Spurs (A) | Post-Match Thread

[stevemacca]

I haven't read the full thread content so aopologise if this has been mentioned.

One thing I have noticed is that FFS is less effective through a game when Cancelo is playing, and thats because Cancelo is less likely to overlap preffering to come inside. This cuts off Mahrez's prefered route, but also the full back is always going inside without the threat of being caught out by overlapping full back.
Also when Cancelo is played the ball coming inside he's on his wrong foot and can only go one way, but Mahrez doesn't want the ball back outside as thats also on his wrong foot. Cancelo is better when Sterling is out right stretching the defense on his right foot.

 

[Manchester33]

I didn't think the performance was especially bad on Sunday. We controlled the game for the most part. We had a few good chances to score. The referee allowed their players to repeatedly foul us and break down play.

The glaring weakness in our team is upfront. Torres is a decent player, but he isn't going to score 20 goals a season yet. If we'd have had a fully fit Harry Kane up front for us, we would have won that game comfortably.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

I didn't think the performance was especially bad on Sunday. We controlled the game for the most part. We had a few good chances to score. The referee allowed their players to repeatedly foul us and break down play.

The glaring weakness in our team is upfront. Torres is a decent player, but he isn't going to score 20 goals a season yet. If we'd have had a fully fit Harry Kane up front for us, we would have won that game comfortably.

Exactly. If we put our chances away we win that game comfortably.

Unfortunately we need 10 chances, and the way the game was officiated did not help us at all. Lost count of the number of opportunities we had to break quickly that were thwarted because they were allowed to foul with impunity. Our players knew what was going on and I guarantee it affected their decision making process.

 

[decmancity]

You've missed how out of step you seem to be with the mainstream fan opinion.

Again, can you explain why Pep chose the single most high profile match in our history to start without Fern or Rodri, having not done so all season?

If the defence on show on Sunday away at a hurting Spurs is a domestic cup defence, why take the chance when we had stronger options on the bench? Couldn't Pep have saved the cup defence for Norwich next week? :-|

Out of step? lol ok.

They both played shit against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi and he thought Gundogan would be better able to keep the ball and considering his goal scoring last year there was half a chance he would score. Is that a good enough explanation? I completely disagree with it but it is a possibility.

That being said, maybe Pep woke up one day and Fernandinho and Rodri hadn't made him a cup of tea like he asked so he kicked them to the bench, who fucking knows and who cares. Move on.

You take the chance because the other key starters are not 100% and you risk injuries, that then completely fuck us long term. Seems pretty reasonable and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids (Son).

 

[the blue panther]

Out of step? lol ok.

They both played shit against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi and he thought Gundogan would be better able to keep the ball and considering his goal scoring last year there was half a chance he would score. Is that a good enough explanation? I completely disagree with it but it is a possibility.

That being said, maybe Pep woke up one day and Fernandinho and Rodri hadn't made him a cup of tea like he asked so he kicked them to the bench, who fucking knows and who cares. Move on.

You take the chance because the other key starters are not 100% and you risk injuries, that then completely fuck us long term. Seems pretty reasonable and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids (Son).

Fair comment.
I suspect that many of us would have settled for a point. We take the defeat to heart because we know that the game was very winnable. Poor striking; kami-kaze defending; wierd referreeing decisions; lack of fitness; absence of star players; when these all combine as they did on Sunday, we were lucky to get away with only a 1-0 defeat.

 

[Dribble]

Out of step? lol ok.

They both played shit against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi and he thought Gundogan would be better able to keep the ball and considering his goal scoring last year there was half a chance he would score. Is that a good enough explanation? I completely disagree with it but it is a possibility.

That being said, maybe Pep woke up one day and Fernandinho and Rodri hadn't made him a cup of tea like he asked so he kicked them to the bench, who fucking knows and who cares. Move on.

You take the chance because the other key starters are not 100% and you risk injuries, that then completely fuck us long term. Seems pretty reasonable and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids (Son).

But did you take into account the balance of the wholesale changes made for those matches? What you've just stated is akin to saying the U12's got battered by Chelsea, & Fern & Rodri were playing & were shit. Why don't you tell the whole story, so we've got the full context? :-|

So where did Pep state he played Gundog because he'd be better at keeping the ball & would stand half a chance of scoring ? Or are you merely dressing up your personal opinion as fact?

 

[salfordbluetrue]

Sorry i think Pep talked bollocks when making his excuse for picking a weakened side, Tottenham are faster and fitter that us ,we could not match them even if everyone was match fit, we beat them by putting our best team out and letting skill shine through,.
It is also worrying that our only striker is not starting and when it is obvious that others can not do the job he gets put on the wing? i do hope that Pep is not doing a Maureen and deliberately playing a weakened side so he gets his transfer money.

 

[OB1]

Out of step? lol ok.

They both played shit against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi and he thought Gundogan would be better able to keep the ball and considering his goal scoring last year there was half a chance he would score. Is that a good enough explanation? I completely disagree with it but it is a possibility.

That being said, maybe Pep woke up one day and Fernandinho and Rodri hadn't made him a cup of tea like he asked so he kicked them to the bench, who fucking knows and who cares. Move on.

You take the chance because the other key starters are not 100% and you risk injuries, that then completely fuck us long term. Seems pretty reasonable and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids (Son).

Having lost two games in quick succession to Chelsea, he thought he needed to do something different and decided that would be a very attacking approach.It was a considered decision. It didn't work but it might have if Sterling had taken his early chance (perhaps Pep should have made him wear an England shirt under his City one!). It might have worked if the occasion had not go to the players.

What is certain is that it is history now and Pep and City have to do it all over again but with another year's experience behind them.

 

[decmancity]

But did you take into account the balance of the wholesale changes made for those matches? What you've just stated is akin to saying the U12's got battered by Chelsea, & Fern & Rodri were playing & were shit. Why don't you tell the whole story, so we've got the full context? :-|

So where did Pep state he played Gundog because he'd be better at keeping the ball & would stand half a chance of scoring ? Or are you merely dressing up your personal opinion as fact?

About 400m worth of players started that FA cup semi final including Laporte, Cancelo, Jesus, Dias, Sterling and KDB. Not bad for a U12's team.

I can't even remember how Rodri and Fernandinho played tbh, but clearly Pep wasn't happy and perhaps thought, I am not fucking watching that again next week.

You said

"Again, can you explain why Pep chose the single most high profile match in our history to start without Fern or Rodri, having not done so all season?"

I offered a potential explanation for why he picked Gundogan. So far, your reasoning has been "bRaINFarT". Pep has never publically stated why he did what he did, he doesn't need to.

For the last time, I have stated on multiple posts, I THINK IT WAS THE WRONG DECISION.

However, it is possible to put a reasoned argument forward that Pep thought Gundogan would be better than Rodri and Fernandinho.

Before we played Dortmund he said;

“I said many times the year we won the second Premier League that he was incredible as a holding midfielder."

Easy to see why he thought someone who is "incredible as a holding midfielder" might be decent enough to play as a holding midfielder in the CL final would you not say?

The way people talk about this decison its like we dropped Ederson and played Carson in goal with Samaras up top with KDB on the bench.

 

[razinho]

You've missed how out of step you seem to be with the mainstream fan opinion.

Again, can you explain why Pep chose the single most high profile match in our history to start without Fern or Rodri, having not done so all season?

If the defence on show on Sunday away at a hurting Spurs is a domestic cup defence, why take the chance when we had stronger options on the bench? Couldn't Pep have saved the cup defence for Norwich next week? :-|

I would agree with the sentiment that it's last season and over with but I'll give this a reply.

We played Chelsea in the league with Rodri in midfield - we lost. We played Chelsea in the FA Cup with both playing - we lost.

Is it out with the realms of logic that the greatest manager in the world looked at the two games against Tuchel and decided that rather than trying the same thing again, he would actually just play a complete possession type team to control the tempo and the match efficiently? It turned out to be the wrong choice but this hounding of Pep for trying something different is honestly rather boring now. As so often happens in football, if it came off he would be lauded as a genius and we would be continually going on about how great he is. In fact, if we would have played one or the other, I really wouldn't be surprised if people had a dig and asked why we played the same as other previous 2 defeats as it didn't turn out well in either occasion.

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up, say the system didn't work, applaud our opponents for being better and get on with it. It appears you'll be using this as a beating stick for Pep which is completely your prerogative but fairly unfair imo considering how much success we've had, how many domestic records his teams have broken and how many times his system and tactics have paid off and ultimately changed the landscape of British football