If we want to progress...

[BringBack_leGin]

BBLG is being a bit provocative, I think, but I do have to agree with his general gist:grin: (General Gist, maybe a relative of Sergeant Wilson:shrug.

Me, provocative? Never.

I'm finding myself less diplomatic in my old age. Still... I am right :grin:

 

[TwoSaintsComeMarching]

Me, provocative? Never.

I'm finding myself less diplomatic in my old age. Still... I am right :grin:

Nahhhhh

You're stubborn, ill give you that :wink:

 

[Bus-Conductor]

then we need to wise up and play two dynamic, defensive midfielders in both legs from now on in.

Gomes
Corluka Gallas Dawson Ekotto
Sandro Palacios
VDV ... Modric ... Bale
Crouch​

We'll win the Champions League with that team.

COYFS!!!

EDIT: ofcourse Thudd takes Palacios' place when fit.

I don't think there's a strict rule, but we definitely rode our luck in midfield today. Milan probably should've scored 2 or 3. Our possession stats were a joke and Modric in the middle again shows huge weakness.

No top team plays with a 4 man midfield with 2 wingers and an attacking midfielder. Not one, that's because it's largely suicide.

as above two posts except the Hudd replacing Palacios bit.

Modric and VDV both had an off day. The latter was clearly not match fit, probably down to wrapping him in too much cotton wool lately. The former always seems to take a few games to get back up to speed after an injury.

We schooled the Champions of Europe with barely a threat to our goal all game with an even more open line up because it had Bale instead of Pienaar playing.

Also, even if we rode our luck, how many goals exactly did we concede today? Oh, right.

Just be happy that we're in the quarters, how anybody can not be completely bananas with joy right now is beyond me.

We didn't "school" Inter Milan. They schooled us in the first leg, and a miraculous piece of individualism doesn't change that.

The first 45 minutes of the second leg we did what football teams with nothing to loose and only one option do, we gave it a go, to great effect. Second half Inter again dominated the game.

How many goals did we concede against two of the bottom three in the EPL ?

I can't be completely bananas because we have just fucked away 5 points out of 6 that might have got us back in the CL, bought us three more quality players, help us keep the ones we have and influence the next couple of years (or longer) of our club.

Maybe it comes with a bit of age - I don't mean to be condescending - but I've seen us win a few baubles, so I have a different wish list maybe.

Tonights performance pales in comparison to the first leg. We were back to not pressing, not moving for each other off the ball, relying on moments and individuals, and but for Sandro & Palacios wouldn't be in the quarter finals.

 

[Coyboy]

I don't think there's a strict rule, but we definitely rode our luck in midfield today. Milan probably should've scored 2 or 3. Our possession stats were a joke and Modric in the middle again shows huge weakness.

No top team plays with a 4 man midfield with 2 wingers and an attacking midfielder. Not one, that's because it's largely suicide.

How should they have scored 2 or 3? If the ref hadn't had it in for Crouch, we may have actually been able to muster more chances.

And we weren't playing with two out and out wingers. Pienaar is much more restrained then Lennon and was hardly a Bale like for like replacement.

 

[stevenqoz]

It worked in Milan because the onus was on them to come at us. At some time in a two legged affair we will need to keep possession and need to go forward.....Palacios and Sandro at WHL would be a big mistake imo. We now have some time to think about it but we are unlikely to get away with so many 70% fit players again.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

I would never willingly leave Modric out of the side.

He did have a poor game last night but he would always be in my starting line-up with the option of subbing him if he doesn't get it together by half-time.

On form, he is the glue that holds the team together.

 

[double0]

From now on in CL we should play below,

If Huddlestone Kaboul King can get fit then revise.

.................Gomes
Corluka Dawson Gallas Assou-Ekotto
...........Sandro Palacios
....Lennon.....Modric........Bale
......VDV/Crouch/Defoe/Pav

 

[$hoguN]

I don't know if anyone else has seen this stat but Modric made 59 passes last night with 90% reaching their intended target, the most out of anyone in our side.

 

[$hoguN]

How should they have scored 2 or 3? If the ref hadn't had it in for Crouch, we may have actually been able to muster more chances.

And we weren't playing with two out and out wingers. Pienaar is much more restrained then Lennon and was hardly a Bale like for like replacement.

Arguably we should have had a penalty early on when Nesta grabbed Crouch to stop him winning a header. Thats before we mention the clear handball by Seedorf

 

[sunnydelight786]

our play was oh so predictable last night, we really need to learn to mix it up a bit. Launching it to Crouch all the time and hoping for a knock may work against the lesser sides but against the cream it does not imho. We are better than that and can play very good football on the ground so why dont we?

 

[AngerManagement]

For all Milan's possession what did they really create? how many times did you really think 'they're gonna score'?

Robinio had two efforts both cleared by Gallas, one off the line and one turned over late on. Pato had a shot from the edge of the box that hit the side netting and then there was that scramble in our 6 yard box.

Other than that they had next to nothing and I would suggest we were equally as likely to score as them, VDV was put through early on and had a decent sight of goal (maybe would have done better if he used his right and went across the keeper) he was was fouled for what could easily have been an early penalty.

Seedorf's miss control lead to it hitting his arm in the box and we again could have been awarded a penalty.

Crouch was being backed into all night but given fouls against him for the slightest reason, any one of his knock downs could have falled to VDV given the run of the ball.

The best chance of the whole match was probably Lennon's surperb cross that would Crouch with only the goal keeper to beat yet he seemed scared to head at goal and half looked for the knock down instead.

I agree we didn't play great and gave the possession, but I don't think Milan were excellent by a long stretch. They were dirty and the dove at every opportunity to break up the game and keep possession giving the chances to cross into the box.

The fact is our defencive line dealt with the pretty comfortably and there were very few hearts in mouth moments. We also had at least as many chances to score as them.

If we had attacked them we might well have blowned them away, but then again not keeping it tight we may have let a goal in on the break. There was nothing wrong with the line up, it was just in my opinion a game plan (or at least a mind set) to protect what we had and make them do something to get back in the game i.e. don't give them anything cheap like we had been giving away cheap goals in recent matches with our cavalier approach.

It wasn't great to watch, but it got the job done. To me at least it showed we are capable of winning ugly if needs must and it is more encouraging to see a Spurs side grinding out a result against the best team in Italy and rolling through to the next round.

Every match can't be like Inter at home.

To me the line up was fine, Bale in for Piennar when fit perhaps, other than that it was about as strong as we can field in my opinion.

 

[AngerManagement]

our play was oh so predictable last night, we really need to learn to mix it up a bit. Launching it to Crouch all the time and hoping for a knock may work against the lesser sides but against the cream it does not imho. We are better than that and can play very good football on the ground so why dont we?

It seemed to me we were playing the long ball to Crouch every time because we did not want to commit bodies forward as our main priorty was not allowing milan space behind us.

We sat deep all night, allowing Milan possession but making them play they're way through us. The long balls from distance was just another low risk way of attacking without the potential to be exposed on the counter by trying to run/pass the ball behind them.

Milan even with their possession were restricted to shots from outside the box all night. I personally think this was our tactic for the match even if Spurs/Harry would not like to admit we went out there set up not to attack like we have become so beloved for in this seasons tournament to date.

Not pretty, but it got the job done.

I wouldn't worry about us having to 'learn' to play other ways, we have shown we are more than capable of doing things that do not involve high balls to Crouch, it's just that last night against a top team with a lead to defend we were not willing to take risks we didn't have to commit to.