Sunderland Versus Spurs - Sunday 13:30 K.O

With the transfer window thankfully shut, Spurs and their manager can now get on with the business of sorting out what the best eleven is and start producing results. And more importantly start producing performances that show what we may truly be able to expect from this Tottenham team.

Attack at pace

Pochettino made it clear in his joint statement with Levy that he had signed players with pace and attacking intent , so starting at Sunderland, that is what I expect to see. I am not sure that both N'Jie and Son will start but surely one of them must start and add pace and guile to our so far floundering attack. With Kane having hit the target for England in the past week , hopefully he will be back among the goals for Spurs at the Stadium of light this weekend. It sounds like Son is the favourite to start and if what I have a seen of him rings true, he does look like he could really terrorise opposition defences.

Defence

I have been less than impressed with the defence thus far and this needs to be much tighter in the coming weeks. Rose will surely keep his place and perhaps Trippier could be given a chance at right back ?
Sunderland offer little in attack although you can never rule out former fans favourite Defoe, and I would expect Borini to start for the team where he did well on loan a couple of seasons ago.

Intentions

With Levy and Pochettino putting out their stall in the recent statement, Spurs must now set out their intentions on the pitch.
Sunderland are a poor team and anything less than 3 points would be an embarrassment.

The season starts now. Let's at long last see the fast flowing football we were promised when Poch took over, but he has as of yet failed to deliver.

As ever Come on you Spurs!!!!

 

Not expecting much from this game so would throw both njie and Son in to bed in for next weeks home v palace game. Prob go with bentaleb dier and dembele to over a screen/platform for the attacking trio.

 

Would like to see this lineup assuming Dembele and Eriksen are still not fit to start. Would like to see Trippier given a go in the starting eleven.

Kane
Chadli - Mason - Son
Bentaleb - Dier
Rose - Vertonghen - Alderwereld - Trippier
Lloris

 

Crucial game. Failure to secure 3 points against Sunderland would dampen team confidence given the poor start to the season. Hope to see Son light up the Lane and get on the scoreboard!

 

Still questions about the defence, Still a number of players to bed in, Still unsure of a best 11, its the transition that keeps transitioning.

4 games without a win is poor, 5 is unacceptable. The start of this season reaks of a total unorganised shambles.

Sunderland are a poor side and should be there for the taking the following fixtures look difficult so for me 3 points is a must no excuses.

 

Am I the only one that thinks all this negativity is misplaced?

Man U- we outplayed them and were unfortunate with the own goal which then put us on the back foot.
Stoke- we outplayed them and were cruising then just hit the snooze button for a few minutes

Those two games obviously then hit the confidence a bit but we were still the more likely team to win both of the last two.

Now we have bought a couple of pretty exciting players to add a bit of speed.

I think we are looking OK?

P.S. Any CHANCE, the mods, can STOP people from writing in this MANNER, it just detracts, rather than emphasizes when done TOO much ! ( not mentioning any names!)

 

Pace? Defense? Are u still in 2014? This season games showed big improvement in both aspects. I'd say keep up the way first 4 games were played. Finishing is what Spurs missed then. Kane has to put his England boots on. COYS!!!

 

This game is ALL about the mentality -shown by players and fans alike.

No game is easy in the EPL! And on any given Sunday, ANY team can beat ANY other...that why this league is the most watched anywhere in the world!

What the team must do is ensure they are fully switched on, aggressive in their approach and perform with the kind of tempo that unsettles the opposition defensive lines.

Sounds simple, right?!

Well, it WON'T be! It NEVER is in this division, and the fact we are playing straight after an international break, against a team with a passionate following, who already look like they will be FIGHTING for their lives, will always make a difficult job - that little bit tougher.

As far as the fans go, I don't have too many worries on that front as our AWAY support is second to none. But if this was a home game the temptation would be for the majority of fans to just turn up to WHL expect a comfortable victory, and that my friends is ALWAYS a dangerous game!

Because, victories aren't given - they are earned, and the best way Spurs supporters can assist the team in earning that victory is by taking NOTHING for granted, encouraging the lads to focus and inspiring the side to be better than the opposition.

Complacency, in football/sport, is a killer. And sometimes the players need reminding of this, as do some fans.

Anyway, back to matters on the pitch, and, I would expect Poch to stick with the same side that dominated proceedings against Everton.

On another day Spurs could have EASILY run out 3/4 -0 winners, but wasteful finishing and good goalkeeping from Howard proved decisive in the result.

Looking forward to seeing both Son and Njie make their debuts. To be honest, I haven't seen too much of either of them live, but what I gathered from doing some research on them both leads me to believe we might have a couple of fire-starters on our hands.

Son looks intelligent, quick, superb technically, brave and a genuine goal threat from anywhere in a 25 yard radius.

People question how he will adapt to the physical nature of the EPL given his height and slight frame. But I have no such concerns over the longer term, as like I've said the player possesses the INTELLIGENCE (required) to adapt/ evolve. It's that facet, or rather the lack of it, that has so far seen Erik Lamela fail to flourish in Englands top-flight.

Njie, looks a REAL livewire on his day - although he also appears as the more unpolished of the two new attack-minded recruits. Skillful, direct, adventurous and lightning quick, Njie is NOT just a excellent athletic specimen, but he also has the wherewithal/composure to more often than not make the right decision when he finds himself in positions of promise.

I think we all agree that the result tomorrow will be determined by the approach Spurs go into the game with. Despite our slow start to the season there has been PLENTY of positives signs for the future as we currently sit just 6 points off of 2nd.

Regardless of tomorrow result, I believe there are exciting times ahead and much to look forward to!

BRING ON THE BLACK CATS!!!!

Prediction: 3-1 Spurs