Collapse at the Bridge again - PLAYER RATINGS: Chelsea 2-1 Spurs

When we talk about strength in depth, take a look at Spurs if everyone was fully fit.

Lloris, Vorm
Walker, Trippier
Alderweireld, Wimmer
Vertonghen, Carter-Vickers
Rose, Davies
Alli, Onomah
Wanyama, Sissoko (Sissoko- good grief)
Eriksen,
Kane, Janssen
Winks,
Son, Lamela
N'Koudou

With a fully fit team, depending on the starting line up, who on Earth is going to change the game?

 

Dier needs to play in midfield or don't play him at all dembele needs to be dropped no leadership on the pitch at all,we have too many players who look good when coming on for 10 minutes why didn't we just keep Townsend for that matter,

 

I disagree. We have the best squad we have had in years. Whom should we be thankful for that? I think it is Mauricio Pochettino.
We just lost. Losses happen. We had the most likely PL Champion on its hills for a very long time and if not for lucky shot of Pedro the outcome could be different. That goal has really upset our lads who were dominant at the time. Anyway, even some may disagree about dominance, Spurs did not capitulate. They played the game with professionalism, dignity and skills that were on par with winner. Should we had Rose, Moses would have had no chance. Keep in mind Chelsey had almost 100% healthy team. Poch had an empty bench and full hospital of his best performers. It is not enough to have an XI lads in lilywhites. We did not have a left fullback and that was very much obvious.
I agree, Poch has to get tougher, but not on his players that left everything on the pitch. He has to be tougher as a Manager, he still acts as he is a Head Coach. What it means is Chadly should have never been sold. And may be more players be bought.
I think it was a pivotal game. Spurs are back on track. Swansea City were coming for you! COYS!!!

 

Agree with Felon 82
It is more than boring. No leadership no desire. Wake you Lloris lovers- He cannot stop the simplest of the balls that go inches by him? Monaco and now this S..T? Pochettino is also in dream world pleasing himself? Game is about scoring not pratting around. Delle should go back to school , Kane should look for future elsewhere.. too long to go on.
Unless the Club is bought over like City and money pumped in for complete turnover - sorry Spurs are not a big club and will never be one. Game and season over. No CL next season. Classic Rubbish day in day out and excuses! MP let go of the reasonably good club loving players and huffs and puffs with Sunday League performances!!

 

1 win (a struggle v west ham) in 9 and still fans are telling us about the wonders that are being worked and how far we've come.
We matched Chelsea? We lost why? Because we barely create goal scoring opportunities and we are error prone at the back.
People can bemoan injuries but we're lacking basics again.
The 2 Goals conceded were disastrous, the 1st how long, much space and many touches of the ball was Pedro allowed on the edge of the box before he picked his spot and bent it in? It was well taken but a player of his caliber will do that all day with the time he was afforded.
The second was basic marking/picking up players or lack of, all ball watching and panicking, for Moses to stroll in totally unmarked at the far post with all our defence holding hands at the near was scandalous.
Then finally when we are 'chasing' a game, i expect to see the kitchen sink thrown at the opposition especially as we were apparently 'matching' them. Not a single bit of pressure was applied, nothing slightly troubling of any note was put towards Courtois goal, it was a complete whimper to an accepted defeat. 1 that has been long overdue in relation to how we've been playing.
The default talk now of fans going back to the 'were doing well to still be in touch with the big boys' are these the same fans that were wetting themselves about being the big Title contender last season? If that's the case then what's changed?
Are we suddenly back to little Spurs punching above our weight and doing well to keep up?
Or have we once again nallsed up by not improving and watching our rivals not only catch up but overtake us again at a canter?
While we are still celebrating 1 win in 9 in all comps and making excuses.

This is where we are at as a club and its Pathetic. 16 years of Levy and these are the chinks of light our fan base cling to and wear with honour.

Its a sad sad state of affairs. Accepting failure and putting a positive spin/excuse on it.

 

Have to agree with Big Fran's early post - well maybe not about Lamela, but he could not have done any worse than Son.
Small margins here. A great start and then just before half time Lloris gives the ball away - we get away with it but it starts a pattern. Dembele then carelessly loses the ball - we get away with it again. Then Dembele does it again, criminally this time and we concede - we had a set-piece opportunity and ended up picking the ball out of our own net just because we did not think! Of course Dembele then also loses the ball carelessly for their second goal.
Eriksen scored but also wasted two opportunities soon afterwards to create goalscoring opportunities - we lived to regret it. Don't blame the defence for this loss, it was makeshift and did a reasonable job for a makeshift defence.

 

Well typically it had to be Chelsea didnt it? A side that always likes to beat us and blues fans who always bang on about how inept and how shite we are. I thought we started brightly, didnt really give them many chances and pressed them at times but i have to say, what a goal from Pedro!!! This changed the players mentality before half time and i was thinking here we go again....there can only be one winner now in 2nd half and what a soft goal to concede. Granted Moses is playing well at the min but far too much space given and what on earth was the defence doing? The unbeaten run ended and i suppose it had to happen at some time but a bitter pill to swallow at the moment. Swansea next followed by a trip to Man Utd and our old mate Jose. Hopefully, we can get missing players fit for these and pick ourselves up, but its been a week to forget to be honest. I know we have alot of potential but im really starting to question winning mentality and desire to see out games of this magnitude among our players. Too many times we have chucked it away and lacked character when needed. The win versus City seems like a distant memory to me now!

 

For some reason the Saturday evening away fixtures have the habit of spoiling the entire weekend.

After recent shite CL performance, waiting all day for a Chelski Bridge Day is always capable of spoiling all day Saturday.

Then you surrender a good position, it then spoils the rest of the day, as well as the rest of the weekend.

It looks increasingly like we will have to top the Gooners to secure CL.....mmmm. The January transfer window will be "interesting".....

 

What I struggle with is that some fans come on here telling us that we over performed last season and got lucky cos the usual big four were so poor yet then say we should have kicked on this year to win it. How to you push on from a false position,from a lucky season and all the other sides have got back to form. (Which barring Chelsea ironically I don't think the rest are much improved upon). Once injuries hit we will see how good they are. In the three London derbies we have been the better side whilst admittedly far from our best.
The club did strengthen in the summer and for whatever reason apart from wanyama the signings haven't settled in well or quick enough. The club have spent millions on wide players and none have come up with the goods. In hindsight for the club and not myself as I said at the time the majority of the budget if not all should have gone on a versatile attacker with pace who could have played probably primarily our right and covered Kane if injured. Lazarette would have been my shout followed by mane who looks a steal now or andre scurrle.
What I would like to see now is nkoudou played wide right as I'm fed up with this inverted winger white were being constantly spoon fed week in week out it doesn't work. The guy looks tricky and pacy and gets to the byeline with ease yet having to check back onto his right peg. We've seen the same with Townsend. Id like to see him fuzzing low hard crosses from the right and we may just see the best of someone like janssen.

 

Agree but this simple dynamic of football isn't something Poch can fathom.

On another point Fran , we didn't over perform last season we merely stood still while others lost the plot.
The mistakes that we have made (again I may add) is not using our Obtained CL status to buy players of a higher ilk in areas that needed improving or beefing up.
In not doing this we have not kicked on which should be the main objective season after season. Stand still get left behind.
Numerous times since Pochs arrival we've failed miserably to break through stubborn defences, Lamela, Eriksen etc not enough pace or movement, the entire attack lacks width or quick positive passing.
Note that Kane mostly manufactures his own goals and Alli was being fed by Toby that was our main threats last season, that's simply not good enough at this level.
A dip in form and injury has exposed this badly but it doesn't take a genius to notice this, so why when Poch went shopping haven't these issues been addressed?
And not just with personnel but also with training/method?
Its painfully 1 dimensional a bit slimmer and a tint of ginger hair and we've transported back to AVB times before his demise- a tight defence, possession based game, inverted wingers, sideward passing and Bale/Kane making their own goals due to lack of intelligent inventive play.

 

last year after 13 games

Won 6 drawn 6 lost 1 points 24

This year

Won 6 drawn 6 lost 1 points 24

Last year we were incredibly lucky with injuries. This year we lost Harry, Toby, Lamela, Dembele(ban) Deli Ali's injured,Rose

Yes we aren't leading the league which we would be if just a few of those draws were wins but we are well placed for when we have a fully fit squad

 

Well I suppose taking everything into account it certainly wasn't our worst performance thats for sure ... Taught we played really well first half , was a sickener to go in level at the break but when there's only a goal in it it doesn't matter how much on top you were it only takes one moment , weather that's brilliance from them , stupidity from us or a howler from the ref to change the game .... A moment of true quality from Pedro , helped by us giving him the freedom of the pitch completely changed the complexion of the game and I'd imagine it also changed both managers half time team talks ... Surely everyone expected them to up it at some stage , we were never going to dominate them for 90 mins , and they did to a degree after the break ... The second coming so soon after the interval was a blow , it was so avoidable , loosing it cheaply in midfield , and it shows the dangers of playing 3 at the back when you're not used to it , trying to keep the gaps narrow between the 3 we were getting dragged over to one side leaving nobody at all on the other side ... It happened a few times but we got away with it but not that time ... After that it was always going to be difficult with our shortcomings at the top end so from there it was predictable from us and I suppose the most frustrating thing from our point of view was them getting the three points so handily without playing great and after us starting so well ..... Oh well , it is what it is , let's see what the next one brings ....

 

We played well in the 1st half but the second half was disjointed.
We lack width and I agree with calls for N'Koudou to get a start wide on the right. He looked pacy when he came on and offers something different. Kane has to create his own goals because no one else is creating chances. It's all down the middle. As good as our goal was, all our play was strangled in the middle of the pitch. And it has been much of the season.
That's a tactical issue that needs to be addressed by Pochettino.
Son is not a winger and runs down blind alleys. Walker is a wing back. He's better going forewards than backwards that's for sure.
Eriksen isn't a winger nor is Lamela. So N'Koudou is surely due a run in the team. The tactics are dull and slow. Talk of a crisis is vastly over exaggerated but there are definitely issues, mainly that our summer transfer business was rubbish and we don't gave a plan a never mind a plan B.
On current form there is no way Spurs will finish in the top 4 this season. Unless Poch starts showing he knows how to change tactics.
The squad is good but not great. It's very unbalanced. Having possession is all well and good but if you do nothing with it it counts for nothing which is why we are starting to fall behind in terms of goal difference. We are only 4 points of 4th place, that's true because if we don't get width, add pace and start creating and scoring , we won't be back in the A Champions league next season and that's a massive loss of predicted income.

 

We are the undisputed middle 3rd of the pitch possession champions.

 

I agree that Dier needs to play cdm he's much better there, but if you look at it there is not enough depth in the squad to cover for Verts and Toby!
Dier has to play at the moment because of all the injuries in our squad

 

I reckon a good option would be Carrasco for a winger
He is quick, good at finishing and has that wow factor we have been missing this season

 

With just one win in 9 and some woeful performances , injured players , others out of form , going into a game against the in form team in the league at their place what did some of yee expect .... Under the circumstances we didn't do too bad I.m.o .... Frustrating fur sure , but it was far more likely to happen then us winning .... Until we start showing some consistent form and get all our top players fit and firing it's hard to expect anything other then a struggle ..... Even when we are doing ok , we don't create , don't score so I don't understand the expectation going into games like this .....

 

Lol , nice one Fran ...

Mr Lamela might be some peoples cup of tea but not mine ... He epitomizes everything that's wrong with the current setup ... All huff and puff but when it comes to actually making a difference up at the top end of the pitch he's as inconsistent as Ali , Erikson , and the rest .... If he was playing alongside 2 quality players in the 3 behind the striker he'd probably look a worldie but you could probably say that about all of our options .. He's a Dirk Kuyt clone i.m.o , he might actually have a bit more ability then Kuyt but Kuyt was worth a lot more to his team .... Unfortunately Lamela was just in front of myself in the queue when they were dividing out the brain cells .....

 

Lamela in 3 years has a whopping 8 league goals to his name. Thats an average of just under 3 a season.

 

Again the disappointing thing is that we started well and didn't make use of the possession and play we had.
we didn't get into positions and test the keeper enough. our formation surprised Chelsea and their wide men had to track back. but we didn't make use of it.

people are talking about Pedro's goal. it was okay. I wouldn't say it was special. he had time to control the ball...move it to the right position...and use the defender to mask the shot.
If anyone gets close to him quickly....he can't do that.

Once Chelsea were back in it we struggled. ....agree our bench doesn't help us at the moment (with people out).
as good as Winks is....he's just another Carroll.

the shape/formation still needs looking at IMO....with the players we have available