mikeeegreen
Well-Known Member
- Sep 2, 2014
- 1,285
- 2,316
I'm a firm believer that a game is won and lost in the Midfield. Over the last few seasons I've heard a lot of Spurs fans start complaining about systems and how we should "go 4-4 Fakinnn -2" when things don't seem to be going our way in terms of results.
Simply put, this is not the answer.
Having 5 in midfield is a must for me in this day and age, and we all know that Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 formation works a treat. We've seen outstanding evidence of that at Southampton.
What he needs though, is the right players.
OK, it's evident we need a new striker and some additional attacking mids/wingers/inside forwards. Although, for me, it's central midfield that still provides the biggest issue.
The truth of it is, you can have some of the best attacking mids or world class striker at your disposal, but it makes no difference whatsoever if you cannot move the ball quick enough from defence to attack.
I know it's been mentioned many, many times before... but our biggest failings in the last few years is not really even attempting to replace Luka Modric. Yes, I know that you can't just simply "go out and buy another Modric", it's practically impossible this day and age without spending an absolute fortune (which is something we are not going to do) but we desperately need a different type of central midfielder. Last night's performance showed that with Mason's introduction the game changed and our attacking players became more mobile and alive. The truth is, players like Soldado, Lamela, Chadli etc would be much more productive if they had this sort of player operating behind them. The reason for so much angst and frustration amongst the White Hart Lane faithful is because of our slow, pedestrian, predictable play. If this was the main focus and fully addressed come January (more likely to be next summer if anything) then I can guarantee a much more positive performance. It's quite clear to see why Pochettino wanted Schneiderlin, he made his system work, he made his system tick, all because his transitional play from defence to attack was excellent.
All in all, I think we need to find another central midfielder with these main qualities. Granted, we haven't seen enough of Stambouli too know much about him. I just think it's clearer more than ever now that we need this type of player. It's been 3 managers now and our lack of urgency and ideas have all been the same. For me, the best thing to do is sell Paulinho and one other of our central midfielders, and go all out and bring in a forward thinking/forward passing/intelligent player for this position. IT HAS TO BE THE PRIORITY.
Simply put, this is not the answer.
Having 5 in midfield is a must for me in this day and age, and we all know that Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 formation works a treat. We've seen outstanding evidence of that at Southampton.
What he needs though, is the right players.
OK, it's evident we need a new striker and some additional attacking mids/wingers/inside forwards. Although, for me, it's central midfield that still provides the biggest issue.
The truth of it is, you can have some of the best attacking mids or world class striker at your disposal, but it makes no difference whatsoever if you cannot move the ball quick enough from defence to attack.
I know it's been mentioned many, many times before... but our biggest failings in the last few years is not really even attempting to replace Luka Modric. Yes, I know that you can't just simply "go out and buy another Modric", it's practically impossible this day and age without spending an absolute fortune (which is something we are not going to do) but we desperately need a different type of central midfielder. Last night's performance showed that with Mason's introduction the game changed and our attacking players became more mobile and alive. The truth is, players like Soldado, Lamela, Chadli etc would be much more productive if they had this sort of player operating behind them. The reason for so much angst and frustration amongst the White Hart Lane faithful is because of our slow, pedestrian, predictable play. If this was the main focus and fully addressed come January (more likely to be next summer if anything) then I can guarantee a much more positive performance. It's quite clear to see why Pochettino wanted Schneiderlin, he made his system work, he made his system tick, all because his transitional play from defence to attack was excellent.
All in all, I think we need to find another central midfielder with these main qualities. Granted, we haven't seen enough of Stambouli too know much about him. I just think it's clearer more than ever now that we need this type of player. It's been 3 managers now and our lack of urgency and ideas have all been the same. For me, the best thing to do is sell Paulinho and one other of our central midfielders, and go all out and bring in a forward thinking/forward passing/intelligent player for this position. IT HAS TO BE THE PRIORITY.
