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

If Spurs wanted to they could play a team specifically catered for the opposition.
Like if they wanted to set-up to combat bat a physical side, or out-muscle/run a smaller one, Tottenham have it with the squad to put out a team of 6 ft athletes, who also possess good technically ability.

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Vertonghen Davies

Capoue Sandro

Lamela Dembele Chadli

Adebayor

That is a talent-packed packed side, that is also capable of carrying out Pochettino's tactics 'to a T '. You'd fancy that team to give ANYONE a headache in the EPL, and yet the point I'm making is that one you have squad like Tottenham' you have options which allow you to set-up differently depending on who you are playing against.

To have 'options' like these at your at your disposal, and not use them, would be naive, at best. Changing the team isn't the issue, in my opinion. Making sure that each individual knows, and carries out, their duties, is.

 

Completely agree with Ramos on this one, we need a core of first team players made up of good seasoned professionals to provide some consistency, steel and leadership to the character of the team. In this day and age we need to come to terms with rotation, not rotation just for the sake of it but to suit the opposition and the tactics required. Also with the sheer number of games played not to mention injuries, squad players need to be match fit and confident with their role and importance within the team. Harry flogged the first team even if it meant bringing injured players back from injury too early or playing players out of position, and of course we saw Spurs falling away and completely knackered by the end of season under Harry. A good spine and sensible rotation is essential if we want to compete in the league and the cups.

 

As far as who's in and who's out for the start of season I think Capoue has been a standout and has nailed down a spot in the first team and if he keeps improving will be hard to move, he seems to have all the attributes needed for MPs style, solid in defence and can move the ball quickly not to mention he has a very good pass on him. I think he could/will be the MF general that we have been missing. Also I don't mind Holtby playing alongside him either, Lewis has said before that he prefers playing deeper in that role, for me id like him playing with two in the middle, or in some games with three in the middle, he has the energy and flair to be perfect as a DLP. However I think he will probably play the odd game in CM and play backup to Eriksen as well as cup games as the season progresses. Im still not convinced that Dembele suits the managers style or that he walks into the first team, ive said before that although he looks good bustling and running past a player, he doesn't seem to have any real purpose other than to beat that player and usually ends up running into more players only to make a short and ineffective pass sideways or backwards to no avail. Talk about flatters to deceive, for a player that has supposedly played as a striker he does very little in attack and seems to lack the confidence to shoot or make a significant pass. Needs to improve and adapt to the managers style.

 

I would also play Sandro and Capoue together in some games. Ive mentioned this before and people have asked why put two HMs together but I see them as very different players, while Capoue is strong in defence and mostly seen as a HM he is also very strong going forward and has a clever pass on him, this player is our box2box player. Sandro on the other hand is somewhat limited going forward but he's very good at doing what he does best, that is protecting the back four and breaking up play. I could easily see a middle three for some games with Sandro, Capoue and Holtby as a DLP.

 

That's a wonderful point. However there will be games against competition that rotate their players so often (Chelski and the ManC's) that predicting what type of team you will be up against will not be evident throughout the week giving opportunity to set up a particular strategy in who you are going to start. Therefore there is a need to find an identity. Put out the best squad you can and make the opposition adjust to what we are doing. There is a very good reason to identify who in the squad and in what combination gives you the best chance to win against any team.

With this in mind, we each try to think of what our best 11 would be. And you're right as well when you talk about a core that wouldn't change no matter the style of team we play. And I can see why you would think to leave Vertonghen off your list as against more direct teams a pairing of Kaboul and Dawson may be a better fit defensively against set pieces and long balls like what Stoke and West Ham employed over the last few years.

But to say that there is no reason for anyone to select a "first team" or a starting squad I wholeheartedly disagree. You see it in European competition quite a bit. Especially when you are not familiar with the team you're up against, or when everything is on the line. Coaches will put out their strongest squad possible. To know who that squad is would be essential for any team wanting to win in today's game. Of course you also need to develop other combinations of players that can win. I feel that to disregard what the best combination is would be irresponsible. (And FEELings aren't facts) I am fully aware that I could be dead wrong and not know at all what goes through the heads of these coaches. It wouldn't be the first time if I ended up being wrong about this. When starting a new season in this league there is so much turnover from one season to the next so it's difficult sometimes to know what the best match-ups may be. Starting with the idea of a best 11 and predicting what changes the opponent will or won't make is difficult and one reason why coaches earn their wages. Do we know who Big Sam will deploy and if he will stick with the same style he used last year? Maybe, maybe not. I would put out the best squad all around that I have and make adjustments when needed. It's why we develop those certain 17-19 players that will be used a fair amount.

All in all. Each way of thinking about the squad goes hand in hand. Whether you think it's more important to develop several different combinations of players or learning who the best combination is, and developing the squad to fit in when a certain style is needed. It's pretty much the same. To say that the idea of a "1st" team has not been relevant since the 90's? I disagree. And it's acceptable that we do.

 

Well I'm not sure where you would start him if not on the right. I suppose we could put him on the 10 role but that would leave us without any width whatsoever.

We had a problem with this last year especially at the beginning of the year when we tried to play through the middle and didn't have the wide players or a target in the box with Soldado being so easily marked or out of position.

One thing we are certain to see is teams sitting back once again on us.

Having that fluidity up front for every player to switch sides and positions is great. And that's going to be our style. There will be times that we will need width to loosen up that middle and force defenses out of their shells.

This is also another reason why I think Adebayor should be more effective as he is a more capable all around goal threat and not just confined to playing through the middle. But as a lineup. I can see Lennon out the outsides at the beginnings of games when Eriksen and Lamela are in the lineup.

You're not wrong because of our style where all 4 offensive players swap spots.

 

I'd imagine regular guaranteed starts unless injured or dramatic dip in form will be lloris walker JV dembele eriksen. The rest will be fighting for a spot and rotated. My team v west ham lloris walker muchaccio(kaboul) JV Davies dembele capoue eriksen lamela Townsend adebayor. Sub's rose kaboul/chiriches soldado Sandro vorm paulinho kane

 

I think what we have seen this pre-season is that Holtby is an attacking midfielder, who capacity to be very effective in, and around, the oppositions penalty.

Assists, goals and the freedom to play more or less where he likes, is what has seen Lewis flourish over the course of the summer.

There IS a difference between a DPL and a CAM, with the German performing as the latter under Pochettino reign, so far.

Capoue

Mason Holtby

Transforms into...

Mason Capoue

Holtby

...when Spurs have the ball in the middle/final third. Capoue plays largely the holding role. Mason plays the (supporting) box to box, or DPL, role, and Holtby performs the freer CAM position, which allows him the freedom to pretty much do as he pleases, providing he is ready to join the attack when the opportunities present themselves. Starting in a 4-3-3 just allows the CAM operate from a slightly deeper position, initially.

Usually, when you play a 3 man midfield it is wise to to have VARIETY of skill-sets in there, including at least one ball carrier. This will present your team with different dynamics/alternatives whilst going forward. Especially on the counter-attack.

Wilshere, Ramieres, Toure/Fernandinho, Schniederlin and Ander Herrera will all perform this role within their respective teams this season. And the importance of the ball-carrying CM should not be underestimated.

That is why Dembele plays such an important role within the Tottenham team structure, when he is given the CAM's duties, and not being charged with wiping Paulinho' backside.

Dembele is arguably Spurs's most COMPLETE player, and the challenge for Poch MUST be to get the best out of the gifted Belgian, and see him fulfill his enormous potential.A big part of the reason Spurs lacked a certain fluidity, cohesion and guile at times was due to the Belgian either being misused, or absent through injury.







What has impressed me most about Poch's style of 4-3-3 is the flexibility/freedom afforded to the ENTIRE team.

Instead of going into a tactical breakdown of the benefits of the 4-3-3, all I will say is that I would expect a greater amount of opportunities/goal-scoring chances to fall to a wider range of personnel, with seemingly most of the team able to interchange during the course of a match.

 

Michael - The best managers in the world are the ones that set-up their teams, not only to impose their own tactics on their opponent, but also counter the oppositions threats.

Of course their are certain teams (i.e Real Madrid) that can rely more on their talent rather than specific tactical adjustments to win them matches. But as Real have PROVED over the years, despite possessing a glittering array of the worlds finest footballers, that is not always enough to guarantee you anything in terms of 'success'.

You can still maintain a philosophy/identity whilst making specific tactical changes in order to win a match.

The teams philosophy/identity should be ingrained into the ENTIRE squad, and not just the 1st eleven. As a manager, with a clear philosophy, you should only buy players that you know will compliment your teams identity/playing style.

Arsene Wenger is a PERFECT example of a manager who has refused to adapt/change his team to counter the oppositions threats. He has done things your way, by 'Putting out the best squad you can and make the opposition adjust to what we are doing', and look where it's got him. No cups for 8/9 years despite possessing one of the best ball-playing teams in the world.

Football has moved on since those days where teams could take 'a one size fits all approach', with the game around the world becoming more of a level playing field, for a variety of reasons.

Change is NOT necessarily a sign of concession to the oppositions strengths, it is simply a way to empower your own team by making you best placed to be able nullify/counter them, whilst epressing/displaying your own.

 

We are perhaps jumping the gun a bit here commenting on Pochettino's tactics. These have been friendlies and although we have looked full of freedom, perhaps it might be better to wait until we have played a few REAL games before we get too carried away!

 

You make a decent point, there, Matt. But we should, perhaps, also remember that friendlies are designed ,partly, so that the manager can practice the things he intends to implement in the 'real games', without consequence.

After watching quite a bit of Pochettino's EXCELLENT S'hampton side last season, I think the freedom he affords his players/team is just part of his managerial make-up so I wouldn't expect that to change all of a sudden at Spurs. Especially after going through the entire pre-season playing in that manner.

The freedom that Pochettino allows his teams is nothing new. Indeed, it is one of the many reasons that I saw his managerial as a no-brainer, and perfect for this stage of Tottenham' development.

Talking of pre-season though, has anyone else thought of how good it would be to see Spurs participate in the Emirates Cup one summer? I watched the tournament again this year, and the general standard of games is superb.

Spurs wouldn't even necessarily have to play Arsenal, for all those worried about the risk of injury, and yet the competitive nature of the Cup would be raised considerably just through our involvement.

The biggest issue would probably be security, but I'm sure something could be worked out if both teams were willing. Perhaps holding an event like that abroad, is a more realistic proposition.

 

just winning at the Emirates would suit me!!
I must admit, the games do seem quite competitive.

 

I'm not saying that making adjustments to the team isn't important. That's how games are won. I am saying there is value and very good value at that, to know who the best 11 are. The "go to team" so to speak. One team that can gibe you the best chance of winning when you don't know exactly what to expect from a team. You can't say that teams like ManC's and even Chelski don't have that one line up they can start a game out with that is their best 11.

For all of Wengers lack of trophies except the one he got last year....his teams are constantly in the top 4 and are at least in the competition in order to win it. So to use him as an example of how not to win games? I'm not buying it. Maybe like I said before, that knowing who your best 11 are can be a good thing. Especially when you want to dictate play to an opponent. And we have done that a lot in the past. We are a possession oriented team and we try to get the ball back as quickly as possible so that we can try to play the Tottenham way. We aren't a sit back, counter attacking team. We try to make the opponents adjust and stop us from doing the things that win us games.

To go into a game already using plan B then you would have to either go to plan C or try to get the Plan A guys into the game. Again, I'm not saying that for every game you have to send out your best 11. But to not try and find out who your best 11 are means you really don't have a base. All you have is a bunch of different combinations. Well I think if we were to check...we would find that in each squad there is 11 players that are played at the same time more than any other combination.