Gent Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

[StevePil]

The ref was poor but we were worse. No excuses for that performance, none whatsoever.

and Poch still thinks the squad is good enough or is he just playing to levy tune as always! if he is not backed in the summer, he will walk and who can blame him...

 

[talkshowhost86]

I am struggling to think of a worse Spurs cup manager than Pochettinho.

Is there something worse than a double face palm?

 

[Shadydan]

Ffs. Do take every literally. But I am happy that you are content. You must have pretty low expectations....

Realistic expectations

 

[DIEHARD]

and Poch still thinks the squad is good enough or is he just playing to levy tune as always! if he is not backed in the summer, he will walk and who can blame him...

Poch doesn't believe that and the proof is in the pudding... His reluctance in using the bench and the fact is we cant freshen our team up because we don't have the subs or the players.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I didn't say the ref is the reason we lost. However, I don't think the ref had a good performance. Their players were making rugby tackles at time

There was confusion about our opponents tonight ... I thought we were playing Grim Reapers tonight as they were scything players every few seconds and getting away with it,

 

[talkshowhost86]

and Poch still thinks the squad is good enough or is he just playing to levy tune as always! if he is not backed in the summer, he will walk and who can blame him...

I think everyone in football would blame him.

Have some sense of perspective you fool.

 

[shelfmonkey]

Is there something worse than a double face palm?

Pathetic successive away defeats?

 

[Sweetsman]

Cheers for not over reacting.

Look, that was a poor performance, and I was just concerned that it augurs badly. I'd like to have seen us impose ourselves, but we became very disjointed for no discernible reason. That is why I'm worried there is a mental problem.

 

[2bearis2do]

I guess this is what "being out of form" looks like. No coordination, no ability to keep the ball under pressure, imprecision in passing throughout the side, lack of movement up front and one key moment of sloppy defending undoing an otherwise competent back-line performance.

Gent played with considerable fire and passion, but no great skill or creativity. They weren't really that good, they just worked incredibly hard. But we had no idea how to construct any kind of attacking moves. As at Liverpool, our midfield could not control the game, with the exception of the 10 minutes leading up to the goal.

I haven't read the thread. I'm sure it's full of people attacking individual players for the "errors" that cost us the match, but this wasn't about errors, it was about a collective lack of urgency and vision. I think our midfielders got caught in possession more than 30 times in the course of the match. I lost count after about 20. That's just unacceptable.

Winks played well. Alderweireld did some good things in the first half. Walker tried hard, once he bothered to attack in the second half, but never really got free enough to deliver a quality ball. No one else contributed anything at all. The subs were nearly invisible, except for Eriksen lashing the ball over the ball twice.

We didn't trouble their goalkeeper. How bad is that?

I'm almost shouting the same as you - but I don't think it is "form" that is to blame.

When our key players are injured - MoPo's plan B just doesn't work and he's too stubborn to find a better solution than the one he keeps putting out there (or maybe we just don't have the squad).

We've been awful since we lost Verts and even worse since we lost Rose. So how has that affected our form? It's affected our shape and our way of playing and that has affected our form and it is MoPo that chooses the playing shape and strategy.

We've gone back to 4-4-2 and are playing Dier out of position. The back four is a shambles and easily opened up - this affects everything ahead of them. We're creating nothing because it is 4-4-2 with Dembele & Wanyama & Dier all pretty much defensive midfielders.Dele worked so well just behind Kane - and tonight he's hugging the left touchline?!
If you have a system that was working so well (in December) - why change the system because of injuries? Wimmer should be withToby & Dier in a mobile back 3. You then have to give Walker licence to roam the wings as he was doing and then you say the same to Davies who has been awful in the back four. If you don't go that way - you have no pace and you don't create anything. Which is pretty much the story of the last 6 games.

Sissoko is no-one's answer. At least N'kou can beat a man and put a cross in. I could just keep going - but our "form" is down to injuries and MoPo being stubborn or lacking ideas (I haven't worked out which yet). We really have to improve the Squad depth because outside of our best starting X1 we get found out big time. But more importantly we need to play players to their strengths and find a balanced creative team even when injuries disrupt us - we have no pace in this team (that's the only way Harry is going to score) - so how do you create pace and indeed space? MoPo needs to figure that out pronto - because we are horribly predictable at the moment and Fulham will be licking their lips.

 

[rocklink]

February comes and our form dips !!!

 

[samspurs92]

Poch is having an absolute nightmare at the moment.

The systems that he is picking with the players he is picking just aren't working at all.

He needs to stop playing Dele left fucking wing, Kane is having to take a million touches because no-one is ever close to him.

Davies needs to never play left back again, he's just awful. It would be better playing Trippier there.

Why does Poch always wait until 70 mins to make changes too?

I love the bloke but he's making fuck up after fuck up with the system and team he is choosing. He needs to recognise that he isn't performing either.

 

[LukaKranjcar]

Im not entirely sure how much of tonight is Pochettinos fault. Obviously you could argue our formation was wrong, but other than that the blame falls on the players for me. We had a strong team out, arguably one of the best left in the competition but the players just didnt show up. They just dont want it enough. Abject, devoid of ideas and all round flat. Awful.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Pathetic successive away defeats?

Hmmmmm....no.

Get a grip for fucks sake

 

[glacierSpurs]

We need a goal from open play soon to calm the whole squad.. The stats of not scoring for what, 4 games, is too jittery for the team to make any zips in their passes.. So telling, everyone is procrastinating and hesitating that we are easily crowded out..

 

[SirNiNyHotspur]

yeah --- for comparison look at Liverpoo --- 1 player out and they win 1 in 10 games including games against Plymouth and Wolves. Perspective.

when you stand in dogshit do you go look for someone else that stood in dogshit to make you feel better?

 

[werty]

I am struggling to think of a worse Spurs cup manager than Pochettinho.

We got to the final his first season.

 

[archiewasking]

and Poch still thinks the squad is good enough or is he just playing to levy tune as always! if he is not backed in the summer, he will walk and who can blame him...

Yet it was at his insistence we shelled out £30m on Sissoko. Looks like he's being backed to me. And that's really going well so far.......

 

[dk-yid]

Realistic expectations

Fair enough. But I think it is fair to expect that a squad of players playing this team could be expected to show up and impose themselves on a team like Gent is a realistic expectation. And if this was a one off I'd take it as an anomaly. But sadly it isn't and again.... The common denominator is a us. A squad who lack the mentality to win things especially when faced with what I hope you ar least agree is a team of lesser quality.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I've run out of the letters F and B in my Alphabetty Spaghetti............

 

[SelbYido]

Well that's 2 hours I could have spent making kebabs...Not a lot more to say than that, seemed short of ideas, didn't press them in any meaningful way & still can't play through a deep back line. We need Rose & Verts back ASAP but that wasn't the issue so much, just lacking creativity & confidence.