Woeful Spurs of old let down superb supporters

No Thursday football before this Sunday afternoon outing against an average Manchester United side meant Spurs went in to this game feeling very confident of a third Old Trafford victory in as many seasons.
With United constantly showing frailties at the back this season, United were there for the taking.
Sadly for us, it was the Spurs of old that turned up at Old Trafford and the first half showing was nothing short of a disgrace.

Bentaleb was awful. His passing was off cue and he and Mason were totally overrun in midfield, with Kyle Walker giving a woeful display at right back.

Kane was totally isolated and it was baffling as to why Pochettino waited until the last ten minutes to bring on Adebayor or anyone else. Lamela came on but he offers nothing of value. Nothing at all.

At the start of this season, I predicted a 6th place finish and I am confident I will be proved right. Although we may finish 7th which could be a blessing as the Europa league has done us few favours in the last few years and the amount of games this season looks to have taken its toll.
I agree that as the season has developed, the players have looked much fitter and certainly given much more in games than recent teams.
The players have kept at it in the second half today and in the past would have easily shipped 5, 6 or even more goals, but their is at least a determined face about this Spurs team.

What is worrying, is that we don't actually look that much better than we did by this time last season. We beat Arsenal and Chelsea at the Lane and those games gave us pleasure and hope that we were going in the right direction. A cup final resulted in no silverware and today has just about put paid to any ambition of a top four finish for Pochettino's Spurs.

A lack of Champions league football could have repercussions for Spurs this summer. I don't believe that Eriksen, Lloris, Walker and Vertonghen will accept another season outside of the top four and another season next year chasing the shadow of top four football.

There is also the issue of whether players will want to join a club that continually chases the top four yet fails to deliver. We may have beaten Arsenal at the Lane with a stunning performance but we are further than ever away from finishing above them. In fact, whilst they start to push themselves back into the title race, we are looking at being 7th or even 8th which would match the new managers record at Southampton. Taking the Saints to 8th was seen as showing his brilliance, taking Spurs to 8th is hardly a sign of progress and will cause concern.

I still believe that Poch is the right man for the job, and he will bring players through from the academy, but today showed again, that he has no plan B and he still has a lot to learn.

I think Spurs may be on the right long term track, but I am yet to be convinced that we are any closer to being a top four team than we ever were.

A special mention must go to the Spurs fans who sang throughout today's game. Sadly the players on the pitch were not at the races and must re group and get ready to go again. Top four? Not good enough I am afraid. As we say every year.....maybe next season?

 

Bad day all round , thats for sure .. Anybody still think the Mancs will be in for Walker at the end of the season now .. We are better then that performance for sure but we,re nowhere near where some think .. I said a few weeks back we,re closer to Spammers and the Swans in terms of quality then anyone above us and i stand by that 100% .. In fairness to the manager he's done well to keep us in the race this long but he's got to do a lot more in sorting out our defending between now and the seasons end or it will be the same again next year . We live and learn , i hope ...

 

We have to stick with the manager that is for sure. He still has a lot to learn but I do think it would be madness to get rid of him.

 

poch has got the players fitter and that's it
His team is so badly organised its a joke
Inverted wingers it does not work
No natural width
Lost all faith in him
He has made no attempt to sort out our defence
Bye bye poch
Sherwood would have done a better job
Oh sorry he is English and was was not a big name
When we win the fa youth cup
Just remember sherwood /Ramsey / Ferdinand etc
Square pegs round holes every game
I have had enough of it

 

Woeful day at the office today for Spurs. No energy. Overrun in midfield and high defensive line easily beaten by Carrick's incisive passing and long balls aimed at Felaini. I think this was a case where Pochetino got outwitted by LvG on the tactics, as well as Spurs players looking truly tired and demoralized. After first goal, Pochetino should have had defensive line drop back and play Man U on the counter attack. So agree with comment about no Plan B evidenced in this game.

I don't think we will end up in 7th or 8th but more likely 5th or 6th. I would actually prefer 7th and hope we don't have to play Europa League football. I back Pochetino and hope that Levy does as well over the summer with the right signings (a solid CM, an attacking winger, and another CF). Pochetino deserves another full season at least (probably two) to showcase what he can do with his choice of players in the team.

COYS!

 

I agree on a majority of the points raised. We were naive today and Bentaleb demonstrated this with the 3rd goal; suicide playing square balls in that area of the pitch. MoPo has got them fitter yes, and I think he will learn from this and improve the team next season. Need to give time and an opportunity to shape the squad with some of his own acquisitions!

 

We've all got a bit carried away with the home grown players and the future looking bright but the fact is, we have a very average squad and unless Levy supplements the youngsters with some quality additions, we will never be better than sixth/seventh. We basically have only one striker, only one player who can create anything and a woefully poor defence. The worry is that Levy will expect Poch to carry on promoting the kids rather than get the cheque book out.

 

The only thing that needs to be said about today is the Spurs fans who travelled up to Manchester. They were absolutely outstanding and they certainly didn't get what they deserved... If we keep that positivity going forward we will drive this team on to future success... COYS!!!

 

Something that a few of you have forgotten is that we are already in the Europa League next season by virtue of the League Cup Final and playing Chelsea. That is a forgone conclusion.

Yesterday was rubbish. Jury still very much out on Poch. Think we believed the hype that we would win again at Old Trafford for the third successive season. Didn't turn up. Pitiful.

 

The losers of the LC do not get EL next year . The place if Chelsea win the League goes to the next in the League, so places up to 7th .

 

Just a bad day at the office lads wipe yer chins n move on. One of our worst performances of the season coinciding with man utds best at home with a crowd of 60 odd thousand its just one of them really. Didn't totally capitulate as we can and have in the past..

 

Please no euro football next year look what liverpool did with no ointless causes to chase.let poch go ahead with his own players not left overs,keep Kane,mason,bentaleb.dier,Ericson,lloris,add Ali,and Pritchard any of poch's choice.and hope!!!!

 

Hi Matt...one thing that does worry me about Poch, particularly in terms of whether he can fire up the team before a game, is how much of a challenge his grasp of English is.
I listen to him regularly. You have to really listen, it's a little monotone, so I imagine a pre match talk might seem like all the other team talks.
Add to that the fact that we really do lack a leader on the pitch (goalie position not the one for me, although Club Captain defo), which is so vital in big game matches like this.
We were so horribly flat yesterday, no fire, no energy, just lacking in every aspect of the game. Add to that, by setting up with Townsend and Chadli as wide men it is so easy to be over-run in midfield, and so it came to be.
Recently I've not been a critic of Poch, however there are some worrying aspects that need fixing for me. Having assistants that speak to him in his mother tongue, day in day out, probably limits the pace of his development as a key influencer in times of need. Yesterday was one such day.
Painful or what!
COYS

 

Agree - just think what sort of season this would have been without Kane (and Eriksen's) goals. Eriksen has really gone off the boil - has his head been turned - the big money teams must be hovering over the training ground, me thinks.

 

Van Gaal is not much better as far as English is concerned... Southampton played pretty football under Poch and still do with another foreigner there. I think player quality and proper tactic would do more any day. Poch can affect player quality only by team selection for the match and tactic comes together with it. He was wrong on both accounts. LVG has taught Poch a lesson. I hope it will work, but I would prefer a win to any education of the Head Coach. COYS!!