Match ratings- spurs v's sunderland

[SoulDog]

I cannot see a match rating thread for the game today so here goes:

I really felt like we were going to win this game before kick off, of course I knew it was always going to be tough but after our performance against Swansea I really thought we were going to go on and do it.

When I saw the starting line up I was a bit shocked not to see Lennon starting I have to admit, WHY start Van Der Vart on the right in this game?

I thought we started the game pretty well, playing some nice football at times but then we just started to get so sloppy, our passing was awful, giving away silly balls and all the danger came from stupid mistakes. Our movement was poor, and we lacked creativity. Sunderland were happy for us to pass it around the back and I have to say it was one of the most boring games of the season today. Nothing seemed to happened, we just had nothing up front and we was so narrow.

Over all a very frustrating and disappointing match today, a match we could of won IMO BUT was very tough and just could not break them down .

FRIDEaL- 6 DID NOT HAVE MUCH TO DO AT ALL

WALKER-6 THOUGHT HE DONE OK, FEW GOOD CHALLENGES STILL WORRIES ME

KABOUL-6.5 SOME GOOD BLOCKS AND HEADERS

GALLAS-6.5 AGAIN SOME GOOD BLOCKS AND CHALLENGES

EKOTTO-6 AGAIN DONE OK

BALE-6 AGAIN TRIED BUT WAS HARD FOR HIM, BIT DISAPOINTING

SANDR0-6 WORKED HARD, MADE SOME STUPID MISTAKES A FEW TIMES BUT TO BE FAIR HE GOT BACK AND MADE THE CRUCIAL TACKLE, FRUSTRATING

MODRIC-6 DONE SOME GOOD THINGS BUT WAS HARD FOR HIM.

PARKER-6 WORKED HARD, FEW SLOPPY PASSES AGAIN, LOOKS SHAKY ON THE BALL SOMTIMES

VAN DER VART-6 TRIED HARD, MAYBE SHOULD OF DONE BETTER A FEW TIMES WITH HIS SHOTS BUT DID NOT DO MUCH BUT I NEVER LIKE HIM ON THE RIGHT

ADE-5 POOR, NOT ALL HIS FAULT HAD NO SERVICE,

 

[Bus-Conductor]

You done me like a kipper OiOi. By seconds.

Here's my post from the thread (which I'll delete).

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Killing me softly.

I know many will be grumbling, but I have no grumbles with the choices, tactics and subs Redknapp made today, all spot on IMO.

Sunderland are the most negatively coached team you will ever watch. They sat incredibly deep, do not allow anyone to get behind them, are incredibly well disciplined, press incredibly ferociously en masse and have won 5/6 of their last home games playing exactly that way.

Days like today you just need a piece of brilliance or a lucky break and we just lacked that today. The only disappointment for me was that on occasions when we did engineer situations (or pre situation situations even) our players (most at some point) just didn't make the right decision or execute correctly. I said this against Bolton or Fulham (Bolton I think) but for all Bale's brilliance he still wastes quite a lot of really good positions, and as we saw against ManC and again today at the end, sometimes you only get one, and when it comes at the end of game you've laboured real hard to make one in, you really need to make the right choice.

For the most part we played some good approach stuff, dominated the game away from home at a tough ground, tried to play good passing, progressive football but just came up against the obdurate anti-footballists extraordinaire.

What was equally impressive was the way we also didn't allow ourselves to be unjustly - and it would have been unjustly - skanked. I've seen us loose games - indeed watched Swansea loose one yesterday - in exactly the same fashion. It's easily done and why unimaginative managers like O'Neil feel justified in killing football this way.

I'm disappointed we couldn't find the little piece of magic to win, but we did the right things today, just needed the spark of genius from an individual and it just didn't come, but the last 4 games we've impressed me no end. We are bullying teams as good as Chelsea away from home, out thinking Swansea and forcing teams as proud as Sunderland to play like they are an away team playing Barcelona.

I also thought VDV delivered some excellent set pieces today that we didn't attack with anywhere near enough gusto, but at least the set pieces were better. Apparently we haven't scored from a set piece all season.

Ratings:

Friedel 7 - default. SFA to do.

Walker 7.5 - defensively was pretty good against their danger man and got in a vital back post scoop. Needs to offer a bit more ingenuity and quality when he goes forward. And he has a really bad habit of giving a sloppy ball away when we are bombing forward.

Gallas 7.5 - Good

Kaboul 7.75 - Very good. Couple of vital blocks/heads on some viciously well delivered set pieces.

Ekotto 7.5 - Decent game generally.

Sandro 6 - Not his best game. Got in a couple of vital tackles but was sloppy several times. But him being there did allow us to play the way we did, which IMO is providing the platform to dominate games. 41/49 passes. 7 tackles.

Parker 7.75 - Was excellent for the most part and did exactly what he should in that system. Saw shit loads of ball, just lacks that little bit of finesse when he gets forward sometimes. 101/108 p. 4 t

Modric 7.5 - Tried hard but found it really hard to influence the game, mainly due to the efficiency of Sunderland's pressing. 70/84 p

VDV 7.75 - Was the player who looked most likely throughout, saw shitloads of ball and despite being pressed hard continually rolled and passed. Tried to spread play and find a clever ball, but like everyone today, it just didn't happen. His movement and constant willingness to come and get a ball helped team mates under pressure. 77/87

Bale 7 - Worked hard, but must learn to make the most of situations when they are hard to come by. 37/42

Adebayor 5 - Tough day. Space and time was at a premium, particularly in the area he was operating in. Never really got a look in. 10/15 p

Lennon - 6 - did a couple of good things when he came on but didn't really change the pattern of the game and generally had the same problem as everyone else did. 6/9

 

[steve]

Agree pretty much with this BC. People grumble about lack of effort but that's bollocks. We were a bit off at the vital time around the box but these things happen - the best teams don't win every week and certainly not against horrible teams like Sunderland. With Chelsea on the cusp of drawing with Wigan, this is a good point. If we don't win Monday that has nothing to do with today - I hope people realise that...

 

[steve]

Bollocks. Spoke to soon...

 

[SoulDog]

what has happened to our passing? It was so sloppy today at times.

 

[hughy]

what has happened to our passing? It was so sloppy today at times.

I think their 8 inch high grass has something to do with that. The pitch was awful, passes were continuously falling short.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

what has happened to our passing? It was so sloppy today at times.

There were a couple of times (Parker, Sandro, Walker particularly at different times) when we were sloppy, but we had so much ball and were pressed persistently very well, often in packs. And they also keep their grass long which does't help.

 

[Hoddle_Ledge]

5 all round.

Adebayor 2

 

[rabbikeane]

Always add a MoM poll in match rating threads

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Agree pretty much with this BC. People grumble about lack of effort but that's bollocks. We were a bit off at the vital time around the box but these things happen - the best teams don't win every week and certainly not against horrible teams like Sunderland. With Chelsea on the cusp of drawing with Wigan, this is a good point. If we don't win Monday that has nothing to do with today - I hope people realise that...

Look what you did you bloody jinxer.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Killing me softly.

Ratings:

Friedel 7 - default. SFA to do.

Walker 7.5 - defensively was pretty good against their danger man and got in a vital back post scoop. Needs to offer a bit more ingenuity and quality when he goes forward. And he has a really bad habit of giving a sloppy ball away when we are bombing forward.

Gallas 7.5 - Good

Kaboul 7.75 - Very good. Couple of vital blocks/heads on some viciously well delivered set pieces.

Ekotto 7.5 - Decent game generally.

Sandro 6 - Not his best game. Got in a couple of vital tackles but was sloppy several times. But him being there did allow us to play the way we did, which IMO is providing the platform to dominate games. 41/49 passes. 7 tackles.

Parker 7.75 - Was excellent for the most part and did exactly what he should in that system. Saw shit loads of ball, just lacks that little bit of finesse when he gets forward sometimes. 101/108 p. 4 t

Modric 7.5 - Tried hard but found it really hard to influence the game, mainly due to the efficiency of Sunderland's pressing. 70/84 p

VDV 7.75 - Was the player who looked most likely throughout, saw shitloads of ball and despite being pressed hard continually rolled and passed. Tried to spread play and find a clever ball, but like everyone today, it just didn't happen. His movement and constant willingness to come and get a ball helped team mates under pressure. 77/87

Bale 7 - Worked hard, but must learn to make the most of situations when they are hard to come by. 37/42

Adebayor 5 - Tough day. Space and time was at a premium, particularly in the area he was operating in. Never really got a look in. 10/15 p

Lennon - 6 - did a couple of good things when he came on but didn't really change the pattern of the game and generally had the same problem as everyone else did. 6/9

I'd have given Lennon higher merely because he created by far the best chance of the game, Sandro lower as he really did seem like he was on a kamikaze mission, and Bale a little lower as in the few opportunities he did have to influence things he could have been a little less selfish in my opinion. But generally I agree with everything you say here.

 

[saintlyspur]

kaboul mom was ade playing

 

[jimtheyid]

Pretty much agree with BC. The effort was there. Was always going to be tough against a team that showed no ambition going forward.

5 all round is very harsh Hoddle ledge.

 

[gp13tot]

Friedel 6
Walker 6
BAE 5
Kaboul 7
Gallas 7
Parker 7
Sandro 5.5
Modric 6
VDV 7
Bale 6
Ade 4

Lennon 7

 

[penfold_99]

I thought benni had a poor game he was out of position alot as parker had to keep filling in at left back, he looks slow. Look like he couldn't be arse to get the ball quickly out of defence.

Bale again tried to play in the middle, if he does this again i will get a nail gun out and staple his ears to the touchline. When we did attack and get some where it was down the wings. lennon shoudl have been on in the first half given we were getting know where through the middle.

Ade had a poor game as his service was non existent, our pace was gone, movement was very poor.

 

[DJS]

Spurs v the anti-football equation.

 

[SoulDog]

I thought benni had a poor game he was out of position alot as parker had to keep filling in at left back, he looks slow. Look like he couldn't be arse to get the ball quickly out of defence.

Bale again tried to play in the middle, if he does this again i will get a nail gun out and staple his ears to the touchline. When we did attack and get some where it was down the wings. lennon shoudl have been on in the first half given we were getting know where through the middle.

Ade had a poor game as his service was non existent, our pace was gone, movement was very poor.

agree, our movement was so poor today

 

[Mr Pink]

I'm dissappointed but to be honest I would of been tempted to take a draw before the game. I expected Sunderland to be a tough nut to crack but what I didn't expect was their complete and utter lack of ambition, and they set up 4-4-1-1, although it was probably 4-5-1 a lot of the time.

We controlled that game and made it look easy up until the final third, but I thought our passing was very poor. It was almost like we were teasing them to take some initiative. A decent collective performance but lacked that sharpness and cutting edge when it mattered. Several of them were guilty of giving the ball away and Sandro must of given it away at least 3 times, although he atoned well at one point. On the break Parker gave it away, and Walker likewise.

Given Sunderland's lack of adventure and our domination I really think we should of been looking to win that game with a bit more thrust and aggression in the last 20 mins or so.

That's a pretty good reason as to why I would never want Oneill as a manager as well - dog shit football. I don't really get why they didn't give it a go? Its not like they're in a relegation fight.

All in all though its a decent point providing we do the business on Monday.

Best performers for me were Modric, VDV, Parker and Kaboul (probably MOM) Thought Bale was quite poor, one good move in the second half aside.

 

[shaqTHFC]

I'm dissappointed but to be honest I would of been tempted to take a draw before the game. I expected Sunderland to be a tough nut to crack but what I didn't expect was their complete and utter lack of ambition, and they set up 4-4-1-1, although it was probably 4-5-1 a lot of the time.

We controlled that game and made it look easy up until the final third, but I thought our passing was very poor. It was almost like we were teasing them to take some initiative. A decent collective performance but lacked that sharpness and cutting edge when it mattered. Several of them were guilty of giving the ball away and Sandro must of given it away at least 3 times, although he atoned well at one point. On the break Parker gave it away, and Walker likewise.

Given Sunderland's lack of adventure and our domination I really think we should of been looking to win that game with a bit more thrust and aggression in the last 20 mins or so.

That's a pretty good reason as to why I would never want Oneill as a manager as well - dog shit football. I don't really get why they didn't give it a go? Its not like they're in a relegation fight.

All in all though its a decent point providing we do the business on Monday.

Best performers for me were Modric, VDV, Parker and Kaboul (probably MOM) Thought Bale was quite poor, one good move in the second half aside.

It was actually a 4-6-0