Pre-Season: *** Tottenham Hotspur vs MLS All-Stars OPSFMT ***

[stinkfoot]

Results in pre-season are meaningless. The performances of individuals and the team are key, upping fitness, getting rid of rustiness and seeing who is ready and who is not ready. That's what is important.

Absolutely! I'm sure we can all remember Bent smashing in about 15 goals pre-season when Ramos was in charge and look what happened that season!

 

[DublinSpur]

Can I just point out that at the same point of pre-season last year, the MLS All-Stars beat Bayern Munich 2-1.

Anyone suggesting we have a problem with our team because of the result is pretty bloody naive. Which is not to say we didn't make mistakes last night, or that we can't improve, or that we still look a bit short of match sharpness. All that is true, but if someone claims a 2-1 defeat at this stage of the season to the MLS squad is a disaster then presumably they thought Bayern Munich were in serious trouble last season (hint: they probably weren't).

 

[Vega]

I can't be arsed to go back and read the previous 13 pages, are people seriously saying that last night was some sort of serious defeat?

 

[DublinSpur]

I can't be arsed to go back and read the previous 13 pages, are people seriously saying that last night was some sort of serious defeat?

Not exactly... but there's a lot of "based on last night we have no chance of making top four" kind of stuff.

In my opinion last night did teach us some stuff (albeit stuff we probably already guessed)... that we desperately need back-up for Kane, and that our midfield is probably a man or two short of being completely sorted. And I've no doubt the coaching team learnt plenty more.

But ultimately it was a pre-season match all about getting the players fit and sharp. Vertonghen had a bit of a 'mare last night - for example - but that was clearly down to a lack of match-readiness... though no doubt there'll be someone out there who demands he be sold because of one bad game during the summer break. There's always someone.

 

[Vega]

Thank GHod i am safe then, i have said we will finish 6th for the past week!

 

[Pirate55]

I don't believe that the teams below us have caught us up.

Time will tell. Without any quality further additions, I feel we will struggle this season.

Not quite serious relegation fears, more like mid table mediocrity

 

[wiziwig]

I think last night showed us more than anything, that we're missing a Charlie Austin.

 

[Spurs7891]

It is not nice when we lose, even in friendly matches. Looking at our performance in this match, it is clear we are not yet ready for the new season. Not sure how we will fare against Real Madrid next week, let alone ManU in our first league match. Credit to Kane for scoring a wonder goal but he also wasted a few good chances. In fact, our finishing looked very poor in this match. We could have scored atleast 2 goals if we had been more alert and clinical in front of goal. Hopefully, we will buy a few players before the PL season starts.

 

[parklane1]

One game and the knee jerkers have already started.

"We are doomed I tell thee doomed"

 

[milo]

Time will tell. Without any quality further additions, I feel we will struggle this season.

Not quite serious relegation fears, more like mid table mediocrity

I don't understand why you think that when we have held onto our key players when our direct competitors haven't and we have strengthened our weakest area, defence.

This to me feels very similar to last summer when everyone was getting carried away with Liverpool's signings and predicted doom because Everton signed Lukaku.

 

[milo]

Exactly Vega, the other teams imo have strengthened significantly, we could play five Supermen at the back but until we can give them cover we are wide open at the back

Have Arsenal strengthened significantly? Are Man U with only Rooney up front and no new defenders significantly stronger? How are Emirates Marketing Project, Chelsea, Southampton or Liverpool stronger?

 

[Maltese Falcon]

Honestly? People taking the result seriously?
The first thing I said this morning when I logged on was: please let it be a close defeat with a decent display from the kids. This was the best result! If we had won 4-0 with goals from Alli and Onomah, the temptation for Levy to keep the status quo would have been too much...

 

[Raziel]

High line at work in first half, MLS has possession, only Spurs player out of frame is Vorm.

 

[milo]

Honestly? People taking the result seriously?
The first thing I said this morning when I logged on was: please let it be a close defeat with a decent display from the kids. This was the best result! If we had won 4-0 with goals from Alli and Onomah, the temptation for Levy to keep the status quo would have been too much...

I'd be amazed if Levy or anyone else at the club makes decisions on squad composition and signings on the basis of one game, let alone a pre-season exhibition match.

 

[Raziel]

I'd be amazed if Levy or anyone else at the club makes decisions on squad composition and signings on the basis of one game, let alone a pre-season exhibition match.

Exactly ...

 

[braineclipse]

Seems like a good first (open doors) friendly to get us started. Didn't get a chance to watch it, but a good performance at this point is just about all we need.

High line at work in first half, MLS has possession, only Spurs player out of frame is Vorm.

You say they have possession, but for how long have they had possession? And are they under pressure on the ball?

 

[Raziel]

Seems like a good first (open doors) friendly to get us started. Didn't get a chance to watch it, but a good performance at this point is just about all we need.



You say they have possession, but for how long have they had possession? And are they under pressure on the ball?

I wasn't making a judgment call, for what its worth, we put them under pressure, won a fair amount of the ball.

However, their better players responded by looking for long ball over the top to runners (something we have seen before)

 

[braineclipse]

I wasn't making a judgment call, for what its worth, we put them under pressure, won a fair amount of the ball.

However, their better players responded by looking for long ball over the top to runners (something we have seen before)

As long as it's the period just after losing the ball looking to win it back the picture posted seems perfectly fine to me.

Saying that we were doing this whilst the MLS team "had possession" is at least somewhat misleading in that case as it's not a case of this being our approach when they have controlled possession, just our approach during a turnover phase - and again fairly standard I think.

 

[milo]

Windy has done a really good write up of the game

http://windycoys.com/2015/07/mls-all-stars-2-1-spurs-some-thoughts/

 

[Raziel]

Spurs hat for event