Challenge Credentials

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Today is the day where our Title 'challenging' Credentials are to be tested.

Are we going to step up and keep ourselves in the mix or settle for a toe to toe with Chelsea for 3rd/4th with Utd possibly breathing down our necks?

This fixture is huge , with all the factors involved building up to it.
The endless courting of our manager by Utd & the Press since Moanrinho went, the resurgence of Utd post him, OleGS staking his claim for the permanent position, our thin squad at creeking point, the 0-3 at Old Trafford......

This match symbolises how much we want it , do we want to be in the mix , do we want to make a statement , do we want to move on from the old 'pressures on and can't hold nerve?'

Everything points to a very difficult game , grueling midweek semi final , Utd with a spring in their step and us with very limited options so I'm not for a minute gonna say it's gonna be easy. But top teams get the results when it counts.

The importance of this result cannot be ignored, it's imo our biggest match of the season so far to show us where we are really at in this League and the direction we are going.

A win would be great and show we are gaining the metal needed, a draw points to more water treading and never really serious, a loss would show nothing has really changed and would show us exactly the type of ambition a zero signing/investment Summer and so far Winter deserves.

Looking at the 2nd half midweek we look at breaking point of burn out imo , I hope I'm wrong but if we're not committed and at the races today we will struggle.

I'd take an ugly 1-0 now but who knows.

Hopefully Pochettino adapts if needs be during the match and as always I hope Gazzanigga is chosen over Lloris, but then again I hope I win the lottery every week and that we win Trophies been waiting a very long time.

 

Every game now feels like a must win. A win all but seals top 4 and we can then really start looking forwards towards a trophy or two. I cannot see both Liverpool and City slipping up tbh but it's important that if they do then we can capitalise..

 

first half just finished. Totally out manoeuvred by solskar so far . Trip pier once again cost us a goal from nowhere.Lets see if pocketino. Can change it although past experience says he won't.Doesnt the squad look thread bare when sissoko goes off. Are we going to be spurs you yet again in the big matches

 

As I said he won't change it until it's too late.i know degea saved them in second half due to some sloppy finishing by Kane and Ali . Lorente Caused them problems but should have been on earlier but pochetino won't change tactics to getting crosses to big man although sometimes it's necessary.we are now losing son and Kane was limping badly at the end and with moura injured we desperately need reinforcements in this window or our season could fall apart very quickly but don't hold your breath.I suppose this means United won't be chasing pochetino anymore

 

I wonder how happy with his squad Poch currently is?
If we hadn't been so Brave in the summer things could look a bit bare.

 

The vultures will be out tonight. Everyone is entitled their opinions but to say the tactics were not changed or too late are clueless. I counted 4 different systems today it just wasn't meant to be. Poor finishing cost us dear today..

 

We can say that we helped them win tonight ... 2 amateur mistakes gave them their goal and 300 chances on de gea or almost. Dele is poor since 4-5 match. Verthongen returns from a month of absence and poch leaves sanchez on the bench while he was excellent Tuesday night against Chelsea. Likewise for Rose who is excellent for 4 games and he put davies who does not take anything offensively. Pocchettino is a good leader of men but not a good coach ... The only good thing is that with what we've seen of dele, lamela and sissoko injury and like wanyama, Moussa, etc... that have been injured for a long time, that should push DL to buy now. We need new blood

 

Won't be any serious new blood in this window I'm afraid. It is needed but won't happen. I'd be playing sanchez at RBk.

 

We all need to calm down. This was a defeat but not the end of the world. We are not title contenders, don't have the squad to do it or the maturity within to see it off week in week out. Our injuries are really showing now, this team is exhausted with all these features.

The win mid week with Poch playing a strong squad hurt us today, but still that was the correct decision. We won't will the league but these cup competitions are within reach. To those faulting Poch for treading the company line, what situation are we trying to replicate? Mourinho? The moment the manager starts fighting with the board in public, it's the start of the end. We ought to respect him for doing the best he can with the limitations he has. He wasn't outclassed today, our boys gave everything but it wasn't enough in the end.

Move on to the next one!

 

What game was big fran watching I agree that bad finishing let us down but 4 systems.One change was forced by injury to sissoko and the only other change was was Lorente with ten minutes left which was too late .I agree he did not have options on the bench with 2centre halves a keeper and a teenager but that is down to injury and bad transfer windows and where was walker peters if he was not injured he would have been my choice instead of the cart horse Trippier.at times Ali made wrong choices when he could have passed to someone better placed particularly to son in second half .watch city players who make the right choice more often than not.pleaseget the cheque book out mr levy

 

Although our performance deserved more, my gripe is that this was pretty predictable again.
Big match at an important time-
1stly we make our customary gaff
2ndly we can't hit a barn door
3rdly there's nothing of any worth on the bench.

We have 1 foot in the league cup final, anyone feel confident we're gonna get there and then beat City?
I mean whenever the pressure is cranked up we just aren't capable of doing the job.

We can bemoan chances and DeGea playing well but the out come is still the same.

We're approaching the start of the season where the big Teams emerge and we are looking at the prospect of having niether Kane or Son, Llorente up front and aa midfield pairing of Skipp & Winks.

From where we are and been in recent seasons it's simply not good enough and is the result of zero investment , zero pro activity in the market , zero ambition !

 

Started off with a bk 4 a midfield diamond two up top.
Half time switched to a bk 3 with Son and Tripps win bks.
Then moves to a 4231 and finally when llorente comes on 442 with no orthodox centre mid trying to force an equaliser. If you can't see that then you really ought to be watching another sport.

 

i have been watching a Spurs since 1956 so don't lecture me about systems .We still lost and if you think son is a wing back you should be watching rugby.He has been our best attacker this last two months so why play him as a wing back and where was rose if you want a proper wing back.football really is a simple game made difficult by too many theories

 

The spurs team that played in the last season at the lane was the best spurs side in a long time, although the team has evolved a bit ( due to injury) i don't think it has improved.
Wanyama, dembele and rose are not the same players. Walker was sold and not replaced adequately. Verts is not getting any faster (still a good player).
Ali has not improved and for MP to not help the player develop his left foot is poor coaching. Ali has no confidence in his left foot, i don't think i have ever seen him use it, how can a top coach not see this and help the player improve?
Since the last season at the lane the board haven't invested enough and MP hasn't been BRAVE enough to sell his favourites like Dier and Trippier who could have raised cash to buy better players.
Top4 and the League cup would go down as a successful season so lets hope MP can win his 1st trophy ever soon. Coys

 

Agree with much of this , but re Alli there are plenty of painfully 1 footed footballers Lamela is another, it's not down to a coach to improve this a player should work at this himself if he wants to improve his game.
I would also point at the comfy nature of no competition for the stagnation of a number of players.

 

You can analyse the a**e out of last night, but at the end of the day it's simple. If you make the sorts of mistakes Trippier did, allow that space in behind the full backs every game, and have a keeper who fails to save a relatively easy shot, then you are going to be royally f****d, and we were.

The change of shape in the second half says it all and there is no way Hugo would have made the 11 saves that DeGea made. The new shape after half time saw us carving them up, but poor finishing and the too late an addition of Llorente means that we concede a six pointer to a side that for me is inferior.

It's time to "rest" Lloris, go to three at the back and play them as defenders, stopping the sorts of balls that Pogpa put in yesterday. FFS watch the game again Poch. Sit them down and ask yourself why was Davies our 4th most advanced player when Tripps gave the ball away, 40 yards off the right sided attacker. Why FFS.

 

Excellent summary!
I would also say that Vert showed his age in his race with Rashford. Unlike loss to Wolves, we were a better team entire game, if this is of any consolation.

 

With Son away Dembele away and the injuries to Kane and sissoko added to wanyama and dier it leaves us very short in two key areas at a crucial point of the season. We're led to believe that's its always.been imperitive to arrive in the new stadium with CL football which to be fair poch has delivered upon its not his fault the stadium isn't ready. If Levy is desperate for that still to be the case next season then surely he has to invest in this window otherwise levy will have to take the hit. I find it strange that MP still rules out the possibility of janssen kicking a ball for us again even if just for a couple of games.

 

Just watching Jamie carragher on sky giving his opinion on spurs versus United and his criticism is the same as numerous Spurs fans that when trip pier gave the ball away Davies was so far up field to be of any use and this surely is down to the managers system not suited to the quality of our players.He also agrees that loris was out of position and was at fault for the goal surely it's time for gazing a to get a run .I think he is a better keeper

 

Felon agree with you 100% that it is up to the player to improve their weakness. Ali was once my favourite player and i thought he would become top notch, however, he is not developed the way i thought he would have and not working on his left foot shows he is a lazy player.
The problem i have with spurs is why do they have to go a goal down before they start playing with intent? Spurs had zero efforts on target in the 1st half Man.u had 2 on target and were a threat on the counter. Spurs need to start the game at the tempo they started the 2nd half and shouldn't need to go a goal down before playing at the required level.