How come Spurs are doing so well?

[Lilbaz]

The key words are in Italy and in Spain. They aren't there anymore. I haven't given up on anyone. I just judge them in the current league and team they are playing in. You ignored my question, do you assume liverpools squad are playing at their full potential?

I have no idea. All i can go on is what i've seen of both lots of players.

 

[hodsgod]

I have no idea. All i can go on is what i've seen of both lots of players.

This enforces my point, if you have no idea if they are playing to their full potential, how can you say "if our players play to their full potential we do"

I just hope our players do actually show some improvement, bloody soon.

 

[Lilbaz]

This enforces my point, if you have no idea if they are playing to their full potential, how can you say "if our players play to their full potential we do"

I just hope our players do actually show some improvement, bloody soon.

No it doesn't enforce your point. Suarez scored 4 goals in his first half season. He looked fairly good but not as good as he was at ajax and definately not the player he is today.
We have 7 players who are in their first half a season in a new country. Their history shows that they are all very good players. They are still adjusting. Modric and berba were the same (although they got more game time) experience suggests we've not seen the best of these players yet.
Not all will do well but i expect a lot more from a few of them.
Liverpool have a great team. If you look in the lets all laugh at liverpool thread, before the season kicked off i tipped them to be up there. But our first 11 has as much ability as theirs.

 

[Greenspur]

Let's just talk about what we know, because potential is unquantifiable. Are you also assuming Liverpool, players are all playing to their maximum potential?

I think you will find that physicists may disagree with you.

 

[Greenspur]

This blind optimism amazes me, because I haven't seen these extra gears yet this season, I hope they are there but I just haven't seen it. I have been watching Spurs since 1973, and I know this mythical potential very often never matures. That's why I judge on what I have seen, not what I hope.

I don't know about extra gears, but since we have had a lot of injuries, I am expecting quite a fresh squad for the second half of the season. Where some other teams may tire, we have Verts, Pauli, Sandro (if he doesn't get injured again) and Kaboul (ditto), who have all been out resting. Also, Eriksen, Lamela, Chadli, and Ade have not played too many games. Even Rose and Townsend have had a break. It's almost a full team.

 

[Greenspur]

Absolutely. And the top 6 aint all that either as a collective.

So 7 and 8 are OK, then?

 

[hodsgod]

I think you will find that physicists may disagree with you.

We are talking about human sporting performance potential, can you find any physicists that can quantify that?

 

[hodsgod]

I don't know about extra gears, but since we have had a lot of injuries, I am expecting quite a fresh squad for the second half of the season. Where some other teams may tire, we have Verts, Pauli, Sandro (if he doesn't get injured again) and Kaboul (ditto), who have all been out resting. Also, Eriksen, Lamela, Chadli, and Ade have not played too many games. Even Rose and Townsend have had a break. It's almost a full team.

I agree a lot of them could contribute as other teams tire, however they also have to go through the "gelling" process, plAying themselves into form and for some of them they need to be selected!

If we can get some sort of form going we are very well placed for a top four finish.

 

[Greenspur]

We are talking about human sporting performance potential, can you find any physicists that can quantify that?

Maybe not, but some sports scientists can ..... http://www.brianmac.co.uk/eval.htm

 

[hodsgod]

Maybe not, but some sports scientists can ..... http://www.brianmac.co.uk/eval.htm

If you had read that you wouldn't have posted it!

 

[Toela65]

Liverpool are 2 points in front of us?

We have more gears to go up then they do, I do think they are playing near to their best.

We are playing no-where near are best. Sorry I feel you're under-estimating us there.

Coutinho and Johnson are two of our best players and are both playing nowhere near their potential best for a start so if they do that'll improve us. We have Jose Enrique out injured and has been most of the season who when he returns will be a big upgrade on Cissokho, who has been awful in the main, and Sturridge has only just played his first 20 mins back but already picked up where he left off with Suarez. Sakho, our best CB, is out injured too but is due back now.

We have hardly had all our best 11 out together this season, yet we are where we are. The only time we've been anywhere near our best was against you where we got all the aspects of our system nailed on, and that, again, wasn't our best 11 with Sturridge, Gerrard and Enrique out off the top of my head.

Now we have all best players back (besides Enrique) for what seems like the first time in ages, as well as Flanagan and Allen back imminently to improve the overall squad, hopefully we'll now go up another gear and see more performances like the one at WHL more often.

To say our players and particularly our team can't improve the level they are currently performing at just simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

 

[Toela65]

On paper, Spurs are having a great season in the Premier League. 40 points from 21 games puts us on target for a 72-73 point season. Could be our best ever Premiership total. Our away form is outstanding with 7 wins in 10 games. In any other season we would be comfortably in the top 4 with this points total and it remains well within reach. All this despite the departure of Bale, an influx of new players - most of whom have not settled well, managerial instability, an epidemic of injuries, some woeful performances including 2 thrashings and many dissatisfied fans - especially at WHL.

So how come we are doing so well? There seems to be a disconnect here. Liverpool and Everton think they are having wonderful seasons but are only a point or 2 ahead of us. Can someone explain this?

Its surely not our sharp strikers. Soldado and Defoe have a grand total of a goal each in outfield play and Ade has only recently even appeared. It cannot be our be scary defence which conceded 6 at City and 5 v Liverpool and who look so slow and disorganized and uncertain in many games. Hardly the 'Magnificent 7" new recruits - Lamela, Chadli, and Soldado have all been disappointing or injured or both. Capoue has scarrcely played and Eriksen was missing for weeks. Paulinho has been good but not great. Chirices is uncerain and error prone. Is it Lennon and Townsend? But they have been erratic. How about Dembele or Sandro ? Really ?
It can hardly be luck. By January with more than half the games played the table cannot lie like it often does in September or October. You cannot get 40 points in 21 games by being lucky.

So we do not look good and so many things have gone wrong but there we are with 1.9 points per game on target for 73 points.
Explanations please because it does not seem to make sense !

I can't speak for Everton, but the reason we think we're having a good season so far is because its a HUGE improvement on our last few seasons:

 

[CowInAComa]

We are playing no-where near are best. Sorry I feel you're under-estimating us there.

Coutinho and Johnson are two of our best players and are both playing nowhere near their potential best for a start so if they do that'll improve us. We have Jose Enrique out injured and has been most of the season who when he returns will be a big upgrade on Cissokho, who has been awful in the main, and Sturridge has only just played his first 20 mins back but already picked up where he left off with Suarez. Sakho, our best CB, is out injured too but is due back now.

We have hardly had all our best 11 out together this season, yet we are where we are. The only time we've been anywhere near our best was against you where we got all the aspects of our system nailed on, and that, again, wasn't our best 11 with Sturridge, Gerrard and Enrique out off the top of my head.

Now we have all best players back (besides Enrique) for what seems like the first time in ages, as well as Flanagan and Allen back imminently to improve the overall squad, hopefully we'll now go up another gear and see more performances like the one at WHL more often.

To say our players and particularly our team can't improve the level they are currently performing at just simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Opinions. I think that if we get all of our misfiring/injured players in the side and on form then they have more potential to offer than what you are missing/ got out of form.

Im thinking in Vertonghen, Paulinho, Sandro, Townsend, Lamela, Soldado we've got 'potentially' much more leg room to grow than you have with Allen, Flanagen, Sturridge et al.

For all your 'title-challenging awesomeness' you are barely a nose in front of us. And we have been playing like a bunch of strangers for most of the season. Its not really that impressive.

But i am fully aware potential means nothing if you cant coax it out.

 

[ultimateloner]

I would have Sturridge over Ade every day of the week. His record last season and this is better than Ade. He is a player I really wanted us to sign when Chelsea let him go.

With our injuries Agger would be a good call and Leiva is worth a shout too.

Yes but we know Ade can be a 20-goal/season striker as he demonstrated the season before.
Barring the fact that he is a difficult character with a record for disrupting any team over a long-ish period of time, i dont think he is any worse than Sturridge. I think he gives us a different dimension (hold up in final 3rd) which Sturridge wont provide. I dont think Sturridge would work with Soldado.

Agger maybe; Leiva isn't as good as Sandro IMO. or at least fairly similar so not an upgrade.

 

[hodsgod]

Yes but we know Ade can be a 20-goal/season striker as he demonstrated the season before.
Barring the fact that he is a difficult character with a record for disrupting any team over a long-ish period of time, i dont think he is any worse than Sturridge. I think he gives us a different dimension (hold up in final 3rd) which Sturridge wont provide. I dont think Sturridge would work with Soldado.

Agger maybe; Leiva isn't as good as Sandro IMO. or at least fairly similar so not an upgrade.

Ade hasn't had a twenty goal season for about eight years.

 

[ultimateloner]

Ade hasn't had a twenty goal season for about eight years.

my fault. he had 18 2 seasons ago.

 

[Ionman34]

Knowing that you are a pedant, like myself, I think you would approve of me pointing out that a goal cannot be saved.

Unless it's Pedro Mendes

 

[doncht]

I think this year, they've done a pretty good job despite all of the things that are happening.

 

[Mullers]

We are punching below our weight but we have a game in hand.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Weird bump is weird