Stambouli's lack of pace still concerns me, and I don't think I'll be reconciled to the bargain-bin nature of his signing for quite a while. However, I will happily admit that he seems like a great bloke, and that even though he's slow and does make defensive errors at times, he's probably still better than all our current CDM options for the role on the pitch he occupies, barring perhaps the Bentaleb-Mason duo.
He came across as a really nice guy.
Spoke good English although he was texting in French
Security were trying to get us to move on but he was happy to pose for photos
We also met Mark Van Bommel before hand. His son is a spurs fan
I think what is clouding us all is that match against Partizan where he was left for dust at least twice by one of their wingers. It really has stuck in my mind and probably prejudices my thoughts on him.
As a character, much like Soldado, I really like him Chich. And yes I was probably premature in my earlier comments on him. Let's hope he develops and settles in to a very good CM.maybe he was carrying an injury or not fully fit, he is starting to grow on me, much better then Capoue
How much slower is he than players like Carrick, Barry and Matic?
Not sure I agree with your bargain-bin description.
One of the standout criticisms for me for some of our previous managers have been seemingly targeting top class, very expensive, difficult to attract players without also having a backup plan in place that was more attainable.
It seems likely that Stambouli was the backup plan for Schneiderlin. I really don't think that makes him bargain-bin. It's the sensible approach to a transfer decision to have more than one options, some more gettable than others in case the first choice target doesn't come through. And in recent weeks I think Stambouli has started to show a real value to the team and club.
Cheers for sharing this and the pic Bedford
Glad to see Benji enjoying himself.
I think what is clouding us all is that match against Partizan where he was left for dust at least twice by one of their wingers. It really has stuck in my mind and probably prejudices my thoughts on him.
I think what is clouding us all is that match against Partizan where he was left for dust at least twice by one of their wingers. It really has stuck in my mind and probably prejudices my thoughts on him.
How much slower is he than players like Carrick, Barry and Matic?
Not sure I agree with your bargain-bin description.
One of the standout criticisms for me for some of our previous managers have been seemingly targeting top class, very expensive, difficult to attract players without also having a backup plan in place that was more attainable.
It seems likely that Stambouli was the backup plan for Schneiderlin. I really don't think that makes him bargain-bin. It's the sensible approach to a transfer decision to have more than one options, some more gettable than others in case the first choice target doesn't come through. And in recent weeks I think Stambouli has started to show a real value to the team and club.
He's one of those players I just don't "get". Not really sure what he is or what he's supposed to be bringing to the team, I don't like the idea of bringing players to this club unless we think they're going to be a big part of our future(short, medium or long term), otherwise all they serve to do is block our kids from coming through. I'm pretty confident Veljkovic could do what Stambouli has done so far but it's still early days.
He's quite slow when compared to the forwards he has to play against. I agree, the Partizan game was an extreme demonstration of this fact, but there have been smaller examples of his inability to return to position and intercept opposition forwards when caught too far forward. Carrick is probably as slow as he is, but he's the deep-lying playmaker and so brings attributes that to an extent compensate for his lack of pace. Matic is one of the best DMs in the league (and the world) despite his lack of pace. Barry is awful, and the Everton fans largely agree now that he is awful: not sure you should be bringing him in to bolster your point.
Stambouli is slow even when compared to some of the DMs we've had in recent years (Sandro, Palacios). It isn't a game-killer as far as he's concerned: he has other attributes (leadership, for one, and decent technical ability) that could in time compensate for his weaknesses a la Matic, but at present this is a glaring weakness of his. I don't see what's particularly objectionable about that statement.
It is almost certain that Stambouli was the rock-bottom price, cheap, 'affordable' back-up plan for Schneiderlin. I will leave it at that: what I have to say beyond that isn't in the spirit of the season, or conducive to general harmony. Suffice to say, it is my belief that his signing was certainly a 'bargain-bin' affair, and that belief will take a long time to fade away. It doesn't prevent me admitting that he's been quite good overall, and that (again), he seems like a genuinely great bloke.
Disagree that Barry is awful, although he might have been poor this season. I remember Eveton being rather pleased with him last season at least.
Of course Carrick and Matic are different class than what we have, this seems fairly natural. My point was that about the impact of this one weakness Stambouli has. Some of the comments about him have made it seemed like rather than some weakness to work around this was a weakness so large that he couldn't make it with us.
Rather lovely if our "bargain-bin" signings can be "quite good overall" even this early in their Spurs career, offer leadership, fit the system quite nicely and be a genuinely great bloke to boot. Certainly a step forward from our first choice transfer targets seeming completely out of place both in the league and in the system.
Still rate Capoue higher than him. Forgot he was even playing against Manure.
Barry was a crucial part of City's title winning team, it's no surprise how loved he is up there. He's just getting on now and not effective as he once was.
In all honesty, I wish Stambouli would be instructed to play how he did in the second half against United. He was disciplined, acted as a foil to the hard working Mason and really helped out defensively. Now, this could have been because he was on a yellow but his game improved tremendously. Rooney is still in his pocket.
Maybe it's the other way round, once mason stopped roaming out of position and he wasn't having to cover two positions he looked better. For me Mason moves to far forward with little thought of what's behind him. I know he likes to be further forward I just think he gets to caught up in going forward to much. He's young and will learn,
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Maybe it's the other way round, once mason stopped roaming out of position and he wasn't having to cover two positions he looked better. For me Mason moves to far forward with little thought of what's behind him. I know he likes to be further forward I just think he gets to caught up in going forward to much. He's young and will learn,
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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Benjamin Stambouli has admitted his shock at the difference in football culture in England and in France.
The 24-year-old moved to Spurs from Montpellier in the summer transfer window, but he has struggled so far to make a huge impact at White Hart Lane.
The French defensive midfielder has made just five appearances in the Premier League and as many in the Europa League.
Stambouli has now admitted his shock at the difference in style and told The London Evening Standard: “If you’re 2-0 down in France, you carry on playing but you don’t think you can win the game. But here, the players always think they can win.
“If you’re two goals down with only three minutes left, the teams here think they can score three times in the last three minutes. That isn’t the case in French football.
“We are not believers in France like you are in England. Maybe our football has more tactical discipline, maybe it is more organised, but the spectacle is not like it is here.
"In France, the results are often 0-0 or 1-0 and the football is very tactical. In England it is about the show.”
It seems that Stambouli is still coming to terms with the famous competitive nature of English football.
And perhaps that’s why the Frenchman has not been used regularly by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs have often fallen behind in games in the Premier League, and on many occasions they have scored late goals and staged comebacks.