Match Threads Watford vs Spurs - Match Thread

[dagraham]

Are people really suggesting Vorm was at fault for their goals? Jesus wept. Yes he isn't Hugo but what's he supposed to do about a flicked header at pace into the bottom corner, or a bullet header into the top corner from 6 yards?

Lots of other players to blame. Vorm didn't lose us this game

Yeah I know, fail so see how what Vorm had to do with it. Kane lost his man for the first goal and Dembele for the second. Vorm could not have come off his line for either.

I also don't think Lamela and Son would have had the desired effect. Both of those players do not like the physical battle. We lost because we were too passive, coasting around in the first half and didn't compete properly in the 2nd, and ended up getting bullied.

 

[FreddieYid]

It was really poor and a huge disappointment after Monday night.

Harry hasn’t been fit since his injury at the beginning of March. He just doesn’t look anywhere near his normal sharp self. He’s not shifting the ball quick enough to get that half a yard of space he needs to get his shots off.

If he hadn’t played for most of the summer, I’d be all for playing him back into form, but I do worry about him burning out.

I also feel that there are 3 or 4 players who really do need someone pushing them for their place in the team... I’m not going to get into how hard that kind of recruitment is, but the bottom line is, we lost to a hungrier team who wanted it more... That isn’t acceptable!

Watford are fighting for a top half finish, we’re meant to be fighting for the title... how can they want it more than us?!

Watford bullied us yesterday and you could see how the game was turning, at that point I thought Dier should have been introduced into midfield, but we waited too late to make our changes.

And by the way, any talk of Vorm being at fault is ludicrous.

 

[DannyNZ]

Too many passengers along for the ride and the worst offenders were Dele, Eriksen, Davies and Kane - these guys are off the pace at the moment. Not Poch’s finest day with a changed up team and odd selection and back to his old ways of not using his bench in a timely or effective way.

 

[Wig]

I can forgive Spurs being bullied by a physical team, but I can't forgive the lack of pace, intensity and desire. Sure I can understand that some believe if we had the strength of Dier or Wanyama in midfield we might have competed better physically, but if we're supposed to be the superior team we should focus on our own strengths, and so many of our forward players were off the pace yesterday. Credit to Watford, they deserved the win

 

[JCRD]

I hate the Monday feeling when we lose on a Sunday

Either we dont play on Sundays or we best start winning on Sundays

 

[wadewill]

We wernt actually bullied until the last 25 minutes when Watford realised they could get something and we were not actually as good as they thought we were.

We should have had the game sown up by the time they started trying, we were so one dimensional and uncreative that was never going to happen.

But if Kane hadnt been so wasteful when through we would have been 2-0 up and we would have won a game without really trying.

Really hoping this is a blip and a kick up the arse

 

[Ionman34]

Yeah I know, fail so see how what Vorm had to do with it. Kane lost his man for the first goal and Dembele for the second. Vorm could not have come off his line for either.

I also don't think Lamela and Son would have had the desired effect. Both of those players do not like the physical battle. We lost because we were too passive, coasting around in the first half and didn't compete properly in the 2nd, and ended up getting bullied.

Lamela doesn’t like a physical battle?

I have no words...

 

[dagraham]

Lamela doesn’t like a physical battle?

I have no words...

Ok, I’ll rephrase. He might like it, but against those man mountains in their team he’ll be outmuscled and rendered ineffective.

 

[Shadydan]

Ummm by the way we played in the last 25mins? Well, most of the second half? It certainly wasn’t a happy coaches bench on our side and it was plain to see. And Poch said as much in his post match interview.

Nonsense.

 

[Ionman34]

Ok, I’ll rephrase. He might like it, but against those man mountains in their team he’ll be outmuscled and rendered ineffective.

I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you do Lamela a disservice by saying he’d become “ineffective.” He is also a smart player and, as he has demonstrated recently, can pick the pass that can turn a defence. In effect he can render their physicality somewhat ineffective. Turn them towards their own goal, make them throw in last ditch challenges and you increase the chances of them making mistakes. Their physicality works against them somewhat in that scenario. We failed to do that last night, playing in front of them too much. On the odd occasion when we did have them facing their own goal, they looked vulnerable.

A moot point anyway, Lamela didn’t play and we ended up playing to their strengths rather than ours.

 

[shelfmonkey]

one defeat and the fickleness comes out

We've been rubbish for a while now and overall I don't think it's going to get much better for a good while. Levy muffed the chance to freshen up the 1st team and create competition for places and yesterday it really showed, no one's looking over their shoulder!

 

[shelfmonkey]

I never cease to be amazed at how the result of a match colours the reports of it.

On monday, on the balance of play, Man. United were the better side. But they defended badly on occasion and we punished them. Yet reports of the match said that we were great in the second half (we weren't) and that United were terrible (they weren't). Apart from his hilarous meltdown, Mourinho had it about right in his press conference.

Against Watford we were much the same. We dominated for most of the game but had a spell when we looked shaky and our marking at two set pieces was terrible. We didn't create much because - as we have been so far this season - we were a little sluggish and, unlike on monday, Watford generally defended quite well. Yet this time we were apparently not really in it and Watford deserved their win. Not the game I watched.

Our play has lacked intensity so far this season but we would still have won today if the ref hadn't decided to run the game in the style of the 1970s. Moura was clearly fouled in the box in the first half and the only reason that a penalty wasn't awarded was because Foster came out to gather. If it was ten yards further back it would have been a foul and a yellow - possibly a red - card. Yet Foster's proximity gave the ref an 'out' and he let it go. In the second half Moura was sent flying through the air when a Watford player shoved him out of the way to get the ball. Again, amazingly, no foul.

In spite of the ref allowing Watford's agricultural tackling, we should still have won if we had maintained concentration and, instead of allowing them to come on to us, had brought some control to the game when they started to exert pressure. I was surprised and disappointed that Winks wasn't introduced at that point.

I suppose we'll put this one down to experience, but we'll need to be significantly better after the international break.

Agree with some of that, but the knub of our poor display yesterday has to be down to the players' commitment, if we'd matched Watford in that department we would've won, but we didn't and got what we deserved. It's an old cliche, but you have to earn you're right to play your game, it's not about just walking out on to the pitch!!

 

[shelfmonkey]

And Spurs ruin my birthday. Again.

Well stop having birthdays then!

 

[SPURSLIFE]

We have needed a back up for Kane for 3 or 4 seasons now but it seems we haven't even been looking. It would be a good time right now to rest him and let him fight for his place. He's a determined and proud guy and it would do him and the team some good but we can't as we don't have a out and out replacement striker......forget Llorente . This is also true of Eriksen, again we don't have a real replacement. The team looks jaded and some of the players don't seem to have their heart in it at times. With a few key players not signing contracts it makes me think they have eyes on other things come January.
I really wish players wouldn't keep talking about winning titles and how good we are, we haven't won a thing for years.

 

[Jonesey]

Nonsense.

Really? He’s gone as far as to tell the players - and us via his post match IV - that we haven’t been good enough, aggressive enough or clinical enough this season. And unless you didn’t see the game I’m not sure how you could argue otherwise regarding yesterday.

 

[THX2208]

Feck Feck Feck Feck Feck ???

Aidan your not a Father Ted fan ???

 

[UbeAstard]

Deserved

Roll on lamela and son getting back in the side so I don't see these fairy performances from eriksen and Alli every week

Typical that, the people who don't actually play are improved over when they do play.

 

[UbeAstard]

The irony of everyone crying in the dier thread about how bad he is all week and a few days later crying that poch didn’t bring him on when they wanted him to

Yawn... a few peoples VALID comments have now turned to 'everyone crying'. How a different opinion from yours can now be dramatized. Baby............ Why don't you also whinge that 'everyone' didn't like it that Davies was dropped for Rose against ManU but was now brought back? Because neither that nor your statement is true.
Do you need to get your own way all the time?

 

[TwanYid]

Are people really suggesting Vorm was at fault for their goals? Jesus wept. Yes he isn't Hugo but what's he supposed to do about a flicked header at pace into the bottom corner, or a bullet header into the top corner from 6 yards?

Lots of other players to blame. Vorm didn't lose us this game

Yeah I know, fail so see how what Vorm had to do with it. Kane lost his man for the first goal and Dembele for the second. Vorm could not have come off his line for either.

I also don't think Lamela and Son would have had the desired effect. Both of those players do not like the physical battle. We lost because we were too passive, coasting around in the first half and didn't compete properly in the 2nd, and ended up getting bullied.

I think what is meant by the "Hugo not being there hurt us"-narrative is not necessarily that Lloris would've saved specific shots (that Vorm didn't) but rather is down to the fact that our defense has a more impenetrable air when he's between the sticks. Hugo yells, sets up walls and just generally commands his area; maybe Vorm is less assured in this respect?

I don't have a dog in the fight but even I have to admit to a certain feeling of unease when anyone but Lloris is the keeper. I readily admit, though, that even if he was there we still likely would've lost yesterday as poorly as we played.

 

[Diarmuid]

We were shit yesterday.. hard kick in the arse required.. Liverpool will tell us where we are really at for the season ahead.