How close are we to challenging City & Liverpool ?

[MightySpurs]

Royal has improved and we have not seen what Spence can do, yet!
I think creativity in the middle will be my asking!

Sure Royal has improved- but now way he’s top 4 quality.

 

[THE SPURSBOY]

Royal needs improving on esp when Sanchez is behind him. They just cannot bring the ball out and transverse to attack as conte wants his team to do. Amazed we haven’t improved that side

 

[13VanDerBale13]

We simply can’t blow away teams like they can for fun when they are on it & I think that’s the main difference.

All it takes from us is an off day from Kane & we are likely struggling.

 

[thekneaf]

We simply can’t blow away teams like they can for fun when they are on it & I think that’s the main difference.

All it takes from us is an off day from Kane & we are likely struggling.

We did it to Southampton and if kane and son were in form we'd have blown Forest away.

However, I do think we're not at their level, mostly because of the ball playing ability of the midfield and some defenders. When we do click, have the right people on the pitch and the midfield are at the top of their level you can see how we can just play straight through teams. Even good teams like City.

So it feels tantalisingly close on those occasions.

All of this said. We don't need to be more pleasing that other teams, we just need to win more points.

 

[JCRD]

Sure Royal has improved- but now way he’s top 4 quality.

I was totally against Emerson for the majority of last year but he has certainly improved. I think he is top four material but we do need someone in that position who is better in an attacking sense. Emerson I think is very good defensively and at times you will need that but he cant be relied upon when we need a goal. Having said that, im big on partnerships, and see him and Kulu operating well and brings out the best from Kulu - so the sum is greater I guess. We may bring someone else in who impacts on Kulu.

We had Corluka and Lennon, Corluka got the best out of Lennon and think Emerson allows Kulu the space with his overlaps etc even if he doesnt get the ball

 

[Topeka]

To me Sanchez and Dier are the quiet achievers this year in defence, they have upped their games and look like they are motivated to keep doing it!

 

[Yantino]

I think we are still a few away from really being able to challenge.

And, quite rightly, FP and AC are prepared to wait for the right players to become available rather than signing second best choices.

We've made huge progress this summer IMO. More to come in the next couple of windows.

I don't think AC is comfortable with changing our formation unless the first 11 are available. Which is a bit of a problem.

 

[TOLBINY]

In Conte's system the wing backs are perhaps more important creatively speaking than the 2 central mids. Good delivery from wide positions will help create more / better chances and should lead to more goals. Look at Perisic delivery compared to the other wing backs we have. Look at TAA and Robertson at Liverpool - both can deliver a great cross. So we are certainly light in that area imho as well as competition for Dier. Replacements for Gill and eventually Moura must be top quality to allow for rotation / form / injury.

 

[spurs mental]

We simply can’t blow away teams like they can for fun when they are on it & I think that’s the main difference.

All it takes from us is an off day from Kane & we are likely struggling.

We beat Saints 4-1 with out Kane being anywhere near his best, Son not scoring as well.

We battered quite a few teams from end of Feb last season too.

Newcastle 5-1
Everton 5-0
Villa 4-0
Leeds 4-0
Norwich 5-0
Arsenal 3-0

We can step on the necks when we're on it.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Yeah, are people forgetting how formidable we were in the final third of last season? We've added considerable depth to that team.

Both the teams that the subjects of this thread have had shonky starts as well. As I said in the match thread, give it until October for us to really find our feet.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

We beat Saints 4-1 with out Kane being anywhere near his best, Son not scoring as well.

We battered quite a few teams from end of Feb last season too.

Newcastle 5-1
Everton 5-0
Villa 4-0
Leeds 4-0
Norwich 5-0
Arsenal 3-0

We can step on the necks when we're on it.

Doherty started the majority of those games, & i feel it's vital that either He/Spence get into the XI, in order to improve our goal output/threat.

 

[spursville]

I was totally against Emerson for the majority of last year but he has certainly improved. I think he is top four material but we do need someone in that position who is better in an attacking sense. Emerson I think is very good defensively and at times you will need that but he cant be relied upon when we need a goal. Having said that, im big on partnerships, and see him and Kulu operating well and brings out the best from Kulu - so the sum is greater I guess. We may bring someone else in who impacts on Kulu.

We had Corluka and Lennon, Corluka got the best out of Lennon and think Emerson allows Kulu the space with his overlaps etc even if he doesnt get the ball

If Emerson is not up to it an attacking sense, then I'm not sure we can call him top four material.

 

[jurgen]

Does feel like without the extra top drawer attacker and defender added to the squad that we are ultimately still a little way off.

However, if Lenglet can get up to speed, we get Romero back in and hopefully Spence can work hard and prove himself useful, or Doherty returns - then our back 5 would become a lot more dynamic than it currently is, and that would definitely see us playing more fluid stuff.

But I can understand that so far this season our defence hasn't really let Conte down - ok we've looked ponderous coming out from the back but we're not giving up many good chances so I can understand why he's not changed it yet.

 

[JCRD]

If Emerson is not up to it an attacking sense, then I'm not sure we can call him top four material.

I would agree except we did get top four with him... and currently in top four. Perhaps despite of him but the proof is there I guess.

 

[Locotoro]

The answer is not close at all.
because Conte’s game model means we get dominated way too much by shit teams. It’s asking for trouble and although we get away with it often over the course of 38 games we will come unstuck. People won’t want to hear it but Pep and Klopp are superior managers to Conte in this moment.

I can't say I agree but I'd really be interested in why you think we are being dominated by shit teams. I know you'll say that we give up possession too much but I don't see how that actually matters if its intentional.

If we had as part of our game plan that we should maintain possession and suffocate the opposition with our pressing game - and then we end up having 40% then I agree we're being dominated. But if our strategy is intentionally to give up space on the field, encourage an opponent to come forward and attack them in behind in quick transition then I don't see how we are being dominated. In all of our EPL games so far, we have have averaged 48% possession (across 4 games) and in all of our games we created more "big chances" than the opponent (including chelsea). We also had a better xG than all the other teams (except Chelsea and only by virtue of the volume of poor chances they created).

If its part of your gameplan to play a rope-a-dope and to cede the space to better enhance your chances of scoring where we are entirely in control of our own approach why would it be being dominated.

I don't understand the acceptance by some fans and in the media that possession = dominance. We only have to go back to Sir Alex Ferguson's all conquering Man Utd to see a team that would play and pass to attack and not keep possession for the sake of it. That team quite regularly finished games with equal or lower possession than the opposition despite winning 2 or 3 nil. Real Madrid is another example, ignore this media BS that they are lucky - they've won the UCL 5 times in 9 years mostly playing a quick counter attack system. That's not luck, that is dominance and excellence.

 

[easley91]

Doherty started the majority of those games, & i feel it's vital that either He/Spence get into the XI, in order to improve our goal output/threat.

Emerson actually played in the three after Villa, which Doherty missed due to injury. We can still score the goals with him in the side. He was heavily involved v Southampton this season especially. Assisted and caused havoc for the OG. Genuinely believe there are some who won't accept Emerson, even if Conte does. Not saying you in particular, but there are sections of this fanbase who have written him off completely even though he has improved and continues to do so.

 

[Locotoro]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse but you see that we dominated possession against West Ham (62%) and yet attacking wise we barely made any inroads into their defence and we didn't look good.

I'll be happy if we continue to cede space and wrack up the goals in transition for the rest of the season.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

Nobody is close to City right now. And I don't think anyone will be for a while.

 

[stevespurs]

If Haaland stays injury free, he could score a huge amount this season, possibly break records. With Son starting so slowly too, the void between City and ourselves, looks potentially bigger this season.

 

[Lukasz]

If you locate us in Tottenham, Liverpool are on Jupiter and City are on fucking Neptune. We are light years behind.