Match Threads Spurs v Barcelona - Match Thread

[Gassin's finest]

No I know I mentioned this already this season and last regarding where has the press gone etc think poch is even struggling with things at the moment but then I suppose we can't expect him to be happy with event's that have unfolded assuming that I am allowed to reference that as people get touchy over saying anything.

Personnel issue I think. Last season, in comparison to 16/17, we didn't have Walker, Rose, Toby, Wanyama, Lamela... and Dembele was missing for stages. We haven't replaced/bolstered the energy and tenacity that those players offered. Training can only go so far.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Yes with elite players and owners who back their manager with big bucks we can't and or won't do that so this is pretty much us as a club topped out.

You can't compare us, or indeed any "normal" football club, with the likes of Barcelona. No, we'll never reach the level of Barcelona or Real Madrid ... those are national institutions, backed by governments and vast global branding. But that doesn't mean we should ever give up, and be satisfied. If Leicester can jam a Premier League, then we can go up against giants like last night and give them a bloody good game.

 

[shelfboy68]

Personnel issue I think. Last season, in comparison to 16/17, we didn't have Walker, Rose, Toby, Wanyama, Lamela... and Dembele was missing for stages. We haven't replaced/bolstered the energy and tenacity that those players offered. Training can only go so far.

Agree and this is what I was infering in regards to poch not being happy with event's such as no incomings to bolster or improve the squad, the club can have no complaints over anything when they did not invest.

 

[1882andallthat]

Anyone who has supported Spurs for long enough, and by that I mean over decades, will know and appreciate that last night encapsulated entirely what we are capable of in 90 minutes plus injury time in a football match. Spirit, bravery, passion and brilliance, heavily laced with rank bad stupidity, nativity and siucidal tendencies when it comes to defending. All of this can literally be on show and turn on a sixpence in minutes, where we go from looking the real deal on the biggest stages as we trade blows with the worlds best giving them a scare to not looking out of place in a Sunday League game on Hackney Marshes where a ramshackle outfit from a Leytonstone pub team with odd socks and different coloured shorts would show better defensive qualities and be able to pass it to one another at the back with more composure than we did at times.

One the finest examples of this was demonstrated when like a boxer who was being pummelled on the ropes by a majestic world champion, we dragged ourselves back in the game again with Lamela's second and showed real guts and spirit and firing the crowd up and then almost giving them a heart stopping moment as we conspired to to nearly conceding a 4th within a minute or two with some suicidal back passing and a complete mix up with Lloris coming right out of his area then losing the ball in yet another keystone cops moment to scrambling it away by the skin of our teeth.

I still love you Spurs and I always will whatever you do, but I won't pretend it when I say that you frustrate and exasperate me and wear my patience thin in equal measures.

On a few other notes, the gulf in class was there for all to see, Messi was a joy and a privilege to watch even though it hurt like hell that it was against us, but the spirit and bravery we showed was equally as enjoyable.

My biggest gripes apart from our lapses of stupidity were the officials who did their level best to give Barcelona a helping hand when they didn't need it, especially in the first half, and I don't think I was the only one in the crowd who thought their 2nd should have been disallowed, I was behind the goal to the left and had what I thought was a clear sight of it going out for a corner before being pinged back into play for that peach of a shot that put them 2-0 up. My other gripe is the Barcelona fans themselves, what an absolute disgrace that they sent tickets back and couldn't even fill their away corner. For a club that claims it's about more than just football who are amongst the biggest in the world how on earth can they fail to fill their little section when Rochdale can in the snow. London is a very cosmopolitan city and how many plastic tourist fans do we all see walking round all corners of the globe wearing Barcelona memorabilia, yet at the world renowned Wembley, their fans and bandwagon jumpers can barely fill a bath !!!!

 

[shelfboy68]

You can't compare us, or indeed any "normal" football club, with the likes of Barcelona. No, we'll never reach the level of Barcelona or Real Madrid ... those are national institutions, backed by governments and vast global branding. But that doesn't mean we should ever give up, and be satisfied. If Leicester can jam a Premier League, then we can go up against giants like last night and give them a bloody good game.

I agree with you regarding how big a brand those clubs are which is why I said that as a club we are pretty much at our peak with what can be achieved.
As for Leicester yes they achieved wonders in a season where all the big boys decided not to turn up they seized their moment unfortunately we could not take advantage but then that is common with us.
The new stadium will help but it's the TV money that really drives everything which is why most teams now spend a fortune even the lesser clubs, again it's a shame that we couldn't of done the same during the summer and given our manager a better chance even though he probably won't win anything he may have gone closer.

 

[Shadydan]

Perhaps in the future if they don't gift goals to a team that, while they are one of the few god tier teams in the world, hadn't exactly been on stellar form themselves, we may have had a sporting chance.

No idea what the rest of the UCL holds for us this year but based off the performances so far, I'd rather fuck it all off. It's not like people think we can win it all, is it?

Might as well fuck the league off as well then in that case

 

[Sweetsman]

Lol on your way lad.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...m-lionel-messi-champions-league-a8567591.html

 

[SPURSLIFE]

Props to Kane, Lamela, Toby and in the second half, Winks for massive, massive efforts and fight.

What I would do for a team of Erik Lamelas. The man is a fucking Demi-god.

One deflected goal and he's a "Demi God" Do me a favour!!!!

 

[Gbspurs]

One deflected goal and he's a "Demi God" Do me a favour!!!!

I'm one of Lamela's biggest critics but i think 2nd half he was everything that was right with us. He fought hard and was one of our only players who ran at them.

1st half though he was poor i thought, both him and Son were bad but like i say fair play he turned it around 2nd half.

I think the crazy high rankings are a but OTT as i would expect a full match performance but based on recent play he is heading in the right direction.

 

[Shadydan]

One deflected goal and he's a "Demi God" Do me a favour!!!!

Yep that's the only contribution he made all game ffs.

Unfortunately this is just another stupid comment that goes in line with the other stupid comments in here which seem to appear when we lose a match.

 

[Gassin's finest]

I'm one of Lamela's biggest critics but i think 2nd half he was everything that was right with us. He fought hard and was one of our only players who ran at them.

1st half though he was poor i thought, both him and Son were bad but like i say fair play he turned it around 2nd half.

I think the crazy high rankings are a but OTT as i would expect a full match performance but based on recent play he is heading in the right direction.

They kept trying to play in each others position all half.

 

[Primativ]

You realise we had a load of players missing right?

Don't see how you can really analyse that performance with half our team out and make an overall judgement about the club

Such a convenient excuse. Yes they were missing tonight but they haven't been missing all season. Do you seriously think Dembele who is passed it and has hardly been good this season? Eriksen who has been absolute garbage so far this season or Alli who mostly drifts through games doing nothing would have all of a sudden clicked and brought their A game? Maybe but based on the season so far I find it unlikely.

Vertonghen was the only player who I thought was a huge miss based on this seasons form rather than just reputation.

Our problems at the back and in central midfield which we've seen all season and which Barcelona punished would not have been solved BY Eriksen Alli and Dembele when they have been present before last night and still the problems have been apparent.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

It felt at the stadium tonight that people turned up to watch Messi and Barcelona than us in all honesty. There was a moment where a few spurs fans applauded Barcelona play - that pissed me the fuck off.

There's nothing wrong in applauding genius. That doesn't make you a traitor to your team just an old fashioned football fan. Even if it does "piss you off"

 

[wizgell]

Our fan base is something else when we lose isn't it. I'll come back when after a couple of days.

 

[Shadydan]

Such a convenient excuse. Yes they were missing tonight but they haven't been missing all season. Do you seriously think Dembele who is passed it and has hardly been good this season? Eriksen who has been absolute garbage so far this season or Alli who mostly drifts through games doing nothing would have all of a sudden clicked and brought their A game? Maybe but based on the season so far I find it unlikely.

Vertonghen was the only player who I thought was a huge miss based on this seasons form rather than just reputation.

Our problems at the back and in central midfield which we've seen all season and which Barcelona punished would not have been solved BY Eriksen Alli and Dembele when they have been present before last night and still the problems have been apparent.

That's not an excuse, it's called a fact.

So again how are you going to judge this performance if the majority of our spine and key players are missing...hardly worth the epuc meltdown and claims of the sky is falling in just cause we lost to Barcelona.

Have a word.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

Such a convenient excuse. Yes they were missing tonight but they haven't been missing all season. Do you seriously think Dembele who is passed it and has hardly been good this season? Eriksen who has been absolute garbage so far this season or Alli who mostly drifts through games doing nothing would have all of a sudden clicked and brought their A game? Maybe but based on the season so far I find it unlikely.

Vertonghen was the only player who I thought was a huge miss based on this seasons form rather than just reputation.

Our problems at the back and in central midfield which we've seen all season and which Barcelona punished would not have been solved BY Eriksen Alli and Dembele when they have been present before last night and still the problems have been apparent.

Agree with most of what you say except that Eriksen can still produce that special pass that can create a goal even if he's not playing well. We didn't have and don't have anybody else in the squad that can do that.

 

[Bobbins]

I can understand the sentiment of the performance and the players but I don't think the fans of City, Liverpool, Chelsea or United would be applauding a loss in Europe like this. I think it shows how far we are yet to go until we challenge on any front

If that was Liverpool last night can you even imagine the reaction to the performance of the ref or the overall display?

Pool fans would be hailing a 2-4 defeat as the greatest performance since “that unforgettable night in Instanbul”...

 

[Deleted member 27995]

The agree is for the first paragraph. The second, if we strive all season to get into the champions league, then why would you not give it your best when you actually get to play in it? Last night's opposition are what it's all about... elite football.

I agree with that sentiment, but considering how people feel about where our club stands - perhaps not those at the club, no one knows how they truly feel - then the deeper we go, the more games we play without reward, what's the point?

Rather than (try) and compete on so many fronts, for a change I would rather we focus on one and make a go of it. Due to what conspired in the summer, Pochs continued tinkering of the squad due to both fitness/form and his want, this team has looked at sixes and sevens for large chunks of this season. Last night was no different.

Last night, a number of players put in a proper shift, but they were playing from behind because of yet another error strewn start which has been a regular occurrence this season and is fucking frustrating for us all to watch.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

Yep that's the only contribution he made all game ffs.

Unfortunately this is just another stupid comment that goes in line with the other stupid comments in here which seem to appear when we lose a match.

The "stupid comment" was calling him a "Demi God" He was rubbish in the first half and better in the second.

 

[mpickard2087]

They kept trying to play in each others position all half.

I think that was caused by the malfunction in our pressing first half. We had a couple of enthusiastic players hunting down in Lamela and Moura, but Kane and Son were just not doing enough in this aspect. The same was happening with Moura getting dragged inside chasing things down that others should have been responsible for, and Barca were just going 'thank you very much', sweeping the ball past him with ease and releasing Alba down the flank for the 8 billionth time.

That was a decision I didn't understand actually, from the off it was a struggle but at least Lamela was getting in and about Busquets and was slowing/disrupting the ball a bit... For some reason the decision was then made for a longish spell to switch him to the left and shift Son central, and Busquets then had free run of the game and we didn't get close to a Barca player after that. Shame it was 2-0 before we started to get it right as a collective.