OMT - Tottenham Hotspur vs Ajax

[Rorschach]

Exactly. I hate to say it but Mourinho said a week or so ago that the way to beat them was to be physical and bully them



Sitting on my porcelain throne using glory-glory.co.uk mobile app

The start of it was marking them. We gave them way too much space in the 1st half, a lot of it to do with our starting shape. Anyway, we are not out of it but if we play like the first half again we'll probably get stuffed.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

@Bedfordspurs
Sorry. No idea how I managed to quote you. Blame it on juggling phone, beer and a flag that I really don’t know why I’m bothering trying to keep a hold of.

 

[Mikey10]

I hope they win and celebrate properly.

After extra time.

Considering first half it's great to be in the tie still.

I don't think there were any performances out there that were surprising, however, the crowd that's gonna totally deflate and give nothing once we concede? Big time disappointing.

I thought the support in the stadium sounded really disappointing after the first 10 minutes.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Murderous maybe. But they still “only” got the one (away) goal.
Apart from the one off the post Hugo wasn’t otherwise massively troubled.
We’ve not made it easy for ourselves but with Son back we can cause them problems. And of course there’s still the chance that Dele might fully switch on.

The one off the post felt like the football gods set something up for us, if I'm being honest. So often, that goes in, and Spurs' effort comes to nothing. For some reason, this time it didn't.

But still...Ajax, at the Amsterdam Arena.

As for Dele, I did say dozy last week, that's for sure. And he was dozy again today.

His direct opposite, Van De Beek, was so much better than him it hurt to watch. I recognize Dele didn't have much to work with, but stamp your authority on the game, Dele. If we need to carry you, you really aren't worth it. At all.

 

[Baleforce]

Worry about Hoddle at times, what surprised him about tonight’s performance, that was textbook 2019 Tottenham.

 

[FatBloke]

Is it just me or does their goalscorer look
a bit like Michael Dawson?

Not smiling enough.

 

[Hootnow]

fudge me, they just showed a passage of play on whatever stream I'm watching and Ajax had absolutely flooded us in the first half. 8 players so deep in our half with a great passing move during it.

They seemed to tire a bit as the match went on, though they didn't necessarily look unduly worried during our attacks for the most part tbh.

I just hope in the repeat match we do not concede early. Please. Stop. Doing. It.

 

[SubZero]

Trippier has been garbage for 2/3rds of his Spurs career now. Only people who couldn't see it were those who thought an above-par World Cup, losing to a country with a population smaller than Birmingham's in the semi-finals, suddenly made him a world-class player.

It didn't. He's about Burnley level, playing for Spurs. That's it. He admits it, to his credit, but he's still utterly crap.

Bit harsh. He did ok filling the position after Walker left, and there was quite a common understanding as time went by that his position wasn't a priority to upgrade. He wasn't great defensively then and he isn't now. He has been in a slump after WC, but I think much can be due to over-confidence (as opposed to Sissoko's obvious under-confidence), and tbf he wasn't alone in thinking he was the dog's semen holding appendage after returning from Russia. And now he has problems getting his head up. But yeah, it is now one of the positions we need to strengthen if we are to take the final step.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

fudge me, they just showed a passage of play on whatever stream I'm watching and Ajax had absolutely flooded us in the first half. 8 players so deep in our half with a great passing move during it.

They seemed to tire a bit as the match went on, though they didn't necessarily look unduly worried during our attacks for the most part tbh.

I just hope in the repeat match we do not concede early. Please. Stop. Doing. It.

It’s why they don’t get the same results at home as their used to chasing the big games and they got caught in a stick or twist position after taking the lead

 

[SpurMeUp]

The start of it was marking them. We gave them way too much space in the 1st half, a lot of it to do with our starting shape. Anyway, we are not out of it but if we play like the first half again we'll probably get stuffed.

Our press was woeful. We were chasing shadows.

Yet we're encouraged. Ajax are beatable, if we can score. Kane is such a big miss. Dembele too. Alli in midfield was a disaster again.

 

[DubaiSpur]

How do they deal with sissoko driving through their midfield? That’s what changed
He nullifies De Jong and it changed the momentum if not the result

You're right, that will be difficult for them to deal with. But...yeah, you're right. Still in it, but I can't help but worry that we've blown our shot.

 

[Jordinho]

fudge me, they just showed a passage of play on whatever stream I'm watching and Ajax had absolutely flooded us in the first half. 8 players so deep in our half with a great passing move during it.

They seemed to tire a bit as the match went on, though they didn't necessarily look unduly worried during our attacks for the most part tbh.

I just hope in the repeat match we do not concede early. Please. Stop. Doing. It.

Been saying that for years. Doesn't seem to be working.

 

[FatBloke]

I think 4-4-1-1 with Foyth at RB, Sissoko on De Jong like a rash, and Dele playing just behind Son, may well do the trick.

 

[Rorschach]

Our press was woeful. We were chasing shadows.

Yet we're encouraged. Ajax are beatable, if we can score. Kane is such a big miss. Dembele too. Alli in midfield was a disaster again.

My point was that our starting position was too far from them so they had all the time in the world. In the 2nd half, we were touch-tight on them and more physical too. It made all the difference I think.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

You're right, that will be difficult for them to deal with. But...yeah, you're right. Still in it, but I can't help but worry that we've blown our shot.

We may have
But I look at who was available and I didn’t see anyone not put a shift in
We lacked the poise I know we have
We lacked some finesse
But we learned loads about them today and they can’t add a 20 goal a season striker or 2 to their first 11 before Wednesday

 

[Bedfordspurs]

My point was that our starting position was too far from them so they had all the time in the world. In the 2nd half, we were touch-tight on them and more physical too. It made all the difference I think.

Massively
It made them panic in passing and time waste

 

[SpurMeUp]

My point was that our starting position was too far from them so they had all the time in the world. In the 2nd half, we were touch-tight on them and more physical too. It made all the difference I think.

For sure. Also not closing as a team. Alli runs to the wrong player in the build up to the goal.

In a CL semi-final you know that if you can't controll possessoin you are in trouble. We started the game, had some play, but very quickly gave up the ball to them, and we're not quickly getting it back, and so we ceeded all momentum to them. Until the change and more men in midfield. Poch held his hands up, 3 at the back wasn't a good setup. 3 CB marking one player and letting them zip the ball through the open midfield.

 

[Baleforce]

We may have
But I look at who was available and I didn’t see anyone not put a shift in
We lacked the poise I know we have
We lacked some finesse
But we learned loads about them today and they can’t add a 20 goal a season striker or 2 to their first 11 before Wednesday

Actually, Huntelaar has 20 goals this season.

 

[Baleforce]

For sure. Also not closing as a team. Alli runs to the wrong player in the build up to the goal.

In the CL semi-final you know that if you can't controll possessoin you are in trouble. We started the game, had some play, but very quickly gave up the ball to them, and we're tight to quickly get it back, and we ceeded all momentum to them. Until the change and more men in midfield. Poch held his hands up, 3 at the back wasn't a good setup. 3 CB marking one player and letting them zip the ball through the open midfield.

Verts and Rose fudged up their spacing too.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Bit harsh. He did ok filling the position after Walker left, and there was quite a common understanding as time went by that his position wasn't a priority to upgrade. He wasn't great defensively then and he isn't now. He has been in a slump after WC, but I think much can be due to over-confidence (as opposed to Sissoko's obvious under-confidence), and tbf he wasn't alone in thinking he was the dog's semen holding appendage after returning from Russia. And now he has problems getting his head up. But yeah, it is now one of the positions we need to strengthen if we are to take the final step.

Well, when Walker left, I wanted Aurier to immediately become first choice - once he had become first choice, I never really minded his occasional penalty giveaway or misthrow, because he was new to the team - he'd learn, and get less nervous.

But to me, Aurier has what it takes to be a wing-back for us - searing pace, and a great deal of physicality and grit. Walker had that in abundance. Trippier just doesn't. And last summer, I wanted Trippier moved on while he was coming off a WC high and we could ask for big money for him - because I felt he wasn't worth what was being quoted for him at the time, and I felt Walker-Peters could do a good job shadowing Aurier.

Fundamentally, Trippier is not a starting right-back for a team like Spurs. When he was a backup for Walker, playing at the Lane (where the pitch was narrow, and the ground he needed to cover shorter), he did okay. But we need top athletes to play in those full-back slots in wide spaces, like at Wembley and now the new Lane. Trippier is slow, he's weak, he's not great in the air, and now he's been thinking he's the dog's b*llocks, with attendant negative effects on his concentration. He isn't that type of player, and it isn't fair on us, or on him, to keep playing there and expecting him to be something he isn't.