Where are the players to press home the points?

Today sees the Spurs travel to Wales for a tricky away test against Swansea, a team that play quick, attacking football, but also play a high intensity pressing game, something Spurs have been expected to do, yet only achieved once against Everton.

So why are Spurs getting wrong, what Swansea seem to get right?

Know your players

One of common comments that has been made of Spurs is that they simply don't have the players to play the way Pochettino wants.

Utter rubbish!!

They are professional footballers for a start, but what I want to look at are the players that definitely do fit the pressing game.

Firstly, Lewis Holtby. Lewis closes down, tackles well, stays on his feet and is a good passer of the ball. He is a perfect fit for Pochettino's pressing game. Sadly we sent him out on loan, which in my opinion was a very poor decision.

Next up, watch one Gylfi Sigurðsson today for Swansea. I have always highly rated Sigurðsson. He is a superb ball player and when played in the role behind the main strikers, he is incredibly effective at breaking up play, he gets goals and gets attacks moving quickly.

At Spurs, he was often shoved out on the wing, but now at Swansea he is once again excelling and he is a player that I believe should not have been sold. Again, poor management not knowing the players.

Next, a player who has started to get back in the team is Lennon. I know some don't like him at all but he tracks back and against Everton he was at the heart of Spurs high intensity pressing game. He then gets dropped and replaced by Lamela who couldn't press an orange.

Kane also fits into the high pressing game and it is good that he is now a deserved first team regular.

Sandro also suits the pressing game but I understand why he was sold due to too many injuries.

Three points vital

I feel that three points and a strong performance are required today, and hopefully the manager will pick an eleven to do so, but he doesn't seem to have any idea what his best team is. I still want Pochettino to be given time as sacking him would serve no purpose at all, other than to make the club and levy a bigger laughing stock than they currently have become.

Playing players in their strongest positions is about knowing their strengths as individuals and team players, and I don't feel at this stage that Pochettino is able to do either.

I doubt the January transfer window will bring too many answers. He is set to be given twenty million to spend while Manchester United are backing their manager with £150 million!! That gap in funds will no doubt be shown by end of season positions but I don't expect Pochettino to be judged on this season. It will be next summer and his ability to buy well and create a team fully in his own image that will be time to judge.

I see a mid table finish this season, but next season there can be no excuses for failing to reach the top four.

Maybe Holtby and Sigurðsson look at Spurs and can see how they would improve our team. I for one, certainly can.

Let's hope we do the business today and as ever, COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!

 

I'm absolutely dreading the outcome of this match, not to mention the Christmas log jam. My optimism going into matches disappeared very early this season. So, Potchettino has £20m to spend. If he thinks a pathetic wretch like Lamela is good enough to start for Tottenham, heaven knows what he might waste £20m on. Could he get Bony? But why spend any more? He can't even inspire the players he already has to give us one superb performance this season. And please don't anyone bring up the Everton game again. It was a skin of the teeth affair. We were very lucky to get to the end of that match. If Lamela plays, we won't score, let alone win. And what about Soldado? He scores, at last, then he's dropped. Go figure? But hey, dump him. Do you really think we should feel sorry for him? If you have an ugly sister, you're stuck with her; she's always your sister. But this fellow has gone as sour as Torres did when he left Liverpool. Get rid of him. Utter rubbish. Like so many of our squad. And I don't really buy into the idea of Ericksen as the one good buy of last summer. He's like a Modric, but not that much like a Modric.
The Christmas Season at The Lane: No chance to "rest ye merry, gentlemen."

 

Good article and agree that Holtby would fit straight into this team and give it a heartbeat, I fully believe he was sacrificed by Levy in order to make way for Paulinho so the brazillian can be shopped around. Unfortunately he's been shite everytime he touches the field and has wasted the spot in the team that should have been Holtby's.