He's Magic ... er noooo

We can't break down those who park the bus and we are pinned back by those who play attacking football. What a dilemma to be in.

 

Although I appreciate the praise and am generally glass half full, although possibly not compared to you spurporter , I am not convinced that particular part of my comment warranted that! I hope we do well and beat them and believe we play better against that type of skill set but that doesn’t negate the fact that we need to find a way to breakdown the teams that park the bus. If not we will be in trouble

 

Looking at last season's ties v the scum the only 1 we turned up for was the League cup where we actually played some decent football.
The 2 league games they were the better side we were awful, only a last kick penalty save from 2 defeats.

Our defence has so many mistakes and weak links in it now Scums movement and pace will cause it problems and if they get a goal early I can see us struggling badly.
The only way we are gonna have anything out of this match is to remain compact at the back and hit on the counter but of course this would mean using a tactic and players moving the ball quickly.

 

I am in total agreement. I am not a headless optimist some here view me as. But I believe in bright light at the tunnel end. I reject the suggestion it is an upcoming train.
Tie at Emirates should help to get a better understanding, but the full picture will be revealed by Christmas.

 

For that Spurs pay 8 million a year to certain Argentinian. I trust he will find the solution.
It's a long season, we got stumbled out of the gate not being sure what horse we are riding. Just let the window close. Look at MU, they also lost to PL minnow. They have Pogba uncertainty.
I still hope CE will sign new contract. Levy must let him have any close in it. We must keep him at least till January window under new contract with 200 per week. Then let RM have him. LoCelso will take over after.

 

I know it's Pochettino's job. Can't can't see your optimism when we've been stuck with this problem since second half of last season. It's not a one time thing not being able to break down park-the-bus strategy which a lot of lower-half teams do when they play against us.

 

We have this problem since forever. The club that able to brake down park-the-bus defense consistently wins the EPL title. Spurs able to do it occasionally, unlike Pool and City, the consistent ones. It is not tactic, which is easy and known part. It is the ability to beat defenders one-on-one at slow speed or standstill. There is no way to coach that, it's a talent of deception combined with ball skills and athleticism. Such ability, if present in long periods, is golden, those players payed many millions in wages and even more in transfer fees. That is why Mourinho payed a fortune for Sanchez, that is why David Silva is the City's legend, whilst Bale would be Spurs', if kept. That is why every club want Neymar, although he comes with package.
Kane, Moura and Son are the players at Spurs with such abilities, but they do not have it at the same time often (AKA being fit). That is why Felon82 is correct asking for more signings. One out of 5 signings can be that type. Levy hates to go on such "fishing expeditions", but it is still less than to buy an established superstar.

 

Whats happening at Christmas spurporter is Santa bringing us a savour or is he bringing. Poch a book on tactics.I suspect at the current rate we will be double figures behind the top two and out of the first domestic cup and hanging on by our finger nails in Europe.i assume you mean a draw at arsenal not a tie I do admire your optimism and wish I could share but it does not take a genius to know that all is not well behind the scenes at the lane.Several ex players agree with me that they would notbesurprised if he walked before the season ends.Why has verts got a black eye and is being left out for a far inferior player.This smacks of a conmplete breakdown of Man management.I could be wrong but wouldn’t it be nice if someone came out with the truth instead of the bullshit we are constantly fed which is not helped by the media being too weak to ask the right questions in case they get banned.

 

Poch needs no help with tactics. True, he doesn't adjust his tactic to the opponent much, but that is an indication of his squad limitations. Spurs do not have a verity of players that could be used in different tactical schemes. Very few clubs do. So Poch continues to use the same 4231 that suits his players rather than good against his opponents. We are the speedy team that presses, make opposition to turn the ball over and switch to attack by 2 or 3 that should outrun the defenders. Spurs do not have many dribblers and those who are comfortable in traffic in the opposition pen box. We also do not have tall forward dominant upstairs. So any wide game is not good for Spurs, unless Kane or Moura are in the mood to outjump the defenders, which is rarity. There was the reason why Poch would have been bringing Llorente in as a sub. The 2 meter tower helped a few times in 6 foot box, but now there is no one to head the cross in. Or deflect off the thigh
.
That has been noticed. Pool parked the bus in Madrid and won. Villa did the same and had the lead. Magpies won behind the ball. Two or more years ago no one respected Spurs as much as to park the bus against them. Weren't they a midtable team just recently? Now things has changed.

I wouldn't be surprised if Emery will park the bus Sunday. It works. Spurs have to adjust. Need to move the bus away from target. They will. Remember Sissoco raid to the byline and his pass to Moura that should have resulted in goal? That's the way Spurs can and likely will do it.

Regarding Christmas. By Christmas Spurs will be fine. But if MU wont be, if their manager (the last name I will never spell properly ) is in the hot seat by then, then Poch will start thinking of the end of the season and moving to Manchester in the summer.

 

I wonder how Pochettino could sort it out since we have had this problem forever and that it cannot be coached. I don't think it's true two seasons ago.

Frankly, I think having Moura and Son both in the team will not help. They are more effective when they have space to run into. Dele coming back will probably provide better balance.

 

Spurporter - there's an old English expression, 'when you're in a hole, stop digging', and it would be nice if you could take it on board. A few posts back, you were claiming that Spurs are better than Liverpool, then today's team would beat Spurs 2016/17, and now we're so good that Arsenal will 'park the bus' against us at home because they're so frightened of us. It's beyond ridiculous, it's positively embarrassing, so give it rest, for your own sake, please.

 

if we stick to a front 3 of Kane, Moura and Son.....who always seem to just play in a line across the pitch........
and we have Winks....who always plays the ball sideways.......an oppo defence of 4...plus two midfield central holders....wins every time.

we do not possess players....perhaps Alli is one.....who move quickly between the lines of midfield and defence.
we don't have players that gamble. (......that good old Gazza short 5 yard burst to get into space if you like).

I'd play Son and Kane up top and Eriksen in the hole between our midfield and attack. Yes Eriksen may be leaving....but points on the board is the requirement. (but I suppose he, and Verts, aren't playing to avoid injury which might impact a sale)

As for formation......square pegs and round holes is always an issue....but I think we can play 3412 as well as Pochy's favoured 4231. (I think 442 will just make our attacking flair/movement worse than it currently appears to be)

 

Does anyone have any stats about winks compared to other midfielders both for spurs and for other teams. I get the feeling he passes forward a lot more than others , definitely compared to say Dier and Wanyama?

 

No mention of the CL draw from anyone on here?

That's odd because like Liverpool the year previous we backed our manager with the players he wanted so we must be favourites for it this year now aye???

 

I'll show my head above the wall here Felon - possibly to get shot at - I'm not a bit confident, not at all. If early season is anything to go by I don't know how anyone could be. Alright, only three games gone, but where are the form players? I see none anywhere; strange that nobody is showing at all, we've mostly struggled against two poor sides and badly lost against one of them and in between snatched an unlikely draw in Manchester. The point from that game doesn't, and shouldn't, mask the fact that we really should have 6 points instead of 4. The CL may be a week or two away yet but improvement is needed NOW, starting with the Goons on Sunday. I'm not holding my breath. And as games go by I don't want it to be the case that we show up in CL outings only to cack in the PL. This is a defining season I reckon.

 

Now come on Gordon are you saying that LoCelso Sessegnon & N'Dombele aren't going to kick us on and that we aren't improving year on year????

 

Er.....well Felon, how can I put this when I know you're being mischievous.
What about this: yes and yes.

 

Your condescending is not call for, Chesnutboy, and I do not recall asking you for any advise. So keep it off, if you can, please.
I stand by my posts. It seems that you did not make an effort to read them entirely and , if read, to follow. It is not my problem. I might be wrong, but it is not the time to prove me so yet. Whilst last season has proved you being way off in you baseless pessimism. Pessimists always look smart and measured compared to those who are not doom-n-gloom, but are they, really?
Do you want me off this board? I will think about it.
Enjoy your never ending despondency.

 

We're all entitled to our opinions, but mine - never endingly despondent though they may be - at least have some basis in objective data, fifteen points from fifteen PL games, or 71 for 2018/19 against 86 the previous year being obvious examples.
You on the other hand present wishful thinking as if it were demonstrable fact, the examples in my previous post being just a few of many in your posts, the worse Spurs play the more extreme your claims about our rosy future under Levy/Pochettino seem to become.
Blind faith is apparently enough for you, but it doesn't work for people with minds and opinions of their own, so can't you just tone it down? I've got no wish, let alone any right, to drive you off 'this board', but I think Levy and Pochettino are both rich enough and thick-skinned enough not to need you to post every time you see either of them attacked (and you can always say 'I told you so' if you're proved right - not that you will be!).

 

Dier for an holding mid tho wins headers, tackles and keeps his positional shape where winks gets dragged out, caught on ball and doesn't sense danger. I think dier moves the ball thru the lines quicker and has a diagonal ball. Remember the couple of seasons we were in the title mix dier was a regular starter. The ones we haven't he wasn't.