It was after the Wolves home game last season........where we took the lead twice in the first half and then crumbled in the 2nd half to a 3-2 defeat
Sound at all familiar?.....
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It was after the Wolves home game last season........where we took the lead twice in the first half and then crumbled in the 2nd half to a 3-2 defeat
Sound at all familiar?.....
The last time he played for us.
Right and while that’s all very well, have you got an opponent that aren’t driving a bus or teaching some kids right now?
Still got faith he’ll come good again.
Small amount of faith though. Very small.
Small amount of faith though. Very small.
against arseal in the cup great goal and link up play. He was also playing well in the early Jose days
Bit of a Mexican standoff at the moment really. Who do we back the manager or the player?
I like Dele but he's not been anywhere near his best for quite a while now and in my view the team has to be set up in a certain way that will allow him to regain that form if possible. I'm not sure that's a road that Mourinho wants to go down.
Seems a bloody shame when you see the lack of creativity in the team.
Should be atleast used off the bench. Same as Bale. 1 nil up and we bring dele and Bale on sends a big message to the opposition
I think he will get back into the side. I just think we are trying to settle the defence first and work from there.
Mourinho refuses to be drawn on Dele Alli’s Spurs future; backs Bale
Jose Mourinho, the Tottenham manager, has refused to be drawn on whether he would allow Dele Alli to leave the club this month.
www.standard.co.uk
And TBF Dele never was a MFer for us while he compiled all those goal contributions, often heat-mapped ahead of even Harry. And the two plus years where he did play in the MF were leading up to Poch's sacking.
And from a personal perspective we could have 3 Modric's in our MF, abso-fucking-lutely pissing the league and over a three year period that combined MF wouldn't match that goal contribution. I know which I'd rather have.
Get rid of this half-a-player and let's move on.
I do not enjoy what Jose is serving up but we don't miss Dele and it is not crystal clear. In Jose's tactics how would you expect Dele to get the ball to his feet in space? Since he can only play in the LHS are you proposing moving Sonny to accommodate Dele? And how will Dele's presence in the team improve the play, the entertainment factor? Just wondering.
Dele could easily be a sub for ndombele.
He would fit in this team ahead of a Ndombele and Hojberg two at the base of midfield - this then gets Ndombele on the ball deeper where he is better suited and will give a dropping off Kane more than just Son to pick out.
He'd also do as good a job as Bergwijn off the right too imo
Well, of course he could but how do you expect that to work out or help us? How would the ball transition from the back up to the attackers? Ndom both passes and dribbles to accomplish this...all the while resisting pressure. How would you suggest Dele do it? And before you answer please make sure it is established in his play previously as otherwise it is merely aspirational.
In the scant mins Dele has played he has played well, he has pressed well, he has linked play, he has run beyond Kane finding pockets giving him more than just Son to pass to (and his runs if not picked out creating space for Kane or Son). He has a more developed understanding playing with Kane and Son, than Bergwijn and is infinitely better than Lucas and Bale with and without the ball.
The big issue, of course, is Jose allowing us to attack with 3 players would be fucking nice, rather than the 2. But that said when Kane drops deep to spin the ball out to Son or Bergwijn (usually Son as Bergwyn is the player moving the oppo) are we attacking with 2 or 3? However, if we are purely playing counter-attack football focusing on a very quick transition then I'd rather see Bergwijn play ahead of him.
We have desperately missed him in games like Fulham, Wolves, Leicester & Palace, where we are up against teams who want to play the same way as us. In all of these games, the oppo's build-up play was miles better than ours, IMO Dele would have been the difference in those games.
But yeah, in my eyes the problem is Jose, not Dele. Which means he's wasting his time here, just as we are talking about it, to be honest.
Not quite sure I understand the last sentence/part but I will try a reply. I gather you are suggesting Dele as the 10/most advanced MF. Ok, but that history has shown that Dele is quite uncomfortable picking up the ball in that space when he has a mark. Beyond that he cannot resist pressure nor turn with the ball to create his own time and space.
Another thing that so many miss and there is ample evidence during the Poch years is that when Dele did play the 10 there was a giant chasm that built between the deep MFers and what ultimatly become 1 atacking line up front that gets starved of service. You are then asking Ndom to do a whole hell of a lot to solve this. Dembele had to do this and it is a grueling ask. And back then Eriksen, another player that cannot create their own time and space with the ball but at least had the technical ability to control it and pass out of it, helped out because he could at least go searching for space to receive the ball from Mousa. But it allowed teams to put 5 across the MF to easily discombobulate our plans.
Dele is not the solution to any problem we currently have. More, competent players all around is the solution. And this is a problem of our own making.
I'm not gonna address the wall of hopeful "I love Dele and therefore he should play because I think he could fix it" nonsense. Where and how does Dele help in our 'buildup' FFS? If he is useful there then why didn't he help in it where he was playing deeper? He can't pass, he can't dribble, and has a loose touch so how does he help in our buildup? And with Mou what actual buildup is there for him to help with? We hoof the ball unless Ndom has gotten on it. How's dele help there?
What qualities does Dele have that would help us? Actual quality I ask. Can he shoot? Can he pass? Can he dribble a player? He has got nothing upon which you can rest your hat yet you say that he can help us. We are playing Mou's system so make sure you keep that in perspective with any answer. Sure, he can help us by moving on and getting 60M that we can buy another player with. Beyond that it's just wishful thinking on your part.
I don't think it's true that he has shown himself to be uncomfortable picking up the ball in that area of the pitch at all, quite the opposite in fact.
We need a another attacking player that can operate in the final third and provide a goal threat/interlink with the existing players in and around the box - that's what the team is missing and that's what the player provides. Square peg square hole. And with Kane in his new playmaker guise they can potentially imitate the Dele-Eriksen combination of the old side that was so devasting. Kane having both Son/Dele to pick out >>>>> only having one. Bergwijn on the pitch as well? Even harder for the opposition defense to contain.
Hojberg and Ndombele cover the requirements for a strong midfield pair - press resistant and lateral passers who can progress the ball in to the attacking 3/4 in front - currently our play is bogged down by starting Sissoko in this area as he is so poor on the ball. Winks is a slight improvement but is poor positionally. Ndombele on the ball deeper will progress play in to the areas we can hurt the opposition quicker than we currently are able to and having a front four with Dele in addition to the current 3 players makes us a more lethal attack.
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You can think what you'd like but just saying an opinion contrary to my point doesn't make it so. Dele plays in the left half space and is only comfortable there. so much so that even Poch addressed this. Understanding that he cannot use his left foot, has an unrealiable touch, and cannot resist pressure with the ball will give you insight as to why he is so uncomfortable doing it.
Contrast taht point with Ndom, the ONLY player we have able to create their own time and space and who is more than comfortable taking the ball under pressure in the hole. If you see these two players and their on-field tendencies and abilities the same then I don't really know how much of a frutiful discussion we can have. If Dele weren't uncomfortable there then we would see him in that space more instead of clogging the left half space. Simple and indisputable.
This ain't FIFA. How do you propose these 'attacking players' get the ball? When the rest of the team is defending how do those players get the service? And then how do we keep the ball in order to sustain an attack when we finally get a chance? I'm starting to sense you are a "more strikers = more goals" kinda person.
Still missing the chasm there Micky. I addressed this Micky. There would be a 30yd or more chasm that grew with Dele circle jerking with Harry up top and Ndom and Hodgepodge pinned deep in the bus. This won't work. It's the reason Poch went to the diamond as a solution to give up some type of connection between attack and defense. Just putting another attacker doesn't solve it. And nor does it solve us giving up late goals. Dele is not the answer to any question we have.
It may suit your position to have this imaginary chasm between a pinned back Hojberg and Ndombele and an attack circle jerking in the oppositions third miles away and isolated but that doesn't make it so - the midfield base gets pinned back currently because one half of it is useless on the ball, replacing him with a player who is comfortable and press resistant will help us keep hold of the ball in midfield, play through pressure and link in with the attacking players.