bus-conductor
I hope Conte gets Adama as a RWB, not least to see who is proven right from our debate a few weeks ago :contesmile:
Remind me, what were we saying?
-
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...
Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports
Remind me, what were we saying?
You said AWB would flop as a RWB as he'd get defensively torn apart, if I recall correctly
Ah yes. That's not a body built for being twisted whilst running backwards.
Not sure about Maddison, he is like Dele, can pull a rabbit out of a hat but doesn’t really dominate or control games, for the money it would take to get him I don’t see him significantly improving us. Ideally we need someone of Grealish, Bernardo Silva or Foden level.
I'd spend the money on intensive stem cell therapy to rejuvenate Kane.
Good luck prizing Raphinha away from Leeds for less than 60/70m... Adama running his contract down would be more like 30. Maddison is inconsistent at best but Leicester still probably demand 50 for him, they wanted a shit load from Woolwich only last summer.
Adama for 30 is a punt on a player with all the tools that a manager like Conte may be able to unlock. If he gives the nod I don't know why fans wouldn't be excited, it shows he has faith he can work with him, and an Adama being utilised correctly would be a fearsome prospect.
He seems quite agile though, no?
One thing is for sure- his exploits so far this season has proven he won't be adequate as a RW- too much pressure on Kane & Son to score which isn't good given Kane's form.
Maddison is the most Bentley I've ever seen
Genuinely intrigued to see where he ends up. He was always being linked with Real, although to be fair, who isn’t?
Would be excited to see us take a punt on him, but would surely have to make financial sense; knee injuries are just about the worst. Then again, could see the likes of Leicester going for him and he turns into an absolute monster.
Emerson Royal and Reguilon in recent games have got so much space to attack into… imagine what Adama could create!
How do teams defend against this combo?:
Ndombele threads through ball to Adama in space.
Adama draws in defenders and dribbles past them.
Adama looks up; 3 options. Son sprinting forward, Kane peeled back, and Reguilon making diagonal run from left flank.
He's very agile. I dunno why people mistake being built for lacking agility .. he turns defenders in and out, he played RWB for a while for Wolves and was pretty successful. I'd trust Adama more than Emerson when it comes to the agility stakes.
The only issue his size may create is that he seems to tire out quite quickly, but that may be due to his playstyle which is very 1on1 and sprint heavy.
FIFY
Then ......Adama makes shit pass/shot.
Oppo breathe a sigh of relief.
I think there’s more time and space when attacking as a RWB than RW.
Therefore easier to execute passes.
Either way I am bookmarking this now so I can be very smug if Conte turns him into a successful wing back by March.
Exactly ... you only have to look at how much of a tactical problem Adama has been against the bigger clubs this season to see he has serious uses. Liverpool couldn't handle them, IIRC 3 players picked up yellows trying to defend against him. He shredded us and United, against both he put in some brilliant balls that his teammates failed to score from.
You give Adama any space he will cause havoc. You try to press him and he's just too strong and accelerates too quickly. He lacks end product no doubt, but this is where Conte comes in and where I'd trust him to find the correct role for the player.
People will talk about g/a but with or without Adama, Wolves are struggling to score. They're one of the lowest scoring teams in the whole league. Adama nearly always looks their most dangerous when he plays.
I imagine this is what many said about Mousa Dembele before he signed for Spurs, an attacking midfielder who wasn't some young prospect but only boasted 2 goals and 2 assists in 33 appearances. We took him on, we found the role that his ability to shield and carry the ball made him key in, and then all our fans understood his worth.
G/a are important, but some players are there to help the most productive players thrive. Eriksen wouldn't have been as good without Dembele sucking in players and resisting any press. Traore doing the same but as a bombarding wing back or even a more supporting forward to help Kane/Son is mouthwatering IF we get it right.
... Adama punts the ball into row Z because he's running too fast to maintain effective control of the ball.
They wait for Traore to run out of bounds with the ball or pass it to one of their defenders. As always with Traore it is easy to defend because he always fucks up when it comes to the end product.
His deceleration and control is actually okay.
The bigger problem is when he puts his head up in the final third, and then panics.
I wasn't expecting an attacking player when we brought him in. We slotted him into a CM2 and he was boss to begin with. It wasn't until AVB left that things went sketchy for him in terms of his role.
I wasn't on the "Dembele doesn't score enough train" and I wasn't one to get on Modric's back about G/A either.
Ultimately, my concerns about Traore isn't really G/A anyway; just the overall lack of end product..... A bunch of 'pre-assists' would be just as welcome, but if it all ends in a crap pass or him running into a cul-de-sac and losing the ball then the bulldozing beast schtick amounts to nothing.
What can I say.... My mouth is not watering.
My main concern is the gaffa getting who he wants.... If that's Traore, I will trust his judgement, but until then I'm sticking with my eyes ahead of what some of our fans hope he can become.
Either way; if I'm wrong I'll have no problem holding my hands up.
Last edited: