Spurs show they have learnt nothing. Liverpool 2 v 0 Spurs

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Where shall I start? When I wrote my pre match blog, I talked about getting the tactics right. Playing 3 at the back.
Prior to that, I wrote a piece on how football should be a simple game. Play the team, the formation, that you know gets results.

Sadly tonight, everything I wrote has either turned out to be right or rubbish. Or a bit of both.

What tonight showed was that Spurs have no strength in depth and for a second season we are going to happily hand the title away with a whimper.

I will not be calling for Poch's head because he is the right man for the job, but tonight he got it wrong. And his team let him down very badly. Very badly.

Lloris - 4 The hardest rating to give. He made 2 great saves but why did he punch? It was much easier to catch the ball.

Walker - 5 Great as part of a back 3. But when it comes to defending , he's a liability. Another ,example of why you should play players where they will do the most damage. As a defender, Walker is average. As a wing back, he can tear teams apart. Before the game, Milner must have been worried. As it turned out, he had nothing to do.

Dier - 3 I can't be kind I'm afraid. In a back 3 he looks comfortable. Today he was abysmal. Totally inept.

Alderweireld - 6 Perhaps the lowest rating he will ever get. In the second half he started to lose his head and lost his cool.

Davies - 1 Truly awful. Out of position, slow and sluggish. Just an awful display and needs to be move down on in the summer.

Wanyama - 4 Couldn't pass, couldn't get anything right.

Dembele - 2 Showed that side of him that suggest he has a bad attitude at times. As it became clear things were not going our way, he hid and was delighted to be taken off.

Son - 3 - Had a great chance in the first half. Should have passed to Kane but decided to shoot and gave the keeper an easier save than he should have.

Eriksen - 2 Just as we thought he was finding his form, he puts in a performance that was dreadful. Lack of effort or guile.

Alli - 3 Couldn't get into the game and started to lose his head. Shades of Stamford Bridge last season. A great talent but needs to learn.

Kane - 3 Pretty poor from Harry. I actually thought he was lucky to only get yellow near the end.

Bad night. But recent performances suggested this was coming.

 

No real problem with the formation for me , especially with the players available .. As I said in the earlier post , playing Son as a wingback with Davies inside him would have been a big risk ... Saying that , formation wouldn't have mattered that much if you perform like we did today ... Sluggish doesn't really do it justice I'm afraid .... Very disappointing all round ...

I would have played it differently if I was in charge as I suggested in a different post during the week .... I know it wouldn't be too popular to park the bus and hit them with long balls on the break but we've seen how successful others have been against them lately playing this way ... I wouldn't have a problem doing this once or twice a season if I felt it was the best way to get a result .... What's done is done , onto the next one ... C.O.Y.S .....

 

Alli didn't play at Stamford bridge last season

 

Ive a big problem with the formation ! Didn't have to play 4 at back an d shouldn't have as Liverpool would have prepared all week to face a defensive 4. We should have played 3-5-2 with Wanyama playing on the left side of a back 3 as there was no need for both Dembele and him to play against this side in CM. It would have freed up Walker and more to the point, got that useless cretin Davies away from our 18 yd box. Blame not only the players for this inept performance but also the team selection. We had to win this game but there was never a chance of that with this back 4 against their attacking 3.

 

And we're told we didn't need to spend in January, our squad is ****, the first 11 are ok but as soon as we get a couple of injuries that's it we've had it. We needed someone to come on and change things so we bring on a 21 year old with hardly any experience, Sissoko who was a complete waste of money and a striker that couldn't score in a brothel. It's that time of the season when we collapse. Worst game I've seen from Spurs all season Dier & Davies are no replacement for Vertonghen and Rose, we seriously need to strengthen the team and squad in the summer.

 

Oh my God, how bad were we today, bad day at the office, or signs of things to come! For me Poch got his tactics all wrong or his players were just complacent.
Really missing Rose and Jan, hopefully we won't play as bad as that in any game during the rest of the season.
The title hopes are well and truly over so personally I'm hoping Poch plays a strong side against Fulham next week, or else the season could be just about over.
We are obviously missing strength in depth, but forever the optimist, we will end up with some silver ware this season.

 

I'm lost for words... Liverpool absolutely battered us tonight should of been more. On tonight's showing it goes show that our back ups are nowhere near good enough and even some 1st starters hid and couldn't handle the occasion which I suppose they are used to doing that when they need to step up and fight! The team and staff as a whole haven't learned anything from last season even the manager he got it totally wrong and why he never saw what Liverpool were doing down Davies side of the pitch even after 10mins in something should have been done but nope no plan b!!! We should of bought fresh players in January but nope all we heard was I'm happy with the squad... so for me once again a big chance has gone and we bottled it! Not taking away anything from Liverpool they deserved it ! We have no game changers at all mane against davies I feared from the start and dier at centre back does worry me even against smaller teams he looks a liability not convinced at all and as for our so called creative players and Kane well he should go back to wearing the same colour boots... to not have a shot on goal is worrying and the fact we've been lucky to have a few penaltys this season we are so predictable with our attacking play !!! Absolute **** tonight total let downs !!!!

 

you had a poor first half against a team that needed to show its fans it could retaliate. Perhaps knowing this, a tighter first 45 minutes may have lead to something although I don't think you would have beaten us in truth.
Your closer to a title than us but if you don't do it next year I don't think you will. Good game though.

 

Truly awful performance. No passion, no grit and toothless. Bitterly dissapointing. Spursy.

If u want to win titles, we have to get results against our rivals away from home. As I said in an earlier post, Poch has still failed to win at Anfield, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates. This has to change if we really want to mix it and compete.

Gutted.

And as for Davies.... I reckon Dawson would skin him in a sprint.

Again, negative in his play and pathetically slow.

 

Well it was coming. Some bad performances today as we realise we have no chance of winning the league when we cant field our strongest 11. We have one of the best goalscorers in Harry Kane and he got absolutely no service. Frustration in the team and Harry and Toby booked because of it. Warning signs early when Wanyama could n't put a pass together and Eric obviously had his boots on the wrong feet. We have got to try and upgrade in the summer. Jannsen Davies Sissoko maybe need to be moved on. Jannsen has no pace -think Mane, Sissoko for Newcastle was poor with 3 good games for France and then poor for us. Davies also lacks pace and positional sense.
Lacasette Sessegnon Barkley and Bruma and an established CB. Need to watch the Lamela situation because that is a long time out.

 

Simply the poorest performance of the season...a super bad day at the office. In my opinion 3-5-2 system was better than 4-2-3-1 but it can not be the only reason of this defeat. I think we were poor of aggression and ideas. Bad Match. As ever COYS

 

REAP WHAT YOU SOW.....

Spend no money in the transfer window, play Dier left sided centre back, when he's not good enough to fill a right sided slot, add to that Davies who is also not good enough, put Son in front of Davies providing no cover down the left and you are going to get royally reamed.

Then mix in 8 more shite performances and the ONLY surprise is that it was only 2.

It was a matter of time for this to happen. We've all watched Dier struggle as a centre back so why can't MP, a top manager, see that.

Wrong setup, wrong mindset.. Reminds me of the times we've been stuffed by Sheik City in the past.

Truly, truly shocking. I feel sorry for the fans who travelled all that way, for an evening kick off, to see that dross....

EVERYBODY, POCH INCLUDED, HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME.

 

Don't wanna keep on but has anyone notice that when we play a rival team away the players big themselves up and then they are the ones that don't turn up or is it the me being bitter ???

 

And another trend that scares me. How many times in the last ten years have Spurs been on the wrong side of another team's breaking a long losing streak, or a long goalless streak? Gotta be at least 20. We can't be a side that others get well against.

 

Well surprise surprise Spurs have a big game and all the players don't turn up.

Both big Fran and I were calling for the signing of Manè in the summer but like usual the club lays dormant until deadline day and spends the equivalent on Sissoko. How's that worked out for all?

Poch the Messiah who has apparently taken us so far forward could have doubled up as AvB today. The blue print was evident of how to play/beat Liverpool so what does he do completely ignores it and puts out a side that neither helps our strategy or players playing.

The bench is an embarrassment the tactics are poor.

Where were our match winners today? All suffering a case of the shrinking violets as per wen theyre needed.

The only reason we're up there is purely the shocking level of this league.

Awful

 

As a team we failed miserably today. What I love about our full backs is pace. The moment we signed Ben Davies, I left he was too slow. I didn't care if he improved as a player. He would always be one paced and vulnerable. I said to my Liverpool mate, either Davies for us, or Lucas for them, will be targeted. Sadly we never got at their defence. We often have loads of possession, not doing enough with it and passing the ball slowly. But the writing was on the wall today, when Dembele and Wanyama (who've been amazing) were giving the ball away so often. The front four were also poor, even though Son did OK. Maybe not defensively. January isn't an easy time to sign players and there is little value in the market, but surely the F.A Cup performances showed our squad isn't that good. The normal 11, plus Lamela, Dier normally (he's much better in midfield than defence), plus Winks is promising. That's it. Trippier is OK. No more than that. A good crosser isn't enough. Surely we could have invested in a good youngster, as we did with Alli, in January 2 years ago. Especially as we had a slim chance of the title, the squad needed something. A winner with experience. Something better from the bench. But no, we stand still and do not "To Dare Is To Do". I think we will get top 4. I think Arsenal are worse and Liverpool or Man Utd will not make it. But we had a nailed on chance to make 2nd place our own and try to keep with Chelsea, but it's gone, and earlier than last season. Great at home, poor away this year. Less belief and maybe more luck this year, but the bench is more like a bottom half team. Poch sort it.

 

Despite all the 'Chelsea's only challengers' talk, the sad reality is that resumption of the EL is only days away, plus the FA Cup (which is, sadly, a second-rate competition these days, as discussed on here recently), and it's all shaping up for a dogfight even for top four, with us as outsiders, given the near certainty of the Pochettino customary late season fade. Constantly repeating that the club has been transformed into a resilient, efficient, smooth machine in the last three years doesn't make it so, and performances like this one (and at the Etihad, despite the fluky draw) show how far from the finished article this team and its manager really are - much less self-congratulation and much more intelligence, especially from the grossly over-rated Pochettino (whose head was turned by SAF's mischievous comments last season), are needed if the team's real potential is ever to be realised.

 

Im as pissed off as everyone else tonight with this pathetic show, only 2 wins in 30 years in the league at Anfield and on this evidence you can see why we never get the better of Liverpool. The title challenge has gone now with the Mancs, scum and Scousers in hot pursuit of second and third place and Chelski of course will have to lose at least 3 matches in the meantime for anyone to close the gap but that is unlikely to happen. In the absence of Vertonghen and Rose in recent matches, the warning signs were, perhaps, there with goals starting to leak once again in the usual Spurs manner but what really annoys me is our ability to capitulate like so often as we did under Hoddle and Jol etc......! At this moment in time, i doubt we will even secure 3 rd position in the PL the way things are going! The FA cup looms and lets hope Poch puts out a strong starting eleven nxt wkend otherwise its another season of so near and so far!

 

Last Sunday morning I was watching Spurs-Middlesborough 'as-live', and only an hour later had the first spasms of a heart attack. An operation and a few days later, I got out of hospital Friday and was desperate to watch the game, to my wife's displeasure. I had to turn it off after 20 minutes, which I have never done before in my life, as Spurs would have literally 'killed' me if I had carried on watching.
Born in the early 60's I was probably the result of euphoria from Spurs-mad parents - 'Spurs giveth, Spurs taketh away'.
I am due to fly to England and have tickets for the Gent & Stoke games, but, can my heart take it?
For others that watch Spurs with the intensity that I do, I would thoroughly recommend getting your heart checked out - a simple, painless ECG is all it takes, because I feel if there was a league table for heart-disease inducement, Tottenham Hotspur would be runaway winners.

 

I would also like to say since a number of players have signed bigger long term deals .... I haven't seen our team give a performance that warrants it!!! like Leicester they win the league all the players sign bigger contracts and this season knowhere to be seen I feel like that if it wasn't for us getting lucky with a few penalties given for us to change the way a games going I jst feel I haven't seen a performance that really warrants us to be title challengers????