Player Ratings - Asteras Tripolis 1:2 Spurs

Discussion in 'Tottenham forum' started by James McC, November 6, 2014.

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  1. James McC

    James McC Member

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    Andros Townsend contributed a goal and an assist as Spurs squeezed past Greek side Asteras Tripolis in the Group Stages of the Europa League.

    Townsend was sent sprawling in the penalty box towards the end of the second half and the Englishman picked himself up to give Spurs the lead with an impressively taken spot-kick.

    Just 6 minutes later he turned provider as his clipped cross found the head of the onrushing Harry Kane who netted his 10th goal of the season – his 7th in the Europa League.

    The poor Asteras pitch took most of the blame for Spurs’ slow build up play in the second half, and with the score at 2-0 for the majority of the second period, the game began to fizzle out.

    Asteras eventually made a surge for the Spurs goal however Jeronimo Barreles’ 90th minute spot kick came too little too late as the Greeks lost on home soil for the first time in Europe. Federico Fazio saw red for the second time in 7 Spurs appearances in handing Barreles the consolation.

    Spurs now sit joint top with Besiktas after they recorded the same result over Partizan Belgrade to give them an identical goal difference and points score.

    Player Ratings

    Michel Vorm 6 – Wasn’t called into action until the last 10 minutes when he did well to react to two Asteras attempts. Maybe could have done better with the Barreles penalty which sneaked under his legs, but other than that a decent European debut.

    Eric Dier 6 – moved forward down the right well and delivered impressively when given the opportunity. Similarly to Newcastle he was caught with the ball going over his head while in an unnatural right-back position but didn’t play badly.

    Jan Vertonghen 6 – Assured performance from Jan who seems to be establishing a bit more form. Was caught on the ball towards the end of the game as he switched off slightly but made 4 clearances throughout a solid game.

    Federico Fazio 6 – Was having a decent game up until he stupidly jumped in to concede the Asteras penalty. The second needless red card of his debut season, after being sent off at Manchester City, but for the majority of the match he showed excellent feet – completing 4 take-ons – only Andros Townsend and Mousa Dembele making more.

    Ben Davies 6 – Played almost as a winger in the first half and was left screaming for the ball on numerous occasions. Utilised the space well as the left hand side opened up but couldn’t deliver consistently.

    Benjamin Stambouli 6 – A safe, solid performance from the Frenchman who allowed his midfield partner to do most of the forward running. In the home leg he got forward a lot more but in this scrappy game he took a back seat. Broke up the play well.

    Mousa Dembele 6 – Looked good with more of a license to roam and actually showed some great skill in places. We know he can effortlessly move round players but last season he didn’t do it at all, if he can show the spark that he did on this awful pitch he should be more consistent elsewhere.

    Erik Lamela 5 – Didn’t produce much in his 45 minute spell, with a few mazy runs ending in poor efforts on goal. Being pulled off at half time probably means his place for the weekend is safe, although Stoke’s physicality may be a problem. He didn’t show much promise tonight, though.

    Christian Eriksen 4 – This season is breaking my Eriksen-filled heart. He hasn’t created much all season and tonight was just the same, with his set-pieces hitting the first man every time too. His substitutios at Villa and again tonight might see him in trouble for the weekend.

    Andros Townsend 7 – On the flipside, someone who hasn’t performed well in a while did actually turn up tonight. Celebrating his England call-up, Townsend ran the left flank brilliantly and his assist for Harry Kane’s goal was what we have wanted to see for two seasons. Beat the fullback, then deliver (and don’t shoot as much).

    Harry Kane 7 – The Chingford Maradona strikes again! Surely he cant be overlooked this weekend, especially after his superbly worked goal tonight. Showed he can play as a 9 just as well as a 10 by attacking the deliveries well and a 8th goal in 8 was well deserved.

    SUBS

    Roberto Soldado 6 – As usual he was involved in the link up play nicely but the goal just wont come.

    Ryan Mason 5 – A quieter game for the breakthrough midfielder, who only had just over 25 minutes to settle.

    Paulinho N/a – (but for what it’s worth, there’s no way he fits the system).

    It was difficult to rate the players tonight based upon the quality of the playing surface meaning everyone’s game took a severe dip, however Asteras provided a physical challenge that was good for us to experience before Stoke on Sunday.

    The trip to Turkey will now likely decide the group winners and so Poch does have some room to alter his squad in the time being, in an attempt to find our best eleven which we STILL don’t know.

    There are some brave decisions ahead for the Argentine, and that doesn’t include the decision to play Harry Kane in the Premier League. That’s a dead cert as far as I’m concerned, however it is the players such as Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen who could be next in the firing line.

    Tonight however, the side grafted well under difficult conditions. Roll on the next one.

    COYS!
     
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  2. Mattj78

    Mattj78 Well-Known Member

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    What I saw tonight was that when Townsend moved to the left, we looked more of a threat and both goals came from Townsend being on the left side rather than playing as an inverted winger, which as I keep saying is a pointless tactic and one that our manager keeps using. Maybe at last he may see that playing a left winger on the left wing etc is a good tactic!!!!!
    Lamela was very poor tonight. He flatters to deceive and as good as the rabona goal was last week, he just doesn't do simple things very well at all and he is simply the biggest waste of thirty million quid I have seen in years.
    Kane played well again but that is no longer a surprise. He can score with either feet, his head and probably his arse, but he is a player we must develop further. I bet he doesn't start on Sunday though because this manager is a complete muppet.
    Whichever side he plays lacks cohesion, pace and whoever plays at the back is either useless, Kaboul and Chiriches, or foolish, Fazio.
    I take the win, but I just cannot find very much to be optimistic about with ths Spurs team. The pitch was poor, but even on good pitches, we are slow, obvious and very dull.
    Roll on Sunday and another ten changes from a manager who looks completely out of his depth.
     
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  3. Belly Guest

    Sorry for being negative and for all you Spurs fans who are going to wet their pants at these words, again, apologies.

    We are a very poor football team.

    Anyone who is deluded enough to think that Fazio will make a top quality centre half, i am sorry, that ain't ever going to happen. Why sell Dawson and buy this donkey, absolute nonsense. Dawson wasn't Bobby Moore, but my god, this Guy is an absolute shocker. sorry can't listen to he looked really good for 10 minutes, he will make a stupid mistake every single game.

    We haven't got the players. This is a shocking squad that Poch has to work with.

    We have one World Class player, the Goalkeeper. barring that, no other player would get into any of the top teams. its embarrassing when you would pick more Southampton players than Spurs players and that's after they supposedly sold all their top players.

    People blame Baldini, fair enough, his name is associated with all of the signings. The players he has signed have been shocking, Capoue over Sandro? Chriches one of the worst players I have ever seen, Fazio a lumbering oaf, stambouli world beater nope, Chadli? Why spend 10m on Ben Davies? People get excited that Kyle Naughton is back in the team, really, the Fella is a championship footballer.

    We are a Spurs. what's happened to the passion, where's the free flowing exciting football. We have never been able to defend but at least we could attack.

    I want my tottenham back
     
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  4. Felon82 Well-Known Member

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    Townsend was motm for me he always looked positive scored & created but most pleasing is you could see it wasn't from him 'all about him' he looked to be a team player and chose mainly the best option which if he continues to do will grow to be a real asset to the team.
    Supper HK scoring again got up n burried tthe header like a proper no9 great to see and on current form has to be our 1st choice striker.
    Again the defence 2nd half were an utter shambles so the 1st choice and 2nd choice are so poor its embarrassing. Fazio (foreign Dawson) super sulk Vertonghen, Davies the proper lb weve been waiting for who cant shift the poor make shift lb out the team because hes clearly no better. Them aside Naughton, Vlad and finally captain calamity Kaboul put together iv never seen a worse defence in professional football. I truelly wonder if they work on anything in training together as a unit, their organisation, shape is non existent they look like strangers whoever they throw together yet never seem to be getting any better.
    My patience over Lamela is quickly going hes a show pony of no substance who has the odd good game against part timers. Soldado is useless aswell hes not even a show pony hes just pony.
    One thing is for certain until some bold transfer buisness is made ie cutting losses on some players and basically buying a new defence this squad 'bursting with talent' is going nowhere but backwards.
    We have no chance of wining this cup, no chance of making top 4, the only realistic chance we have is another baron season of doing nothing. You cannot challenge for things with a clown defence, gutless midfield, 2 piss poor senior strikers and a manager that rests our only goal scorer so hes fresh for the lesser games.
    Lunatics running the asylum at Spurs!
     
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  5. notnats

    notnats Well-Known Member

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    As much as I don't rate Townsend as highly as some, and I don't think he is all round, a better player than Chadli, Eriksen or Lamela. I do think we need him or a player like him on the left to add some pace as well as the right balance to this team. Its all very well playing the best team on paper but playing a top three that all want to play behind the striker see's them tripping over each other and easy for teams to defend against. I hope Poch s can see that Andros should only ever play on the left and even then he needs to be watched, but overall he brings something to the team balance that has been missing of late. Lamela.... we've all backed Lamela to come good this year, we've all hoped and wanted that he shows us why we payed such insane money for him, we've all run around the backyard naked, chanting to the moon for divine inspiration, well maybe that was just me.. anyway the truth as much as it hurts is he's not that good and probably never will be especially in England. Cup games and the bench is his current level, and agree, show pony. Harry still scoring when he wants, I think we are a few tweaks away from a decent forward line. The defence is the biggest problem again this year, at the beginning a lot of us were screaming out for some quality CBs and FBs while others insisted that what we had were good enough. Again with the high line we look easy to open up and score against in most games. Whats the chance of Stoke coming to ours with a simple long ball over the top, FBs no where to be seen, easy goals at the lane plan ? Oh, and Ade will play up front with Harry warming the bench.
     
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  6. Pickleman1967

    Pickleman1967 Member

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    OK, positives:
    • we won
    • this game gave us the chance to see the fringe players in action, a chance to see 3/4 of our back line changed after the dismal performance at Villa.
    Negatives:
    • we could easily have been beaten by this minnow team if they had a striker who could hit a cow's arse with a banjo - at least twice they had our goal at their mercy.
    • the back four actually looked worse than at Villa with the changes made.
    Our defence is the area most in need of surgery, this game confirmed what I feared - that the new defenders we brought in are no better than the ones we already have. Vertonghen is our best, but even he was knocked off the ball in the penalty area and could have conceded a goal. I'm really not looking forward to our games against Man City or Chelsea, and we may be in for another thumping from the likes of Liverpool, Man United, and Arsenal because they have attackers that will open our defence up like a tin of sardines. I can't really see how we are going to stop them with a defence as poor as the one we have. A defeat is one thing, but it will be very hard to put up with 5 or 6 nil hidings again, and lets be honest it could happen.

    I usually stick up for Lamela, because he is one of very few in the team who can make things happen, but tonight he was poor and his body language stunk. After our two goals were scored he had a face as long as a fiddle, maybe something going on behind the scenes, I don't know and I don't care - he needs to get his arse into gear and start returning some of that sizable investment in him.

    The one other positive I'd take (and yes, I'm scraping the barrel), Pochettino has come out and said we didn't play well tonight. F*cking obvious to the fans perhaps, but you often hear corporate style platitudes from managers who talk up their team just because they got a win. At least he sees that we are not playing well, and admits it. Therefore he must see that changes are needed, and now having played almost everyone except the tea lady at Tottenham he must be thinking new blood rather than our fringe players....surely?
     
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  7. Mattj78

    Mattj78 Well-Known Member

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    Lamela has some talent but he just doesn't have a clue what to do with it! For every rabona there will be a run down a blind alley, or yet another mis placed pass.
    He seems better than last year but that only means that he has gone from Sunday league to non league.
    Fazio got sent off so many times at his last club, he collected red card for fun. He has been sent off twice already for us and you have to question why we signed someone with such a very poor disciplinary record. Mind you, kaboul doesn't get sent off too often but that's because he never gets close enough to an opponent in the first place.
    Eriksen has gone backwards. Toward the end of last season, he looked the real deal, but this season he looks like a pub player. He needs to be in a team playing at pace but ths Spurs team does everything at a laboured pace.

    Adebayor was left behind last night and that allowed Harry Kane to yet again hit the back of the net. Worryingly, when Poch leaves a striker behind, that usually means he will start in the nxt league game, so I wouldn't be surprised if kane is warming the bench yet again on Sunday.
    The manager needs time and the January transfer window may show us what he is planning, but at the minute, he comes across as someone scratching around for ideas and tactics.
     
  8. Mattj78

    Mattj78 Well-Known Member

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    Believe the tea lady is so angry at not getting her chance when she has been providing silverware for years, that she has put in a transfer request.
    She seems to have a tea bag on.
     
  9. Jim Guest

    Stambouli didn't play at all in the home game.

    Davies needs to realise he's a defender first abs attacker second as he was caught out of position too many times.

    Why did Poch leave Kane on for so long? If he doesn't start on Saturday then he's a bigger idiot than I thought!
     
  10. stevethespur Active Member

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    Agree with alot of the sentiments in these posts, its not easy watching spurs at the moment. Eriksen and Lamela are underperforming, to say the least, Paulinho is so far out of it maybe he should be making the tea ! This set of players arent suited to Pochs' way of playing and i'd hoped Poch would be pragmatic and find a system that fits them better. 4-4-2 anyone ? at least as an occasional option. Coys.
     
  11. johnnyhrvat Guest

    This was a good experience for the likes of Lamela, Paulinho and probably some others - to be playing in front of a crowd of 7,000 fans.
    Positives - no injuries and it's becoming a good workout for me, jumping up and down screaming Harry's name.
    Job done and we will now qualify even if Poch fields the ladies team (all due respect) for the last two games.
     
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  12. D Buckland Guest

    I think poch has hit a brick wall he doesnt know whitch way to turn I dont think he will get the sack nobody else would want the job
     
  13. Eds Guest

    No Not Nats, just no.
     
  14. Bazza1947 Guest

    Not much to say about last night......apart from having watched another 45 mins of Lamela embarrass himself and us, whoever is really responsible for paying £30m for him should have his balls chopped off, on the pitch at The Lane. Will he ever adapt to life in the PL. Trick shots are fine against Championship sides, but he is just too lightweight and he is too much of a luxury in a side misfiring on so many fronts.....poor.
     
  15. Felon82 Well-Known Member

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    To be fair Lame-la, Soldadudo & Poorlinho 73 fecking million what a shambles. As i have alluded to on many occaisions the whole transfer selection/activity needs a massive overhaul from board-management-scouting it just isnt good enough. Worst strike force, and defence coupled with a bloated very ineffective midfield. Theres no strategy no end goal no ethos to it all. Its clear we need upgrades not squadies.The 'magnificent' 7, and the summer window have produced what in the way of improvement? Lets look at them- Lamela show pony lightweight scared little boy does nothing against proper opposition, Soldado 3 goals in his last 26 games 2 from open play last season small lightweight slow bought to play 'lone striker', Poorlinho half hearted lazy, Capoue your poor mans Sandro (before injury), Chiriches the CB that thinks hes Maradona, Chadli & Eriksen have shown glimpses of quality but both have the missing gene in them when the tough get going, Fazio the foreign Dawson with less discipline and heart, Stambouli yet another squad player, Dier who shows a bit of needed fight but is being played out of position and when walker comes back will end up being benched, then yedlin who is not with us yet. Looking through this crop who is a genuine starter every week that is delivering week in week out and that has improved the 1st team? 10 players and they range from appalling to so so to can have the odd good game but none have dramatically improved the team. Looking at the fact weve sold some worldies clung onto the average players and added this lot its no wonder we are in such a state. And whats worse is the outlay to achieve this, its no good keep blaming managers all the time its the recruitment policies and whos recruiting.Any other buisness and the top brasses heads would roll. Unfortunately in this dictatorship from the board down this hasnt happened.Levy & Enic OUT!! Overhaul of the scouts, get some proper coaches leading the academy and buy some proper end product players not 'potential', sell on value and contract rebels.
     
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  16. Felon82 Well-Known Member

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    Forgot a reserve GK vorm and a reserve LB thats 12 players brought in that the majority sit on the bench and dont ever look like theyr going to click or look much better.
    That is appalling transfer buisness whatever way you look at it, weakend the 1st team and bloated the bench, someone has to take the fall for this and it shouldnt be the managers who time and time again ask for certain players and get a poorer version while having the carpet pulled out from under their feet with all the talent heading outwards.
     
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  17. Mattj78

    Mattj78 Well-Known Member

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    If Adebayor is anywhere near the starting eleven tomorrow, I would sack the manager before we kick off.
     
  18. Felon82 Well-Known Member

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    With any luck Charlie Adam will mark him.
     

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