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Match Ratings Ratings vs Watford

MOTM

  • Lloris

    Votes: 119 48.2%
  • Trippier

    Votes: 65 26.3%
  • Sanchez

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • Verts

    Votes: 41 16.6%
  • Davies

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dier

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dembele

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Son

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Eriksen

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • Dele

    Votes: 7 2.8%
  • Kane

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Wanyama

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sissoko

    Votes: 2 0.8%
  • Lamela

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 2 0.8%

  • Total voters
    247

Flashspur

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2012
6,882
9,068
Threesome with the sister:

Verts
Lloris
Trippier

Anal on demand:

Sanchez
Dele
Lamela

Missionary:

Eriksen
Davies
Kane
Sissoko

Handjob in a nightclub toilet:

Son
Wanyama

Fingering your bumhole behind the bike shed:

Dembele
Dier

Well its not hard to see that its been a long season, even for reviewers :D
 

blackburn

Active Member
Aug 31, 2012
809
1,132
Verts was the stand out MOM for me, followed by Lloris. I don't get the praise for Trippier and the talk about his crossing ability, OK the second was a decent pass but the first was harmlessly floating into the keeper's arms before he decided to drop it. For better or worse we won't sell Aurier I'd like to see KWP get his chance at RB, Tripper isn't good enough to improve us. He's not a good defender.
 

EastLondonYid

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2010
7,837
16,145
There were only 2 positives about this game.

The first is we won 3 vital points.
The second is Chelsea would have been spitting mad watching that and wondering how we won.

Fuck you Willian, Hazard, Fibreglass and all chav fans.... enjoy europa with the scum.

But fuck me ,it was painful viewing.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
There were only 2 positives about this game.

The first is we won 3 vital points.
The second is Chelsea would have been spitting mad watching that and wondering how we won.

Fuck you Willian, Hazard, Fibreglass and all chav fans.... enjoy europa with the scum.

But fuck me ,it was painful viewing.

Tbh we were wondering the same thing when they beat Southampton and Swansea...
 

JonnySpurs

SC Veteran
Jun 4, 2004
5,345
12,398
I stand by my view that this thread should not be opened until the morning after the game. Whilst this was absolutely brutal to watch at times, a lot of the intial posts are so over-emotional and really don't help anyone that didn't get to see it which is one of the main reasons I would come in here after a match.

Don't get me wrong, that 1st half last night was in my opinion the worst we've played all season. The first 20 mins of the 2nd half was better and then we decided to revert back to our 1st half performance for the next 15 mins or so before the game eventually was allowed to be put out of it's misery. Having said that, if I'd come in here straight after full time last night then I'd be writing a different post that would be far more negative. I'd like to think this morning I can be a bit more considered in my review.

I can only assume that since getting dumped out of the CL and FA Cup in fairly quick succession, the spark has gone from our season and we're now very much limping over the line with a distinct lack of enthusiasm - this very much showed in the game last night. Our passing was wayward and sloppy, defensively we were ok thanks to Jan and Sanchez but our overall play was completely lacking in any tempo and with Watford parking the bus it was just another example of how we need to make significant changes in CM in the summer.

I'll always take the 3 points because finishing 3rd is ours if we can muster up the effort to take it and that would be a very good achievment considering what our expectations were going into this season.

Lloris - Solid, which makes a nice change from recent weeks. Some very solid saves but equally nothing that I wouldn't expect him to be able to do.

Trippier - Attacking he was very good, much better than he's been recently and seemed more eager to cross earlier. Involved in both goals. Defensively he was good 1st half but poor 2nd half. At one point he was beaten 3 times in a row and easily as well. He's a good player but I think he will always be a little bit lacking and will never be at the level we would need for a title challenge.

Sanchez - Good game

Vertonghen - Very good game, unbelievable bit of skill and pass to setup Kane's offside goal. Unlucky hitting the post as well. My MOTM.

Davies - Fine. Nothing great going forward and no real errors defensively. Solid player who I would want us to keep but if Rose goes then I think we should be looking for a player to come in and have a genuine shot at replacing Davies in starting 11.

Dier - Weird game. Passing was really quite poor at times. Slow and sloppy. Defensively I thought he did well at times, he was getting in there and mixing it, breaking up play but ultimately, the more I watch him, the more I think he's a CB.

Dembele - Awful game. I've been a fan boy so this hurts a bit saying this but he was really bad. Particularly 1st half. Barely completed a pass it felt like. It's almost as if he decided to stop beating people with his best attribute (dribbling) and wanted to try and be Eriksen. It didn't go well. Seemed to be limping as he left the pitch so maybe he wasn't fit. I love him but with talk of him leaving in summer it feels like it might be time to part ways. Kovacic is still my choice.

Eriksen - Good assist to be in the right place for the 1st goal but overall he also wasn't at his best. The difference with him is that he still tries to get involved and sees plenty of ball.

Alli - Personally I enjoyed Alli's performance. He was my next shout for MOTM after Jan. Good calm finish for the 1st goal and found space to slide in Sonny in the lead up to the 2nd. Some very good strong dribbling and hard work overall. He's been good of late.

Son - Tried to be busy but really didn't have any impact on the game beyond his run and cross in lead up to 2nd goal. It's time for Lamela to come back into the side. Sonny has made 50 apps this season and he has a LOOOOONG summer ahead. Time for him to sit.

Kane - He said he feels sharp but he certainly doesn't look it. 1st half he was all over the place, stumbling and slipping, his touch was off and he's just trying too hard. 2nd half was better, his goal summed up his performance really. Fell over when it was easy to score but still managed to get up and tap it home on the 2nd effort. Could/Should have had a hat-trick. At his best he taps in the header back off the post and keeps himself onside for the disallowed goal. Either way, Gary Nev made a good point in that he's so good that you just have to play him through it. Luckily for us, even when not at his best, he's still better than most.

SUBS:

Lamela - Looked likely and got involved immediately but man, we saw old Lamela in this cameo. Holding onto the ball WAY too long and at all the wrong times. Had chances to slide in Eriksen and Kane on separate occasions but tried to do too much. Even so I'd like him to start at wknd. His work rate will drag others up around him.

Wanyama - I thought he looked more himself last night. Again, would like him to start vs WBA. Should never have been booked, awful decision.

Sissoko - Should've scored from Kane's excellent pass but he showed why he's really never gonna be a player that we can afford to carry moving forward. He's done a job here and there but offers very little overall.
 

double0

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
14,423
12,258
I'd like that, no, love that. However, I'd like Liverpool to beat Chelsea. I'd rather secure 4th than have bragging rights.
Both would be faptastic.
Why would you want to finish 4th when 3rd is a greater possibility... Really don't understand some of the media as well we are much closer to finishing 3rd than Chelski are finishing 4th but won't to play on the Spursy negative narrative.


I expect us to finish 3rd now.
 

TheHoddleWaddle

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2013
11,289
20,289
handle
Why would you want to finish 4th when 3rd is a greater possibility... Really don't understand some of the media as well we are much closer to finishing 3rd than Chelski are finishing 4th but won't to play on the Spursy negative narrative.


I expect us to finish 3rd now.

Certainly hope so. But recent performances and the eternal pessimist would bite off your hand for confirmation of 4th right now. Leicester and to a lesser degree, Newcastle will not be as easy as Watford.

Let's hope.for the spurs we love watching.
 

freeeki

Arsehole.
Aug 5, 2008
11,836
69,426
I got so bored during that game that I decided to do my match ratings in the style of Lionel Bart.

Overall, there were far too many Mr Bumbles and nowhere near enough Artful Dodgers, but special mentions for:

The Referee:

Oliver, Oliver, never before has a ref been so poor.

Trippier:

Consider Yourself well in.
Consider Yourself Man of the Ma-a-atch

Pochettino:

Do you have to pick Sissoko, do you?
Ohhh, do you have to pick Sissoko, do you?

And please, sir, can I have some Moura?


And a special guest appearance by Troy Deeney with 'Food, Glorious Food'.


Overall, what would I do to not have to watch that again?

I'd do anything.

Reading this was the gayest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve had actual sex with actual blokes.

An impressive feat all around.

Hugo my MOTM, I was going to construct a Les Miserables-themed review in honour of his namesake, Victor, but I can’t live up to the post above.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Uninspired and uninspiring.
Might easily have lost this, they wasted more chances than we even had.
Looks like we're going to fall over the line to 4th or even third
instead of striding forth with heads held high and feet a twinkling
Not that it matters in the great scheme of things.

Thank God Hugo found some form , Verts was good again
Trippier my MOM for some enterprising attacking play
and a hand in both goals but exposed defensively .
Others had moments but nothing consistent.

Moura behind Sissoko makes no sense.
KWP could have played rather than the plodding negative Davies.
I know I know we won so all is forgiven
but not easily forgotten.
 

mckenz

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
967
2,355
poor game

gave up listening at a couple of points and played some bass

BUT


3 points at the arse end of the season will do fine - really don't care how poor we play if we can grind out the results we need. It's been a long season
 

dagraham

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
19,115
46,080
Sometimes after reflecting on a match you realise you were being a bit harsh in your criticism at the time. I don't really feel that way today and my opinion on the match hasn’t really changed.

As they say, football is a funny old game. If Watford had taken some of their numerous good chances we would be all lamenting a terrible result and the ramifications of it. Instead it's 3 points and we can move on, but in no way were we in control of this game, despite dominating the possession stats.

We are simply not playing well. Whether that's psychologically switching off after Chelsea away, being knackered at the end of the season, lacking in confidence after a few high profile defeats or lots of our players being off form at the same time, it's not good. Most probably a combination of all of those.

We badly need some more guile in this team, particularly in CM. I dread to think what would happen should Eriksen get injured for a lengthy time. Even if we didn't get a Modric or Fabregas type, a player who doesn't need several touches to control the ball and an age to decide what to do with it is paramount. It's almost as if we specialise in actually breaking the fluidity of our own attacks sometimes. That's ok if you're leading with 5 minutes to go and you want to kill the game, but generally it's a massive weakness in our game and why we struggle when a team either a) presses our midfield or b) gets in an organised shape and dares us to break them down.

We also look one paced at times. I know everyone says that pace is overrated (and I agree headless chicken with pace isn't ideal). However, if you look at the successful teams of recent times they all have pace in their team. Whether it's the Leicester and Chelsea league winning team who both were devastating on the counter, to Liverpool and Manchester Utd now. Even City who play a possession based, pressing game like we do have it in Sane, Sterling and Walker. I know we have Son and Moura, but I can see why we would still be after Zaha.

Our front players have also seemed to be resorting to standing around in a line waiting for a perfect pass. Very little off the ball movement generally and this is another thing I've noticed creeping into our game ( in fact even when we are in decent form this tends to happen when teams defend deep against us).

Anyway, ratings :

Lloris 7 - did everything he needed to, even if his saves were quite routine and ones you'd expect him to make.

Verts - 7 - consistent as always

Sanchez - 6 - ok

Trippier - 7 - Great crossing as always, but showed his weakness when being done repeatedly by a tricky wide wan towards the end of the game.

Davies - 5 - meh

Dier - 4 - Love the guys attitude, but he is way overrated as a CM and his ability (whether natural or deliberate) to slow things down is detrimental to our game. When he also plays blind balls across the midfield it's a recipe for disaster. I would prefer him to develop as a CB, but not sure where he's really going to get that opportunity.

Dembele - 4 - Blimey, where to start? He's always been a limited player in that as soon as he approaches the final third he hasn't a clue what to do, but his supreme ability to ghost past players and retain possession are unrivalled. An enigma really. Seemed to at least be releasing the ball quicker from last season, had an absolute monster of a performance at home against Chelsea at the start of the season and against Utd and Everton at home, but at other times just looks ready for the knackers yard. Unfortunately, if he loses the ability to get round the pitch and starts getting caught in possession then he instantly becomes not good enough for a top six team and we are probably seeing the beginning of the end.

Eriksen - 6 - ok, seems to have been dragged down a bit by the rest of the team and is in full relaxed (but too relaxed) mode. Maybe someone should tell him Kane is coming for his assist bonus as well!

Ali - 6 - Thought he was our best player early on (even apart from his goal). Can still be frustrating, but still retains a bit of class and composure at key moments.

Son - 4 - awful. Totally out of form and looks like the player he was after his first injury with us in his first season. Problem is when he's playing as if he can't even control a football he doesn't offer a lot else.

Kane - 6- Gets an extra mark for the goal. Just not sharp, despite what he says. Not bullying defenders in the same way, less assured with his lay offs, seems off balance etc. Great goal-scorer though he is you still bank on him to finish when presented with a good chance.

Can't be arsed to rate the subs.
 
Last edited:

cider spurs

Well-Known Member
Jul 5, 2016
9,399
23,731
Lloris. Welcome back lad. He's copped alot of flak lately, some justified, but some, way over the top.

Pulled off a few decent saves, and the sprint out of his box and tackle was masterful, although it scared the shite out of me.
 

Coyboy

The Double of 1961 is still The Double
Dec 3, 2004
15,506
5,032
2003? Got to be the Newcastle 5-1 mate or any game under AVB.

You said the last 15 years, I am just wondering what happened 15 years that was the only game worse than yesterday?
 

Coyboy

The Double of 1961 is still The Double
Dec 3, 2004
15,506
5,032
Anyone know what the Watford fans meant by "It's happening again". We were all like "what's happening again? We are beating you?". Spooky...
 

belsunz

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2007
1,396
2,889
Big fan of Sonny, he offers pace and trickery while on form, but yesterday was the last of a string of mediocre/poor performances. The guy is clearly out of form. Lamela/Moura deserve to start ahead of him against WBA.
 

brendanb50

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2005
4,484
3,890
One of those games but the 3 points was all that mattered.

Nerves for both teams were visible IMO - Watford being very poor away took some time to get into the game but when they did, they attacked very well i felt.

We got the goal we needed early on but as per usual at the moment, struggled to move through the gears. My view on this is that our lack of speed and fluidity is down to our midfield - our movement is decent in front of them, we have players moving into wide space regularly but our mids (last night Dembele & Dier) were struggling to dictate the tempo and own the midfield. This for me allowed Watford to break dangerously on a couple of occasions, as well as limiting the amount of good chances we created (not getting the ball into good enough areas for the final ball/cross).

Overall i agree with @dagraham and his ratings above. The real positives came from Lloris, Trippier, Jan (solid as usual). The other notables were Alli (Showed quality in a few key areas), Eriksen (forced deep and whilst a bit casual, looked good in posession) and Kane (for the goal if nothing else). The rest for me were either average (Davies/Sanchez/Son) or poor (Dier/Dembele).
 

brendanb50

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2005
4,484
3,890
Big fan of Sonny, he offers pace and trickery while on form, but yesterday was the last of a string of mediocre/poor performances. The guy is clearly out of form. Lamela/Moura deserve to start ahead of him against WBA.

Agree - he's lacking that spark he needs to beat a player in tight spots. Showed some good pace yesterday but his touch looks poor at the mo.
 

belsunz

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2007
1,396
2,889
Went for Trippier as MOTM. Have criticised him lately for not being good enough in the big games (I still stand by that judgement), but yesterday he had a good game. Contributed to both goals and was solid defensively. Seemingly showed more willingness to get forward than usual.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Trippier got skinned twice in the 2nd half very easily, good going forward but defensively suspect.
 
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