***OMT*** Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool

[Kingdawson]

Just wondering whether Sandro's thigh strain might have been what did for AVB!!!!
I'm sure yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back for Levy, the lack of goals and dull, ponderous approach play being the main problem.
But the manager was surely unlucky yesterday...

What was the score and how were we performing prior to Sandro getting injured may i ask?

 

[VolSpur]

Now the dust is settling on AVB's departure, I'd like to know what went wrong yesterday.
None of us saw it coming, we all saw a home win. We had played well against ManU, maybe deserved more than one point.
So were AVB's tactics in the first half hour hopelessly wrong, or did the players just under-perform spectacularly?
Surely one part of the game plan must have been to protect our injury weakened defence, and in particular the left back position?
I'm not a football tactician, just someone who loves the game....how did AVB get the first half yesterday so hopelessly wrong? Or was it just one of those "bad days at the office" when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong??

Just to reinforce Modric THFC's thoughts...

A few of us did see the light before the game:

When did Sky become PoolTV?

Haven't heard Spurs mentioned once in the past 6 minutes of this pregame


Everyones going on about midfield, but I really think it might come down to Suarez vs our 2 CB's. If Dawson isn't up for it, I'm afraid it won't be pretty. Pool can go direct with a through ball and absolutely tear us apart with Daws back there and a high-line.

Honestly think it's a horrendous team selection but here's to hoping Im wrong.

And some of us didn't...

horrendous. :ross:

brilliant.

It doesn't take a genius to foresee the problems we were about to have with no distribution in midfield, a backup RB playing LB, and Dawson going against one of the quicker attacking sides in the league.. Though to be fair to AVB, he was forced into some decisions (Capoue at the back)

 

[SteveAWOL]

Don't agree with any of that comment, as well written as it was.

Nothing has come out about his man management so far, and most players seemed to back him. He was given top jobs in England because he won a treble and went a season undefeated, so he kind of paid his dues pretty quickly. I've also seen us turn games around after in-match tactical decisions and he had a great win % with us.

Imho AVB has the highest win % of any Tottenham manager in the Premier League largely thanks to the fact that he inherited the best squad this club has assembled in decades and had Redknapp not unsettled the players by shamelessly touting himself for the England job we would have surpassed last season' record breaking tally of 72pts and secured CL football for the 2nd time in 3 years, although I know you disagree on that point as you believe that it was because the players expended too much energy in the first half of the season battering teams like Liverpool (4-0 at WHL) that lead to the dramatic tail off in results in the weeks following Capello' resignation.

Andre is clearly a very bright academic and at Porto he had a squad that could play his textbook system as he wanted and the results speak for themselves but at Chelsea and here at Tottenham he just couldn't adapt it to the players available and his stubbornness in persisting with the likes of Terry / Dawson in a high line plus freezing out BAE and Ade was his undoing; although who knows how different things could've been had the Chavs got Modric or we had we signed Moutinho, Villa, Contreao and Willian to fulfil those key pivotal roles.

 

[Lilywhite]

Now the dust is settling on AVB's departure, I'd like to know what went wrong yesterday.
None of us saw it coming, we all saw a home win. We had played well against ManU, maybe deserved more than one point.
So were AVB's tactics in the first half hour hopelessly wrong, or did the players just under-perform spectacularly?
Surely one part of the game plan must have been to protect our injury weakened defence, and in particular the left back position?
I'm not a football tactician, just someone who loves the game....how did AVB get the first half yesterday so hopelessly wrong? Or was it just one of those "bad days at the office" when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong??

Having had time to calm down and watch it again (yes, I actually put myself through it again!), I just think the tone was set early on and continued for the remainder.

Liverpool started brighter, got the ball down and played with pace and tempo. They just looked like a very well drilled unit with cohesion aplenty. Us? The opposite. It's almost like our players looked at theirs, saw how determined they were and thought "**** it, just gonna feel sorry for myself today".

I hate to say I told you so but I've been saying for weeks that we as Spurs fans have massively underrated Liverpool, Everton and even Arsenal this season. They all have an identity and style of play that gets results. To be honest, I think Liverpool and Arsenal (not sure on Everton) are good enough to finish above Chelsea. When I've watched Chelsea this season they have been nearly as bad us FFS! Just lucky with some decisions and a few more grinded wins than us.

But for us, like I say it was just a disaster. I sat there until the end, numb as a nun.

The new manager has a job on his hands. Playing our three (four if we include Capoue) big athletes together is an absolute no-go. Play two of them in the middle, preferably Sandro and A.N. Other, alongside Paulinho or Dembele, then have Lennon right, Eriksen or Holtby off the front man (Soldado, may as well stick with him and hope he comes good) with Lamela left.

Another point while talking about positions - we have far too many wingers who play better on the right than they do the left. It's seriously imbalanced and suggests poor planning on our behalf in the summer just gone. Lennon, Lamela and Townsend all much prefer playing wide right. Chadli is the most natural of those guys at being on the left, but probably our 4th best winger.

Oh well, look on the brightside - things can only get better from here.

 

[Rorschach]

Having had time to calm down and watch it again (yes, I actually put myself through it again!), I just think the tone was set early on and continued for the remainder.

Liverpool started brighter, got the ball down and played with pace and tempo. They just looked like a very well drilled unit with cohesion aplenty. Us? The opposite. It's almost like our players looked at theirs, saw how determined they were and thought "**** it, just gonna feel sorry for myself today".

I hate to say I told you so but I've been saying for weeks that we as Spurs fans have massively underrated Liverpool, Everton and even Arsenal this season. They all have an identity and style of play that gets results. To be honest, I think Liverpool and Arsenal (not sure on Everton) are good enough to finish above Chelsea. When I've watched Chelsea this season they have been nearly as bad us FFS! Just lucky with some decisions and a few more grinded wins than us.

But for us, like I say it was just a disaster. I sat there until the end, numb as a nun.

The new manager has a job on his hands. Playing our three (four if we include Capoue) big athletes together is an absolute no-go. Play two of them in the middle, preferably Sandro and A.N. Other, alongside Paulinho or Dembele, then have Lennon right, Eriksen or Holtby off the front man (Soldado, may as well stick with him and hope he comes good) with Lamela left.

Another point while talking about positions - we have far too many wingers who play better on the right than they do the left. It's seriously imbalanced and suggests poor planning on our behalf in the summer just gone. Lennon, Lamela and Townsend all much prefer playing wide right. Chadli is the most natural of those guys at being on the left, but probably our 4th best winger.

Oh well, look on the brightside - things can only get better from here.

Unfortunately this is not true. It could get a whole lot worse.

 

[Spurs7891]

I wanted to avoid commenting on this match. But just felt like saying something which disturbed me. I really felt Paulinho "sabotaged" this match. His kick at Suarez was clearly intentional but the way he left his leg too long in the air after that seemed like he really wanted the ref to notice it to be red carded. His smile after being given the red card was even more annoying. I think AVB simply gave up at this moment as he was shaking his head ruefully at this incident. I really felt we could come back into this match until Paulinho's red card. I am still annoyed with Paulinho with this red card and I think will find it hard to accept him after this.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I wanted to avoid commenting on this match. But just felt like saying something which disturbed me. I really felt Paulinho "sabotaged" this match. His kick at Suarez was clearly intentional but the way he left his leg too long in the air after that seemed like he really wanted the ref to notice it to be red carded. His smile after being given the red card was even more annoying. I think AVB simply gave up at this moment as he was shaking his head ruefully at this incident. I really felt we could come back into this match until Paulinho's red card. I am still annoyed with Paulinho with this red card and I think will find it hard to accept him after this.

I did wonder how somebody of Paulinho's experience could have got themselves and the team into such a situation; I didn't look too strongly at the body language, but sadly I think you might have a point:-k

 

[braineclipse]

I wanted to avoid commenting on this match. But just felt like saying something which disturbed me. I really felt Paulinho "sabotaged" this match. His kick at Suarez was clearly intentional but the way he left his leg too long in the air after that seemed like he really wanted the ref to notice it to be red carded. His smile after being given the red card was even more annoying. I think AVB simply gave up at this moment as he was shaking his head ruefully at this incident. I really felt we could come back into this match until Paulinho's red card. I am still annoyed with Paulinho with this red card and I think will find it hard to accept him after this.

Wow. I saw that completely different, would be interesting to see how others saw that situation.

For me Paulinho didn't intentionally catch Suarez. I aw him going for a high ball, realizing that he would catch Suarez and so he bent his leg to avoid "De Jonging" him. By bending his leg he made sure the contact wasn't really bad, for me that was never a red card.

When he was then shown a red card for what was a pretty clear yellow on a day when everything was going wrong he was frustrated, but also amazed and shocked. So he smiled, a pretty normal reaction to something like that. Not a display of happiness, but a display of surprise.

 

[milo]

Wow. I saw that completely different, would be interesting to see how others saw that situation.

For me Paulinho didn't intentionally catch Suarez. I aw him going for a high ball, realizing that he would catch Suarez and so he bent his leg to avoid "De Jonging" him. By bending his leg he made sure the contact wasn't really bad, for me that was never a red card.

When he was then shown a red card for what was a pretty clear yellow on a day when everything was going wrong he was frustrated, but also amazed and shocked. So he smiled, a pretty normal reaction to something like that. Not a display of happiness, but a display of surprise.

I saw it the same as you

 

[Pirate55]

Wow. I saw that completely different, would be interesting to see how others saw that situation.

For me Paulinho didn't intentionally catch Suarez. I aw him going for a high ball, realizing that he would catch Suarez and so he bent his leg to avoid "De Jonging" him. By bending his leg he made sure the contact wasn't really bad, for me that was never a red card.

When he was then shown a red card for what was a pretty clear yellow on a day when everything was going wrong he was frustrated, but also amazed and shocked. So he smiled, a pretty normal reaction to something like that. Not a display of happiness, but a display of surprise.

I saw it the same way too.

 

[Kingdawson]

I saw it the same as you

same.