Leicester Versus Spurs - Saturday 22nd August 15:00

When I first looked at this seasons fixture list, I thought we may get a point at Old Trafford and I had us down for 6 points from the next 2 games. What a difference a week makes eh?
Leicester finished last season full of confidence and have continued that into the start of the new season despite the change of manager. Before going any further, whatever happened with Pearson, I think Ranieri is a good manager. He may have had the Tinkerman name but he did get results.

So, we look sluggish so far and Leicester are full of confidence. I am slightly unsure which Spurs will turn up to be honest. I am yet to even get close to knowing what Pochettino's philosophy actually is.
I full expect him to retain one up front in the form of Kane but hope he starts Njie to give us some much needed width and hopefully a better supply line than we have seen in the seasons first 2 games.

I can't see the back four changing much although I would be inclined to give Wimmer a shot as I don't think Verts' heart is at Spurs any more. He looks slow and disinterested. He has a lot of talent but last season and early signs this make me think he could still look for a way out before the transfer window closes.
I do not rate Davies at all. I never thought I would be saying this a few years ago but please bring back Rose soon!!!! Davies is not great going forward and defensively is too naive.

In midfield we have too many players wandering around not doing anywhere near enough and although many on here have said we need an enforcer, I am going to say it again now. It is not just an enforcer we need though, we need a leader. Kane is great but I don't see him as Captain material yet. He needs to concentrate on his own game and needs no other distractions.
I have been disappointed with Eriksen so far this season and want to see him start taking games by the scruff of the neck which we know he can do.

In terms of players to bring back into the squad, Lennon should at least be on the bench. I know there are some that think he is awful but he gives his all and he offers ten times what the £30 million pound donkey has ever offered.
In his 3rd season there are no more excuses. He simply is NOT good enough and his work rate when he came on against Stoke was appalling.

To beat Leicester we need to produce the so far invisible high, fast pressing game and take the game to them. And take it to them for 90 minutes. When Spurs, as they were against Stoke and for a shorter period United, are on top they do look good. But when something goes wrong the players heads drop, there seems to be a lack of communication from the players and the bench and Poch seems to lack the ability to make game changing decisions. Well, ones that change the game in our favour anyway.

So, a few weeks ago, this was for me a fairly standard 3 points. We can get those 3 points but it all depends on which Tottenham Hotspur turns up. If it is the one from the last 2 weeks, a point will be a good result.

But let's hope that this week things go to plan......whatever that is!!!

Anyway, as ever..... COME ON YOU SPURS!!
COME ON YOU SUPER TOTTENHAM FROM THE LANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Given Lennon has no squad number there is no way he will feature. Davies lacks physicality - unbelievable but he was so poor in 1v1s against Diouf for Stoke and just doesn't have the bullish power Rose does.

Would be very surprised to see N'Jie start. He is a project and not one that will come in, start, and hit the ground running. He will grow into it but this is too early for him to be starting games unless he has done something special in training.

Will have to be a great performance to win away at Leicester. They've a good team with decent individuals too, and they don't half run about it. No passengers please

 

Lennon, I think the way we have alienated him has been wrong and at the very least deserves a squad number.

 

I believe the biggest problem we have is Kyle Walker. Yes he's been a good player for us maybe 2 or 3 seasons ago. But now seems to get worse each game. His positioning is awful and he give them far too much space to run into, as he thinks he is the quickest player on the planet. Trippier needs to be given a start and I think he will be much better and give the back a stronger defensive frame. I agree with the Davis/Rose debate. Rose is stronger and better in all areas to Davis. Vertongen is also not the player we signed and Wimmer would be a good option too. Poch needs to start making big decisions and dropping the under performers, before we really start to drift away from the pack.

 

Vardy, shinji and marez deploy the type of high pressing that Poch can only dream about, and Chadli has nightmares about.
This is not to say they are better than what we have but they all work their socks off positively as a unit for the team with the main aim of getting forward and at their opponent, causing and creating problems.
I thought both sides finished in false positions last season Leicester were a much better side than relegation fodder and we flattered to decieve.
The way weve started doesn't fill me with confidence for this one and I have absolutely no faith in Pochs 'philosophy' or system or ability to pick a balanced functioning side tailored to beat the opposition.
Hope im wrong but i can only see 1 winner with the confidence application and home crowd behind them, we still don't seem to know what our best side is since AvB club lacks all direction from top down.

 

Levy promised a new direction after Redknapp.

 

Nice But Dim is certainly that Matt.....

 

The whole Potch thing is really starting to worry me now, philosophy, inverted wingers, one up front and a defence that can't defend, this is not good enough for our Tottenham. We should be on 4pts now and going into the Leicester game expecting a further 3pts, not thinking, even for a moment that we could draw or worse (I can't bring myself to say the "L" word) What is going wrong? are we cursed? (thanks Ade) will this end up like the Ramos revolution? And the whole pack of cards come tumbling down again. However that all said, we are still above Chelski so I'm still smiling. COYS.

 

What the hell is going on at the Lane? (pt. 1,768)

1 .) No pace in attack.
Solution? Aaron Lennon denied squad number. Yedlin also frozen out.

2 .) Nobody who can be relied upon to score goals in absence of Harry K.
Solution? Pursue 'striker' who has scored 19 goals in the four years since 2011 (Saido Berahino); disdain genuine striker who has scored 87 goals in the same period (Charlie Austin).

3 .). Toby Aldeirweld observes after just two games that there is no midfield protection for the defence. Given the lack of urgency in addressing this glaring flaw, the manager seems not to have been aware of it.

I would be interested to hear the grounds many Spurs fans have for comforting themselves that Pochettino has some ultra-progressive, cunning, long-term plan. What are his managerial achievements beyond keeping Espanyol up for a couple of years?

 

Not Nice But Dim now............so in two games we've revealed again the weaknesses in the squad and in spades.

Whilst last season there was a lot of good (mainly thanks to Harry goals and The Dane's early form), there was also a lot of what we've seem in the two games. We've looked great at times, then the banana skin and we've leaked goals and given away games we should have been home and dry in.

Last season we got away with it - the real worry is that this season, with Harry being kicked up in the air at every opportunity, we could struggle.

This is not this forum being negative - rather an honest representation of what's in front of us.

We're going for Berahino, a shadow of the player Benteke is. We should have had Benteke years ago. This is where Levy and the Italian have so badly let us down (not to mention Timmy who "didn't fancy" Suarez).

What might happen Saturday. Well we'll have more space and perhaps we can exploit that. Leicester were unlucky at the Lane last season, as well as at there place and they will be all over us like a rash.

Perhaps Nice But Dim will put Rose ahead of Davies and N'jie on the right, put chugger Chadli on the bench and leave Eric the Halibut at home. I wish....

COYS

 

What a plank tho! Didn't make a full start while mid 2013/14. Scored more career goals than Kane when u consider england u16s to under 21s cups and loans.

 

Not only do we need to buy some decent and effective attacking players, we need to buy if possible a defensive midfielder, but Dier to his credit is a work in progress. No doubt he will continue to work on his game and will become more effective.

If our results under Poch are ropey come end Sept, not helped by our lack of width due to inverted wingers policy, then I suspect the club will have lined up his replacement!

 

Not looking hopeful on a cm signing at present but I really think dembele could do a job there. Sat in front of bk four he's disciplined positionally aware can tackle barely gives ball away. Moussa Sissoko would be my next move but chiek tiote out of toon side and could be an option.
Talk about inverted wingers watching FL72 and we have ince on the right and demerai gray on the left. Sad state of affairs for football is this nonsense!

 

We have to wonder why both Mason and Bentaleb are unfit in these demanding times just when we need them!

 

Personally I don't rate Bentaleb at all. He goes sideways, backwards, anyways but forward. In pre season he looked good so I just wonder why he is so negative now the season has begun. It's surely because the manager had told him to play a certain way.
Mason is decent and deserves to play but I would have moved Bentaleb on. Dembele has never been a defensive midfielder. At Fulham he was an attacking midfielder who created and scored goals. Currently he does neither. I still think selling Holtby was a massive mistake. He was a good box to box hard midfielder who was never given a proper chance.
As usual, the transfer window will close soon and we will make some last minute desperate signings.
The current squad has no depth. That won't change in this window. Poch either needs to change his tactics or decide what he actually wants his players to do. At present neither he nor the players have a clue.

 

I'd have a total freshen up. Although we played well for the most part in both opening games we only took one point! Heads should roll. I go lloris trippier Toby jv rose. Mason dier dembele.
Eriksen off the left njie off the right with Kane up top. Like to see Alli get more minutes if the game dictates likewise Pritchard.

 

I think I'd have to sacrifice one of Mason, Dier or Dembele and I prefer Eriksen operating more centrally. Perhaps, to provide balance, play Davies, with Rose in front.....the more I say it the more chance it might happen....Spurs supporters logic...COYS

 

Remember this game from last year, how we got away with anything let alone three points ill never know Fox fans must have been sick watching that one. The Foxes look like they are on the up and in fine form, this is a game that worries me but im hoping this game kickstarts the season.
Good to see Danny Rose back weve missed his pace and desire to go foward and altho im also not yet co.vinced about Davies id still like to see how he goes with a decent run of games with Rose in front.

Lloris

Trip Toby Jan Davies

Mason Dembele Rose

Eriksen

Chadli Kane

 

I think I'd go for a freshen up, start Luke McGee, have that quick lad who we haven't given a squad number play right back, play our real leaders where they can be most effective so Lloris and Kane can play centre backs together, if Lamela can be the player he was at Roma then we'll be saved by his cutting runs from right back, in midfield I'd like that attacking midfield lad Dembele who has scored 8 goals in 117 league games but who really shows great character, paired with that new boy who didn't exactly rip up league 1 last year but he's now ready for the Prem after a couple of nutmegs in a preseason game, then out wide we need players playing on their strong foot, who are quick so I'd just play our quickest right and left footed players so Walker starts on the right and that Vertonghen kid on the left. Up front we clearly need support for Harry Kane (when hes not playing centre back of course) so I think the only option is to put Daniel Levy upfront to offer him financial support, let's face it nobody else is good enough to give England's best young player any kind of support at all.

While we're at it, let's get Guardiola next year and sign Neymar, Ronaldo and Bale

 

Does no one else blame Kyle Walker for our lack of creativity? He can't dribble, shoot, and especially can't cross the f'n ball!!!! This is the same reason Lennon was frozen out, and we have the best crosser in the league just waiting on the bench in Kieran Trippier. Just watch how many times Walker is in position to cross today and cuts the ball back to a defender. What is the point of cutting inside to make an extra man in the box if no one serves the ball?

Also, Dele is a star and needs to play. We will see a night and day different game when he plays over Lamela. Pritchard hopefully gets fully fit and plays a big part this season. I'm shocked that yedlin can't make the bench with his pure speed and proven ability on the world stage at right wing. Our bench today is a pure shock with no extra dimension to change the game, and no true pace other than Onomah I guess. I'm a fan of Onomah, but he isn't likely to play.

Everyone wants to blame tactics on poch but it's simply personnel not fitting a system that will work. We don't need two up top if we put crosses in with crashing players. We are still missing a Pirlo style player though. If anyone notices that Alderweild has the skill to play that position better than Dier, then problem solved. Dier just can't pick a pass. Sorry for the rant.