Matchday discussion

Must admit Dier was better today but his passing is still poor.Still worry about Sanchez who is obviously a talent but lacks concentration. Still it’s a win and not one we would have got with Pochetino in charge,.
Son is an enigma brilliant one day and then for no reason he has a mare.Win next week and we will be top four which was never going to happen a month ago.Nice to see Moura played in his correct position but I do wish he was stronger holding up the ball which would help the midfield

 

We didn't deserve a point even. Not because Spurs were poor, Wolves were peerless. Except they could not finish. Other than that they had Spurs quite humiliated for the most part of the tie. We were dispossessed after dispossession, after dispossession. This game gave me so much heartache, I had to start drinking as early as between the periods.
Well, I guess we are Mourinho team now, Spurs won whilst they were 2nd best on the pitch. Delectation comes with price when Wolves are the opponents. Chelsea should be an easier game. I hope. COYS!!!
PS. Dier played his best of the season game.

 

Well of the 4 English sides we seem to have had the most favourable draw imo.
Leipzig though who currently top the Bundesliga however are not to be taken lightly.
With 42 goals in 15 games their stats are quite impressive should be an entertaining fixture.

 

JM, has assessed what the players are capable of and has put together the best strategy to gain wins. So far i think he has got it spot on breaking the game up into attack and defense.
JM has to work on the midfield especially keeping possession, in the short term spurs need to get Tanguy fit as he would help possess the ball better. Is a winks a better option than sissoko/Dier? Sisoko/Dier offer a physical presence that i think is needed. Personally i think winks is crocked due to that ankle injury he had, and will have to add more to his game to start ahead of Dier/ sisoko.

 

JM has to work on possession and passing. Sisoko/ Dier are very limited in tight situations and put pressure on Defense by not showing for the ball, Tanguy/ winks are better in these situations. If Tanguy is fit i think he will be paired with Dier.

The front four are very wasteful in possession they need to hold onto the ball and pass more accurately.
There was a strange Var check, when son was flagged off side, at the time i was screaming at son for not shooting, instead he tried to lay it on for Kane who was tightly marked. So add decision making to the list of skills Jm has to work on. For the first time Jm has a clear week to work with the players amazing what he has done during a busy period. Coys

 

Nice to be back feeling good to be a Spurs fan!
I knew the Wolves game would be hard, they outplayed us home and away last season, we were lucky last time to get the three points at Molineux. This time round we completely stole the points, clearly still issues with our defence and midfield. I thought Jermaine Jenas was spot on with his analysis on MOTD. Our midfield is way too negative away from home, always sideways or backwards, not driving forward. We need to sort that if we are going to regain away form. Nonetheless, delighted with the win, a perfect set up for the Chelsea game. Every team has to win ugly sometimes.
Leipzig in the CL? Happy days...COYS.

 

Wolves play as Spurs played three years ago. Three central defenders, high and effective press.

The midfield overrun again, better off the ball movement is needed both in defense and in offense. Vertongen is one of the best defenders around, he didn't have the speed but he did have the positioning. If what he knows could be taught then Spurs would have the best defense in the league.

Ndombele hasn't looked fully fit in many matches this season and rested again. Hopefully it is not something chronic, we already have one Lamela for that

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't see Vertonghens goal, when I saw that Eriksen was to take the corner then I assumed the worst. If JM is the one who fixed the corner-taking then he is even better than I thought

 

Jose has stated that he doesn't see sissoko to play down the spine of the team yet is playing there out of necessity and lack of quality. Jose generally likes to have control of that midfield area. Dier will be given until January to get back to his best or a top level pivot will need to be purchased before ndombele can be afforded to play in that midfield duo because he needs to be compensated for similar to that of yaya toure days marauding forward. With more quality yesterday we could have picked off wolves easily in the counter attack. Top many times we lost the ball cheaply and or didn't pick the right ball off quick enough between the lines.

 

Following the Champions league round of 16 draw, we have drawn RB Leipzig, one of the two teams that us as supporters would have wanted. The other being Valencia.

Leipzig are on top form in all competitions, winning 5 out of there last 5 games in the Bundesliga and only loosing one game in the group stages of the Champions League. As much as we would have wanted them, it won’t be no walk in the park. Key players include Timo Werner, who has 21 goals in 23 games in all competitions, who could be a handful for the spurs defenders. Along with Sabitzer and Forsberg who are Leipzig’s creative flair who also have a goal in their locker.

Jose Mourinho quoted “we will be a team to avoid in the round of 16” this shows that Mourinho means business. With last seasons form in the Champions league and Mourinho’s track record we have a lot playing in our favour whereas last season Leipzig finished 3rd in their Europa league group. Leipzig are new comers to the Champions League and don’t have much experience this could play in our favour massively, with our experience under Jose we will be a force to be reckoned with!

Mourinho has already hinted at shipping players out in January! Which could mean that he may bring players in, I mean when does Mourinho not do business. This could be a huge boost for us domestically as I feel we are one big player off being a Huge team in Europe and if anyone can do it Jose can! But this does also come with negatives as certain players that may be sold going forward could cause a change in the system, this could mean Jose will have to adapt but he’s showed he has done it before.

I feel it’s to early for a prediction or what I think will happen until after January has passed but I feel good about our round of 16 and feel we have the edge on Leipzig!

 

Thoughts.......so it's Christmas and, it seems, we got what we wanted from Father Christmas. Leipzig, top of the Bundesliga. Mmm!

So I'm not a follower of the European leagues, so know nothing of them....apart from the fact that they lead one of the best technical leagues around. Mmm!

So let's see if we can use this Saturday as a measure of how we cope with a top 4 team, a game that would see us leapfrog over Chelski. Win that and I'll start to feel even better with what I've seen from JM so far.

We could do some January business, which would certainly help us in February when we face Leipzig. A right back and a DM is key for me.

Up front - Dele, Son, Moura, Kane - not too shabby, goals, pace, skill. Just keep fit lads.

I've no feel for the CL clash, but we got what we wanted....Mmm!!

COYS

 

If spurs could pick up a quality DM and Lb/ Lcb in the Jan window it would add the needed competition for places, currently lacking.
At the moment Rose seems to have a grudge against the club and he is playing far worse than serge, i know he said he won't leave, however, spurs have to find a way to move him on as he is no longer playing well enough to warrant being in the team.
I wouldn't be against giving Toby/Verts new deals. Coys

 

Leipzig is the large city in former East Germany, the side is only 10 years in existence, went from 5th tier to very top. The most notable man there is their Head of Recruitment. His name is Paul Mitchell, the man who built Southampton and Spurs for Pochettino. After he left Spurs purchased mostly rubbish ( except for Moura) that Levy is having troubles selling.


In January 2012, Mitchell joined Championship club Southampton as Head of Recruitment. The club gained promotion to the Premier League in his first season and Mitchell began working with Mauricio Pochettino following his appointment in January 2013. He oversaw the signings of players including Nathaniel Clyne, Maya Yoshida, Paulo Gazzaniga and Steven Davis.

Following Pochettino's move to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mitchell completed his switch in November 2014 to link up with the manager. He helped the club sign players including Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld. In August 2016, reports suggested Mitchell was to leave the club "after his dream job turned into a nightmare" and he had fallen out with chairman Daniel Levy. In December, it was revealed Mitchell was serving his 16-month notice period.

In February 2018, Mitchell was named Head of Recruitment and Development by Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. In his first transfer window with the club, Mitchell helped sign Matheus Cunha and Nordi Mukiele, as well as Arsenal youth prospect Emile Smith Rowe on loan. Mitchell attracted interest from several Premier League clubs throughout 2019 and was heavily linked to a move to Manchester United. Reports suggested he could be offered an expanded role as Technical Director to oversee Red Bull's global football – including FC Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls

 

No way it was improvised. That corner was practiced.

 

Personally think we are 4 or 5 players away. Obviously a right bk. Jan couldn't sustain a full season at left bk.
Then you have moura who still picks and chooses his moments lacking real consistency although in a rotation with sissoko could get thru to the end of the season.
Midfield remains a conundrum doesn't it. Jose doesn't seem to fancy gio ndombele which is a big worry given the outlay but that ain't his problem tbf. A lot as I've said will depend on dier getting back to his best as the balance he brings to the side is clear and evident. The problem being most targets will be CL Cup tied so I'd say one more round is our limit. Then come the summer you are looking at minimum one new centre half if not two for a league contending squad. We're a long way off aren't we in fairness.

 

Re Moura I think he deserves the chance of a run, after all he's been no worse at times than Dele, Sonny or HK. The defenders, particularly Jan, struggled with Traore at the weekend, as in terms of real pace, so the weekend against the likes of Pulisic, Mount and Abraham will be an "interesting" watch.....

 

Actually forget the cup tied bit just learnt that it's been scrapped as a rule in Europe comps now..

 

I agree 100% Chelsea will be a huge test for us at the weekend, and will give us some insight into where we need to improve or upgrade. Also remembered Lamela will be back in the new year and Jose said that he can’t wait for him to return, this could imply that he’s part of his plans going forward. Now thinking about it yes I agree I reckon we are 2-3 players off, the past results have shown that going forward we can damage opponents but when defending there are still areas to improve! Jose should definitely prioritise the defensive side to our team heavily in January. Also on Ndombele and Giovanni I feel that the French man has proved he is a big player for us and should be introduced into line ups more by Mourinho, as for me he has potential to be the player Moussa Dembele was, plus he’s young so could even excel past his level.

 

How many games will Lamela be fit for when he finally comes back? You would get low odds on him being out again before the season finishes. Like Wanyama players who are injury prone are taking Money, resources and time that should be spent on players who are fit enough to contribute. Spurs need to sell Lamela and Wanyama Asap.
Rose needs to be sold, as his vibe is not right and he's playing like he doesn't care.
CE needs to be sold as this would be the last chance to cash in and he's getting game time ahead of GLc.
Over the next two windows spurs will need Lb, Lcb and Dm as a minimum. A top class wide attacker and poss Rb if toby or foyth leave.
If the Clarke kid could have the same impact as James at utd, spurs would be ok in the wide areas.

 

Oh for God sake, the question that should only ever be raised about Lamela is why the fook is he still at the club ????
Until we get rid of these absolute non entities we are doomed to fail.
The squad needs a shake up and bolster , Lamela Winks Wanyama Rose Lloris Foyth Davies Aurrier all NOT GOOD ENOUGH !!!!!

 

Alderweireld has just signed a new contracts, thoughts?
A couple of years ago that would have been a fantastic bit of business, but now not so sure. Hopefully this might settle him down so he can get back to his best form