Defence

[dickyid]

Walker is stupidly overrated at the moment because he looks good running forward, even though a full-back's job first and foremost is defending.

A bit like Glen Johnson who I still scapegoat for Englands terrible showing at the last WC.

And BAE is top class. Wasnt he picked in the African team of the year? My youth was spent watching Justin Rdinburgh at LB. You lot are spoilt.

 

[Black]

I don't think our back four is too bad. In King and Gallas we have two quality defenders and in Kaboul and Bassong I think we have two of the best backups in CB position.

Corluka and Walker are good enough right backs for me and Bale and Assou-Ekotto are just fine.

For me, it's the protection they're no longer receiving from midfield. As soon as we moved Modric to the middle and pushed Bale forward, we lost all protection.

Bring Palacios back or put Sandro next to Huddlestone and I think you'd see a much more solid Tottenham.

Pretty much

 

[Bus-Conductor]

The defence, by the way BC, has a fifth and vital element to it - the keeper. In my opinion, I would change Gomes in a flash - he instills the heebyjeebies in the four in front of him, whoever they are.

On the contrary, his pro-activeness at set pieces gets our - poor at marking -defenders out of jail game after game.

Before he arrived we had the worst conceding record from set pieces in the EPL.

Gomes makes the odd high profile mistake, but upgrading him would be a damn sight harder than most of our defence.

Look at Friedel, he's already dropped a bollock in his first game.

 

[PT]

Look at Friedel, he's already dropped a bollock in his first game.

So did Erik, and he is a legend in our colours.

Gomes for me, is the catalyst to indecisiveness in defence - the back four, in particular the central pairing just have no idea what he is going to do, whether he is sticking or battering.

if Friedel gets a look in i would hazard a guess that Gomes won't get back in to the first team and will be off in January.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I agree wholeheartedly about us defending better as a team, pressing the ball all over the pitch and getting the defensive balance back into the midfield, but if we have the highest ambitions then some of our defenders are the Defoe, Pav and Crouch of the defensive world (ie good but not really good enough), and really should be upgraded as soon as is feasible.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

So did Erik, and he is a legend in our colours.

Gomes for me, is the catalyst to indecisiveness in defence - the back four, in particular the central pairing just have no idea what he is going to do, whether he is sticking or battering.

if Friedel gets a look in i would hazard a guess that Gomes won't get back in to the first team and will be off in January.

Erik Thorsvedt ? huh ?

You've got your legend criteria is set too low I think.

 

[sunnydelight786]

People have such short memories. As BC said how many goals were we conceding week in week out from set pieces before Gomes arrived...? How many do we concede now with him in goal...?

 

[double0]

Our defensive record suffered last season. It was no surprise considering the injuries sustained to key defensive midfielders ie Palacios and Huddlestone.

Gomes too overall had a poor season, his worst since arriving.

 

[The_Viking]

I have no problem with our defence and I believe we have enough strength in depth to cover those positions. What I do have a problem with is how they are protected in some games.

I think it's fair to say that Harry likes us to play free flowing attacking football as do the fans. This can however leave us caught short at the back at times an we find we get hit on the counter by some of the lesser teams.

There's a lot to be said for a dedicated DM that will sit in front of the defence all game. Palacios/Diarra. I didn't include Sandro because he looks quite handy a bit further up the pitch. Even when sacrificing one of our players to defend we should still have enough attacking flair to cause teams problems.

 

[Lawrence]

Thry are not world class but they will do... we have greater need for strikers. The whole world knows that.

 

[DiamondLites]

Friedel does not come for anything - crosses or corners - it has always been his biggest flaw. Ask any Villa fan and they will tell it was his indecisiveness that was the key factor in them leaking so many goals from set pieces last season