This time last year...

[blackburn]

I'd be interested in seeing the stats so far this season in terms of shots on target for and against, it seems every time the opposition have a shot on goal it goes in. Not sure if this is a reflection on Lloris or just an unusual sequence. Game after game we dominate possession and have loads of attempts but its not being reflected in results. Frustrating.

 

[hellava_tough]

I've rated the OP 'Like' because I love the positivity

But, unfortunately I disagree

WHL gave us a base to retreat to and pick some points and form up, when the chips were down. We don't have that this season.

 

[spurs9]

The problem and the huge problem is we are playing at Wembley this season. Maybe it is a pattern and it'll turn around and follow how it was last season but right now it is very hard to see without putting faith in something I'm not entirely sure exists.

We're not winning and losing league games right now because we're simply not playing well enough. Last year at this point is when we began a massive run of wins in a row that shot us up the league and into a title race, this title race kept us motivated and at full pelt. There is no title race now, City will be 16pts ahead of us tomorrow. Can the players adapt and treat top 4 like winning the league, I don't know.

We are a side who are great when at full pelt, and not actually that great when we're not other than individual moments of quality. To me personally it's a worry because I think the title chase helped us keep focus, when that was gone 1st year we dropped, last year it was adjusted to be the finish above Arsenal achievement and give WHL a send off. Poch is going to have to work extremely hard to get them mentally focused on what is most likely going to be a battle for 4th place from now till May.

In regards to the highlighted, no it isn't, we didn't start that run until mid December which was game 16.

Again, most people were thinking the same thing around this time last season.

Maybe this time will be different but let's wait and see.

 

[hellava_tough]

The players in this squad have experienced two title chases in the last two seasons. The main reason most of these players, who could earn more money elsewhere (like Walker) remain committed to Spurs is because there is (or was) a belief that this team could compete for major trophies. When you take away the chance to win the league title, motivation is going to drop (though I expect CL performances to be very good until we run into a PSG type team). Last season, even though Chelsea led the title chase, there was still a belief that they could be caught up until April. No one thinks City can be caught now, and I doubt there's a single player in the squad who thinks they can win the title. How motivated are players who've finished 3rd and 2nd the last two seasons to grind out a top 4 place? They aren't supporters or shareholders of the club, who see the value of having Champions League football in a new stadium to long term revenue streams and general prestige of the club. Most of them have a World Cup to focus on after this season, too. Will they give that extra 5% when it really matters? You'd like to think they would, and I would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, but these performances recently have been major steps backwards.

Frankly, it's hard not to sit back and think the club has missed out on its window to do something special the last two seasons. The idea that Spurs are going to surge back into the title picture next season seems hard to imagine given the complete juggernaut City are building. The bigger fear is that we are going to lose players next summer. Eriksen has given us 5 seasons now. People can say what they want about him, but United, Chelsea and City would all give him 250K a week to come to their clubs. Will others join Rose and look for the exit ramp if we go on to have a down season? In a way, Pochettino set the bar so high for himself, if we finished 6th the next two or three seasons, you'd honestly fear for his job security.

Some interesting points in here

 

[hellava_tough]

In regards to the highlighted, no it isn't, we didn't start that run until mid December which was game 16.

Again, most people were thinking the same thing around this time last season.

Maybe this time will be different but let's wait and see.

I wonder if the late start is all to do with the team's conditioning? While the other teams start to tire, we carry on regardless

Interesting to see if it happens this year

 

[spurs9]

I wonder if the late start is all to do with the team's conditioning? While the other teams start to tire, we carry on regardless

Interesting to see if it happens this year

The odd thing is the start is fine, it's the mid October to early December dip that is the constant issue.

It might be a fitness loading issue but its one we need to fix and we can do so tactically IMO.

I think part of the issue is the CM options (or lack of due to fitness and injuries) and the over dependence on Eriksen to create. I also think having an attacking option that can dribble past players would help a lot too.

 

[stewartd]

I've rated the OP 'Like' because I love the positivity

But, unfortunately I disagree

WHL gave us a base to retreat to and pick some points and form up, when the chips were down. We don't have that this season.

Didnt we win all the rest of our home games after this?
Would love to think we will again this season .

 

[SUIYHA]

All of our seasons under Poch have followed a similar pattern. An inconsistent start, followed by a peak from December to March/April, before a dip again at the end. The team has obviously improved since he's been here so the dips are less pronounced - last year it was just that one shocker away at West Ham instead of that car crash end to 2015/16, or when we lost at home to Sherwood's Villa and got slapped 3-0 at Stoke the year before.

History, and our fixture list, suggests that an upturn in form isn't far away. What may not work as well in our favour this year is what our competition do. Arsenal were challenging near the top of the league until December last year but then completely imploded until about April with the Wenger Out Brigade in full swing. Liverpool fell to pieces at the start of 2017 and started losing to teams like Wolves, Swansea and Hull (I think their win over us was their only one until about the end of February). And Man Utd were already miles off the pace and Mourinho clearly decided that the cups were the way to make his mark in his first season. Even City were inconsistent and getting slapped 4-0 by Everton. If we are to swap City and Chelsea around for this season, all of these teams have shown weaknesses again this time around, but will they all have such significant dips in form again that we can capitalise on if we recover? Maybe one will, but we need at least two to do it for us to open the new WHL with Champions League football.