The Tottenham Thread 13/14 part 3.

[gooner2]

Henry Winter pretty much admitted that there was an agenda against AVB, because a lot of people in the media did not like how he had been awarded two of the biggest jobs in English football, without much success as they believe. Then as has been said he replaced Harry and is foreign.

We.ll that very sad if true. Anyway the only way he shut up his critics is by winning , starting off tonight at fulham.

 

[GHoddle]

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

 

[supercrystal7]

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

 

[GHoddle]

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

Disagree, for me it is AVB's style of play that nullifies our players' attacking abilities.

 

[supercrystal7]

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

Disagree, for me it is AVB's style of play that nullifies our players' attacking abilities.

Why do you think that?

When I look at the right wing for instead. It's all set up for a winger, who cuts in and shoots/plays the ball in. Someone like Townsend or Lamela. You have Walker overlapping to give him the chance to cut in. The problem is that Lennon is your best right winger. On the left you often have Vertonghen playing left back, but he is not the best attacking and if you are going to play him you need a good out and out winger. Someone like Lennon, but all you have is Chadli.

Upfront you want someone who is strong and can hold the ball up, instead you bought Solado.

Holtby is not really good enough to play behind the striker or solid enough to play midfield at the moment. You have like 6 central midfielders: Capoue, Sigurdson, Dembele, Sandro, Paulinho and Holtby, but only one who is really comfortable behind the striker in Erikson.

Your only proper left back is Rose and your best centre back has to cover left back.

So how exactly do you want AVB to play especially when you factor in so many players adjusting? Keeping in mind you are sixth at the moment and if you can beat Sunderland will probably be fifth.

 

[Crouchinho]

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

Pretty much agree with what you said there. It's nice that we can score long rangers at least! Sandro a few days ago and now two today.

First half Fulham were very good, we were fortunate not to be losing at half time. Paulinho (who hasn't impressed me for a while) done excellent to get round two players but it was a horrid finish

Second half I didn't think there was much in it until they scored, then we decided to play without really testing their goalie. Vlad's goal came out of nothing it seemed! Brilliant goal by Holtby as well.

Defoe again proves why he should never start, missing two one on ones, he is great as an impact sub only. Lamela showed glimpses again and it was nice that he started. Any news on Jan's injury? I haven't seen anything yet. Hugo saved our bacon at the end there!<br /><br />-- Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:12 am --<br /><br />

Well we were pretty much piss poor tonight again despite winning. Two long range hit and pray shots saved us.

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

That was typical Spurs giving a heart attack finish.

Well done on yesterdays result. Great performance and effort against the long ball merchants

 

[supercrystal7]

That was typical Spurs giving a heart attack finish.

Well done on yesterdays result. Great performance and effort against the long ball merchants

Cheers, but I think we have and will continue to be playing some long ball stuff ourselves. A shame, because O'keefe and especially Williams would benefit from us playing it on the ground, but results are the key and we need to play to the strength of the team not a couple of individuals.

 

[fac63]

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

Disagree, for me it is AVB's style of play that nullifies our players' attacking abilities.

Why do you think that?

When I look at the right wing for instead. It's all set up for a winger, who cuts in and shoots/plays the ball in. Someone like Townsend or Lamela. You have Walker overlapping to give him the chance to cut in. The problem is that Lennon is your best right winger. On the left you often have Vertonghen playing left back, but he is not the best attacking and if you are going to play him you need a good out and out winger. Someone like Lennon, but all you have is Chadli.

Upfront you want someone who is strong and can hold the ball up, instead you bought Solado.

Holtby is not really good enough to play behind the striker or solid enough to play midfield at the moment. You have like 6 central midfielders: Capoue, Sigurdson, Dembele, Sandro, Paulinho and Holtby, but only one who is really comfortable behind the striker in Erikson.

Your only proper left back is Rose and your best centre back has to cover left back.

So how exactly do you want AVB to play especially when you factor in so many players adjusting? Keeping in mind you are sixth at the moment and if you can beat Sunderland will probably be fifth.

I agree with just about everything you said there (except the part about being 5th). Especially the Soldado bit. It is becoming painfully obvious that we bought the wrong guy. Time to tease something out of Adebayor as he's the closest we've got. Maybe back to the future with Berbatov in January?

But we HAVE to get better wing play. And the left back situation is laughable give that we shipped out BAE in the summer.

 

[supercrystal7]

Disagree, for me it is AVB's style of play that nullifies our players' attacking abilities.

Why do you think that?

When I look at the right wing for instead. It's all set up for a winger, who cuts in and shoots/plays the ball in. Someone like Townsend or Lamela. You have Walker overlapping to give him the chance to cut in. The problem is that Lennon is your best right winger. On the left you often have Vertonghen playing left back, but he is not the best attacking and if you are going to play him you need a good out and out winger. Someone like Lennon, but all you have is Chadli.

Upfront you want someone who is strong and can hold the ball up, instead you bought Solado.

Holtby is not really good enough to play behind the striker or solid enough to play midfield at the moment. You have like 6 central midfielders: Capoue, Sigurdson, Dembele, Sandro, Paulinho and Holtby, but only one who is really comfortable behind the striker in Erikson.

Your only proper left back is Rose and your best centre back has to cover left back.

So how exactly do you want AVB to play especially when you factor in so many players adjusting? Keeping in mind you are sixth at the moment and if you can beat Sunderland will probably be fifth.

I agree with just about everything you said there (except the part about being 5th). Especially the Soldado bit. It is becoming painfully obvious that we bought the wrong guy. Time to tease something out of Adebayor as he's the closest we've got. Maybe back to the future with Berbatov in January?

But we HAVE to get better wing play. And the left back situation is laughable give that we shipped out BAE in the summer.

I only meant that you might be fifth come Monday if you beat Sunderland, because Everton looked dead towards the end of the game tonight. Cannot see them getting anything at Arsenal. As for the end of the season it's going to be hard and as you say are going to have to spend in January.

 

[GHoddle]

Saw about 25 minutes of the game including the last 10 and I agree, but Fulham were great today. Very unlucky to not even get a draw. Had two great chances in the last 5 minutes or so. I look at the Tottenham squad and it looks a mess. I doubt you could get anyone in, who would do a better job than AVB.

Disagree, for me it is AVB's style of play that nullifies our players' attacking abilities.

Why do you think that?

When I look at the right wing for instead. It's all set up for a winger, who cuts in and shoots/plays the ball in. Someone like Townsend or Lamela. You have Walker overlapping to give him the chance to cut in. The problem is that Lennon is your best right winger. On the left you often have Vertonghen playing left back, but he is not the best attacking and if you are going to play him you need a good out and out winger. Someone like Lennon, but all you have is Chadli.

Upfront you want someone who is strong and can hold the ball up, instead you bought Solado.

Holtby is not really good enough to play behind the striker or solid enough to play midfield at the moment. You have like 6 central midfielders: Capoue, Sigurdson, Dembele, Sandro, Paulinho and Holtby, but only one who is really comfortable behind the striker in Erikson.

Your only proper left back is Rose and your best centre back has to cover left back.

So how exactly do you want AVB to play especially when you factor in so many players adjusting? Keeping in mind you are sixth at the moment and if you can beat Sunderland will probably be fifth.

Well couple of points, imo either Lennon or Lamela is easily good enough for the right wing. The one that starts should depend on the opponent. I wouldn't say Lennon is better than Lamela from what I've seen, but the only place for either of them is the right wing imo (except Lamela can play in the #10 position as well.

Central midfield should be Sandro and Dembele, it is a good partnership. Paulinho can play higher up on the pitch to support Soldado, but he's already been overused this season and is clearly still adjusting to the league. On the left we have the possibilities of Chadli, Sigurdsson, Townsend, and Eriksen. I think Eriksen is by far the best option.

So imo we can put out a balanced team. We fucked up by not buying a left back in the summer which was fucking stupid, but that is the only part of our squad that lacks balance to me. If we played quicker football and counterattacked, then it wouldn't be a problem that Soldado can't hold the ball up because he is a very good striker in other areas. We just aren't playing to his strengths.

But that is mostly unimportant. AVB's style of football (so far) is WAY to slow, we started the game lackadaisically and then wondered why we were sucker punched. Every game we start off playing the ball backward, passing sideways, playing at a turtle's pace, and it gives the other team the initiative when they start pressing and winning the ball back. I actually understand why we do it, it is because AVB thinks that keeping the ball among the center backs will bring the other team's midfielders and strikers into our half of the pitch, which will create more space to pass into behind those players. That would work in the Serie A (or the Portuguese league), but the Premier league is too fast paced with too little time on the ball for that strategy to work. With the right style of play, this team could be very good imo but we simply don't have the players to condense ourselves in the opponent's half of the pitch and try to break them down with intricate play. We do have the players to break quickly and to create chances on the counterattack but the problem is that we never actually do that. AVB insists on a ridiculous system that doesn't suit the players we have or the league we play in, that is the problem.<br /><br />-- Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:41 am --<br /><br />

I agree with just about everything you said there (except the part about being 5th). Especially the Soldado bit. It is becoming painfully obvious that we bought the wrong guy. Time to tease something out of Adebayor as he's the closest we've got. Maybe back to the future with Berbatov in January?

But we HAVE to get better wing play. And the left back situation is laughable give that we shipped out BAE in the summer.

Rubbish, he had 34 goals and 6 assists last season. That's exactly what we wanted in the summer and he was the right guy for Valencia because they played in a way that suited his skills. Maybe AVB/Baldini thought he could hold the ball up like Benteke but anyone who watched La Liga last season knew what we were getting. If the player turns out to be different than you expected, you have to swallow your pride and set up the team in a way that plays to their strengths instead of stick with a system that nullifies all their strengths.