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***OMT - Tottenham Hotspur v ACF Fiorentina***

Vega said:
That would surely be down to Poch and the medical team?
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Of course... I don't think I've said anything else.

But there's a difference between.
-Saying that the league is our top priority so we want to be as strong as possible for the Swansea game. Put out a team gainst Fiorentina that's as strong as possible with that priority in mind.
-Saying that we should put out the strongest team possible against Fiorentina and then make a decision on what will be our strongest team against Swansea after that.
 
braineclipse said:
Of course... I don't think I've said anything else.

But there's a difference between.
-Saying that the league is our top priority so we want to be as strong as possible for the Swansea game. Put out a team gainst Fiorentina that's as strong as possible with that priority in mind.
-Saying that we should put out the strongest team possible against Fiorentina and then make a decision on what will be our strongest team against Swansea after that.
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Yes you are correct, Ill leave that to Poch to determine which is his priority, i can only presume the league is more important overall so Swansea must be at the forefront of his mind.
 
We did not play our strongest team vs Palace. Next two games are both high priority and both games are at home. No reason not to pick our best XI in both games, with some sensible changes, as usual. Same goes for the game against West-Ham, and indeed ALL our remaining games!
 
Kandi1977 said:
We did not play our strongest team vs Palace. Next two games are both high priority and both games are at home. No reason not to pick our best XI in both games, with some sensible changes, as usual. Same goes for the game against West-Ham, and indeed ALL our remaining games!
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What if Poch had intended to rotate across the three cup games with no first team player playing in more than two of the three games?
 
braineclipse said:
There are different levels of trust though. I really didn't think saying that Pochettino shows more trust in young players than other managers would be up for discussion at this point.

Had Dier done enough to justify starts in the team as a DM at the start of the season? Had Lamela done enough to justify being a regular starter last season? Had Alli done enough to be trusted this much this season? Had Kane done enough to warrant us not signing anyone last summer despite Ade being frozen out and Soldado obviously not firing?

Pochettino's trust has helped these players developed. Because he has not done what Chelsea and City do - sign more players and give a small handful of sub appearances to young players when games are already effectively over or when they have no other options because of injuries.
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But it is clear (to me at least) that he is well behind in his development curve of say a Son, Lamela, Chadli, Alli etc. Thats not to say he won't make it, just that he is not quite at the right level yet. Our last few games have clearly illustrated that we could have done with some strengthening in January. We have scored just two non penalty goals in our last four games - from Trippier and Erikson. We have been extremely wasteful. Kane to me doesnt look as sharp as earlier in the season - even his closing down doesnt have the ferocity it did when he first broke into the side. Would a proven goalscorer coming in have helped? Who can say for sure - but I am saying that Onomah is not that person yet. Each game according to Poch is now a cup final - it isn't the time to blood unproven youngsters.
 
Pirate55 said:
But it is clear (to me at least) that he is well behind in his development curve of say a Son, Lamela, Chadli, Alli etc. Thats not to say he won't make it, just that he is not quite at the right level yet. Our last few games have clearly illustrated that we could have done with some strengthening in January. We have scored just two non penalty goals in our last four games - from Trippier and Erikson. We have been extremely wasteful. Kane to me doesnt look as sharp as earlier in the season - even his closing down doesnt have the ferocity it did when he first broke into the side. Would a proven goalscorer coming in have helped? Who can say for sure - but I am saying that Onomah is not that person yet. Each game according to Poch is now a cup final - it isn't the time to blood unproven youngsters.
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Well for Pochettino the game against Palace was the right time to blood Onomah (again).
The United game as the first game of the season perhaps wasn't the right game to blood Dier as a DM for many on here. Yet for Pochettino it was.
For many this January was the time to sign someone. Someone to play ahead of Onomah perhaps in a cup game against Palace. For Pochettino it seemingly wasn't.

But of course "just sign someone" is also an approach. All I'm saying is try seeing this from Pochettino's perspective with his approach. Look at the success he's had with the young players he's trusted both at Southampton and with us... Do you see why his approach makes sense?

Kane is our first choice striker and will remain so for the rest of the season regardless of form. I'm absolutely happy with that. There is no striker we could have realistically signed in January that I would want to come in for Kane in our high priority games at this point. Regardless of form. Onomah is obviously not competition for Kane at this point. No one has said that he is.

When Kane was having his dry spell at the start of the season there were people asking why we didn't have a backup striker to play instead. I was perfectly happy with Kane playing every (league) game while he regained his scoring form. He's that good. And just like back then I feel more confident about him regaining his (goal scoring) form than I would about the performance of any striker we could sign.

You talk about goal scoring, but Kane could very easily have scored a brace against Palace...
 
milo said:
What if Poch had intended to rotate across the three cup games with no first team player playing in more than two of the three games?
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That's what I've seen as likely all along and more or less what Pochettino seemed to hint at both with his comments before the game in Florence and with his line-ups in the two games so far.

Would also make a good deal of sense in my opinion. Didn't make much sense to make one cup competition a big priority over the other. Fewer games in the FA-cup, but both are cup competitions we could easily drop out of at any stage so better (imo) to give both an equal focus and see what happens round for round.

Could be that Pochettino figured the second Fiorentina game and the Swansea game both being at home and with the fitness level of our squad we could always put out close to our best team for both those games after rotating a bit for the two first cup games. But I'd have to say a full strength team against Palace and Swansea with player rested in between would make just as much sense. And that what you suggest still seems the more likely.

Alli and Wimmer the only players on course to starting all 3 games (and the following game against Swansea). Son another possibility, but he hasn't played all that much this season and Lamela could easily be preferred for Swansea anyway. Eriksen would only miss out 45 minutes if he plays the full 90 against Fiorentina, but he's also super fit and in great form these days. I'm guessing Wimmer as a center back that hasn't played much this season will be fine starting all 4 games. Alli will probably be ok, as will Eriksen and Kane, starting again on Thursday and Sunday. But personally my instincts say a bit more rest for some of them against Fiorentina.

Also the risk of extra time in the Fiorentina game. Would be a potential headache if we start close to our best 11 and it goes to extra time...
 
image-jpeg.2636
Predicted Team;

Vorm
Trippier
Davies
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Wimmer
Benteleb
Mason
Chadli
Onamah
Lamela
Son

Predicted Score;

Tottenham Hotspur - 1
Lamela 84'

Fiorentina - 1
Bernardeschi 72'

Tottenham Hotspur win 9-8 on penalties
 
I think they are going to see a backlash: 6-1 to us i think;
Goals from Lamela (2), Son (2), Chadli and Eriksen

Just hope we don't blow our load too much and save some goals for Swansea on Sunday

COYS
 
glorygloryeze said:
Out of interest, why don't you believe we can win the PL (not saying i do either btw) and secondly what position in the table do you think we'll finish?
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I do not think we are good enough ( yet), I still believe we will finish 3rd ( hope I am wrong though).
 
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