Ratings vs Southampton

[Bus-Conductor]

Southampton are very diligent and organised, hard working, very risk averse, they are set up to soak up and hit you on the counter. This Southampton was much harder to play against than Pochettino's and Pochettino's Southampton had better players.

We didn't play badly today on the whole. And Southampton didn't deserve to win. They didn't actually create much, even on the counter they only had a couple of half chances. We created even less which is disappointing, but not many teams do against them. We did control big chunks of the game.

I keep hearing how brilliant Schniederlin is - and he is good - but every time we play them he's not been the best midfielder on show.

Can you imagine if Koeman came here with his defensive, risk averse ethos ? The "Spurs Way" mob would have him lynched for heresy.

 

[yusrisafri]

Whats the big deal about schneiderlin? Maybe i was too busy focusing on our players, but i didnt really see much about him tonight that can improve our side.

 

[Shadydan]

Whats the big deal about schneiderlin? Maybe i was too busy focusing on our players, but i didnt really see much about him tonight that can improve our side.

He's a huge catalyst as to why Southampton have the best defence in the league.

 

[iluvsteffenfreund]

Mason out performed Schneiderlin again funny that.
What don't your particularly like about Mason?

Think back to OT when schniederlin was MOM and nicked a one nil win. Now look at mason at OT when we got pumped and he was found out. Can't remember the last time he played well and he certainly didn't outperform schniederlin today ! Bentaleb was excellent today just feel for him that he hasn't got a proper partner in there

 

[For the love of Spurs]

At the start of the season we had Bentaleb and Capoue and everything was Bentaleb's fault. Then we had Capoue and Mason and everything became Capoue's fault, now we have Mason and Bentaleb and it's all Mason's fault.

Now, both these guys are young and having their first proper season. They aren't getting everything right, and Mason when he first came in was tearing around like a twit trying to do too much, and his contribution creatively is still a bit disappointing but have a look around the EPL and pick out all the better CM's playing in CM2's that are defensively brilliant and offensively clever.

In my humble opinion, while none of them are flawless, they are three very decent CM footballers who all offer a very good balance of tenacity and football ability.

AS @DaSpurs said, the problem really isn't any of those three, it's what's going on around them. The full backs bomb on and one of them (Rose) hasn't always bombed back quite as quickly, and is poor at stopping crosses coming in, the other has a penchant for giving the ball away just as everyone has bombed on with him.

Our manager has failed to get the attacking players he keeps picking to work as a cohesive defensive unit, so we had Townsend and Chadli for big chunks of the season ambling about, giving the ball away carelessly and standing around watching instead of trying to get it back. Eriksen has improved drastically without the ball but once Townsend and Chadli came back in and the pressing dropped off, he eased up too. As has Kane lately as well.

This pulls the two CM's all over the place. There is only so thin you can spread two CM's. Pochettino has got to get those around the CM's understanding and doing what they are supposed to do with and without the ball or it doesn't matter who we play there - we could play Matic and fucking Schniederlin and they'd still be chasing their tails most of the game whilst Chadli and Co play hide and seek.

Agree I think the problem with our system is the attacking three isnt balanced.

Chaldi: like Dempsey scores goals but doesn't do much else

Eriksen: in the middle gets bullied needs to be on the left.

Townsend: can't defend/press or link well.

This means Kane gets isolated all the time particularly now other teams know how good Kane is and like today put 3-4 men on him every time he goes near the ball. The front three don't link properly or press correctly.

I still feel we look best with Eriksen on the left, Dembele in the middle for control and power and either Chadli or Lamela on the right.

 

[DaSpurs]

Agree I think the problem with our system is the attacking three isnt balanced.

Chaldi: like Dempsey scores goals but doesn't do much else

Eriksen: in the middle gets bullied needs to be on the left.

Townsend: can't defend/press or link well.

This means Kane gets isolated all the time particularly now other teams know how good Kane is and like today put 3-4 men on him every time he goes near the ball. The front three don't link properly or press correctly.

I still feel we look best with Eriksen on the left, Dembele in the middle for control and power and either Chadli or Lamela on the right.

Increasingly so across professional leagues it seems to me, and especially in the Prem - and yet furthermore in this unbelievably congested system with no playmakers in behind - in order to be a No 10 you need either a) athleticism to quickly escape attackers and create your own space or b) sheer physicality for holdup play. Unfortunately, Eriksen has neither. Dembele has the physicality, but he's just not an incisive player at all.

So Eriksen's lack isn't because he "gets bullied" (and that's not a good reason to be on the wing, as out there he's not even remotely quick enough to shield his fullback at all and so is just as much a weakness), it's just that he's not the right player for this format. So IMO, when he plays we should be playing a system that just so happens to suit so many other players in our squad (deeper 4-3-3). If Poch must keep his narrow and congested 4-2-3-1, we simply need another option (hopefully Pritch over time can step into this role, as he's absolutely superb at creating his own space and quickly becoming incisive).

 

[EastLondonYid]

Lloris 6 must wonder whats going on ahead of him

Davies 3 I was abit worried about Davies when i first saw him, now that i have seen more of him i am REALLY worried...

Vert 6 He drops to the level around him, has to do much more even though he is playing in a really poor defence.

Fazio 5 seems to have some decent ratings, i am suprised, he is 6'7 and can't win a header, looks so shaky on the deck too, really poor and i feel so nervous when i watch him.

Dier 7 not a RB, but did well, got better as the game went on,put in some dangerous crosses.

Betaleb 8.5 MOM ....is he really 20? we better improve or he will be snatched off us in the near future.

Mason 6.5 did well, but he is not the answer, but always gives 100%

Chadli 7.5 i thought in spells he was our most dangerous player and the only one who looked like creating in the final third,good goal too, suprised he went off....still drifts in and out of games, but was decent today.

Eriksen 5 poor game, didn't hide, but didn't create anything i can remember.

Kane 5...Harry didn't really get a look in

Lamela 5 Huffs and puffs, gives lots of effort but not good enough for a record buy is he? i really want him to do well, but i don't think he will ever make it with us.

 

[dudu]

Nabil was a different class.

Kudos to Erik and Chadli for better performances today.

We have to sort out how to defend our flanks.

 

[eddiebailey]

So Eriksen's lack isn't because he "gets bullied" (and that's not a good reason to be on the wing, as out there he's not even remotely quick enough to shield his fullback at all and so is just as much a weakness), it's just that he's not the right player for this format. So IMO, when he plays we should be playing a system that just so happens to suit so many other players in our squad (deeper 4-3-3). If Poch must keep his narrow and congested 4-2-3-1, we simply need another option (hopefully Pritch over time can step into this role, as he's absolutely superb at creating his own space and quickly becoming incisive).

I would quite like to see us try the Christmas tree formation with the fullbacks providing the width and Eriksen and Lamela/Chadli finding space behind Kane.

 

[Japhet]

MOM Bentaleb but not faultless as some seem to think. Around 25 mins he remained totally static as a Southampton corner came in. Schneiderlin, who was Bentaleb's man runs 10 yds round a bunch of players for a completely free header while Bentaleb doesn't move an inch. Exact replica of the Fiorentina goal in the EL. He also has an alarming tendency to play square balls without looking and good coaches will target this. Van Gaal did, and Rooney picked one off to score.

He's good but has plenty to work on.

 

[lukespurs7]

Dier was outstanding

 

[NickHSpurs]

Bentaleb and Dier were both superb, hard to split them and Lamela had a good game as well.

Chadli might not be hitting his best form lately but it's good to see him regaining the nack of popping up with a goal even if he's having a quiet game.

 

[Mr Pink]

Bentaleb was easily MOTM IMO.

 

[Blake Griffin]

Bentaleb and Dier were both superb

our two youngest players coincidentally.

 

[Dan Yeats]

Bents.

Please don't start calling him that. It makes it sound like we've got fucking Darren back FFS.

 

[Dan Yeats]

our two youngest players coincidentally.

No coincidence there...

I have every confidence that (as long as Levy keeps faith in him) Poch will build a team, not just try and buy one a la AVB.

You need a mix I'll concede - a few older and more experienced players. But apparently "you'll win nothing with kids". How did that pan out in the end Alan?

Take a look at "Sir" Alex' early years at Man U - hardly groundbreaking...

 

[JimmyG2]

I would quite like to see us try the Christmas tree formation with the fullbacks providing the width and Eriksen and Lamela/Chadli finding space behind Kane.

Which way up: Is it Kane or Lloris as the fairy?

 

[Blake Griffin]

No coincidence there...

I have every confidence that (as long as Levy keeps faith in him) Poch will build a team, not just try and buy one a la AVB.

You need a mix I'll concede - a few older and more experienced players. But apparently "you'll win nothing with kids". How did that pan out in the end Alan?

Take a look at "Sir" Alex' early years at Man U - hardly groundbreaking...

you don't have to tell me, my ideal squad would be one made up entirely of bentalebs/diers etc

 

[Japhet]

No coincidence there...

I have every confidence that (as long as Levy keeps faith in him) Poch will build a team, not just try and buy one a la AVB.

You need a mix I'll concede - a few older and more experienced players. But apparently "you'll win nothing with kids". How did that pan out in the end Alan?

Take a look at "Sir" Alex' early years at Man U - hardly groundbreaking...

And they weren't all kids.

 

[chinaman]

you don't have to tell me, my ideal squad would be one made up entirely of bentalebs/diers etc

If all the reports are right about the kids from our Academy, your ideals will soon come to bear. We'll have a dynasty built around home-grown heroes like the Busby Babes of the 50s, and to a lesser extent Rednose's Red Brigade of the 90s.