Spurs v Brighton Match Thread sponsored by FFS Dele

[Gaz_Gammon]

4th in the league and suddenly the world isn't ending

Check back here on Saturday...

 

[Sweetsman]

For most of the second half I watched as Rose was continually in space, getting into positions for balls to be hit to him or in fact ahead of him into space. The problem is we don't have players who can pass that way. We play very few chipped passes, or through balls or curled passes into spaces. To be honest he suffered from an inadequate midfield today and a team not used any more to playing with quick attacking full backs

Quite a number of players were running into spaces and then weren't passed to. Winks was culpable in picking safe options, unusually for him.

 

[Bilko]

For most of the second half I watched as Rose was continually in space, getting into positions for balls to be hit to him or in fact ahead of him into space. The problem is we don't have players who can pass that way. We play very few chipped passes, or through balls or curled passes into spaces. To be honest he suffered from an inadequate midfield today and a team not used any more to playing with quick attacking full backs

Exactly-The drop in team qaulity has made it difficult for Rose to adapt-Rose is faster and more aggressive than Davies-not showing at the moment though

 

[Nebby]

starting to worry now. Another game and more evidence that we don't have a system to break down the bus parkers. We won't get that lucky too many more times in terms of goals. Kane looked incredibly frustrated as we took sooooo long to move the ball forward. Serge makes the same mistakes, Sissoko offers little, lots of wasted crossing opportunities when we finally got the ball wide.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

Because it's our most productive avenue of scoring, Son, Eriksen, Alli, Kane, Lamela etc, finding those pockets in between midfield and defence and immediately turning and springing an attack. The difference being in games like these, there is very little space between the lines, and even when there is there are immediately defenders and/or midfielders converged on the player receiving the ball, meaning usually they pop the ball straight back to the passer or a full back.

The players were still moving looking for that same space, it just wasn't there, and even when it was it was for brief glimpses the player in possession simply did not see.

Unless we turn over attacks or win the ball from a high press, our attacking play is laboured in the extreme.

With Lamela back hopefully there'll be more 1-2's around the box and it will inject something our play has been missing.

1-2's with some third man running that'd be nice, (hell I'd even take first man running ATM)

It's not exclusive to us. Arsenal, who are very tidy around the box, and Man Utd and Liverpool, who are packed full of pace and power up top, all struggled yesterday too. And none of them had one eye on a City match at the weekend...

 

[Cornpattbuck]

starting to worry now. Another game and more evidence that we don't have a system to break down the bus parkers. We won't get that lucky too many more times in terms of goals. Kane looked incredibly frustrated as we took sooooo long to move the ball forward. Serge makes the same mistakes, Sissoko offers little, lots of wasted crossing opportunities when we finally got the ball wide.

Apart from the fact we won 2-0 and hit the post twice while Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool all struggled against bus parkers (and City and Chelsea played against teams that had thrown the towel in before kick off, for whatever reason)...

Anyway, whatever happens against City we're still in the mix. Hopefully we can boast a full strength squad at some point and really push on...

 

[spursfan77]

Most teams have difficulty with it, our problem is we don't seem to get an early goal against the tactic. Once you get the early goal the game opened up. If you batter a team for the first 15mins get a goal the game is much more open.

I thought we started well last night (well, better than against stoke, West Brom, Swansea etc) and on a different night could have got an early goal with a bit more luck.

Also, Brighton were strange last night. Even after going behind they didn't go for it. It seemed they were more determined not to be on a hiding than going forward to get the equaliser.

 

[spursfan77]

Once again Rose proved he is still a level below Davies . Its not even a argument. Given how well Davies has played for over a year & how well he has improved this season, Davies is our no1 LB.

Rose used to be a instinctive & aggressive player. Now he thinks on every touch, invariably takes the wrong decision. May be its lack of match practice. Regardless, he should have no complaints if Davies is picked ahead of him in key games

He looks like he's come back from his injury and it's affected his pace. He's definitely slower and it's taken lots out of his game.

 

[gregga]

Only caught the highlights last night so clearly can’t comment on the fluidity of our play, but from what I saw we created more than enough clear chances; Kane being particularly wasteful.

By all accounts this was a good defensive performance by Brighton - so why is everyone complaining about a 2-0 win? Is it because we didn’t kill the game off until the 87th minute?

Looking only at the chances created by both teams it certainly looked like a deserved 2-0.

 

[HW61]

For most of the second half I watched as Rose was continually in space, getting into positions for balls to be hit to him or in fact ahead of him into space. The problem is we don't have players who can pass that way. We play very few chipped passes, or through balls or curled passes into spaces. To be honest he suffered from an inadequate midfield today and a team not used any more to playing with quick attacking full backs

Finding Rose in space = we miss Toby big time.

 

[Gb160]

Only caught the highlights last night so clearly can’t comment on the fluidity of our play, but from what I saw we created more than enough clear chances; Kane being particularly wasteful.

By all accounts this was a good defensive performance by Brighton - so why is everyone complaining about a 2-0 win? Is it because we didn’t kill the game off until the 87th minute?

Looking only at the chances created by both teams it certainly looked like a deserved 2-0.

Its an SC match thread.
Go and stand in the corner and think about what you've just done.

 

[Drink!Drink!]

Check back here on Saturday...

Haha, looking at the weekend fixtures, a reasonable chance we could find ourselves back down to 7th.

Stay tuned for more mood swings

 

[Gb160]

Haha, looking at the weekend fixtures, a reasonable chance we could find ourselves back down to 7th.

Stay tuned for more mood swings

true, but with Woolwich vs Liverpool on the 22nd that could all change again before xmas.

 

[spursfan77]

Quite a number of players were running into spaces and then weren't passed to. Winks was culpable in picking safe options, unusually for him.

Probably because he was a one man midfield and he didn't want to give the ball away I suspect.

 

[Gb160]

Probably because he was a one man midfield and he didn't want to give the ball away I suspect.

No he was poor last night, no shying away from that.
It's the first time that's been the case imo.

 

[nicdic]

No he was poor last night, no shying away from that.
It's the first time that's been the case imo.

It'd be fine to criticise WInks if he was actually picking safe options when there actual progressive options ahead of him. However that wasn't the case, the way Brighton set up combined with us playing a 4-3-3 really congested things for us. I was actually impressed at Winks' composure to just keep things ticking over and doing what we needed to keep recycling the ball and keep us going.

 

[JimmyG2]

Only caught the highlights last night so clearly can’t comment on the fluidity of our play, but from what I saw we created more than enough clear chances; Kane being particularly wasteful.

By all accounts this was a good defensive performance by Brighton - so why is everyone complaining about a 2-0 win? Is it because we didn’t kill the game off until the 87th minute?

Looking only at the chances created by both teams it certainly looked like a deserved 2-0.

Fluidity is not a word to apply to our performance.
Congealed is more like it
Is anyone complaining about the win
or the fact that due to the failure of Arsenal and Liverpool to win
we find ourselves back in 4th.
All good, very good.
It's more the nature of it that hurts.
Even Harry Winks was jeered for turning back when in space
and with space ahead of him.
Need to pass the ball with more pace.

 

[Nebby]

Apart from the fact we won 2-0 and hit the post twice while Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool all struggled against bus parkers (and City and Chelsea played against teams that had thrown the towel in before kick off, for whatever reason)...

But for the freakish first goal, we created little in the first half, and Son's goal looked equally lucky from where I was sat; like it went in off the back of his head. We won't keep getting that lucky, and we won't keep coming up against teams as stupid as Stoke, who for some reason allowed the game to open up. I guess they're not bothered about goal difference.

It was noticeable how the crowd turned on Winks last night. I'd say less than 20% of his passes went forwards. Most seemed to go straight back to the player that had given him the ball or sideways. Now, there's nothing wrong with ball retention, but there comes a point where we need to get the ball forward. Kane was moving back and forwards across their back four all night looking for the early pass, but it just didn't come.

We seem to be playing very cautiously these days.

 

[Trix]

Haha, looking at the weekend fixtures, a reasonable chance we could find ourselves back down to 7th.

Stay tuned for more mood swings

We need to stop worrying about the league position at this stage of the season. The points tally is more representative of where we are, and whatever happens we will only be at most 3 points off 4th.

 

[Shadydan]

But for the freakish first goal, we created little in the first half, and Son's goal looked equally lucky from where I was sat; like it went in off the back of his head. We won't keep getting that lucky, and we won't keep coming up against teams as stupid as Stoke, who for some reason allowed the game to open up. I guess they're not bothered about goal difference.

It was noticeable how the crowd turned on Winks last night. I'd say less than 20% of his passes went forwards. Most seemed to go straight back to the player that had given him the ball or sideways. Now, there's nothing wrong with ball retention, but there comes a point where we need to get the ball forward. Kane was moving back and forwards across their back four all night looking for the early pass, but it just didn't come.

We seem to be playing very cautiously these days.

As i have mentioned before it's not lucky to score goals, we put constant pressure on Brighton's goal so something had to give, nothing to do with luck.