Unstoppable force (Watford) vs Immovable object (Spurs) Sunday 2 September

[mikes01666]

Pardon me for interrupting your mini-tantrum, but Sonny & Lucas think you're a disingenuous arse for not mentioning them.

As game changer, Lamela has changed 2 of 4 games this season alone. Winks provided a spark, albeit too little too late, today.

We lost, get over it; it's not justification to throw the bulk of the squad under the bus.

Son's somewhere in SE Asia and we'll be lucky to see him for about a month. Lucas was OK today for about 20 minutes then sank without trace. Lamela our saviour?(I think not. He's injured anyway). Everyone else, including the aformentioned Kane, Dele, Eriksen, Dembele will get a start against Liverpool - simply because there is no-one else. We can't cater for loss of form, with the depth of the current squad.

No tantrum here - just re-iterating that our lack of transfer activity will come back to haunt us. Been saying this for months.

One thing we can agree on, is to move on. Regroup for Liverpool.

 

[Totti]

Son's somewhere in SE Asia and we'll be lucky to see him for about a month. Lucas was OK today for about 20 minutes then sank without trace. Lamela our saviour?(I think not. He's injured anyway). Everyone else, including the aformentioned Kane, Dele, Eriksen, Dembele will get a start against Liverpool - simply because there is no-one else. We can't cater for loss of form, with the depth of the current squad.

No tantrum here - just re-iterating that our lack of transfer activity will come back to haunt us. Been saying this for months.

One thing we can agree on, is to move on. Regroup for Liverpool.

What's wrong with starting this for Liverpool?

Lloris
Alderweireld - Sanchez - Vertonghen
Trippier - Eriksen - Winks - Dele - Rose/Davies
Kane - Lucas
​

?

 

[Gobbygonk]

Sky are biased as well. Martin Tyler was so quiet for Spurs' goal I thought it had hit the side-netting, yet he roared both Watford goals.
When Lucas was elbowed in the back of the head Sky did not show a replay. Instead they showed the Spurs goal again, twice, when they had just shown it a few seconds before the elbow incident.
Cathcart did a red-card lunge with both feet off the floor just before Dembele gave the free kick away for their goal. No mention from Tyler and gooner Alan Smith who Sky think someone who hates Spurs should commentate on all Tottenham's games.

Tottenham get the worst refereeing in all of football and I believe Sky are behind it!

 

[Airfixx]

Three at the back had provided us with some of our most attacking sides. It’s just we don’t have Rose and Walker anymore to bring the pace.

Davies and Trips don’t make those surging runs and have the game in front of them more often that not.

Indeed 3 at the back was a response to us being blunt in attack at the begining of 16/17 season (not long after Conte had employed it for the blue filth).

This has been a quandry for a while now, because despite what you say being mostly true, both Ben & Trips have proven effective in attack in their own respective ways and many would argue KT in particular is better in a 3 than a 4. That said when played in a 4, both still get up the flanks; albeit Ben is prone to cutting in earlier (which is fine so long as the L-AM is prepared to counterbalance that by running beyond and outside him... You'd think that now we have the pace of Son and Lucas this should be more of an option too).

Let's face it, the core of that Watford team has proved a happy hunting for us in recent rears with KT being particularly productive so I'm not sure how clear a message today is likely to send.

I like the core theory that it allows 6 men to push further up whilst you have a 3 + 1 providing the high defensive screen. The fact that we can play numerous formations can only be a asset. However, by the time one get's to the point of changing formation each week to pro-actively exploit the oppo (as seemingly we will do much of this season) one is never-the-less still at that stage operating on presumption; thus placing even more emphasis on in-game tactical management (+ subs). This represents another 'rung on the ladder' of Poch's ascension... He's been praised twice this season already for winning the game with his subs. Have faith... The great man is still learning.

 

[nigel6305]

In my view, the expectancy now that we should be challenging for the league title and as a result every time we drop points it's a disaster does add a lot more pressure and take a lot of the fun out of watching. I didn't seriously think we'd be winning the league this season, I was of the view Man City would win it at a canter. Four games in and the league looks a lot more open than expected and we do have a chance, but we shouldn't kid ourselves that we're favourites and that it wouldn't be a huge surprise to end up winning the league. Just finishing top 4 four seasons in a row would be an amazing achievement.

That said, I'd be gutted about losing in the manner we did today even in the darkest days of the 1990s.

Fair points..but are you not getting a bit bored with never even trying to win anything. We have finished above Liverpool for a while now yet they really invest and unlike us maybe they have a chance..if it's true we cannot spend what even Liverpool do without a sugar daddy then this new stadium is just so levy can line his fat pockets even more.....maybe I'm wrong and the new stadium brings us closer to actually winning something and investing in quality players...i don't believe that and I'm sick of knowing if we are linked to a quality player that we probably are not getting him..ffs Leicester pay better than us

 

[Ahab]

Fantastic may be a stretch - but he had a really good second half which coincided with us winning the game. He had a poor first half against United but started to gain control of the game in the second and it won it for us.

He should never have played today though (Simply cannot do 2 games in a week) and when he did, should never have lasted longer than 60 minutes. We had 3 natural central midfielders on the bench, USE THEM.

I don't care about his fitness. I care about his lack of pace. Dembele is slow. The other three are medium slow.

 

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

Conceded from 2 set pieces. Poch needs to sort them out. International break comes at the wrong time, again.

They got bullied second half, no one wanted it.

All of our goals conceded from crosses this season, 3 off of someone's head and the other beat at the back post. What's good is that teams aren't carving us open but what ain't good is that we aren't making the most of that by turning the screw in the final third. We've let teams back in with 3 of our 4 games when in theory the game should open up for us after the first goal. The boys in attack simply have to do more collectively.

That being said we are still 2 points better off based on games played last season and we need to move on, stay positive and focus on a 2 week break and then make up ground on Liverpool. Still believe in the boys, a lot are yet to get into a proper rhythm yet.

4 out of 4 wasn't to be but we have a couple of the more difficult away fixtures out of the way now and we move on

 

[Totti]

Fair points..but are you not getting a bit bored with never even trying to win anything. We have finished above Liverpool for a while now yet they really invest and unlike us maybe they have a chance..if it's true we cannot spend what even Liverpool do without a sugar daddy then this new stadium is just so levy can line his fat pockets even more.....maybe I'm wrong and the new stadium brings us closer to actually winning something and investing in quality players...i don't believe that and I'm sick of knowing if we are linked to a quality player that we probably are not getting him..ffs Leicester pay better than us

No they don't.

 

[Totti]

I don't care about his fitness. I care about his lack of pace. Dembele is slow. The other three are medium slow.

Sissoko it is then.

 

[Sean]

Loads of over reaction as normal, we lost and didn't take our chances move on.

 

[John Thomas]

Were a great team i give you that. but i refuse to believe we will win a league or a champs league. Just being real. The amount of money some of these clubs have got is just too much to compete with nowdays.

Yes, but we could at least fucking try. We didn't spend a penny.
It's not like we're a poor club with no money..
It's almost like we threw in the towell in the summer. Much like the team out on the pitch today.

 

[mikes01666]

What's wrong with starting this for Liverpool?

Lloris
Alderweireld - Sanchez - Vertonghen
Trippier - Eriksen - Winks - Dele - Rose/Davies
Kane - Lucas
​

?

Nothing at all. (Possibly Dier/Dembele for Winks). Arguably it's our strongest 11.

My point is that Eriksen's performances over the first four games merits him being dropped.. Arguably so do Kane and Dele. But who to replace them with? They start regardless of recent form.

Again, lack of squad depth.

No panic/tantrums here, and don't consider myself a melter. Just stating the glaringly obvious.

 

[Notabadsquad]

All of our goals conceded from crosses this season, 3 off of someone's head and the other beat at the back post. What's good is that teams aren't carving us open but what ain't good is that we aren't making the most of that by turning the screw in the final third. We've let teams back in with 3 of our 4 games when in theory the game should open up for us after the first goal. The boys in attack simply have to do more collectively.

That being said we are still 2 points better off based on games played last season and we need to move on, stay positive and focus on a 2 week break and then make up ground on Liverpool. Still believe in the boys, a lot are yet to get into a proper rhythm yet.

4 out of 4 wasn't to be but we have a couple of the more difficult away fixtures out of the way now and we move on

We lost and there really is nothing good to come of today.

Can see no shred of comfort myself.

 

[PhillyHotspur]

This is exactly what cost us.

Nothing to do with transfer window or any other excuse. We all watched it. We saw Dembele playing poorly. We saw that we had practically zero control at a certain point in that second half. THAT is when you change the game.

What was disappointing is that he done it against Fulham. They started to gain control so Poch made an early sub (by his standards) and we changed the game and went onto win it.

Poch first sub coming in the 81st minute is absolutely criminal. Plus he going on how spurs players were responsible for sloppy play afterwards. That might be true but he also shares the blame for me

 

[Airfixx]

He was solid, but surely you can't disagree with how much more formidable we would look with a rapid wing back instead of him? The amount of times in a game theres a great ball played to him into space down the left and he cuts inside to traffic is criminal. His crossing is also so hit and miss, the number of times he gets the ball in a good position and just puts his head down and slams it into the opposition first man makes me want to tear my hair out.
Overall its a position we should and could easily upgrade on.

The same way upgrading on Tripper was easy when Walker left...? Enta Da Serge (who, granted, still has a chance to come good).

Ben is an understated gem that will naturally be overlooked by many a fan and pundit alike. What he lacks in pace he makes up for in intelligence and defensive awareness. As for his crossing, he got a better delivery than either of our vaunted former pairing of Rose & Walker.

 

[PhillyHotspur]

Big picture. 9 out of 12 points with 3 away fixtures (2 vs quality sides) is a solid haul considering things. Turn up vs Pool and in great shape in 2 weekends. Long season boys.

 

[Ginolaflair]

nigel6305

 

[Totti]

Nothing at all. (Possibly Dier/Dembele for Winks). Arguably it's our strongest 11.

My point is that Eriksen's performances over the first four games merits him being dropped.. Arguably so do Kane and Dele. But who to replace them with? They start regardless of recent form.

Again, lack of squad depth.

No panic/tantrums here, and don't consider myself a melter. Just stating the glaringly obvious.

Dele has been excellent all season (bar today, don't think anyone was good today), so I don't see a reason to drop him. Regardless of his lack of form, you don't drop Eriksen. We may not see what he does when he's playing poor but my god we'll notice it when he's not there completely.

Kane is a strange one. I would have no problem dropping him. He needs to know he isn't a guaranteed starter when not playing well. We tend to do well without him, but we would really need Lamela and/or Son fit.

 

[TomHotspur]

Well. I said we needed to buy a pacy defensive midfielder. Dembele is a fricking liability.
He wasn't good enough again today. China is his level now. I'd have played Dier ahead of Moussa.

I'm struggling to remember Poch ever playing Dembele on his own in midfield. He never had the stamina to do that job and most certainly doesn't now. The ideal player for the role would be the mobile 16/17 Wanyama. Unfortunately I fear that version of him could be gone.

 

[Totti]

I'm struggling to remember Poch ever playing Dembele on his own in midfield. He never had the stamina to do that job and most certainly doesn't now. The ideal player for the role would be the mobile 16/17 Wanyama. Unfortunately I fear that version of him could be gone.

He should never be on his own in midfield. If he is, that's on Dele and Eriksen for not supporting him.

Though, I would agree. I think Winks would be the best player in that role in the 3. There is no reason for an out and out defensive midfielder when we are playing 3 at the back.