*** OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa FC ***

[Finney Is Back]

We deserved more. Not sure why we subbed off Gil and Lo Celso when we needed to score. Odd.

Because Gill couldn’t finish a sandwich I’d imagine….

 

[lurker of old]

We were scintillating at times, the football is fantastic to watch.
I'm near the pitch in the south so couldn't see all the detail, but we seemed to thread some fantastic balls through in the first half, and should really have been out of sight...so disappointed but not gutted, the effort was great. Thought Kulu was a headless chicken, and would have brought Veliz on sooner but there we are. A win against WHam would be great....

 

[indospurs]

I’d like to say I care more about style than points, but I don’t.

We have to get back in the CL, that’s where the real football is played, and the format change will only make the gap wider.

we clearly haven't got the squad yet, just first 11 so no we don't need UCL as we aren't ready. A jan window won't fix that imho, it'll need the summer one too at least, but once we move on players who don't fit Ange's style and get in those as proper and fresh back ups, we must go for it, agreed

 

[Baleforce]

we clearly haven't got the squad yet, just first 11 so no we don't need UCL as we aren't ready. A jan window won't fix that imho, it'll need the summer one too at least, but once we move on players who don't fit Ange's style and get in those as proper and fresh back ups, we must go for it, agreed

If we don’t get back in soon, we might never get in again.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Looking at the fixture run. Looks like we could be sat around 9th around Christmas. I think somebody scoffed at me when I said we will finish around 8th or 9th. With the squad we have I just dont see anything higher,

The plus is we are a far better team to watch and its far more entertaining, but sadly just as frustrating as usual

We may well be in that position come the new year but should be able to have a good second half to the season as we get players back…. One of the reasons I was so delighted by our great start was that it earned Postecoglou time…. Without that start there was always a risk that the chairman got trigger happy with the sack trigger.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

we clearly haven't got the squad yet, just first 11 so no we don't need UCL as we aren't ready. A jan window won't fix that imho, it'll need the summer one too at least, but once we move on players who don't fit Ange's style and get in those as proper and fresh back ups, we must go for it, agreed

We can get CL this year for sure
It’s top 5 too (likely)

 

[Bedfordspurs]

We were scintillating at times, the football is fantastic to watch.
I'm near the pitch in the south so couldn't see all the detail, but we seemed to thread some fantastic balls through in the first half, and should really have been out of sight...so disappointed but not gutted, the effort was great. Thought Kulu was a headless chicken, and would have brought Veliz on sooner but there we are. A win against WHam would be great....

The key is playing that football for 90 minutes
That’s the stretch
And you won’t do that with this squad

 

[Mikey10]

It’s going to be tight. City, Liverpool and Arsenal fill three spots. Saudi Sportswashing Machine have had injury problems not far off our level but should come strong. United haven’t been good but they are 2 points behind us. Villa weren’t great today but they have definitely improved under Emery.

If we make it I reckon it’ll be in 5th. Especially since we were told before the Chelsea game that no PL club with as many points as we had at that point has ever finished outside the top 4. When I heard that I knew that our fate was sealed.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

It’s going to be tight. City, Liverpool and Arsenal fill three spots. Saudi Sportswashing Machine have had injury problems not far off our level but should come strong. United haven’t been good but they are 2 points behind us. Villa weren’t great today but they have definitely improved under Emery.

If we make it I reckon it’ll be in 5th. Especially since we were told before the Chelsea game that no PL club with as many points as we had at that point has ever finished outside the top 4. When I heard that I knew that our fate was sealed.

Fully agree about the other teams
But I think when it’s business end of the season and their team may well have European games it will help us
Surely… surely we can’t have this many injured all season

Villa didn’t impress me. They disappointed me to be honest. I expected better football and them to control some of the game. Instead they tried to kick us off the park and that helped them

Saudi Sportswashing Machine are getting results the hard way. Fair play to them

The other places are sealed already

 

[Finney Is Back]

Fully agree about the other teams
But I think when it’s business end of the season and their team may well have European games it will help us
Surely… surely we can’t have this many injured all season

Villa didn’t impress me. They disappointed me to be honest. I expected better football and them to control some of the game. Instead they tried to kick us off the park and that helped them

Saudi Sportswashing Machine are getting results the hard way. Fair play to them

The other places are sealed already

I don’t think they tried to kick us off the park. The Cash challenge on Bentancur was a bad foul but there wasn’t much else.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I don’t think they tried to kick us off the park. The Cash challenge on Bentancur was a bad foul but there wasn’t much else.

The one on Porro was equally as bad.. but he took the ball then the man. Changed Porros game for sure
He did take him out
They also did plenty on Kulu
Also the elbow on Gil is clear
And first half when they had a corner McGinn was pulling Vicario. When he got warned he swapped with Konsa to do the same thing

 

[SpurMeUp]

Disappointed with the result. Not because I expected much more either before the game or when Bentancur went off. Disappointed because I thought the players deserved more and gave a good account of themselves.

This isn’t me having a go at PEH, he’s decent at what he does, but the difference between him and Bentancur was night and day. Bentancur takes the ball on the half turn and moves us up the pitch whereas time and again PEH would lay it back off to the defence. Thought Gil was almost brilliant but actually quite poor as everything he did almost came off but ultimately failed.

GLC was MOTM for me. Thought he was brilliant and found passes in extremely tight spaces.

We just can’t sustain that many absentees but I think we’re fooling ourselves if we think Ange can make us competitive with the biggest boys. No real blame on him today but we’ve lost three games in which we’ve led and he will play one way and one way only. That’s good enough for me, I absolutely think we should back him in a big way because today was a great watch again. He finishes top 6 and threatens top 4 over the next few years and he’s been successful. But he’ll be more BMJ than Poch, Burkinshaw or Bill Nic.

Agree with the first bit. But not the Ange lament in the second half. City are maybe the most successful side English football has seen. Whilst they've done it with a heafty bank ballance and many oil rigs, the style of play isn't dissimilar to us. Moreover, you have to judge the performances. Even when losing, like today, we look able to win. Conceeding 2 poor goals, and not taking countless openings are the sole reasons for the loss. With better defenders or even just Bentancur playing all game, or Maddison there to help compose the attack, we'd have won quite easily imo. The last three games have been frustratinng. But we knew after the chavski game this tough run, while missing core players, would be hard/impossible. And so it has proved. If there is a criticism of Ange its that we don't hassel refs. We don't put pressure on them. And I like that, although I think we do leave ourselves open to decisions against us. This side is also a bit naive at times, but the way we play, and the dynamism means we are in all the games and on the right track.

With the players we have, we are doing just fine. And that is all due to Postecoglou.

 

[billyiddo]

Agree with the first bit. But not the Ange lament in the second. City are maybe the most successful side English football has seen. Whilst they've done it with a heafty bank ballance and million oil rigs, the style of play isn't dissimilar to us. Moreover, you have to judge the performances. Even when losing, like today, we look able to win. Conceeding 2 goals, and not taking countless openings are the sole reason for the loss. With better defenders or even just Bentancur playing all game. Or Maddison there to help compose the attack, we'd have won quite easily imo. The last three games have been frusttratinng. But we knew after the chav game this tough run of games while missing core players would be hard. And so it has proved. If there is a criticism of Ange is the team and managment don't play games. We don't hassel refs. We don't put pressure on them. And I like that, although I think we do leave ourselves open. This side is also a bit naive, but the way we play, and the dynamism means we are on the right track.

With the players we have, we are doing just fine. And that is all due to Postecoglou.

Played some of our best football of the season in that first half, if not the best - that's good going considering the starting line up was closer to what we had under Conte than our best XI of the season so far

 

[SpurMeUp]

Said it to the lads when we came out
We know now that Lo Celso can play the way we need
And bentacur can play the holding role
Gil also can do a job
Thats positives for me

Both suit the condensed spaces that potecoglous system often leads to. Need more end product from both but quick feet defo works in a Ange setup.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Both suit the condensed spaces that potecoglous system often leads to. Need more end product from both but quick feet defo works in a Ange setup.

We need our forwards to not waste chances
That’s the key

 

[SpurMeUp]

We need our forwards to not waste chances
That’s the key

Without Maddison we lack some experience and composure. Son isn't the most composed himself. Porro 23, Udogie 21, Gil 23, Johnson 22, Kulu 23 are all still developing. Young players. It is why Maddison or Kane were so crucial. We need players who have composure in the final third. All five listed above must step up. Technically all are equiped. They need to be coached to become cold assassins now. That excitment as the crowd roar..the rush of blood... It is why Kane was so good. He fed off the pressure and limelight. Apart from in the biggest games which were the exceptions that proved the rule.

I'm excited by this group of players. We forget how young Kulu is. Johnson has much more to come. Udogie has all the tools. He could develop and score regularly. Porro has moments of magic. It is up to them now, if they want it enough, and can develop their calm in the final third, there shoudl be no stopping them in the coming years.

 

[Legohamster]

We need our forwards to not waste chances
That’s the key

Son was dreadful today, seemed like he just stood offside all game, would consider switching him and Johnson.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Son was dreadful today, seemed like he just stood offside all game, would consider switching him and Johnson.

I've not quite figured it out, but its a Postecoglou trait. He likes his strikers to make defenders think twice, and doesn't mind a few offsides. Surely the guidance should be to play right up to the limit but stay on? Seems Ange likes to get into defenders heads and test them.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Without Maddison we lack some experience and composure. Son isn't the most composed himself. Porro 23, Udogie 21, Gil 23, Johnson 22, Kulu 23 are all still developing. Young players. It is why Maddison or Kane were so crucial. We need players who have composure in the final third. All five listed above must step up. Technically all are equiped. They need to be coached to become cold assassins now. That excitment as the crowd roar..the rush of blood... It is why Kane was so good. He fed off the pressure and limelight. Apart from in the biggest games which were the exceptions that proved the rule.

I'm excited by this group of players. We forget how young Kulu is. Johnson has much more to come. Udogie has all the tools. He could develop and score regularly. Porro has moments of magic. It is up to them now, if they want it enough, and can develop their calm in the final third, there shoudl be no stopping them in the coming years.

The issue today was son
The football for his first offside goal was sublime
He really didn’t need to be offide
The second one was Brennan who was off
And the third one was instinct to put it away
The composure was lacking from him IMO, not the others

 

[Daisuk]

I don't get the criticism of Gil, thought he had a good game, especially considering how little he's played for us this season. He looked lively and always wanting to create, although it didn't all come off.