Tottenham Vs Man City: Match Thread

[hybridsoldier]

I always knew it would be tough today against the champions and probably the best squad in the league ..who on their day can blow anyone away.

But at 0-1 we kept calm and stayed in the game and had 3 good chances before HT. Then after HT we did well and AVB made the right subs which won us the game.

Today the players showed how much they want it, the performance was fantastic. A lot of criticism for Ade but he chased and worked, he just seems to be very very low on confidence and not really playing as a centre forward but dropping into areas to link up.

I thought yesterday that Huddlestone should play in a middle 3, his ability to find players is absolutely brilliant. If Lennon and Bale and Defoe play and we have Huddlestone in the side, defences will have to drop deep and give us space or push up and risk a Hudd ball over the top to one of these guys. It's a set up we could use really well.

Only negative for me was the usual booing of a back pass to retain possession. Its so dumb, stupid, and unhelpful. The modern game is so much about possession and the crowd need to be more patient, we can't score or create a chance from EVERY bit of possession!

 

[Francis Gibbs]

Lol check the winner ratings

go finish your homework son ...

 

[mil1lion]

Just got home from the game. It was a funny afternoon really, much of the game was frustrating to watch. It was far too narrow at times and we struggled to find space. Man City were well organised and tough to break down but didn't threaten nearly as much as I would have expected (although the loss of Silva and Aguero were key factors).

We didn't deserve to be behind but have ourselves to blame for conceding a soft goal (Tevez should not have been allowed to find a ball out from the corner). The subs made all the difference in the 2nd half though, Huddlestone for all his lack of speed he knows how to use the ball and Holtby is always looking to get on the ball and make things happen.

As soon as that Dempsey goal went in the Lane was rocking and the Champions were rattled. The Defoe goal was top class and Bale finally found some space when he moved to the right and got a goal to show for it. What a great result it was and we've now given ourselves a great chance to get that Champions League place.

 

[mill]

go finish your homework son ...

Lol, at least mine would be correct

 

[hughy]

Anyone else not think we're really getting the credit for today's win? It's all about how City should have killed it off and apparently dominated us for 70 minutes. It's fucking annoying.

 

[Misfit]

Proud of them all. The thing that strikes me as different this season under AVB is a marked decrease of headless chicken syndrome. Well going forward anyway, we can be as Keystone cops as ever at the back sometimes.

However, we no longer just go into hoofball mode when we're chasing a game with time dwindling. Still do it occasionally but it's no longer the default setting.

 

[Syn_13]

Only negative for me was the usual booing of a back pass to retain possession. Its so dumb, stupid, and unhelpful. The modern game is so much about possession and the crowd need to be more patient, we can't score or create a chance from EVERY bit of possession!

Lol, imagine if the Barca fans did that. About half of their one million passes in a game are back passes. First rule of possession football, if you can't open them up you have to go back to invite them on to you which leaves spaces. Going backwards to go forwards.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

I have a cautionary note for those demanding that we start our forthcoming matches 4-3-3 with a midfield of Huddlestone, Dembélé and Holtby. Hudd has come on in three matches now and changed them around (the first was Basel, the second Everton). He's finally pain-free, fit and trim and that's all he's ever needed to be a high-class Premiership midfielder, the same player who was able to dominate even top 4 teams in 2010, in partnership with Modric. But it's conspicuous that AVB has put him on when the opposition has already been playing for an hour or more. He wouldn't have that kind of time on the ball in the first half and it would lead to a very open centre, especially with our defence being so prone to inexplicable errors.

Similarly, Holtby's terrier-like qualities seem to fade after 30-40 minutes. He's obviously much more comfortable in the middle, but he still hares all over the ground and wears himself out. I believe he's only ever played the full 90 minutes once for us and that was against Basel.

Despite those concerns, I love watching Huddlestone play when he's like this - he brings a directness and creative precision to the midfield that we otherwise do not have any longer in the squad, after selling Modric and van der Vaart. All season, our problem has been that we make a hell of a lot of chances, but they are not really very good chances, because they still leave the attacking players much work to do. Hudd (and also Holtby, who has vision and a good first touch) can play through a defence, instead of in front of them, and can find the player who has space to run into, as we saw today.

Dempsey just keeps popping up with important goals. He's done this all through his career and he's done it again. As well as that, he played well in the first half, with one uncharacteristically-creative through ball that led to nothing and a couple of good tackles.

All through the first 50-55 minutes of that game, our midfield was playing pretty well, winning the ball countless times and disrupting Man City's rhythm. But there were few crosses, not a lot of ideas and no chances. And we had no perceptible width, especially on the left. Walker was playing well, but Assou-Ekotto seemed hesitant to advance, possibly because of concerns about more defensive self-destructiveness. And he can't be a left side all on his own. So we'd win the ball for the 20th time, fanny about a bit, then the move would break down on City's best-in-the-league defence and we'd lose the ball again. Because our defence can be relied upon to screw up at least once or twice in every game - and also because Tevez is impossible to play against, he just never gives up - we were behind, despite a lot of solid, capable play.

From about the 55th minute, we started to get a grip on the game and press much better, but that was about the time when Adebayor, who ran relentlessly, but without a great deal of judgment, in the first half, started drifting out of the match, so there was no focal point to our play - and still no width, with Bale nominally on the right, but having to be told by AVB to stay the hell out there and stop drifting infield.

Finally, with the double substitution and change of formation, we brought some creativity to bear on a tiring Man City defence and got the reward. Whether the same approach would work from the 1st minute, I'm not so sure.

P.S. There was a slight sense of "the old guard" today, with Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone & Defoe all on the pitch.

 

[Syn_13]

Anyone else not think we're really getting the credit for today's win? It's all about how City should have killed it off and apparently dominated us for 70 minutes. It's fucking annoying.

We did brilliantly to get back into the game and ruin them, but don't get me wrong it's kinda true. They should've finished us off in the first half or first 15 minutes of the second. They comitted 21st-century-football suicide by not killing the game off and it's something we've done a lot this season.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Anyone else not think we're really getting the credit for today's win? It's all about how City should have killed it off and apparently dominated us for 70 minutes. It's fucking annoying.

It's odd, that. Our midfield played well throughout the match and City had very few chances and not a lot of shots. We were behind, but it was quite an even game, with City shading it, up to about 10 minutes before we equalised. They didn't really have many opportunities to "kill the game off".

 

[MightyModric]

Just got home, fantastic match, fantastic result. Atmosphere was brilliant.

Loved it

 

[theShiznit]

Ade is a little bit special needs I feel...

Chasing the ball like a terrier in no win situations then as soon as we get the ball he jogs around like he's conserving energy for the next chase.

How about, knock a few of those pointless runs across the back four chasing everyone like a dog chasing a Frisbee on the head and actually run into space or at least move when we have the ball

 

[Oshi]

Proud of them all. The thing that strikes me as different this season under AVB is a marked decrease of headless chicken syndrome. Well going forward anyway, we can be as Keystone cops as ever at the back sometimes.

However, we no longer just go into hoofball mode when we're chasing a game with time dwindling. Still do it occasionally but it's no longer the default setting.

Yeah noticed that too, we try to keep a lid on the nerves and stick to the passing mantra. Under Arry it was a bit more old school sling it into the box Triffic son (BAE the biggest culprit).

I reckon if Harry was Prime Minister every time he would come under the cosh His default setting would be despatch a warship to France and bomb Dresden. Triffic.

 

[Scarlet57]

Just got home, fantastic match, fantastic result. Atmosphere was brilliant.

Loved it

How vocal were the crowd for getting behind the team?

 

[jj87]

Much better atmosphere at the Lane today, great spirit to come back and win, all round fucking brilliant day!

 

[Gb160]

I was surprised how up for it the crowd were today.....considering we were losing for most of the match,and that's when the morons seem to get on the players/AVBS back.

 

[Sweetsman]

Anyone else not think we're really getting the credit for today's win? It's all about how City should have killed it off and apparently dominated us for 70 minutes. It's fucking annoying.

The reason for this is the bite-sized influence of Freddie Mercury's long lost son. I'm not complaining and the Blue Scum dropped two points.

 

[ziggy]

Did we really win ...... Where are all the Dempsey haters ....

They've all moved on from him, hudd, walker, Defoe, and sight to ade

 

[MightyModric]

How vocal were the crowd for getting behind the team?

First half it was excellent despite the early set back.

First 20 minutes or so of the second half wasn't as good, however it picked up when the subs were made. Really got going when Defoe came on.

Groans of despair all round when Parker got the ball

 

[Dare!]

Massive 3 points. I'm so happy.

COYS.