Us v Bus - Episode 437
Selection wise, this was a real curates egg from Pochettino. At first I thought it was a 3412 with Son as LWB, but it gradually unfolded as a 4231 ( The Multi ) with Vertonghen as LWB. I know he put in a couple of decent crosses first half, but it's hard to understand the thinking on this one, seeing as how he's not going to run behind a defence very often and we weren't playing Llorente, to aim crosses at. I could understand the logic if Poch just wanted to improve service to Llorente, but whacking balls into Moura? Strange - And that's the other thing - Moura as a false 9 ? Really Poch? What is this fascination with playing Moura through the centre? He doesn't have the composure and hold up play for this. He's only really viable as a wide forward/AM, where he can stretch those whizzy little legs.
Luckily, Poch does encourage fluidity, and Moura, Son and Lamela did switch around.
It was good to see Winks retain his place at the expense of Dier, he's so much more dynamic in transition, can take the ball on the half turn and look up and zip the ball about. He's not perfect, but it sure as shit beats watching Dier doing his impression of circa 2013 Phil Jones doing his (bad) impression of Marcel Desailly. Now if we can just replace Sissoko with a footballer, we'll be on the way to having a real midfield soon.
This game, as the title suggests, was one of the 70% or so that we play per season that follow this pattern. We attack against the bus park. I don't mind them any more, accept them as the price for being a top team. Our problem is we aren't quite City, and it invariably takes us a little longer to crack them open. Especially when we are missing a couple of our more vital creative components.
Son, Lamela and Moura are all lively fuckers, but they all can be a bit bumbly, they all can have that appearance of never quite having the ball under complete control, and they can all, at times, want to take at least 3 touches too many.
That said, I thought Lamela was actually much more composed today, and had a very decent game, and in terms if overall contribution was the best of the attacking group first half.
Eriksen first half had one of his occasional mares, he was seeing plenty of the ball, was trying, but nothing he tried worked, or that's to say whenever he tried to spark something it didn't, but second half his strings were tuned and he was outstanding - playing a couple of wonderful passes to put Tripper and Llorente in behind - ending up with 6 key passes.
Winks was the hub of everything, playing that kind of holder/pass controller role, which is a new one to any of the Poch Spurs sides, playing a massive 50 forward passes (Eriksen 25, Sissoko 19), and did a good job of keeping us moving.
All circumstances considered, players available, players selected, opposition tactical bus park etc etc we played pretty well, did move them about, did get into good areas, and did create some very decent chances, that if we'd been more clinical about might have changed the dynamics of the game somewhat, but our coached ethos and good habits got us over the line in the end.
I think the Moura/Llorente sub made perfect sense, we needed a fulcrum, we still had crossing intentions and they needed someone to rush up their CB's, but the Rose for Lamela sub just seemed really odd and counter intuitive to me. Why not just take off one of the three CB's on the pitch?
It was the Llorente sub that did the trick in the end though, good fulcrum play, cushioning one of Alderweireld's many nice long passes into the path of Son who threw three defenders off with a shimmy and hit a really sweet shot that dipped wickedly just as it reached their keeper.
Personally, I'm a big fan of the hard earned late winner.
Individual
Lloris - Decent game, one great looking save.
Trippier - very involved, worked hard, didn't really contribute much of quality in forward areas though.
Sanchez - Decent game against a combative opponent in Rondon.
Alderweireld - very good game, pretty much an auxiliary midfielder second half.
Vertonghen - Slung in some lovely crosses first half, decent game overall, just don't think he's best deployed as a LB in a back 4 set up really, he's not exactly going to enjoy bombing back to cover the counters.
Sissoko - Everyone knows what I think of him, he's a very limited footballer doing basic things. No catastrophe today, nothing stupendous either. meh.
Winks - very good in that Holder/controller role. Good game.
Eriksen - Struggled first half to impose himself on the game, but was much more influential second half.
Lamela - the most influential and composed of our attacking players first half, was unlucky to get subbed IMO. Good game overall.
Son - What can you say, worked really hard, was very involved, but his choices weren't always smart ones, shooting at bodies occasionally, taking a touch too many occasionally, but the boy comes up with the goods again, great shimmy and shot. His energy is infectious.
Moura - Please Poch, no more Moura as false 9, or down the centre in any capacity, 12 passes all game, was poor today and wasted a great chance too.
Llorente - He's never going to be a goal machine, or give us the uberness of Kane, but once again he's ended up playing a part in a victory, and this bit part role is probably better for us and him too. He's not got 90 in him really, not the way we play.
Selection wise, this was a real curates egg from Pochettino. At first I thought it was a 3412 with Son as LWB, but it gradually unfolded as a 4231 ( The Multi ) with Vertonghen as LWB. I know he put in a couple of decent crosses first half, but it's hard to understand the thinking on this one, seeing as how he's not going to run behind a defence very often and we weren't playing Llorente, to aim crosses at. I could understand the logic if Poch just wanted to improve service to Llorente, but whacking balls into Moura? Strange - And that's the other thing - Moura as a false 9 ? Really Poch? What is this fascination with playing Moura through the centre? He doesn't have the composure and hold up play for this. He's only really viable as a wide forward/AM, where he can stretch those whizzy little legs.
Luckily, Poch does encourage fluidity, and Moura, Son and Lamela did switch around.
It was good to see Winks retain his place at the expense of Dier, he's so much more dynamic in transition, can take the ball on the half turn and look up and zip the ball about. He's not perfect, but it sure as shit beats watching Dier doing his impression of circa 2013 Phil Jones doing his (bad) impression of Marcel Desailly. Now if we can just replace Sissoko with a footballer, we'll be on the way to having a real midfield soon.
This game, as the title suggests, was one of the 70% or so that we play per season that follow this pattern. We attack against the bus park. I don't mind them any more, accept them as the price for being a top team. Our problem is we aren't quite City, and it invariably takes us a little longer to crack them open. Especially when we are missing a couple of our more vital creative components.
Son, Lamela and Moura are all lively fuckers, but they all can be a bit bumbly, they all can have that appearance of never quite having the ball under complete control, and they can all, at times, want to take at least 3 touches too many.
That said, I thought Lamela was actually much more composed today, and had a very decent game, and in terms if overall contribution was the best of the attacking group first half.
Eriksen first half had one of his occasional mares, he was seeing plenty of the ball, was trying, but nothing he tried worked, or that's to say whenever he tried to spark something it didn't, but second half his strings were tuned and he was outstanding - playing a couple of wonderful passes to put Tripper and Llorente in behind - ending up with 6 key passes.
Winks was the hub of everything, playing that kind of holder/pass controller role, which is a new one to any of the Poch Spurs sides, playing a massive 50 forward passes (Eriksen 25, Sissoko 19), and did a good job of keeping us moving.
All circumstances considered, players available, players selected, opposition tactical bus park etc etc we played pretty well, did move them about, did get into good areas, and did create some very decent chances, that if we'd been more clinical about might have changed the dynamics of the game somewhat, but our coached ethos and good habits got us over the line in the end.
I think the Moura/Llorente sub made perfect sense, we needed a fulcrum, we still had crossing intentions and they needed someone to rush up their CB's, but the Rose for Lamela sub just seemed really odd and counter intuitive to me. Why not just take off one of the three CB's on the pitch?
It was the Llorente sub that did the trick in the end though, good fulcrum play, cushioning one of Alderweireld's many nice long passes into the path of Son who threw three defenders off with a shimmy and hit a really sweet shot that dipped wickedly just as it reached their keeper.
Personally, I'm a big fan of the hard earned late winner.
Individual
Lloris - Decent game, one great looking save.
Trippier - very involved, worked hard, didn't really contribute much of quality in forward areas though.
Sanchez - Decent game against a combative opponent in Rondon.
Alderweireld - very good game, pretty much an auxiliary midfielder second half.
Vertonghen - Slung in some lovely crosses first half, decent game overall, just don't think he's best deployed as a LB in a back 4 set up really, he's not exactly going to enjoy bombing back to cover the counters.
Sissoko - Everyone knows what I think of him, he's a very limited footballer doing basic things. No catastrophe today, nothing stupendous either. meh.
Winks - very good in that Holder/controller role. Good game.
Eriksen - Struggled first half to impose himself on the game, but was much more influential second half.
Lamela - the most influential and composed of our attacking players first half, was unlucky to get subbed IMO. Good game overall.
Son - What can you say, worked really hard, was very involved, but his choices weren't always smart ones, shooting at bodies occasionally, taking a touch too many occasionally, but the boy comes up with the goods again, great shimmy and shot. His energy is infectious.
Moura - Please Poch, no more Moura as false 9, or down the centre in any capacity, 12 passes all game, was poor today and wasted a great chance too.
Llorente - He's never going to be a goal machine, or give us the uberness of Kane, but once again he's ended up playing a part in a victory, and this bit part role is probably better for us and him too. He's not got 90 in him really, not the way we play.
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