Somehow we're still alive... and creating history

Couldn't agree more .... For me we have already passed any reasonable expectation in the CL, however... Missing out on top 4 would be a major, major balls up. The thing is we are leg weary and ragged, lacking in thought and energy, so I'm looking for the Foxes and Manure to help us out today. If MU win, that takes them to 67 and a shout at top 4, so it's a massive game for them, so let's hope they are up for it. I want Vardy on top form today please, to turn the Gooners over, which leaves the loss yesterday looking so much less damaging.
The whole squad look exhausted, so we have to hope they've got the strength for one last push. We're on the verge of it being a stellar season...or not. All very Spursy....COYS

 

Surely if given the choice now of top 4 or a place in the CL final surely???

 

Maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember when one of Tottenham's proudest achievements was never having lost a major final (nine finals, nine victories, until the 1974 UEFA Cup defeat), I don't rate reaching any final as something to crow about, unless we win it. Clearly, we might by some miracle snatch this year's CL, but it would be a long-shot even if we had a fully-fit, in-form squad, but we've got neither, and winning three more matches against two of the three best teams in Europe is a near-impossibility in our present shambolic state, and to throw away our once nailed-on qualification for next year's CL in the process little short of criminal. Like many others on here, I've bemoaned the lack of trophies in seasons when we were supposedly the best team in the PL, but to sacrifice everything for a cup when we're actually in clear decline, and facing the need to replace many of our best players over the next couple of years, seems to me to be too big a gamble - the club's future matters more than Pochettino's CV, surely?

 

In a one off cup final that we coukd and should reach we are capable of beating anyone. That in itself will bring CL football. Anyway I see no reason why we can't do both. See how today's results pan out and we may have a clearer pitcher.

 

Leicester 3-0 Scum, we have been so fortunate with these results

 

Judging from Arsenal's result against Leicester, it looks as if our top four rivals are incapable of benefiting from our current abysmal form, so perhaps my concerns for next season are unfounded. Presumably both Arsenal and Chelsea hope to win the Europa League, and both are likely to make the final, so it could be that there'll be three London teams in the CL next year (but I still don't see us as champions, barring another Man City-style comedy final, of course).

 

The clubs fighting for top4 all have squad/manager weakness, so it is no surprise that they are all struggling to make it over the line. Man.u and Arsenal have too many mediocre players. The Chavs have a stubborn manager who has cost them points with his team selection.
Spurs have done ok, however, as many have pointed out most of spurs problems were self inflicted (stadium delay and not upgrading the squad).
One more win guarantees top4, surely spurs have enough left in the tank to get 3pts from last 2 games.
The Cl is a bonus, however, i would be very disappointed if spurs didn't make the final.
Looking forward the squad needs refreshing time to move on the injury prone players for fit ones.

 

I'm sure this next window there will be changes. The difficulty is getting rid first before we sell. Some are on good contracts for barely kicking a ball. My only wish is the futures of Toby n eriksen are decided early if not before the window opens and we do our business ASAP.

 

I agree Fran

I’ve got a feeling Toby isn’t going to go. Not so sure about CE- that one is just going to be about DL putting is hand in his pocket. I think the fact Danny came out and said that we had to do all we could to keep him, implied that he will stay if the salary is sorted out

 

On Toby I've a funny feeling he eventually wants to return to ajax as so Jan and is maybe running his contract down as they are unlikey to afford the kind of transfer fee he would command. On CE I've feared the worse for a long time but as you state there are noises coming out the club and the player a deal could be struck. A lot of it probably seems to be due to the fact that Madrid are looking at both pogba and of course hazard who's a done deal. They also have isco to play in the no10 who Zidane is historically a fan of. I'd prefer to keep him for the message it brings rather than his ability in fairness he often flatters to deceive. We need a genuine lock picker in the final third as we've seen against deep lying stubborn defensive lines deployed by Brighton and West ham. For 80m plus I'd be happy to sell.

 

Just a change for a while I am surprised no one has mentioned Tielemans playing out of his skin for leicester and I believe turned down by Spurs is this not worrying for the transfer window to come.Best ofluck to the boys tonight I think we are going to need it no away goals please.

 

It's a model spurs have followed before on players unsure about ie gylfi and Toby. Seeing if they are up to the demands of the prem before hijacking permanent moves. I'd be surprised if this isn't a player we come bk to in the summer..

 

Thank goodness for Sissoko- he has got to be out player of the season, if he hadn’t come on it could have been a cricket score!

Thought Rose and Alds played well also

Foyth should start instead of Trips. And probably Dier instead of Wanyama, who was pretty poor tonight

I’ll take that result though, hope verts is ok

We can still win this at their place - we get 1 goal and they will start to panic

Jansen to score a winner against bournemouth , so we go to the second leg with cl confirmed for next season

 

As many know I'm not a fan of the bk 3 and even more so with sanchez in the middle of it. He's a real concern for me he's getting worse. Foyth becoming a viable option at right bk. Refreshing that Poch admitted his formation was wrong but for it was obvious from the outset. A midfield as technically gifted and fluid as theirs with almost 3 no10s in der beek, zytech and tadic you need to counter this with two orthodox holding midfield players and I'd have started with wanyama and dier or sissoko. When the formation changed I thought we were the better side but our forwards were so so poor llorente apart. I'd like to think they cannot be so poor again next week and with Son to return and possibly Kane I'd be quietly confident to turn this around.

 

Once again wonder man starts with wrong formation and changes when it's too late .Why do we persist with a back 5 when. We never play it well.Thank goodness for the post or we would be dead already.Hopefully next week pooch will play Ali up front along side Son as he is not a midfield player and moura cannot play up front on his own as he is far too weak.my team would be loris. Forth aldy Sanchez rose sissoko dier wanyama ericson son and Ali this is assuming verts wont play.i still think it will be a miracle if we qualify and please pooch don't throw points away on Saturday which is far more important for the future

 

Spurs haven't looked good playing a back 3 for a while and it looked more like a back 5 which is depressing considering spurs were the home team. Remember Bringing Sisoko on was a forced change, i doubt MP would have made that decision himself. Spurs lack physical power in the midfield Dele and Ce are weak and slow and neither makes spurs tick fitting them into the same team is hard both need a team to be built around them to be fully effective. Selling CE may prove better for spurs in the long run as players can bought who accommodate dele.
Ajax played good football and could have scored more, however, they didn't have anyone who was outstanding, more like a well coached team of decent players. Spurs are lucky to be still in the tie and with son back could beat Ajax away. Coys

 

Ajax looked like the side we were promising to be 16/17 season unfortunately since then we have regressed due to piss poor investment and failure to replenish/improve the squad.
Pochettino is still tactically naive and stubborn, most of his shuffling of the pack is down to no options rather than anything inspiring.
The sheer state of our squad at such a crucial time (and throughout majority of the season) has been irresponsible as much as negligent.
We had absolutely nothing last night , no width , no pace , couldn't string 3 passes together , no creativity , errors galore....
Was a shambles, the only saving grace in a sense was Jan coming off forcing Pochettino to get Sissoko on which actually gave us a presence beyond our back 5.
Fortunate to only be 1 down for the return such was their quality but that at least gives us a fighting chance (all be it from fortune rather than anything planned) and with Sonaldo back at least we may pose a goal threat.

Bournemouth on the weekend and the way we are playing currently is anyone confident we can get a win?
There's absolutely no balance or cohesion to our play , the passing and lack of vision is dismal , the complete non entity's of WBs with their poor reading of the game and woeful supply who are supposed to be providing width to a stagnant slow congested midfield is so poor it's embarrassing.
A handful of good performances all season imo , the rest of it has been absolute dross and we've fluked our way through running on fumes.
The actual football has been incredibly disjointed and dull in the most part, squad needs quality and pace injection badly.

 

Totally agree with Felon.
Bournemouth is such a big game i just hope spurs can find a way to win. Coys

 

Yet again Pochettino has failed the test of appropriate team selection and tactics in a crunch game, and even our appalling injury situation doesn't excuse last night's naive performance. Yes, we've beaten some European giants in recent years, but only when we caught them at moments of crisis (Real Madrid in 2017, or Dortmund this year), and our overall record in games against the PL big boys is notoriously poor, equalled only by Man U among the current top six. As things stand, we have ONE point more than Sherwood achieved in finishing sixth in 2014, and two less than AVB's seventy-two in 2013's fifth - is that really progress, a couple of games from the end of the fifth year of the much-vaunted 'Project'?
Even if we do get over the line this year, the team clearly needs a major overhaul, with the few consistent performers being either old in football terms (just about the whole defence) or injury-prone (Kane and Winks), and many of the rest useless (Lamela, Dier, Alli, Wanyama, Trippier and not a few others), so where is the team for the next five-year project to come from? The Academy, which has produced a couple of first-teamers and a string of not-quites? ENIC? Whatever the answer, we've got to stay in the CL places, or this season will be as disappointing as any since Pochettino abolished spursyness, and replaced it with spursiness (or vice versa).

 

Thanks Cheshuntboy , sometimes it feels like I am the only person who sees this perspective view.
How many times I've said external factors have been a major part of this so called successful patch , I actually believe mostly all of our previous teams & managers from Jol onwards would be experiencing similar success if playing right now it's not the huge leap forward some would like to believe.
The top 4 imo has been on the decline for the past 6/7 years in terms of quality in all top 4 spots.
Arsenal & Utd are shadows of their former selves , Chelsea are on a success circus loop , the only 2 clubs which seem to be progressing are Pool & City and you know why? Because their managers are backed and backed properly.