Woolwich Scum Away 12.45 Sat 17 Nov@ the Effemirates

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Weak spine leaves Spurs looking painfully predictable
It is rarely a good sign when absent or departed players are being discussed just as much as those who are on the field, but the holes in the Tottenham side are there for all to see.
A star’s reputation can often be enhanced when they are missing, and that is certainly the case with Mousa Dembele, who has been out of action since the last international break.
Spurs have won every Premier League game when the talented Belgian has started. Having come off the bench to score the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Norwich at White Hart Lane on his debut, the 25-year-old was a key figure in the back-to-back top-flight victories over Reading, QPR, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
However, he aggravated a long-term hip injury with Belgium - and it is probably not a coincidence that Tottenham’s form has dipped sharply since then.
The Lilywhites have lost four of their last seven games in all competitions, with their victories coming against lowly Southampton and Maribor.
That is largely due to a lack of creativity which has been painfully apparent in the last two league outings against Wigan and Manchester City – Spurs’ only goal in those 180 minutes came from a set piece as Steven Caulker came up from the back to head past Joe Hart on Sunday.
The 3-1 European victory over Maribor offered a brief glimpse of Spurs at their exhilarating best, with Gareth Bale showing off his pace and the accuracy of his crossing.
But the game plan against the Slovenian champions was clear: look wide at every opportunity and beat the visitors down the flanks.
Spurs showed little interest in playing through the middle - mostly because they did not need to, but also because they are struggling to do so.
Bale was the star man against Maribor, and it was the same story against a second-string Norwich side in the Capital One Cup, and to a large extent away at Southampton – Tottenham looked most threatening down the flanks.
The problem is that such an approach is very one-dimensional and predictable and the top teams – or even average Premier League teams with their first-choice XI – are perfectly capable of stopping it.
As Wigan and Man City have proved, if you can shackle Spurs’ wingers – mainly Bale – then Tottenham look worryingly toothless.
Put simply, Andre Villas-Boas’ side do not seem to have the talent, the guile or the combinations to cut through the middle of an opponent. Their only option is to go around the outside, and everybody knows it.
This brings us back to Dembele, a valuable offensive force who is capable of beating a man in the centre of the field to make an initial incision or score a goal out of nowhere – as he proved with his strike against Norwich.
He is being sorely missed, and he is not the only one. Suddenly, the names of Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart are being whispered again.
Suddenly, Spurs fans are returning to the botched deadline day bid for Joao Moutinho, and chairman Daniel Levy’s summer transfer business is back under the microscope.
The loss of Van der Vaart is certainly being felt at the moment, given the concerning chasm between Spurs’ holding midfielders and the frontman.
Gylfi Sigurdsson and Clint Dempsey have taken turns in the No10 role, but neither has been able to replace the Dutchman – a talented linkman who had scored seven goals in all competitions by this stage last season.
By contrast, Sigurdsson has scored two – against Carlisle and Maribor – and he has offered little to the general play. Indeed, his best performance at White Hart Lane has been in Swansea colours, when he scored against the Lilywhites in April.
Dempsey has also struggled in his withdrawn role behind the striker, and was guilty of losing possession time and again at the Etihad on Sunday – a major reason why Spurs struggled to build a platform in City’s half throughout the game.
When combined with Dembele’s absence, that issue has left Spurs with a brittle spine to their team – plenty of sweat but no spark – and that is unlikely to change against Woolwich this weekend.
Villas-Boas could play Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe together again, as he did so successfully against Maribor at the Lane.
But, as he said about City, Woolwich are “four steps up in the level of competition” compared to the Slovenians, and the Portuguese will understandably be loath to open up his side and expose his midfield further at the Emirates.
A fresh approach may be needed at some stage though because, whether it is due to transfers, injuries, tactics, fatigue or individual failings, Tottenham have been on a downward curve since the last international break.
There is no shame in losing away at the Etihad against the champions of England. But, when the uninspiring, lacklustre performance is combined with other recent displays and results, there is some cause for concern.
Saturday’s north London derby provides the perfect opportunity for redemption – as Woolwich proved last season when their 5-2 victory transformed their season.
However, if Spurs lose their third league game in a row, the boo boys at White Hart Lane will have plenty of ammunition ahead of the home game against West Ham.
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http://www.london24.com/sport/totte...spurs_looking_painfully_predictable_1_1692985
 
On the plus side if Lennon is out we can play Falque/Townsend and they will be the one to score the routine absolute wonder goal despite hardly getting a run out in the first team!

:bentley:
 
Adam Clark said:
On the plus side if Lennon is out we can play Falque/Townsend and they will be the one to score the routine absolute wonder goal despite hardly getting a run out in the first team!

:bentley:
Click to expand...

Unfortunately if the past is anything to go by, AVB will be likely to put Dempsey on the wing, on the plus side if he does do that we should at least see and Adebayor / Defoe combo up front again
 
I think he's gonna go with Sandro & Hudd again... trying to 'beef' up the midfield in the absence of (probably) Dembele and Parker...

Shame, I realise there was never going to be any shaking Modric's resolve to leave, but the decision to let VdV go as well seems more and more ludicrous by the day.
I know he wasn't always fit, but an injured VdV is still a more appetising option than a fully fit Cunt Dempsey at the moment!
 
I think if we play 4-4-2 we will get murdered in midfield.
Then again, Sandro, Hudd and Dempsey in a 3 could just get outplayed anyway.

We are going to need Bale and Lennon (assuming fit) to be on absolute top form and even then, as suggested above that is very predictable and could be nullified if that is our only threat.

As with Man City, I dont expect to win this one and although it goes against our traditions I just dont want us to lose.

We could of course just go all out and try to just score one more goal than them as they are having defensive troubles but I could just as easily see that backfiring and us getting spanked.

Difficult one for AVB tactics wise I think.
 
1882 said:
Shame, I realise there was never going to be any shaking Modric's resolve to leave, but the decision to let VdV go as well seems more and more ludicrous by the day.
I know he wasn't always fit, but an injured VdV is still a more appetising option than a fully fit Cunt Dempsey at the moment!
Click to expand...

I've said it before and I will say it again. Van Der Vaart wanted to go back to Hamburg, he didn't make a massive fuss about it like ratboy to Madrid, but he wanted to leave, for the simply reason that his shockingly beautiful wife wanted to see him more, and unsuprisingly he wanted to see her more.

Sylvie-Van-Der-Vaart.jpg


There she is ^^ and She Lives and works in Hamburg

Now if you will excuse me I have a lob on that needs dealing with.
 
No bothered who plays or who doesn’t. Let’s go toe to toe with these punks. This is Woolwich 2012/2013, there is nothing to be scared of. No RVP, Henry, Pires etc. Giroud & Podolski don’t scare me. The only team that can beat us on Saturday is ourselves.

Right attitude, right focus, pressing, passion. Easy.
 
Every Spurs fan I've asked at Work/School has said they'd be happy with grabbing a point from the away game!
 
Fuck that. To dare is to do and all that. Lets go for it and as long as the boys put 100% in then there's a bit of glory in what ever happens.

Realistically a point is a good result, but I certainly wouldn't take it, imagine if we beat them. Imagine. It really could be the beggining of the end for Monsieur Saville.

I've heard some gooners are wanting to lose to spell the start of Wenger Out. Fucking cunts. Sums em' up.
 
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