Draws into Wins needed at Spurs

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As the dust settles on a pretty dire performance at Anfield, it's pretty safe to say that Spurs title dream is over for another season. We are a better team under Pochettino but of course we still have flaws. Chelsea drew against Burnley today in a thrilling encounter where both sides played to win. Played the game as it should be. Try to win the game.
Spurs really should have pushed Leicester harder last season. Losing the title is always going to be painful, but losing it to Leicester was embarrassing. I still have nightmares about Wes Morgan lifting the title trophy. A player not even fit to lace Ledley's boots now, let alone when he was fit!!

There is no doubt that at times this season, and last, Spurs have played some wonderful football and at our best have beaten City, Chelsea and West Brom with ruthless style. When we have played with 3 at the back and pushed the wing backs up we have looked thrilling. So fast and energised that oppositions can't cope.
But when we play 4 at the back and have a couple of injuries , it's Spurs who look devoid of any invention and look vulnerable.
If we can be ruthless against some teams, what is it that goes wrong against others?

Too many times we lack width. We play too slowly and pass sideways and backwards. Let's look at our draws this season so far: Everton away , Liverpool at home, West Brom away, Bournemouth away, Leicester at home, Arsenal away, Man City away, Sunderland away. Now, if I was being unreasonable, I would say we should have won all of those games and earned 24 points. But that's not football. I've looked at the games and believe we should have taken 18 points. 5 wins and 3 draws.
Had we been clinical in our games and created chances we would be 8 points clear at the summit right now.

The draws against West Brom, Bournemouth , Leicester and Sunderland have cost us dear.

You have to expect teams to set up to stop you. To defend like their lives depend on it. It's the job of the players and the manager to counter that. To play at pace. What Spurs did in the games I mention is to play into the hands of the opposition. Play slowly and keep possession without really attacking. All this does is allows the opposition to get their men behind the ball and then we look clueless. And I'm sure many will agree with me that is frustrating. Because it defies the simplicity of the game of football. If you play slow, the opposition will just sit and watch you do nothing.
It's easy to complain about teams parking the bus, but if you allow them time to reverse and park the bus, you have to look at your own tactics. You have to question the players ability to alter things, the managers ability to move to plan B.

Spurs are not a million miles away from the title. We are clearly closer than some would have us believe but we have to learn to turn those draws into wins. We must be more clinical. We must have a plan B.

But what else do we need to become successful? Because we are not successful right now and under ENIC have not been successful for 16 years. That's right 16 years. In all that time we have won a league cup, been in the Champions league twice, once brilliant, once dire. We have a new stadium on the horizon and that's where people are starting to credit Mr Levy. The new stadium would have been delivered a lot sooner had it not been for Mr Levy going to court with West Ham just to prove a point. He wasted millions of Spurs' money on that fiasco. So he deserves zero credit. He's hired and fired managers and had taken no responsibility for HIS failures. Now Poch has us on the right track, it seems fans want us to give all the credit to Levy. Well forget it!

What we need is real investment. The team at full fitness is brilliant. The squad is not a title winning squad.

Let's look at the squad.

Lloris has cover in Vorm. I have no problem there and think Vorm is a good keeper. No need to go spending there although the loss of Lloris might not be the worst thing. He's at times brilliant but against Liverpool he again showed he is capable of costing points as well as winning them. Personally I would like to see Alderweireld given the captains armband.

Walker. Simply we have Trippier. Going forward he is very good and his crossing is of a high quality. Better than Walkers to be honest. If we play 3 at the back, Trippier fits in very well.

Dier. I like Dier but in a back 4 he is a liability and against Liverpool looked a player lacking confidence. Here is the first place where we have no quality cover. Carter Vickers has had a few chances but been poor when given that chance. Investment needed.

Alderweireld. Brilliant player. No cover at all for him. Wimmer or Vickers again. Simply must invest in this area.

Vertonghen. His injury has been felt and Poch hasn't been able to fill the void.

Rose. One replacement and that's Davies. Simply put, Davies isn't good enough. In a back 3 he would perhaps do better but Poch can't see it so Davies needs to be replaced.

Wanyama. Erm. Great signing and a solid performer. If he gets injured we can turn to winks who I do like.

Dembele. Well, we can bring on Sissoko. Possibly one of Levys worst signings. Terrible. Sissoko, not Dembele.

Alli. Messi?! I'm kidding of course. Once fully fit I would like at see Edwards given his chance. He clearly has skill and it's high time he was unleashed. It's pointless him being in the youth team forever when he clearly has great talent. How we could do with him coming off the bench. No one would know what to expect.

Son. Mr frustration himself. Some games he is brilliant and you can't knock his goals. A good squad player to be fair.

Eriksen. Aagghhh!!! Superb talent but doesn't use it anywhere near enough. Has had games showing his class this season but far too often been lazy and not affected the flow of games. I wouldn't sell him but he could do with some decent competition to give him a Royal kick up the arse!

Kane. He's one of our own! But he can't do it on his own. He needs help and I believe we should get 2 up top , or at the very least sign a forward who can actually do the job!! Investment very much needed. But then it has been for for 3 seasons.

When you look at Chelsea's, Man City's benches, United etc, you can see players that can change games. Aguero coming on, Rashford. Look at Spurs options: Onomah, Carter Vickers, Sissoko, N'Koudou. Not one game changer. We hear much about our fabulous academy but I'm not seeing that quality come through. Vickers is average at best and Onomah is , sadly, appalling.

If Spurs are to win titles, and we can, Levy has to invest. He has to back his manager fully. The squad must be strengthened. Draws need to become Wins and the bench has to have players on it who can change games.
And then we can do it. I believe we can do it. BUT if anyone thinks a new stadium will bring that success they are deluded. The new stadium may bring more income but we need to be successful for that to have its full effect.

It's time for Spurs to take the next step. We are very close but without investing in quality throughout the squad, Spurs will continue to be bridesmaids and never the bride.

I just hope that, for once, Levy swallows his ego and does the right thing.

As ever, come on you Spurs!!!!

 

Pretty much agree with all that - in particular Toby for Capt. !

 

As usual it is our Transfer business that has let us down.
We actually had in the region of 70mil spent in the summer but not on the quality we need.
In fact it's only Wanyama that has made any impact whatsoever and even that could be argued if it was a position that needed strengthening.

What irks me is we had a CL campaign/status to recruit players of a higher ilk to the club.
We needed star quality a sprinkle of magic dust, and pace!

In our desperation to see the best in players that simply don't do enough to warrant their place we seem to cling to players like Lamela.
If you want to move on players of such need to be moved on and replaced with better.

Sissoko - it seems that everyone other than the powers that be can see that he's at best bang average yet we're spunking 30 mil on him. Have they learned nothing from the Bale money disaster? Evidently not.

Is it me or does our head of recruitment seem to change like the English weather? You have to ask why is that?
Could it be they are constantly being underimined somewhere?
If I'd put through a list of players and had blockages/stumbling blocks only to see a deadline swoop for Sissoko I'd probably quit as well.

I said in the summer about the importance of buying quality over quantity as on paper we have a solid side when all is well and all r fit.
It's impossible for this to happen all season that's when you need quality to introduce/rotate/impact.
This is what we are severely lacking.

Poch to me seems like a top Coach but a very naive stubborn manager. He evidently has favourites, he's very blinkered in his tactics, there's little flexibility in the approach to different sides, his in game management leaves a lot to be desired and he needs to do much better in the transfer market if he wants to kick on.

We seem to have become a club masters of soundbites and quotes that we've learned, we're better than we were, we're progressing, stronger more equipped etc yet when it comes to crunch time everyone's got their heads burried in the sand or if your Coco your on a mid season Sabbatical.

At Spurs it's like Ground Hog season. Until fans stop making excuses for the powers that be and dressing up players into something theyre not the cycle will just continue.

To be Winners you need Winning Mentality , happy content with there or there abouts does not make Champions of anything.

 

Watching this season unfold has been truly painful. I had no real expectations for this term. The group I sit with chatted prior to the start of the first home game and really didn't expect over much, feeling we'd be lucky to make the top 4, given the emerging strength of Liverpool and Manure, and Chelski recovering from their Annus Horribilis.

Then the season unfolds, we are massively strong at home, yet failing away, drawing too many again, with the summer signings proving frustratingly ****.

As Matt's analysis reveals, we could and should have been alongside Chelski, with every chance of going for the title in the run-in, despite them having a stellar season.

So here we are, 50 from 25 and a strong goal difference. If we match that in the run in, we total 76 points, 4 better than we've ever achieved in the PL before. We've 7 at home, 6 away. Could we do better than 76. Only if we play at our very best. Tough home games....Stoke, Everon, Scum, Manure....not beyond as at our best....and only our best is what it will need to be.

With Verts and Danny back, it's possible. 3,5,2 is a must, as we've looked so much better going forward at pace. Chance conversion is key though, as we've just been too wasteful, by half........and if we don't start winning away, then forget Top 4.

So here I am, with the benefit of 25 games and 20:20 hindsight. How do I feel about it, after such a poor performance at the weekend. Nervy, in truth.

Just be your best lads. Prove that throwing the sorts of money on players and wages that our rivals have done, doesn't always buy success.

Remember, To Dare Is To Do.

COYS

 

very good article, -agree with everything you've said. I 100% agree it is the lack of investment at the right times that are holding this club back. When we qualified for champions league under arry that was the time for levy to pump some money in and get some quality in who would have been attracted to cl football but he didn't and we slipped away again. Last season we came so close so why not see that as the moment to invest and get some real quality in the squad, we are only a few players short of being the best side in the league. InsteAd he brings in Jansen and sissoko etc and again we're not quite good enough to win it. So frustrating. I'm concerned that we will never get a chance again like last season and this season to do something, if other clubs keep strengthening we could find ourselves drifting further back without serious investment and this whole thing could fall apart. Why is joe Lewis not putting more money into the team? The guys loaded