Celtic 1-6 Tottenham: Pre-season drives Poch past Andre’s mistakes

Spurs have beaten a young Celtic side 5-1 to continue the winning trend in this season’s pre-season friendlies.

After a successful tour of America, where Seattle were held to a 3-3 draw before Toronto and Chicago were defeated on home turf, the Spurs boys travelled to Finland to play the runaway Scottish champions.

The lads will now travel back to N17 to prepare for their final match of pre-season, a curtain raiser against Bundesliga side FC Schalke, however the run of fixtures has allowed new boss Mauricio Pochettino to learn from his predecessor’s mistakes.

Most notably, Andre Villas-Boas. The Portuguese boss was sacked during last season after a string of horrendous defeats and supposed failings in the transfer window. However AVB’s greatest error in his time at the helm was that he never knew what his strongest side was.

This is a sin that Poch has used pre-season to avoid. And the tour has allowed him to give himself a brief idea of who might start against West Ham in mid-August.

Who’s In?

There have been numerous outstanding performers so far, and a few players who have emerged as lynchpins in the side.

Of course there has to be a case made for the World Cup lads, who are yet to appear in the off season thanks to their extended holidays. However, the majority of the boys who went to Brazil this summer are in with a shout of the first team.

The likes of Hugo Lloris, our star goalkeeper and French captain, will not be left out. Neither will Jan Vertonghen who was away with Belgium, however teammates Moussa Dembele and Nacer Chadli look set to have their spots nicked.

Christian Eriksen will be nowhere near the bench after his run of form towards the end of last season either, while Kyle Walker will be straight in the side after recovering from injury.

Erik Lamela has scored 3 in 4 under Pochettino, and is looking like a new man as opposed to the limp efforts of last season. You only have to look on and off the pitch to see that the Argentine is desperate to succeed. The £30million “flop” simply has to begin the season on the wing.

A few surprises

..And for once it’s pleasant surprises for Spurs fans. Roberto Soldado, who couldn’t hit a barn door last season from anywhere other than the penalty spot, has been providing goals left right and centre.

He set up both Erik Lamela’s goals against Toronto as well as Aaron Lennon’s at Chicago, while registering himself against Seattle and Celtic. The place is his.

Lewis Holtby has also received endless praise for his much more mature approach under Pochettino. He has channelled his extensive work rate into worthwhile actions rather than the usual headless chicken tactic. The number 10 spot might well be his.

While also Étienne Capoue has flourished in front of the back 4, after last season’s eventual injury nightmare. The Frenchman is unlikely to be budged.

Who’s Out?

That of course means the likes of Sandro, Emmanuel Adebayor and Nabil Bentaleb could see their opportunities slashed.

Sandro has not been the same player since his injury troubles and has already been linked with moves abroad after losing his first team spot, while Bentaleb might have to recede back to his former ranks among the youth side after Tim Sherwood’s dismissal.

It seems as if Poch will go 4-2-3-1 against the Hammers too, leaving Ade out in the cold as well as traditional wingers like Townsend and Lennon.

The arrival of Ben Davies will oust Danny Rose to the bench, while the signing of young Eric Dier might spell the end for Michael Dawson as a backup centre-half.

Top candidates for Spurs to start against West Ham

Lloris; Walker Vertonghen Kaboul Davies; Capoue Dembele; Eriksen Holtby Lamela; Soldado.

 

Capone has certainly looked good and been breaking play up well, so he looks certain to start against Wet Spam. I think Lennon will start, but agree that Soldado will be up front and Lamela looks like his confidence is growing.
Last season was poor from both managers and the only squad rotation should be for injuries or cup games. The team was constantly changed last season and that cannot happen again this season. Pochettino needs to decide on his strongest team and stick with it. I think he will and cannot wait for the season to get started.

 

I think you're pretty close to the team versus hammers (although capone would be a suprise, relative of Al?)

 

Hard to judge the team in pre-season, especially against such average opposition - personally I am sure Dembele and Adebayor will start against West Spam - they are basically a long ball and set piece team so Moussa and Ade's height and strength will be needed. I think it will take at least a dozen games before Poch can sort out the team and get it playing in his style - another transitional season with hopefully a decent cup run in at least one competition.

 

No mention of Paulinho. It will be interesting to see if he is still at Spurs by end of transfer season if interest by Juve is accurate? The sooner the likes of Chadli, Dembele, and Paulinho get back into training squad and MoPo gets a good look the better as he needs to finalize his first XI. Schalke game will be key for him to get a good look at the WC players. COYS!

 

Going on what I've seen so far I'd like to see;

Lloris
Walker Kaboul Verts Davies
Capoue Holtby
Lamela Eriksen Lennon
Soldado
For me the likes of Sandro Dembele Paulinho and Adebayor have to earn their spots in the team although I wouldn't be surprised to see Dembele or Paulinho in with Capoue to give that extra power against west ham.. All in all I'm really looking forward to seeing how poch is going to use the squad, finally looks like we have a manager who knows what he wants and in fairness we have a very good squad with bags of potential

 

After watching all three games, live in Chicago, I still don't like lone striker formation and all the diddling around between the back four and the goalie. But primarily it still looks like a rather static approach instead of a fluid Tottenham Way ball and player movement. Looks as if Kane provides a different dimension than Ade, and Eriksen and Lamela should be creative enough to make us feel not so badly about still missing Modric.

 

Beating the Celtic U18 team - come on, get some perspective!

And a couple of US teams!

Calm down - it will be the usual old Spurs, flatter to deceive.

When you have won a Champions League, we'll take you seriously.

 

Difficult to judge anything I've seen this pre season, as the team haven't had to get out of 2nd gear against any of the opposition.

Not sure who arranged these fixtures but pitting Spurs against sides that have all begun there campaigns is a little risky, in some respects.

Personally, I think the lads would have been better served playing against Championship opposition than some of the sides we have faced thus far. But as long as the squad is being worked hard in training I don't see it being too much of an issue come the start of the season.

In effect, these matches have been little more than tactical/fitness based exercises where the manager can have a look at what he's got (squad wise), and can make certain demands of his group.

I would of liked to see the team take the game against Celtic more seriously with regards to the work the side did OFF the ball, but I can understand it can be difficult to push yourself that extra 20/30% when your playing against what is effectively a youth team, and coasting to victory.

Good to see all/most of our forwards score/make positive impacts today. Kane's goal was class, and if the kid can work on his finishing in the future, he has potential to be a VERY good player for Spurs in the future.

In truth, Harry's link-up play has always been good, and some of his passing, awareness and appreciation of space has been out of the top draw, this pre-season. Instinctive finishes have NEVER been an issue either for the Englishman, with problems usually arising when Kane has time to think about his plan of action.

I was VERY disappointed with Capoue role in the Celtic goal, and it was symptomatic of a team that was just going through the motions due to the lack of threat offered by the opposition. Strolling around as if enjoying a bit of window shopping down Oxford Street, Etienne had THREE opportunities to engage opposing players in the move that lead to the goal, and didn't even attempt to take one of them!

Instead, appearing to leave the back four to fen for themselves. You could see by his reaction when they scored that he had made a ****-up! To be fair, I don't imagine Capoue would be so bone-idle once the EPL actually begins, but this momentary lackadaisical attitude adopted by the Frenchman was something I haven't seen before.

He soon seemed to determined to make up for his poor judgment when he strode forward and, cleverly, slotted in Lewis Holtby through on goal, to put Spurs 3-1 up before half-time.

Anyway PLENTY of positives to take from a pre-season that has yet to yield any serious injuries ahead of the new campaign...PLENTY still to work on.

 

Pre season is always difficult to tell how good a team really is, but I will be disappointed if we play one up front again as, for me, that is not an option for us in the Premiership. Holtby is a class player and I believe both he and Eriksen must start. I can see both getting ten goals at least a piece and that is essential for success.
Kane could flourish under Pochettino, but I just hope he can see that playing one up top alone, is not the way we should be playing.
I remain positive that we will see some good attacking football this season, but still believe that the top six is our expectation.

 

Would have been good to have played some stronger opposition in the pre season but definitly some positives so far with a new manager trying to implement his own style with a squad of reletively new players and lets face it, no ones known our best team for a few years now so its been a perfect opportunity to work on team cohesion and understanding in a new system. Yes its going to get a lot tougher soon but its been good for thier confidence and they look like they want to be spurs players.

 

Aside from reporting the ARSEnal gooners score from their game with Benfica I can't quite see that lineup.

IF.... and it's a bigger IF than what you would make it out to be, that Holtby gets the starting nod over Lennon, Chadli, and Townsend. Then I can't see us using a 4-2-3-1 with him in the 10 role. I don't believe that would maximize his aggressive attitude. It appears that Scottie Parker was able to impart some wisdom on him and he has applied this to his game. He should be played further back in my opinion next to Capoue. Bring Lennon back in the fold to make use of some width. Which would mean Holtby would not only be competing with Dembele but Paulinho and Bentaleb too!

I'm willing to say that it's more than likely that Holtby could start. But I think we would use him only until Paulinho gets up to speed. IF we go with the 4-2-3-1 against the Hammurds.......................(Hamturds, Hamdurrs, Hummers I can't seem to pick a name) then Holtby would slot in to Dembele's role. However, I could make a better team setting up in a 4-1-4-1 with both Eriksen and Holtby in the middle with Lamela and Lennon on the outsides. Essentially it would work the same way as the 4-2-3-1 but Holtby would be primarily closer to Eriksen than Capoue. A box to box role.

Unless Holtby can duplicate the somewhat dominant form he has shown against this type of competition against full on Premier League teams. Then I am afraid I do not see him being a starter in the league once the others such as Chadli, Bentaleb, Paulinho, and Dembele get back in the fold. As Dembele offers confidence in possession, Paulinho offers a goal threat and ariel target, Bentaleb has the same doggedness in his play along with passing accuracy, it just all seems a bit much for Holtby to overcome and claim a spot outright. I do believe he will play backup to Eriksen once the season starts rolling on.

He will be relied upon heavily for the cup games and should be a regular sub in the league. And let us please not forget the real possibility that Holtby might not even be with or on the team come 2 weeks from now should we end up signing a more expansive player like Konoplyanka or Depay. We could cash in on the wonderful preseason Holtby has had and make a tidy sum in doing so. I don't want him to go by all means. Unfortunately the circumstances surrounding the numbers and nationalities of our roster may restrict his opportunities.

It is a good problem to have though.

 

How about whooping up on your sorry team? Will that be serious enough for you? Or will it be chalked up "just a bad day"?

 

I don't see Lennon being played as a winger to be honest. In pre season, he has been effective in a freer role and I believe that is where he will start against the spammers.
I think Holtby will also start and although he is aggressive, he is a much smarter player than many give him credit for.

 

Spurs should NOT have a '1st team' in my opinion. The quality within the squads dictates that Tottenham can afford to pick different teams depending on the opposition/ circumstances. i.e. the team that plays QPR at home, should be different to the team that plays Arsenal at home.

I think the key to this is for Pochettino to establish a core group of about 5/6 outfield players that start more often than not, and then work in another 4/5 players depending on what the game requires. That does not mean that the 'core' has to stay the 'core' if they don't perform. It is simply designed to give your team continuity, by regularly using players that are fudemental to whatever it is you are trying to achieve.

And those who aren't part of that 'core' challenge is the same as it's always been; Earn a place in the team and attempt to become undroppable/indispensable.

My core group of players, providing they all stay fit and at the club, obviously, would be: Walker, Kaboul, Sandro/Capoue, Dembele, Eriksen.


Now playing QPR at home where Spurs are more likely to be on the front foot, it would make more sense to replace the EXCEPTIONAL defensive qualities of a Sandro, with the superior ball playing skills of a Capoue whilst still maintaining a balanced team. The more defensive/conservative traits of Ben Davies can also be replaced with the more attack minded Rose. etc, etc, etc

All this talk about 1st teams, and that, stopped being relevant in the 90's. Teams are about squads now. Especially for clubs with the depth of talent of a Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Spurs.
Players are often picked on a game by game basis, depending on what the managers wants from a tactical standpoint.

 

Friendlies over ! ? The season starts against the 'orrible 'orrible irons and this is a must win game after last years events. I agree with Ramos that its a squad game now yet every man in that squad should be made aware how big this game is. Whomever crosses that white line at the Boleyn needs to fight to the last and silence the ' chicken run idiots' too a spurs victory ! I hate East London LoL. Coys.

 

Yes,it is a squad game but in the l e argue, you need to keep a consistent team. A consistent core. We changed our team ever game last year and that is simply poor management. The top teams play their best team.

 

Not sure if a core to the side has emerged. What do you thinh that core is matt ?

 

It may not have emerged yet, but we must have a settled team as soon as possible. Yes, players need a rest but you must play your best team more often than not. Pochettino needs to identify what he thinks that is and go with it. We of course need strength in depth, and squad rotation is part of the modern game, but the teams that win things tend to keep the bulk of the team the same. That is what we need to do go on to be a successful team.

 

A good spine through the team would be good but maybe the game is moving on from a spinal game to a more broad based format.