Tottenham's tactics too cautious to win title, says Robbie Savage

[Bus-Conductor]

It's brilliant you can't stand the fact AVB went all Redknapp. It's also quite cute. 4-4-faaaacking-2.

You're an old fashioned Bear, I get it, but it really wasn't. Not in the actual sense. Last 6 games with Bale.

4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/614136/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615307/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615299/Live
433
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615291/Live
4411
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615275/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615246/Live

 

[Bus-Conductor]

It's a very, very long discussion about tactics, but still no one has mentioned what to me are the three key words: 'change of pace'.

I have no problem with our lengthy periods of safe possession, gradually approaching the box and applying pressure with the ball. It's what our current defensive success is based upon and it's an effective way of winning football matches.

The difference between what we are doing and what Man City, Arsenal and even Liverpool are doing, plus Man Utd in earlier seasons, is that there's no sudden, incisive change of pace when there's a gap. Instead, there's hesitation and a sense of uncertainty ... and then the gap is gone, because at this level, especially when we are playing defensively-minded opposition at home, gaps last less than one second.

That's why attempted through balls don't get attempted and, when they do get attempted, they routinely bounce off the arse or knee of a covering defender: because there's no instantaneous change of pace from the players who form the attacking block.

That's why our crosses, when we manage, laboriously, to get a player behind the defence, keep getting blocked or put out for corner kicks: because no one is making the change of pace from our slow build-up to a swift, one-touch attack.

Slow build-up is good; slow attacking moves are bad. You have to have a collective, well-coordinated change of pace. Some of that is plainly related to players still not being on the same wavelength: as someone wrote above, a remarkable percentage of the through balls that do get through go in the opposite direction to the run chosen by their target.

But that isn't the only problem. We're usually not even trying to make a change of pace. Attacking players are just hesitating. Either they aren't seeing the gaps or they are not reacting quickly enough or they are just choosing the conservative option because they haven't enough confidence to risk being the one who loses the ball.

If we can inject a sudden change of pace into our attacking play, then we will score goals.

I think you make a very valid point about a change of pace, and people like Sandro, Paulinho and Dembele are not very conducive to that, but I also think you are muddling that in with people just making poor decisions and executing things badly as well when they get into good situations. The problems can effect one another and can be related, but they are fundamentally separate problems.

Sometimes we work a situation quickly and the ball ends up with someone like Walker who will then need to think about what he does. Or Townsend who would rather dribble past 6 people.

Going back to the change of pace problem, there have been several times in games where our CM's have a chance to play a quicker more incisive pass, but nearly all those three previously mentioned are risk averse and poor at delivering incision quickly, when it needs to be delivered.

Capoue will improve this hopefully, but the player who really could have was shipped off to QPR on loan.


This will always be a bit of a problem with a cm2 as well. With a cm2 you have to have defensive dynamism, and unless you're Yaya Toure, you almost certainly won't be a plamaker too.

If you switch to a 433, you can accommodate a "Modric" type (like Carroll) in there too.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

You're an old fashioned Bear, I get it, but it really wasn't. Not in the actual sense. Last 6 games with Bale.

4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/614136/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615307/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615299/Live
433
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615291/Live
4411
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615275/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615246/Live

It won't let me access that on my phone. Must be illicit nonsense.

 

[jezz]

intelligence and guile in the final third, bring this and the tempo will rise.
Against Everton i understood why AVB played lennon and townsend.
He must have thought they would have beat the full backs and get the balls into the box.
i didnt happen and lennon looked uninspiring to say the least.
Apart from one cross that lennon should played first time, he did the sum of naff all.
Townsend was even worse, i dont even remmember him even getting a ball in.
We have the solid line AVB is looking for,ffs try the 36 mill worth of talent you bought to break down defenses.
When theyve played we have actually created chances, what more does the gaffer want?
Give them a run of games if it doesnt work, hey at least we will know and try and sort it.
If i was the oppo manger and saw Townsend and lennon starting, i would say sit back and press them on the 18 yard line, and sheperd them to the byline on there weaker foot or they will turn and pass backwards.
If i saw Erikson lamela holtby/chad, i would say dont let them have any space or they will pick a pass and murder us. this would draw the oppo out and allow our fullbacks to break into this space created.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

It won't let me access that on my phone. Must be illicit nonsense.

I've told you before Harry, just because it's not 442, doesn't make it illicit. No matter what they tell you.

Have you tried the on/off button.

 

[Coyboy]

You're an old fashioned Bear, I get it, but it really wasn't. Not in the actual sense. Last 6 games with Bale.

4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/614136/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615307/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615299/Live
433
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615291/Live
4411
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615275/Live
4231
http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/615246/Live

Don't they show that Bale did play as a number ten and not on the right, other than the Wigan game (in which we were poor).

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Don't they show that Bale did play as a number ten and not on the right, other than the Wigan game (in which we were poor).

Yes, but they also show we played 4231 and 433, not 442.

 

[Coyboy]

Yes, but they also show we played 4231 and 433, not 442.

Sure, but you said he played on the right.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Sure, but you said he played on the right.

Bear said we played 442, go and bust his fucking balls, give me a break.

 

[Coyboy]

Bear said we played 442, go and bust his fucking balls, give me a break.

Calm thyself.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

AVB keeps saying we played with 2 strikers last season. The Bear is right.

 

[mill]

Is this the petty thread?

 

[Bus-Conductor]

AVB keeps saying we played with 2 strikers last season. The Bear is right.

I don't think he is. AVB could be referring to various phases, some when we actually played 442 with two recognised strikers. Some when we played with Dempsey for example.

But there is no way that you could call what we played for most of the latter half of the season a "traditional" 442. It was, as the majority would understand it either a 4231, a 4411 with Dempsey or Bale playing in the hole (which even Bear acknowledges) or a straight 433.

I guess it's all semantics really, Bale was an auxiliary striker whichever way we look at it, not a winger. And Dempsey was an auxiliary **** whichever way you shape it.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

I don't think he is. AVB could be referring to various phases, some when we actually played 442 with two recognised strikers. Some when we played with Dempsey for example.

But there is no way that you could call what we played for most of the latter half of the season a "traditional" 442. It was, as the majority would understand it either a 4231, a 4411 with Dempsey or Bale playing in the hole (which even Bear acknowledges) or a straight 433.

I guess it's all semantics really, Bale was an auxiliary striker whichever way we look at it, not a winger. And Dempsey was an auxiliary **** whichever way you shape it.

4-4-1-1, yes. But I think Bale's movement within games was often that of an out and out striker.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

4-4-1-1, yes. But I think Bale's movement within games was often that of an out and out striker.

In what way ?

 

[Bus-Conductor]

As much as I want him to succeed he really needs to sit on the bench for a couple of games. He was awful against Everton.

I actually think goal aside (which was lucky to score but was a good ball in) he was pretty wasteful against Villa as well.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

In what way ?

I felt he often played off the shoulder.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I felt he often played off the shoulder.

I though he mostly collected the ball somewhere between halfway and their box, ran a bit and whacked it.