Monaco Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

[glacierSpurs]

I didn't watch the game. I am not going to watch the game. As soon as I saw Dier and wimmer at the back along with trippier. Against a team who have been smashing teams in the league I knew we were on a hiding to nothing. I don't get the mentality. But if we win the league. All will be forgiven.

Thing is if we are able to find some groove in our attack and have some genuine shots on target, we would not be doing that badly, not just in this game, but in recent games.. The defence is getting so much stick only because we brought it to ourselves spending so much time in our own half passing around raking up possession stats...

 

[EQP]

Play the kids in the EL.
Focus on the League and FA Cup.

 

[stevenurse]

I don't get the apparent mistrust in Nkoudou. He can't be any worse than Sissoko right now and he has pace to burn which we are seriously lacking right now. Unless he's been earmarked for Saturday at lwb or left wing, I don't understand why he isn't getting minutes

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

And our backup full backs are nowhere near of the required quality.

Nothing wrong with either, Dier and Wimmer are the issue, plus playing Wanyama as a fucking sweeper.

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

Put Janssen in the equation and that is 60m...

Ozil with change......

 

[DuDe]

I dunno about you guys, but I cant wait for the Chelsea match.

Your liver and kidneys like a good 'workout', do they?

 

[DuDe]

Back to WHL we go to see our most promising youngsters getting fed lithuanian pig farmer dicks on thursday nights.

Pleased to see you focusing on the positives of the situation.

 

[CarrickSpurgus]

The fact that you and your son bought a ticket and are flying over is not Poch's concern; and I don't give a damn, either.

Dont be a prick you prick

 

[TH1239]

So we went out of the CL.. yeah it's not ideal but we over achieved last season. The good thing with young players is they should learn. If we had an old team i'd be worried.. but we don't. Perspective.. this is a long term vibe.

We do need to stop buying shit though.

There's absolutely no guarantee that young players will improve though. This is one of the biggest misnomers on this website. "We have a young team, therefore, we'll invariably be better in the future as they age." Firstly, young players go backward all the time. Mason, Bentaleb, Pritchard are just three recent examples of players people lauded as fast developing stars who were subsequently shown the door. Furthermore, a number of our core players are older. Lloris, Dembele, Vertonghen, Alderweireld. Others have been playing top flight football for 5+ seasons (Eriksen, Son, Lamela, Sissoko, Wanyama). So the upside with this squad isn't limitless, in my opinion.

 

[worcestersauce]

So what have we learned from all this? I think I have learned that in the Champions league you can't get away with playing a weakened team and you can't give up home advantage by playing home games at a neutral ground, the standard is too high.

 

[Sweetsman]

Dont be a prick you prick

You're the one who brought it up. It will still be a nice mini-break and you can indulge yourself in the club shop.

 

[spurs-r-us]

I understand the frustration at us being poor, but this is no back end of beyond team from Latvia here.

Monaco are shaping up to be champions of France this year and have looked quality all season.

So let's not string ourselves up just yet.

No, we'll draw them in the EL round of 32 in a couple of months.

 

[Sweetsman]

There's absolutely no guarantee that young players will improve though. This is one of the biggest misnomers on this website. "We have a young team, therefore, we'll invariably be better in the future as they age." Firstly, young players go backward all the time. Mason, Bentaleb, Pritchard are just three recent examples of players people lauded as fast developing stars who were subsequently shown the door. Furthermore, a number of our core players are older. Lloris, Dembele, Vertonghen, Alderweireld. Others have been playing top flight football for 5+ seasons (Eriksen, Son, Lamela, Sissoko, Wanyama). So the upside with this squad isn't limitless, in my opinion.

We were beaten by a young team.

 

[TH1239]

Player recruitment is so critical at the top end of world football. Monaco has probably been the best club over the last 3 years, alongside Juventus, at identifying talent at modest prices and making them fit their manager's system. They've sold COUNTLESS players in that timeframe for big money (Martial, James Rodriguez, Kurzawa, Abdennour, Carrasco, Kondogbia) and bought so well, too. Their philosophy shifted from spending big to scouting smartly a few seasons back after their owner pulled back from free spending, and it's paid off royally.

We need to find a proven sporting director who has the contact and scouting network in place to land quality players who fit the league. Baldini, and those that came directly before him, for all their faults, had a far better track record than the Paul Mitchell led scouting set-up that has seen us spend so much money in the last two summers with very little to show for it. We need to identify the brightest director of football out there and bring him to Spurs (Monaco has a very good one they just took from Villareal, another club who do more with less). Monchi from Sevilla also fits the bill. What we can't have, clearly, is Poch having sole authority over transfers. I don't know why someone like him, with all his South American contacts and Argentinian connections, would pass on a player like Roberto Pereyra, who he undoubtedly knows and was solid for Juventus, to spend 3 times the money on Moussa Sissoko.

 

[TheHood]

Play the kids in the EL.
Focus on the League and FA Cup.

Or let's focus on the cups and fuck the league off for once. I'm tired of this pointless obession with the CL.

 

[Dean]

So what have we learned from all this? I think I have learned that in the Champions league you can't get away with playing a weakened team and you can't give up home advantage by playing home games at a neutral ground, the standard is too high.

Can't wait for next season then when we play all our home games at that neutral ground....

 

[1882andallthat]

It will be typical of Spurs that they finally break the so called Wembley curse by beating CSKA Moscow, AFTER THE BLOODY HORSE HAS BOLTED !!!!

 

[worcestersauce]

Can't wait for next season then when we play all our home games at that neutral ground....

Hopefully this season's experience will help, I assumed that might have also played a part in the club's thinking.
I'm disappointed that we are out but not gutted, I never expected to win it or get close, the league is still paramount to me, but fate hasn't been kind to us either with the important injuries we have had.

 

[the shelf]

Just wow. I thought playing in the Champions League was meant to be an exciting experience, I've had more fun at the dentist than watching those five games.

And in a few weeks it will revert to type - 'if we make Champions League it will be a great achievement...'

Who f**king cares, I'm not sure Poch does.

 

[danielneeds]

Just wow. I thought playing in the Champions League was meant to be an exciting experience, I've had more fun at the dentist than watching those five games.

And in a few weeks it will revert to type - 'if we make Champions League it will be a great achievement...'

Who f**king cares, I'm not sure Poch does.

The point is not just to be in the CL one season then out of it for 8 years. Qualifying consistently means players who gain experience of football at the highest level, increasing our profile and reputation, and earning more money to compete financially. You can't do all of that being an one and out team.