Team for Stoke

[DC_Boy]

I'm not aginst kaboul starting - as I say it's very tempting - but like most i think it will be the obvious team

 

[elvis7754]

Against Everton I would have said that he had an average game but it was a hotly contested affair and Everton were beginning to control the game.
Against Stoke we are not going to need a highly gifted player in the middle because lets be honest they don't have any really good players in that area but we do need a physical presence and someone who can head the ball and get stuck in.
I just don't think Modric gives us that kind of presence in the middle and I prefer him on the left with Bale overlapping or even interchanging with Niko on the right.

I really disagree with this.

Imagine it was Man Utd. with a their first choice centre midfield out. Would SAF think 'well, Stoke lack quality there so I'll fight fire with fire and play O'Shea'. No way, he plays Giggs there every time.

If we're serious about getting the top 4, this is a game we need to, at least try to, win. Even with all our injuries, our starting XI will still be stronger than Stoke's regardless of home advantage. I doubt we'll be able to say the same when we play Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, City.

We should be positive, look to get the ball down and play football and try to win the game. Modric in the middle please.

 

[spur_souljah]

Gomes​

Corluka....Dawson....Bassong....Bale​

Kranjcar....Palacios....Kaboul....Modric ​

Eidur​

Pavlyuchenko​

Would like to see this line-up although im not sure if it would work. I thought kaboul did well against everton when he came on, took him a few minutes to adjust, but my concern was no-one was attacking from central midfield when he came on, so perhaps if guddy was playing in that AM role it might work :shrug:​

 

[BringBack_leGin]

With all the injuries, it might be the time to try something completely unexpected. 433, with widemen cutting in onto their better foot.

Gomes
Corluka Dawson Bassong Ekotto
Palacios
Modric Gudjohnsen
Bale....................... Kranjcar
Pavlyuchenko​

Even if we don't try this, I'd still pick these players, i.e Gudjohnsen in for Defoe, whether it is as a 442 or a 4411. Keep Crouch as the plan B, let Pav shatter himself for the majority of the match, and then let Crouch give them somethign to think about. If we play Crouch, like it or not, we'll see way too many lazy hoofs upfield, and we will lose because Stoke will eat us alive if we try that and we won't be playing to our strength, which involves ball on the ground, possession football.

Kranjcar we already know is not great on the right, but pretty good on the left, while I've seen Bale a few times on the right for Wales and he's looked good there. I don't think this is a game where we'll get much joy from crosses into the area because of the way Stoke play, but through the middle could be a completely different story.​

 

[Spurs_Bear]

With all the injuries, it might be the time to try something completely unexpected. 433, with widemen cutting in onto their better foot.

Gomes
Corluka Dawson Bassong Ekotto
Palacios
Modric Gudjohnsen
Bale....................... Kranjcar
Pavlyuchenko​

Even if we don't try this, I'd still pick these players, i.e Gudjohnsen in for Defoe, whether it is as a 442 or a 4411. Keep Crouch as the plan B, let Pav shatter himself for the majority of the match, and then let Crouch give them somethign to think about. If we play Crouch, like it or not, we'll see way too many lazy hoofs upfield, and we will lose because Stoke will eat us alive if we try that and we won't be playing to our strength, which involves ball on the ground, possession football.​

Kranjcar we already know is not great on the right, but pretty good on the left, while I've seen Bale a few times on the right for Wales and he's looked good there. I don't think this is a game where we'll get much joy from crosses into the area because of the way Stoke play, but through the middle could be a completely different story.​

Are you pissed already mate????

 

[Raxscallion]

One thing I'm 100% sure on: We need another big game from Dawson.

 

[jondesouza]

I'd be tempted to play Kaboul ahead of Corluka at RB just for his great aerial ability, but like many others, I'd pick:

Gomes​

Corluka Bassong Dawson Ekotto​

Kranjcar Modric Palacios Bale​

Crouch Pavlyuchenko​

Subs: Alnwick, Dervite, Kaboul, Livermore, Bostock, Parrett, Gudjohnsen ​

This, except for Townsend instead of Bostock.

 

[sparx100]

Not really thinking about shoe-horning Kaboul into the team (well, no more than those who are obsessed with shoe-horning Bale onto the wing, and Modric into central midfield, before there was even an injury crisis, anyway:wink. Just think for this particular match in this particular venue, having the option of a third central defender in the box, and one who is good in the air, isn't a bad option. He is good in the air at both ends, and, therefore, particularly against a team like Stoke, that added attacking option may also be very valuable. I am not trying to 'shoe-horn' him in just for defensive reasons - I also think he is gonna give us that attacking option that playing BAE, Bale and Modric together, isn't gonna give us.

Funny, ain't it...I defended the qualities of BAE on here when he was injured and there plenty to label him as 'crap'; I did the same with Bale, when there were plenty to say he may have to 'move on', and Modric we all no to be class (apart from 'The Dutch Master' :rofl, and yet when I suggest leaving one of them (BAE) out I am accused of trying to 'shoe-horn' a player in, or even being totally ridiculous - even though 'Arry clearly rates Kaboul, and has played him in centrtal midfield at Pompey and at the Lane:shrug:

Well SP - Harry agreed with you - so Kudos to you :grin:

 

[StartingPrice]

Not really thinking about shoe-horning Kaboul into the team (well, no more than those who are obsessed with shoe-horning Bale onto the wing, and Modric into central midfield, before there was even an injury crisis, anyway:wink. Just think for this particular match in this particular venue, having the option of a third central defender in the box, and one who is good in the air, isn't a bad option. He is good in the air at both ends, and, therefore, particularly against a team like Stoke, that added attacking option may also be very valuable. I am not trying to 'shoe-horn' him in just for defensive reasons - I also think he is gonna give us that attacking option that playing BAE, Bale and Modric together, isn't gonna give us.

Funny, ain't it...I defended the qualities of BAE on here when he was injured and there plenty to label him as 'crap'; I did the same with Bale, when there were plenty to say he may have to 'move on', and Modric we all no to be class (apart from 'The Dutch Master' :rofl, and yet when I suggest leaving one of them (BAE) out I am accused of trying to 'shoe-horn' a player in, or even being totally ridiculous - even though 'Arry clearly rates Kaboul, and has played him in centrtal midfield at Pompey and at the Lane:shrug:

Well SP - Harry agreed with you - so Kudos to you :grin:

mg:

The man must be mad

mg:

 

[Delboy10]

Kaboul starts!

 

[guy]

yes but not in place of modric in CM. And yes bale is still at LM

 

[StartingPrice]

yes but not in place of modric in CM. And yes bale is still at LM

It was...I wasn't predicting the squad, though, just making a suggestion as to what I personally thought might work at a very tough away ground during a time of a particularly severe injury crisis.

 

[Coyboy]

If we play Crouch, like it or not, we'll see way too many lazy hoofs upfield, and we will lose

 

[Wiener]

Before he says it, allow me. We would have lost if they had not had a man sent off. It's obvious.

 

[3Dnata]

I see the value of Crouch and as many have said on here, he doesn't hoof the ball to himself.
Dawson showed some great passing against Blackburn but for some reason he just can't resist the long ball to Crouch. Against teams that are set up defensively even if Peter wins the ball it would be hard for his knock-ons to lead to anything.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

To be fair, it wasn't a criticism of Crouch, more of our defence and midfield, and based on what we've seen since Lennon got injured, it was hardly preposterous to suggest that this would be the case, seeing as all we've seen are Dawson, Corluka and Huddlestone hoofing it up to Crouch in recent times. As a plan B the guy's fine by me, but as a plan A we've been a long ball time, through no fault of his.

If we'd done that against Stoke, we would have lost. There is no way we would have been able to win by trying to beat Stoke at their own game. We'd have surrendered possession 9/10 and been completely bombarded.

The fact is, and with hindsight I attribute this almost entirely to the presence of Modric in the centre, we resisted the urge to hoof it to Crouch, especially when Gudjohnsen came on and got into the game in the second half.

So yes, I was wrong, we did not hoof to Crouch all day long, and I'm delighted about that, but if we had, as we had been constantly since Boxing day up until Pavlyuchenko took his place in the side, I reckon we'd have lost.

Before he says it, allow me. We would have lost if they had not had a man sent off. It's obvious.

I wasn't actually going to say that, but fair enough.

 

[Coyboy]

Fair enough, just playing but I think the inclusion of Crouch defensively and as an outlet was a no brainer and he showed (once again) for the goal that he is a very good footballer, not a bean pole. I didn't think about putting Kaboul in for Palacios and that was a very brave decision by Redknapp because if there is one game where you would think Palacios to be indispensable it would be this.

I just think people make too much of Crouch encouraging long ball football, it is simply used as an option and to be honest isn't at odds with the mythical Spurs 'philosophy' as some think.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Fair enough, just playing but I think the inclusion of Crouch defensively and as an outlet was a no brainer and he showed (once again) for the goal that he is a very good footballer, not a bean pole. I didn't think about putting Kaboul in for Palacios and that was a very brave decision by Redknapp because if there is one game where you would think Palacios to be indispensable it would be this.

I just think people make too much of Crouch encouraging long ball football, it is simply used as an option and to be honest isn't at odds with the mythical Spurs 'philosophy' as some think.

Defensively Crouch was brilliant on the set pieces. Ditto on Kaboul.

I disagree with you on our use of the long ball, both historically and currently. This season has been the first time I can remember, and I include the Graham Years in this, where in several games we have looked to just play the ball past the midfield as our first option. We weren't doing it in the first half of the season even with Crouch in the side. We certainly did not do it against Wigan, or Manchester City (where we actually scored a goal from a long ball it must be admitted). But since Lennon got injured, teams sussed us out and rather than try to find space and time on the ground, we just started launching it 40/50 yards every time in hope that Crouch would knock it down to someone or make something out of nothing. This is further frustrating when it becomes obvious that Crouch, for all his height, isn't actually very good at this. Berbatov, a far more skilled footballer, was actually much better at this, and it came off more regularly.

Now we appear to have found a way around the lack of Lennon, and that is Modric in the middle. His ability to turn defence into attack has seen us play some of our best football of 2010 in the last 3 matches. Along with Bale on the left giving us some real pace on the flank again, and Pav being up front making long ball completely pointless, we are now keeping it down far more, and thankfully that continued even with Crouch in the side v Stoke.

What I will say, and this isn't speaking for anybody else, just myself, is that for me the wish to not see long ball football, the wish to see good passing football at almost all times, is nothing to do with what our traditinons are meant to be. It is far more to do with what I just plain like to see, what I know I enjoy, from having seen us to an extent, and far better sides than us do. Much is it rots my insides to say, that lot at the other end of the seven sisters should be our blueprint for philosophy, and trusting a less defensively minded player like Modric to be one of our two central midfielders is a step towards that.

 

[jimmyn16]

I just think people make too much of Crouch encouraging long ball football, it is simply used as an option and to be honest isn't at odds with the mythical Spurs 'philosophy' as some think.

Quite right, as anyone who watched Bobby Smith, Alan Gilzean and Martin Chivers would testify. Glenn Hoddle wasn't averse to the long ball either.

 

[Coyboy]

Historically see above BBLG and currently I would agree to some extent as I was merely talking about those who think we automatically turn tolong ball football with or without Lennon. But again you use the term 'every time' which really isn't correct.