Match Threads Spurs vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - Match Thread

[shelfboy68]

If Levy doesn't give poch what he needs in the summer, I think he'll be off the following season.

That's what it all comes down to.

I think poch will want one full season in the new stadium and see how Levy supports him.

That sounds fair enough he needs to be backed and you could not blame him for leaving I just hope that he doesn't decide to leave in the summer again I wouldn't blame him if he did.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

There was no point putting GKN on the bench if you're not going to use him when the time comes. He seems like a nice lad, so what's he done wrong? Felt he did well in pre season and thought he'd be given a chance. Who knows, maybe his pace and directness could have made a difference yesterday when needed.

exactly yesterday was the perfect time to throw him on cause we had nothing to lose but poch chose not to, just wish we could replace llorente and gkn with alternative back up options who poch actually trusts

 

[John48]

Not sure GKN would have helped us defensively & from little I've seen all our problems came from really poor defending & giving the ball away in silly areas. Their 1st goal was easily defended if someone bothered to block off Boly's run. As it was we gave a free run in to a 6ft 4 or 5in CB who can jump & he got way too easily for essentially a free header. One of the other goals was down to Trippier's poor pass to Toby who looked like he was running in thick mud. Essentially, from what I've seen we were defensively a shambles once they scored their 1st goal.

 

[faymantaray]

All these years laughing at Willy Boly have come back to heaunt us..

 

[SirNiNyHotspur]

Not sure GKN would have helped us defensively & from little I've seen all our problems came from really poor defending & giving the ball away in silly areas. Their 1st goal was easily defended if someone bothered to block off Boly's run. As it was we gave a free run in to a 6ft 4 or 5in CB who can jump & he got way too easily for essentially a free header. One of the other goals was down to Trippier's poor pass to Toby who looked like he was running in thick mud. Essentially, from what I've seen we were defensively a shambles once they scored their 1st goal.

We were on the back foot all half, perhaps if we made the sub we would have got on the front foot more, at least made them more wary of coming forward, couldn't of went any worse, but again, what's the thinking behind putting him on the bench if in this situation we're not going to use him? Do we only use the bench to give players a rest when things are going well otherwise don't use them? Only reason I can think his Poch doesn't rate the bench enough to change things up, thus we need/needed some investment.

 

[mpickard2087]

It's all well and good saying Poch needs more backing and more options available to him, that may well be true, but that becomes pretty irrelevant if, like yesterday, he has one of those days when for some reason he completely freezes and doesn't react to what is happening on the pitch in front of him.

I only saw extended highlights of the Arsenal game, but yesterday was a similar repeat for me. The narrow diamond/4-3-1-2/4-3-2-1 formation (whatever you want to call it) was exposed by a 3-4-3 shape and they were able to build pressure by switching play and exposing our flanks and dragging our central midfielders about. However good it has been in recent weeks, on this day it wasn't working.

As I said last night, there were surely some options available. Stop playing so bloody narrow, get Son and Moura out on each flank stationed high and try to pin back their wingbacks. Change shape or bolster the flanks (eg. Rose on and switch to a back three, or even put Rose midfield in front of Davies and shore things up). Something had to be done as we barely got a kick in the second half.

Ultimately there was a lot of huffing and puffing and chuntering to Jesus, Miguel et al on the bench, but apart from a straight up swap of Alli for Moura, we just continued as we were doing and didn't even attempt to combat the opposition and pattern of the game..... And then, deservedly in all truth, disaster struck and we lost the game.

Poch can keep doing the many, many good things he does, he could get all the backing he wants and more on top of that, but if these games where he 'freezes' in certain scenarios when we are under the cosh and not at our best happen then it will always be difficult to change the outcome of the match.

 

[easley91]

Not sure GKN would have helped us defensively & from little I've seen all our problems came from really poor defending & giving the ball away in silly areas. Their 1st goal was easily defended if someone bothered to block off Boly's run. As it was we gave a free run in to a 6ft 4 or 5in CB who can jump & he got way too easily for essentially a free header. One of the other goals was down to Trippier's poor pass to Toby who looked like he was running in thick mud. Essentially, from what I've seen we were defensively a shambles once they scored their 1st goal.

I'm talking about when we went behind and at 1-3, not defensively. There was nothing going forward. Nothing. A different player could change that dynamic and freshen it up.

 

[spursbhoy67]

I think it is a case of two steps forward, one step backwards with Poch in terms of game prep and in-game management. He has taken massive strides forward, learned from the first Arsenal loss and rectified it in the cup game.

The Wolves game reminded me of the Juve second leg last season. Looked in control, became slack in passing and got picked off with square balls and on the break. We concede in specific areas which is why teams set up the way they do. Burnley nearly got a result recently, Wolves did and so did Juve when it mattered most. We have to learn to concede with forward passing behind their back four. This would also allow us to counter press. But playing square in midfield or being ponderous in possession plays into opposition hands when games are close.

Games are 90 minutes and you have to play to the final whistle. We were never going to score another 4-5 goals yesterday and Wolves set out to get a result over the course of the game.

I hope Poch learns from this game, looks at the similarities with previous games and when tired and defending a lead we change how we approach the game. Why not play on the break in the second half yesterday? Fatigue was obvious to the fans so should have been to the bench too. We tried to manage it by keeping the ball, but we kept giving it away which meant having to work to get it back which increased fatigue. Vicious cycle.

A missed opportunity but team is still improving and had improved. Need Poch to not be so rigid in his in game approach.

 

[eViL]

The issue for me was that Sissoko, Winks and Eriksen barely ventured out of the middle 3rd with the ball to draw out their midfield. Tippy tappy backwards and sideways passes just won't cut it, particularly when we have arguably the best hold-up striker in the world playing for us to ping it in to.

Sonny; as he always does when he hits form, came deep too often looking to hit 30 yarders rather then pushing their defence back by staying on the defender's shoulder where he's actually at his best. Deli's 1st touch then ponderous decision making cost possession too many times - he really needs to stop second guessing himself. Both need to pull defenders away from Kane by making runs forward; not to come deep.

I'm not sure how many man of the match awards KWP needs to win before he can get a regular game but Poch needs to be braver with him - look at Alexander-Arnold at the bin dippers.. he's some of the difference for them this season.

Hugo - unpopular opinion but he's not good enough with low shots and for a top keeper, lacks real presence in the box. Always looks depressed. Always gets beaten when it really counts. The 1st and 2nd goals should have been saved ALL DAY. I like the cut of Gazzaniga's jib too - I think there's options in that position.

 

[Trees]

I think it is a case of two steps forward, one step backwards with Poch in terms of game prep and in-game management. He has taken massive strides forward, learned from the first Arsenal loss and rectified it in the cup game.

The Wolves game reminded me of the Juve second leg last season. Looked in control, became slack in passing and got picked off with square balls and on the break. We concede in specific areas which is why teams set up the way they do. Burnley nearly got a result recently, Wolves did and so did Juve when it mattered most. We have to learn to concede with forward passing behind their back four. This would also allow us to counter press. But playing square in midfield or being ponderous in possession plays into opposition hands when games are close.

Games are 90 minutes and you have to play to the final whistle. We were never going to score another 4-5 goals yesterday and Wolves set out to get a result over the course of the game.

I hope Poch learns from this game, looks at the similarities with previous games and when tired and defending a lead we change how we approach the game. Why not play on the break in the second half yesterday? Fatigue was obvious to the fans so should have been to the bench too. We tried to manage it by keeping the ball, but we kept giving it away which meant having to work to get it back which increased fatigue. Vicious cycle.

A missed opportunity but team is still improving and had improved. Need Poch to not be so rigid in his in game approach.

Too much over analysis. Players knackered with too many injuries at the moment. It caught up with us.

 

[Diarmuid]

The issue for me was that Sissoko, Winks and Eriksen barely ventured out of the middle 3rd with the ball to draw out their midfield. Tippy tappy backwards and sideways passes just won't cut it, particularly when we have arguably the best hold-up striker in the world playing for us to ping it in to.

Sonny; as he always does when he hits form, came deep too often looking to hit 30 yarders rather then pushing their defence back by staying on the defender's shoulder where he's actually at his best. Deli's 1st touch then ponderous decision making cost possession too many times - he really needs to stop second guessing himself. Both need to pull defenders away from Kane by making runs forward; not to come deep.

I'm not sure how many man of the match awards KWP needs to win before he can get a regular game but Poch needs to be braver with him - look at Alexander-Arnold at the bin dippers.. he's some of the difference for them this season.

Hugo - unpopular opinion but he's not good enough with low shots and for a top keeper, lacks real presence in the box. Always looks depressed. Always gets beaten when it really counts. The 1st and 2nd goals should have been saved ALL DAY. I like the cut of Gazzaniga's jib too - I think there's options in that position.

U are godlike

 

[SirNiNyHotspur]

On a positive note, I went to the Redskins match last night and I don't think I ever seen a worse professional sporting performance, they lost 0-24 to the eagles, not sure if they managed to get 2 passes in a row the whole game, never looked anywhere near scoring, made us look fantastic v Wolves, they really were complete dogshit, I take back what I said earlier, Spurs were only a little dogshit.

 

[Cruyff]

Have certain players been overplayed which resulted in the second half performance?

Everton - first tactical sub (not including Dele's injury) on 79 minutes when it was already 6-2. We were 5-2 up after 61 mins so presumably players could have been rested with about half an hour to go.

Bournemouth - first sub on 77 mins. We were 4-0 up after 61 minutes! Again players could have been rested with about half an hour to go or even at half time.

Wolves - only one sub made...

Am I missing something more complicated in regards to efficient rotation and resting of players?