SteveAWOL
Chris Jones
If only we’d been this clinical in front of goal yesterday!
Any time I've seen Liverpool they have been good, except when they play us. The last three games, this season and CL final, they haven't looked all that, yet still won.
You make a good point. Big game players score in big games. Others panic, lean back and spoon it over the goal.So frustrating, if they completely played us off the park winning 4/5-0 ok, but its the way they keep just winning against us. Anfield this season, Son with an open goal to make it 2-0 and he hits the bar, Liverpool go on to win 2-1. Sissoko through on goal at Anfield last season with the score level and nearing the end of the game and he blazes it over the bar, Liverpool go on to win 2-1
CL final Sissoko gives away a penalty in the first minute, Liverpool create little else all game,
Arghhhhhh
So sexy!You make a good point. Big game players score in big games. Others panic, lean back and spoon it over the goal.
No one thought we would win the game did they?, but we came away and all the lads were enthused by how we played. If we can keep that intensity going forward we should improve our position.
We had the chances but fluffed them, but overall i see some light at the end of the tunnel. So many good performances but my MOM was Sanchez who really stood out.
The tackle on Salad? He turned with the ball too and made a solid firm pass because he knew it would get thereThought Sanchez was outstanding bar one terrible misplaced pass second half. Defensively he was sublime though. There was a tackle, also in the second half, that I couldn't figure out how he did at the time. On several occasions when the Dippers tried to utilise the pace of their front 3, Sanchez was more than equal to it and used his strength to seal the deal.
It was one of those performances that make me think he's our best centre half by a distance. Unfortunately, he's still capable of awful performances too which I hope is a sign of his age rather than an underlying problem. Either way, I think Jose should be playing him week in and week out. Maybe him and Tanganga are the future.
The tackle on Salad? He turned with the ball too and made a solid firm pass because he knew it would get there
I'm making this prediction now. Yesterday was a turning point. Not in terms of the result obviously but it was the first Mourinho-like performance from us. He set out a plan for a team struggling with injuries against the best side in the country and it nearly worked. There was a lot of discipline throughout that performance and we looked well drilled.
As @billyiddo pointed out, what we haven't seen is how we will approach games against sides that don't try to dominate us. That draw against Boro looks costly now, otherwise we'd have a week to work on it.
True but I'm predicting a run of results based on a solid defence where we won't concede. If we don't concede, we'll pick up points and won't need much against the sides we've traditionally struggled to break down.
I may be nuts but if you don't have hope, no matter how forlorn, you're not a Spurs fan.
Yup, the rope-a-dope tactics were spot on (considering the current state of our squad) and if Son or Lo Celso were a bit more clinical in front of goal (how we could’ve done with Kane) we might’ve very well ended the World champions unbeaten run.I must say, I’m surprised at the José takes from good journos over the last couple of days. And I say this as someone who thinks Levy potentially made a mistake by sacking Poch and going for José, but I think the takes have been bad.
All of the talk of reactive football, taking Spurs back years, I just don’t think that was true. On another day we win that game and are talking about beating the best side in the world. There was clearly a plan, keep it as tight as possible, and then strike when we saw the opening. It nearly worked. The Chelsea game was horrendous, the absolute worst. Southampton poor. Norwich not great. Boro laboured. But this was good. When we attacked it was with intensity, we created clear chances, and we looked like we were swarming them. If this was the first real taste of Mourinho intensity, then I have no real problem with a game plan that involves keeping it tight. As long as we raise our level when we decide to push for the goals. It’s what big games often look like.
That, coupled with some reasonably innovative thinking and flexibility in going from what looked like a back 3 to a 4-4-2 with Aurier on the right wing, and giving Japhet a chance, I thought it was a really positive window in to what we could be like. These last few months have been really hard, everyone has stagnated, but if there is some light at the end of the tunnel, certain players getting their moves, certain others coming in to shake it up, youth getting their shot when deserved, we’ll be ok.
I would expect our approach in defence to be different against teams that pressure us less.
Agreed. I don't expect us to set up like we did on Saturday against lesser sides. Jose would be lynched if we did.
I just think Saturday will give the players more belief in the manager and vice versa and we'll start to look more like a successful Jose team.
I am not sure that we have the tools right now to play a more attacking game but it is encouraging that the team looked better organised after a week to prepare for this game. It is a real shame that the replay means that we don't have the same for Watford.