Form and Fatigue

[The Scarecrow]

If you want to be a big team, you have to be prepared to play lots of games. I don't think it's down to the squad needing to come back fitter and better drilled, it's a case of we have not been good enough. We need better players, simple.

That's true. What we need is more players Poch can trust, so we can rotate more without putting results at stake.

 

[shelfboy68]

On the 15th of March Spurs played Man U. A pivotal game for both teams. Man U blew us away playing a high tempo game having been forced to finally pick a team which didn't look like a blindfold and set of darts had been instrumental in selection.

Since then their season has gone from strength to strength, whilst ours has withered quickly.

However, that game was Man U's 35th of the season. It was our 48th.
Since that game Man U have gone on and won some critical games:

Game 35: 3-0 w Spurs
Game 36: 2-1 w Liverpool
Game 37: 3-1 w Villa
Game 38: 4-2 w Man City

Wouldn't it have been great if we could have shown that kind of form..? well we kinda actually did...

Our Game 35: 2-1 w Sunderland
The following three league matches:

3-0 w West Brom
2-1 w Arsenal
2-3 l Liverpool (A game at Anfield that we played pretty well in)

We have already played 7 more games than Man U will play for their whole season and will finish up the season having played 20 hours more football than they have. Add in to that the flights all over Europe (they only managed to get to Wales... and lost there) and difficult rhythm of regular Sunday football and the form of the two teams over the last few weeks should not come as a surprise.

It may be argued that Poch should have rotated more, and placated the more difficult elements of the squad so there was more choice but those issues don't undermine his whole philosophy and the clear improvements we all saw.

This young squad will come back fitter and better drilled after a summer with Poch and we've a lot to look forward to.

Is this the same Utd that is used to winning the premier league nearly every year and playing in the champions league too,and occasionaly winning that.
In short they are used to lots of games and can still win when they need to, and to a degree we have had several years ourselves of playing in Europe albeit a less glamorous one and in fairness should have done better than reaching a quarter final a couple of times.

 

[lukespurs7]

On the 15th of March Spurs played Man U. A pivotal game for both teams. Man U blew us away playing a high tempo game having been forced to finally pick a team which didn't look like a blindfold and set of darts had been instrumental in selection.

Since then their season has gone from strength to strength, whilst ours has withered quickly.

However, that game was Man U's 35th of the season. It was our 48th.
Since that game Man U have gone on and won some critical games:

Game 35: 3-0 w Spurs
Game 36: 2-1 w Liverpool
Game 37: 3-1 w Villa
Game 38: 4-2 w Man City

Wouldn't it have been great if we could have shown that kind of form..? well we kinda actually did...

Our Game 35: 2-1 w Sunderland
The following three league matches:

3-0 w West Brom
2-1 w Arsenal
2-3 l Liverpool (A game at Anfield that we played pretty well in)

We have already played 7 more games than Man U will play for their whole season and will finish up the season having played 20 hours more football than they have. Add in to that the flights all over Europe (they only managed to get to Wales... and lost there) and difficult rhythm of regular Sunday football and the form of the two teams over the last few weeks should not come as a surprise.

It may be argued that Poch should have rotated more, and placated the more difficult elements of the squad so there was more choice but those issues don't undermine his whole philosophy and the clear improvements we all saw.

This young squad will come back fitter and better drilled after a summer with Poch and we've a lot to look forward to.

I like this

 

[Flobadob]

On the 15th of March Spurs played Man U. A pivotal game for both teams. Man U blew us away playing a high tempo game having been forced to finally pick a team which didn't look like a blindfold and set of darts had been instrumental in selection.

Since then their season has gone from strength to strength, whilst ours has withered quickly.

However, that game was Man U's 35th of the season. It was our 48th.
Since that game Man U have gone on and won some critical games:

Game 35: 3-0 w Spurs
Game 36: 2-1 w Liverpool
Game 37: 3-1 w Villa
Game 38: 4-2 w Man City

Wouldn't it have been great if we could have shown that kind of form..? well we kinda actually did...

Our Game 35: 2-1 w Sunderland
The following three league matches:

3-0 w West Brom
2-1 w Arsenal
2-3 l Liverpool (A game at Anfield that we played pretty well in)

We have already played 7 more games than Man U will play for their whole season and will finish up the season having played 20 hours more football than they have. Add in to that the flights all over Europe (they only managed to get to Wales... and lost there) and difficult rhythm of regular Sunday football and the form of the two teams over the last few weeks should not come as a surprise.

It may be argued that Poch should have rotated more, and placated the more difficult elements of the squad so there was more choice but those issues don't undermine his whole philosophy and the clear improvements we all saw.

This young squad will come back fitter and better drilled after a summer with Poch and we've a lot to look forward to.

Great post and I fully agree! We'll have the young and hungry Pritchard, Fredericks, Yedlin, Carroll, Alli, Winks and Onomah ready to play a part in the first team squad after the summer as well hopefully. Lots to be positive about from my point of view! Anyone who didn't know it would take time is a fool

 

[spurs9]

If you want to be a big team, you have to be prepared to play lots of games. I don't think it's down to the squad needing to come back fitter and better drilled, it's a case of we have not been good enough. We need better players, simple.

IMO, not better players, but players that fit the style of play.

 

[spurs9]

Something I haven't seen mentioned:
“It was a very long season. When you do a whole season playing Thurs-Sunday and you are a young squad and you make the biggest effort during the season, maybe you arrive at the end at very difficult level,” he was quoted by the Mirror as saying.

“Not physically, but mentally, in a very difficult moment at the end of the season.”

IMO it certainly merits consideration.

Absolutely agree, but he should have rotated more, especially in Feb. My hope is this was due to him not trusting the other players available to perform in his system and this being rectified in the transfer window.