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Player Watch: Nabil Bentaleb

mil1lion

This is the place to be
May 7, 2004
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Why are we spending £17mil on the likes of Paulinho when we could promote this guy or even Carroll. Based on todays performance, he's been no worse
Whoa slow it down. A brief appearance is nothing to go on yet. There is nothing wrong with splashing out on quality players like Paulinho AND developing youngsters at the same time.
 

only1waddle

Well-Known Member
Jun 18, 2012
8,149
12,291
Why are we spending £17mil on the likes of Paulinho when we could promote this guy or even Carroll. Based on todays performance, he's been no worse


It tells me that AvB had little or no intention of playing these youngsters.
 

Spurvert

Huge Member
Jul 10, 2011
2,365
2,801
Very impressed. Superb debut. Great composure and use of the ball.

Well done son.
 

HodisGawd

Well-Known Member
Oct 3, 2005
1,733
5,888
Let's not go overboard. He played well, looked good. But we are stacked in midfield and he isn't going to get a chance. And out of the young 'uns I hope Tom Carroll, although a different type of player, has to be ahead of him in the queue.
 

Legend10

Well-Known Member
Jul 8, 2006
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I remember watching the under 21 game 2 years ago at Anfield when Bentaleb, Dombaxe & Ceballos took Liverpool's under 21's apart!
 

dondo

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2006
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Why are we spending £17mil on the likes of Paulinho when we could promote this guy or even Carroll. Based on todays performance, he's been no worse


I agree it does seem a waste. If paulinho or any of our new signings put in that cameo everyone would be raving about it
 

StartingPrice

Chief Sardonicus Hyperlip
Feb 13, 2004
32,568
10,280
Those of you who didn't know this lad should visit the Under-21's thread more often :)

I was pretty surprised that InterTim put him on - showed character and conviction, and the lad didn't let anyone down.

A point I made in that thread, and it is instructive of how the likes of Sherwood see far more behind the scenes that we ever get to know when we are intent on questioning their decisions: I had always been impressed by Luongo, so when we let go I was really quite surprised. But then, on reflection, I concluded that the staff see everyone ahead and behind a player like Luongo before they make their decisions. Ahead of him, our midfield is congested with top talent, and looks to be for years to come. Behind him, well, the likes of Bentaleb and Veljkovic has impressed even more, and even more quickly. There are only a finite number of places, and there is no point in stockpiling players we don't think will make in compared to those ahead and behind them.

That said, as others have said, not matter how impressive that was from the lad, he will still have one hell of a task displacing Sabdro, Capoue, Dembélé and Paulinho, especially if ther eis only one place available.

Also makes me ask, there were rumours that AVB had shut the first team squad off - makes me wander if any of that might be related to not giving the likes of Bentaleb a chance, even in the Europa?
 

L-man

Misplaced pass from Dier
Dec 31, 2008
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Whoa slow it down. A brief appearance is nothing to go on yet. There is nothing wrong with splashing out on quality players like Paulinho AND developing youngsters at the same time.
To be honest, I don't regard Paulinho as a quality player, I'm very underwhelmed by him.

The club we played today are a prime example of why we should be blooding youngsters through. Chambers, Lallana, Shaw, Ward-Prowse etc. As well as having produced great players like Chamberlain, Walcott and of course Bale. They're all doing extremely well and probably outshine most of their foreign imports, Ramirez looks poor and Osvaldo hasn't been great since his arrival in the summer.

IMO, I don't think we need to fill our 25 squad places with senior players, around 20 is probably enough and the rest should be youth players. We have great prospects in Bentaleb, Veljkovic (sp?) Carroll, Kane, Pritchard and should be looking to see more of them and if Sherwood carrys on as boss, long may it continue.

Bentalebs been extremely lucky to get his chance today I think and if we get another manager in, he could be down the pecking order to about 7th, 8th choice. If we're signing players like Paulinho, Capoue then there's less chance of him getting games. I just don't see it possible to sign these players and blood in the youth at the same time. If I was a youth player and saw us signing 7 players in the summer as well as loans returning I'd be pretty pessimistic about my future and let's be honest we don't have a great history of successful youngsters breaking into the first team
 

Flashspur

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2012
6,882
9,068
quotes from Tim via the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/22/southampton-tottenham-premier-league-match-report

Mousa Dembélé, had limped away with an ankle complaint, the visitors flung on the captain of their under-21 team, Nabil Bentaleb, to fill the void. The interim manager has overseen the France junior's development in his role as technical coordinator, just as he did Adebayor when he was cast from the senior set-up by Villas-Boas this season, and the board will have been encouraged to witness a young player progressing from academy to first team.

There was a logic to the 19-year-old's involvement. "I don't know Capoue much – I've only had three days' training, so I don't know a lot of these new players – but, at the moment, I know I can trust that kid," said Sherwood. "It's about the heat of the battle and knowing who you can trust, and the kid's ready to play. He trains like every day is the last day in the world, listens and has a fantastic attitude." He was tidy and impressive, his debut a minor sideshow in the context of this team reviving their league form, but subtle, sensible tweaks like that could yet see Sherwood's short-term appointment extended at least until the summer.

Doesnt know Capoue much...gotta laugh at that
 

Gbspurs

Gatekeeper for debates, King of the plonkers
Jan 27, 2011
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It can only be good regardless of how stacked we are in midfield. Bring Carroll back too. Plenty of games to go around.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
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Delighted for the boy. Composed confident and strong.
I could get to like Tim if he carries on like this.
 

IGSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2013
7,939
13,758
quotes from Tim via the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/22/southampton-tottenham-premier-league-match-report

Mousa Dembélé, had limped away with an ankle complaint, the visitors flung on the captain of their under-21 team, Nabil Bentaleb, to fill the void. The interim manager has overseen the France junior's development in his role as technical coordinator, just as he did Adebayor when he was cast from the senior set-up by Villas-Boas this season, and the board will have been encouraged to witness a young player progressing from academy to first team.

There was a logic to the 19-year-old's involvement. "I don't know Capoue much – I've only had three days' training, so I don't know a lot of these new players – but, at the moment, I know I can trust that kid," said Sherwood. "It's about the heat of the battle and knowing who you can trust, and the kid's ready to play. He trains like every day is the last day in the world, listens and has a fantastic attitude." He was tidy and impressive, his debut a minor sideshow in the context of this team reviving their league form, but subtle, sensible tweaks like that could yet see Sherwood's short-term appointment extended at least until the summer.

Doesnt know Capoue much...gotta laugh at that

Sounds foolish but understand what he means. He mainly works with the youngsters and knows what he wanted at that moment in the game. Someone to hold the ball and pass it on with composure. Has has known Bentaleb since he was 16 and seen him in pressure games. His role has been solely with the youth setup. It was my understanding that him adn AVB werent too pally pally and wasnt involved in 1st team matters. So not surprising that he wouldn't know Capoue as much
 

HoltbiusMac

ScroobiusMac
Jun 25, 2013
817
2,222
I like Paulinho, Capoue, Chadli and Vlad but you have to wonder if we'd maybe signed one of Paulinho and Capoue and then given 'their' minutes, especially in the cup competitions, to Bentaleb, Carroll, Caulker and Pritchard if we'd have been any worse off. Why Fredericks hasn't been used to give Walker every Europa League game off I don't know.

It's not necessarily a criticism of AVB as whoever was directing the transfer policy could have pushed for this. We still could have spent money if we wanted either on a another, different top class striker or possibly a top, top class established CB rather than another promising one.
 

Dharmabum

Well-Known Member
Aug 16, 2003
8,274
12,242
So now all of a sudden Bentaleb and Carroll should be running Spurs MF and Andre's is an idiot for buy players like Paulinho, Eriksen. Many Spurs fans like to jump the gun here.
No doubt that Bentaleb performed beyoned expectations today, and looks like a real talent. And yes I wish Andre had given him some playing time but don't forget that Andre was trying to gel a team of newly bought players, being under immense pressure to get results. It's not as if all the players Andre bought are "disasters" after just 4 months in the EPL, as some seem to believe.
Sandro, Dembele, Paulinho, Capoue, Erisken, Capoue, Holtby are still better EPL players than Carrol and Bentaleb.
 
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Blake Griffin

Well-Known Member
Oct 3, 2011
14,133
38,225
So now all of a sudden Bentaleb and Carroll should be running Spurs MF and Andre's is an idiot for buy players like Paulinho, Eriksen. Many Spurs fans like to jump the gun here.
No doubt that Bentaleb performed beyoned expectations today, and looks like a real talent. And yes I wish Andre had given him some playing time but don't forget that Andre was trying to gel a team of newly bought players, being under immense pressure to get results. It's not as if all the players Andre bought are "disasters" after just 4 months in the EPL, as some seem to believe.
Sandro, Dembele, Paulinho, Capoue, Erisken, Capoue, Holtby are still better EPL players than Carrol and Bentaleb.

i haven't read anyone say that about eriksen so not sure why you're grouping him in with paulinho - people question him because frankly he doesn't look very good at football.
 

SlickMongoose

Copacetic
Feb 27, 2005
6,258
5,043
So now all of a sudden Bentaleb and Carroll should be running Spurs MF

It would certainly be interesting to watch. They'd probably keep the ball better than our current midfield.

Sandro, Dembele, Paulinho, Capoue, Erisken, Capoue, Holtby are still better EPL players than Carrol and Bentaleb.

The problem is that there's too many of them. Do we really need 7 midfielders? And there's Sigurdsson to add to that, so 8. Whoever our manager is needs to decide which of them to sell, we don't need a squad this bloated with an academy as strong as ours.
 
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