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*** Tottenham Hotspur FC vs South Coast Big Club OMT ***

No, just they seem to up their game against the 'big' teams and tinkle it away against the little ones.

thats why they are in a false position i guess. I expect Pinocchio to sort out that defect and they will be beating the big teams and the brick ones and they will be challenging for the title next season
 
thats why they are in a false position i guess. I expect Pinocchio to sort out that defect and they will be beating the big teams and the brick ones and they will be challenging for the title next season


They said a stat during the match, they've scored something like the 8th most goals in the league this season. Just conceded far too many. They could easily be a mid table club next year if they sort out their defence.
 
Personally I think fatigue is an issue, compounded by the natural habits of our players - there's no way our players *want* to stand around like a block of statues, they just can't run at 100% and/or don't know better. The problem is that they've never been great pass-and-movers in their lives, because they've typically been the "point man" for the teams rather than a "foundation-building" player - eg. Dempsey and Lennon and Siggy and Defoe and Dembele are the ones you look for to dribble-create one or two great chances or pick up the rebound to score, but they spend most of the game lying in wait for that one chance for a run rather than aggressively get on the ball and try to dictate the flow of the game (Bale used to be like this, but this season he appears to be trying to take up more of the playmaking onus). If you look at Arse and United and even Liverpool, even their point men integrate themselves into the flow of the game. So they have multiple players making runs and creating space and passing options whenever someone is on the ball - while with us, it's one player moving at most (eg. see Bale's goal today - everyone is just standing there staring at him!)

I think the natural make-up of our players also contributes to fatigue. Because we lose the ball so easily (thanks to a lack of comfort on the ball), we spend most of the game expending energy to chase it. While off-the-ball work is important, we seem to think that our job is done once we get the ball - hell, getting on the ball triggers our "relaxation period", where we stand on the ball and catch our breath while looking for options. This is doubly compounded by the poor/tired movement of our other players, which leaves the man on the ball with few options. Hence, passing that is as slow and disjointed as confused molasses. :lol:

Fatigue saps not only creativity but defensive composure, because it really impacts mental concentration. At least earlier in the season we were getting saved by decent defending as a team, now we can neither attack *nor* defend. Usually that is an issue with the midfield, which is supposed to provide the platform for the former and the shield for the latter.

What can we do? Well, not start an entire catalogue of point men for one thing, even if that means we need to stick in the youngsters. Most teams can afford one if the one is a very clinical striker, but no team can afford four or five on the pitch at one time. It doesn't matter if Dempsey or Defoe is more likely to score a lucky goal off his arse while we play like brick, because starting them practically guarantees we will play like brick - that we will struggle to get ahold of the ball, we will struggle to build any sort of chance, and our defense will come under severe pressure. I would rather see us at least attempt to grasp control of midfield and build something than admit that we'll give up all control of the game and pray for a goal from somewhere.

The other key is mental. Not so much motivation (I'm sure we're pretty damn motivated), but belief and spirit. We don't have many options, but I trust we can summon a second wind in us with so few games left. Tiredness is as much a matter of the head as well as feet - it's up to AVB to get in their heads and draw out that spirit.
 
ibmU8346AbLNdD.gif

Look at that movement from our front two.
 
I said at the start of the season i was prepared for a mid table finish, any thing above that is a bonus for me. I am in for the long ride I want this club to grow along with this incredibly young manager. To be fighting for 3rd 4th is bloody fantastic.

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Fapatalk HD
 
World class the way that the 2 of them stand right next to each other, with Siggy just behind them, thus minimising the chance of Bale' shot striking any of them =D>


Would be interesting to see where Bae was standing.


If the Saints players tracked Bale better he'd have had zero options open bar Bae.
 
That is fudging shocking.

I feel sick watching that and I include Dempsey here . Even as the ball hits the back of the net with 5 minutes to go it seems their reactions are like , 'Gareth you greedy fooker, how comes you didn't pass'? At least Holtby was moving and seemed to react to the goal .



Good post Skyfarer.
 
I feel sick watching that and I include Dempsey here . Even as the ball hits the back of the net with 5 minutes to go it seems their reactions are like , 'Gareth you greedy fooker, how comes you didn't pass'?



Good post Skyfarer.


Yeah. Clearly nothing against Dempsey here. The fact that he was on the bench doesn't seem to excuse his lack of movement.. :lol:
 
ibmU8346AbLNdD.gif

Look at that movement from our front two.


Totally shocking, it just reminds me why I have never rated JD, out of the five top teams we are the fifth best technically, are we a one man team, the answer is very nearly yes, Tom passes it well but he has to sit too deep because of his lack of pace, I think Holtby sees the pass but cant quite pull if off yet, I thought Siggy was a breath of fresh air when he came on, tbh I thought our defence had little cover today and poor Benny nearly does all the left hand side on his own no wonder he gets exposed.
 
Personally I think KD has a point. As does the poster, think it was Armchair Expert who questioned how Pochettino had managed to form more of a cohesive unit than AVB in less time. I really like AVB but he certainly isn't coming across as a master tactician. From earlier interviews he talked more of the psychological side to the game.

If AVB had taken over an already fastly improving Saints when Adkins was sacked and Pochettino had taken over us and had to deal with what AVB has had to deal with:

1. Loss of Modric,Vdv and King.
2. Virtually season long injuries to our best remaining defender and Midfielder.
3. No backing from our Chairmen regarding replacements for these players ( no Mouthinio) and no backing for a top class forward we have desperately needed all season.


Do you honestly think we would have been any better or Southampton would have been any worse if the above scenario had occurred?

Your all dreaming. AVB's hands have been tied and remember he tried to win us a trophy, unlike Harry who just threw in the towel.
Without the players, it doesn't matter tactics you use.
You need quality players to implement a productive system.

In summary, we had a better team last year with better players, simple as.
 
Southampton are genuinely a very classy side. They have a very productive academy, plenty of money, a proactive and ruthless chairman (much like Levy), and a coherent scouting system focused on buying young Continental-style players. They completely obliterated Liverpool with their movement in a way that I've yet to see another side do this season.

I can't stress enough how important balance is to a side. It's not just about the quality of players, it's about the style of the playersl. If you are stacked primarily with players who can do something flashy (dribble through four players, poach a trash goal, hit a hail mary pass etc) but do not fundamentally understand or cannot execute the basics of pass and move football then you are not going to play like a coherent, fluent team no matter who your coach is. The genius of Wenger, SAF, Pep, Klopp etc is that they would never accept such players. Yes they are fine coaches but they make sure to work with the appropriate building blocks and they are ruthless. Their signings don't always work out, but at minimum they know how to pass well and at least move until they become lazy mercenaries.

Southampton's scouting should be commended. I don't know what we are doing with ours, we have neither a DOF nor a head of scouting, and our system seems focused more on ideal contract situations than the fit of the player to our team. Incoherent signings = incoherent team.
 
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