Tactics Must Change

It is far too early to hit the panic button at the Lane, especially when you see the Champions floundering at the start of the new season, but something does need to change.
Looking over the forums following our first 2 games, there are calls already for Poch to go, but I don't think that is in any way what is needed. Well, not yet anyway. With the new stadium finally ready to be built, so we are told, Poch is signing youngsters and that is not going to get overnight success. That may not be what we all want but it is a fact and whoever is in charge will be working with youth.
With N'Jie signed but Poch saying he "won't fill the hole", it looks as if Berahino will be the next player to walk through the gates at White Hart Lane. But will this solve the problem?

The answer is Yes. And no. Yes providing Pochettino ditches his dark age tactics and plays 2 up top. Every opposition manger will have seen Spurs last season and will set up the team to mark Kane out of the game. It is naive and archaic to keep playing the same tactics week in week out.

Wide of the mark

Poch also needs to get some width in the team. It is all very well having the full backs overlapping, but when they have no one to overlap from, it simply does not work. It is again tactical naivety.
Lennon has always worked hard for the team, yes he is frustrating at times but he is better than Lamela. And he didn't cost £30 million!!!!
Bolassie at Palace would be a great signing in my opinion. He has a great left foot and is quick and skillful. Even better, he can score and has a good final ball. At the moment, we go wide, cut inside and allow defenders to get back into position and then the attack is gone. The manager used this tactic throughout last season and is sticking with it this season. But it DOES NOT work!!! What is he seeing that I am not? Bolassie out wide with Kane and Berahino or N' Jie up front could be an exciting proposition. The current tactics would struggle to wake a tortoise from a deep sleep!

Game Changers

What Mark Hughes did yesterday that our manager failed to do was see that something needed to change. Hughes tactics were not working so he made changes to try and change the game. And it worked. Our boss put Dembele up front whilst Lamela wandered around looking like he was on a catwalk rather than a football pitch. He is quite honestly lazy. He has talent but he is not trying.
I have said it before and I make no apology for saying it again, Poch has no plan B. I'm not convinced he has a plan A.

2 games in and we have 1 point. It is NOT the end of the World but there is not much so far to make me feel optimistic. And one year on the pressing game is still invisible. Yes, it appeared a couple of times last season but the players have not bought it into his philosophy as far as I can tell.

Poch is not daft and there is a football brain in there somewhere. But he needs to change. When tactics do not work you cannot keep using them. It makes no sense.

We need new strikers and we have one. One more looks to be on his way but if Poch doesn't change to accommodate them, we will not progress.

I am giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. And hope that Poch gets it right because Levy is not a patient man. And if the fans turn on Poch, Levy will not wait for the fans to turn on him. He knows how to play that game, and play it well.

Come on Poch - it's time to get it right!!

As ever, COME ON YOU FLIPPIN' SPURS!!!

 

I do agree with a lot of your points, and it makes no sense whatsoever to give Poch the chop, pardon the anagram. I thought we did well to finish 5th last year, considering we had only one firing striker and the amount of games we played. Kane was exceptional last year, and is surely not the finished article, but i do worry defenders have found him out. I also suspect he has been coached to death by the england setup, which has taken some of the rawness out of him. This is the reason we now need some forward thinking, astute management, which poch seems to be bereft of. Play 4 4 2 for gods sake or change it a bit, because this boring midfield possession football is suicidal at times. When we need to keep possession and see games out, the ball ends up like a hot potato. As i said in a post the other day, i dont think we are far away, with the acquisition of a couple of players. Maybe Berahinio on the way and a change of style. Any news on Yarmolenko, he looks tidy, wont cost the earth, and looks a step up from Lamela, but so would my 5 year old!!! Yesterday feels like a loss, but lets look to the future and give Chop, i mean Poch a chance to get things right. Hopefully Levys not thinking about the £99 million parachute payment from dropping into the Championship!!!!! Hopefully we can be more positive after the next game? COYS

 

The problem is Poch. He does have a plan A but nothing else. He plays the same sysrem regardless of players available or opposition. One striker and it never changes. Even when he did bring on Soldado last season he dropped Kane back into midfield. Will he change if we buy a couple of good forward players? i doubt it, both will be asked to play in wide midfield positions and asked to play as inverted wingers. The width comes from the two full backs. This exposes the centre backs especially if we give the ball away in our own half as at Manchester. Selection is also a problem. Surely Lamela must be sold. He should not even be on the bench, the likes of Alli, Pritchard, Townsend and the forgotten Lennon all offer much more. Walker is a disaster waiting to happen, give Trippier a go. Dier and Mason both played well on saturday but would either feature in central midfield in any top four side? Almost certainly no. We have to face facts , 5th is the best we can hope for. As for his substitutions they are often baffling in the extreme. Mock me if you wish but had we stayed with Tim Sherwood I think we would be far better off. Yes, his teams lost heavily to the top sides, although we did win at Old Trafford, so has Poch's away. At WHL against teams outside the top four Sherwood dropped just two points in nine games. He spoke his mind too much and blamed those upstairs. something most of us have done. Poch has much to do but he needs to start quickly, ideally at Leicester this weekend. Another hugely fortunate 2-1 like last year would do.

 

This is exactly what i was talking about the other day, Poch has this stubborn formation/tactic and seems blind/oblivious that it doesn't suit the personel at his disposal.

The answer? Buy players that do suit this spoken of 'philosophy'
The argument? He doesn't buy the players.
The predicament? Levy and his meddling.
The solution? Adapt to the strengths of what you have!

It is early and although deadwood has been cleared there are still a number of players that are bang average, we're lacking in match winning star quality and leadership.

Its not a Poch out rant its a Poch Adapt rant!

Cant see us doing anything but going further backwards this season, theres plenty of teams below us in the division that are getting better year on year who play a much more fluid attacking balanced sensible style of football.

Realists and people who want better for Spurs all know who and what the problem is -

MING THE PENNILESS aka the shrewd buisness man and off field success ffp spread sheet champion
Daniel Levy!

 

"The solution? Adapt to the strengths of what you have!"

Unfortunately, we have never demonstrated that i.e. Lamela, Soldado, and in our recent history Darren Bent!

 

Cannot believe what I'm reading here... 442 really? Who in world football is playing 442 or any other system with only two centre mids. We would get mullered to death. Even grass roots teams don't play 442 anymore. Wake up jeez. 442 cost city and the league last yr and todays game with an extra body in mid they school cChelsea.
The problem isn't the system its as felon says its the personnel we have playing it. Inverted wingers that don't or can't swing crosses in. Not quick enough or attack minded enough to support Kane making him isolated so he drops deep. He ain't being sussed out he is just frustrated. The only natural pacey out and out winger we have love or loathe him is lennon and he don't have a number. Townsend needs a run of ten games from the left with coaching and instructions to only get to the bye line and put crosses in. We actually have players capable to do the job but we keep hearing about the philosophy grrrr! This is poch preconceived idea of a favoured formation and preference of inverted wingers high line overlapping full backs which is fine if u had the players. We don't. Van Gaal tried the same at utd with his 352 but soon realized he didn't have the players and switched to the same formation we play. Result top four finish. To play a 442 u would need a players of the ilk Vieira Keane Gerrard scholes et all which we don't or couldn't afford either way. Hopefully Njie from the right and possibly berahinho from the left who would as a natural CF get closer to Kane and inject width pace
Power and desire to get in the box more. I'm not convinced over eriksen as a no 10 much neither. He slows play down and doesn't have the speed of thought of a natural 10 such as a VDV sheringham barmby etc! Quality player but could maybe play deeper as modric did.
On bolasie he had a decent end of season with one or two eye catching
Match winning games but not for 25m he done nothing prior to that and ain't likely to improve too much at his age. Berahinho and sissoko/Lucas leiva for me.

 

We have to give Poch time. He has been there one season, finished 5th, which I agree was rather fortuitous but that said we have changed managers so often in recent year there would be no sense in changing again and I think he will come good.

I agree tactically he does some strange things especially his substitutions but he did inherit a number of players signed before his arrival that were not really good enough. We do need 1 or more strikers to support Kane but not necessarily playing up front with him, but as an alternative option when Kane has a dip in form or when we need to try a different systems. We lack pace and width so we do need to resolve this and have decent wingers that can cross the ball and beat their man, and not rely purely on wingbacks as frankly Walker has lost his form altogether and Davies doesn't look great either going forward.

 

442 can work, IF u have the right players - which we don't have currently. No issue with considering the formation as an option, when it enables you counter the opponent! At the end of the day, it's what works for you and we need to be able to adapt/change/mix things up. There was no plan B yesterday - embarrassing. Current wingers are inconsistent and Lamela, well, he is looking great value isn't he? He will be sold in the Jan window (if not the next couple of weeks).

Bentaleb and Mason need some experience alongside them; IMO Sissoko would be ideal. But not Leiva - that would be a disaster and I wouldn't want any of the Pool's cast offs! Add Bolasie and Berahino to the list and we may have a fighting chance...

 

Bolaise is right footed .. Not left footed!! He plays on the left and cuts in like most wide players these days!! Personally I think that he is to inconsistent during 90 mins let alone game to game.. He is not the answe in my opinion! Especially if his performance today is anything to go by. We need two strikers as I can see N'Jie being utilised at a wide forward.. Berahino and Hernandez may well be the primary targets. Both would add pace and are prem proven. I also think we are lacking a top CDM neither Mason nor Bentaleb have excelled in the position. Bender would be a good shout for that role but he wouldn't come cheap and his wages could be an issue. Whatever happens, we need to sign at least two players before the window closes or we are heading towards a season of mediocrity .. COYS

 

I genuinly dnt think its long until we find ourselves getting another AVB tonking.

Its the same every window, you can see it, I can see it, the pundits can see it, even other clubs fans can see it but the most important of all the guy with the cheque book is just set on making a tidy profit, genuine football success is a very distant thought if one at all.

 

Also brings a shocking goal return and need to be careful signing another afcon player

 

We can talk formations all night long. We can talk tactics all night long. We can talk Poch all night long.

I think, though, the first thing we have to address and acknowledge is that 1. We have a very young team, and 2. We don't seem to have an on-field leader at this time to set the example and force our players to up their game.

Poch doesn't help, in my opinion, because, as many of you are saying, he still doesn't have the players to work his system, and perhaps he is unable to change the system to match his players.

Lamela showed us Saturday what he can look like at his worst. The only problem is that it doesn't seem too far off his best, either. Some players from "abroad" just can't adjust to the English game, if there is such a thing, anymore. He doesn't seem either strong enough or willing enough to muscle up to defenders, and his fouling rate is ridiculous. So unless he does something truly meaningful on offense he basically reduces us to 10 men. And, as said before, I just don't see him, Dembele and Ericksen working on the same pitch at the same time.

I'm firmly standing behind giving Yedlin a dose or two, at least as a sub, and as for all the Lennon comments, his pluses always outweighed the minuses. We'd like more goals from him and maybe better crosses. But he always worked his butt off going forward and back and knew how to work the sideline.

Davies seems to be coming along as a back, so let Rose and Yedlin be wing halves, a real menace with their speed and crosses. Let's try Chadli and Kane spearheading, with Ericksen getting them the balls. Allow Mason to forage forward and put some stout defensive players next to and behind him.

Dembele continues to be a bit of an enigma; Anybody have any positive ideas where to play him and what his role should be?

I'm not familiar enough with the new guys to suggest where they would fit in, though I think from minimal action it's clear Dele deserves a spot in the first 14.

Poch really does need to be a better manager and tactician, as currently he doesn't seem to be that much better than the AVB nightmare.

There are no easy games in the Premier, so I'm not going to suggest we can blow Leicester out of their own park next weekend. But we better get a move on accumulating points and building a nice goal differential before we get into the multiple competitions.

 

If you want to play 442, you're going to need 2 more strikers. You need two to play in the league plus two more to spell the two in cup games and for the occasional injury. No way will we sign 2 more strikers.

I agree on the inverted winger position, but the problem is that Levy hasn't bought him any wingers, so what's he going to do? We've bought 3 defenders, 1 CM (Dele), and now one forward/winger. It's possible he might play N'Jie on the wing, but who knows if that will be the answer.

For me, 4,2,3,1 is fine as long as we sign a serious DM, another Striker, and a true Winger. 442 - nah.

 

I'm going to imagine I'm Nice but Dim Poch (so reminds me of Harry Enfield taking the Micky).

Whilst I'd like to play 4-4-2, realise the risks and can't get my head around that, so no 4-4-2.

So I need to de-risk being exposed to breakaways and our defence, so it's 4-5-1 or a modified version of that.

Two wide men...lets play the new lad that the Chairman got me from Lyon, what's his name, wide right. Harry boy up front, the blond Danish lad central midfield, Mason and Dembele holding and I think I'll try that Danny Rose lad on the left. He crosses the ball well, used to be a winger, so that makes up a team.

Think I might change my mind on Eric the Halibut and give his shirt back to John Lennon's lad. He runs for ever.....nice lad!

Skipper....mmm. Goalie is not good being a skipper for me....when I was at school we never let the goalie be skipper. Not sure about Verts, but it might just stop him sulking so much. Yep I'll go with that.

That still leaves me all those other new lads and all the young lads we already had but whose names I can't remember or pronounce, or both.

Yep I'm going to have a new plan. I feel better for that and I've forgotten my poor substitutions on Saturday already.

COY Tottinham....

 

My bad!!! He can use both but is right footed. Oopsy

 

Now you see Bazza although jokey in your post embarrassingly youve already put together a more balanced team than Poch can muster

 

First half vs Stoke was fine. Tactics worked. Okay, so it was not brilliant, but we controlled the game. What happened then? Basically Stephen Ireland happened, And the players could not handle that. You have to get close to Ireland to close him down. That should have been fixed. Maybe it was a lack of leadership and tactical awareness on the pitch. Maybe Poch should have countered Hughes move. But then again, it's the players on the pitch that have to implement a tweak. But someone on the field needs to do the actual implementing.

I sense a lack of on-field leadership.

 

W Four, excellent point. I agree regarding a lack of leadership. We could do with a Freund type player to get stuck in and get onto those around him. Dim Tim said it right. Too much niceness, not enough bite.

 

You need at least 2 proper battle hardened leaders on the pitch, pref at cb and cm.
Some one that inspires leads by example, sets the bar for the rest to follow, can read a game wether good or bad and can dish out instructions/rollickings if needed.
We have a wet team of wage collectors all chummy hiding behind every excuse a happy clapper can make for them.

 

"Happy clappers"! I love that! There do always seem to be plenty of pious "true fans" who'll excuse and rationalise the most blatant inadequacies. Endlessly delighted with mediocrity.