Praise for MP & Kaboul; Mason' PL debut; limited attacking options and a must win game

A tightly contested game ended 1-1 at the Emirates this evening. Given some of our recent performances at the Emirates, and our form as of late, we return to White Hart Lane with a point that not many expected.

Belief

I usually fear these games, there’s nothing worse than losing to the enemy, and given the performance against West Brom, my level of optimism for this game was very slim indeed.

It’s not just our visits to the Emirates but our games against almost all the big teams last season ended in tears. I think every fan can appreciate being beaten by the better side on the day, but the way we collapsed away from home last season was appalling.

Today, we showed a level character and belief that has been missing from the side for years.

A lot of the credit goes to Pochettino. Following the defeat to West Brom, it would have been easy to go into this game with the morale in the squad fairly low, but from the first minute we were competitive, despite the lack of possession.

We showed a side to our game today that I didn’t think we had. We’ve conceded some unbelievably sloppy goals already this season but today we nullified the majority of the threat from a very good opponent.

Rock Solid

The whole team defended well today but the defence deserves a special mention. Vertonghen was back to his best, Danny Rose’s turnaround from last season has been remarkable and Kyle Naughton answered some of his critics with a faultless display.

However, the majority of the praise goes to our new captain. I’ll admit that the appointment of Kaboul as captain took me by surprise but today he led by example. I lost count at the amount of times he headed away the danger.

More performances like this and the decision to appoint him captain will prove to be a masterstroke from Pochettino.

My one hope now is that we play with a consistent partnership at the back; it’s something we’ve lacked massively for years now. Given the fragility of Ledley King and the constant ins and outs at the back, we’ve failed to maintain a solid defensive partnership.

Based on today’s performance, Kaboul and Vertonghen looks like the way to go.

Work In Progress

Despite the good result, we’ve still got a long way to go till the finished product. Our options going forward are still very limited.

Adebayor didn’t offer a lot and Lamela and Eriksen have yet to put in a consistently brilliant performance. Both have shown some very exciting glimpses of what they’re capable of but some more patience is needed until they find their feet.

It’s also clear that our best team is still an unknown quantity. We had yet another partnership in central midfield today, this time with Ryan Mason making his Premier League debut alongside Capoue.

The young lad did not look out of place at all and he’ll have an important role to play this season.

With Mason, Lamela, Eriksen and Bentaleb all of a very young age, there’s a lot of potential in the squad. With time, they can hopefully grow into very good players.

Consistency

A very well earned point today but we must build on it. We have dropped needless points against Sunderland and West Brom already this season and have struggled to get into our rhythm following the defeat to Liverpool.

With Man City coming up straight after the international break, the game against Southampton next week is a must win.

Come on you Spurs!

 

can someone explain why Danny Rose retreated to guard the post rather than attacking the ball that was whiffed by Welbeck and put away by Chamberlain?

 

After watching the replays it seems Rose moved to the goalline expecting Wellbeck to shoot from his position, with no one marking Chamberlain.

 

That was poor defending.. If he had stick to Chamberlain, we wouldn't have conceded.

 

I won't lie, I'm slightly disappointed to only come away with one point today, because I REALLY felt that Arsenal were there for the taking, especially after lads had gone 1-0 up.

However, make no mistake about it, I am not in any doubt whatsoever about the enormity of the effect that result and the resilient display will have upon the team/squad mentality going forward.

A point away at Arsenal is NEVER a bad result. And a point away from home against a live member of the top 4 can only be considered a MAJOR step in the right direction when you consider some of our recent results against the EPL elite.
I flagged up before the match how important Spurs' ability to counter-attack would be against an Arsenal team that has struggled for years in that department and so it proved, with THFC being only a pass away from cashing in on the Gunners frailties in that regard a number of times!

To be honest, I thought we tired and lost a bit of our composure in the last 20 mins of the game, where the introduction of Bentelab and Townsend BEFORE we eventually gifted Arsenal an equaliser would have had a MASSIVE impact upon proceedings I believe.

All in all though a point away from home at our fiercest rivals gives the team plenty to build upon in the weeks and months ahead and that must be the focus of the squad heading into the busy part of the campaign.

Special mentions must go to the entire back 5 and Capoue for putting in the kind of performances I know they are capable of, and yet there is one man who stood out above all, and that man was the captain Younes Kaboul.

Younes had been flagged up as a weak link by many, many Spurs fans across the country this season and I must say that as someone who has ALWAYS had the utmost faith in the big man it was extremely enjoyable to see him go some way to silencing his critics with a performance that oozed authority, intelligence and class.

This was the Kaboul I remember. This was the Kaboul I had seen on numerous occasions in a Spurs shirt. And this is the Kaboul that is one of the best central defenders that the EPL has to offer. It's as simply as that!

Commanding, composed and inspirational, the Frenchman set his stool out early on in the game with a SUPERB piece of defensive work against Danny Welbeck, after the England had left Vertonghen for dead on the halfway-line with a lovely piece of skill.

From that point on Younes was exceptional in everything he did as far as marshalling and organising the Spurs back 4, and if any one had doubted Pochettino's decision to make the Frenchman captain, then those of you watching the game would of seen exactly why Kaboul was the natural/obvious choice.

People don't seem to talk about confidence nowadays when assessing the displays of players which is a definitely an oversight on their part, but the boost this performance will give the Frenchman will be HUGE and cannot be underestimated after the inconsistent start to this campaign.

Hopefully the whole team can draw confidence from a display that could have easily have yielded 3 points had they been a bit more careful/clinical with their work in the final third, and the right changes had been made at the right time.

But this is a result and performance where the positives should far outweigh the negatives.

BRING ON THE NEXT GAME!!!!

 

Against arsenal the whole team played well which has not always been the case one of the reason our back line is not consistent is because all of the defenders who stared today have all performed poorly for long periods rose the whole of last season he was poor jan the second hlf of last season he was not consistent sometimes he would play well somes times he was he looked like he does he want to play kaboul has never performed well two games in row Naughton has never played well in a spurs shirt he always looks like a disaster waiting to happen and this season our attacking players have not been great chadli is the only one who has had a great start lamela gets dispossed often and often chooses to dribble when passing to a teammate would have been a better option eriksen has drifted in and out of games all the games he has stared adebayor does not look like he interested in playing i doubt we will have another performance where the whole team plays well

 

It was a hard fought point away to the scum and a good result all things considering.
Lloris was motm closely followed by kaboul which was good to see.

 

Interesting game plan, give them all the ball, get everyone back and let em throw everything at us, real heart in mouth stuff but they nearly pulled it off, great team effort. I would have taken a draw and a good team effort from this fixture so wont complain but if only we were better on the counter we could have been 2-0 at half time. The defence was excellent for this game, Lloris MOTM for me but Kaboul wasn't far away and easily his best performance for some time so all credit to Younes, a good captains game, there's been a lot of criticism of late for Kaboul's substandard play and mostly that criticism has not been unfair or unwarranted so its fantastic to see him back to his very best, well done, a solid and disciplined display from the defence, Jan, Rose and Naughton too all did their jobs, however we were poor bringing the ball out of defence and gave the ball up on too many occasions which made for some very nervous moments but even so you couldn't help thinking we were doing something right and the scum were getting frustrated, they might say that this was two points dropped for them but had our forwards taken their chances in the first we would have taken all the points.

 

We've already equalled last season's total points tally that we achieved from games against the top four, so that's encouraging.

There was much more heart, pressing and putting bodies on the line: another positive. The team must recognise this as essential in every premier game, not just against the big teams.

Credit to the manager, who had a good game plan. With more clinical final passes and finishing, we could have nicked it.

Lamela gets less credit than he deserves. He may struggle in his decision making further back in the field when the choice is between dribbling or passing, but he shows his class by providing the key assists when it counts

 

Its a great point and a galvanised performance the club really needed. I'm sure we wouldn't like to see spurs play like that each week nonetheless. Credit where credit is due kaboul was bang on today as was the whole defensive unit but one swallow don't make a summer but if he performs like that on a more regular I'm more than happy to change my opinion of him. We still are lacking in the final third a problem that cannot be solved while January.

 

Great to see the grit and determination of this performance. Players deserve every praise for a battling derby display. Was surprised by Masons inclusion, and i think that it shows that Poch isnt pleased with the efforts of some bigger midfield names in the squad. I think we all know that things aren't exactly as Poch would like them but this game was a big statement in terms of whom will fight for the shirt. Coys.

 

I was also very shocked to Mason START his 1st game in a NLD with the likes of Dembele, Paulinho and Stambouli not even in the squad, but I suppose it only goes to highlight what I have been saying all along and that is that Pochettino is a RUTHLESS operator.

I'm not sure how many other managers would have the brass to leave out 2 (high profile ) internationals, and a new signing, in favour of a kid who has only played one cup game against N. Forest for the 1st team, despite being out the club for years. So, I think it say's a hell of a lot about the kind of manager we have at the helm, as well as his commitment to building a TEAM.

http://www.thetottenhamway.com/2014/09/24/reputations-mean-nothing-pochettino-ready-wield-axe/?

Personally, I think the time has come to seriously consider leaving Eriksen in order to give one of our other attacking talents an opportunity to show what they can do. Because while I'm sure we all know that Christian is capable of being a match winner for this side, his performances have simply NOT justified his continual inclusion in the '1st team'.

Poor set-piece delivery and a general lack of influence on the field in an attacking sense, I think this is the perfect opportunity for Pochettino to show the squad that is performances, not reputations, that earn you a place in the starting 11.

Listen, nobody can question that the Dane is leaving everything he has on the pitch in terms of effort, but whoever plays in the position of no10 MUST make a significant impact in the attacking 3rd of the pitch, which is something that Eriksen cannot claim to be doing at the moment.

I would play him in the EL clash midweek, in order to help him gain some confidence/rhythm, with a view to dropping him for our next EPL clash next weekend.

Andros Townsend, Aaron Lennon and Mousa Dembele are all capable of playing and excelling in the attacking three behind the front-man, and I would be inclined to offer one of them them a chance to show me that they are good enough to warrant a place in the side.

One disappoint thus far this season is seeing Aaron playing almost exclusively ON the left flank, as opposed to OFF the left-flank, which I understand was probably a tactical ploy yesterday, but the fact that the Spurs players have failed to grasp fully what Pochettino is demanding of them is also having a knock-on effect on Lennons displays.

Can Aaron play OFF the left flank? Yes, it given the freedom to roam and interchange positions with his colleagues in the attacking 3. He proved this in pre-season with some EXCELLENT performances, and given the opportunity to replicate that role, I think he could be a devastating weapon in the Spurs armoury.

Can Aaron play ON the left flank? Not and be particularly effective from an attacking standpoint. He CLEARLY isn't comfortable going outside of his man in that position, and because of that, not only is he easy to read for the oppositions defenders, but he also has a tendency to slow down play with his safety first approach whilst operating in a role that doesn't flatter his skill-set.

I thought the big pitch at the Emirates would have been the perfect environment for Andros Townsend to relaunch his Spurs career. I was gutted not to see him come on, especially when Spurs accumulated a number of yellow cards, in forward positions, which made it difficult to defend from the front and when Spurs so desperately tired and needed an out-ball.

Call me crazy, but had Townsend and Bentaleb come on after Spurs had gone 1-0 up, I am convinced that Spurs would have won that game.

Townsend would have taken the ball upfield, won free-kicks and created space for others with his ability to commit members of the opposition.

With Arsenal searching for an equaliser, Townsend would have provided the team with a HUGE threat on the counter, and in doing so would have meant Arsenal would have been more reluctant to push so many men forward.

Spurs looked knackered for the last 25-30 mins having played the majority of the game withoutt the ball on a big surface, and Lamela lazy clearance for the goal was symptomatic of that.

On another note, it was great to see Mason come in to the team for such a big game and put in such a brave performance, on, and off ,the ball. Credit to the lad, he did well.

 

Mason played well and it was great that he was given his chance and I hope to see more of him this season as he has the makings of being a top player. Kaboul was superb and let's hope he now maintains that level of lay for the rest of this season.
Before the game, I would have taken a point and considering the amount of time we spent without the ball, I was more than happy to come away with that point.
The defence looked more solid than at any time in the last three seasons and protected lloris well overall.
I would have liked to have seen us be more attacking in truth and the tactics were clearly to not lose, rather than to try and win the game.
We now move on to the next games and hopefully start to see the attacking football we have been promised for so long.

 

Well, we gave them a possession and could have had all 3 points in return. Something similar to what WBA did to us. It is encouraging to see MP being able to play Mourinho's football when need calls for it.
I disagree with Adebayor was being useless. He was involved in play build ups on some occasions. He put up a few crosses doing better job than Mason would. We need a striker, no question. Let's see what December window will bring. I'd like to see Ade at number 10 position.
Lamela had to be substituted. Not only because it could have saved us 2 lost points, but in all being an offensive threat, the Argentinian is a defensive liability.

 

Good debut game for Mason and at 23 he should be ready for this level, he looked very assured alongside Capoue and looks like he can bring some quick play and creativity from the middle which is what weve been missing so what does this mean for players like Dembele and Benteleb ? as good as Dembele is I still wonder if he's the sort of player that fits Poch's system. He could be moved into a more attacking role as some have suggested but for me personally I don't see it. I don't see Poch changing the three of Chadli, Eriksen and Lamela just yet, Chadli brings goals and plays like a second striker, Eriksen to me seems to be playing deeper and he and Mason working together could be an interesting prospect, Lamela although awful in defence is becoming a real focal point and is creating goals, my only concern is with them all playing inside as much as they do we seem to be lacking real width, having said that I cant see either one of Townsend or Lennon starting many games, both of them impact subs only for me. Agree that Ade does put in a shift and he works hard, the problem is that what he does just isn't working for him.