Tired?

[Strikeb4ck]

Is it just me or do these players look very tired, especially in the last two league games vs West Brom and Newcastle? I know there was the Monaco result in the middle there, but there was a decent bit of rotation there and let's face it, Monaco didn't ever show up.

I am really worried that the pressing style and the real lack of rotation has us in a very bad spot heading towards this busy part of the season. Several players that had very strong seasons so far are struggling heavily at the minute, particularly in the second halves. We've been completely dominated in the second half for two straight Prem games now, and in both cases it was bad enough to where the other side probably deserved the three points.

Just me or is there something to this?

 

[Bulletspur]

They more than played well in the 1st half. I put it down to complacency and under rating New castle in the 2nd half why we lost, Basically we though we had won the game at half time

 

[Strikeb4ck]

They more than played well in the 1st half. I put it down to complacency and under rating New castle in the 2nd half why we lost, Basically we though we had won the game at half time

Played fine in the first half last week too. If the players are tired it would fit in with them doing ok in the first half and then capitulating in the second.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

nope. something else, sadly. can't quite put my finger on it, but we have had quite few 'lucky' wins, many many draws we should have put to bed ... this is a contiuation of this and we've just had our just desserts.

 

[Paq]

We might've been tired today but I think we simply didn't do enough to win. We underestimated Newcastle's trajectory. Poch's decision to start Carroll speaks to that in my view. Could understand why he wanted to give the lad a chance though.

 

[millsey]

We might've been tired today but I think we simply didn't do enough to win. We underestimated Newcastle's trajectory. Poch's decision to start Carroll speaks to that in my view. Could understand why he wanted to give the lad a chance though.

If he didn't give Ali, Mason ect a chance where would they be? Caroll though is not an answer but I wouldn't blame him for this result. We were poor everywhere

 

[eddiev14]

I agree. They seem tired.

Not sure what we can do about it though. I think not being able to rotate Kane will become an ever increasing issue.

 

[dagraham]

Is it just me or do these players look very tired, especially in the last two league games vs West Brom and Newcastle? I know there was the Monaco result in the middle there, but there was a decent bit of rotation there and let's face it, Monaco didn't ever show up.

I am really worried that the pressing style and the real lack of rotation has us in a very bad spot heading towards this busy part of the season. Several players that had very strong seasons so far are struggling heavily at the minute, particularly in the second halves. We've been completely dominated in the second half for two straight Prem games now, and in both cases it was bad enough to where the other side probably deserved the three points.

Just me or is there something to this?

One of the factors definitely. We had nothing to give 2nd half and Kane looks knackered. Any other season or another team and he probably would have been taken off after 60mins, bit we have no genuine alternative.

Also, despite having a good squad with a lot of depth in certain places, we simply don't have enough match winners in the final third. Hence the fact that despite things going well we've only won 6 games.

 

[Lilbaz]

I agree. They seem tired.

Not sure what we can do about it though. I think not being able to rotate Kane will become an ever increasing issue.

Why can't we rotate kane? We put 4 past monaco in mid week without him.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I would wait to see the stats on how much ground each player covered before throwing 'tired' at them. Personally i'm leaning toward it just being a poor performance.

 

[eddiev14]

Why can't we rotate kane? We put 4 past monaco in mid week without him.

In the Prem.

 

[mrlilywhite]

I personally feel it's a culmination of a few things, but the one thing that sticks out for me, is our inability to break teams down effectively in the final 3rd. We have never really addressed this issue since as far back as the Bale and Modric days. I don't think it is as bad as it has been, but we have a big problem when it comes to stretching the opposition out. Of course that comes mainly from playing through the middle too much. I always look at our creative players, and a lot of times they are so close together it ends up with any chances being snuffed out. When Bale and Modric were here we had two massive weapons at our disposal, and also the creativity and technical skills of Van der Vaart. That enabled us to play and open up the opposition almost at will sometimes.

Now it seems with everything going through the middle, and relying on wingbacks that don't deliver consistently enough, it makes it far easier for the opposition to sit with a bank of four, and rely on others to snuff out any wide threat. If you can't find space, then you have to make it. seems we can't really do either at the moment.

 

[worcestersauce]

Tiredness doesn't hit you in the tunnel coming out for the second half though, if we were poor from the fortysixth minute I wouldn't have thought it was because we were tired even if we did flag later on.

 

[Mr Pink]

I would wait to see the stats on how much ground each player covered before throwing 'tired' at them. Personally i'm leaning toward it just being a poor performance.

Not sure I entirely agree A&C. Stats may tell us they have covered a large distance, but you get nothing in terms of the intensity in which the ground was covered. In other words the distances may seem acceptable, but its the way the ground is covered if that makes sense.

Personally I thought we did look a little tired in the second half, and I'm talking mental fatigue. For me a sign of that is what we do when we're on the ball, the passing was so sloppy and careless at times it couldn't of been a coincidence IMO.

It was a very lethargic performance with the ball. Off the ball we looked a bit jaded to, we wern't pressing with the same vigor as we were in the first.

But if I had to summarize our last three performances in the League with one word, it would be sluggish.

Overall I'm really pleased with how we're going with Poch but subs and use of the sqaud are still slight areas of concern for me.

But just have to suck it up, its a young team too.

 

[lukespurs7]

Didn't actually see the game today but was at the Monaco game and we rested half the team so don't see how they could really be tired today...

Maybe people are reading too much into this and it was just a bad day at the office which happens. We're going in the right direction and as long as we can pick up a positive result or positive results in our next few games which are coming thick and fast then we can get back up amongst it, if this becomes a slump that could be dangerous as we'll be sucked into mid-table. I believe cream always rises to the top and come end of the season positions fairly reflect how the team has done over the season.

We're a lot better this season in terms of defensively and organisation, we look like we are a team with a plan. However, we don't kill off games enough and I think that comes back to the fact that we have no alternative options to Kane and not enough goal scoring threats in our front 4. We have improved offensively especially since the boring avb days etc but take all the names below and aside from Kane id not back and of our attacking players to get 10+ goals a season and this is where the issue lies. Lamela for example has hugely improved but doesn't score enough goals in the PL.

Attacking options:
Kane
Son
Eriksen
Ali
Lamela
Dembele
N'Jie
Chadli

Potch is doing brilliantly with what he's got but for me we lack enough goal scoring threat. Man.U are struggling with this much more so than we are. Chelsea also to an extent this season with Costa and Hazard off form and Oscar,Willian etc not coming in with goals.

Arsenal have a huge number of goal scoring threats, as do man.city and Leicester this is why these 3 are the top 3. If you don't score a good number of goals (Man.City in recent seasons,Man.U in their prime under Fergie, or Arsenal under Wenger in the Henry/Bergkamp days) OR are rediculously solid at the back (Chelsa under Mouriniho in their prime) you have a much lower chance of winning things.

We have so much good going on at the club but it will be interesting to see how Potch and Mitchell look to further fine-tune and improve the squad possibly in Jan and more likely next summer.

Long way to go this season but most disappointing result and weekend of football all season. It's now down to how we respond.

 

[Damian99]

I have never heard anyone ever in the history of football say after a win "we looked really tired today" it is only ever brought out after a poor performance and is an excuse imo.

Successful sides play lots of games and generally win them - they never look tired in fact always the opposite.

It's the players mentality that lets them down - we certainly didn't look tired first half and should really have been comfortable at HT.

We have periods in games where we seem to lose all out focus/concentration and forget the things we should/need to be doing - Players lose their way and this is where you need a real leader out there with you, someone who can get players heads right, as a manager can only do so much from the touch line. But where the manager can influence things and it was clear well before they scored, what was possible cumin - Not all his fault but Poch could have made changes to get a hold back on the midfield but imo failed to do so, when needed.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Not all his fault but Poch could have made changes to get a hold back on the midfield but imo failed to do so, when needed.

You mean Poch could have made changes to TRY get a hold back on the midfield. As with a lot of what is said here on SC, this presupposes what they advocate would have 100% nailed on guaranteed had the desired effect.

 

[Shadydan]

Yeah they looked knackered against Monaco

 

[Damian99]

You mean Poch could have made changes to TRY get a hold back on the midfield. As with a lot of what is said here on SC, this presupposes what they advocate would have 100% nailed on guaranteed had the desired effect.

Oh yes i do apologise for the incorrect wording, i am so glad you picked me up on that But yes he should have made changes which MAY have given us the Midfield back, instead of sat on his behind.

 

[tdk101]

This whole tiredness thing makes no sense what so ever. We had so many last minute goal wins last season that those so called "experts" were saying Spurs' players have superior fitness due to Poch's training regime. Nothing has changed since the last season. For whatever reason, our second half performance is not up to par this season.