- Jul 7, 2012
- 38,247
- 104,143
Even Marca are saying we should've had a penalty in the first half.
That's their way of apologising for attacking us
Even Marca are saying we should've had a penalty in the first half.
Known Knowns, Known Unknowns, Unknown Unknowns
I don't know.
I am genuinely not sure what I have just watched. It was a bizarre team selection, an even stranger tactical set up and the game itself continued that sequence. I would probably need to watch that game another 2 or 3 times to figure out what happened. Were we tactically shrewd, were they tactically poor ? Both ? Neither ? I honestly don't know.
This wasn't a pragmatic masterclass, of that I am sure about, it was more like parking a bus at one end, simultaneously trying to drive a bus through the gates at the other end, and leaving the guy in the middle riding a unicycle up the M1 at rush hour. Whether that was tactical genius or tactical Redknappery, I still honestly don't know.
That game could have ended 3-0 to Spurs, 3-0 to RealM or 3-3, and in those circumstances it's hard to say it was genius.
Right up until Kane's chance, the decision to play Llorente and that structure was looking pretty poor, there was very little joined up play between him and Kane, and playing Son to exploit counter attacks, and link up and compliment Kane would have seemed far more logical to me. Then in quick succession Llorente sets up our two best chances. But I still can't help but feel for most of that game, Son would have been a better choice.
The CM3 was a little bit "Sherwood" for me. Even Real play Casimiro FFS. It didn't really protect our defence at all, completely surrendered control to RM. Not outplaying that Madrid CM 3 is no crime at all, but allowing them so much free, unhindered, possession, could and possibly should have been more fatal, but for the real heroes of that game, the back 5, it could have cost us dearly. Aurier blotted his copy book a little, but in hindsight, thinking about it and watching it again, with Kroos a few yards out and bearing down on goal, I'll give him a mulligan. He wasn't to know Kroos would take a heavy touch and Alderweireld would clear. It was a desperate situation that called for a desperate action, an action he didn't really get right, but hey ho. Him fucking about and trying to dribble out which lost the ball in the first place was less forgivable. That aside, the back 5 were pretty damn good, and saved our arses many times. Young Sanchez deserves a shout as well, good effort from the kid.
Those of us who spent a chunk of last season saying Winks should be getting more starts will chose to say recent events, including tonight, support that theory. But I'm sure those calling us heretics for doubting Poch knows best will no doubt claim Poch new Winks wouldn't be ready until exactly the 8th week of the following season and held him back as part of the masterplan. Pay your money, take your pick. Either way, the boy was pretty good again tonight. I still think he needs to be defensively a little more tenacious and positionally astute, but he's only a few games in, and with the ball he's a breath of fresh air after some of what we've seen in our CM.
Genius, or gung ho ? I really don't know, maybe a bit of both. I think playing a back five was tactically clever, it stopped them getting Marcelo on the ball in those dangerous areas beyond our full backs, and combated the inevitable overloads a team like rm get in attacking areas, I’m just not sure every aspect of the rest of the plan was as clever. But this was a good result, a good night.
Individual
Lloris - Good performance, some good saves.
Aurier - Some not so clever stuff but some decent stuff too.
Sanchez/Dier/TA - Very good games all of them, read danger pretty well, snuffed it out pretty well, and stayed switched on all night in a fiery atmosphere against some great players.
Vertonghen - Another very good performance, defensively mucked in, was calm on the ball when it was needed, and got forward a couple of times well too.
Sissoko - Decent game, good ball for Aurier in the build up to the goal, worked hard.
Winks - Another decent knock. Initiated the goal with a piece of typical desire to move forward and make something happen, worked hard and won't have had a bigger test than this.
Eriksen - Probably the worst I've seen him play in terms of his touch and execution at several important moments. Set pieces were poor too. This was not the set up for him, RM's world class CM3 are way too strong to be sticking him in a CM with Winks and Sissoko. That was never going to get the best out of him and it didn't. He still saw nearly as much ball as Winks, had a hand in Kane's chance, nearly scored himself, and on balance he probably contributed as much as Sissoko and Winks with the ball, but by his high standards it was still a poor performance.
Llorente - I don't now. Just before the Kane and Eriksen chances many, including me were screaming for him to be taken off, we were getting outplayed and having a spare wheel up there doing a Micky Quinn impression wasn't seemingly helping the team cause much, and he wasn't working defensively at all. Then he sets up two great chances.
Kane - Not a great night all in all. I though both he and Llorente could have worked harder without the ball. He pretty much telegraphed where he was putting his shot when clean through too. (Still the save of the game though).
More pumped right now than Ronaldo's blow up doll of himself will be tonight after he rewards himself for another goal! That was everything I wanted it to be and I hope this team takes it and runs with that performance.
Hugo "Foot of god" Lloris - 9
Serge "Giveth and Taketh Away" Aurier - 7(ish)
Davinson "Not in my house" Sanchez - 8
Eric "Don't mind me just mopping up the mess" Dier - 8
Toby "Ronaldo wishes he looked this good" Aldeweireld - 8
Jan "Dive? Never heard of him" Vertonghen - 7
Moussa "Aurier is my main beau" Sissoko - 8
Harry "Modric/Scotty P Love Child" Winks - 9
Christian "The Spotlight it burns!" Eriksen - 7
Fernando "Never too old for this shit" Llorente - 7
Harry "Own goals count as mine too" Kane - 7
Subs:
Danny "Childish Gambino" Rose - 6
Heung "Whose this Sissoko bloke?" Min-Son - 6
"Always seems to me...that Sorry...seems to be the hardest word..."
French journal L'Equipe. Not sure what's worse : players positions, ratings or the fact they think Pochettino is italian?
This ratings thread gets more and more strange by the week. SO many weird comments. I honestly cannot understand if people are over-analysing or just trying to be a bit sensationalist, this isn't a complicated one IMO.
One of the things that has frustrated me about Poch previously is that, particularly against Liverpool, he has tried to stick to his principles and play football his way without considering that if you just look at what the opponent has struggled against then with the quality we have we could easily have beaten teams that have otherwise turned us over.
I feel like he has learned from those previous mistakes and last night was another example of that.
If you didn't vote Lloris you didn't watch the game.
I think you should rein in your use of the word "nonce".Don't be a nonce.
I voted for Sissoko, because I wanted to give him credit for a good performance. We all know that Lloris was man of the match.
I think you should rein in your use of the word "nonce".
Unlike UK media, L'Equipe actually use the full 1-10 scale when they rate players - as they bloody well should. You can score two OGs and make numerous mistakes and still get a 4 in UK media. It's ridiculous. I think L'Equipe have been a bit hard on a few players on both sides, Sissoko, Sanchez and Jan in particular, but it's not totally out there.French journal L'Equipe. Not sure what's worse : players positions, ratings or the fact they think Pochettino is italian?
The penalty decisions apart that could have gone either way, the ref had a good game with only one booking. Verts was close to being booked several times.
He let the game flow and to their credit RM didn't do the usual play acting etc
Aurier - Clearly has a lot of talent and can play a bit, it's getting inside that mind though. I don't blame him for the tackle, Kroos is six yards out centre of goal it is desperate measures time, but what he does get blame for is losing the ball (with was it Kane/Llorente?) in our third needlessly fucking around with it - a few mins from the end of the half it should have just been whacked down the channel and regroup. Saying that, he did recover well and have a strong second half and was very solid. Also put in the cross for the goal.