- Aug 10, 2017
- 5,228
- 12,383
Eriksen MOTM.
I voted Janssen though. Don’t care.
I voted Janssen though. Don’t care.
Some really generous scores here...
I’m not gunna lie I had a little laugh at how in depth you’ve gone with your decimal point ratingsLloris - 6
Trippier - 4
Toby - 7
Jan - 6.9
Rose - 7.5
Wanyama - 5.5
Eriksen - 7.75
Dele - 5.5
Lucas - 5
Llorente - 3
Son - 5.8
I know, right?I’m not gunna lie I had a little laugh at how in depth you’ve gone with your decimal point ratings
We have to be bolder against these tactics. There was far too much safe, deliberate short pointless passing and little attempts to fizz the ball into feet between the lines, yes the space was small but there were opportunities that we didn't even look to exploit.
MotM has to be Christian because we would be on a hell of a downer without him tonight.
Lloris, one needless punch aside nothing to do.
Toby, auxiliary CM alongside Jan, but didn't use the ball too wwell, just passing to Trippier mainly.
Jan, moved the ball quicker than most around him and seemed to understand the need for urgency.
Trippier, marshalled easily and never really got a telling ball in.
Rose, tried to inject something different and had a great strike with his swinger but no real quality from wide.
Vic, slow deliberate, sideways passing that was not the order of the day.
Alli, games like this we need more from Dele, he's supposed to be that spark of invention but slow and deliberate again.
Eriksen, probed and picked up positions to try and effect the game but little movement around him left him little option other than longs shots, a few sighters and then he hit pay dirt. MotM
Llorente, because of the way we set up and they set up, he was swamped for most of the game, still needed to do better with his lay off's and move them around more.
Moura and Son, both in wide midfield roles against 2 markers receiving the ball deep with the task of beating both men or passing inside (which they obligingly did)
Didn't stretch them enough or move the ball well/quick enough, and the way we set up didn't help.
I think it's always tough to break down teams who's only thought is to defend. Tonight Brighton took that to very extreme levels. But be that as it is, we just lacked any sharpness and didn't offer enough in way of ideas or trying to ask their defence questions. We're very good at shuffling the ball side to side, not so good at moving it in between the lines. No matter where we are as a team, I think our attacking structures and patterns are still a continual work in progress and need to improve further.
People say we need more guile and creativity and flair, that might be true, but the best way to beat these teams is playing simple football well. A precise touch when needed, a first time accurate pass, etc. Gaps in defences are often there for a half second, it's whether you can exploit them and, talented though they may be, the vast majority of our players, even the 'superstars', often need far too may touches to gather a ball or then play a pass or play it accurately and with a good weight. Doing the simple things better is often where the biggest improvement can lie, rather than players doing extraordinary things......
Didn't think it worked tactically tonight, particularly for the attackers. As I said at half time I could understand stationing Son and Moura very wide away from the packed middle, and didn't mind us trying this for once, but it just didn't really offer anything in this game. I don't think either of those two offered enough, either one vs. one against their opposite man, or trying to pose questions to them - such as 'out to in' runs etc. between players and trying to sneak in behind. All they did was play in front of Brighton and made it easy. We then had Llorente isolated and back in gormless mode, I have seen people say he didn't move enough but I think that was instruction to play against their backline tbf and just make to sure we had someone through the centre at all times. However with our forward line so far apart, Brighton having so many in defence, and he having no fire in his belly he was swamped and we couldn't work balls into the front much, across the front line.
As the game went on we kept plugging away but for me we looked a bit unsure of what to do. We'd force play with a silly option when it wasn't on or blast numerous shots at goal, often after refusing a half decent opportunity for a pass and shuffle it about a bit more, we were also reluctant to work the ball wide and put a cross in, even when we had two pure strikers on the pitch waiting and had gone to wing backs. I think most of us were probably thinking this was going to be points dropped, but thank fuck, law of averages arrived just in time, Eriksen finally caught one sweetly and eventually footballing justice was done. If this team can do anything it's scrap and find a way to get a job done, it's done it again, and that's a big and much needed three points to inch closer to another top four position. Three more to go......
Lloris - Had nothing to do.
Trippier - Played one nice pass but was very reluctant to cross the ball. Some silly defending a couple of times.
Alderweireld - Unlucky with the shot off the post, didn't think he used the ball very well in the latter stages.
Vertonghen - Don't think he used the ball very well either.
Rose - Couple of really important bits of defending, top marks for effort and determination, didn't use the ball that well though and composure/touch/end product let him down badly on at least one occasion.
Wanyama - Did ok, but was pretty redundant.
Eriksen - I'm going to differ and say I didn't like his passing. People say things like he's the only one who tries these things, but the best players know when it's on and not. All I saw was another game where he is trying to force it way too much when it's never on (be it lack of space, our player not ready for it, or defender is dropping ready for it) and it doesn't always help build pressure. However he did finally catch one clean as a whistle and bag a vital winning goal, so ta muchly.
Alli - Best moments as always in and around the area. Central midfield work ultra basic, ultra slow, mostly pointless and could be done by numerous others. Get him forward where he shines.
Son - Fairly dismal effort.
Moura - Couple of moments but didn't offer enough threat or variety to his play.
Llorente - A tough job and what was asked of him it was going to be a night where he just had to plug away and remain patient, but when the ball did come his way he was disappointing, and his effort wasn't good enough on a few occasions.
Subs:
Janssen - Looked up for it, got involved.
Davies - n/a.
Foyth - n/a.