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Pochettino blasts Tottenham squad after poor display

18Klinsmann

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2005
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I tend to agree with him - we really did look lethargic in the first half. The occasion must have made our team nervous and the big pitch made it harder for us to close them down and trap them in our usual pressure patterns. This was always going to be a problem, however, as highlighted by several pundits prior to the game.
The most disappointing thing to me was perhaps that Monaco looked quicker and superior on the ball in the first half, and outplayed us tactically. But this is what we have to expect in the CL - a different class in tactics and clinical finishing. Had Son buried his golden chance at 0-0 we could well have gone on to win the game, and had Kane put away his sitter we would probably have taken something from the game too.
Overall, it was indeed a disappointing start to our CL campaign, but if the lads were getting a bit too comfortable this defeat may have given them a good kick up the backside. On a more positive note, I thought our three subs did well. Mousa made a huge difference and really settled our team when he came on. How we have missed him. Janssen immediately caused trouble for them, set up Kane for what should have been the equaliser, and just overhit another assist. Sissoko also made an impression on the right and might have been given more time against French opposition.
 

Twizzle

The Alpha Male
May 25, 2008
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you would think that playing in front of a record crowd was inspiration enough, they shouldn't really need much more motivation than that
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
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Hope he can deliver a few home truths. We've been off the pace since the Chelsea game and some star names need pulling IMO. We have a squad which enables us to rotate - so use it.
 

Jenko

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2004
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I thought they did ok considering. We defended poorly for the goals but were the dominant team nearly all of the rest of the game. Poor finishing at times let us down too, but I'm not too disheartened, they'll learn from it.

Still think we are capable of winning all the other 5 games.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
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I think Poch needs to take culpability as well, for playing too many attacking midfielders in the same areas, leaving Dier exposed, and Kane isolated.

It's nice having a dynamic and unpredictable attacking 3 midfielders, but 4 milling about in an unfocused way, either too far apart or right on top of each other led to what we saw last night. Over-cooking the attack, losing the ball, then getting shafted on the counter.

We played a team managed a Portuguese coach, with ex-Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon players... we should have expected that kind of sucker punch tactic.
 

Maske2g

SC Supporter
Feb 1, 2005
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Really makes me laugh how people put it down to being a "different class of side" and "clinical finishing in the CL"

Monaco are shit. They were shit last year with a team of loanees, half their team were out on loan last year. The clinical finishing of silva, who scored a whopping 7 goals last season in a dogshit league.

We didn't turn up. We lost the game. Poor.
 

Maske2g

SC Supporter
Feb 1, 2005
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I think Poch needs to take culpability as well, for playing too many attacking midfielders in the same areas, leaving Dier exposed, and Kane isolated.

It's nice having a dynamic and unpredictable attacking 3 midfielders, but 4 milling about in an unfocused way, either too far apart or right on top of each other led to what we saw last night. Over-cooking the attack, losing the ball, then getting shafted on the counter.

We played a team managed a Portuguese coach, with ex-Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon players... we should have expected that kind of sucker punch tactic.
Yeah we should have gone with Wanyama and Dier again. At least then whilst we can't score.....we don't concede any either......

BALANCE has nothing to do with the fact that Lamella still tries to pass through people. You can't account for that.
 

Jamturk

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2008
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Poch got his selection wrong, I and many others pointed out before the match that Alli is no DM and to play him at the highest level in this position was cowardly and folly by Poch.

Dier looks tired and maybe Wanyama has been the player covering over his cracks at the start of this season.

Verthonghen lacks grit for me, sure a beautiful elegant defender when on the ball but lacks a true defenders instinct.

We missed Rose big time, his aggression and no nonsense attitude really is a big factor in our team.
 

beuller

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2005
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Yeah the shape was woeful. Lamela and Alli were probably the most culpable in terms of lack of discipline in that first half. Really disappointed with both.

Eriksen and Son were not existant.

Fair play to monaco, they were fantastic off the ball
 

TaoistMonkey

Welcome! Everything is fine.
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Oct 25, 2005
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Really makes me laugh how people put it down to being a "different class of side" and "clinical finishing in the CL"

Monaco are shit. They were shit last year with a team of loanees, half their team were out on loan last year. The clinical finishing of silva, who scored a whopping 7 goals last season in a dogshit league.

We didn't turn up. We lost the game. Poor.

This "shit" side are currently sitting top of Ligue 1.
 

Neil

New Member
Feb 6, 2004
3
2
Positives: Great to see us back in the Champs League again after 6 seasons. We kept possession well, Alli played very well last night, 80,000 Spurs fans coming out to support the team was amazing. Dembele/Dier was a better combination second half as we expected. We created chances (just shame about our lack of finishing). It's still only the first game, 5 more matches to get things right.

Negatives: Defending was awful for both goals, Vertonghen for the first goal backing off Bernardo and letting the guy just cut inside on him to get the shot away was too easy. We lacked the ability to counter attack quickly, too many passes and not enough use of the width on a wider pitch. Our finishing was not clinical enough.
 

Pimp_Spur

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2005
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last night we had no width, every attack we had was crammed into the middle third of the pitch and it made defending easy for Monaco. When we did get a little width the final ball was awful.

Kane and Dier both need a break. If I were Poch i would ship them off to Dubai for 4 or 5 days......if we can't beat Sunderland at home without those 2 then we may as well give up now. Jansen and Wanyama are more than capable of covering in their absence and next week we have Gillingham so I doubt either Kane or Dier will feature in that game......get them rested and fresh back for the boro game......
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,355
87,827
Yeah we should have gone with Wanyama and Dier again. At least then whilst we can't score.....we don't concede any either......

BALANCE has nothing to do with the fact that Lamella still tries to pass through people. You can't account for that.

Yes you can; if your final third is either swamped with bodies taking up the same close space, or so spaced out that you don't have an outlet, then you decrease the ability to pass and move accurately and intelligently, and increase the chance of the opposition winning the ball off you (it's not like they stand still for you).

And if you have over loaded those spaces, but left the ones behind you vacant, then losing the ball invariably leads to those spaces being used by the opposition... Moutinho and Silva enjoyed that no end in the first half.

Everything in football and life is about balance. It's how Ranieri took a team of relegation candidates to a title, and Van Gaal a team of superstars to the Europa League.
 

tcyrus

Well-Known Member
Dec 7, 2006
1,663
808
I'm not saying he would have saved us,
But why the hell would you loan out a player like Njie out,

we need more pace in attack and we have the players in the squad,
but for what ever reason, Poch won't play them.
 

sebo_sek

Well-Known Member
Jun 2, 2005
6,023
5,168
Really makes me laugh how people put it down to being a "different class of side" and "clinical finishing in the CL"

Monaco are shit. They were shit last year with a team of loanees, half their team were out on loan last year. The clinical finishing of silva, who scored a whopping 7 goals last season in a dogshit league.

We didn't turn up. We lost the game. Poor.
Monaco beat PSG this year. Thrashed them actually.
 

bigspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2005
3,193
2,419
Same old shit really for us in certain home fixtures over the last ten years:

Lethargic start - check
Have most of the possession - check
Have more shots on target - check
Miss loads of chances that we should score - check
Make stupid defensive errors - check
Opposition is ridiculously clinical with their only one or two chances - check

As I said.
 

Maske2g

SC Supporter
Feb 1, 2005
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This "shit" side are currently sitting top of Ligue 1.

They also got to the CL last season, but out before the groups and into our Europa Group. Good weren't they.....Arguably had more named players last year too. Carvalho, Coentrou, El Shawaarry. Now they have 2 forwards who have scored 20 goals between them in 2 years.....

good league that though.....as you can see with the great players it's produced for Spurs over the last few years. Stambouli.....Capoue......
 

Neil

New Member
Feb 6, 2004
3
2
Does anyone else agree with me that Walker should be tried out in a more right wing position, his pace frightens the life out of full backs and I think last night when we lacked decent wing play and we didn't exploit the width of the pitch it becomes frustrating playing through the middle. Then we could go for a more solid full back or just put Dier there (don't really rate Trippier) and let Wanyama play the holding role alongside Dembele.
 

tcyrus

Well-Known Member
Dec 7, 2006
1,663
808
we are going to have to talk about Kane,
sooner or later,

He needs to be dropped !
There I said it
 
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