Player Ratings – Spurs 3 – 1 Nottingham Forest

Spurs made hard work of Championship opposition Nottingham Forest, but eventually progressed thanks to some tactful substitutions from Mauricio Pochettino.

The first half was a little pedestrian, ending 0-0 as Spurs lacked movement up front, however Andros Townsend and Aaron Lennon continued to plough away on the flanks.

Benjamin Stambouli and Federico Fazio helped keep the door shut on their home debuts for the club, but a momentary slip allowed 19-year-old midfielder Jorge Grant in to score from Ryan McLaughlin’s pullback.

Pochettino immediately mobilised Harry Kane and Ryan Mason from the bench, the latter taking just 7 minutes to power home an unstoppable strike from over 30 yards out.

Roberto Soldado finally got the break he was due as Andros Townsend’s strike deflected kindly off the Spaniard’s boot and into the top corner, before substitute Erik Lamela teed up Harry Kane to put the icing on the cake after a hard fought night under the floodlights.

Player Ratings

Michel Vorm 6 – Wasn’t called upon much on his White Hart Lane bow, but the Dutchman will be disappointed not to have kept a clean sheet. Made a few smart catches, and will hopefully be available for Europa League games too.

Kyle Naughton 8 – Honestly, in my opinion tonight was Naughton’s best ever night at the back for Spurs. Playing on the right, Naughton was no longer tetchy on the ball and made a ridiculous number of tackles tracking back on the right, even getting forward to shoot.

Federico Fazio 7 – The beginnings of a hopefully successful partnership between Jan and Faz, but the two certainly need more time to gel. Few nervous moments overall and it could be pretty special if these two click. He’s also got a pretty hard shot.

Jan Vertonghen 7 - Similarly to Fazio, Vertonghen looked to be forging an impressive duo. Was great to see Jan pushing forward much like he did at left-back, and Fazio sitting deeper may aid that.

Ben Davies 6 – The Welshman seemed nervous again tonight and wasn’t able to show much going forward, but seems to benefit from having a left-footed CB in Jan next to him. Doesn’t show the same attacking option as Rose, for me.

Benjamin Stambouli 7 – I thought Benji did his job brilliantly before being taken off midway through the second half, breaking up the play well and actually looking to move forward when he had it at his feet. The only question being – can he play next to Capoue or are they too similar?

Nabil Bentaleb 6 – I feel as if Nabil was getting ahead of himself a bit tonight, and was caught in possession too many times for a player of his type. His job will never be to take players on, but the youngster still has a lot to learn. Slots in nicely next to a more defensively-minded midfielder.

Andros Townsend 7 – Provided a useful bit of spark going forward but you do have to feel that he is all too predictable. Especially playing from the right, where any decent left-back would see that he’s only ever coming inside. But at least he wasn’t scared of running at players and he does love a good strike at goal. Given MOTM by Sky Sports.

Paulinho 5 – It might seem harsh to mark Pauli down but I honestly can’t see him being a Spurs player for much longer. There’s no way he fits into Pochettino’s system and I’d have money on him not starting a Premier League game at all this season. Was unlucky not to score from his improvised effort in the second half.

Aaron Lennon 7 – Wore the armband tonight, as the most experienced player on the pitch, and for once he really showed it. Worked his socks off down the flank and was reminiscent of his pre-season heroics. The only problem being, he needs to recreate that kind of form on the biggER stage.

Roberto Soldado 6 – For a player that has lost his place in the starting XI and desperately needs to prove himself, Bobby didn’t work all that hard in my opinion. He didn’t really run the channels or close down the shaky Forest defence, but then again the service wasn’t exactly world class. Needs to make himself the chances every now and again, but on the scoresheet nevertheless.

SUBS

Harry Kane 7 – Maturing into quite some player, Kane is surely above Soldado in the striking hierarchy now. Terrific finish late on to kill the game and looms a real asset in the air.

Ryan Mason 7 – POW! What a hit son! Turned the game on it’s head with a blistering 30-yarder which had everybody on their feet. Say no more!

Erik Lamela N/a – He would have torn it up if he’d played longer. Great assist for Kane.

The scoreline suggests a game that was easier than what it actually was – *insert cliché about “winning when playing badly”* - but Spurs are into the next round of the cup with a big chance of going far.

Some high profile sides are already out of the tournament and silverware must be high on the wishlist in Poch’s debut season.

And with the draw throwing up Brighton & Hove Albion at home in the next round, that is now in our sights.

 

not sure what game you were watching.

We were so very poor. Fazio looks terrible. One long shot doesn't bump him up in the ratings. He is a defender and should defend. stambouli started ok but gave the ball away so many times. Appreciated this was only their second game, but still, lots of improvement needed.

bentaleb was appalling, he needs to go out on loan at best, he shouldn't be near the first team.

God knows what has happened to Paulinho.

Townsend Man of the match how. For hoofing the ball over the bar and wide every time he had the ball in Forests half. Such a boring footballer.

Soldado and Lennon anonymous

We seriously need to buck our ideas up, I am dreading Saturday. We have a squad with zero heart and fight. When the chips are down who are we relying on to rally the troops, I cannot see any natural leaders or obvious captain. That for me is a massive concern.

We are very slow in our build up, moving the ball forward then stopping and going backwards and sideways and the backwards again.

Such a shame from the football we were watching a couple of years ago

 

I think Bentaleb does better when he plays alongside a more offensively adept player.

Against teams like this, when Bentaleb is partnered with a more offensively minded player (like Mason) things go a little better. When he was partnered with Stambouli, I think that Bentaleb feels like he has to be the offensive weapon from deep, and as stated in the article, he's not there yet.

Soldado just isn't equipped to be a lone striker. When he is partnered with someone, things usually go a lot better. Then, and only then, will be get to see his great movement off the ball. Just my two cents.

 

you'll see that Naughton was my MOTM, rated 8/10.

Stambouli did well in my opinion, and he let Bentaleb go forward in the same way that Capoue tried to get Dembele to do at the weekend (unsuccessfully).

I think it's easy to forget that Nabil is still so young. He's going to naively throw in the odd audacious flick and trick here and there, and he'll learn his role more gradually as he plays more. But for a 19-year old to be his quality would be a shame to see him shipped out like Holtby Carroll etc.

I agree that Soldado was missing largely and lacked fight, but Lennon was tireless on the wing, and gave Davies an easy night himself.

We could easily have lost tonight but we didn't. There's so much negativity in our fan base at the minute that there is no difference between winning 3-1 and losing 3-1. Nobody is confident about the weekend but that doesn't mean we can't get behind the lads.

If Fazio smacks a 30 yarder into the top bin on the weekend im sure you'll be calling for his rating to be put up.

 

I thought Fazio started slowly but grew into the game, and with more game time could be a really good player.
Lennon worked hard and was shouting at his team mates, something Kaboul does not do.
Paulinho was lazy and inept and I agree his days must be numbered. Mason was excellent when he came on and win us the game.
Sadly, I think poch will make another 11 changes for Saturday.

 

I am amazed at the ratings. Maybe these are the ratings from when you played the game on FIFA 15.

In reality we were not good. We won the game, which was important for the fans and for morale.

What is a strongest side, whatever side anyone comes up with, plain and simple these Tottenham team is not good enough. Even with Pochs magic we have regressed. This is not his fault.

Fazio is not the class centre half we needed. Hopefully when he has taken his blindfold off he will be ok. stambouli again, maybe ok, but really, are we looking at a move forward or just another stop gap.

Why on earth have we not spent our money on a top quality centre forward?

These are things that we cannot change now, so,we are left with this squad until January. Then we will have the usual boring nonsense of being linked to a load of good players, watching every other team add and improve and then scramble to sign some guy at the last minute.

The chairman doesn't give the managers a chance, he never signs the players the manager wants and then leaves him with a load of chuff to try and magic a team out off.

I am sorry this is a negative slant, but after the woeful Liverpool game, the crock of poo against West Brom and the rubbish we saw for 60 minutes tonight. It takes some kid that we have never worked out if he is any good to come on and show a bit of guts and take the game to Championship Nottingham Forest. Where was the heart from the rest of team.

Over paid jokers, gutless charlatans. Bring on Arsenal and let's purr like a pussy cat at them.

 

If Fazio puts it in the top corner he should start as centre forward on Saturday. He should certainly be teaching Sue Townsend how to shoot.

 

I thought we were very slow in the first half but that was hardly surprising when the manager makes eleven changes!!
Tonight was a win and that is what we needed, and once mason came on we looked quicker and more inventive. Soldado is a player who should have someone alongside him and he looked better when Kane was on alongside him.
Kane may not be everyone's cup of tea but when he gets a chane, he seems to know where the net is and he took his goal really well.
What worries me, is that making so many changes from game to game means there is no consistency and that, to me, is poor management.

 

We need to play 2 up top it is as simple as that. Soldado got no service, last season him and ADe looked good together. 3 defensive midfielders at home against forest what a joke. We need goals and we need two up top.

 

We played WBA and in 90 minutes did not register a shot on target. It took us up until the 70th min when Kane's header was saved to register our first tonight. That is two games at home against weaker opposition and 160 mins to get a shot on target!

How Townsend (ala defoe in midfield) got MOM from Sky god only knows. It wasn't until Mason and Kane came on that the game remotely changed. Townsend and Lenon must be the most bang average players in the premier league. Two good games for England and Towsend thinks he is Bale on the wing now. MOM? Couldn't put a cross on a pools coupon let alone on a pitch, has the shot accuracy of a Jonny Wilkinson and the most predictable cut in from the right in the world! And Lenon? Really. You only have to ask yourself one question to answer Lennon ability as a player... Name me one transfer window since he has been at Spurs when he has REMOTELY been linked to another club... never!

Before the long range effort by Mason (which on another day doesn't go in and we lose 1-0) we was poor. All over the park. The crowd was shockingly quiet and failed to rally the players (until the goal went in, shock there). And please bear in mind Forest ( a championship club) rested 9 first teamers themselves!

Vorn = Nothing to say, didn't have to really do much.

Naughton
Have to agree thought he was decent tonight and looked the only one putting a shift in before we equalised. However, this is his level, carling cup, fa cup and europa against the lesser teams.

Fazio
Second game and all them bla bla excuses but surely the ability to read the game at his age is something that should be ingrained. If you are having championship reserve players brushing him off and running into space past him then you have to seriously wonder about him as a 1st choice in the league

Verts
steady game.

Davies
Has caught the "when a player goes to spurs he becomes ****" disease. A star for swansea but looks shakey now at a 'bigger' club. Bad positioning from him and Bentaleb for the Forest goal. "yeh let's mark the empty space in the area instead of following the runner"

Stambouli
Not sure if my TV screen was buffering or this guy does not seem to have any pace. I felt he was running in humous at times. Some decent break up play but lost the ball too many times when the pace of the game and pass quickened. I feel we have just bought an identikit of capoue.

Bentaleb
Compossed at times, thinks he is iniesta at other times ( he isn't!) - lost the ball many times - careless passing. At fault with Davies for the goal. He has one good game then two bad, one good , two bad and my only hope being 19 is that there is still time for him

Townsend = already covered him - the mind boggles how this guy actually gets a salary at spurs. Really it does.

Lennon = You could write the same thing about Lennon for every game. Runs around (with his head down of course) - tries to shuffle in and out (loses the ball more times than keeps it) - offers nothing going forward, can't put a cross in, does his "lift my left arm above my head to let people know when I am going to shimey" trick. End of.

Paulinho = My god, I mean really my god. I truly think Gazza could be wheeled back out of retirement and actually play better than this guy. I am even considering emailing the Brazilian embassy to actually check this guy is from there! - I have yet to see him have ONE good game in the spurs shirt. Offers absolutely nothing. Can't cross, Can't take a free kick, can't even take a corner, cant thread a ball through, looks uninterested, lacks pace, can't score goals (contrary to people thinking he was the new lampard - erm yeh right!) - pedestrian. And all evident tonight.

Soldado = Getting your foot on the end of a shot that prob more hit you and went in than any skill and intent does not disguise that he is probably in the rebrov catergory for all time worse signings at the club (bear in mind the price not just the lack of quality) - before his goal I had to actually check a few times he was on the pitch and not morphing as one of the advertising boards on the side of the pitch. Does not harass defenders, does not look strong in the fight for the ball, has energy to argue with the ref but not to actuall cover blades of grass. Kane is by FAR a greater player (and actually go as far as saying Kane should be starting not Ade(CantHitABarnDor) on most weeks.

Mason = good goal, some nice touches. However, at 23 if he was really decent he'd be around and not be only registered to play in our domestic cup games. Like others he will be a Carroll, farmed out on loan and next you will hear about him is when we play Brighton.

Kane = Did more in 5 mins coming on than Soldado did in the entire match. Big, strong, committed, eye for goal, puts himself about, works hard. Still a lot to learn but I prefer him up there than Soldado and Adebayor (yep I said it!)

North London Derby. Oh dear. Evens money Arsenal at home, it is a license to print money this weekend. Oh it's ok we have Kaboul (never makes an error in big games hmmm lol) back, And no doubt Lamela starting (yeh the guy who actually has never had a good game against a strong opposition) oh and not to mention Chadli (who thinks because he has 3 goals he has become good!) - Grrr

Right - long post over (thank fook you are saying) - Apologies.

 

I thought Spurs were back in Belgrade... I have to take my "poor pitch condition" excuse back.
Poch should stop showing Levy/Baldini that some of their last summer acquisitions are in fact failures. It is tough on others...

 

Really looking forward to the arsenal game, the new manager has brought in some new ideas and made the necessary changes, everyone is playing with confidence and self belief and look like they are really up for it.

 

Only seen the highlights but fazio looked a little shaky for my money but early days on him yet!! Mason looks like he deserves a little more game time and Townsend looked more like himself of early last season. Could we be starting to see the emergence of lamela as a no 10 player in an interchangable front 3.
For sat I go lloris naughton dier vertonghen rose dembele stambouli Townsend lamela lennon soldado

 

Agree Fazio needs a bit more time to settle so I would expect to see Kaboul line up for Saturdays game but I am concerned that we will see Chiriches alongside him. Im not sure if there's anything in it, but I have seen something about a fall out between Poch and Jan over the captaincy and that Jan has been dropped, I would be the first to agree that it could be an obvious and very easy rumour, but, if Jan doesn't play against arse, then what should we make of that? Id like to see some changes against arsenal, I don't expect to see any but I think we should start with three in the middle in a 4-3-1-2 with Eriksen dropping deep to play the ball out and linking up with a mobile Lamela, Ade and Soldado.
My team - Lloris, Kaboul, Dier, Jan, Rose,
Capoue, Eriksen, Dembele,
Lamela,
Ade, Soldado

MPs team - same as last week

 

I am amazed that lennon was given a 7 im sure that should have been minus 7 this man is useless,why as the shortest man in the team does he not take the corner kicks or any free kicks cant cross a ball will never score if he plays untill doomsday hasnt got a clue how to put his foot through the ball.All he does is scuttle across the halfway line and touch the ball back to a defender.If i was the manager lennon would be sold the only problem is who would pay a tenner.

 

He didn't cost us a fortune and doesn't have a foreign name so he will never be up to standard for some 'fans' on here.
Write an article that we have just signed Kaninho for 50 mil and he will be an instant favourite.

 

No point getting worked up about it. We are where we are with what we got. We are still above the Pool and Man U Everton even with their shiny new striker and 90% possession have come undone last couple of games. The lack of dynamicsm in midfield and upfront is a concern. The midfield walking into instructed positions, the Defenders running about like flys trying to get the highly predicatable and easily pressed passback from midfield and the striker isolated behind at least 2 defenders wating for the again predictable high ball. It clear there is a complete lack of cohension within the squad. Low passing, shooting stats. These supposed internationals showing little more than amoebic footballing ability. Are they on strike, on work to rule, unhappy, or do they secretly just don't like or respect each other which would not suprise me. So Potechino will shuffle the pack for Saturday hoping for a "Team" to appear from this rabble of players all frustrated with each other.

 

That's a great summary of where we are at. Mirrors my feelings entirely. We are SO lacking, when you look at the performances from the likes of Lennon, Townsend, Paulinho, Soldado. Paulinho is without doubt the worst player I have see at The Lane for ever. I could do what he does, and I'm 40 years his senior. He offers nothing. Truly embarrassing.
For Saturday....mmmm Lloris, Dyer, Fazio, Verts, Rose, Dembele, Capoue, Strambouli, Eriksen, Lamela, Adebayor....midfield key....

 

Stong team of individuals but there's holes and weaknesses throughout. We need a full performance from the likes of Eriksen, Lamela Adeybayor otherwise it will be the same passing backwards possession football which AVB was quite rightly slaughtered for. We have enough physicality in MF areas to get stuck in and put them off their stride. Get them on the back foot with quicker movement and incisive passing and a few technical fouls. If we get bossed by that team of midgets and don't get stuck in they will carve us up.