Why is Dembele being frozen out?

[Pat Rice Spurs fan]

As someone said recently (was it Murphy on MOTD?), Pochettino's teams traditionally flag towards the end of the season. So now he's at a bigger club with more resources, he should be taking advantage of the squad, not just picking the same team, week in, week out - especially when we're on a poor run of form.

 

[spurs-r-us]

Him and Stambouli - have they started together yet?

 

[SlunkSoma]

I reckon his attitude stinks to high heaven. No other explanation. Poch has shown players can get a shot, even if he didn't rate them previously.

 

[van_Pommel]

Perhaps Poch is trying to be strict with the players to improve them. One bad game and you're benched. That's how it would be at elite clubs. Maybe he's just trying to improve them. Did the same thing with Paulinho.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

I reckon his attitude stinks to high heaven. No other explanation. Poch has shown players can get a shot, even if he didn't rate them previously.

Poch appears to like players who will run all day for him, which is OK if you want to press and recover possession. The problems start when we have the ball, because, he's got a team full of triers, but have no quality on the ball to create and this where it all falls down, because if the opposing team sets up like Poch does, then he's fucked and this has been too apparent this year.

 

[ikky]

Perhaps Poch is trying to be strict with the players to improve them. One bad game and you're benched. That's how it would be at elite clubs. Maybe he's just trying to improve them. Did the same thing with Paulinho.

If that were the case then chadli, walker, Townsend and mason would've been benched long ago.

 

[yojambo]

West Ham was the game he struggled in after Arsenal, not Palace.

I'm not Dembele's biggest fan, but even I can see he wasn't so bad in that match that he merited being ostracized completely, especially since the entire team was being pressed into pulp. West Ham showed us a real press that day and in that half in particular, and we utterly folded under the weight. When Dembele did lose the ball for the most part, it was at least high up the pitch. He made one critical gaffe in our half that led to a goal, and he was apparently sucked into Death's black hole as a result.

Wouldn't be surprised if Benitez is interested. Would fit in very well with his style.

No it was the game against Palace when he played with Stambouli. Both were so slow on the ball it had many posters saying how much we missed Bentaleb and Mason.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

As someone said recently (was it Murphy on MOTD?), Pochettino's teams traditionally flag towards the end of the season. So now he's at a bigger club with more resources, he should be taking advantage of the squad, not just picking the same team, week in, week out - especially when we're on a poor run of form.

What's worse is that he's picking the wrong team as well.

 

[Bensonrecon]

If he's not pulling his weight in training then he can't be picked. You can't have a mantra of hard work gets you picked and then picking players that can't be bothered, send the wrong message. Again I'm saying "if."

I also find it bizarre how some are now singing his virtues. An ex striker that never scores and can't shoot, a ball carrying midfielder that never gets knocked off the ball but doesn't get assists or do anything with it. Dembele is an enigma, not a solution.

 

[Darrkespur]

Dembele is by far the midfield player that has the most value to sell, that we would consider selling. He also never quite fits in any position - he's done ok in some games but poorly in others and I don't think he's ideal for either the CM or AM positions. I think Pochettino has decided to try other things with the intention of selling Dembele and bringing in another midfielder more suited to his system - ideally that would be Schneiderlin but I think that time has passed sadly.

 

[rossdapep]

I am just as confused by this but, let's be honest, we always hail one player who isn't getting game-time as the solution to our problems when we're on a bad run.

Dembele just isn't ever going to consistently be the player we want him to be. When he is that player, it lasts 3-4 games and we're back to the incredibly frustrating version of him for the next 10.

We need solid players who can consistently put in an 8/10 performance and do the job the manager wants them to do, not players who occasionally wow us with a 10/10 performance but generally average at a 5 or 6 and just want to do their own thing on the pitch.

Sadly the latter is Dembele. He's not the Messiah, he's a very underwhelming boy!

Completely agree, however with dembele in one of the am positions I felt our shape improved
greatly as dembele can be capable when
dropping in midfield, making us a little more
solid. Just as things were looking different with
him further forward it suddenly came to a halt,
and his exclusion has coincided with a lethargic
run of form. Things may very well be the same
with his inclusion, but I just find it strange poch didn't stick with it a little longer to find out.

 

[Blackcanary]

Him and Stambouli - have they started together yet?

They started against Palace and looked pretty awful, but were much improved and functioning effectively in the next match against Sunderland. Also played together in the cup semi, but with Mason playing too in the deeper role and Dembele further forward.

 

[rossdapep]

Poch appears to like players who will run all day for him, which is OK if you want to press and recover possession. The problems start when we have the ball, because, he's got a team full of triers, but have no quality on the ball to create and this where it all falls down, because if the opposing team sets up like Poch does, then he's fucked and this has been too apparent this year.

But then you compare Lamela - a player who constantly presses to Chadli and Townsend - who are very indifferent with the pressing. Some decisions don't seem to fit with pochs ethos, which I can't get my head around.

 

[Monkey boy]

Completely agree, however with dembele in one of the am positions I felt our shape improved
greatly as dembele can be capable when
dropping in midfield, making us a little more
solid. Just as things were looking different with
him further forward it suddenly came to a halt,
and his exclusion has coincided with a lethargic
run of form. Things may very well be the same
with his inclusion, but I just find it strange poch didn't stick with it a little longer to find out.

Was I meant to read this has poetry? if so your poems suck.

 

[rossdapep]

Was I meant to read this has poetry? if so your poems suck.

Haha. You can if you like. Phone problem

 

[goughie1966]

He doesn't run around enough. I'm sure Poch picks players on how much they run around rather than what they can do with the ball.

 

[SteveH]

The only reasons that would have any credence for his absence is fitness and just maybe attitude.

We cannot keep playing Bentaleb and Mason in particular. But we must rotate, we have looked shot to shit since Liverpool.

I believe something regarding sales is in the mix for our decline.

 

[Mr Pink]

No it was the game against Palace when he played with Stambouli. Both were so slow on the ball it had many posters saying how much we missed Bentaleb and Mason.

He was playing in the two that game though, which is not the point most are making.

It was playing in the ten position where we looked much better balanced with him in the team. And Lamela on the right of the three behind Kane.

 

[crokey]

It's no suprise to me that all of our best runs over the last few years have been with Dembele in the team. If he could shoot the ball he would be a £40m player

 

[slartibartfast]

If we sell Dembele and end up keeping Pauline because Levy won't take a cut I'll.... I'll..... cry like a baby.
I wouldn't be surprised though.
Lennon, Sigurdson, shit even Defoe are better players we've let go than we have.
An argument for Dawson Livermore Huddlestone and Holtby could be made as well.
Other than Kane and Lloris our squad has gone backwards big time in last few years.