What's new

Player Watch Player Watch: Giovani Lo Celso

  • Thread starter Deleted member 29446
  • Start date

HW61

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
680
3,620
If Pochettino continues playing a diamond formation, Kane and the other forwards will not have any space and we will continue to play the type of football that plagued the back end of last season. It just doesn’t work for us at all.
Think I may be unpopular here. I likewise haven’t seen anything to like about how we’ve used the diamond formation, certainly during last season. But we have GLC and TN who are both new style players for us. Surely we trust Poch enough for him to know what will ultimately work best for Spurs and the squad of players we have and the youngsters coming through.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
Think I may be unpopular here. I likewise haven’t seen anything to like about how we’ve used the diamond formation, certainly during last season. But we have GLC and TN who are both new style players for us. Surely we trust Poch enough for him to know what will ultimately work best for Spurs and the squad of players we have and the youngsters coming through.

I think we'll see Ndombele and Lo Celso driving forward with the ball from CM this season. The dreaded diamond produced some turgid stuff last season which only really came to life when Sissoko was powering up the pitch. We now have 2 players with a much more rounded skill set who can both do the same, and who can also find the passes through the channels up front.
 

chrissivad

Staff
May 20, 2005
51,646
58,072
Is this really news? Surely Poch would expect him to travel with the squad? Didn’t Dele, Jan etc sit in the crowd on Saturday? It is all part of his integration into the team.

Yes, but at a home game.
Not sure Dele, Son and Foyth will have travelled up to Manchester to sit in the stands today.
Tge players that will have traveled will be the ones in the match day squad + a couple of extra incase of injury.

He has also been training with us for a week, so I would expect him to be part of the squad now.
 

doctor stefan Freud

the tired tread of sad biology
Sep 2, 2013
15,170
72,169
Think I may be unpopular here. I likewise haven’t seen anything to like about how we’ve used the diamond formation, certainly during last season. But we have GLC and TN who are both new style players for us. Surely we trust Poch enough for him to know what will ultimately work best for Spurs and the squad of players we have and the youngsters coming through.
Agree. There’s definitely a sense that Poch has given serious consideration to the 41212 formation. While it’s not really worked for us overall, this could also be down to tactical development and having the right players. I’m not saying it will work but perhaps Poch and the players are learning the systems that suit the formation as well as being proficient in the 4231 formation that we can easily switch too when the diamond doesn’t work, as we saw against Villa in the second half last Saturday.

It’s interesting that Poch has evolved from a coach that stuck rigidly to 4231 in his early tenure to a coach that has played 343/3421 ( our best three at the back system with Eriksen and Dele behind Kane or Son), 532 (the system that annihilated Liverpool at Wembley and nullified Madrid away in the CL) 41212/4312 and 4231. And I honestly believe this tactical versatility is a good thing but it takes time to bed in.

Poch is showing signs of greater in game tactical versatility compared to his early years and I think this makes us a stronger team. The concern is when we use a system like 41212 against teams like Liverpool and City who really stretch the width of the game with their wide forwards and attacking fullbacks. Then we lose the strength of the system (blocking space in central midfield) and invite teams to attack our weaker areas (fullbacks- especially our right side) on the flanks where our fullbacks can be easily overloaded. I wouldn’t be surprised if we invested significantly in at least one quality rb next summer, if not an lb too. To play this system successfully, the team needs highly competent fullbacks that defend first and are quick to initiate attacks when they recover the ball.

Another strength of the diamond is that it makes teams dangerous in the counter attack. If Kane is supported by Son/Moura and Eriksen/Dele, we are well positioned to pounce on any counter attacks that break our way, especially against cavalier sides like City and Liverpool. Add to that the fact most modern centre-backs are used to only marking a single forward, the extra forward (Kane, Son/Moura) can complicate the coherency of the two centre back partnership. The Dybala deal would have made us even more potent in that he can play as the second striker and on the tip of the diamond. Imagine Dybala just behind Kane and Son, or Lo Celso/Eriksen/ Dele behind Kane and Dybala - that would terrify any team’s defence.

I really need to get the washing on the line now or it’s going to be a barren weekend for me
 

dagraham

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
19,115
46,080
I think we'll see Ndombele and Lo Celso driving forward with the ball from CM this season. The dreaded diamond produced some turgid stuff last season which only really came to life when Sissoko was powering up the pitch. We now have 2 players with a much more rounded skill set who can both do the same, and who can also find the passes through the channels up front.

One of the problems with the diamond for me is that imo to make it work you need a proper DM at the base otherwise we will get exposed ( especially against quality opposition).
 

bloodzeed

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2011
1,521
3,468
hope he gets more mins vs Newcastle next week and maybe a first start vs arsenal is on the cards
no better game to have your debut start
 

13VanDerBale13

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2011
14,269
33,647
Genuine question, did he touch the ball when he came on :LOL:

In all seriousness I’m glad he came on, the only way he will acclimatise is by getting minutes under his belt
 

Gspurs11

Well-Known Member
Aug 19, 2012
1,949
8,674
Great game from him today. MoTM for me. Jokes aside, I can only remember him throwing the ball to KWP for a throw in.
 

$hoguN

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2005
26,626
34,700
Think I may be unpopular here. I likewise haven’t seen anything to like about how we’ve used the diamond formation, certainly during last season. But we have GLC and TN who are both new style players for us. Surely we trust Poch enough for him to know what will ultimately work best for Spurs and the squad of players we have and the youngsters coming through.
No tbh I don’t. I can see it leading to us having another run of bad results.

If you look at our 2019 results there is plenty to be concerned about.
 
Top