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Ratings v Leicester and MotM

Man of the Match?

  • Lloris

    Votes: 14 5.6%
  • Walker

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • Alderweireld

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • Vertonghen

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Davies

    Votes: 2 0.8%
  • Mason

    Votes: 38 15.3%
  • Dier

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Dembele

    Votes: 85 34.3%
  • Lamela

    Votes: 7 2.8%
  • Chadli

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • Kane

    Votes: 19 7.7%
  • Alli

    Votes: 64 25.8%
  • Carroll

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Bentaleb

    Votes: 2 0.8%

  • Total voters
    248

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
I agree with all of that, and I like Vertonghen, I think despite not being perfect, he's a damn good footballing CB for a club like us to have, but I still think he should show him outside onto his right for all the reasons I stated earlier, plus it's showing him onto Verts stronger side.

He knows he lacks pace, at the end of the day. Him backing off is a regular occurrence.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
Another that's fallen for the smoke and mirrors performance of Dembele....

a few dribbles or keeping it under duress with a body feint gets everyone purring, when his use of the ball, passing, decisions and time it takes him to do anything with the ball (that isn't another touch for himself) is quite frankly abysmal.

We play a possession game where too many players take too long to decide what to do with it missing countless opportunities to quicken the play or play a through ball because they haven't even looked up until they've beaten two men. Dier, Chadli, Walker, Dembele all chief culprits in slowing our game to snails pace and all of them offer pretty static targets for people looking for someone to pass to as well.

People think pace is the answer but Walker has such a slow brain that it negates any pace he has in his legs. That laughable 30 yard kick and rush he attempted was one of his best passes of the day. Has 2-3 brain farts a game as standard.


Great post.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
He knows he lacks pace, at the end of the day. Him backing off is a regular occurrence.

To be honest though MP, there aren't many super quick CB's and no matter how quick they are when they are having to go backwards and a forward is running forwards at them with the ball they are always at a disadvantage. The logic for me always says show a player onto his weaker foot, especially if that means showing him outside rather than in.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
the more I watch this the more i think Lloris screwed up

Got to be honest and say I didn't think Lloris covered himself in glory either. It's really hard to tell because you never get the best angle but he seemed to leave a lot of his right side free ? And he was saved by a post earlier. Could be being harsh on both, but that was my feeling.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
To be honest though MP, there aren't many super quick CB's and no matter how quick they are when they are having to go backwards and a forward is running forwards at them with the ball they are always at a disadvantage. The logic for me always says show a player onto his weaker foot, especially if that means showing him outside rather than in.

I'd accept that completely. Personally I'd have no problem with us going down the route of having 'ultra' ball-playing centre backs who can pick passes through the lines, and would accept that these technical players aren't often quick and or strong/aerially dominant and put up with some of the goals we would no doubt concede over the season.

Vertonghen though is a player who I think is a bit of a worrier, and one of the main things is in my opinion watching him he is always scared of getting done for pace, so he backs off and tries not to have to make a decision either way often. As I said I think he did make an error, you are right in that the 'correct' thing to do in that situation is to show the player on to his weaker foot and if he skins him and goes one on one with the keeper so be it, but credit to Mahrez in that he set up the goal with the shot against the post, showing he could go that way and add doubt to the mind of a defender. We don't see that enough.
 

NerO

And then Southampton said "see you in court!"
Jul 7, 2015
6
4
HUGO BOSS - 7

Walker - 5.5
Vertonghen - 4
Alderweirald - 6
Davies - 4

Dier - 5
Mason - 5
Chadli - 6
Lamela - 5
Dembele - 5

Kane - 6
Alli - 6
 

ackie

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2005
8,780
6,660
It's a Tragedy, but not quite a Greek one

I have a huge problem with Pochettino's continued selection of Dier at CM, especially in a CM2. If you want to play high tempo football, press close and aggressively, and transition quickly and with progressive purpose, then the selection of Dier in the CM2 fundamentally contradicts that philosophy. The other problem is that Pochettino likes to get everyone bombing forward including the FB's, and Dier is just not mobile or dynamic enough to cover everyone's arses, as we saw when their guy walked passed him for his booking. And he continues to give the ball away in very dangerous areas and did so at least three times today.

That's the only major selection grumble, but it is still quite a major grumble, as for me the CM is the engine that drives the footballing machine.


Taking Mason off not Dier, was fucking bonkers IMO. Dier had been treading water and was also on a yellow.


Tactical preparation query:

I think Pochettino is still sticking a tactical finger up his own arse at times, the continued selection of Dier is so counter intuitive, and his subs are banal at best, tactical cluster fucks at worst, and we seem to turn to jelly every time an opponent scores, this must be addressed from the coaches, like when AVB immediately got to grips with conceding late goals.

We've seen three games where DIER has been selected as the protection of our back four and as you and many have seen and said that the kid is not mobile enough, lacks the experience and perhaps is not really reading the game properly and is one of the weak link. But surely MoPo as the manager should see this! Not only in preseason and in training but so evident in 3 Premiership games!
I would have preferred Bentaleb or even try Alderweireld in that position and move DIER in central defense.
I'm also questioning his substitutions (last week and this week consecutively). DEMBELE was getting tired and was rightly taken off. But as you pointed out, I would have left Mason on with Bentaleb and subbed DIER instead.
I may be missing something but why aren't Rose and Trippier selected?
Maybe we lack depth in our squad, but for we've also showed poor attitude and mentality when other teams scored. I seriously think we need a strong experience player in with these kids. Someone like Parker.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Got to be honest and say I didn't think Lloris covered himself in glory either. It's really hard to tell because you never get the best angle but he seemed to leave a lot of his right side free ? And he was saved by a post earlier. Could be being harsh on both, but that was my feeling.
Not for the first time either.
I think it is a weakness of his
that he leaves too much room for the shot across the goal.
He concentrates on covering his near post
He should never have scored from there
and I've felt this before.
 

jezz

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2013
5,650
8,650
I've just watched the game.
Leicester got everyone back behind the ball and worked really hard.
They won't concede many a home if they keep that up.
Dembele holds the ball to long, I watched him beat 3 players and they played the ball back to were he picked it up.
He does 70% of the time, then he drives in on goal to have a decent shot it's fcuking infuriating.
If he could release the ball quicker (and yes he does have options) he would speed our play significantly.
I don't think anyone played badly or great to be honest.
We definitely need a DM, Diers done okay but he's not the long term option.
Loris is a great keeper but he needs to learn how to kick a ball, his distribution through kicking isn't great.
Verts will have better games and was lucky not to concede a penalty.
On reflection a draw was a fair result.
 
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