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Juan Mata

You'd think Chelsea wouldn't sell to us. But then again, they sold Gallas and Diarra to Arsenal and let Benayoun go there on loan, as well as selling Sturridge to Liverpool, so it's not that they wouldn't sell to any PL rival. Though it does feel as though Roman has a grudge against Spurs - think Arnesen, Modric, Willian...they also blew us out of the water with big offers when they knew we were interested in Oscar, Hazard and Mata the first time.

I think our best bet would be to ask to get him on loan for the second half of the season, if we're far enough behind Chelsea for them to not consider us competitors and with him needing game time in preparation for the World Cup.
 
I don't think we need a Mata, what we need is a....

Andrea-Pirlo-Juventus-Champions-League_2890951.jpg


A Quarter-back type visionary.

If the chance ever came up to sign Mata I'd take it in a heartbeat best player at Chelsea but I think what we need is this type of player, in fact Yohan Cabaye wouldn't be a bad shout either. Very frustrating when you consider we so nearly signed this type of player when we missed out on João Moutinho.

4-3-3

______________Lloris_____________

Walker__Chiriches__Vertonghen__Rose

_____Visionary_________Sandro_____

_____________Eriksen_____________

__Townsend___________Sigurdsson__
_____________Soldado____________

If we're to keep going back to AVB's Porto side then I'd say he has his sweeper keeper in Lloris, he has the full backs with speed, he has the holders and CDMs, he has the striker with movement and finishing (ok not as good as Falcao but not far off), he has decent foward wingers, but not the Moutinho, not the visionary.
 
Last edited:
spurs' magna carter said:
I don't think we need a Mata, what we need is a....

Andrea-Pirlo-Juventus-Champions-League_2890951.jpg


A Quarter-back type visionary.

If the chance ever came up to sign Mata I'd take it in a heartbeat best player at Chelsea but I think what we need is this type of player, in fact Yohan Cabaye wouldn't be a bad shout either. Very frustrating when you consider we so nearly signed this type of player when we missed out on João Moutinho.

4-3-3

______________Lloris_____________

Walker__Chiriches__Vertonghen__Rose

_____Visionary_________Sandro_____

_____________Eriksen_____________

__Townsend___________Sigurdsson__
_____________Soldado____________

If we're to keep going back to AVB's Porto side then I'd say he has his sweeper keeper in Lloris, he has the full backs with speed, he has the holders and CDMs, he has the striker with movement and finishing (ok not as good as Falcao but not far off), he has decent foward wingers, but not the Moutinho, not the visionary.
Click to expand...

Exactly, this, a No 10 is there to find the final pass. We need a modric/Alonso/carrick to work the tempo.
 
punk_is_back` said:
Exactly, this, a No 10 is there to find the final pass. We need a modric/Alonso/carrick to work the tempo.
Click to expand...

The system we play depends on possession and you need a tempo for that to work, we don't have it. Just look Arsenal, every bangs on about Ozil, Wheelchair, Ramsey and Cazorla but the man behind this all is Arteta, very over looked.

We need a tempo. After that find a left back and the striker/s to replace Ade and Defoe (if the rumour is true).
 
In both these articles I've seen Holtby' name mentioned as being a good deep-lying-playmaker for Schalke which explains his tendancy to constantly chase the ball, so why does AVB seem so intent on deploying him as one of the 3 behind Soldado when he might be better suited to the role that Moutinho was very nearly signed to do.

A Case For Deep Lying Playmakers - Paul Scholes, Xavi, Pirlo, Modric And The Likes | Soccer Fan Base
The False 9: The Resurgence of the Deep Lying Playmaker-Part 2

spurs' magna carter said:
The system we play depends on possession and you need a tempo for that to work, we don't have it. Just look Arsenal, every bangs on about Ozil, Wheelchair, Ramsey and Cazorla but the man behind this all is Arteta, very over looked.

We need a tempo. After that find a left back and the striker/s to replace Ade and Defoe (if the rumour is true).
Click to expand...

Good points. Some people used to complain that Modric didn't contribute enough goals or assists whilst he was with us but (assisted by VdV) we used to have a good passing tempo which has been sorely missing since he moved. The team is now a bit like an orchestra without a conductor and the fact that Walker and Dawson are the only Spurs players this season to average more than 50 passes per game in the Prem despite our domination of possession just epitomises how desperately we need a midfield maestro to dictate play.

Average passes per game:

2010/11: Modric - 63; Huddlestone - 56; Assou-Ekotto - 51; Jenas - 46; van der Vaart - 44
2011/12: Modric - 70; Assou-Ekotto - 59; Parker - 59; van der Vaart - 49; Walker 48
2012/13: Dembele - 49; Vertonghen - 48; Naughton - 48; Walker - 44; Parker - 44
2013/14: Walker - 61; Dawson - 58; Paulinho - 50; Vertonghen - 48; Dembele - 39

Mumorn said:
Thanks for that, enjoyed that read.
Click to expand...

No worries.
 
AVB likely thinks that Holtby's weak physicality is reason enough not to use him as the deep lying playmaker. He did after all look lost defensively against City when they scored (Souness and Hoddle pointed it out), so you can understand why AVB would keep him back from there. Secondly Paulinho has been nailed on for the position alongside a defensive midfielder so we wouldn't have played Holbty alongside him. I agree though, someone to dictate he pace from deep and hit those early defence splitting passes to start a counter or any attack is needed.
 
SteveAWOL said:
In both these articles I've seen Holtby' name mentioned as being a good deep-lying-playmaker for Schalke which explains his tendancy to constantly chase the ball, so why does AVB seem so intent on deploying him as one of the 3 behind Soldado when he might be better suited to the role that Moutinho was very nearly signed to do.

A Case For Deep Lying Playmakers - Paul Scholes, Xavi, Pirlo, Modric And The Likes | Soccer Fan Base
The False 9: The Resurgence of the Deep Lying Playmaker-Part 2



Good points. Some people used to complain that Modric didn't contribute enough goals or assists whilst he was with us but (assisted by VdV) we used to have a good passing tempo which has been sorely missing since he moved. The team is now a bit like an orchestra without a conductor and the fact that Walker and Dawson are the only Spurs players this season to average more than 50 passes per game in the Prem despite our domination of possession just epitomises how desperately we need a midfield maestro to dictate play.

Average passes per game:

2010/11: Modric - 63; Huddlestone - 56; Assou-Ekotto - 51; Jenas - 46; van der Vaart - 44
2011/12: Modric - 70; Assou-Ekotto - 59; Parker - 59; van der Vaart - 49; Walker 48
2012/13: Dembele - 49; Vertonghen - 48; Naughton - 48; Walker - 44; Parker - 44
2013/14: Walker - 61; Dawson - 58; Paulinho - 50; Vertonghen - 48; Dembele - 39



No worries.
Click to expand...

Excellent post, and to address the highlit paragraph, yes, there were people who did not 'see' what Modric did for us (other than be our most important player for three seasons!!!!!)…the stat you illustrate re Walker and Daws shows exactly what other teams have sussed, that letting such players have more access to the ball is a win-win for them because rarely will either punish you with a slide pass or measure through ball…people constantly forget how hard AVB worked to try and get Modric to chelski! Must've been upsetting for him to arrive knowing he'd lose him. Thus his request for Moutinho. When that didn't happen, he must've been royally ****ed off...
 
SteveAWOL said:
In both these articles I've seen Holtby' name mentioned as being a good deep-lying-playmaker for Schalke which explains his tendancy to constantly chase the ball, so why does AVB seem so intent on deploying him as one of the 3 behind Soldado when he might be better suited to the role that Moutinho was very nearly signed to do.
Click to expand...

From what I've read at least Holtby played multiple positions for Schalke with success, including playing as a number 10, as a deeper playmaker and in a wider positions coming inside. He played as a number 10 for Germany in the U21 tournament this summer where he was their captain iirc.

I would like to see Holtby given a go in a deeper role too, I thought he looked good there against Basel in the EL last season and with someone like Sandro next to him we should be fine defensively. To some extent I can see the reluctance to play him there regularly as he's still young and fairly new to the league, we all remember how Modric took some time that included a spell on the left before he had adjusted enough to boss games from central midfield in the PL and he had at that time already played a deeper central role for Croatia in an international tournament so it wasn't as if the role was new to him either.

What I don't quite get is why AVB doesn't try Holtby (or perhaps Eriksen) in that role when we struggle for tempo and goalscoring chances in games we dominate. He put Tom Carroll on to play that role for us in the league as a sub last season so why not try it with Holtby as a sub as well?
 
I actually think Tom Carrol's off the ball movement is slightly sharper than Holtby's, from the games I've seen him in he's constantly on the move. Holtby however has the greater ability to play in a defence splitting pass
 
just to get back on point cause i dont think anyone answered

but are number 10s supposed to be bergkamps or can there be different ones?
 
africanspurs said:
just to get back on point cause i dont think anyone answered

but are number 10s supposed to be bergkamps or can there be different ones?
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5 of the very best #10 players feature in this highlights reel, I wouldn't describe Maradona or Ronaldinho as playing much like Bergkamp...

[video=youtube;L_aMxQG8Nw0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_aMxQG8Nw0[/video]
 
SteveAWOL said:
5 of the very best #10 players feature in this highlights reel, I wouldn't describe Maradona or Ronaldinho as playing much like Bergkamp...

[video=youtube;L_aMxQG8Nw0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_aMxQG8Nw0[/video]
Click to expand...

I quiet enjoyed that.

I forgot how much they kicked Maradona too. Makes it even more impressive.
 
On the basis of that video, Pele is the player we need. If not the Ronaldinho for the pure entertainment
 
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