***OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool***

[Bedfordspurs]

I thought he was ok today. That run into the box and pass should have resulted in a goal.

He dropped deep loads and got smothered
His passing to our players was bad
he was trying to do the hold up role but that’s really not his thing

 

[Yiddo.1882]

He dropped deep loads and got smothered
His passing to our players was bad
he was trying to do the hold up role but that’s really not his thing

It’s the same issue I was raising around Tonali after the weekend, he is dropping deep to compensate for Bentancur. Once Fernandes came on, it released his average position 10 yards further up the pitch. Bergvall for me has a similar profile to Tonali, they are both box to box ball carriers, but Tonali is a better passer. For me, the make-up of the midfield should be Fernandes or Gray as the 6 and Tonali or Bergvall as the 8, the entire dynamic of the midfield and balance of the entire team changes with those pairings.

 

[NoLimits01]

It’s the same issue I was raising around Tonali after the weekend, he is dropping deep to compensate for Bentancur. Once Fernandes came on, it released his average position 10 yards further up the pitch. Bergvall for me has a similar profile to Tonali, they are both box to box ball carriers, but Tonali is a better passer. For me, the make-up of the midfield should be Fernandes or Gray as the 6 and Tonali or Bergvall as the 8, the entire dynamic of the midfield and balance of the entire team changes with those pairings.

Get those 4 working together and rotating and I think we have a pretty bullet proof midfield

 

[Junior19]

I do sincerly hope none of the spurs-wags are being subjected to any hanky-panky by our players. They can't finish anything! The poor wenches would be totally worn out!

 

[Spike 1965]

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
Anfield
8pm Tuesday night UK timezone

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anfield on Tuesday night to face Liverpool in the League Cup Third Round.

It’s only 13 September and yet, less than a month into the season, there are dissenting voices planning the future replacement for ‘under pressure manager’ De Zerbi. Zero goals scored in four league matches has many hitting the panic button, but not me.

I believe that we are at the start of an epic journey. I believe that we look stronger defensively. We have a better shape to us, and that while we are toothless, that goals too will flow freely with time. If we can be patient then I think we will be rewarded and so let’s hope Tuesday brings a positive distraction from league form and an entertaining match.

Of course we often struggle at Anfield, so it’s not going to be easy BUT as long as we go there and give our all then who knows what can happen?! The team will be much rotated and it could be a chance for a player outside of the first team to stake a claim for a place in the first team and could be a cog in our positive improvements in future.

Anyway, less opening chat and on to the rest of the thread. So even if many think we are in a mire, that football isn’t going for us, and feel down thinking ‘here we go again’, we are better than that. We don’t give up, we fight on and we will rise again!!

Let’s go get the win at Anfield, let’s turn our season on its head! Let’s kickstart the glory of this season and herald the new dawn of all Spurs!


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A goal would have been great but not playing around in front of our goal and inviting them to come and take the ball from us would have been even better

 

[Muttley]

It’s the same issue I was raising around Tonali after the weekend, he is dropping deep to compensate for Bentancur. Once Fernandes came on, it released his average position 10 yards further up the pitch. Bergvall for me has a similar profile to Tonali, they are both box to box ball carriers, but Tonali is a better passer. For me, the make-up of the midfield should be Fernandes or Gray as the 6 and Tonali or Bergvall as the 8, the entire dynamic of the midfield and balance of the entire team changes with those pairings.

Get those 4 working together and rotating and I think we have a pretty bullet proof midfield

So are we saying here that the bravest decision RDZ can make in this journey is relegate Bentancur to 5th choice midfielder?

I would say that's incredibly brave. I'm not necessarily saying you're wrong though. I remember last season where we started game 1 with a midfield pairing of Gray and Bergval. It actually looked dynamic.

I guess the problem I have is taking responsibility. I've seen some great promise from Gray in that regard and I've seen it from Tonali. I've seen it in abundance from Bentancur especially when he was covering for the one dimensional Hojbjerg. I've not seen enough of Fernandez yet to judge but have always appreciated that Bergval needs to develop way more intelligence, especially without the ball.

In some ways, having these 5 talented guys is the best problem we can have. It's early days but the different permutations of pairings will develop.

 

[BrentwoodSpur]

Well regardless of result I enjoyed watching us play football, our passing was good and broke the line multiple times with some really good moves against an aggressive press - that's not something we have been good at for some time.

Also encouraging was the fact only 2 of that team started the league game showing that the whole squad is adapting to the way RDZ wants to play. Obviously you have to criticise the finishing, but to outperform Liverpool on all metrics at Anfield (bar the most important one of course) isn't something we usually do. Impressed with Tosin on his debut, and thought Bergvall did well. Definitely things to both work on and build on, and hopefully can break our duck against Villa....

I wish I could like this more than once. We’re developing as a team, and it will come good of that I’m sure. We’re virtually a brand new team with a brand new ethos and way of working. Let’s see
Where we are come December

 

[Rafa87]

I think currently, I’m going something like:

Kinsky

Porro JPVH VDV Robertson

Bentancur Fernandes

Marmoush

Kudus Solanke Savio

I think if Tosin can play RB, based on last night I’d consider putting him in before Gray, but it depends on Porros fitness.

For me, we’ve actually created better opportunities with Robertson so far.

I think Marmoush can score goals, but I think he needs someone to play off, instead of being the main main up top. I don’t think Solanke is great, but there isn’t another option.

I think we play better with Maddison in the 10 but again, it’s down to fitness. I guess if Maddison plays you could have Marmoush up top instead of Solanke as balls can be played through for him via Maddison.

Kudus and Savio are most likely to get us somewhere out wide in my view, and I genuinely think Bentancur has been better than Tonali so far.

I still think we bought good players, but we have some huge holes still.