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...
He has struggled all season - he was directly at fault for all 3 goals nothing to do with positioning just rank poor defending for such a big physique he seems unbelievably lightweight in the tackle
Couldn't agree more- these unorthodox FB roles are, as far as I know, more or less unused by other managers. I do fear for the long-term development of Udogie and Gray being used in these roles. If they are really young FBs it's vital they learn how to effectively cross so they have a chance of being useful FBs in the greatest number of possible systems.Part of my fear about Ange's chaos ball is it's specificity. It's pretty unique and hard to initially learn for experienced players. What worries me is that Destiny Udogie, and Mickey Van Der Ven have NOT fully learned the fundamentals of playing left centerback and left back in an orthodox four.
Udogie is so similar in the profile of the mistakes he makes to Kyle Walker it's like they cloned him. The loose passing the sliced clearances the over reliance on physicality to solve problems. I recall with fondness the rows about playing Vedran Courluka over him, and with due respect to a good player Walkers career has crushed him.
But Walker only got there because Pochettino actually TAUGHT him and Danny Rose the fundamentals. And trust me (apart from the Doncaster ignorant) Destiny Udogie has much more to work with than Rose did. I really fear that we may do more long term harm than good to some of our brilliant youngsters.
I would be surprised if we continue with this madness of pushing full backs into central middle and final thirdsCouldn't agree more- these unorthodox FB roles are, as far as I know, more or less unused by other managers. I do fear for the long-term development of Udogie and Gray being used in these roles. If they are really young FBs it's vital they learn how to effectively cross so they have a chance of being useful FBs in the greatest number of possible systems.
It'll have been an opportunity well lost if we let Udogie go through these critical developmental years without spending time developing his crossing.
I don’t see that changing mate. I don’t mind if one goes in and we have a back 3 while in possession but the two going in and both wingers high and wide leaves us so open on the counter. That’s the tweak I’d like to see. It would just give us more cover if and when we lose it. When we are set and they start with a possession we can have back 4I would be surprised if we continue with this madness of pushing full backs into central middle and final thirds
In fact in the games against Brentford and United we kept our full backs wide not inverted and this allowed players like Son and Johnson to play more inside and also created more space for Maddison to be more effective higher up the pitch and utilised Porro and Udogie at wing back where both are more comfortable. I gave Ange full credit for making that tactical change. I’m not quite sure if he kept that going against Brighton. Based on the first half contributions of Maddison, Kulu and Johnson I think we did. Like everyone else I was just angry about our capitulation and the defensive calamities and the manager’s refusal to make changes. But we definitely have looked more balanced when the full backs don’t invert.I don’t see that changing mate. I don’t mind if one goes in and we have a back 3 while in possession but the two going in and both wingers high and wide leaves us so open on the counter. That’s the tweak I’d like to see. It would just give us more cover if and when we lose it. When we are set and they start with a possession we can have back 4
I'm more worried that he's internalizing a very unorthodox FB role. I'd rather have him learning the trades of overlapping and delivering quality crosses from deep than interchanging with a crowded double 10 system and penetrating the box. If he just sat a little deeper he'd be far less defensively exposed. You can tell he's eager to get forward and contribute on the score-sheet. That's great- but- it's not quite the correct emphasis for ideal fullback play.
I'm starting to get concerned that he's losing his way a bit. Would like it if Ange held him back a bit and let Porro do more of the getting forward into attack...
He’s like 20- he can’t be a finished product at crossing for a few more years, right?He's not playing any differently to how he mostly played at Udinese though.
He's not an overlapping full back and probably never will be. His crossing is average, hence why Porro is creative full back and Udogie is the battering ram who finds himself central and forward.
Even then, he's overlapped more this season than I ever remember him doing last season.
He’s like 20- he can’t be a finished product at crossing for a few more years, right?
All the more reason he needs to be working on it.Perhaps. But it's not his game.
Wasn't their a stat last season that he didn't complete a successful cross last season until February?
Yeah I find the idea it's some how set in stone that he can not overlap and cross odd. Players have switched to fullback and learned exactly this, much older than he is now. He needs coaching an this is part of it. Think people are forgetting how much development left he has. You can't compare him to Porro
Any full back that can’t cross should fucking retire. He doesn’t get into positions to cross much and when he does he chooses not to.
hes massively overrated by a lot of spurs fans. i think spence would be better and its not even his natural side, or gray.Any full back that can’t cross should fucking retire. He doesn’t get into positions to cross much and when he does he chooses not to.
He was poor that’s clear but on our right Porro was beaten so easily for balls to come across and he had no support from Johnson. In fact he should have been replaced by Gray after the first Brighton goal.He has struggled all season - he was directly at fault for all 3 goals nothing to do with positioning just rank poor defending for such a big physique he seems unbelievably lightweight in the tackle
It's almost as if that is by design mate...Any full back that can’t cross should fucking retire. He doesn’t get into positions to cross much and when he does he chooses not to.

this is true but at least porro puts the ball in the box every now and then instead of trying to overplay every single time! our play down the left is extremely transparent.Using his crossing a stick to beat him with though, to me seems a bit redundant, as it's really not something that Ange will be looking at as a key component of his full backs in this system.
He's good at lots of things but I don't ever see him being much good at standard head-height, bended crossing. I'd guess he's attempted less than 5 in his time with us. I don't really think it's in his skillset at all, which is odd.He’s like 20- he can’t be a finished product at crossing for a few more years, right?