Everlasting Seconds
Well-Known Member
- Jan 9, 2014
- 14,914
- 26,616
So, rather than doing one of the usual "match reports and why the fudge does Townsend start"-posts, I thought I'd share some random snippets of other observations.
Stambouli is very much a part of the squad, despite not being amongst the 18. 1 hour before kick off, he was doing some laps across the pitch over and over again at 50-60 % speed (with the fitness coach). Other players not on in the squad were nowhere to be seen, but he was. I know what the kind of exercise he did is about, it's restitution.
You would do that either the day after a really specific heavy work out, or if you are in a general period of fatigue. So my suspicion is that Stambouli is on a special programme for now, and I'm kind of excited about him for the next season.
Rose is a (maybe the new) beast. He doesn't take shit from anybody, teammates, referees or opponents. He is an energetic fighter, with an improved sense of positioning. Rose is the package now ( I never thought I'd say that).
Walker isn't a bad defender, but he doesn't suit Pochettino's shit, which is funny because of his speed (which he has lost a part of after the injury). I think we may have sold the wrong Kyle.
The Defence operates as 4 individuals. There is minimal team work in that team section, and they hardly cover for each other. At one point, Bentaleb told Dier that he'd cover if Dier would take the ball up front. Dier was perplexed, for a split second he didn't know what to do when somebody covered for him. That's how unusual it is. The result was a magnificent attack led by Dier (and maybe Eriksen ?). Of course, the defence get's so little protection from the midfield that they have more than enough to worry about with their own spot never mind your team mates job too. So there may be acceptable excuses for the lack of interaction.
Speaking about Bentaleb, when he makes mistakes, they tend to be grave ones. Nothing to seriously came from them yesterday, but they looked nasty none the less. He is young and will grow, but that's where he is at presently.
Eriksen is still not bulky enough for PL. If you look at Kane, our best player, he is also the physically strongest. Eriksen isn't close to that level. Mason too, another success story this season, is also really physically fit. Eriksen has the body type of a successful goalie (ie. Lloris).
Speaking about Kane, the team hasn't scored for 3 matches. I chose these words deliberately, because for 3 PL matches, only Kane has scored. No other Tottenham player has scored in PL since vs. Swansea. So many took issue with AVB having Bale, and how AVB was lucky, and have Bale concealed all the issues in the team. If that was 100 % accurate, and let's say it was, what are we supposed to think now? In fact, all our 3 last head coaches got their butt saved multiple times by one single player.
Lloris' injury was profoundly avoidable.
Chadli's yellow card for filming was pure stupidity. It was unintelligent by the ref, at best. Chadli had a prime position, he had no reason to provoke a penalty and he was illegally taken down. Which brings me to the refs in general. I don't really think they all hate Spurs. But I do think they all are unfit for their job. The FA chooses experience (ie. old refs) over physical ability to keep up with the modern PL game, and as a results, we have loads of refs who are not up for the task anymore. There were always a couple of unsuitable refs, but now the unsuitable ones are everywhere. Next season will get really dirty if they stick with the same refs, because they are only getting older, weaker, slower and dumber.
4-3 isn't necessarily better football than 1-0. I'm easy to please, when my team wins, I'm entertained. But yes, I do like to see individual skill, masterminded tactics, great match management. And you don't necessarily get more of that with more goals, when the goals are in either end of the pitch. I think there were periods where we played really badly, vs. the team at the very bottom of the league. We would have lost yesterday 1-3 without Harry Kane. That is the bare truth of it all.
Paulinho looked really good yesterday. Only a fool would say otherwise. A part of me really hopes... but oh well.
Nugent is an adequate player. He is a daft prick, but an adequate one none the less.
I believe a deal for Soldado is more or less sealed. That is not based on observations, that simply gut feeling.
I'm glad we won, I was entertained, and I do like goals. But what stands out more than the win, is the work cut out for this team in the summer.
Stambouli is very much a part of the squad, despite not being amongst the 18. 1 hour before kick off, he was doing some laps across the pitch over and over again at 50-60 % speed (with the fitness coach). Other players not on in the squad were nowhere to be seen, but he was. I know what the kind of exercise he did is about, it's restitution.
You would do that either the day after a really specific heavy work out, or if you are in a general period of fatigue. So my suspicion is that Stambouli is on a special programme for now, and I'm kind of excited about him for the next season.
Rose is a (maybe the new) beast. He doesn't take shit from anybody, teammates, referees or opponents. He is an energetic fighter, with an improved sense of positioning. Rose is the package now ( I never thought I'd say that).
Walker isn't a bad defender, but he doesn't suit Pochettino's shit, which is funny because of his speed (which he has lost a part of after the injury). I think we may have sold the wrong Kyle.
The Defence operates as 4 individuals. There is minimal team work in that team section, and they hardly cover for each other. At one point, Bentaleb told Dier that he'd cover if Dier would take the ball up front. Dier was perplexed, for a split second he didn't know what to do when somebody covered for him. That's how unusual it is. The result was a magnificent attack led by Dier (and maybe Eriksen ?). Of course, the defence get's so little protection from the midfield that they have more than enough to worry about with their own spot never mind your team mates job too. So there may be acceptable excuses for the lack of interaction.
Speaking about Bentaleb, when he makes mistakes, they tend to be grave ones. Nothing to seriously came from them yesterday, but they looked nasty none the less. He is young and will grow, but that's where he is at presently.
Eriksen is still not bulky enough for PL. If you look at Kane, our best player, he is also the physically strongest. Eriksen isn't close to that level. Mason too, another success story this season, is also really physically fit. Eriksen has the body type of a successful goalie (ie. Lloris).
Speaking about Kane, the team hasn't scored for 3 matches. I chose these words deliberately, because for 3 PL matches, only Kane has scored. No other Tottenham player has scored in PL since vs. Swansea. So many took issue with AVB having Bale, and how AVB was lucky, and have Bale concealed all the issues in the team. If that was 100 % accurate, and let's say it was, what are we supposed to think now? In fact, all our 3 last head coaches got their butt saved multiple times by one single player.
Lloris' injury was profoundly avoidable.
Chadli's yellow card for filming was pure stupidity. It was unintelligent by the ref, at best. Chadli had a prime position, he had no reason to provoke a penalty and he was illegally taken down. Which brings me to the refs in general. I don't really think they all hate Spurs. But I do think they all are unfit for their job. The FA chooses experience (ie. old refs) over physical ability to keep up with the modern PL game, and as a results, we have loads of refs who are not up for the task anymore. There were always a couple of unsuitable refs, but now the unsuitable ones are everywhere. Next season will get really dirty if they stick with the same refs, because they are only getting older, weaker, slower and dumber.
4-3 isn't necessarily better football than 1-0. I'm easy to please, when my team wins, I'm entertained. But yes, I do like to see individual skill, masterminded tactics, great match management. And you don't necessarily get more of that with more goals, when the goals are in either end of the pitch. I think there were periods where we played really badly, vs. the team at the very bottom of the league. We would have lost yesterday 1-3 without Harry Kane. That is the bare truth of it all.
Paulinho looked really good yesterday. Only a fool would say otherwise. A part of me really hopes... but oh well.
Nugent is an adequate player. He is a daft prick, but an adequate one none the less.
I believe a deal for Soldado is more or less sealed. That is not based on observations, that simply gut feeling.
I'm glad we won, I was entertained, and I do like goals. But what stands out more than the win, is the work cut out for this team in the summer.
