• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Our Poor European Form

So, we are out of the Champions League, and even if we should qualify, soon out of the Europa League as well. Then we can focus solely on the domestic league (as we also will have crashed out of the FA Cup by then) and make sure that we'd qualify for the Champions League.
 
Legohamster said:
Arrogance?

We think we are too good for the EL so never take it seriously.
Click to expand...

Don't think anyone believes that. Just that the EL puts a strain on our resources and puts us at a disadvantage playing on Sundays.

Personally, I want to see us go hell for leather for the FA Cup now and aim for a top 4 finish in the league. If we drop down to the EL, I'd be fine giving the youngsters a run out until when/if we get to the last 8.
 
Players not having played regular in the CL added to a manager that has not managed at that level and a club not used to being int he competition.

All of that combined and the fact the Premier League is not near the level of a number of European League, again to be proved this year when non of the remaining make the final. The EPL makes you believe you are better because you succeed against the best in the league, not in arrogance but just easy to think "beat Emirates Marketing Project we are ready for this level and ultimately the levels of technical ability in other leagues is far greater than whats believed. Basically what I am saying is the EPL leaves teams undercooked for whats to come, its a trap of a league, Pep, Wenger and Dillydong have that experience and Poch was probably a victim of faith and inexperience.

We will be better off for it next time, everyone
 
I like the idea though, it goes back to what I said, learning curve, the easy thing would be to run away from Wembley and accuse it of being the reason we went out. Go back and learn, learn to play in big stadiums and on different pitches, I like it
 
Grays_1890 said:
Dillydong
Click to expand...

Has won four games on the trot, hasn't he? Against inferior opposition, but it's hard to argue that the likes of Jamie Vardy, Wes Morgan and Danny Drinkwater were any more used to the rigors of the highest competition in football than our lads were.
 
DubaiSpur said:
Has won four games on the trot, hasn't he? Against inferior opposition, but it's hard to argue that the likes of Jamie Vardy, Wes Morgan and Danny Drinkwater were any more used to the rigors of the highest competition in football than our lads were.
Click to expand...

Yeh true but equally they have a fair few players that have played in the comp.

Im just saying its been a learning curve for pretty much all involved at Spurs, including the adaptation to a new surroundings, I am not using it s an excuse to whats happened but for me I will cast more judgement if in a year to two years time we have not learnt about this experience as a club, management and players,
 
Grays_1890 said:
I like the idea though, it goes back to what I said, learning curve, the easy thing would be to run away from Wembley and accuse it of being the reason we went out. Go back and learn, learn to play in big stadiums and on different pitches, I like it
Click to expand...

Spot on!
 
Grays_1890 said:
Yeh true but equally they have a fair few players that have played in the comp.

Im just saying its been a learning curve for pretty much all involved at Spurs, including the adaptation to a new surroundings, I am not using it s an excuse to whats happened but for me I will cast more judgement if in a year to two years time we have not learnt about this experience as a club, management and players,
Click to expand...
I could buy into that more if we'd gone out because we'd played naively, perhaps been too open and been undone by teams with more savvy than we currently have, but we've just been rank bad in so many (all?) of our matches. I don't really see how inexperience accounts for doing the basics so poorly.
 
Grays_1890 said:
Yeh true but equally they have a fair few players that have played in the comp.

Im just saying its been a learning curve for pretty much all involved at Spurs, including the adaptation to a new surroundings, I am not using it s an excuse to whats happened but for me I will cast more judgement if in a year to two years time we have not learnt about this experience as a club, management and players,
Click to expand...

It's true that we were probably unprepared for how challenging our group would be, I'll give you that much. We will probably get better if we get back in, since our squad is mostly a young one that will inevitably learn. But I don't think Leicester had as much European experience as we did going in, and they've outperformed us pretty conclusively, is all. Of Leicester's dominant players (Schmeichel, Morgan, Huth, Drinkwater, Mahrez, Vardy), I don't think a single one has ever played a minute of CL football (could well be wrong on that, though - haven't researched it). By contrast, of our first eleven, off the top of my head - Lloris featured in it with Lyon for years and years, Toby and Verts both played in it regularly as a pairing for Ajax (and Toby then got to the final with Atletico), Wanyama played in it for Celtic (and started in that memorable win against Barcelona), Eriksen again featured in it for Ajax, Son featured in it for Leverkusen, and (depending on whether or not you want to include him over Alli) Lamela featured in it for Roma.

Our players 'know' the CL more than theirs do, I can guarantee you that. I just think Leicester's players don't care what the CL is like, whereas ours probably did and got sucked into the competitiveness of it all.
 
Huth has played in both CL and EL for Chelsea and Stoke, but he's also extremely experienced at the highest level (despite being a giant brute).

The Leicester players are obviously putting all they have into the CL, plus it's just about the easiest group possible. They know they won't win the the PL again and by now have probably realised they'll struggle to get into the top half. A good draw for the next round and they'll make the QFs.
 
poch doesn't have much experience competing in europe; he is still learning.
happy to be out of CL if our form in the legaue improves (i.e. scoring more goals and winning more games)
 
DubaiSpur said:
It's true that we were probably unprepared for how challenging our group would be, I'll give you that much. We will probably get better if we get back in, since our squad is mostly a young one that will inevitably learn. But I don't think Leicester had as much European experience as we did going in, and they've outperformed us pretty conclusively, is all. Of Leicester's dominant players (Schmeichel, Morgan, Huth, Drinkwater, Mahrez, Vardy), I don't think a single one has ever played a minute of CL football (could well be wrong on that, though - haven't researched it). By contrast, of our first eleven, off the top of my head - Lloris featured in it with Lyon for years and years, Toby and Verts both played in it regularly as a pairing for Ajax (and Toby then got to the final with Atletico), Wanyama played in it for Celtic (and started in that memorable win against Barcelona), Eriksen again featured in it for Ajax, Son featured in it for Leverkusen, and (depending on whether or not you want to include him over Alli) Lamela featured in it for Roma.

Our players 'know' the CL more than theirs do, I can guarantee you that. I just think Leicester's players don't care what the CL is like, whereas ours probably did and got sucked into the competitiveness of it all.
Click to expand...

I think it's more simple really: Leicester had a far easier group given their seeding, they have put ALL their eggs in the CL basket (esp given how crap they have been in the league this season), they have a manager who is more experienced in the CL and who has now abandoned trying to juggle between the two.
Going out at the group stage is not so much the issue for me (we had a well-balance group with no 'gimmes') but it's the poor play in the majority of the games and not being clinical enough at key times.
 
Jurgen the German said:
That's macaronic if he believes that.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of Poch an I agree with you it's a little macaronic if he believes that, more so when you throw in his summer expenditure on the three players Nkoudou (£11m), Janssen (£18m) and Sissoko (£30), totalling £59m. Up to now, none have helped lift the squad to the higher level that were much needed to compete in both the PL and CL.

In the summer, it were Poch's job to find a solution for what were need for us to compete in the two big competitions. He must admit to himself it's not gone to plan and he were looking for a better return on the £59m.

Yes, hindsight is wonderful thing but would we have been worse off for example, if we had gone with similar signings to those listed below and £32m in our back pockets to go towards an Isco type technical skill set player, players?

Southhamton's, Nathan Redmond £11m
WBA's, Matt Phillips £5m
Watford's, Roberto Pereyra £11m.


Poch knows and will admit it to himself and his coaching team, that thus far, our signings have fallen short and it's just made the job a little harder.

Our next signings need to offer us technical improvement. They need to be Payet or Firmino type players. I'm sure that's the plan or at least I hope it is .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back