - his distribution was not as terrible as you make out. Would you rather him have great distribution which may every once in a while result in a goal (see Hull) or fantastic defensive capabilities which, given he was up against Ronaldo, probably saved a couple of goals?

I am not for one moment suggesting they are mutually exclusive but give the lad a break. He'll work on that side of his game.

 

[AngerManagement]

I thought BAE played very well, as did Zokora (his best game in a Spurs shirt I feel)

 

[Hoowl]

This article was posted on COYS, I don't know the original source:

Tottenham full back Benoit Assou-Ekotto has explained why he did not play for 18 months.

The Frenchman has started 19 Premier League games so far this season and is delighted to be back playing week in, week out for Spurs.

The 24-year-old has revealed that his rehabilitation from knee damage was too prompt, as a consequence he was forced on to the sidelines for a year and a half.

And Assou-Ekotto is now back on track with the North Londoners, ready to help Spurs avoid the drop this term.

Assou-Ekotto told Le 10 Sport: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy with my season. I’m back from hell. My right meniscus was bulked and the problem is that I started my rehabilitation too early.

“And both of my knees are very fragile. As a result, I was meant to rest a lot for a year and a half.

“I had no idea whether I would be able to play regularly in the starting line-up this season so I’m very happy.

“Yes [I still like being in England].”

The defender has asked Tottenham fans to be patient with summer signings Roman Pavlyuchenko and Luka Modric, as the duo need time to settle into The Premier League.

He added: “You have to excuse them [Modric and Pavlyuchenko] because they are discovering the English league. And Pavlyuchenko has scored many goals though [3 league goals].

“Modric is capable of playing on the left or at playmaker. We have to give him time. But I’m aware that Redknapp has spoken of new signings.”

Assou-Ekotto understands that Spurs are involved in the relegation fight and are still in danger.

As a consequence, he was not shocked to see manager Harry Redknapp play a ‘B team’ against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Uefa Cup, as securing their top-flight status is Spurs’ priority.

He said: “The Uefa Cup wasn’t our objective. The coach played a B team because the priority remains the league. We are five points above the relegation zone, everything is possible.”

 

[gibbs131]

He did better than most Prem left backs would against Ronaldo. The defense is the last thing I am worried about.

Right now, we need some serious muscle to add to the problems having Keane, Modric, Lennon, Defoe etc etc as first teamers.

We need strikers that can score and have a dual role in defending set pieces like Mido did. We need a monster on the left if we are to use Modric in the middle.

I am happy with Modric on the left, he seems to be doing more in a role that isn't pivotal in defending and heading and controlling the middle like Palacious can.

 

[Kendall]

A BAE interview? a rare delight :-D

 

[fortworthspur]

only a post kept Ronaldo from winning the game, so Im not sure how ineffective he was. and BAE was so careless with the ball. Ive been a big BAE fan, but I didnt see him as MOTM yesterday.

 

[yiddobrett]

He had an pretty good game. Some shaky moments, but he kept Ronaldo quiet which is a hell of a task.

 

[Gin+Tonic14]

Distribution and concentration require improvement but the raw materials are there. Still feel we will bring in a tall 6ft+ left back this summer, as the team is a little on the short side

 

[spurs mental]

Thought BAE had a good game. His only problems as pointed out, are his distribution, but his crossing is good. I also thinks he has a tendency to get a bit to narrow at times when defending, which allowed O'Shea to get forward yesterday and get in some crosses. He is very quick though and was able to get out and stop him as much as he could.

I wasnt a fan of his at all, but he has shown this season he that he can do a good job at LB, and I really hope we keep him on for a good long time. Our defence is finally the least of my worries at the moment.

 

[hughy]

hahahaha. bent created 2 chances for himself. pav created around 10. it wasn't his best game by any stretch of the imagination, but he was still better than bent.

The fuck? I'm all for defending Pavlyuchenko, as it is his first season here, and I think he's done pretty well, but 10 chances? Is that all season, or just yesterday?

 

[hughy]

A BAE interview? a rare delight :-D

Aye, I had a smile as I read that. For some reason I had it fixed in my head that he still doesn't like it here and wants out in Summer. Glad he's happy with his season so far, I think he's done well considering it is his first full season for us after all his injuries. He has time to mature, too. Hopefully he sticks around, once he stops the silly errors, and moments of casualness, he'll be sound.

Distribution and concentration require improvement but the raw materials are there. Still feel we will bring in a tall 6ft+ left back this summer, as the team is a little on the short side

I disagree. With Corluka, Dawson/King, Woody, Jenas and Pavlyuchenko in the team most weeks, we shouldn't have a problem defending set-pieces. And then we've got Bale, Huddlestone, Chimbonda, Gunter, Hutton, Zokora, who are all reasonably tall players.