Spurs (h) pre-match thread

[the plasterer]

Hopefully spuds have an "off" day because the way they are playing at the moment, they will rip us a new one, our non existent defence doesn't fill you with confidence either

 

[Brightwells boots]

Pep came here thinking every game from the "lesser" teams would be marked with them respecting our squad quality and it would a 3-0 stroll away at every week at Tenerife/Getafe.
West Ham 5-0 is what he is used to in Spain/Germany, teams who try until they concede and then they wilt.
He assumed this league was inferior and now he isn't even scrambling to recover.
He's starting to look like Villas Boas.
Don't like the guy, don't like his comments about us fans (that was a big turn off).
He looks alarmingly out of his depth,
Old red nose at the swamp would have put him in a psych ward with mind games by now.
Thank god he's not around.

 

[richards30]

5 at the back maybe? defeatist I know but if vinny is fit then at least it might keep the score down? we have to stop conceding goals!

willy
sagna
stones
kompany
otamendi
kolarov
yaya
de bruyne
silva
noltio
aguero

 

[manygoose]

assuming that jesus is registered, i'd start him. we need a change, a different dynamic in the box.
in midfield we need to have everyone pressing and with some speed, sorry yaya.
Bravo unfortunately needs to start, we need calmness under the intense press of spurs.
Fullbacks are shite, don't bother playing any.
Aguero needs help pressing up top from jesus.

3-5-2

bravo

otamendi
stones
kompany/anyone who isn't kolarov,clichy,zaba

sterling left
garcia holding
silva middle
de bruyne middle (!!)
sane right

jesus
aguero

pep should stop underrating garcia. i could expand that to lots of the young players on the fringe of the first team. but choosing zaba over garcia against everton was foolish. and shame on pep for not subbing zaba at HT.

no players out of position, de bruyne in the middle. raheem 'I always take a touch' sterling no where near the goal. sane running up and down the touch line making tackles at one end and beating his man at the other.

if jesus isn't registered then drop in another midfielder next to garcia to give the midfield some more legs, fernando maybe.

if pep puts out a formation with includes one of the older players playing out of position again, kolarov CB, zaba CM. then we've lost, simple as that.

 

[Chippy_boy]

I thought we'd win against Arsenal because I thought they'd be overconfident and would not play backs to the wall like most other teams do.

I think the same about the Spurs game. They will attack us and leave lots of chances for us to catch them on the break. This is entirely the wrong tactics as Arsenal and even Barca showed. We can actually defend quite well when we are organised - it's when we lose the ball after periods of prolonged possession and we are all out of shape; that's when the wheels come off.

I think it will be an open and high scoring game though. And I think we'll win it just.

4-3 City

 

[bluetev]

Pep came here thinking every game from the "lesser" teams would be marked with them respecting our squad quality and it would a 3-0 stroll away at every week at Tenerife/Getafe.
West Ham 5-0 is what he is used to in Spain/Germany, teams who try until they concede and then they wilt.
He assumed this league was inferior and now he isn't even scrambling to recover.
He's starting to look like Villas Boas.
Don't like the guy, don't like his comments about us fans (that was a big turn off).
He looks alarmingly out of his depth,
Old red nose at the swamp would have put him in a psych ward with mind games by now.
Thank god he's not around.

Yes, thank God guardiola never had the misfortune of coming up against the great Lord fergie when he was managing barca, eh? When manure were the indisputably the best team in the EPL?

And as things stand we are at 2 points / game. That's better than what the greatest manager of all time managed in 7 out of his first ten seasons

And yes, as your post highlights so well, he got it spot on about some of our fans.

I am as gutted post Everton as anyone else. And yes, we are likely to lose v spurs.

But we were likely to finish second in the league in 2012 five minutes before the end. Can we keep some faith please and not panic?

 

[MadchesterCity]

Come on City, but can't get this clip out of my head



Sadly I'm expecting another heavy defeat, we dont appear to have the stones to win this game

 

[ws01]

Hmmm.

This could get ugly.

 

[Chippy_boy]

If ever there was a time for Pep to compromise his principles its for this game. Playing our usual high line against Spuds could see us getting slaughtered. From what I have watched over the last month, they are the form team in the top 6. We need to set up primarily from a defensive position and draw them on to us. Willie in instead of Bravo. Back four, hopefully with Vinnie in it. Rest Stones. Fernando to play a proper holding role. Yaya or Garcia alongside him for the transition. Sane wide, Stirling wide, De Bruyne and Silva in the middle. Play a counter attack based offence. Sane/Raheem will need to work like hell to negate Rose and Walker. Fernando will need to play a blinder policing Ericsson/Ali. Would be happy with a draw and a solid defensive performance.

Spot on.

And actually that's exactly what I think will pan out.

 

[Mike D]

Really used to look forward to this fixture because we usually won. But can't see this be anything less that us having another arsehole torn for us just like we did at the weekend.

 

[willipp]

Then surely we shouldn't play a back three! I think we would be committing football suicide playing three at the back against spuds. Can you imagine every time we press them high up the pitch. Dembele and Wanyama will win lots of 50/50 and second balls. That will leave our back three waving at Rose, Walker, Ericsson, Ali and Kane as they exploit the acres of space. Realistically, I think we will lose this one irrespective of the formation but will give ourselves a better chance by playing a back 5 of Willie, Sagna, Komps, Otamendi, Kolorov/Clichy. Hopefully Fernando will be fit and asked to play a very holding role. I'd be tempted to play Garcia alongside him if he has the legs for 90 minutes.

Dembele and Wanyama are what worry me about Saturdaya more then anything. They have been very impressive from what ive seen of Spurs and i fear they will absolutely bully us in the middle. We just dont have the players to compete with those two if we go with Yaya and Zab. Gives me nightmares just thinking about that matchup.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Dembele and Wanyama are what worry me about Saturdaya more then anything. They have been very impressive from what ive seen of Spurs and i fear they will absolutely bully us in the middle. We just dont have the players to compete with those two if we go with Yaya and Zab. Gives me nightmares just thinking about that matchup.

Absolutely right. If ever there was a game that we needed Fernandinho at his very best it was this one. Dembele and Wanyama are absolute physical beasts. They are quite skilful too. Would have both of them in a city team in a heartbeat.

 

[Danny_Johnson4]

Absolutely right. If ever there was a game that we needed Fernandinho at his very best it was this one. Dembele and Wanyama are absolute physical beasts. They are quite skilful too. Would have both of them in a city team in a heartbeat.

Dembele is far and away the most skilful central midfielder in the country
I think he is the best all round midfielder in the league, personally
He would thrive here, but it would take 60M to get him from Spurs, not that I would leave that cohesive unit for our hash job if I was him!

 

[willipp]

Absolutely right. If ever there was a game that we needed Fernandinho at his very best it was this one. Dembele and Wanyama are absolute physical beasts. They are quite skilful too. Would have both of them in a city team in a heartbeat.

Yes me too. Both are so physically imposing and like you say can play as well, particularly Dembele for me who has everything we are missing at the moment. Not sure what the answer is on Saturday, every option i see (Garcia, Yaya, Zabba, Fernando) all seem week against those 2. Hopefully Pep comes up with something.

 

[kas_tippler]

God help us.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Yes me too. Both are so physically imposing and like you say can play as well, particularly Dembele for me who has everything we are missing at the moment. Not sure what the answer is on Saturday, every option i see (Garcia, Yaya, Zabba, Fernando) all seem week against those 2. Hopefully Pep comes up with something.

and while we are at it, how in hells name did Spuds manage to pick up Wanyama for £11m (have i got that right?) when Southampton paid £12m to bring him from Celtic. How do we miss these bargains??

 

[Tricky_Trev]

It'll be another torn arsehole. It's really getting quite sore now.

 

[bellsouth]

Not looking forward to this. Can envisage a quiet/nervy atmosphere and a similar game to Chelsea, lots of possession, miss a few chances and get done on the counter over and over again.

What we desperately need is a lift and the only thing that will give us that is the sight of Vinnie and Jesus in the starting line up. You never know...

 

[Jazzman]

We have got to put an end to being screwed by those counter attacks.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

I am genuinely struggling to think who we could play in midfield next week in Fernandinho's absence. Yaya was poor yesterday, Zabaleta isn't a top level midfielder, Fernando struggled against them at White Hart Lane. They have an excellent energetic midfield where are very weak. Coupled with the fact that their full backs are excellent at getting forward when we are constantly exposed in wide areas (especially at left back).

This season could get worse before it gets better.