- Dec 27, 2004
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We are one quality centreback and an defensive midfielder away to become genuine contenders.
Chuck 70m at inter and get skrirnier and brozovic. Job done
We are one quality centreback and an defensive midfielder away to become genuine contenders.
Remember Liverpool just over 2 seasons ago, great going forward but a dodgy defence always leaking goals.
That's where I see us right now and only a few signings can make a massive difference.
Jose needs to consider three things:
... and decide if he really wants to continue to play counter attacking football where we defend by sitting deep on the edge of our area.
- The new handball rule
- VAR
- Our lack of top tier CBs.
Yes, he is right when he says we have only conceded one goal from open play this season (Ings away at Southampton). The fact is we concede from penalties and/or free kicks in wide areas every game. And that is because we spend too much time deliberately dropping deep and defending our penalty area. I personally nearly have a heart attack every time a team gets a set piece in a position where they can cross into the box as we have too many liabilities defensively. Aurier is rash. Dier has lapses of concentration. Sissoko does not compete aerially (or even watch the flight of ball). Winks is a dwarf. Lloris does not command his box. I totally get why Mourinho favours taller players, and he will argue that with Rodon, Dier, and Doherty on the pitch we would have been comfortable. I am not so sure.
So far this season I'm struggling to see any top quality, solid defences. Who do you think the best two or three defences in the league are?
Aston Villa have been tight at the back, but I can't see that lasting long. Liverpool have conceded 13 in 5 games (most before VVD got crocked!), United 12, Chelsea 9, Leicester 8, Man City 7, Arsenal 6...and we've only conceded 6 goals that weren't ridiculous decisions - suggesting our defence is better (or less bad) than that all of five teams who finished above us last season, and equal to Arsenal's.
Chelsea have conceded 3 goals twice in five games so far, Arsenal once, Leicester once. Our other three big rivals for top 4 have all conceded 5-7 goals in a single match. Based on that, I don't think a 10-minute blip is enough for us to start panicking over...only if it becomes a regular occurrence this season. Everything that happened last year was during an awful spell where morale was in their boots and then we were going through a transition period with a new manager.
Mourinho tells them something in the Amazon doc about when a free kick or cross comes in they shit themselves.Our defence is not the best, but we have also had some rotten luck this season and I do think there is a good chance we can get better.
Taking all things into account, in the Prem we have only conceded two goals from open play - one of which was a wonder strike. We have given away three pens - two of which were thanks to the new handball rule and the other goals were from set pieces and one own goal.
Besides the Everton game and a good ball over the top for Ings, I don't think our defence has been torn apart of truly breached during open play. Our weakness right now seems to be long balls and defending set pieces, which I would argue are easier to improve at. I have no doubt that we will be working on these in training this month.
Even the most pessimistic Spurs fans will surely see that we have had such bad luck at home this season too. No complaints about the Everton game, but during Newcastle/West Ham a lot of things went against us.
We should have been more clinical in the first 45 against Newcastle. We weren't and they responded by bringing on Andy Carrol, pumping the ball forward and then screaming handball at every opportunity - they got it and a dodgy call turned three points into one. That game also led to the officials 'softening' the handball rule.
Besides one Fornals chance in the second half, West Ham didn't really create anything amazing against us. They deserve a lot of credit to draw, but in reality they scored from a free kick, an own goal and a wonder strike. We also hit the post and had a rusty Bale shoot inches wide of the goal.
I don't think our defence is anywhere near bad as it feels it is. Sanchez had poor moments, but he also completely nullified Antonio/Bowen who're West Ham's best players. He put the ball in his own net, but he was put in that position because Lucas/Reguilon were suckered in by a reverse pass.
You could also argue that we were without our first choice CB in Dier, and Rodon who is 6ft4 has clearly been signed for a reason. All the talk of 'same old Spurs' or 'Spursy' makes it feel worse than it is.
Mourinho tells them something in the Amazon doc about when a free kick or cross comes in they shit themselves.
Here we are mid Oct and they still cannot defend either of them.
So what's gone wrong.
I thought the crucial times were either side of h/t.It's true that others are also looking poor, but that's all the more reason we need to be doing what we can to make sure we get solid, because if we can sort this out then we'll have a genuine shot at challenging for top honours whilst they are weaker than usual. We can't affect what other teams do, only ourselves, and what I do know is that our defending since at least the start of last season has not been good enough. What is most frustrating is that it seems a lot of the errors are actively costing us points - nobody complained about Sanchez giving away at penalty at Old Trafford because we won 6-1, but since the start of last season it seems so much has been thrown away from sloppy mistakes late on in games. Some examples:
- West Ham and Newcastle this season - poor refereeing decisions or not we were seconds away from winning both - instead, neither.
- Man Utd at home last season - winning with 10 mins to go, gave away a penalty and luckily got a second overturned through VAR
- Palace away - let in a second half equaliser and had to rely on Chelsea beating Wolves to get Europe
- Arsenal away - 2-0 up and cruising, threw it away
- Wolves at home - winning at half time, ended up losing 3-2
- Everton away - conceded a 97th minute equaliser
- Sheffield Utd at home - another late equaliser
- Norwich in the cup - let in a late equaliser to take the game to ET and pens which we lost
- Southampton in the cup - late equaliser, had to play a replay
- Leicester away - Ok there was the Son VAR nonsense but we were still winning with 20 mins to go and ended up losing
- Liverpool away - Tough game I know, but another that we lost when winning at half time
West Ham and Bournemouth last season both brought 3-0 leads back to 3-2 and Bournemouth almost nicked it in the last second before Vertonghen bailed us out with that wonder tackle.
It's not just the number of goals (which was far higher last season than it was in previous years), it's the fact that they are coming at crucial moments that are costing us games. And there is an alarming pattern above that needs to be rectified ASAP.
Any chance of a copy/paste? No sub here.![]()
Needless fouls and careless defending: Free kicks are the root of Spurs’ woes
Jose Mourinho's defence have struggled from set pieces from the first game of the season. Sunday's capitulation was no differenttheathletic.com
Excellent piece in the Athletic on our defensive woes. Uncertainty, ill discipline and carelessness all contribute to the constant leaking of crucial goals. I hope Ledley King can give these lads some tips and tricks, because this dodgy defending is going to cost us dearly...