The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[spursfan77]

Yeah I mean Rose has been poor and Davies had a great game, you can't just drop Davies when there's 5 days between the games when the person he's competing with has been terrible. The Alder one I'm a little on the fence about because it seemed a coin toss whether Jan or Alder was performing worse but what's imperative to me is that Sanchez gets to continue.

I thought Sanchez had a good solid game last night. Probably because he got to play on the right of the two centebacks. I think it makes a lot of difference for him.

 

[dudu]

My worry is last night was a one off rather than the start of a recovery.


Fact is Rose and Eriksen on recent form should be nowhere near the squad any longer. Poch kept picking them why exactly?! Why has it taken him so long to pick a balanced side in a formation that suits?

Also last night the opposition were absolute shit and we still looked shaky defensively.

That said of course there were positives to hold onto also! If Poch can get us winning again great but I still have huge reservations about him tactically and I still think the writing is on the wall.

In all honesty, it didn't look like a one-off. There is obviously caution needed but Eriksen not started for 2 games in a row, Rose probably started last weekend due to Davies having played International and Rose having not.

If, and it is a cautioned IF, as I said in the match thread last night, the system and formation can remain to suit the players that want to be here then some good performances and results can easily turn around our season.

 

[spids]

Sunday is an acid test now. Not the result - most teams will lose away against Liverpool - but the team selection. Against Brighton I wanted to see a reaction from the players in terms of effort whoever was picked (and they all failed miserably). Now I just want confirmation that Poch has realised that Eriksen, Rose and Alderweireld - however professional they are around the training ground - have to be frozen out (and that Winks is not a DCM!). He needs to be ruthless and separate his friendship with the players with a cold desire to move forwards. He needs to pick the same team as last night with a Sessegnon taking Eriksen's place on the bench. I fear he got lucky yesterday and will rotate those players back in. If he brings Toby, Rose, Eriksen and Winks back in then I think his ship has sailed.

Gazza
Aurier Sanchez Verts Davies
Sissoko Ndombele
Lamela Dele Son
Kane

Subs: Vorm, KWP, Foyth, Sessegnon, Dier, Lo Celso, Moura​

 

[GetSpurredOn]

Sunday is huge. I cant see Winks not starting. Which is fine, as long as Dier starts with Ndombele in a 3. Then Lamela (if he can start twice in a week) and Son flanking England-style-Kane.

Fuck those saying the team were shit last night, you still have to destroy shit teams and that's what we did last night, at the very least it was encouraging.

I’m not sold this is the great turnaround. One result after 9 months of drudgery is not enough yet. Agree though, Winks and Ndombele in with Dier would give us flexibility to keep Liverpool guessing. Winks and Dier in the double pivot with Ndombele higher up, or played as a 3, mimicking Liverpool and England, or even Dier dropping into a back 3 fluidly.

 

[Wig]

It was nice to see corners actually getting into the box last night

Lamela has a decent delivery

 

[JimmyG2]

My worry is last night was a one off rather than the start of a recovery.


Fact is Rose and Eriksen on recent form should be nowhere near the squad any longer. Poch kept picking them why exactly?! Why has it taken him so long to pick a balanced side in a formation that suits?

Also last night the opposition were absolute shit and we still looked shaky defensively.

That said of course there were positives to hold onto also! If Poch can get us winning again great but I still have huge reservations about him tactically and I still think the writing is on the wall.

But:
“The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: (from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam? )

The words once written cannot be erased but the wall could be demolished.

 

[Primativ]

In all honesty, it didn't look like a one-off. There is obviously caution needed but Eriksen not started for 2 games in a row, Rose probably started last weekend due to Davies having played International and Rose having not.

If, and it is a cautioned IF, as I said in the match thread last night, the system and formation can remain to suit the players that want to be here then some good performances and results can easily turn around our season.

You can’t say it doesn’t look like a one off. Red star were terrible. Also Poch may bring back Rose, erisken etc and go back to a diamond on Sunday etc etc

let’s see what he does on Sunday first. If he doesn’t keep the same exact team he’s an idiot.

 

[Gassin's finest]

That’s going to be awkward when the pitch rolls away for an NFL game and the rotting maggot riddled corpse of Winksy is just lying there.

Those little pitch robot things will be keeping his cadaver topped up with formaldehyde and fabreze to keep it presentable.

 

[Darth Vega]

Only seen the highlights as I was out last night (deliberately - I didn't want to watch it), how did we play overall?

The BT Sport highlights made it look like we did nothing spectacular aside from capitalise on a lot of poor Red Star defending and midfield errors. Which is fine of course, that's exactly what we should be doing.

The players looked a lot more up for it than they have done in recent months, though.

Ndombele, Sanchez and Lamela looked really good from what I saw. Hoping Poch sticks with this line up on Sunday, perhaps bringing Lo Celso in for Sissoko to see how he goes. Will be pretty galling if any of our attacking midfield 3 get dropped for Eriksen.

Outside of a 10 to 15 minute period toward the end of the first half where we looked a little nervy at 2-0, we played well. Looked fast, incisive, a lot of off the ball movement and playing between the lines. Defensively not brilliant, but understandable given that it's another new back-four that don't often play together (plus Gazza, who doesn't inspire confidence), and our form of late.

Loads of positives overall. I know it's "only" Red Star, but it was also "only" Colchester, Watford, and Brighton. Can only beat what's in front of you - we didn't then, but we did last night.

 

[austinfh]

Dele has been great the last two games. When he plays well everyone else does, especially Kane. I hope that we might be moving into a bit of form as long as Poch sticks with the lineup we used last night

 

[Dougal]

Those little pitch robot things will be keeping his cadaver topped up with formaldehyde and fabreze to keep it presentable.

Think that’s how we flogged Vincent Janssen too.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Think that’s how we flogged Vincent Janssen too.

We didn't outsource that to @Houdini ?

 

[Dougal]

We didn't outsource that to @Houdini ?

Who do you think had the surplus of formaldehyde?

 

[SpartanSpur]

Sorry that's just bullshit.

He's chopped and changed so much it's no wonder we've looked disjointed and devoid of confidence.

What we need is continuity, playing the players who want to be here and in a system they understand and are comfortable on.

Yes adjust tactics accordingly, but the over rotation and constant changes in system is so unnecessary.

You don't see Liverpool and City changing to they extent.

Totally with you on this. Nothing was making any sense. The lineup against Watford was an absolute shocker. Back 3, Rose over Davies, no Ndombele (our most creative CM), no Son (our top scorer at the new stadium), Lucas Moura playing ST against a low block which is a waste of time. Yet against Brighton where Moura's pace would have been a counter threat and outlet (they were outplaying us FFS so we needed one) he didn't throw him on until the game was dead and buried.

You can’t say it doesn’t look like a one off. Red star were terrible. Also Poch may bring back Rose, erisken etc and go back to a diamond on Sunday etc etc

let’s see what he does on Sunday first. If he doesn’t keep the same exact team he’s an idiot.

100% - last night ticked all of the boxes, aside from a bit of defensive solidity and a ropey spell before HT, but it's only a turning point if Poch builds on it. Like you say every chance he changes everything up again.

For Sunday I'd be tempted to bring Winks in for Dele and push Ndombele a little bit forward. Winks is good at press evasion and Ndombele has plenty of assists in him. Dier worries me against pressing outfits. Son and Lamela to try and keep their FBs occupied.

 

[mill]

But:
“The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: (from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam? )

The words once written cannot be erased but the wall could be demolished.

Cool story

 

[Gassin's finest]

I remember seeing this on the telly in the pub after:

 

[dudu]

You can’t say it doesn’t look like a one off. Red star were terrible. Also Poch may bring back Rose, erisken etc and go back to a diamond on Sunday etc etc

let’s see what he does on Sunday first. If he doesn’t keep the same exact team he’s an idiot.

I'm pretty sure I can say that. Watch, ill do it again.

I watched the game, it didn't look like a one off to me.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Despite the level of the opposition we definitely looked like a more cohesive unit last night, and I find it hard to believe that it's a coincidence that we saw that in a game where Rose, Alderweireld and Eriksen weren't playing.

I think we may need to tweak the system a bit against Liverpool as it's obviously a completely different type of opponent, but at the moment I'd stick to getting our committed players on the pitch and go from there.

 

[mike_l]

Yes. But just look at the quality we have to write off when Levy is Levy. It’s failure to make hay while the sun shines.

I'm sorry, how is Levy at fault for any of that? He can't make Eriksen leave before his contract runs out, or force a club to pay a reasonable fee for Toby, and he allowed Rose to talk with Watford but he didn't want to go there. None of that is Poch's fault either.

 

[TOLBINY]

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/10/...shares-his-theory-over-why-tottenham-hotspur/
Poch blames a late return to pre-season because of ECL Final for our poor start to the season. Can someone remind him who we played in the final!