Mauricio Pochettino - Sacked

[braineclipse]

Look at it position by position:

GK - Lloris doesn't need resting and has apparently asked to play European games this season

FBs - all 4 have been getting good game time

CBs - Verts and Alder have played a lot, but don't look tired. I wouldn't mind using Wimmer more in a few easier league games

CMs - Dier and Alli have played a lot, but Mason and Bentaleb are just returning, and they started the season as our first choice CMs anyway, so that should work out well

AMs - We have a lot of options here (still overstocked) and no-one has been overplayed - even Eriksen had his injury break

CF - Kane has played a lot, but looks ok. Son returning and Njie could maybe be used more in easier league games to ease the burden


In all Kane and the two CBs are the only 3 I think we need to be cautious about overplaying

Slight difference between "overplaying" as in causing fatigue over months and months and what people are talking about here? We're looking at 3 games in 7 days and a huge away trip in the middle, with a very important (and potentially tough ) fixture as the third one. Should players that are not at risk of being "overplayed" start all 3?

I also think there's a huge difference between centre backs and a striker like Kane in terms of overplaying over time.

 

[AdamB]

Agree. One of those that will split the fans views.

Regardless of the starting 11 (and I agree it you'll get very different views), we shouldn't be taking first-team players there unnecessarily and just to bench-warm. So at most, I would have 1-2 vaguely senior players (like Carroll) on the bench but would prefer to see a bench consisting of the likes of McGee, Walker-Peters, CCV, Velkjovic, Winks, Onomah and that Harrison CF chap who seems to be scoring a bunch in the age-groups

 

[braineclipse]

The thing is that a lot of people will make a decision on whether he got it right or wrong based on the result but it is possible for him to make the right decisions and we still lose.

As I cannot multi-like a post I went ahead and spam-liked some of your other recent posts instead.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Look at it position by position:

GK - Lloris doesn't need resting and has apparently asked to play European games this season

FBs - all 4 have been getting good game time

CBs - Verts and Alder have played a lot, but don't look tired. I wouldn't mind using Wimmer more in a few easier league games

CMs - Dier and Alli have played a lot, but Mason and Bentaleb are just returning, and they started the season as our first choice CMs anyway, so that should work out well

AMs - We have a lot of options here (still overstocked) and no-one has been overplayed - even Eriksen had his injury break

CF - Kane has played a lot, but looks ok. Son returning and Njie could maybe be used more in easier league games to ease the burden


In all Kane and the two CBs are the only 3 I think we need to be cautious about overplaying

Agree with most of this but I don't see Son or Njie covering from Kane personally

Happy to see Wimmer given game time in the Europa

And the attacking 3 have lanky of options too as your rightly say

 

[AdamB]

Could not agree more, it would be foolish to lose out there because we decided our second string can get a result. They are no mugs and we need to get a result.

Two draws in our final two games and we're guaranteed to go through.

So send the second string (which would still contain several internationals - Vorm, Wimmer, Fazio, Davies, Bentaleb, Mason,....) go for the win, but if we draw its fine - a draw v Monaco and we're through. If we lose we can still retrieve things in our final game. And even if we lost to Qarabag and didn't beat Monaco, we might still have a chance to go through on GD!

 

[parklane1]

Two draws in our final two games and we're guaranteed to go through.

So send the second string (which would still contain several internationals - Vorm, Wimmer, Fazio, Davies, Bentaleb, Mason,....) go for the win, but if we draw its fine - a draw v Monaco and we're through. If we lose we can still retrieve things in our final game. And even if we lost to Qarabag and didn't beat Monaco, we might still have a chance to go through on GD!

Seems to be a lot of if we's in there, lets get the win over there ( that will not be easy).

 

[Gutter Boy]

Slight difference between "overplaying" as in causing fatigue over months and months and what people are talking about here? We're looking at 3 games in 7 days and a huge away trip in the middle, with a very important (and potentially tough ) fixture as the third one. Should players that are not at risk of being "overplayed" start all 3?

I also think there's a huge difference between centre backs and a striker like Kane in terms of overplaying over time.

We very nearly just got 9 points in 6 days, with only 3 changes to the team (Mason-Dembele and the two pairs of FBs).

We've proven we can do it, with the right conditioning beforehand

 

[Gutter Boy]

Agree with most of this but I don't see Son or Njie covering from Kane personally

Didn't Son score two and play really well playing as a #9 in place of Kane (against Qarabag at home)?

 

[braineclipse]

We very nearly just got 9 points in 6 days, with only 3 changes to the team (Mason-Dembele and the two pairs of FBs).

We've proven we can do it, with the right conditioning beforehand

So you agree that there's a difference between overplaying and the current discussion?

That was 3 games in London though. I think the travel makes a difference.

We also had 8 days off before that run of 3 games. We have the international break now, but for a lot of our players that just means more games and more travel. Quite possibly for some of them along with a lot of pressure to impress their international manager with a decent performance. The difference in preparation and fitness could be significant.

Finally we seemed to tire quite visibly in the final 20 minutes of the game against Arsenal.

I'm not saying we can't play the next 3 games with few changes. I'm saying that we'll probably be marginally stronger against Chelsea if we do rotate a bit. And that long term to avoid overplaying as you talk about, rotating now is as good a time as any.

 

[braineclipse]

Didn't Son score two and play really well playing as a #9 in place of Kane (against Qarabag at home)?

No, no, you misunderstand. The narrative is that we have only one striker, that Levy let us down in the summer and that it's perfectly reasonable to make definitive statements about where young players can and can't play based on limited evidence.

 

[AdamB]

That was 3 games in London though. I think the travel makes a difference.

The travel is THE KEY difference!!

Look at the schedule for that Thursday:

6pm Kick off (UK time)
8pm game ends
by 9m leave stadium
1030pm take-off (wont be much quicker than this even with bags packed and private jet ready on the runway)
4am land in UK (5.5 hour flight time)
430 - 5am players asleep

So that means that anyone who goes has a knackering day, irrespective of whether they play. Friday is a complete write-off for them and they'll still be feeling the effects on Sat morning

 

[parklane1]

No, no, you misunderstand. The narrative is that we have only one striker, that Levy let us down in the summer and that it's perfectly reasonable to make definitive statements about where young players can and can't play based on limited evidence.

Its called the " Football Manager" syndrome

 

[milo]

So you agree that there's a difference between overplaying and the current discussion?

That was 3 games in London though. I think the travel makes a difference.

We also had 8 days off before that run of 3 games. We have the international break now, but for a lot of our players that just means more games and more travel. Quite possibly for some of them along with a lot of pressure to impress their international manager with a decent performance. The difference in preparation and fitness could be significant.

Finally we seemed to tire quite visibly in the final 20 minutes of the game against Arsenal.

I'm not saying we can't play the next 3 games with few changes. I'm saying that we'll probably be marginally stronger against Chel53a if we do rotate a bit. And that long term to avoid overplaying as you talk about, rotating now is as good a time as any.

We need to factor in playing on a very heavy pitch in Azerbaijan too. Regardless of the travel, I think that the players who feature are going to feel it.

 

[milo]

The travel is THE KEY difference!!

Look at the schedule for that Thursday:

6pm Kick off (UK time)
8pm game ends
by 9m leave stadium
1030pm take-off (wont be much quicker than this even with bags packed and private jet ready on the runway)
4am land in UK (5.5 hour flight time)
430 - 5am players asleep

So that means that anyone who goes has a knackering day, irrespective of whether they play. Friday is a complete write-off for them and they'll still be feeling the effects on Sat morning

If Levy is making the travel arrangements we will be lucky to have taken off by 10:30 on Saturday morning.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Didn't Son score two and play really well playing as a #9 in place of Kane (against Qarabag at home)?

Yes and we played a lot of semi reserves too

Qarabag at home in their first season at this level is nothing compared to Stoke on a wet Wednesday night...

Son is class but is not a premier league striker IMO (not that mine matters), and we need a hold up/link up striker to cover Kane

 

[imcallingbullsh*t]

Should stay in Baku really overnight, id presume that friday would be a rest day anyway and so far better to leave 11am and get back late afternoon

 

[Gutter Boy]

So you agree that there's a difference between overplaying and the current discussion?

They are very much related.

Rest Kane/Verts/Alder in a couple of easy EPL games now, and they'll be better able to cope with this 3-match stint.

Managing fitness to get players to peak at the right times is very much part of modern football for progressive coaches like Poch

 

[Gutter Boy]

The travel is THE KEY difference!!

Look at the schedule for that Thursday:

6pm Kick off (UK time)
8pm game ends
by 9m leave stadium
1030pm take-off (wont be much quicker than this even with bags packed and private jet ready on the runway)
4am land in UK (5.5 hour flight time)
430 - 5am players asleep

So that means that anyone who goes has a knackering day, irrespective of whether they play. Friday is a complete write-off for them and they'll still be feeling the effects on Sat morning

Remember Poch is the guy who is so particular that he takes the players' own bedding on away trips. I can see us staying 2 nights overnight so routines aren't disrupted.

 

[Raziel]

Remember Poch is the guy who is so particular that he takes the players' own bedding on away trips. I can see us staying 2 nights overnight so routines aren't disrupted.

Monaco trip, the team flew in the day before, left the night of game (back in UK around 1am).

This is part of being a club competing in Europe, Poch will make some calls, I suspect we will just be very light on the training sessions, rotate a couple of the FB's & midfielders.

Lamela will miss the next PL game anyway due to yellow card accumulation, Mason is fully back in rotation, Davies, Trippier get a game. I doubt Kane will want a rest based on current form.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Seems to be a lot of if we's in there, lets get the win over there ( that will not be easy).

We can win at home to Monaco and go through regardless of what happens in Qarabag. The pitch, the travel time and fixture congestion makes it a big call to take a full strength team over there, games like this are football clubs have squads not just a starting 11. I know a lot might disagree but I'd be happy to rest the most important players (CB's, Kane, Eriksen etc) and take our chances, even if that means dropping points as we have the final game to rectify things and still finish top. Remember, Monaco are no mugs, but they are not the same team that got to the CL quarter finals last season.