We've been playing this wonky system for about 3 seasons.
I expect that to change when Mourinho has a proper pre-season.
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We've been playing this wonky system for about 3 seasons.
I expect that to change when Mourinho has a proper pre-season.
Nowhere near as pronounced as this we haven't....
Ben isn't as dynamic as peak Rose, but he would still be regularly found in the oppo's 1/3rd... As for Rose.... Let's not pretend wasn't marauding forward regularly when played.
Look, I'm definitely not his biggest fan, but he's a long way from our biggest problem right now, his ability to get up and down the pitch, and ability to attack is compensating for the fact that our midfield has been so inept at creating anything - or even doing basic shit in some cases.
Moutinho has actually made Aurier more prominent to compensate for other shortcomings.
We don't have a LB who can do what Aurier does. That's why it's been wonky. If Davies can stay fit, we might see a more balanced approach, we saw a bit of this against West Ham, and we were better, and less tactically predictable for it.
433 the FB's can still be really attacking, but you more lateral cover in midfield.
...Or, consider the 'unthinkable' in order to evolve and grow as a club. It's been done before and will be done a thousand more times before the conventional wisdom catches up. But it's always better to be on the front end of that curve.
I disagree.
I would regularly complain about the amount of space behind Trippier over the last few seasons and how Sissoko would be used to babysit him (in the exact same way people are now complaining that Sissoko has to babysit Aurier)
There has been minimal any change in our shape or tactic from Mourinho to Pochettino - I would assume it's because Jose wants to change it up and didn't want to do it when we were still in contention for Champions League and wants to wait until he has the right personnel and a pre-season.
Certainly one thing he's kept is having our most offensively 'creative' wing back further forward and the one who isn't particularly good going forward back a bit.
I'm not trying to play up him being our major problem....
If you read back you'll notice the question I'm answering(*) is based on the idea of us actually having bought a new DM and having fixed our MF.
(*In simplest of terms DM & RB vs DM & LB.....)
You miss understand.... I'm refuting the idea that for the last 3 years our LB has been so blatantly instructed to 'stay at home' (not that our RB would push up)
(Again, see above and prev) ....Ben & Rose weren't so conservative.
That position is reliant upon the notion that our LB was predominantly 'staying it home'..... Again, I don't reject that suggestion.
The idea of Rose in particular not venturing past the half way line is rather chuckle some.
Is that really the answer here? Right now at this juncture, this coming summer Todd?
I just don’t see it.
Would you honestly trust us under this manager, under this leadership (levy and his merry band of inept scouts) to spend the money correctly?
I personally think given our consistent lack of imagination in the transfer market that we are probably better off keeping him. At least until something drastic changes behind the scenes as far as our scouting and transfer decisions structure is concerned.
30-40 goals a season is what he offers depending on injuries, and I wouldn’t trust us to find that anywhere else unless it landed in our laps like it did with the man himself. Even with all the money in the world I wouldn’t be confident.
When it has been Ben Davies starting at left back, that's absolutely been the case.
He would get forward like any full back would do - but not situated at the half way line like Aurier and Trippier were, because they offer a lot more being further forward and outwide.
I have no idea what Rose of the last 2 years would have been instructed or if he would even listen to what he was being instructed to be honest - but that doesn't matter, he isn't our left back anymore and in the last 2 years, Rose has been worse than anything we've ever seen from Aurier.
I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.....
Things are far less balanced now than they were IMO.
I do not know if that is 'the' answer but it is 'an' answer. And yes, this summer may be the summer to do it A) because many of the 6-ish teams that we could sell to and could afford him will be looking for a striker, B) it's always better to sell 1 year early than 1 year late, and C) in this manner the club has maximum leverage and negotiates from a position of strength and planning.
Most won't...until the conventional wisdom catches up to make folks feel more comfortable with moves like this. But it's been going on for 40+ years in other sports.
No, but I see the same or worse outcome without it. It is hard to see a path back to the top 4 with those same things you mention in place and a player whose profile and ambitions outstrip that of the collective.
People said the same with Eriksen.
He's done that in the league once, right? Striker is the most overvalued position on the field. Most of Harry's goals are not a result of his singular genius but of the work of the other 9 outfield players. Take his goal the other night. Great finish and you'd expect him to do it but you would expect most other strikers to as well. In fact, you can imagine a few qualities of another striker that would have made you more comfortable thinking it would be finished like more pace and the ability to round the keeper.
And his "30-40" goals a season is goig to get us where in the next few seasons? What is par for you? Would you sacrifice being above that for a new project that would restart 5 more seasons like the Poch era? I would because I don't see top 4 in the next few years with how things stand and just trying to piecemeal a team to support Harry.
Sell Harry, get 100+, buy Thuram (40M + Raiola), Zakaria (40M, though I still don't know what his knee injiry was but I thought it was a collateral), and a promising back striker and we are better off and with a brighter future and more options.
Lexited.
replied
Lexited again.
I know you are only saying it is a option not THE option and you do a good job of laying out how and why it could work.
My concerns are:
You mention there are clubs looking for strikers now, and while they may be the most overrated position, I think one of the reasons is that are not a ton of great options out there at striker. In moving Kane we are likely getting a very questionable replacement that has issues about age (either too old or too young), quality, quality of competition (ie comes from a lower league), injuries. I think it is very risky to take a spot where you are world class and potentially end up making it a problem.
Second issue as we saw with Bale, having all that money to spend is great but you need to spend it right. I would hope that there would be a very concrete plan, with agreements either in place or very solid so that they guys you brought in were part of an overall strategy not replacements that fit within the Kane transfer cash. I do not trust Levy and, even though I like Jose, also do not think that Mourinho is the manager to have when making this move. I think that in moving Kane bringing in a new manager to create an overall new vision/plan for the club that would begin with using the new money to shape that plan would be best.
I personally would rather bring in a young-ish possible replacement guy that could apprentice behind Kane and then possibly take over when we sell him in 2 years. Now that said I think it is much easier said than done because I have zero idea who that guy is. When he was at Celtic I thought French Mousa Dembele would have been a good choice, although not sure he would have come. The guy you choose might not turn out to be able to replace Kane but I think it gives you a better chance than bringing in someone brand new and time to figure out how to go forward without Kane.
As for the difficulties we have getting a back-up striker I don't disagree but they always seem a bit BS-y to me.
1. Yes Kane with always be the man here, but he also gets hurt a lot, needs to rest way more than he does and Spurs should have a lot of games between League Cup, FA Cup and Europe. There is plenty of opportunity for a striker to come in and get minutes and produce. I think Spurs need to do a better job of selling the opportunity a player would have in that role.
2. Wages- yes we can't pay as much as PSG, City or United pay guys to sit on the bench but surely our back-up striker can at least make similar money, if not more, than what they are paid in mid to low level EPL teams. Non-PSG ligue 1 teams. Portuguese teams, etc. Maybe I am way off on salaries of mid-tier clubs but I don;t think we need Cavani on the bench sitting behind Kane I would hope we could pay someone decent to take that role.
3. Winning- that is something we have to change and again something you have to sell players on. But that is the job of people involved in transfers so do your flipping job!
See, this is where it takes a change in mindset. I say striker is overrated because most don't create their own goals though in supporters minds they get 100% attribution. There is so much more to the position than scoring goals but folks focus on that part. Selling a 'world class' Harry and replacing him with 2 more athletic players able to hold the ball up, win aerial battles, get in behind, physically dominate CBs, etc could see us better off for half the price. And the rest of the money used to upgrade the other forward positions. There is little risk as the qualities I've laid out are measurable (the 80% of the position) unlike the mythical scoring of goals (the 20% of the position but the aspect that catches the imagination).
Yes, that would be best but you cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough. There are extraneous factors at play like other teams filling their striker holes this next TW and without the funds to do it later...and age/contract length, etc.
Would never see the field and their agent wouldn't let them come just like Milik's agent just said.
You sound as if you are more worried about losing Harry, one of our own, more than anything else. There is ample reason to support a move like this and if/when it does happen most won't be happy with it. But that's what 'leaders' are for...not saying that that is what we have in the front office. You cannot wait 2 more years to sell Harry as he will be 29, slower and more injured. That will be 2 more seasons of 6-8th place (regardless of how many goals he scores) and a fortune lost in market value.
edit: Look at Liverpool vs Woolwich. With the understanding that Harry is 'one of our own' so there are sentimental aspects, Liverpool sold the player supporters didn't want to sell and Woolwich did not in Sanchez...until it was too late. Whose position would you rather be in?
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Interesting that it came off as that because i was not intending it. I love Kane and would love nothing more to see him spend his whole career with us, winning multiple trophies, breaking all the records etc etc etc. And maybe even as recent as 2 years ago I think you may have been right that I was worried about losing Harry more than anything else, in fact I would have been pissed. But now I am much more practical and though I would rather the dream scenario above occur I realize that is extremely unlikely and that selling him could, could being the key word, be whats best for the club.
I think I (and probably other fans) are held back by two main things, 1. It has been awhile since we have seen a great striker in here. We have been so bad at finding a second striker that guys like Janssen, Soldado, Llorente (although he did we he could), make me always envision that as the replacement once Harry is gone. Of course this is ridiculous but sports teams can scar you like that.
Second, as mentioned originally I don't trust club to make the right choices in replacing Kane both at striker and using the money to strengthen the club in other areas. By keeping Kane at least we have that and that is better than watching a team without Kane and a bunch of Njie's, Nkoudou's and Janssen running around.