*** Tottenham Hotspur v Saudi Sportswashing Machine OMT ***

[Bullet]

It's an interesting point you raise; was it similar to the goals he conceded vs Monaco away and Arsenal away?

Probably yes but my memory is not great enough to remember those goals but I do remember him falling back a few times recently as the shot is struck

 

[SpurMeUp]

This result had been coming. Even when playing well against Arse, Pool etc and earning draws, something wasn't quite going to plan. We were either edging the game or clearly the better side, but not coming away with a win. Post Scum game, was talking on here with @milo and @braineclipse who were saying it was simple luck that was holding us to the draw. After all everyone was lauding our performance.

Of course you make your own luck and the trend where we have more shots and possession, yet draw or lose, is now clear. Before asking why this is, it is important to stress how pleased we should be with Poch and the team. We have dominated most games. We have played well and there is more to come. We have not won enough games which is sad, as the team and fans deserved more points on the board. If there were no draws and results were adjudicated as in boxing, we'd be top of the league. So what is it, why are we outplaying teams and not taking 3 points so regularly? I don't think there is anything revolutionary. Its pretty obvious stuff:


1. We lack composure in the final third. Our attack is based on young, relatively inexperienced players. Mentality and technical experience develop. Poch tries to give them the right tools, but it is to be expected that they are not always consistent. Alli yesterday made two good runs to get free on goal, but wasn't able to show composure and control two difficult balls, which would have allowed him to get the shot away. The average age of our attacking 4 must be under 22: I think Alli is 19, Kane 22, Eriksen 23 and Lamela 23 (with Dier 21 and Carol 23 behind).


2. No back up for Kane. We needed a fresh player to mix it up. Although I'd like Berainho we almost need a Alderweireld like older presence in attack to complement the younger players. Dembele has provided that to some degree.


3. Similar to the first point, we don't score enough goals. We should have put 2 or 3 past them yesterday when on top. The team are maybe too emotional, or need to play a routine clinical way regardless of the opposition, regardless of the stage of the game, we need a set way of playing where we are solid at the back, and clinical up front, always. This is not there yet. A 4th point might be that the press will no doubt have a downside: which is attackers have less energy to attack. Not in one game, but maybe cumulatively over a season.


It is both exciting and frustrating as you can see that we have the talent. The way we move the ball is so much better now. We always create chances. What we lack is a bit of maturity and stability. To know when to be patient, or to know when to put opposition teams to bed. As a team they need to make more of their dominance.

 

[glasgowspur]

Good post spur me up, the lack of patience/focus in the final third is hurting us.
As long as they learn from it and can draw on it in the future then the pain just now maybe worth it.
Still think we are ahead of schedule and that's were the excitement and hype is coming from. Judge at the end of the season. Don't think we will go backwards from last season.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I thought we were too patient in front of goal and didn't play with any urgency.. we looked lethargic

Kane for example looks so much better when he plays first time (or takes no more than 2 touches in front of goal like Vardy has been doing)

 

[Modric THFC]

Tactically we played so many percentage balls forwards expecting Kane and Alli to get the most if them and expecting Lamela and Eriksen energy to win knock downs. This is why Alli was playing up there as a physical presence.
This tactic is based completely on the idea that our players will want it more and are fitter and fresher.
Last month we were winning all these percentage battles. Now we are not and our gameplan has come apart.

 

[SpurMeUp]

I don't think we need to change too much. We're 80% there: dominating games with good possession, mostly tidy at the back, creating chances to score.

We can improve our attacking play. Ironically I thought the full backs did a lot better going forward yesterday, but they can do more - Rose should have scored or setup a goal - both were close and he played well imo. He was sharper than the rest with the break midweek. We have not been clinical in front of goal. Lamela's shot, just lacked a tiny bit more power or to be along the ground etc we are 80% there. I think as the side matures or with anew addition - maybe Son getting a run in the team - we will become more clinical.

The other side is the teams mentality. They can get swept along by the flow of a game or the occasion sometimes. A more mature side would likely turn their dominance into wins. But it is such a young developing team. They are finding their feet and most of them played 3 days before. If anything we need to keep doing what we have been doing. Get the defensive solidity back, and then realise the potential we have in attack, with better wide play, movement and coordination. Despite the results the direction Poch is taking the team is exciting. Its now up to Poch and the team to ensure they fulfil the direction of travel to secure results. For me its a gritty mental determination to win at all costs, ultimately. Somehow that's not always there in our performances. Hard to describe what that is exactly, but look at Fergerson's teams and they had that mentality or psychology. Somehow we don't yet.

 

[Eriktheviking]

Tactically we played so many percentage balls forwards expecting Kane and Alli to get the most if them and expecting Lamela and Eriksen energy to win knock downs. This is why Alli was playing up there as a physical presence.
This tactic is based completely on the idea that our players will want it more and are fitter and fresher.
Last month we were winning all these percentage battles. Now we are not and our gameplan has come apart.

Interesting as i felt we didn't do enough of this, through my eyes all of the balls were to feet in front of the defenders. i cant really thing of too many times we made the defender turn towards his own goal to such an extent we caused him problems. Look at Arsenal and the way they attack space, it gives defenders a problem even though it doesn't seem they are doing an awful lot, they make the other team think by giving them a decision to make; go to the ball of stay with the man. It is such a good way to pull players out of position.

Conversely we seem more than happy to play to feet and thread the ball through the eye of a needle. Defenders dont really have to think about their play against us, we attack in a rather rudimentary fashion, and they just have to make sure they stay in position and win their own battle. Now if a mistake happens we generally capitalise but if a team defends well, like Saudi Sportswashing Machine and West Brom, amongst others, we very rarely carve out really good opportunities. I would expect any premiership keeper to make the saves the Saudi Sportswashing Machine Keeper made on Sunday, they were nothing out of the ordinary, they just looked good.

However, the above takes time, probably seasons to learn and largely depends on the players you have. I still think if we release the ball quicker in the final third we would score a brick load more goals. OK it may not come off all the time but at the moment we are giving the opposition defence far too much of an easy 95 min minutes, i mean, come on, we have played teams who are either bang out of form or teams who have championship level defenders and they have coped comfortably against us. lets make defenders turn their backs to us rather than us play in front of them.

 

[Modric THFC]

Interesting as i felt we didn't do enough of this, through my eyes all of the balls were to feet in front of the defenders. i cant really thing of too many times we made the defender turn towards his own goal to such an extent we caused him problems. Look at Arsenal and the way they attack space, it gives defenders a problem even though it doesn't seem they are doing an awful lot, they make the other team think by giving them a decision to make; go to the ball of stay with the man. It is such a good way to pull players out of position.

Conversely we seem more than happy to play to feet and thread the ball through the eye of a needle. Defenders dont really have to think about their play against us, we attack in a rather rudimentary fashion, and they just have to make sure they stay in position and win their own battle. Now if a mistake happens we generally capitalise but if a team defends well, like Saudi Sportswashing Machine and West Brom, amongst others, we very rarely carve out really good opportunities. I would expect any premiership keeper to make the saves the Saudi Sportswashing Machine Keeper made on Sunday, they were nothing out of the ordinary, they just looked good.

However, the above takes time, probably seasons to learn and largely depends on the players you have. I still think if we release the ball quicker in the final third we would score a brick load more goals. OK it may not come off all the time but at the moment we are giving the opposition defence far too much of an easy 95 min minutes, i mean, come on, we have played teams who are either bang out of form or teams who have championship level defenders and they have coped comfortably against us. lets make defenders turn their backs to us rather than us play in front of them.

Oh come on we definitely hit long percentage balls forward repeatedly yesterday. Look at the passing charts from Lloris, Vertonghen and Alderweireld below.

This has worked for us this season. Even we if lose the ball up the pitch we have been pressing the opposition player who receives it, getting it it off them and countering them in their own half. My argument is that this only works when we are the fitter team and the more motivated team.
If you look at the number our players have played around 20-30% more minutes than them. And we've run way more in those games than they have.

We cant attack in the way you want above and the way we all want really without an actual central midfield with ability on the ball to create.
Dier cant do this obviously. Dembele even on a good day has no ability to look up and see the pass no one else can. Alli is not that player neither.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

You have to find a way to get behind the opposition and you have to always be on the move.... Both things we really struggled with yesterday and last week agains west brom

Lamella got behind a few times but other than that it was play on the edge of the area - and slow play at that

 

[Bullet]

H Kane: Very bad result.We need to learn to keep our foot on the pedal when 1-0 up and kill teams off.Important to bounce back with a win next week!

 

[Eriktheviking]

Oh come on we definitely hit long percentage balls forward repeatedly yesterday. Look at the passing charts from Lloris, Vertonghen and Alderweireld below.

This has worked for us this season. Even we if lose the ball up the pitch we have been pressing the opposition player who receives it, getting it it off them and countering them in their own half. My argument is that this only works when we are the fitter team and the more motivated team.
If you look at the number our players have played around 20-30% more minutes than them. And we've run way more in those games than they have.

We cant attack in the way you want above and the way we all want really without an actual central midfield with ability on the ball to create.
Dier cant do this obviously. Dembele even on a good day has no ability to look up and see the pass no one else can. Alli is not that player neither.

I wasnt talking about long balls, more when we were in the final 3rd. But you raise valid points nontheless

 

[thfcsteff]

I'm pretty sure we would have done better if we'd started Onomah and Njie, in place of Eriksen and Kane, as I suggested.

I wasn't saying it because I simply thought Onomah and Njie needed some game time. I was saying it because Eriksen and Kane have been getting poorer and poorer for weeks, and clearly need a fortnight off to refresh. We're just running them into the ground/into burnout, and these December fixtures were the ones to use some fresh energised legs.

Clinton was injured. Off the bench he'd have been a difference maker IMO were he fit.

 

[thfcsteff]

Has anyone else been on the pitch at WHL?

I actually think a problem is the slope of what is a relatively small pitch... so when Hugo steps back into he goalmouth he has a problem with this...

That slope is weird right? I have been on the pitch and I agree with you...

 

[90291Spur]

That slope is weird right? I have been on the pitch and I agree with you...

When did you go on the pitch?

 

[milo]

When did you go on the pitch?

 

[milo]

 

[parklane1]

Bad day at the office for all the players, as said on here before it happens especially to teams with so many young players and learning the game.

 

[thfcsteff]

When did you go on the pitch?

Last season January as the most recent. My son was a mascot many years ago and I stepped on the touchline, but last season was a special moment for sure. Because we had trainers on, the groundsman let us walk the pitch. I stood in the centre circle and took some photos of course. What amazed me was how fast the surface was, absolute lightning, and very firm indeed.

 

[Pirate55]

A few things i felt during and afterwards:

I predicted when we would score as i could see us turning that screw - to the point when we did the guy beside me wanted to know the lotto number lol!

However, not getting that second goal started to worry us fans watching and it fed to the players imo. It was at that midway point in the match when we needed an experienced head in the middle calming our youngsters down. Oh for a Illaramendi or even Dembele today! The number of times Dier was tackled to start a counter-attack for them was ridiculous - he didn't seem to get a shout at all during those times and the panic slowly set in from those times.

Second half we seemed to lack that final ball - you could see the movement and ideas that Poch has trained into them. My son certainly seemed to appreciate that despite our loss lol.
Carrol started well, but faded. Eriksen's set-pices were mostly woeful (one of the few times led to our goal!) and he was relatively peripheral most of the time imo, Kane seemed leaden-footed second half (tired? carrying a knock from the first half?) and Lamela second seemed to hold onto the ball a second or two too long and not make the forward pass into the final third, though looking back i wonder if this was simply because he didn't have many options because Kane, Eriksen and Alli just weren't getting into the spaces they usually do.

Sadly i did also predict when Mitrovic would score and was VERY worried about Perez when he came on

Perhaps losing our unbeaten record could work well for us and give us the kick up the backside we might need.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.

COYS

I know I don't often agree with you GGE (especially about AVB ) but think you are spot on here!

Glad to hear your son at least enjoyed the game ( if not the result !) and hope he will see some real Glory Glory in the not too distant future

 

[indospurs]

Ok, so we lacked spark, but McLaren changed things, I heard/read where he cluttered up our attacking play down the wings. Poch has to come up with something where we switch speed of play, to something that cuts through the heart of a zillion players in the middle. I think our young 'uns need to just learn how to undo teams trying to stifle us - slice o' luck wouldn't hurt. A good game to learn from, and early enough in the season to bounce back from.

But, as I and many have said before - we need to kill off teams when we are ahead ! COYS, Onwards and upwards.