• 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!

Match Spurs v Villa Sunday 26 Nov 2pm

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
If he gets through 70mins and the Physio's think he's ready I'd do this:

1
Vicario
2
Porro
3
Dier
4
Davies
5
Udogie
6
Bentancur
7
Sarr
8
GLC
9
Deki
10
Son
11
Johnson
lineup code
[lineup]
Vicario
Porro Dier Davies Udogie
Bentancur
Sarr GLC
Deki Son Johnson
[/lineup]


And I'd feel ok with that lineup too.

PEH ahead of Benta takes some of the weight off of Benta and we can also seek to assert control of the ball from a deeper area.

There's a midfield battle to be won (with Emery playing 4 in MF in a 4222 against Fulham*); I simply don't trust GLC to ghost it and I have more faith in PEH contributing a G or an A than I do GLC.

(*If he plays 4222 again; we need to be strong in the middle and kill them with width.)
 
PEH ahead of Benta takes some of the weight off of Benta and we can also seek to assert control of the ball from a deeper area.

There's a midfield battle to be won (with Emery playing 4 in MF in a 4222 against Fulham*); I simply don't trust GLC to ghost it and I have more faith in PEH contributing a G or an A than I do GLC.

(*If he plays 4222 again; we need to be strong in the middle and kill them with width.)

We saw with Wolves what happens if you rely on PEH to connect your MF to the front 3. He's fine in the Sarr role or the 6 if the opposition doesn't want to press him.

We need creativity in the MF. GLC is the only option IMO.
 
We saw with Wolves what happens if you rely on PEH to connect your MF to the front 3.

It was ugly; but we were winning.

We also saw what happens when GLC is part of a MF battle..... We subsequently lost the game.

He's fine in the Sarr role or the 6 if the opposition doesn't want to press him.

If we played 4231 I might agree with this; but we don't and as I already alluded to; Benta at 6 affords us a different blend.

We need creativity in the MF. GLC is the only option IMO.

His track record at Spurs doesn't back that assertion up tho'.

Despite not being his trade; PEH has much better output than GLC.
 
It was ugly; but we were winning.

We also saw what happens when GLC is part of a MF battle..... We subsequently lost the game.



If we played 4231 I might agree with this; but we don't and as I already alluded to; Benta at 6 affords us a different blend.



His track record at Spurs doesn't back that assertion up tho'.

Despite not being his trade; PEH has much better output than GLC.

Hojberg had much more to do with us losing than GLC.

We lost because PEH went to the 6 to replace Bissouma then abdicated his responsibility, then Dier and Davies got tired after 90mins and lost concentration.

GLC looked better than I expected him to.
 
Hojberg had much more to do with us losing than GLC.

We lost because PEH went to the 6 to replace Bissouma then abdicated his responsibility, then Dier and Davies got tired after 90mins and lost concentration.

It was a team capitulation; but FWIW I don't like PEH at #6.

GLC looked better than I expected him to.

He made a nice tackle and forced a save..... Both pleasing to the eye, but that's not enough for me to trust him. Granted, Ange doesn't have the same luxury of hindsight, but I won't trust him til I'm proved wrong
 
It was a team capitulation; but FWIW I don't like PEH at #6.



He made a nice tackle and forced a save..... Both pleasing to the eye, but that's not enough for me to trust him. Granted, Ange doesn't have the same luxury of hindsight, but I won't trust him til I'm proved wrong

We had more territory and control of the game when he came on. We were definitely the better team for the first time in the game.

Played passes between the lines that weren't happening before, was able to play in a congested central area.

And that last point is THE big one vs Villa because that is what they do. They don't press high a lot but they congest the middle and try to control it from about 3/4 pitch and play a high line to make it even more congested. We don't have Bissouma who can carry the ball in congested areas, GLC is the only senior player we have with that skill set. Sarr is great at carrying into space.
 
We had more territory and control of the game when he came on. We were definitely the better team for the first time in the game.

Played passes between the lines that weren't happening before, was able to play in a congested central area.

And that last point is THE big one vs Villa because that is what they do. They don't press high a lot but they congest the middle and try to control it from about 3/4 pitch and play a high line to make it even more congested. We don't have Bissouma who can carry the ball in congested areas, GLC is the only senior player we have with that skill set. Sarr is great at carrying into space.

He did none of the things you're attributing to him v Fulham (or the vast majority of his previous Spurs appearances)........ Can he drop in against tired legs and look sprightly and more effective? Maybe.... That's as much as we saw v Wolves IMO.

There's no right answer here (and the only factor that matters is whether what Ange decides to do actually works); but I wouldn't start him..... I expect Luiz & McGinn to quickly muscle him out of the game.


IMO if we are to get 3 points; we need to win the ball further up the pitch and keep them away from our patched-up back 4 as much as possible. PEH & Sarr as #8s can help with that.
 
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
He did none of the things you're attributing to him v Fulham (or the vast majority of his previous Spurs appearances)........ Can he drop in against tired legs and look sprightly and more effective? Maybe.... That's as much as we saw v Wolves IMO.

There's no right answer here (and the only factor that matters is whether what Ange decides to do actually works); but I wouldn't start him..... I expect Luiz & McGinn to quickly muscle him out of the game.


IMO if we are to get 3 points; we need to win the ball further up the pitch and keep them away from our patched-up back 4 as much as possible. PEH & Sarr as #8s can help with that.

He was injured against Fulham, like always.
 
It was ugly; but we were winning.

By luck. Wolves had pissed chances up the wall repeatedly.

We didn’t get worse or concede more chances when GLC came on imo, they just found their shooting touch. First was a cracking finish.

I don’t really rate Lo Celso but we probably do need someone who is comfortable playing one or two touch in there.
 
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
That's just you spectacularly failing to comprehend a basic point...

I would play Lo Celso over Hojbjerg in Maddison's absence yeah, I'd play Gil there over Hojbjerg, I'd play Donley there over Hojbjerg, I'd go all fucking in and play Mikey Moore there over Hojbjerg.

There's a common theme to this, fucking ANYONE there over Hojbjerg! So what, he scores once every 10 games so he's prime playmaker material? No, that just isn't his game.

I'd happily play the youth whilst Maddison is out, whoever the fuck Ange decides is next in line from the pool of attacking midfielders is fine by me, but if he's got PEH in that pool then, for me, there is something drastically fucking wrong and we're in for a bleak run through to the new year, a run that makes up almost a quarter of our league fixtures for the entire season.

No, you really are failing to comprehend your own point.

That there is no point using players that have tried and failed tens of times.
It is same with Dier and it is worse with Lo Celso. Cause Dier has had good times with us, even if years ago.

I agree that PEH is not a "prime playmaker material". Lo Celso is even further from "prime playmaker material". Lo Celso is not even "acceptable EPL player material". The last thing PEH is, as he is proven for two different clubs.

Let's face it, we are gonna have a pretty fucked up run coming one way or the other. Not just because Maddison injury. Also because Kulusevski role has changed and while he keeps possession and helps to build our attack, he offers extremely little directness and very rarely even tries to attack opposition lines that are yet to take in a decent formation. Also because Sonny is now converted into ST and while he never has been THE MOST creative lad, he has taken further step back in that. Also because we are without large number of players that could help us with building up attacks and creating shots.

Personally speaking I know that Kulusevski and Porro are both EPL level players, so I would like to see Kulu in Madders position, Porro in Kulu's position and Royal taking over right side of the defense with these cogs that we have at our disposal at the moment.
 
So coming to think of it, my preferred pick against Villa could be -

------------Big Vic-----------
Royal-Dier-Davies-U-dog
------------Bentancur-----
------Sarr----Kulusevski--
-Porro-----Son---Johnson

I mean, that team should be able to hold the ball, work a lot. Also with Porro being able to drop back and together with Royal should provide an outlet even if Dier does not have best of days on the ball...
Ofc I'd like to see alternative to Dier but with VDV and Romero out and Philips heard to be injured.... we do not seem to have many alternatives.
 
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
ExpressVPN - 4 months free!
---------------------Vicario------------------
Porro--Phillips/Emerson--Davies--Udogie
----------------Sarr----Hojbjerg------------
-------------------Bentancur----------------
----Kulu-----‐-----------------------Johnson-
---------------------Son--------------------
I like this, because it doesn't include poor, slow old Eric - love him as I do, he doesn't fit the new stylee. Emerson to start, not Phillips.

This line-up has a bit of bite to it and a lot of flexibility.
 

ExpressVPN - 4 months free!

ExpressVPN - 4 months free!

Back
Top