*** Tottenham Hotspur vs Scum OMT ***

[SpurMeUp]

Please! How the fudge was that soft? He's tripped Moussa clearly, I was there today and saw it clear as day and the replay confirms it all.

Yes it was a pen It wasn't the clearest. One of those you'd feel harshly done by if it was the other way. But they were getting all sorts of soft fouls, and it was a pen. The replays showed more contact that I saw at first. Defender clearly kicks Dembele's foot.

 

[r-u-s-x]

I watched the second half a bit later, was told it was a soft penalty but when I saw it on tv thought it was nailed on no question. Really surprised how blatent it was.

 

[ringo]

I know that but to play it on a full time basis is a little different and will take some work on the training pitch to become perfect.

The 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 is good for pressing as we have more players higher up the pitch to win the ball in their half. I also think it is an effective antidote to 4-2-3-1. However, if a few teams are successful with 3 at the back as they seem to be, it won't take long before all those innovative managers in the Premier (and elsewhere) copy the latest fashionable tactic. Which will then partly negate the tactical advantage it offers.

for me, though, i think it is the best fit for our current players. We have 3/4 excellent CBs, and 3/4 potentially very good wing-backs - not as sure about Davies. And we have a target forward who would benefit from playing with another striker.
And a good choice of different types of midfielder - who are probably better suited to playing narrow.

What will be amusing is if lower league/non-league football goes down this route, as it probably will at some point. From from my limited personal experience as player and manager, 3 at the back is one of the toughest systems to get right, and as a striker I always enjoyed playing against three CBs as they invariably had problems sorting out the marking when they were defending attacks that came down the flanks.

 

[Jordinho]

Three at the back has already become the magical solution that fans at most clubs think will transform them. I'd rather play an extra attacking midfielder than an extra CB personally.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Annoyed we seem to settle for a draw. Janssen should have scored. Eriksen should have scored. Neither easy chances.

Main things is we played well. Too many draws though. We play well when behind, but lack something to see it into a win.

I would say that Janssen's chance was probably one that would be scored about once for every 8 to 10 times that sort of chance is created. Eriksen's (on his wrong foot) probably once every 3 or 4 chances.

1-1 was probably the right result overall on the balance of the game I'd say, either team could've nicked it but neither really deserved to.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Dont worry. Remember George Weah's cousin who came to the Premier League. I dont need 10 games to know if a 22 year old striker is going to fit in. I can give time to Onomah, Winks, Harrison but not a 22 year old international whose only strength is holding the ball up and throwing himself about the pitch in Spurs' colours. He is not good enough in Spurs colours. That is enough for me to know. He is one of the worst strikers that I have watched in Spurs colours in the last 20 years. Only Rasiak, Ginger Pele and someone else whose name escapes me (Barnard??) have tinkleed me off more! An half fit Kane looked better than him!

GOOD RESULT FOR THE TEAM!! I KNEW WE WOULD COME BACK!!

Quite interesting as I think he looks OK. He has been feeding on scraps but despite that done some good things. Yes he fluffed a volley yesterday, but that was a very difficult chance (harder than either Harry's header or Harry's chance at the back post off of Rose's cross for example). So far I think Janssen has shown he has the physicality, work rate, first touch and confidence to be successful in England. He will need time to adapt to the improved standard of defending and also learn Spurs' system and the way that his teammates play. I think he is definitely worth persevering with.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Yep, I'll fess up to feeling that we were going to get beat before we started. But the boys did good!
Arsenal are where they are partly due to a couple of really dodgy goals - Burnley and us spring to mind.

You are also forgetting Southampton.

 

[Finney Is Back]

The fear was based on the past matches with "lesser" opponents.
The good think about the injuries is that it forces Poch to try something new.
He should have given Wimmer more game time instead of Dier in previous games.

Sent from my SM-T819Y using Fapatalk

To say this I'm not sure that you understand the way that Pochettino sets us up.... In our usual 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 system our two full backs play so high up the pitch that our two centre halves have to play a kind of combined centre half/full back role, while the holding midfielder almost plays as a third centre half. It is important that our two centre halves are comfortable playing either as a centre half or a full back on the side that they are covering.... If you look at our central defenders they have all played full back at some point of their career.... Toby and Dier as right backs and Vertonghen and Wimmer as left backs. I'm sure if it had been Verrtonghen who was out injured then it would've been Wimmer coming in for him. It is quite simply that Pochettino is replacing a right sided centre half with a like for like player (in terms of natural positioning) in Dier.

 

[balesleftboot]

Does anyone else get frustrated by international breaks. I don't know why but I find international football so boring.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Whinger also said it was not a penalty too "on the basis Laurent Koscielny’s foul was not deliberate, dangerous or denying Mousa Dembélé a scoring opportunity" I glad his eye sight is improving with age.

Also good to see that he still has the same (lack of) grasp of the rules of football.

 

[iggyfog]

Does anyone else get frustrated by international breaks. I don't know why but I find international football so boring.

For the first time ever I am quite relieved we have the break. Fully fit Toby and Kane and we can then kick on with the next few games. Ali probably needs a break too.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Its the same petulance that was shown by the team he produced in the latter part of the last decade. Spoilt brats like Fabregas/van Persie/Nasri who couldn't accept if they'd lost. Its clear where that attitude was coming from...
Personally I don't get why he'd come out and make ludicrous statements like that. Its a clear foul why not just call it like it is and maybe focus on something else which had even a shred of truth about it? I see he's been calling out Wanyama and reckoning he could've had a straight red for "elbowing" Walcott...WTF - the BT commentary team said it wasn't even a foul. Loved Verthongen going in and having a word with Walcott about that. We need a bit more of that this season. Too much of the nasty streak has disappeared since the Battle at the Bridge.

I don't understand why the interviewers don't call them out on it.... Why doesn't the interviewer just say "It was a clear penalty Arsene. All of the pundits said it was a penalty, even Ian 'Gooner' Wright and Howard Webb confirmed it was a penalty. In fact you are the only person so far to have claimed it shouldn't have been given. What do you say to that?".....

Followed by "What should Wanyama have been sent off for Arsene? Was it for Theo Walcott headbutting his arm and then trying to make out he had been elbowed? If so then our commentators didn't even think it should've been a foul. Were the Arsenal players under instruction from you to cheat and try to get one of the opposition sent off Arsene?"

Imagine how much further Wenger would've embarrassed himself if confronted with such honesty?

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Yes this break will come at a good time for us, breaking up what has been a tough run of form and allowing us to get players back after terrible luck with injuries, rather than letting them go away to get knocks / not rest.

Toby, Alli, Lamela, Alli, Kane, Dembele all hopefully back, rested and ready for consistent runs after being stop start these last few weeks. Alli gets a rest while international football probably serves Kane a purpose in allowing him to up his match fitness. Hopefully Rose and Walker don't get used and we also get Davies back too.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Yes it was a pen It wasn't the clearest. One of those you'd feel harshly done by if it was the other way. But they were getting all sorts of soft fouls, and it was a pen. The replays showed more contact that I saw at first. Defender clearly kicks Dembele's foot.

I wouldn't feel harshly done by. I would feel annoyed at our player having made such a poor attempt at a tackle in our penalty area. That penalty would be given probably 8 times out of 10 without benefit of a replay and 10 times out of 10 by a referee that had the benefit of seeing a replay. It wasn't "harsh" at all. It was completely correct.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Yes this break will come at a good time for us, breaking up what has been a tough run of form and allowing us to get players back after terrible luck with injuries, rather than letting them go away to get knocks / not rest.

Toby, Alli, Lamela, Alli, Kane, Dembele all hopefully back, rested and ready for consistent runs after being stop start these last few weeks. Alli gets a rest while international football probably serves Kane a purpose in allowing him to up his match fitness. Hopefully Rose and Walker don't get used and we also get Davies back too.

I don't know if it is just my memory playing tricks on me, but I seem to remember Ferguson's dominant Man Utd teams often getting their injuries out of the way in the first two thirds of the season but hanging in there in the title race, then seeming to have a fully fit squad for the last third of the season as they finished the campaign brilliantly and took the title?

 

[BrainOfLevy]

I don't know if it is just my memory playing tricks on me, but I seem to remember Ferguson's dominant Man Utd teams often getting their injuries out of the way in the first two thirds of the season but hanging in there in the title race, then seeming to have a fully fit squad for the last third of the season as they finished the campaign brilliantly and took the title?

Wonder how you plan for that? Must have been one of the things Fergie and Poch discussed over lunch!

 

[Rorschach]

Quite interesting as I think he looks OK. He has been feeding on scraps but despite that done some good things. Yes he fluffed a volley yesterday, but that was a very difficult chance (harder than either Harry's header or Harry's chance at the back post off of Rose's cross for example). So far I think Janssen has shown he has the physicality, work rate, first touch and confidence to be successful in England. He will need time to adapt to the improved standard of defending and also learn Spurs' system and the way that his teammates play. I think he is definitely worth persevering with.

Agree with all that.

He also needs to watch his fouling. I know the physical battle is part of his game but he needs to be a little smarter how he goes about it. And he needs to work on his awareness with regards to offsides. Too many of those at the moment.

 

[parklane1]

The 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 is good for pressing as we have more players higher up the pitch to win the ball in their half. I also think it is an effective antidote to 4-2-3-1. However, if a few teams are successful with 3 at the back as they seem to be, it won't take long before all those innovative managers in the Premier (and elsewhere) copy the latest fashionable tactic. Which will then partly negate the tactical advantage it offers.

for me, though, i think it is the best fit for our current players. We have 3/4 excellent CBs, and 3/4 potentially very good wing-backs - not as sure about Davies. And we have a target forward who would benefit from playing with another striker.
And a good choice of different types of midfielder - who are probably better suited to playing narrow.

What will be amusing is if lower league/non-league football goes down this route, as it probably will at some point. From from my limited personal experience as player and manager, 3 at the back is one of the toughest systems to get right, and as a striker I always enjoyed playing against three CBs as they invariably had problems sorting out the marking when they were defending attacks that came down the flanks.

Agree with pretty much all of that especially the bit in bold. To play at the back you need three players who are adaptable and able to read the game, i feel in Jan, Toby and Dier we have three who could play this way without too many problems, given the fact ( as you say) we have the fullbacks who suit this system as well.

The reasons why some/most team would struggle with this is that i am not sure if they are as equipped ( with the right type of players) to do so. It will take work on the training pitch ( Dier got caught out yesterday by not moving across enough) but i think Toby would be the right side player and Dier would be the central one when Toby returns.

I guess we shall see.

 

[alekaras]

Well executed.

https://twitter.com/x/status/795294801004531715

 

[wiziwig]

@alekaras

I very much liked Eriksen's performance yesterday.

Not having a go at Alli, because he's young and is playing in all the games, but I do think he is more often giving up possession to our opponents than Eriksen does and doing so in that position, leaves us open to counter attacks especially when the full-backs have pushed on.

I felt that was Eriksen's best performance in ages.