What's new

What the pundits & media are saying about us

E17yid

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
17,054
30,711
Archibald&Crooks said:
haha :woot:

If offering opinions is a crime, we're all pundits on here and we all talk shit. For some reason doing it on here is OK, but on TV isn't. Can you imagine if this place didn't have rules and the same criteria applied? The unchecked vitriol, just for saying something someone else doesn't agree with would eat this site for breakfast :D
Click to expand...

Very true, Personally speaking my end game is to put my shit talking talent to good use and get paid for it. How good would that be? My door is always open if you want to chat, mate.
 
Archibald&Crooks

Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
55,592
205,123
E17yid said:
Very true, Personally speaking my end game is to put my shit talking talent to good use and get paid for it. How good would that be? My door is always open if you want to chat, mate.
Click to expand...
Become a vlogger or whatever it's called :D

You could become like that silly old fart, the Wealdstone Raider, you could call yourself the Walthamstow Wanker or something. Before you know it, the hits and the money will be rolling in and you'll be caked.
 
Mr.D

Mr.D

Old Member
Dec 2, 2014
4,262
7,876
Archibald&Crooks said:
Become a vlogger or whatever it's called :D

You could become like that silly old fart, the Wealdstone Raider, you could call yourself the Walthamstow Wanker or something. Before you know it, the hits and the money will be rolling in and you'll be caked.
Click to expand...

Ain't he Welsh?
 
Metalhead

Metalhead

But that's a debate for another thread.....
Nov 24, 2013
25,401
38,408
Archibald&Crooks said:
Become a vlogger or whatever it's called :D

You could become like that silly old fart, the Wealdstone Raider, you could call yourself the Walthamstow Wanker or something. Before you know it, the hits and the money will be rolling in and you'll be caked.
Click to expand...
fa1304f0700ff3e0b3ea4fa3f9a5aa2a.gif
 
E17yid

E17yid

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2013
17,054
30,711
Archibald&Crooks said:
That's a relief. Can you imagine it? You escaped being Gruffyyd Papadopoulos by the skin of your hampsteads.
Click to expand...

Mate, there was big clashes with the Greeks about names for my nephew. The Greeks won with Pericles (Perry). Do love some Greek names tbf.
 
tototoner

tototoner

Staying Alert
Mar 21, 2004
29,401
34,108
Athletic article

How Spurs turned it around : some home truths, a fit squad, Kane firing and luck

When a second-half collapse saw Spurs beaten 3-1 at Sheffield United at the start of July, it looked as though their season would peter out. They were ninth and seemingly in such disarray that Jose Mourinho took the nuclear option and questioned the players’ mentality in his post-match press conference. A mid-table finish felt far more likely than European qualification and Mourinho was even asked ahead of Tottenham’s next match if he would use the remaining fixtures to give minutes to some of the club’s youngsters. The inference was that soon there could be nothing to play for.

Since then, Spurs have taken 13 points from a possible 15. They have scored nine goals and conceded only two to move up to seventh and into the qualifying positions for the Europa League (albeit in the hope that Arsenal don’t win the FA Cup and take that place for themselves.)

Tottenham have not been scintillating during this period, and the draw at Bournemouth was actually a worse performance than the one at Bramall Lane, but given the criticism Mourinho and the side took after those games, it’s fair that they should be praised for turning things around and finishing the season strongly.

This is a look at what Spurs have changed in the last few weeks…

Better balance

One of the big changes after the defeat at Sheffield United was bringing in midfielder Harry Winks. Doing so meant an end to playing with four attackers, as Mourinho had done in the first three matches after the restart.

Instead, having Winks in the team for the last five games has freed Giovani Lo Celso to play in more of a roaming role and given Moussa Sissoko greater licence to get around the pitch. One observer described Winks to The Athletic earlier in the season as being like the drummer in a band — not always that conspicuous but diligently setting the tempo to allow others to shine.

It’s certainly felt that way in the last few games and having Winks as an anchor has also meant Spurs can switch systems mid-match, knowing that with him, there is more flexibility. Whereas with three attackers behind Kane, Spurs felt more chained to a 4-2-3-1, which left them both overrun in midfield and lacking sufficient guile to unlock defences.

Now, they are more fluid tactically and far less predictable to play against — as Michael Cox explained last week. During the Arsenal and Newcastle games they switched between three different systems.
Having a third central midfielder also provides better protection of the back four. Which leads on to the next point…

Belated defensive solidity

After the Sheffield United game, Tottenham had conceded 42 goals in Mourinho’s 29 matches in charge and kept just four clean sheets.

In the five matches since, they have kept almost as many clean sheets (three) and only conceded twice. Their expected goals against per game (xGA) is also well down — at 1.15 since the Sheffield United defeat, down from 1.61 in those first 29 matches under Mourinho.

That Spurs have conceded far fewer than that expected 1.15 per game in this period (0.4 in reality) is partly down to the excellence of Hugo Lloris. The goalkeeper has had his critics during the last couple of years but has been excellent since the restart — including a stunning save to deny Leicester’s Ayoze Perez on Sunday. It’s also been striking, watching games behind closed doors, just how vocal Lloris is and it’s possible the Tottenham defenders have benefitted from being able to hear his instructions more clearly.

The biggest change though over the last few weeks has been the reinstatement and return to form of Toby Alderweireld. Having looked a little off the pace prior to the lockdown, Alderweireld has been much more like his old self and is suited to Spurs sitting deeper and leaving him less exposed (as is Lloris, who is not having to do so much of the sweeper-keeping that he started to look increasingly uncomfortable with).

Eric Dier, who was in good form himself prior to being suspended, will be back for the final game of the season but will struggle to displace the in-form Alderweireld. Davinson Sanchez, meanwhile, offers the kind of pace that neither can provide.
It’s also been a blessing that Tottenham have played two teams in Arsenal and Leicester that generally like to monopolise possession — as it’s allowed Mourinho to set up his team deeper and catch them both on the break. Spurs had 37 per cent against Arsenal and just 29.5 per cent against Leicester, their lowest totals in a Premier League home game since the data began being collected in 2003. On both occasions, sitting back and soaking up pressure has made Spurs look a lot more comfortable and more dangerous on the counter.

By contrast, in the defeat at Sheffield United and desperately poor draw at Bournemouth, Spurs had 67.5 and 64.3 per cent respectively (their highest and fourth-highest in Premier League games under Mourinho).

Incidentally, Tottenham’s best win under Mourinho came when they had 33.1 per cent of the ball against Manchester City during February’s 2-0 victory — adding to the sense that they are often at their best when set up to counter.

Mourinho’s criticism got the desired reaction

After that Sheffield United defeat, Mourinho said he had feared his players not reacting strongly to conceding a goal and then having one harshly chalked off.

“You have to be ready to cope with negative moments and go until the last minute,” he said. “In spite of my efforts in the dressing room, now I feel I know more about the profile of my players. I felt that in the second half we wouldn’t be strong enough to cope with a team that when they’re winning, just defends and counter-attacks.”

He doubled down on the comments a couple of days later before the Everton game, saying that Spurs’ level of desire had “destroyed” and “disturbed” him.

Calling out the players was a gamble that many feared would backfire but, at the moment, looks to be paying off. Behind the scenes, he urged the players to be more critical of one another, as he attempted to foster a more challenging environment. He has repeatedly called his group of players “too nice” and, as the expletive-laden leaked footage from a team talk he gave earlier in the season showed, he’s trying to introduce more devil to Tottenham’s play.

In the first game after Sheffield United against Everton, some of the friction Mourinho has been trying to foster manifested itself in the on-pitch confrontation between Son Heung-min and Hugo Lloris

Elsewhere, Giovani Lo Celso snarled and snapped into tackles, and the noises coming out of the dressing room were that angry words had been exchanged between the players after that Sheffield United defeat.

Broadly, the players are enjoying working with Mourinho and that’s been reflected in the uptick in results, even if there are some close to the dressing room who feel his methods are outdated.

Players getting back to full speed

There’s a view among some close to the Spurs set-up that the team’s improvement over the last few weeks has largely been as simple as key players getting back towards full fitness.

Harry Kane, Son and Sissoko all returned after the lockdown having not played since the winter following serious injuries. They all took a few games post-restart to hit their stride but have looked back to their former selves of late.
Kane and Son especially have been outstanding and between them, have scored five times in the last five games. Both look so much sharper than in the first few games after the restart and have allowed Spurs to play with fewer attackers, knowing that their two best forwards are back to being able to create individual moments of magic.

This was certainly the case against Leicester on Sunday, where Kane, in particular, was ruthlessly clinical. The visitors had the better of the first half and ended the game with an xG (expected goals based on the quality of chances created) of 2.06 to Tottenham’s 0.77, suggesting that they had much the better opportunities. And yet thanks to Kane, the game was over by half-time.

A settled team

Mourinho loves not being forced to rotate his team — it’s why he railed so much against Tottenham’s misfortune with injuries earlier in the season.
And on Sunday, he named the same side for three matches in a row for the first time since taking over in November. It’s given the team a clearer identity and cohesion: two things that Mourinho’s Tottenham have been accused of lacking.

Having no fresh injuries to deal with has been a big part of that and has been a blessing Mourinho will feel he deserves after those months around the new year when Tottenham suffered so badly.

Element of luck

No one at Tottenham is getting carried away. Even during this run, the Bournemouth draw was enough of a wake-up call and there have been wins that could have gone either way.
Everton at home was a dreadful dirge, during which neither side did much to merit a victory (the score based on xG was Tottenham 0.5 Everton 0.48), while they were on the back foot for much of the Arsenal and Leicester games. Even at Newcastle, they had far fewer shots, fewer shots on target and less possession.

It could be argued as well that, even if you were being pessimistic, a par points tally from the five games would have been about 11 points (wins against Everton, Newcastle and Bournemouth, and draws against Arsenal and Leicester), so it’s not a run that’s completely come out of nowhere.

But given the circumstances of that Sheffield United defeat, it’s been an impressive return to form and one that Mourinho believes could make a big difference to pre-season and the attitude of the players towards the 2020-21 campaign.

Through delivering some home truths, seeing key men return to form and fitness, and finally appearing to have decided on a way of playing, next season suddenly feels a whole lot more exciting.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

EmperorKabir
  • Locked
What our opponents' fans are saying about us 18/19
276 277 278
Replies
6K
Views
959K
Shadydan
Shadydan
W
Eric Dier Interview ....The Times..
2
Replies
20
Views
5K
Coyboy
Coyboy
chrissivad
  • Locked
Phantom of the Lane
Replies
0
Views
4K
chrissivad
chrissivad
Top