Ratings v Bremen

[fortworthspur]

Palacios MOTM for me. Partly because he kept our half locked down (against an admittedly uninspired team) and partly 'cause Im a sentimental guy.

 

[Dinpomp]

http://www.marca.com/blogs/planeta-axel/2010/11/25/apuntes-del-miercoles-de-champions.html

Translated:

5. A claim: Modric, talent does play Tottenham.

We talk a lot of Bale, and truly is one of the players fitter band in Europe. It is also true that the precision in the final pass or shot arriving at breakneck speed borders on the unnatural. But we should not decant the full weight of our praise to Londoners towards the left wing. The set of Harry Redknapp is a man team, which is not surprising therefore to be able to go back in the Emirates and in England right now is debating whether it is real candidate to win the Premier. If Juanma Lillo says Iniesta is the player who makes others play in Barcelona, you will agree that central and important role in the Spurs have the Croatian Luka Modric. Van der Vaart goal reaches more and perhaps even looks more in three quarters. But it all starts, who started the play near the midfield and can end up as an escort of nine, is a talented flyer that arrived from Dinamo Zagreb. Sometimes journalism needs a specific detail to refer to a permanent reality. Happening now: serve the goal by Modric to Bremen to emphasize its leading role in a team that is one of the stories of the season in Europe.



Hi gibbs! :hello:

 

[jonnyp]

Gomes 6 Nothing to do
Hutton 6.5 Some sloppy passing that led to dangerous counters
Gallas 7.5 Very good game again
Kaboul 7 Great goal, solid for the mos part
BAE 6 Was good but gets deducted a point for some very sloppy passing the first ten minutes of the second half
Lennon 7 Lively, some good wingplay tonight and a great assist for Crouch
Jenas 6 Didn't do much up until his injury. Can't really rate him.
Modric 8 Very good game by the little man.
Bale 7 Usual self, deserved a goal or two. Awful penalty though.
Pav 5 His first touch is even worse than Keane's.
Crouch 6.5 Good goal, some nice touches but not involved enough to my liking.

Palacios 7 Very encouraging display from Wilson tonight. Did really well
Defoe 6 A good shot and some good running but needs time to get match fit I guess
Kranjcar 6 Not much time to do anything

 

[Kingellesar]

Modric was phenomenal tonight. Seemed to get forward in the first half then sit off in the second half, he was very deep but it worked, he made some important challenges. Best CM in the world bar Xavi and Alonso:grin:

Lennon and Bale did well too. I also thought Hutton had a good game.

 

[Viva la Tottenham]

I think we can file this one under bloodless coup.

That said, this was what we used to call in the good old european days "job well done". At times these games - where the opposition have come clearly with the game plan to loose - the lack of competitive spark can spread and you find yourselves getting a bit sloppy, and at times we did, but for the most part we were efficient, always in complete control and on the odd occasion that could have turned a stroll into a.....speed walk...people like Gallas, Kaboul & Palacios did exactly what was required.

One area I have always given Redknapp credit for is recruitment, and the signing of Gallas is right up there with his best. This bloke is class, he has that Kingesque ability to move really quickly across the deck and nip and nibble at a player with the ball. There was a couple of moments in the second half (and in most games he's played for us) where Marin was bearing down and if he goes past Gallas the whole game could have changed, but despite having a quite night when the question was asked he just efficiently dealt with there one danger player, outpaced him and got himself in front. It's not spectacular, slide by the seat of your arse, last ditch blood and thunder defending, it just quality, zero drama get the job done. Brilliant signing.

After Gallas, Kaboul was again really good when called on, and something else I like about him, that he's always had in his locker is goals. I'm pretty sure the first spell he had with us he scored 3/4 goals as well. A really good habit for a CB to have.

Palacios was his usual busy competent self. Also played a couple of nice balls out wide and played Defoe through beautifully. I'm sure the Palacios can't pass "blinkered muppets" all missed this "expansive and incisive" pass and the fact that palacios made 63 our of 66 passes and will only remember the three he misplaced.

Just for comparison purposes as Huddelstone is touted as the next most defensive CM, against Twente (another very similar game) Hudd made 47 out of 53 passes that night.
Palacios also made 4 tackles to Hudd's O as well as passing more, more accurately and setting up a clean through, as well as helping us keeping a clean sheet. Not bad for a player who can't pass, runs around too much and has been out of form since the second week after he arrived here.

Lennon had his best game for ages. Set up two goals with good wing play, and a couple of other good moments, but several other promising situations were wasted with poor choices or poorly executed final balls but at least he was busy and saw more of the ball than Bale.

Man of the match was Moric though. 86 passes (97) he just ran the gaff all night long and it is always great to see him score - he needs to do it more.

Ratings:

Gomes 7 - default.

Hutton 7 - some good play but some sloppy stuff as well.

Gallas 7.5 - Quality

Kaboul 7.5 - Good game and that all important first goal.

Ekotto 7 - Same as Hutton, some good play on the ball but gave possession away a few times with careless passing.

Lennon 7.5 - Two good assists and plenty of involvement, but just lacks that little bit of intelligence at times. Still, best game for quite a while.

Palacios 7.5 - Really Good to see him get most of game under his belt. Did what he has always done and did it well. If we insist on playing Modric in CM, then Palacios is probably the best player to play next to him.

Modric 8 - Still want him released from this CM responsibility for tough games but he was the best player on the pitch tonight by a long way. 87 accurate passes is phenomenal and to cap it with a goal was icing.

Bale 7 - A couple of "Bale" moments but - and this is becoming repetitive - there were a few times when his defensive awareness and willingness to bust a gut to help Ekotto (and the team) were really shoddy. As brilliant as he is going forward, the coaching staff have got to get this into him. It's vital, especially on days when he's not having a blinder.

Crouch 7 - Worked hard and took his chance well as well as crafting a couple of chances for others. 23 passes from 29.

Pav 5 - Hard to think of too much positive really, 10 passes all night in a game like this is piss poor. He's fast becoming a russian Keane. Talented but enigmatic and lacking in bollocks.

Defoe 6 - Looked lively but wasted a couple of good positions.


Please let us sign a decent striker who has brain & bollocks in the January window.

:lol: Palacios had his best game in ages but seriously this lot were dire, worst team we've played all season. I don't think we've won a game them 2 started in CM together not 100% sure mind you so prove me wrong. They've only started about 4 or 5 together centrally and it's generally been shit every time.

Wow, weird stat from UEFA CL site. Crouch covered more ground than anyone in that game 13.56 km. Modric next 11.52.

gotta be a mistake Crouchy ran a whole 2km more than everyone else, seriously how do they come up with these numbers

 

[jamesc0le]

gomes 7

hutton 5 linked with his winger a bit and had decent enough game, got forward. made mistakes. seemed pissed off, affected concentration?

gallas 7 captain billy longstare

kaboul 7 it's the moroccan maldini (rb,cb,lb,cm,am,rw,cf)

ekotto 5+ hutton with a 'fro. sort of.

lennon 8 great. good balance between simple passes and runs behind the defence

wilson 7 good to see him get a game. seeing jenas ahead of him must be mindboggling for wilson

modric 8. he was ok. a -1 for ripping off a vdv style goal. and -1 for being a short arse

bale 8 the napalm before the kranjcar

crouch 8 the duke

roman 7.1 worked hard tonight

kranjcar 7 a sad day if we lose this gem

jenas 7 groan

redknapp 5 - should have started wilson(jenas) and maybe kranjcar (bale-shoulder)

bremen 4
marko marin 8!

 

[Viva la Tottenham]

gomes 7

hutton 5 linked with his winger a bit and had decent enough game, got forward. made mistakes. seemed pissed off, affected concentration?

gallas 7 captain billy longstare

kaboul 7 it's the moroccan maldini (rb,cb,lb,cm,am,rw,cf)

ekotto 5+ hutton with a 'fro. sort of.

lennon 8 great. good balance between simple passes and runs behind the defence

wilson 7 good to see him get a game. seeing jenas ahead of him must be mindboggling for wilson

modric 8. he was ok. a -1 for ripping off a vdv style goal. and -1 for being a short arse

bale 8 the napalm before the kranjcar

crouch 8 the duke

roman 7.1 worked hard tonight

kranjcar 7 a sad day if we lose this gem

jenas 7 groan

redknapp 5 - should have started wilson(jenas) and maybe kranjcar (bale-shoulder)

bremen 4
marko marin 8!

:lol: why does he get a .1

 

[jamesc0le]

:lol: why does he get a .1

for not bringing his hip!flask to the match

 

[leffe186]

Palacios was his usual busy competent self. Also played a couple of nice balls out wide and played Defoe through beautifully. I'm sure the Palacios can't pass "blinkered muppets" all missed this "expansive and incisive" pass and the fact that palacios made 63 our of 66 passes and will only remember the three he misplaced.

Just for comparison purposes as Huddelstone is touted as the next most defensive CM, against Twente (another very similar game) Hudd made 47 out of 53 passes that night.
Palacios also made 4 tackles to Hudd's O as well as passing more, more accurately and setting up a clean through, as well as helping us keeping a clean sheet. Not bad for a player who can't pass, runs around too much and has been out of form since the second week after he arrived here.

BC, I agree with what you said in general but the choice of stats above is very poor - it wasn't similar. Against Twente, we played with 10 men for the last half hour which meant ceding possession, so you would expect less passes and more opportunities for those passes to be intercepted. Bremen were terrible - we had 57% possession but they had 54% territorial advantage, so in other words we just knocked it around at the back for large chunks of the game. Lots of cheap passes.

I rate Palacios, and I also rate Huddlestone, but a clean sheet against that shadow of a Bremen side does not equate to one against Twente.

 

[WhiteHart4Ever]

Lennon and Palacios for me, as they looked a bit like they're old selves again. But in real terms it was Modders all the way..

 

[WhiteHart4Ever]

BC, I agree with what you said in general but the choice of stats above is very poor - it wasn't similar. Against Twente, we played with 10 men for the last half hour which meant ceding possession, so you would expect less passes and more opportunities for those passes to be intercepted. Bremen were terrible - we had 57% possession but they had 54% territorial advantage, so in other words we just knocked it around at the back for large chunks of the game. Lots of cheap passes.

I rate Palacios, and I also rate Huddlestone, but a clean sheet against that shadow of a Bremen side does not equate to one against Twente.

Good point, Leffe, and bad use of stats by BC to make the comparison to tHudd; whom I think almost everyone would agree is a superior passer of the ball to Palacios (and, yes, you do need to consider both the quality, difficulty and effect on our attack - not just that a player made a pass that did or did not reach a teammate). HOWEVER, a more valid point is that Palacios only missed three passes yesterday, and I thought he had a very good game. He's never been a great passer and will never be one, but he did a triffic job in midfield last night. And while Bremen were poor that was also because we were solid defensively, partly because of Palacios contribution. BAE, on the other hand, made some rather unusual and absolutly shocking passes last night!

 

[Gilzeanking]

Lennon and Palacios for me, as they looked a bit like they're old selves again. But in real terms it was Modders all the way..

Yeh delighted for the pair of them . Hopefully a confidence booster for Aaron giving us opportunity to create shit down both flanks (try triple marking the pair of them Prem bus parkers ,you'll require 14 players !) AL 7.5

Wilson looked good too 7. We have to take into account Bremen's lack of form though, but still a great run out for the pair .

Mods a tad ineffective 1st half , but great VDV esque goal (loved the feint to shoot , a deadly technique) ...8 gets MoM cos he's a shortarse

Crazy that Bale can come closer to scoring from 25 yard kicks than pens
He must be covered in bruises these days poor man . What a player , 8 .

 

[Raxscallion]

Don't forget to mention I said Modric would improve his goals/assists record today. Because I specifically said it.

That's three threads you've attempted to 'gloat' on now.

And you wonder why you get abuse. :roll:

 

[phil]

gotta be a mistake Crouchy ran a whole 2km more than everyone else, seriously how do they come up with these numbers

No mistake, Crouch always leads the stats for distance covered; for England as well as Spurs. In the home game against Inter, he was third in the stats slightly behind Bale and (IIRC) Huddlestone but he only played 70 minutes. He covers a lot of ground.

 

[Yid-ol]

No mistake, Crouch always leads the stats for distance covered; for England as well as Spurs. In the home game against Inter, he was third in the stats slightly behind Bale and (IIRC) Huddlestone but he only played 70 minutes. He covers a lot of ground.

Do they add on the distance he takes to get back up from the floor once he flattens a defender or keeper?

 

[phil]

A very comfortable win and, despite the best efforts of our fullbacks to give away possession at almost every opportunity, a clean sheet.

Quite difficult to choose a Man of the Match. Gallas was immaculate but Werder had little attacking ambition; Modric had a great second half but was poor before the interval. Good performances from Lennon, Kaboul, Crouch and Palacios. On balance, I gave my vote to Bale who always provided a threat.

Gomes 6 - Pretty much a spectator.

Hutton 6 - O.k. going forward but gave the ball away in his own half on numerous occasions.

Kaboul 7 - Very solid but Werder did not pose much of a threat.

Gallas 7.5 - Immaculate. Used his experience to shepherd the ball back to Gomes when Marin threatened.

BAE 5 - A lot of misplaced passes. Not one of his better days.

Lennon 7 - Two assists. Looks to be getting back to form although I'm not sure that Hutton is his ideal partner on the right.

Jenas N/A

Modric 7.5 - Poor first half but controlled the match in the second half.

Bale 7.5 - Constant threat

Crouch 7 - A goal and an assist. Held the ball up well but I wish he had more aggression when attacking headers in the box. There was one occasion in the second half when he wasted a chance on the edge of the 6 yard box. A Shearer or Ferdinand would have had the ball, keeper and defender into the back of the net.

Pav 5 - Ineffective

Palacios 7 - Pleased to see him back to something near his best.

Defoe 6 - Lively. Good to have him back.

 

[stemark44]

:lol: Palacios had his best game in ages but seriously this lot were dire, worst team we've played all season. I don't think we've won a game them 2 started in CM together not 100% sure mind you so prove me wrong. They've only started about 4 or 5 together centrally and it's generally been shit every time.

I know we never got out of second gear but I fear for us on Sunday if they are our midfield 'cos you could have driven a fleet of buses through our center last night.

I hope I am wrong because we need to beat Liverpool.

 

[StockSpur]

hutton also provided the cross for modrics goal if anyone missed it, i thought he had a goo dgame, backs are always going to get beaten once or twice.

 

[pjspur1961]

It's hard to judge any of the players from last night, they were all solid against a very poor side.

No one really put a foot wrong. At times the passing went missing, but we just looked so comfortable.

Modric was the MotM for me.

Was everywhere, top draw goal. Think Wilson coming on gave him more confidence going forward.

Just a top class performance all round!

 

[StanSpur]

Thought everyone was pretty average last night, nobody really stepped out of 2nd gear but went for Modric as he was the one pulling the strings. It was a poor game though considering it was CL. Bremen really disapointed by not even bothering to try which made the Spurs boys far too comfortable. Did the job though.

I wander if the fact that Bremmen only arrived at the groung at 19:15 had anything to do with how they played?