I agree with Pochettino in that we were unlucky; we weren't 4-1 bad & we looked very good going forward. I would much rather lose heavily going for it, than never have tried & get beat by a couple of goals to nil. Our interchanging play was good, and in time I can only see it getting better the more get used to what is demanded.
If it weren't for the presence of Sergio Aguero I firmly believe they wouldn't have won. He is a true 'difference-maker' & I can see him being the stand-out player of the season, if he keeps himself fit. Compare him to Soldado, who missed both his chances in the game at times when he could have proved he can also be a 'difference-maker.' For me this was a watershed moment for the striker: he was brought in to be a clinical-finisher capable of being the edge at key-moments in key matches, and yesterday was another example of where he just wasn't.
I think the coaching-staff will have been alarmed at how poor we were defensively in the 1st half considering how solid we were meant to be against Arsenal. Capoue's ball retention was terrible; I noted on 3 separate occasions where he gave the ball away under no pressure & dallied on the ball in tight-areas far too long. It was no surprise he was subbed & Dembele came on. Lamela needs to do more in matches. I feel he still needs to have that little bit more belief in himself to be able to truly affect matches.
All that being said, I feel optimistic that we will not have to wait such a long time to see the gusto and fluidity I want to see in a Spurs side. I believe the January may well be a decent month for us regarding transfer in & out.
I believe in the Poch.
Our most consistent player so far this season, apart from Lloris.Can I just add hats off to mason. It's only a few games into his first team career but he is producing the goods each time he plays (apart from the chance he fluffed early on )
Until Walker is back, we don't have the players to play a high defensive line.We simply cannot defend against pace. Simple.
Like Soldado, Lamela is a fine technical player who, up to now, don't have the power or the acceleration against the top sides in the ELP.I feel the most significant event was the substitution of Lamela. He was no better or worse than in all his other prem games, but he has been favoured up to now: always the first on the team sheet and never hooked off even when he has looked tired.
Pooch has to get this guy firing, but it is not working and it is time to try something else.
I think he would benefit from putting all his efforts into 45mins for a while.
We simply cannot defend against pace. Simple.