glasgowspur
Luka Modric
Wanyama is the big miss defensively imv. We are vulnerable without him shielding them.
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Toby Alderweireld
- Thread starter DubaiSpur
- Start date
Wanyama is the big miss defensively imv. We are vulnerable without him shielding them.
Bedfordspurs
Mark Falco
Kante is no where near to the great hype he had previous IMO
Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
Pretty much sign the contract or get to fudge
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/30/world-cup-tottenham-toby-alderweireld-chelsea
Toby Alderweireld’s World Cup worries will not influence Tottenham selections
Mauricio Pochettino will not change his defensive system to accommodate the fit-again Toby Alderweireld and has made it plain the centre-half is behind Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sánchez in the Tottenham pecking order.
Alderweireld has endured a torrid five-months, during which he has had hamstring problems and made only two appearances for the club. When he has felt fit, there have been times when Pochettino has disagreed and left him out – namely for the Arsenal and Juventus games in mid-February.
The situation has come against the backdrop of a breakdown in negotiations over a new contract and it has not been difficult to pick up on the mood at the club – he has become a disposable asset. Because of a clause in his deal, he can be bought for £25m in the summer of 2019. If Tottenham can get more for him this year, they may take it.
The 29-year-old re-injured his hamstring in training on 22 February and returned to the squad for the FA Cup tie at Swansea City on 17 March, when he was an unused substitute.
Alderweireld played 90 minutes for Belgium on Tuesday[URL='https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/27/belgium-saudi-arabia-international-friendly-match-report'] in the 4-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia but the national coach, Roberto Martínez, has warned his place in the World Cup team will be under threat if he remains on the fringes at Tottenham.[/URL]
Pochettino is unmoved by potential World Cup heartbreak. He stressed he would continue to pick a starting XI purely in Tottenham’s interests and at the moment – in a back four – that means sticking with Vertonghen and Sánchez, which he will do against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Sánchez arrived in a club record £42m deal from Ajax last summer and it is difficult to overstate how highly the manager rates the 21-year-old.
“Every single player needs to show in training that they are better than their team-mate and then I pick,” Pochettino said. “In the last four or five months Toby has struggled with his injury. Now, he is playing and we use a back four, with two centre-backs, and we play Jan and Davinson. I am not going to change the system [to three centre-backs] because Toby needs to play in the World Cup and he needs to play [at Tottenham].
“I need to pick two centre-backs and, if you are happy, you keep the couple of players and he needs to wait. Like everyone. It’s the same situation with different players, like Moussa Sissoko. He maybe needs to play more because he was out of the France squad.
“I have an amazing relationship with Roberto. He texted me about his comments and I replied. I fully understand them. What do the national team managers want? They want their players to play. But my focus is to win games with Tottenham. I cannot be kind with every single manager.
“What can I do? I cannot play with 13 or 14 players. If Toby keeps working hard, he is going to have the possibility to play and compete. He is an experienced player. He needs to be fit and to be fit, he needs to train every day and give his best. That is enough, no?”
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/30/world-cup-tottenham-toby-alderweireld-chelsea
Toby Alderweireld’s World Cup worries will not influence Tottenham selections
Mauricio Pochettino will not change his defensive system to accommodate the fit-again Toby Alderweireld and has made it plain the centre-half is behind Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sánchez in the Tottenham pecking order.
Alderweireld has endured a torrid five-months, during which he has had hamstring problems and made only two appearances for the club. When he has felt fit, there have been times when Pochettino has disagreed and left him out – namely for the Arsenal and Juventus games in mid-February.
The situation has come against the backdrop of a breakdown in negotiations over a new contract and it has not been difficult to pick up on the mood at the club – he has become a disposable asset. Because of a clause in his deal, he can be bought for £25m in the summer of 2019. If Tottenham can get more for him this year, they may take it.
The 29-year-old re-injured his hamstring in training on 22 February and returned to the squad for the FA Cup tie at Swansea City on 17 March, when he was an unused substitute.
Alderweireld played 90 minutes for Belgium on Tuesday[URL='https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/27/belgium-saudi-arabia-international-friendly-match-report'] in the 4-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia but the national coach, Roberto Martínez, has warned his place in the World Cup team will be under threat if he remains on the fringes at Tottenham.[/URL]
Pochettino is unmoved by potential World Cup heartbreak. He stressed he would continue to pick a starting XI purely in Tottenham’s interests and at the moment – in a back four – that means sticking with Vertonghen and Sánchez, which he will do against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Sánchez arrived in a club record £42m deal from Ajax last summer and it is difficult to overstate how highly the manager rates the 21-year-old.
“Every single player needs to show in training that they are better than their team-mate and then I pick,” Pochettino said. “In the last four or five months Toby has struggled with his injury. Now, he is playing and we use a back four, with two centre-backs, and we play Jan and Davinson. I am not going to change the system [to three centre-backs] because Toby needs to play in the World Cup and he needs to play [at Tottenham].
“I need to pick two centre-backs and, if you are happy, you keep the couple of players and he needs to wait. Like everyone. It’s the same situation with different players, like Moussa Sissoko. He maybe needs to play more because he was out of the France squad.
“I have an amazing relationship with Roberto. He texted me about his comments and I replied. I fully understand them. What do the national team managers want? They want their players to play. But my focus is to win games with Tottenham. I cannot be kind with every single manager.
“What can I do? I cannot play with 13 or 14 players. If Toby keeps working hard, he is going to have the possibility to play and compete. He is an experienced player. He needs to be fit and to be fit, he needs to train every day and give his best. That is enough, no?”
K.D.D.D.D.Soc
Ian Walker
Yeah spend, spend, spend, put it on the credit card, its why this country is great.
alekaras
The ITK of IDK
I beg to differ. He's a world class midfielder and the last few times I have watched him has played as such.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
I don’t even think it’s that. If Toby signed I don’t think he would then get back in the team. I think Poch genuinely rates Sanchez super highly and will back him to the hilt, and he genuinely believes in being both in peak condition and demonstrating the maximum of your agility to earn your place back.
His stance with Sanchez is basically telling every highly rated young player in world football that if they came to Spurs and performed, they would get more action than one of our rivals. And it’s showing the rest of our current squad it’s aboit current standards - reputations are irrelevant.
Strange, because I don’t recall Toby making anywhere near the number of individual errors that Sanchez has. That’s not me hating on Sanchez he’s one for the future but the fact remains he is not yet at Toby’s level and our defence doesn’t look as solid without him there. You are right to suggest Wanyama missing hasn’t helped, not sure why you mention Dembele though - he’s featured plenty?
DeleHarry
Jose Dominguez
i think if there wasnt this contract issue then Toby would be straight into the team tomorrow alongside Vertonghen. Massive game, you need your big players. Sanchez has been very good this season but if we are going with 4 at the back then why wouldnt you pick your best centre back partnership
Gazza
Frederic Kanoute
Because Toby looks rusty due to a lack of game time and this is not exactly the game you would bring him back in for.
On his day brilliant but I don't think that brilliance will be seen. We have coped well without him and that is a testament down to poch, verts and Sanchez.
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Compare this season to last, and I think its fair to say without Dembele and Wanyama fit all year this year our defence has been much more exposed than last season.
So, is our supposed weaker defence this season a result of Alderweireld not playing, or a result of a lack of midfield cover in front?
Obviously its not all one or the other, but Id wager had our first choice midfield been fit this year our defence would be doing much better than it has (which, lets be fair, isnt actually bad at all anyway).
I agree our defence would be stronger if Wanyama had been fighting on all cylinders. But I think you’re in danger of doing what many did with Walker and convince themselves we are fine without them and underestimate their quality and importance when in reality we weren’t quite as strong. Toby and Jan have such an understanding we are always going to be weaker with Toby not there. Like I’ve said Sanchez has made more individual errors this season than Toby has in probably the previous two seasons. That’s not a slant at Sanchez he’s developing, but you’re burying your head in the sand if you truly believe we aren’t any weaker in defence when our CB pairing is Jan and Sanchez and not Jan and Toby....
Bedfordspurs
Mark Falco
Has our defence cost us this year?
We’re almost on the same amount of points as last season and the games that have cost us IMO werebones we didn’t win, not lose
We’re in exactly the same place so far in the FA Cup and in Europe we got further, but that’s the one comp you could argue it did hurt us
We’re almost on the same amount of points as last season and the games that have cost us IMO werebones we didn’t win, not lose
We’re in exactly the same place so far in the FA Cup and in Europe we got further, but that’s the one comp you could argue it did hurt us
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
I actually dont think we are particularly weaker without Walker, I dont miss him.
I do think Alderweireld would be a big loss. Im just putting it out there, for those making out like our defense is "suffering" because of his absence, that there is more to it that just him.
I think had we Wanyama and Dembele fit all year Sanchez wouldnt have been as exposed, wouldnt have made as many mistakes* and the team would have been over all more solid.
Baring in mind, its only marginally worse off defensively than last season - considering those missing I think its a huge credit to this side.
*How many have even been costly?
Toby makes our defence stronger surely there can’t be argument about that. However if Poch is going down the route of investing in Sanchez because he is the future then I’m fine with that, I just disagree if people think we are as strong defensively without him. One of Pochs great strengths is that the team is always strong regardless of a player(s) being missing so it’s not a massive issue,but we are better off with him being in the team than not....
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
You are arguing over margins.
IMO, the margins - with Dembele/Wanyama in the side - are rather fine. Even though, unquestionably, Alderweireld is the better defender.
Even now, without them all season, our defence is only marginally worse off.
Others are going on as if the margins are much wider...
Bedfordspurs
Mark Falco
The worst defensive performance this season.... West Ham in the league cup and Toby played and had a shocker!!!
Does that make him a poor player now? Of course not but i think are associating Toby’s absence with a weakness that hasn’t really materialised on a noticeable level
We have let in more than previous seasons but as I said earlier were just behind the points tally of our best season ever in this league and that’s playing at wembley ... what are we expecting as fans?
Oh of course, it’s margins. Sanchez and Verts are a good CB pairing, but Toby and Jan were arguably the best Cb pairing in Europe. We can cope without Toby, but would still rather him playing than not...