Midfielders

[fedupyid]

At the moment we have to many midfielders that bring little to no benefit to our first team. Paulinho, Stambouli, Capoue and Dembele all seem to be incompatible to the way Pochettino wants to play. If we cleared them out we could bring in two compatible central midfielders and two young quick attacking wingers or wing forwards, that would give Poch more flexibility in tatic and four central midfielders in our squad when Mason and Bentaleb come back.

It is time to write off some players as bad buys and some as not needed, then allow Poch and Mitchell to build the squad they want instead of inheriting someone else's.

 

[DaSpurs]

I agree we need to sell most of them in order to move on. I have no wish to see Paulinho and Dembele in particular continue on in our squad. Capoue I'm ambivalent towards, and he can stay or go depending on movement of the above.

In Stambouli's case I do think he fits the system, he's just stuggling with the league. Paulinho is struggling with both the league and the system, Dembele with his hip/fitness and the system, and Capoue seems to not have the best attitude in training according to multiple sources (which consequently would make him struggle in Poch's system).

But yes, I do think we need improvements in our midfield. It's sad that despite how much we spent we're still poor in these positions, but regardless of quantity we are not quality enough, and so yet again we are in need of change at the positions. If a sink still leaks after you've gotten nearly every plumber in town to try and fix it, it's still broken regardless of how much you've spent.

 

[Jaffer99]

Apart from Mason, we don't really have another box to box midfielder, who is quick enough to link up play, the rest of them are
to slow and it has showed, now that Mason is injured. If we are to continue with our run of form(take away the CP result), we need to invest in another attacking MF, especially we the amount of games coming up. If we stay with the people with have now, then I can all the good work over the last few weeks being for nothing.
Time for Mr Levy to show some balls..

 

[eddiebailey]

I would sooner see Carroll or Veljkovic playing in centre midfield than any of Dembele, Paulinho, Stambouli or Capoue.

 

[talkshowhost86]

It's clearly an area that we need to improve in.

Even though Mason and Bentaleb have been okay this season, perhaps better than many expected, they are still for me not at the level of quality we need if we do genuinely want to be challenging the likes of United and Arsenal consistently, let alone City and Chelsea.

Don't get me wrong both are good players, and both are still young enough that they can really come good, and I'd certainly not want to see them leave. But as a pairing I don't think they have enough to control a midfield battle in most games, and that is going to end up costing us over the course of a season.

There are two solutions:

1. Buy an upgrade or two in midfield who can play with Mason or Bentaleb, but who offer a bit more (whether that's in terms of experience or just pure ability) as part of a midfield 2.

2. Switch to three in midfield and give them a bit of a hand. We really need to get a grip of games in the middle, and maybe this would allow us to do this. It would of course mean sacrificing one of our forward players, but with three in midfield maybe Mason would have more licence to get forwards anyway.

Either way, even with Mason and Bentaleb I don't think our system is working well in midfield at the moment, and even when we've picked up wins we've often had lengthy periods where we've looked quite overrun in midfield.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

Dembele was good against Chelsea and Palace, so I'm not so sure he should be deemed surplus to requirements by so many.

 

[wosH]

This point of view is completely new to me. Glad we have a new thread.

 

[DaSpurs]

Dembele was good against Chelsea and Palace, so I'm not so sure he should be deemed surplus to requirements by so many.

Dembele did alright in maintaining possession in those matches, but that's the extent of his contribution anymore. He does not push the team on or create anything. When he he selected along with no more mobile or creative option, the distance between the central midfield and our forward players might as well be a mile.

 

[Japhet]

Capoue and Mason looked well balanced in the pre season.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Dembele was good against Chelsea and Palace, so I'm not so sure he should be deemed surplus to requirements by so many.

Because he still doesn't contribute that much.

 

[sparx100]

Mason and Bentaleb deserve to stay in the team/squad

Paulinho is not a fit for the premier league.
Capoue comes across as lazy, and based on ITK i think he will go.
Dembele is marmite in that you love him or hate him. I think he is a good squad player.
Stambouli I reserve judgement on. Half a season is not enough to understand whether he has what it takes.

So I think that at Paulinho and Capoue could be sold to make way for a single midfielder to come in.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

CM is such a mystery to me. We have great squad depth, maybe the best depth in the league. Yet, CM is our weakest link, and maybe we've got the the weakest CM's in top 6.

Mason & Bentaleb are given, but they really do perform on a level of a good squad player, not on a level of a given starter.
You may sell any 2 of Paulinho, Dembele, Capoue & Stambouli, and nobody would cry.

Since Pochettino insists on using 2 CM's (not 3), you could in fact sell 3 CM's, purchase 1 star, and be set. (With the addition of Veljkovic and/or Carroll).

I really trusted Capoue, and he proved me right at the start of the season, and wrong ever since.
Paulinho never proved me right, apart for vs. Stoke more than a year ago.
Dembele I never rated anyway.
I kind of miss the good Sandro we knew for 1/2 a season.

By selling 3, we really could fund the star, the moon & the sun in one player.

 

[cliff jones]

some of you dont understand that to pin the responsibity for our many poor performances to date this season, particularly at home, on the dm2 really is disproportionate and unfair.

we have three in front of them who seem to do very little to help, by closing down the deeper lying playmakers we come up against, witness the free ride Carrick and Rooney enjoyed at the Lane till they tired. In that game Townsend played Evans or Jones, cant remember, whilst Young stood free as an out ball for the whole of the first half.

of course the likes of Schneiderlin and Matic are better, but our board wont pay the asking price for this level of player, preferring instead to get lucky with bargain basement Stambouli, or development squad players.

Look elesewhere to share the workload and the blame. Kane can do it, Lamela does try to be fair to him but three of the front four are not strikers and should not be standing on the hw or touchline scratching scrotes waiting for the next Fazio punt forward.

 

[Kendall]

Dembele did alright in maintaining possession in those matches, but that's the extent of his contribution anymore. He does not push the team on or create anything. When he he selected along with no more mobile or creative option, the distance between the central midfield and our forward players might as well be a mile.

I agree. Dembele is a solid player with good technique, but he has no imagination at all and a lack of real aggression as well, which manifests in players getting past him too easily and him never really taking games by the scruff of the neck. When your partner is Stambouli or Bentaleb, you have to be the aggressor.

 

[The Scarecrow]

I would sooner see Carroll or Veljkovic playing in centre midfield than any of Dembele, Paulinho, Stambouli or Capoue.

I'd certainly like too see Winks or Onomah get some minutes vs. Burnley.

 

[brasil_spur]

I agree that Dembele, Paulinho and Capoue need to be moved on, Stambouli i think deserves more time. He had some brilliant moments against Palace.

IF we can move those three above on in January i would be amazed though.

 

[parklane1]

It's clearly an area that we need to improve in.

Even though Mason and Bentaleb have been okay this season, perhaps better than many expected, they are still for me not at the level of quality we need if we do genuinely want to be challenging the likes of United and Arsenal consistently, let alone City and Chelsea.

Don't get me wrong both are good players, and both are still young enough that they can really come good, and I'd certainly not want to see them leave. But as a pairing I don't think they have enough to control a midfield battle in most games, and that is going to end up costing us over the course of a season.

There are two solutions:

1. Buy an upgrade or two in midfield who can play with Mason or Bentaleb, but who offer a bit more (whether that's in terms of experience or just pure ability) as part of a midfield 2.

2. Switch to three in midfield and give them a bit of a hand. We really need to get a grip of games in the middle, and maybe this would allow us to do this. It would of course mean sacrificing one of our forward players, but with three in midfield maybe Mason would have more licence to get forwards anyway.

Either way, even with Mason and Bentaleb I don't think our system is working well in midfield at the moment, and even when we've picked up wins we've often had lengthy periods where we've looked quite overrun in midfield.

Very good post and I agree that although Mason and Bentaleb have done very well we need to obtain a player to do the DM job. Apart from Stamboui ( and he needs more games to show if he is the answer) we have no one in our CM who can protect our CB's. Our M/F is wide open and our tracking of oppos runners through the middle means we are always going to be in trouble.

 

[DaSpurs]

some of you dont understand that to pin the responsibity for our many poor performances to date this season, particularly at home, on the dm2 really is disproportionate and unfair.

we have three in front of them who seem to do very little to help, by closing down the deeper lying playmakers we come up against, witness the free ride Carrick and Rooney enjoyed at the Lane till they tired. In that game Townsend played Evans or Jones, cant remember, whilst Young stood free as an out ball for the whole of the first half.

of course the likes of Schneiderlin and Matic are better, but our board wont pay the asking price for this level of player, preferring instead to get lucky with bargain basement Stambouli, or development squad players.

Look elesewhere to share the workload and the blame. Kane can do it, Lamela does try to be fair to him but three of the front four are not strikers and should not be standing on the hw or touchline scratching scrotes waiting for the next Fazio punt forward.

Oh? Carrick had a free ride?

http://thepremierleagueowl.com/tottenhams-pressing-work-against-manchester-united/

I think if someone needs to reevaluate the proportions of their blame (while admittedly the AM's certainly aren't perfect), it's you my friend.

 

[Blake Griffin]

i'm looking forward to the triple pivot of mason, onomah and bentaleb.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Stambouli i think deserves more time. He had some brilliant moments against Palace.

He didn't though looking at it in context. These "brilliant moments" came after he him self had utterly messed up, and he had to patch up one of his own mistakes.