Matt Doherty @ Atletico Madrid

[razzmaster]

He is at his best playing as a wing back with a wide player who likes to stay wide and a left wing back who is equally attack minded, allowing him to drift into the box.

As a RB he needs support as he is suspect defensively and lacks pace.

For Jose to play him in a back 4 with Bale in front and a 2 man midfield which included Ndombele is just bizarre, especially when Arsenal are strong on their left.

To then allow him to be targeted for 45 minutes and change nothing is even more baffling as it was blatantly obvious what was going to happen.

Aurier and Tanganga should both be ahead of him in the pecking order but his performance on Sunday was down to Jose as he left him helplessly exposed.

 

[Aphex]

We have trust me, you're just using recency bias. Football in England has improved 10 fold in the last 20 years or so, majority of the players back then couldn't hang technical, tactically or physically with the majority of players who play now.

Maybe but I'm not wrong when I say Doherty is as bad a RB as we've had in 20 years.

 

[talbot64]

No defending him yesterday, 1 out of 10 performance. I struggle to think of a worse performance in the last 5 years.

 

[razzmaster]

No defending him yesterday, 1 out of 10 performance. I struggle to think of a worse performance in the last 5 years.

The defence is that he just isn't good enough and shouldn't have been playing in the first place

 

[Trix]

He is at his best playing as a wing back with a wide player who likes to stay wide and a left wing back who is equally attack minded, allowing him to drift into the box.

As a RB he needs support as he is suspect defensively and lacks pace.

For Jose to play him in a back 4 with Bale in front and a 2 man midfield which included Ndombele is just bizarre, especially when Arsenal are strong on their left.

To then allow him to be targeted for 45 minutes and change nothing is even more baffling as it was blatantly obvious what was going to happen.

Aurier and Tanganga should both be ahead of him in the pecking order but his performance on Sunday was down to Jose as he left him helplessly exposed.

This is the crux of it. It's becoming obvious he's never going to be a right back to fit Jose's system, but he was clearly sold up the river by the manager yesterday. I doubt Aurier would have coped much better considering the constant over load down our right that was never addressed.

 

[allatsea]

Would it be very unkind of me to say I never want to see him in a Spurs shirt again ? What does he offer that Aurier and Tanganga don’t ? Both are far better than him in all aspects of their game.

 

[[max#1@]]

should keep kwp instead.

 

[14/04/91]

He genuinely plays like he's hungover.

 

[ohtottenham!]

This is the crux of it. It's becoming obvious he's never going to be a right back to fit Jose's system, but he was clearly sold up the river by the manager yesterday. I doubt Aurier would have coped much better considering the constant over load down our right that was never addressed.

I disagree re Serge. Aurier gets up and down the flank at least. He could have given their LB and their left side something to worry about defensively, which never entered their minds with Doherty.

Aurier has pace, and despite his faults, is a far better defender imo than Doherty anyway. In a way, it didn’t matter so much if it was Bale, Bergwijn or Moura on the right ahead of our RB. We just didn’t shut down their biggest attacking threat. It was like we gave them the keys to the sweet shop.

 

[brasil_spur]

I don't buy this "he's a wing back so he's not meant to be good at defending" rhetoric. Wing back's are still defensive players, yes they are attack minded defensive players but he's not a RW playing RB.

The difference IMO between a RWB and a RB is how they play going forwards, not that one can defend and the other can't.

 

[Humbolt]

Well it looks like Matt Doherty finally achieved his dream to play for Arsenal...

This is why you don't sign Gooners.

 

[Stamford]

No defending him yesterday, 1 out of 10 performance. I struggle to think of a worse performance in the last 5 years.

winks a few weeks ago at Everton was worse than this.

 

[weststandyid]

I know paolo tramezzani is always held up as the example of shit players we've signed over the past few decades, but I honestly think doherty is worse.

 

[weststandyid]

No chance. Atouba will never be superseded as the worst. Ever.

atouba really wasn't that bad and at least had some ability on the ball. scary when he was doing cruyff turns in the box, but not a dreadful player.

 

[weststandyid]

Most of us have a o low opinion of Doherty but its not as tho we do not have alternatives if Aurier is not properly fit why not play Tanganga .
I dont like to keep having a pop at Doherty but surely an expierienced man like Jose can see that Doherty just does not seem to suit our style of play . His forte is in a back five playing wing back where his defending is not so exposed .

he can't even attack, though!

 

[EastLondonYid]

He genuinely plays like he's hungover.

Wish he was, might improve his game.

 

[Shadydan]

Maybe but I'm not wrong when I say Doherty is as bad a RB as we've had in 20 years.

Stalteri, Dean Austin, Chris Gunter wouldn't be anywhere near this team now.

I'd probably rate Doherty alongside Alan Hutton.

 

[weststandyid]

Stalteri, Dean Austin, Chris Gunter wouldn't be anywhere near this team now.

I'd probably rate Doherty alongside Alan Hutton.

Hutton was shit, but far better IMO. Austin was very poor, too.

Honestly feel like we'd be no worse off without Doherty in the team and playing with 10.

 

[Shadydan]

Hutton was shit, but far better IMO. Austin was very poor, too.

Honestly feel like we'd be no worse off without Doherty in the team and playing with 10.

This is recency bias.

 

[Wadec]

Look Doherty is not good enough, he is not a RB in a four and never will be. But he was given no chance at all yesterday, he shouldn't have been playing first and foremost but he was given no protection at all during the game and probably should have been brought off.

Hope we can move him on in the summer as he isn't right for us.