Match Threads Spurs vs Leicester - Match Thread - Day 14

[dbspurs]

With those players coming in it will mean being even better defensively

It will also mean we can play a bit higher up the pitch because Dier and Toby are not the quickest.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Today reminded me why I haven’t watched us that much this seaon. I rather see paint dry than watch us at the moment. Football is slowly dying inside me. Can’t be bothered spending two hours on garbage football.

 

[Phil-spur99]

I'm normally optimistic, but that was pathectic today.

Can accept the draw at Palace, where they battled admirably, can accept the defeat at Liverpool which we battled admirably - but lost, but that today was fucking bolllox from the first minute.

It’s not even the fact we lost the game, or even the penalty or OG, it more annoying what we did (or didn’t do) in the rest of the game. There were literally no positives for me to take from that.
It makes the Wolves game a must win for me otherwise we will drop down the table like a stone (although it is very tight). Can’t believe Utd are above us.

 

[Barrd10]

I think everyone needs to take a breath and realise that Jose has been here for a year and we have come a long way in that time.

Mostly we look difficult to beat and we have the tools up front to hurt any team.

It is still a work in progress and I believe it wont be until next season at the earliest that Jose has the players he needs to mount a title challenge.

I think he wants 2 top centre backs, another 2 centre midfielders and a right back.

Once he has them I believe he'll be able to fully implement his style of play and it will be easier on the eye.

So he needs a new team then! The only players he doesn’t want to change is Kane and Son. Come on.

 

[SpursSince1980]

FYP.

Sorry, Jez - I couldn't resist!

Douche. ?

Jez. Ha! Find it funny when people call me that.

 

[Shadydan]

I'm normally optimistic, but that was pathectic today.

Can accept the draw at Palace, where they battled admirably, can accept the defeat at Liverpool which we battled admirably - but lost, but that today was fucking bolllox from the first minute.

Carbon copy of the Chelsea home game last season.

 

[Mr Pink]

Carbon copy of the Chelsea home game last season.

Said to my cousin four minutes in we're losing this.

Actually saw this quite a lot over the years, irrespective of who the manager is.

We just looked completely uninterested from the first minute. Kane looked jaded, Son was having one of those days, and there was no omph from any of the players behind.

Ndombele got clobbered early doors and never recovered

Was just a weak performance all round.

I was calling out everyone writing off our title chances before this game.

Well I think I've joined them after that.

 

[hamsup_sotong]

They looked knackered... although I thought his subs were weird, would have taken off serge for Matt or moussa for bale. No one can legislate for that gio injury when we took off ndombadboi. Factor in that horrible og and the heads dropped after. Not suprising at all but very disappointing

 

[rupsmith]

I like your optimism, but forgive my glass half empty ideology when it comes to Spurs, to suggest it's more blind faith from where I'm standing. I missed the first 20 mins of the game and didn't realise that he took a knock. If I'm being totally open and honest, I'm seriously not a fan of this style of the game we're playing. I want teams to come to our ground and know that we are going to give them a tough time and offer them lots to think about. I've seen far too many games lately where we just say,

"try and score against us and look we'll give you the ball more so you can have as much time as you like and we'll try and use the odd moment where we can break the play and counter you, whilst sitting quite deep to give us more work to create a chance against you, we'll likely try and do that every 20-30 mins, we'll do it through Kane, as we'll generally bypass everyone else"

That is pretty much what I see every game and whilst the man city game was a good result, it was at times brutal viewing from a purist perspective.

In principle I completely agree with you about how we should be dominating games in terms of creation of chances, putting continual pressure on the opposition rather than waiting for them to open up gaps. My point is that we don’t have the squad to take that approach. We don’t have a de Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, James Rodrigues, Maddison type player. We did not replace Eriksen, Dembele etc. Many of the squad are technically limited players or have reached their peak/declining - Winks, Alli, Aurier, Sissoko, Lamela etc, Quite a few people say that Moura, Davidson are a part of that. Kane is actually filling in that role to a certain degree when we need that skill and a fully fit NDombele will do so as well.

But what we do have is pace and finishing ability. And Jose’s approach is to get the ball to those players quickly and accurately. It’s an approach that has generally worked and has gotten us results. When we don’t move the ball quickly or accurately enough, we look like the “sideways passing, giving the ball away, technically limited” side we looked against Leicester and Everton. We need a lot of improvement to the squad to be genuinely challenging for top position. Jose has gotten the buy in from the players and the chairman. Like Klopp had many many seasons and windows, Jose - a proven winner - needs to be given that time as well.

 

[Romulus]

top to 5th just like that

 

[Serpico]

Bad spell, all teams have had one. We will come tbrough this. We need to bd patient.

 

[shelfboy68]

Unfortunately the past week has seen a return to the spurs of old the one that is in a strong position then crumbles.
A week ago we were top with some suggesting a title challenge, and here we are seven days later with the now traditional situation of " I told you so".
Jose will know there is much work to do here weeding out players who are not suitable along with establishing a much stronger mindset around the club.
Another summer of activity should see us push on and become stronger than what we are now.

 

[allatsea]

Aurier had another of his brain farts. We replaced one passenger for another (Ndombele/Bale) and as many have said we looked jaded. We were out played and out fought.

 

[beats1]

Yet we have two eights in the team ...

But do we?

Because as I see it, we have Ndombele playing the 10 role, Lo Celso playing further forward today and Sissoko and Hojberg linking up defence and attack

It looks horrible to watch as sissoko isn't good at passing, today I saw Hojberg actually get frustrated. He found a pocket of space called for it Sissoko wanted to pass but wasn't confident with the outside of his foot so Hojberg so Hojberg went deep to collect, he collected and the pace had gone they set up 2 banks of four and it ended with a typical cannonball pass from the CB's

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

The talent and potential in our squad is not transfering into performances, and hasn't consistently for a few seasons now. It's still too early to judge Jose, but while I'm impressed by the defensive organisation he's brought in, there's still little evidence that he knows how to get a tune out of the team when we have the ball. For the last four seasons I've been pointing out that most teams in the bottom half play better football than we do. They don't get as many points as we do, but only because their individual quality lets them down, whereas we capitalise on ours.

We now seem to treat the middle third of the pitch as though it has been mined, and the centre circle is an absolute no-go area. We play a bastardised version of POMO. When it works, and we win, that's OK (sort of, perhaps), but when we lose it's horrible. You can say that the end justifies the means, but we don't have the end yet. Winning something would perhaps make it worth watching this rubbish, for one season perhaps. But if we end up 5th and get knocked out in three semi-finals...

 

[Deleted member 27995]

But do we?

Because as I see it, we have Ndombele playing the 10 role, Lo Celso playing further forward today and Sissoko and Hojberg linking up defence and attack

It looks horrible to watch as sissoko isn't good at passing, today I saw Hojberg actually get frustrated. He found a pocket of space called for it Sissoko wanted to pass but wasn't confident with the outside of his foot so Hojberg so Hojberg went deep to collect, he collected and the pace had gone they set up 2 banks of four and it ended with a typical cannonball pass from the CB's

Lo Celso and Ndombele are both eights, they play better from deeper, there is no argument on this.

 

[Serpico]

We should all be annoyed but not concerned- A dip in form can be turned around. Teams have worked us out so now we are less effective. A little change of formation and a win at Stoke will help. I feel we need to nore offensive and take the game to the opposition rather than allowing them to set the tempo. Jose is smart enough to make changes.

 

[razzmaster]

Lo Celso and Ndombele are both eights, they play better from deeper, there is no argument on this.

Back to the 433 argument for me, with Ndombele and Lo Celso playing ahead of Hojbjerg. Would be so much more effective than shoehorning one of them into the no.10 position.

Front 3 would then be Kane, Son and one other but I fear this would be too attacking for Jose so doubt we will ever see it.

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Back to the 433 argument for me, with Ndombele and Lo Celso playing ahead of Hojbjerg. Would be so much more effective than shoehorning one of them into the no.10 position.

Front 3 would then be Kane, Son and one other but I fear this would be too attacking for Jose so doubt we will ever see it.

Isn't that what he had with his Chelsea teams?

Once again a narrative that doesn't fit the fact of the past ... Could be more to do with the players at his disposal and the trust in what he asks those players to do with and without the ball - maybe?

Still think in Lo Celso and Ndombele you have similar footballers - the thinking behind the purchase of both when we clearly wanted to look for a ten baffles me and seems to keep passing fans by ... (imo)

 

[Serpico]

In November Everton lost 3 out of 4 matches. Form can dip and luck can change.
The Pen and OG could have Been avoided-we made mistakes -it wasn't LCs brilliance that lost US this match.
LC should have been down to 10 before half time (vicious tackle on Kane)-why wasn't VAR used?

Stoke couldn't come at a better time to aid our recovery. Lose this - not sure there would be any positives left.

Lets not forget how wonderful Arsenal are doing.