• The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Management Ange Postecoglou

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

Fred99 said:
Not really an ITK group but said Mourinho was gone before any news articles had any info.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Say Word Reaction GIF by Justin
 
Klaus said:
Not that we really need it, because it should be evident now that this manager doesn't have a clue what he's doing, but just to pick up on the second goal as the first point we let them back into this game:

eL12YKZ.jpeg


- So we're 45 seconds after the start of the second half. We're a goal up against statistically one of the worst form side in the division. Despite that, we are going for a man-to-man press, pushing up in search of a second.

- Nothing wrong with that in principle, but the problem is in the execution: our front 5 are pressing high, but the back 5 aren't condensing the pitch to support them. So, as ever with our "high press" under Postecoglou, if the opposition beat the first line of the press, we're in trouble.

- And this is exactly what happens. Bentancur and Porro (currently out of the picture to the left) belatedly realise they aren't high enough, they aren't tight on their men. And man-to-man presses only work if everyone's actually on their man, but as you can see we've left a few key players unmarked.

- Look at the huge gaping 40 yard hole behind the referee; if something were to cause Bentancur to vacate this space we will be in deep trouble. Let's see what happens next:
ezkusM6.jpeg


- Two seconds later and Porro has been haring up the pitch, too late, and therefore he's easily beaten. All of a sudden they now have three men free on our right flank and we're already in trouble. Some of the front 5 realise but it's too late. Reminder - this is 47 seconds into the second half, just after Ange has given them his half time instructions.

- Now, Porro shouldn't be diving in here; he's too late, the defence aren't pushed up enough, and it leaves us completely exposed. But this is a failure of coaching and coordination between the players. You'd never see a Bournemouth/Ipswich or any team with a competent high pressing manager look like this, because the press is coordinated. This is the biggest clue, bar none, that our manager is well out of his depth.

- Bentancur is left with little choice but to come over and help. But that now leaves Leicesters #10 in acres of space on his own in the danger zone in front of our centre backs. Again, a double pivot would mitigate this, as Sarr would be left in the DM role. But of course that's too defensive for our Ange. Next slide:

GUsYgl2.jpeg


- Now, Bentancur shouldn't be diving in here. Just shepherd the guy into the touchline, prevent the ball inside. But again, I don't blame any individual player for this chaos, this is a collective mess caused by poor coaching.

- Again, look at the completely unmarked number 10 by the ref. Criminal.

- Once Bentancur is beaten, a big chance is inevitable. Whether or not it results in a goal is largely down to Leicester's attack, but to be fair they don't have to do anything special to score from this point. How many times have we said that this season?

- Another thing that should be evident by this stage - this isn't a failing of our centre backs, and Romero and Van De Ven would have changed nothing here, they'd have done nothing to prevent us being in this position (except keeping a higher line, but this was a problem even with them both in the team).

- (And as for personnel, Iraola manages to coach one of the best pressing structures in the league despite Bournemouth having a relegation level squad and 9 players injured, so injuries simply aren't an excuse.)

- This sort of pattern I could have taken from literally any game over the past 15 months or so, including games when we had our full first XI available. Newcastle's second goal for instance, comes from them beating the first line of our press and us being wide open. Brighton's first two goals at the Amex in September - caused by a disorganised press and them working it out both times to their LW under no pressure.

- Even going back as far as 12 months ago, this pattern of play was occuring repeatedly, and it should have been clear back then that this manager was tactically out of his depth and winging it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
this is so spot on. i'm not particularly tactically astute but from the beginning i noticed wide open space with unmarked players dribbling unchallenged toward our goal and lining up shots or crosses which is unsustainable at this level. over time, we were never going to score enough to make up for this openness even in the best of times.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top