*** Tottenham vs Arsenal NLD OMT ***

[Glenda's Legs]

Assuming that clown will never see the inside of our stadium again.

And there was I thinking violence should never be rewarded.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

And there was I thinking violence should never be rewarded.

I’d love to not love football and this club
It’s an emotional drain
A financial drain
And it gets in the way of the family
But…. I also wouldn’t swap it for anything else
Maybe I’m a sadist. I should ask @Danishfurniturelover

 

[Raziel]

At the risk of "spacegoating", the performances of Lloris and Son have been a huge part in our problems this season.

Hope Richarlison gets the nod on the left soon if Son doesn't start finding form soon.

But this is the crux, people are so easy to default to "the whole side is brick, we need a clear out"

You put a better keeper in, rotate Son to bench until he finds his form and get us a proper LWB and this game and season looks different.

 

[Raziel]

I honestly think the internet/social media are to blame. In the past, if you had stupid opinions, they got very little air time. Now, no matter how out there your opinion is, you can find thousands more thinking the same at the click of a button. That then validates what you think in your head and people become more entrenched/polarised.

Assuming that clown will never see the inside of our stadium again.

So that's a given, what I don't understand is zero mention of Ramsdale winding up the crowd, Richi was trying to stop him.

 

[DubSpur]

At the risk of "spacegoating", the performances of Lloris and Son have been a huge part in our problems this season.

Hope Richarlison gets the nod on the left soon if Son doesn't start finding form soon.

Yes, they are a huge chunk of the problem. A traffic cone would be as useful as Son. Gives nothing going forward and gave Sess no help yesterday.
Sess is getting slaughtered by a few on here but the main problem down the left was Son not doing anything defensively leaving Sess to cope with an in form Saka running at him and facing a number of 2 on 1s.
I'd also add PEH as part of the problem. It's happening way too often that he ignores runners from midfield that arrive into the box unmarked or get a free shot off from outside the box.

 

[superspurs]

I’d love to not love football and this club
It’s an emotional drain
A financial drain
And it gets in the way of the family
But…. I also wouldn’t swap it for anything else
Maybe I’m a sadist. I should ask @Danishfurniturelover

Indeed.

My Father who died 6 years ago this year, was a season ticket holder throughout the 70s and 80s and witnessed a lot of those Glory Glory nights. He would always tell me "Son, they'll break your heart". When I got my ST in the early 00s, if we had a bad night, he would stay up and as I walked in the door, just look at me and say "they'll break your heart" with a knowing smile and go to bed.

What a bastard of a club, I love them.

YIDS.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

So that's a given, what I don't understand is zero mention of Ramsdale winding up the crowd, Richi was trying to stop him.

He can do what he wants as a player within the rules

 

[Bedfordspurs]

But this is the crux, people are so easy to default to "the whole side is brick, we need a clear out"

You put a better keeper in, rotate Son to bench until he finds his form and get us a proper LWB and this game and season looks different.

Your rotate son out
Stiffen up the midfield allowing the press to happen
And you get a keeper in who can catch

 

[Mikey10]

The expectation and pressure on Poch second time round would be very different
He considered elite now
The club is in a different place (a big part thanks to him)
That makes it a whole different environment

The media will be all over it from Day 1, hoping that it all falls apart. The pressure would immediately be massive.

A traffic cone would be as useful as Son. Gives nothing going forward and gave Sess no help yesterday.
Sess is getting slaughtered by a few on here but the main problem down the left was Son not doing anything defensively leaving Sess to cope with an in form Saka running at him and facing a number of 2 on 1s.
I

This was discussed as problem during the Sky analysis post-match.

 

[Mikey10]

Stiffen up the midfield allowing the press to happen

The press yesterday was so half-hearted that it created more problems that it caused for Arsenal. Our players pushed up but never looked like they really believed they could win the ball. This then allowed more gaps to open up for the Goons to exploit.

 

[Mr Gogolak]

Up against the best teams we have to be able to sustain some pressure. We keep conceding soft goals and our World Cup winning captain is repeatedly at fault.

He wasn't "at fault" for the second, but I think two years ago he saves that one most of the time.

They were really good in that first half, particularly after taking the lead. They caused us a lot of problems, particularly down our left. But it's not like they kept opening us up. We even had some good breaks.

Particularly the opening 20 of the second half we were good. The xG ended up being fairly similar, as did shot stats. Main difference was goalkeeping.

We were outplayed in that first half. No doubt. After giving away a goal, up against a very good in form team.

Unfortunately, we keep making problems for ourselves at the back. Lloris isn't the only one to blame, but he's been very poor this season. On the other, we almost served them the first goal on a silver platter early on, with some of the most ridiculous defending I've seen at this level.

All in all, it's quite obvious that things aren't clicking this year. We played much better last season and that was before we signed players who were supposed to be a good fit for Conte. With that in mind, it's difficult to be optimistic for the future. Sure, the World Cup and the Champions League aren't helping, but with a manager of Conte's stature, you'd expect things to go forward.

What makes it even more worrying for me is that he can't really tweak his formation, since most of his success if build on the system itself and the players' ability to overperform within his system. We're halfway through the season and, unfortunately, there isn't much to look forward to. The football is meh, the results are decent but the comparison with Saudi Sportswashing Machine, ManUtd and Arsenal isn't flattering and it's difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel, unless we pull an exceptional signing this window - which looks unlikely too.

Maybe things will finally turn in our favour at some point this season. Maybe they'll 'click' but right now, I have to say I envy your optimism!

 

[Raziel]

Unfortunately, we keep making problems for ourselves at the back. Lloris isn't the only one to blame, but he's been very poor this season. On the other, we almost served them the first goal on a silver platter early on, with some of the most ridiculous defending I've seen at this level.

All in all, it's quite obvious that things aren't clicking this year. We played much better last season and that was before we signed players who were supposed to be a good fit for Conte. With that in mind, it's difficult to be optimistic for the future. Sure, the World Cup and the Champions League aren't helping, but with a manager of Conte's stature, you'd expect things to go forward.

What makes it even more worrying for me is that he can't really tweak his formation, since most of his success if build on the system itself and the players' ability to overperform within his system. We're halfway through the season and, unfortunately, there isn't much to look forward to. The football is meh, the results are decent but the comparison with Saudi Sportswashing Machine, ManUtd and Arsenal isn't flattering and it's difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel, unless we pull an exceptional signing this window - which looks unlikely too.

Maybe things will finally turn in our favour at some point this season. Maybe they'll 'click' but right now, I have to say I envy your optimism!

But I think that's a big part of the issue in general with Conte (at Spurs), seems like we need things to "click" completely to play anywhere near our potential.

On one hand, I look at yesterday's game and say 17 shots, 7 on target, 51% possession against the form team in league isn't horrendous. I can look at individual moments and say on any other day, e.g. Sess could have started the game with a couple of good crosses that would have left Kane & Son 2:2, Any one of Deki's 3 shots he took switching inside on his left could have ended up in top corner, Sess and his 1:1 with Ramsdale, Son hesitating on the pass through to Perisic (he was tinkled) and of course Hugo on first, Hugo on second and someone tracking or coming out to cover. Very easy to see that game go a different way.

The problem is, this is not an isolated incident, it's not a small sample size anymore. Yes a new GK, a RWB and playing 3 in middle or just playing the form players would help. The case for that gets hard when you look at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Fulham, Brighton, Arsenal (United has spent a fudgeload, and some of those unfortunately are paying off), and when you look at how we labor against teams like Villa.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Im not sure that's it. We started today with a bit of intent first 5 mind but they destroyed us after that. It wasn't that we were sitting back necessarily but we spent the half chasing shadows. And I don't know why, Woolwich didn't do anything we wouldn't expect.

The only difference second half was that we were more aggressive and gave them less time on the ball. But its almost like we're sleeping through first halves rather than trying to play defensive for a 0-0. It's as baffling as it is unacceptable for a guy on 15m a year to be seeing the same pattern week after week.

The formation the manager plays makes things incredibly difficult. To be effective against us all a team has to do is play 3 up front and make sure their two wide forwards play very wide. This makes it almost impossible for our wingbacks to get forward and we end up being consigned to lose the midfield due to having an extra centre back and being outnumbered in midfield.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I thought we turned him down after he interviewed badly?

Lol.... Can you really imagine any club turning down Ten Haag only to appoint Nuno?

 

[Finney Is Back]

Poch needs to work under DOF

Any manager we bring in does IMO. The club cannot allow itself to become so disjointed on the playing side of things ever again. It will still take further time from here for Paratici to build an academy, scouting and recruitment structure befitting of a big club. If a first team manager won't come in because we have a DoF in place then we shouldn't be taking that manager on no matter who they are.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I'm still not convinced Arteta is on anything but a "one of those seasons" run (a Leicester if you will). Two 8th places prior, a thin squad, still no real striker.

The fact that City, Chelsea and Pool are all bricking the bed has way more to do with their position than some grand plan/process.

They're points total is very high. Yes it helps that none of the teams who traditionally win the PL these days are all having good seasons but Arsenal's position at the top is on merit at the moment.

 

[Raziel]

They're points total is very high. Yes it helps that none of the teams who traditionally win the PL these days are all having good seasons but Arsenal's position at the top is on merit at the moment.

Leicester won the league on merit, that's not what I'm saying

What I'm saying is it's one of those seasons, their young players are working out (that won't always last, see Dele), they are lucky with injuries, they are managing to get goals despite no really successful striker (over multiple seasons that just doesn't work), the lack of the big teams breathing down their neck gives that little bit less pressure.

Summary, they may absolutely win the league on merit this year, don't see it making them part of the elite again (United worry me way more, 2-3 more big buys for them and they will be a problem)

 

[Finney Is Back]

peh is not the basis of a good team, he's costing us a goal a game.
I keep hearing about two man midfield, well its not when plays, its a one man midfield.
He's either unwilling or unable to track runners, and i don't know which is worse.

He's not costing us a goal a game at all.... We have 3 CBs and a midfield who are outnumbered. Whenever a team turns over the ball against us and plays quickly we're in trouble and our outnumbered midfield can get easily passed around, while our 3 CBs are generally standing there in a line doing nothing, 20 yards further back.

 

[Finney Is Back]

His distance run may be decent but the relevance if it is low if he is being bypassed and just chasing
He isnt a poor player and has shown some good attacking passes
Right now with the issues we have in attack and defence conte needs to bite the bullet and play 3-5-2 with Hojberg, Sarr and Bentacur ideally and Perisic and Kulu wide, Kane and Richarlson central
That gives us options in the midfield for runners to go back and forward
Our best crossers of a ball are wide where they can do their damage and key for me is it gets son off the pitch so he can reset

I'd be more tempted to get rid of the 3 at the back completely. Those 3 players are just not positively impacting the game enough and teams know that they just need to get their wide forwards out high and wide and suddenly we have a permanent back 5 and can be outnumbered in midfield again.

 

[Finney Is Back]

4 at the back means full backs
We don’t have a left back and a LCB who is good enough
3-5-2 could work as it stops the issues in midfield which are constant now

I think Sess would be absolutely fine as a full back. I also think Regulion could come back and be absolutely fine as a standard full back. I agree though that we don't have a good enough partner for Romero to play with only 2 CBs, finding that player would be my highest priority in this transfer window.