Team v Arsenal

[dannythomas]

As I said after the Liverpool game. For once, lets be pragmatic, humble even, and not go there with delusions of grandeur about taking a team like this on and winning a beautiful football contest.

Lets for once go into a game like this, be tough to break down and the first aim be not to concede a goal. If we nick a goal and a 1-0 win then even better, but we should be aiming to just get something out of the game.

It might not work, we might lose, it might be a thrashing, it might be an inept performance, but fucking hell we have seen all of that many times before trying to out football these teams. How about we try a different approach for a change?

Lloris
Dier Kaboul/Fazio Vertonghen Rose
Stambouli Capoue Bentaleb
Dembele Chadli Lennon

Subs: Vorm, Naughton, Kaboul/Fazio, Veljkovic, Eriksen, Lamela, Kane​

I actually quite like that approach but I think putting Dembele wide right in a front 3 would be pointless. I'd probably pick him instead of Betaleb. Much as it goes against my feeling about his ability you might as well play Townsend there. We might get lucky that 1 of our 3 wingers in that line up mishits a cross and it goes straight in.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

If CHIRCHES the dodgy Romanian, Dier ( sorry still young and naive),Pauleen (please send back) play - we are GUARANTEED a STUFFING - mind you thinking about our team against Le' Arse, we can put out any of our MUPPETS and guaranteed a beating. I am putting money on another 5 -nil humiliation GUARANTEED

That's the spirit!

 

[mpickard2087]

I actually quite like that approach but I think putting Dembele wide right in a front 3 would be pointless. I'd probably pick him instead of Betaleb. Much as it goes against my feeling about his ability you might as well play Townsend there. We might get lucky that 1 of our 3 wingers in that line up mishits a cross and it goes straight in.

Dembele will drift inside, as he has on the few occasions we have played him out wide. It will make effectively 4 against 3 in the middle in our favour. I think its worth a try.

 

[Joeyboey]

Getting frustrated with Capoue and how slowly he moves the ball. Only seems interested in playing at his own pace.

Bentaleb instead please.

 

[thinktank]

-Lloris
Dier Fazio Verts Rose
Capoue Stambouli
Lamela Eriksen Soldado
Ade
​

Subs: Vorm, Kaboul, Naughton, Mason, Townsend, Lennon, Kane

 

[Black]

Lloris

Naughton Fazio Jan Rose

Capoue

Stambouli-------Bentaleb


Dembele----------------Townsend

Ade​

 

[shelfmonkey]

If we put out Chiriches and Kaboul together again it will make a difference because we will concede at least 6.

Well, better to lose 4-0 then!
The point is we have stalled, if not gone backwards, and it doesn't matter which team we put out coz we can't create, we can't score and we can't defend, and it's clear to me that it doesn't matterr who the manager is this will not change with most of this current crop of 'talent'!!!

 

[Pimp_Spur]

All I will say about the team v arsenal is god help them

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Why would you want more physicality after what we've had centrally for the last two years has fared against these I quality sides? Have you not seen them get absolutely spun in circles because they can't even catch these guys? They don't use forward passes to pin them back from on top of us, and they can't catch the speed coupled with technical ability of the players at these clubs. I don't mean to sound as if I'm venting on another Spurs fan as I don't wish to, but how can anyone possibly think we need more of the same problem?

It's time for change. Our best midfield in the last half decade was one of two guys each under 5'10." I don't want that extreme as I prefer a CDM of size who can win a ball in all conditions, including out of the air, but we do need more balance. Too many big fellas who are excellent at winning the ball, but no one who can push the ball forward with technical ability and vision.

I would love to see an energetic, forward-thinking midfield for this one of Mason and Stambouli. Stambouli has looked highly determined and energetic in his pressing and tackles (and also the quickest of our tacklers), and Mason provides the passing ability and range to help pin Arsenal's talented and pacey midfield back.

Stambouli might be the future of our midfield, and maybe Mason too. But to throw them in against Arsenal at the Emirates would be insane. Has Mason ever even been on the bench for an EPL game??

Don't get me wrong, I am all for us playing creative players in the middle regardless of size, like Eriksen. But he's actually playing pretty shit right now and that's in the no 10 position. So wouldn't want to give him more responsibility by playing him deeper in a midfield 3 for this game.

If Poch truly believes that Mason and Stambouli should be starting together against Arsenal then he should be starting them in the EL, CC games beforehand.

 

[mark87]

I personally would go.

Lloris

Dier, fazio, Verts, rose

Capoue, Stam

Lamela, eriksen, chadli

Soldado.

 

[Syn_13]

Getting frustrated with Capoue and how slowly he moves the ball. Only seems interested in playing at his own pace.

Bentaleb instead please.

Don't get this at all. He doesn't move the ball any slower than anyone else. The problem is that our whole midfield are too slow to move the ball on, and it's mostly down to the lack of effective runs and making yourself available. Capoue is doing a holding job, and he did it well today. He soaked up pressure and when he won the ball he hit some very good passes forward or in to space to try and initiate attacks. I think we have a bigger problem with the man up top.

 

[goughie1966]

I'd line up like this, with a tight back 8, 2 holding midfielders and no one up front (similar to today with Adebayor).

Loris
Naughton - Dier - Kaboul - Fazio - Chiriches - Vertongen - Davies - Rose
Capoue - Stambouli

​

Get through that you wankers.

 

[JohannTHFC]

Honestly can't see a scenario where we don't get a hammering here. Were so easy to play against, everyone already knows that we are going to play 4-2-3-1, high pressing, high tempo game (or try to play it). Rodgers figured us out, as did Irvine, I bet Wenger already has his team ready to play us. 3-0 against Liverpool flattered us, could have easily been another 5 or maybe even 6 nil with the way we were playing. In the game today we were also let off the hook Albion should have had a penalty and with better finishing they were out sight 3-0. Really not looking forward to this game because its becoming obvious that we can't score goals for the second season in a row. I hope that we set up a Mourinho style bus for the rest of the season because if not its going to get really embarrassing.

 

[Jamturk]

If I was the manager for this game I would go 433, Block up the centre with Capoue, Stambouli and Bentaleb playing direct balls out wide to Lennon on the right and Townsend on the left who can get in behind their advancing full backs.

Its the only way.

 

[Mr Pink]

If I was the manager for this game I would go 433, Block up the centre with Capoue, Stambouli and Bentaleb playing direct balls out wide to Lennon on the right and Townsend on the left who can get in behind their advancing full backs.

Its the only way.

I'd go 4-3-3 to.

Lloris

Lennon
Fazio
Vertonghen
Rose

Capoue
Bentaleb
Stambouli

Dembele
Soldado
Chadli

 

[only1waddle]

I'd line up like this, with a tight back 8, 2 holding midfielders and no one up front (similar to today with Adebayor).

Loris
Naughton - Dier - Kaboul - Fazio - Chiriches - Vertongen - Davies - Rose
Capoue - Stambouli

​

Get through that you wankers.

Chiriches is far too central there for my liking..

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Lloris
Corluka King Vertonghen Ekotto
Lamela Sandro Modric Bale
Van Der Vaart
Berbatov
​

Yeah, and?

 

[Jamturk]

Lloris
Corluka King Vertonghen Ekotto
Lamela Sandro Modric Bale
Van Der Vaart
Berbatov
​

Yeah, and?

Ermm I don't know how to break this to you, bu...

 

[DaSpurs]

Stambouli might be the future of our midfield, and maybe Mason too. But to throw them in against Arsenal at the Emirates would be insane. Has Mason ever even been on the bench for an EPL game??

Don't get me wrong, I am all for us playing creative players in the middle regardless of size, like Eriksen. But he's actually playing pretty shit right now and that's in the no 10 position. So wouldn't want to give him more responsibility by playing him deeper in a midfield 3 for this game.

If Poch truly believes that Mason and Stambouli should be starting together against Arsenal then he should be starting them in the EL, CC games beforehand.

You see, this is the conservative mentality we've had lately that I think is hurting us (again, I hate to sound like I'm criticizing because in truth what you're saying is reasonable). We've played it far too safe for the last couple years or so, and gone with what we know for the most part instead of taking risks. "To Dare is To Do" is only a line on a board somewhere, and nothing more to the club at the moment.

Rose received his debut against Arsenal (albeit at the Lane), and did alright. Stambouli is a championship winner, and Mason is 23 years old with a decent amount of experience of "receiving stick" at this point. He may not be Prem quality just yet, but what exactly have our Prem veterans in midfield done of late anyway? What's the harm at this point in giving them a go in a situation that looks bleak at best anyway, especially when their style would more likely counter the opposition's?

Under AVB in his first year, we had a fit Sandro and then Scotty P. Each shielded the back line dutifully and had at least one player in attack to cause the opposition problems and disorganization. Now we have no one appropriately shielding the back line, and nothing to pin the opposition back. We have nothing to prevent quality sides from establishing and exerting their gameplans on us, and when they do so, they have such talents in combinations of speed and technicality that our slow and lethargic midfield can do nothing to shield our disorganized back line from stopping them.

So I say to hell with assured Prem quality and to hell with experience, it's not working anyway. Let's Damus est Facere for once.

 

[We'llWinThePrem]

Lloris
Naughton Fazio Vertonghen Rose
Capoue Stambouli
Lamela Eriksen Chadli
Soldado​