Christian Eriksen claims Tottenham don't need to spend big like their rivals

[davidmatzdorf]

They had no European football to contend with.

They also miraculously had fuck all injuries.

They also had a better bench with players like Bats coming on to win them the league.

Although Batshuayi did score a few goals late in the season, Chelsea had their grip on the title by then. The players who provided their superior depth were the ones who could come off the bench, all season, to provide a change of tactics and fresh legs, but without any reduction in quality or experience: Fabregas, Willian and Pedro.

Even if we were able to put that level of quality on our bench, by buying the kind of exciting up-and-coming players we specialise in finding, we wouldn't be able to afford that level of experience. Experience is a major factor in winning titles.

Add in the lack of injuries and the lack of European matches (two facts that are not unrelated) and it's no surprise that Chelsea won so many tight matches by a single goal margin, often late in the game. Conte's substitutions just killed the opposition, repeatedly.

 

[kungfugrip]

Eriksen does come across a lot more intelligent than your average footballer

...both on and off the field!

 

[Lighty64]

It's not really about rotating the starting XI. It's about having game changers on the bench. When you can routinely bring on Hazard, Willian, Fabregas, Pedro etc., you can also keep your starters fresh with no drop off in quality. Our bench looked very threadbare at time last season, especially when we had a few injuries.

that's when it did effect us, the only trouble is without a crystal ball no one knows when and who might get injured.

Hazard was only used as a sub once, that was against us in the FA Cup. Pedro was one of their main starters, but our problem is we are not in a position to be able to afford players of their quality, and pay the wages that go with it, and won't really be in a position too until either the stadium has been paid or someone comes along and buys us as did Chelsea and City, a play thing not as an investment.

 

[Lighty64]

Depressing reading this. Every single club including last seasons league winners are improving their teams/squads whilst we are standing still like a bunch of buffoons as per usual. What makes us so special ? We proved last season we couldn't handle both the CL and league. I just don't get what the board and Levy are playing at ? We were already told the stadium would have no impact on transfers and we have just sold Walker for 50 mil.

no impact doesn't mean we can go out and spend £200 mil, and start paying stupid wages. As I said in a post a little earlier than you posted this. everyone of those teams that have signed players above us haven't signed a player a player that we could even afford the fee let alone the wages, and none of them would want to sit on our bench.

have Chelsea really improved? Morata replacing Costa, Bakayaro (no guarantee he will be fit for the start) replacing Matic

Man C are the only ones that have really strengthened, though they still not done anything about their centre half's and the new keeper no one knows if he is any good yet

Man U have got Lukaku but is he really an improvement over Ibrahimovic

Liverpool have signed a left back from Hull, but their defence has so many flaws.

Arsenal Lacazette? if Sanchez goes then they haven't strengthened

Everton, have sold Lukaku and most probably Barkley, their best 2 players last season

 

[mattie g]

Depressing reading this. Every single club including last seasons league winners are improving their teams/squads whilst we are standing still like a bunch of buffoons as per usual. What makes us so special ? We proved last season we couldn't handle both the CL and league. I just don't get what the board and Levy are playing at ? We were already told the stadium would have no impact on transfers and we have just sold Walker for 50 mil.

This same line is trotted out every year by fans, yet the fact is that teams cannot continuously improve year on year. There's a theoretical limit to the amount of improvement a team can achieve, and the closer one gets to that limit, there's an exponential decrease in the return on "improvement investment." Just because a team buys a player that appears to be an upgrade on the player currently in that position, it doesn't mean that the team will get better. Every season proves this out, yet somehow some fans can't accept it.

The fact is that we have a young, talented squad that should have room to improve on its own given the extra year of experience. That's not to say that we can't increase our squad depth, but we would still be in a great position even if we didn't do so.

 

[JAYSTAR]

We have Winks, who seems more than ready to start prem games, going on the impression he made last season. And then there is Onomah, who seems full of confidence after a good summer with the England u20's. Anyone we bring in will block opportunities for these two which seems silly when we are operating on such a tight transfer budget.[/QUOTE

I don't agree. Winks is developing really well sure, but Onomah's progress is not going to be stunted, he's just not ready yet and will probably play cup games, so we need a better option right now. Winks and someone else as our second midfielder when Champions League fixtures are happening.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

I don't agree. Winks is developing really well sure, but Onomah's progress is not going to be stunted, he's just not ready yet and will probably play cup games, so we need a better option right now. Winks and someone else as our second midfielder when Champions League fixtures are happening.

We have Wanyama, Dembele, Dier, Winks and Onomah for 2 spots.

It's my belief that Winks is ready. He was one of the best players on the pitch in the vast majority of his appearances for us last season. The only thing stopping him progressing to are games and bringing someone else is in is not going help that.

 

[WiganSpur]

We have Wanyama, Dembele, Dier, Winks and Onomah for 2 spots.

It's my belief that Winks is ready. He was one of the best players on the pitch in the vast majority of his appearances for us last season. The only thing stopping him progressing to are games and bringing someone else is in is not going help that.

Agree, CM is probably one of the least of our priorities.