Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013/14

[fallenangle]

Loved it on MotD that they were saying getting rid of the hard working Gylfi Sigurdsson was a mistake. We were saying that on this very board just a few months ago.

Spurs are simply not playing as a team and Poch has to take some flak for that. He's been playing Spurs as a two squad team and they fact is they simply don't have the depth of talent, particularly at the back, to do that. But worse he thinks he can mix and match the best players from each at random - wrong.

It is a team game and to play it well you need to play a consistent core team selection whenever possible so that they know each others game inside out and adjust for each others weaknesses and play to their strengths. This is key to a creating solid, reliable, effective defence/mid-field/attack units.

[Stoppy2000]

Gone before Xmas I reckon. It's like our transfer windows.

[bwi]

I think the one getting the push should be levy now. He's the one who has sanctioned everything.
Unfortunately how do you sack your god son without upsetting the family

[fallenangle]

Let us hope that Spurs don't come a cropper against Hull today; like Stoke and West Brom we seem to lose to these sorts of team, which we should be beating, far too often and it costs us dear as regards final Premiership position at the end of the season. COYS.

[Stoppy2000]

I expect us to lose so I am enjoying this brief window of opportunity to laugh at Liverpool.

[VR46]

Ouch, 1-0 inside the first ten minutes, Livermore, had to be didn't it.

[Stoppy2000]

Being a Spurs fan is never easy is it!

[EJG1980]

Being a Spurs fan is never easy is it!

Ahh, that's the fun of it! The highs, the lows, the triumphs, the heartbreaks. It's like being on a brilliant roller coaster where you're scared that the track could collapse at any moment

So it turns out that what happened against Villa wasn't simply the random circumstances of that match, it's actually a carefully formulated plan for winning away from home

I was quietly confident we'd win this, but then Arsenal lost on Saturday and Liverpool lost before we played... Two rivals messing up and giving us the chance to overtake / catch them up? That's usually the prelude to a Spurs loss!

Thankfully we did manage to (eventually) take advantage. A straightforward, trouble free win would have been nice, but right now getting points is the most important thing.

If we play poorly but somehow come out with a win and a draw against Everton and Chelsea, that'd be fine with me! If we can grind out the points then hopefully that will breed confidence and the performances will start to follow.

[fallenangle]

Good second half yesterday after a lousy first one and for once Eriksen wasn't subbed. But they were right on MotD both about the balance being all wrong with three players Lamela, Eriksen and Dembele all vying for the number 10 position and, yet again, how selling a useful player, in this case Dawson, was a bad mistake.

We usually do something unexpected at least a couple of times a season against teams we aren't thought likely to beat so here's hoping for that being good results in those important matches. Then, as you say, the confidence will grow. Hope so.

[EJG1980]

Important game tonight, if we can get a win we'll be through to the next round. With eleven matches coming up between now and new year's day (a match every three days on average) it'd be very useful to to make the Besiktas away match a dead rubber so we can send the reserves and give a lot of our first choice players a rest.

[fallenangle]

Not a particularly convincing performance but Spurs got the main job done - winning. Could have been very different if the opposition had put away some of the chances the defence gifted them but they didn't so almost everything turned out OK.

However...........the three separate pitch invasions not good. Blame laid on organised away supporters with little evidence, then some sort of half-arsed viral marketing exercise but whatever the real reason the consequence are likely to be harsh. I reckon a fine (for PB as well if it turns out to be their supporters involved) and Spurs will be made to play the next match behind closed doors. Extra security for the rest of the competition to stop it happening again will also cost them too.

[EJG1980]

Gah, pitch invaders, absolute morons. I expect us to be fined for allowing it to happen at all (with the first one especially the stewards were very slow to react, he was on the pitch for at least thirty seconds before anyone came on to stop him) but hopefully we can avoid having to play a match behind closed doors. With a bit of luck we might get a bit of leniency as it was a rare, one-off slip.

My brother had a Partizan fan sitting next to him, which he didn't realise until the guy suddenly stood up in the middle of the first half, unfurled a banner and started giving nazi salutes! He was dealt with a bit quicker than the pitch invaders and was thrown out straight away. Quite a strange night.

Aside from all the other rubbish that went on I thought the match was quite enjoyable. We did give them a few too many chances with our usual worrying defending but I thought that going forward we looked like we were trying to play with a bit more pace than normal.

Quick passing, tricky through balls, etc., which often didn't quite come off but I was glad to see players trying it rather than always going with a safe but dull pass. The more we practice it the better we should eventually become, so I don't mind seeing it not quite work in the short term, as it should pay dividends in the end.

[fallenangle]

The problem as regards the tactics is that with the high game Poch favours you need very self-disciplined players to make it work. If the wing backs go forward then at least one of the midfielders has to drop back to cover. That is not happening consistently with the defenders going forward also very slow to get back into position sometimes.

Add the midfielders and others dawdling on the ball and losing it laying us open to quick counter attacks also happens far too frequently.

Particularly agree about the quick passing and trying to play more imaginative balls and that it is beginning to look better generally. But we have to iron out the mistakes.

I was watching Man.City versus Bayern Munich earlier this week where the Germans were playing fast one touch passing football for much of the match, better than MC and certainly better than the Spurs were doing last night. Aguero still punished them hard for just such casualness and ill-disciplined defending as I've described. A long way to go for Spurs methinks.

Sunday Edit:-

A win today against Everton would be very welcome - apart from the psychological boost whoever wins it will end up in 7th place in the Premiership on the same number of points as Arsenal. Good incentive.

[EJG1980]

Very good win today and lovely to see Soldado get the winner. I think he deserved it as his performances have been pretty good this season aside from putting the ball in the back of the net. It'd be great if his luck and confidence change for the better from here on in. Another goal for Eriksen too, he's on a very decent run at the mo.

Not much we could do about Everton's opener, fantastic goal from Mirales, great response from us though. They may have had more possession but from just after Everton scored to around fifteen minutes to go I think we were the better side. I can't remember Everton threatening our goal until they put the pressure on at the end.

The defence stood firm though and while we were penned back there were very few scares. Really good performances from our young and inexperienced central midfield duo too, thought Bentaleb and Mason did very well against a tough opponent.

Overall a very satisfying day Wednesday is going to be very difficult but a nice little bonus that Diego Costa is suspended. I'd take a draw right now though, if offered!

[bwi]

You know what , that was the best i've seen spurs play for a while. Coincidence that the midfield was two academy players, a spurs veteran (seems weird saying that about lennon) and iirc the cheapest signing (eriksson) from the bale money.

So 4-4-2 is the way to go?