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Ratings v Palace

We are in the difficult position of being good enough that most teams come to the Lane for a point but not rich enough to be able to afford world class players who can create something out of nothing to find a way through. We need to rely on teamwork and developing players. To be successful this requires patience from our fans.

All i ask is for some good football i'm not expecting us to thrash everyone and win the league. The last 3 seasons has been the most boring football i have seen Spurs play, ok some games have been good but it seems to be 1 in 10.
 
All i ask is for some good football i'm not expecting us to thrash everyone and win the league. The last 3 seasons has been the most boring football i have seen Spurs play, ok some games have been good but it seems to be 1 in 10.

But how easy is it to play good football when you are faced with two tight lines of four sat on the edge of the box in 80% of your games?
 
Lloris 8
Walker 5
Alderweireld 7
Vertonghen 7
Davies 6
Dier 8
Alli 8
Son 8
Lamela 7
Chadli 6
Kane 5

Eriksen 7
Njie 6
Carroll 6

Best performance of the season, albeit not perfect. Palace are no mugs these days, and the way we almost beat them at their own game was most gratifying.
 
Lloris 9
THAT save, and was calm and focused all night (day) long. You could give me de Gea, I wouldnt swap. Honestly.
Walker 7
Getting back to were he was before the injuries stopped him. IMO had good control. Could be even more involved going forward.
Alderweireld 7
Good. Nothing more, nothing less.
Vertonghen 7
Looks like Jan is enjoying playing with Toby. Got involved in the attacking half a couple of times. I like that.
Davies 7
One of his better games for Spurs IMO. Pitty he didnt get his first goal.
Dier 8
I admit being wrong about Eric. Looks like he's played DM for his whole life. Composed with the ball, runs A LOT, and wins most of the challenges. Love it.
Alli 7
Lost a few passes early on, but got better. Lovely touches, and also do a lot of the "dirty" work. We could probably have a coming England international, maybe as early as this season.
Son 9
His energy, pace and skills is just brilliant. Doesn't do everything perfect, but my feeling he is perfect in a team that Poch wants to create.
Lamela 8
2nd half Thursday was the best I've seen from Lamela for a long, long time. Today he was good, sometimes very good. Has a big part in the Son goal.
Chadli 6
Ok, but nothing more.
Kane 5
Last seasons emotional ride, and a long, long season - combined with a very short pre season - is there for everyone to see. Personally I didnt think he could do another 20+ goal season, but what I'm sure of is that Harry will strike back.
Eriksen 7
Lovely assist. Good to have him back.
Njie 6
Clearly got pace, but had to use it chasing Palace players in the end. Will be interesting to see him get a chance to start a game soon. Maybe on Wednesday?
Carroll N/A.
 
8 - Son, Alli
7 - rest

Excellent allround team performance, especially considering 4 of our core 5 players from last season were missing from the starting line-up

We moved the ball well and looked resilient.

Very encouraging

Agree with this except I'd give Alli a 7.
 
All i ask is for some good football i'm not expecting us to thrash everyone and win the league. The last 3 seasons has been the most boring football i have seen Spurs play, ok some games have been good but it seems to be 1 in 10.

So you don't think we played well today?

In the OMT you were saying how we're just a top ten team at best and how no one is scared of us anymore and now you're saying Palace, a team in the top 4 going in to the weekend, showed us too much respect sitting back and letting us play! :confused:
 
Lloris 8 - Solid as a rock throughout, that brilliant save midway through the second half every bit as pivotal as Son's winner.

Walker 7 - mostly strong and positive but lucky to get away with half a brainfart yielding possession with a dangerous pass inside the box second half

Alderweifeld 7 - solid throughout with the added bonus of the occasional quality diagonal long-range forward pass

Vertonghen 7 - looking more and more like the commanding Verts we saw in his first full season with us

Davies 6 - still prone to weak tackling and wasteful passing but unlucky his goal was ruled offside, it would have stood had the rules not changed this season

Dier 7 - another impressive performance in front of the back four; love that fiery streak of his

Alli 7 - excellent all round performance just lacking the odd moment of magic that we're coming to expect from him

Son 8 - tempting to give him a nine he was that impressive. Despite a slight temdency to overdo it, gotta love his never-say-die commitment and sheer class on the ball, a combination that yielded a deserved bit of luck as his shot cannoned between McCarthy's legs and into the net for our winner

Lamela 7 - still prone to running into trouble but for once we saw some intelligent passing and impressive use of the dead-ball making this one of his best performances in a long while

Chadli 5 - some good moments but too often yielded possession, flitted in and out of the game and fluffed his chances in front of goal

Kane 6 - absolutely nothing coming off for him atm but you have to admire his tracking back and determination to keep on trying.

Subs

Eriksen 6 - inevitably looked a tad slow having been out for so long but that still did not stop him providing an assist and putting Alli through for a chance on goal late on. Good to have his class available once again

N'jie n/a

Carroll n/a
 
I think people's view of Walker's performance was completely skewed by the silly gaffe he made. He was outstanding otherwise today in my opinion

That brain-fart was bad enough, but it wasn't the only issue for me; I actually thought he killed the momentum in one or two promising attacks as well. I remember one specific incident where the ball was laid back for him from a position roughly level with the edge of their box, close to the touchline, and he had to advance about ten or fifteen yards to meet it. We had plenty of bodies forward and he had all the time in the world to think about what he was going to do before he got there. You were expecting him to whip in a first-time deep cross, but instead he actually stopped the ball. There was a definite hiatus in which we lost all forward momentum and eventually possession as well. For me, he too often lacks the speed of thought to match his fleetness of foot.
 
That brain-fart was bad enough, but it wasn't the only issue for me; I actually thought he killed the momentum in one or two promising attacks as well. I remember one specific incident where the ball was laid back for him from a position roughly level with the edge of their box, close to the touchline, and he had to advance about ten or fifteen yards to meet it. We had plenty of bodies forward and he had all the time in the world to think about what he was going to do before he got there. You were expecting him to whip in a first-time deep cross, but instead he actually stopped the ball. There was a definite hiatus in which we lost all forward momentum and eventually possession as well. For me, he too often lacks the speed of thought to match his fleetness of foot.
I recognise that moment you're referring to and found it equally exasperating, especially as Walker makes quite a habit of it. To be fair there had also been occasions earlier when he'd successfully taken on his man and beaten him for pace to the byeline but this time it looked like Palace were ready for him and had already blocked that option off. We have to accept he is not an out-and-out winger, he neither possesses the trickery to weave his way through nor the skill of a Beckham to place an early, accurate cross over the top and onto the head of an onrushing forward, hence his hesitation. His success rate with crosses is hardly impressive and he knows it.

As with Rose, what I do like about Walker at the back is the way he so emphatically imposes himself on opposing attackers. But neither of them is exceptional at crossing the ball and it may well be that once Trippier and Davies have managed to establish themselves defensively, they will become Poch's preferred choices because of their superior ability to put the ball into dangerous areas from out wide.
 
That brain-fart was bad enough, but it wasn't the only issue for me; I actually thought he killed the momentum in one or two promising attacks as well. I remember one specific incident where the ball was laid back for him from a position roughly level with the edge of their box, close to the touchline, and he had to advance about ten or fifteen yards to meet it. We had plenty of bodies forward and he had all the time in the world to think about what he was going to do before he got there. You were expecting him to whip in a first-time deep cross, but instead he actually stopped the ball. There was a definite hiatus in which we lost all forward momentum and eventually possession as well. For me, he too often lacks the speed of thought to match his fleetness of foot.
Hopefully they were told by Poch not to waste their time lumping balls "into the mixer" like that. Palace are big, strong, organised defensively and managed by Pardew. They're only a Pulis away from being the perfect side not to put in that kind of cross against.
 
It wasn't really a "lump into the mixer" sort of situation. We had good forward momentum at the time and plenty of bodies threatening their goal area. It was an opportunity and we'd already shown we could give them something to think about through good delivery into the box with Kane and with Aldeweireld having had headed efforts just off-target. It was crying out for the ball to be delivered first time, but in the end we did nothing and the ball just came back the other way.

It's just one incident, and probably not worth dwelling on further, but I often feel we want too much time. What's that old saying about the first five yards being in the head?
 
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Regarding Walker,I just don't get it. I watched him make his debut in a friendly,and I was so impressed. Everything he got the ball he just bombed forward with the ball and looked so powerful running past people. But all of a sudden that disappeared and hasn't returned,I don't know why it has gone but it doesn't look like it's coming back anytime.e soon. Has it been coached out of him,or was it just being a fearless youngster that allowed him to do this so frequently l? Either way,I wish he would go back to that marauding full back,it's ideal for the way Pochs wants us to play....
 
Regarding Walker,I just don't get it. I watched him make his debut in a friendly,and I was so impressed. Everything he got the ball he just bombed forward with the ball and looked so powerful running past people. But all of a sudden that disappeared and hasn't returned,I don't know why it has gone but it doesn't look like it's coming back anytime.e soon. Has it been coached out of him,or was it just being a fearless youngster that allowed him to do this so frequently l? Either way,I wish he would go back to that marauding full back,it's ideal for the way Pochs wants us to play....

He no longer has Lennon to create space for him by distracting defenders. Plus nowadays it seems like defences are better drilled at keeping two solid rows of four between them and the ball the whole time - especially when they play us.
 
He no longer has Lennon to create space for him by distracting defenders. Plus nowadays it seems like defences are better drilled at keeping two solid rows of four between them and the ball the whole time - especially when they play us.

Perhaps. I never thought Walker and Lennon was a good pairing on the right. In some ways, I think Walker was bad for Lennon as it meant that he did not focus on driving forward as he was far more aware of his defensive obligations.
 
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