Tottenham Vs Chelsea: Match Thread

[stemark44]

If Lamela had been fit would he have started the game? I think that our attacking play has improved vastly since Townsend came in for the Newcastle game and having him and Chadli gives us pace on both flanks and players who are prepared to go on the outside as well as cutting in. Lamela, good player that he may be, either refuses or is pretty much unable to go on the outside if he is on the right wing (where he likes to play) and then we lose the pace and attacking impetus.

Townsend's pace gives us something extra.

I agree and have been saying so for quite a while....... even though Andros hasn't played at anywhere near his best yet,teams are frightened of his pace and simply have to be wary of him.I think the 4-4-1-1 really suits the team and hugging the lines gives us more space to operate and really stretch defences.This gives more space for Eriksen to operate and allows Chadli to drift in from the left to support Kane.

 

[mpickard2087]

I agree and have been saying so for quite a while....... even though Andros hasn't played at anywhere near his best yet,teams are frightened of his pace and simply have to be wary of him.I think the 4-4-1-1 really suits the team and hugging the lines gives us more space to operate and really stretch defences.This gives more space for Eriksen to operate and allows Chadli to drift in from the left to support Kane.

I've been thinking about this and was going to make a post along these lines. If we persist with 4-2-3-1 (or whatever you want to call it), which seems likely, then I think we have stumbled upon how it needs to be set-up.

I think its a really good balance in terms of what each position/role is bringing to the team. Kane will lead the line at some points, at other times will drop deep. Chadli is a really good foil for him as he is the only one really who is prepared to consistently get ahead of the game and fill the space that Kane vacates and they end up swapping positions. These two are the penalty box threats, and you need two at minimum.

Eriksen from No.10 we don't have to really talk about. He'll do the classic job, find space between the lines to operate and supply the others whilst chipping in with goals himself when in and around the box. The right hand side position is the intriguing one... Now whatever you think about Townsend, and how he performs individually, its his role and how he plays that I think fits in nicely and compliments the others. He stays wide for long spells of the match and this has two effects in creating space - It's one less white shirt crowding the centre of the pitch, allowing Eriksen (and Kane) space to operate and be the 'main man' and it also fixes the opposition fullback and draws him out, not allowing him to tuck in next to the centre back and so stretching the defence just a little bit more.

As I say, individually they might be frustrating and not the most effective, but the presence of a Lennon/Townsend has other knock on effects that open up other areas of the pitch a bit more. Now whether you look to upgrade on the existing options, that's fair enough, but for me you have to stick with one of the wide players actually staying wide and opening up space. This rules out Lamela for me playing in that role. He should be competing with Eriksen as far as I'm concerned for the No.10 role, or even Chadli.

Of course, this might not work against teams that park the bus, and we will have to adapt again I'd imagine, but for games where there is likely to be space and more of a 'contest' then I'd say this sort of set-up is the way to go.

 

[slartibartfast]

Anyone know a way I can see the game again?
Forgot to record the bugger and cant see it on bt app or tv.
Not prepared to travel (including time travel)

 

[tiger666]

Anyone know a way I can see the game again?
Forgot to record the bugger and cant see it on bt app or tv.
Not prepared to travel (including time travel)

Sent you a link

 

[neptunes]

A rather lovely SC-er sent me a link to the whole match as well - I'm gonna finish this bit of work (not this post, of course - this is 'fun', not work at all!!) and then sit back and wallow in the whole bloody loveliness of the whole game.

Can I join in please? Love to watch the spanking we gave them.

 

[neptunes]

thanks tiger666

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Still buzzing from this game. Beating that scum team will never get old!

 

[riggi]

Any fan videos?

 

[prawnsandwich]

Just watched the highlights -Hilarious Russian (?) commentator.
I switched off at 5-2

 

[Firekid]

Tiger 666 can I get a link too?

 

[tiger666]

Tiger 666 can I get a link too?

As long as you're not FBI.

 

[ajspurs]

How many times have people watched highlights of this match? I've got the BT coverage still on my Sky+ as well as MOTD and I've watched the key parts of the whole game on BT and the MOTD highlights (up until Chadli's goal) almost every day since the game and I'm about to watch it again now whilst I eat

 

[nightgoat]

How many times have people watched highlights of this match? I've got the BT coverage still on my Sky+ as well as MOTD and I've watched the key parts of the whole game on BT and the MOTD highlights (up until Chadli's goal) almost every day since the game and I'm about to watch it again now whilst I eat

The other night I woke up at about 3am, couldn't get back to sleep so I got up, made a cup of tea and watched the MotD highlights again.

 

[Insomnia]

I've yet to watch my MOTD that I saved, that's me sorted later

 

[Bulletspur]

How many times have people watched highlights of this match? I've got the BT coverage still on my Sky+ as well as MOTD and I've watched the key parts of the whole game on BT and the MOTD highlights (up until Chadli's goal) almost every day since the game and I'm about to watch it again now whilst I eat

Watched the whole match 6 times now. Each time I have seen things I did not see in our play play before, good and bad

 

[spursfan77]

Went to the gym this morning and the highlights were on. Pretty great. The programme then followed up with arsenal losing to Southampton. So that was almost as good!

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

Just thought I'd bump this thread as an antidote to all the miserys who are now suggesting our whole season has been one boring disaster.

 

[guy]

Made it worse for me, as the chelsea performance has not been anywhere near replicated 4 months later!

Baffling

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Made it worse for me, as the chelsea performance has not been anywhere near replicated 4 months later!

Baffling

Not very baffling. I've been watching a team that is visibly tired. Jaded.

Through 2/3 of the season, we would always be the fresh side, with its tails up, in the last 10 minutes - hence all the late winning goals.

That's entirely disappeared over the past 4-5 weeks. Everyone looks knackered, even the younger players. We've played over 50 matches, FFS.

 

[Francis Gibbs]

Liverpool have played the same if not more games, watching them now they dont seem tired at all - better players? better management?