The more you watch Spurs this season, the more we look like a 'paint-by-numbers' team than a proper artist. There are poorer sides lower down the league than us with much better fluency playing out from the back. It's unreal sometimes and you can't unsee it once you notice how robotic and slow we are. Those sides lower down the league have other failings, but our lack of fluency and lack of urgency/intenstiy to pla through the lines and get into attacking situations must change.
To that end, I think Conte should invest tons of start time in Sessegnon and Spence. The wing backs are the most straightforward way of overcoming our stodgy play from the back and can travel with the ball over decent distances to get the whole team further up the pitch. Add Bissouma in the middle as a ball-carrying, line-breaking midfielder and we could get somewhere. Of course, it won't just fall in to place, but we must have much stronger outlets (in wide positions particularly) to advance in a structured way up the pitch.
We're going to end up with a deep 532 again against Newcastle unless we address this. We are not a pressing side and we should not be a (solely) counter-attacking side. So you need to make 3-at-the-back work and that requires more pace and urgency to get forward from wing backs. If Royal and Perisic play, we'll be deep 532. Trippier will have a field day. Our wing backs will be full backs. And Dier will be exposed again as a stationary last defender with ball runners coming at him and his hands behind his back, wondering why it's happening repeatedly despite having two other centre halves supposedly screening him.
Wouldn’t he play the Kane role, though? Two-footed, not sharp pace but dropping deep to link and create. Not that I’m against resting Kane, and a front 3 of Perisic, Son and Lucas could work.May be worth giving Perisic in the front 3. Doesn’t look like he’s got the legs for a premier league wing back so why not try him in the advanced role. Doesn’t he play there for Croatia?
I don’t really understand why Gil is always disregarded in comments like this. It’s like he’s an 18 year old academy player who should just be happy to train with the first team.
We paid ~€35m for him, gave him the 11 shirt. In his last cameo he had 5 minutes to impress and he single handedly earned a penalty with his dribbling skills.
I mean you don’t have to start him but you don’t have to overlook his existence when three of our other forwards are struggling with injury.
Absolutely this! I have got to be honest and say that I am unlikely to watch this match.Could not give a crap about team selection or formation.
If you show no desire or effort and plan to sit in your own half for 80% of the match then it wont matter a jot anyway.
I wanna see some fight and effort to win. I want to see us impose ourselves on Newcastle.
Not optimistic to be honest.
Sadly i agree with thisAbsolutely this! I have got to be honest and say that I am unlikely to watch this match.
I'm sick of this style of football if you can even call it a style of football.
The best managers add value to their players so that the team becomes greater than the sum of its parts. That's exactly what poch did. Nuno, Jose and conte have all failed to do that and therefore we cannot bridge the gap to teams with better players. At least not consistently.
I look over at arsenal with envious eyes, they're play exciting, winning, football while we are embarrassingly dull.
Absolutely this! I have got to be honest and say that I am unlikely to watch this match.
I'm sick of this style of football if you can even call it a style of football.
The best managers add value to their players so that the team becomes greater than the sum of its parts. That's exactly what poch did. Nuno, Jose and conte have all failed to do that and therefore we cannot bridge the gap to teams with better players. At least not consistently.
I look over at arsenal with envious eyes, they're play exciting, winning, football while we are embarrassingly dull.
I don’t…we were all very happy last season when conte came in and we were free scoring. Now it’s dull football!Sadly i agree with this
Not all of us were happy at all! And even if we were what does that have to do with how dull we are now?I don’t…we were all very happy last season when conte came in and we were free scoring. Now it’s dull football!
I think that was the contrast to Nuno - And no doubt things have improved massively points wise since then - but the sit back and sacrifice possession in the hope of fast effective counter attacks in my view has become a real tough watch - maybe it’s the only way for us to go and compete in the top 6 but for me it’s not much fun to watchI don’t…we were all very happy last season when conte came in and we were free scoring. Now it’s dull football!