PLAYER RATINGS: Spurs 2-2 Stoke

Typical, predictable and unmistakably Tottenham Hotspur. Sitting pretty on a two goal cushion, only to unbelievably and illogically collapse. Poor defending? Mental weakness? Lack of forward options? Probably a combination of all three.

Lloris – 6 - If I was to nitpick, I feel that he could’ve done better with the penalty. With that aside, a decent performance; held on well to some close range efforts.

Walker – 6 – A relatively solid performance against a lively Arnautovic. An unfortunate early booking and a lack of protection in the second half left him a little overexposed.

Alderweireld – 6 – Displayed a good range of passing but gave away the penalty which started the Stoke comeback.

Vertonghen – 6 – Solid without being exceptional.

Davies – 7 – Put in a good defensive shift and did very well to cross for our second goal.

Mason – 7 – I’m not sure why Mason got substituted. Looked threatening going forward and worked tirelessly in midfield.

Dier – 6 – Dier is evidently not a holding midfielder, but he put in a reasonable performance nonetheless. Like the vast majority of the team today, he was ok. He wasn’t particularly terrible but nor did he set the world alight. He was alright.

Dembele – 6 – An excellent defensive display from Dembele but he failed to contribute anything of note going forward.

Eriksen – 6 – See Vertonghen.

Chadli – 6 – Chadli has a knack of doing absolutely nothing during a game yet still finding himself on the scoresheet. Today was another one of those days.

Kane – 5 – I fear that this is the first of many games where Kane will have to deal with a team that’s built to stop him. You don’t score 30 goals a season without attracting attention, and Stoke did well to limit his threat.

SUBS

Bentaleb – 5 – Did he do anything?

Lamela – 5 – We’re into Lamela’s third season as a Spurs player, and I still can’t tell you what he offers to the team. He runs a lot, seemingly helping the side, but he left Walker without protection and did nothing but breakdown our own attacks.

We might have bought a new defence this summer, but the same issues persist. We’re toothless in the final third and we always look susceptible to conceding. A disappointing result that, despite not being terminal, certainly dampens our spirits. There’s still a lot of work to be done.

 

Apparently spurs were exceptional all over the park for 65 mins mason n dier in particular so the ratings seem a little harsh and knee jerk as to the result in the end. The players have to take responsibility for thier week mental state for capitulation twice in a week after conceding but that is spurs hey! The result tho has to go squarely on the shoulders of "head coach" MP on this one. It seems that he was trying to be a little to clever trying to prove a point following up his midweek comments that he had other players within the squad who could play CF. Clearly not. Taking off Kane his only forward and mason who was bossing the game for an out of form bentaleb who was supposedly being punished with the score at only 2 nil a dangerous lead to protect in my eyes is suicide at this level smacking
of naivity lack of wisdom and arrogance. Apparently Kane was tired I'm sure he was after his non stop summer. Who's fault is that. Now if the plan was to protect a lead could chadli not have gone wide right to help walker? Rose in front of Davies with dembele moved infield alongside dier and mason. This was a must win match for me going to inform Leicester next week where I feel we will get dicked. One point out of three matches. Really? Poch really needs to up his game! And quick.

 

another typical Spurs performance can't see a game out and just to top it off poch comes out after the game and says Kane is not 100% fit hahaha again transfer policy too late we should of done what Liverpool done got them all in early bedded in pre season but nope not Spurs !! 1 pt from opening 2 games great start!!! Not!!! Another frustrating Spurs fan

 

Not sure what game you watched. Walker dreadful and lucky to stay on the pitch 3 at best , substitutions inept. Lamela lucky to get 1 , simply not a premier league player. No pace, no strength, totally one footed and a disaster defensively. He either gave away the ball or a free kick every time. Give Pritchard or Alli a chance. Manager, if he took Kane off without any injury, equally inept. We could have Messi up front but with no support, pace or width from midfield he would look ordinary. Tactics boring and defensive. The last 30 minutes plus were pitiful and handed the game to Stoke. Yes, a soft penalty but a goal was coming. Stoke ended up having more efforts at goal and the same number on target. Tottenham were the side happy to hear the final whistle. With this negative formation if Kane got injured the writing is clearly on the wall for mid table. Why sack AVB if you bring in a clone with the same tactics and an inferoir track record? One up front and inverted wingers. Lots of possession but often going nowhere. There is no chance of Champions league football, in reality there never was from the moment we sacked Redknapp.

 

Spurs had very little possession or desire in 2nd half, that is why we gave up a 2 goal lead. It beggars belief that Poch did nor give a squad number to Lennon, who has been a million miles more effective than Lamela. Poch policy of inverted wingers does not work, and i suspect he will be sacked around Oct if results are dire.

 

as soon as Mason and Kane were replaced by Bentaleb and Lamela Stoke took complete control of the game
Must admit I was wrong about Lamela thought he would come good but the man was running about like a headless chicken giving away free kicks , absolutely awful . Anybody else played as badly he wouldn't get another game . I think the time has run out for him , bring on Alli and Pritchard and Winks

 

I could not agree more regarding Lennon, his treatment has been a disgrace. How the woeful Lamela is better than him God only knows. Value for money, quite simply the worst buy in the history of THFC. How much of this is due to the tactics? Lennon is only effective on the right going outside of his man and not as an inverted winger. He provided both pace and width two things this manager seems to avoid at all costs. Poch was saved by Kane's goals last season and some hugely fortunate away victories. If Kane scores less and we do not have as much luck it will be interesting in the next few weeks. Leicester next week will be a test of both his selection and tactics. Lamela should not even be on the bench!!!

 

Yes, I totally agree. We may need to buy not only x2 strikers, we also need a midfield general and defensive one, and left winger. Failure to buy them, and Poch not being an inclusive manager of all of his players i.e. Lennon, and Levy not being a tolerant chairman, then I see him being sacked around Oct. Unless the kids like Ali and Pritchard can save us.

 

Last year we lost 3.0 to man utd since then they have spent a fortune and this year we were unlucky to lose 1.0 .Last year we lost to Stoke and this year we drew. We are already 1 point better off after only 2 games.THFC is run as a business first and a football team second we have been overachieving for years finishing as high as we do when you compare what other teams spend .

 

We are indeed the most unluckiest over and under achievers of all time.
What a great buisness model.

 

Kane was injured so had to come off. Mason was knackered. One key problem is lack of leadership on the pitch. We have no natural captain in the Graham Roberts, Perryman, Mackay mould. A battler not a bottler. We have no pace......and after seeing Lennon fail to deliver for the last 5 years, he isnt the answer. We played well today until put under pressure then we crumbled...so the answer is a more determined dogged midfield battler and a pacy forward to take pressure off the defence when under the cosh. With no outball, our defence will always concede.

 

Erm... "seeing Lennon fail to deliver for the last 5 years, he isnt the answer." He is a million times more effective than Lamela!!!

 

Strangely enough you are both right!

 

I see Juventus want Lamela, they can have him! But we must buy 3 or 4 players in the next two weeks i.e x2 strikers, a dynamic midfield general, a defensive general and a left winger. Knowing us we will probably only buy a striker, and reply on emerging talent. I just hope they are good enough.

 

LLoris' distribution / clearances via kicking was dire for a world class keeper. I counted three occasions straight to touch and on one occasion he passed to one of our defenders who was immediately pressed so passed back to LLoris, who had to scramble the ball away.

Lamela I've given up on, thinking the lad needs time but he is an expensive signing so warrants starts yet is a liability when he does.

Why Mason was hauled off, I don't know as he was keeping our midfield ticking over. Bentaleb on the other hand has that fatalistic mistake in him which he can't seem to iron out. Yet another mistake in distribution almost caused another opportunity for a hugely improved Stoke City with their pressing.

 

2-0 up, at home, to Stoke and 12 mins left - a draw? Really? Absolute disgrace IMO.

Unthinkable that we take Kane off and have no other strikers to turn to. We are now playing catch up due to our dithering (AGAIN) in the market.

Get buying Levy and get rid of Lamela - awful player.

 

Said from the start poch ain't the man for the job and the chairman should not be buying players . Hoddle and king was the team I could see pairing up well . Never going to happen

 

It's such a joyless task, supporting Tottenham Hotspur. 25 years occasionally peppered with the odd League Cup win, but more League Cup Final defeats, and endless, endless disappointments. Even West Ham get the highs of promotion to the Premier League. It's just years and years and years of being perennial also rans, transitions, new starts with some great players that always **** off to Man Utd or Real Madrid. Nothing really changes. We never have particularly good managers, or if we do they or we get greedy and they end up getting the chop. It's a depressing existence, one I'm getting pretty tired of enduring.

I didn't like Pochettino when be was at Southampton, I didn't want him at Spurs, I wanted De Boer. I wasn't impressed last season, I haven't been impressed with pre season and today takes the ****ing cake.

We have no plan, no plan B, no back up to Kane, is Clint a viable option? Is he just another Lennon, flattering to deceive. Once again we will end up playing catch up, occasional highs, a few inevitable lows.

As much as we'd like to say that football is a business, the top 4 see one of the elements of a successful business is a successful football team. We don't seem to think that. I'm not convinced the managers we've had with the exception of Redknapp actually give a ****. They'll get paid handsomely, they won't have much control over the incoming out outgoing players or the team, but when they get sacked, they win the lottery. Happy days.

We are a laughing stock to the top 4 and even Liverpool.

It's embarrassing.

Good luck everyone having to put up with another season of balls. Balls going in our net constantly. Balls up. A load of balls.

 

IMO I think Dier did ok .... he is a defender being asked to play in perhaps the most important position on the field, the question is WHY? Posh has has plenty of time to get in a DCM, McCarthy played yesterday as a shield for the Everton back four and was everything we need. I actually think Poch is going to stick with Dier, shame for the lad, it could actually destroy him.
Lamela, agree with everyone who wants him gone, he is not cut out for the PL or us.
We may have improved out fitness levels but the high pressing game is not there and will not work.
Kane tired, not all Spurs fault, every Summer it seems now some kind of competition, be it a World Cup, Euros, South American Cup or the February Afcon...way too much football.

 

I didn't think Kane played badly at all while on the pitch and certainly deserves more credit than the likes of Bentaleb and Lamela who were both disastrous which yet again proves that NPBs so called philosophy and style is confused and wrong for this team and he does not have the tactical nous or the flexibility to pull it off. We play inverted wingers with players that are not even wingers, Chadli does nothing on the left and only ever pops up, albeit with a useful goal when loitering around the right side of the box. However, without Rose we have no one on the left that can inject some width or pace. And Dembele, he's the last player you'd put on the right wing, not that it matters as he sits in a deeper more central role that he is comfortable with anyway, so who was playing winger ? inverted or otherwise ? no wonder Harry is knackered seeing as he has to continually drop deep to get a touch of the ball. I also feel for young Dier in a unfamiliar MF role and I don't think he's doing a bad job either although its blatantly obvious that we desperately need someone to play a DM/HM role, if we are going to push one of our CBs into that position I would have thought that Toby was a better option. Bentaleb and Lamela are just not good enough, Bentaleb is a squaddie and Lamela is wrong for this league and will never make it. Lets see a bit more of Alli and Prichard, get in Bolasie and Charlie Austin FFS