Match Ratings Ratings vs PSV Eindhoven

[whitesocks]

I always like the voting here. Other places would simply aware Kane the MOTM with two goals. Kane was great tonight, but winks and possible Gazza are more deserved.

I gave Motm to Kane, as he got the goals and there was nothing else memorable about the game.
There isn't much credit to go round as PSV were like a newly promoted team and packed the box and we looked tired/unfit especially upfront (which is hardly surprising).

This was a game for the FB's to be auxiliary wingers, but the crossing was dreadful from both wings.
It was a game for a long range shot, but any were hopeless.
It was a game for a CB to score from a corner, but no.
Kane got us out of jail.

The pitch looked better - there's another positive, but I don't know why it hadn't been relaid.

 

[mpickard2087]

For a long time that ultra frustrating result - where the opposition pop up with a goal, then defend for the rest of the game, but somehow you don't score and contrive to lose the game after laying siege to their goal - seemed inevitable. With chance after chance going begging it was hard not to think that way. Eventually though the resistance was broken, we went with the last ditch battering ram approach, and finally the defence was breached. Hallelujah.

Clearly we deserved to win that, and had another clear chances to win the game several times over. The opening goal, yet another conceded from a corner (but Poor Poch cant do anything about this, if you listen to some fans.....), was a tear your hair out moment, but very quickly it was us probing away and the only ones interested in attacking. PSV for long long spells just whacked the ball forward to clear their lines. We were never at our most fluent best, in fact probably a long way from it, but despite this still opened them up enough times and had numerous chances. We could have scored four or five even before HT.

Second half yeah they had some chances, but that's to be expected when we're really forced to chase it. We still couldn't find the goal though, until in the very late stages, maybe in desperation, we went more direct and eventually found the breakthrough thanks to Kane and his poaching ability and knack of being in the right place at the right time. Needs must, and it got us the win.

When it's so one sided it's hard to give an accurate appraisal on performance. We didn't have to work for control. I didn't see what the issue was with a Winks/Eriksen cm2. With how the game panned out we didn't need any 'presence' in there. I thought our front players were very wasteful in the final third and a lot of the time, as ever, need to be much sharper on the ball - quicker of mind and foot. Not so many touches, move it quicker etc etc. Obviously set pieces are still a real concern and cant keep being ignored, taking away the goal they had another two or three very decent opportunities from them.

Still alive, just......


Gazzaniga - Made a few decent stops when called upon. Fine with the ball at his feet. Solid display again.

Aurier - Couple of good bits of defending, his short game is as usual neat and tidy, doesn't ever look like creating anything down that flank or making use of promising moments.

Sanchez - Very solid.

Alderweireld - Some good passes, but also sloppy bits of play at times. Was also on the scene for the PSV goal. Overall he was ok, but lets be honest that Man Utd game where he had his comeback is a long time ago now, and he's not reached those heights since.

Davies - Slow start, got steadier and put himself about more. A black hole for anything purposeful down his flank, until he dug out that all important cross for the winner.

Winks - Pretty good game. Kept things ticking over, and covered fairly well when necessary.

Eriksen - I thought he had a decent start to the game and was knitting things together, however he faded later on and in a lot of games recently I've been disappointed with how wasteful he has been at times - forcing passes that are never on and coughing up possession. Wasted a great chance also.

Moura - Lively first half and looked to be the one who could offer something different and a bit of flair. Didn't get into it as much second half, and though I wouldn't have taken him off at that point I can see why Poch did.

Alli - Got in some good positions at times but wasted a couple of really good chances. I thought he faded in the latter stages a tad. As ever he'd be much better if he moved the ball quicker at times.......

Son - That was a typical Son performance really, minus the saving grace of a goal(s). Rightly subbed.

Kane - Thank fuck that he is the man for the big moment, and knows how to poach goals. The all round behemoth he is at his best looks as far away as ever though......

Subs:
Lamela - Thought he added very little to proceedings.

Trippier - Bar that silly freekick I struggle to recollect much of what he did.

Llorente - Played a part, and was a bit of a nuisance up top. Involved in the equaliser. Could, maybe should, have scored with a bullet header. Effective cameo.

 

[Pauleta01]

Winks very good tonight! He seems to have got faster and more confident.

Davies, Aurier and Son were very bad. Sonny just looks shattered. I wonder if the subbing a sub at wolves has wrecked his confidence.

Lucas exceptional 1st half, faded before being subbed.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

Winks motm for me. Davinson was great too.

 

[danielneeds]

Eriksen did a job for the team tonight, but it also showed that he’s not really adept at being Modric-like deep lying creator. Much more effective in the final third.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Sorry but Kane has to be the MOTM

We could be playing for another week and we wouldn’t score If it wasn’t for him

We lose that and we're dumped out of the CL without Kane tonight. Plain and Simple

Never stopped trying, was all over the park. Came up with the goods once again

Obviously also a mention for Winks and Gazza who did great and the cameo from Llorente and the energy of Lamela

Also one or two magic moments from Moura but needs much more end product

 

[double0]

Kane motm as mentioned without his goals we're out we have a chance if we win our next two game

See Eriksen coming in for some eyebrow comments. I thought he and Winks nitted things nicely and what a difference imo Dele Alli makes he is such a unique player. When all are fit we have a decent squad.

Pochettinho is using the squad effectively and Gazza officially is number two now (Southampton were crazy) Lloris now has competition.

 

[Bulletspur]

Sorry but Kane has to be the MOTM

We could be playing for another week and we wouldn’t score If it wasn’t for him

We lose that and we're dumped out of the CL without Kane tonight. Plain and Simple

Never stopped trying, was all over the park. Came up with the goods once again

Obviously also a mention for Winks and Gazza who did great and the cameo from Llorente and the energy of Lamela

Also one or two magic moments from Moura but needs much more end product

If it wasn't for the industry of Winks and the defending of especially Gazzaniga and Sanchez, Kane's two goals would have only been academic, plain and simple

 

[Dannyspur]

Eriksen did a job for the team tonight, but it also showed that he’s not really adept at being Modric-like deep lying creator. Much more effective in the final third.

I thought he was poor tonight - gave the ball away a lot and very lightweight in every challenge he nearly made.

 

[guiltyparty]

Our finishing is collectively appalling

Heard some suggestion their keeper had a good game. Every single shot was straight at him and he didn’t make a single save you wouldn’t expect him to make

We must have a bottom-half conversion percentage the amount of shots we take to score goals. So wasteful. Always comes back to bite us

 

[guiltyparty]

But he was causing their defence all sorts of problems with his pace and dribbling and Son was just bollocks.

Moura looks easy on the eye but has relatively little end product for a pretty much out and out attacker. Virtually never assists and bar one wonder finish this season his shooting is pretty pap. Unsurprising we scored two when he went off

He runs fast and can bob and weave but man of his talents should be doing a lot more with it tho. Spurs fans are easily pleased when it comes to attackers

People desperate for him to be great but you can already tell he’ll leave Spurs having been nothing more than OK, got it written all over him

 

[southlondonyiddo]

If it wasn't for the industry of Winks and the defending of especially Gazzaniga and Sanchez, Kane's two goals would have only been academic, plain and simple

Yes I get all that and of course your correct but the hardest and most important thing in football is sticking the ball in the net.

All the nasty boring stuff is ‘easy’ by comparison

 

[EastLondonYid]

Just shows how far Poch has taken us when its all doom and gloom with some on here after totally dominating and winning a CL game against the champions of Holland.....keep it real.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

On the back the performance was our best of the season, off it we continued to be disjointed. Less of an issue in this game where we have almost all of the ball, but as we have already been shown, good teams will expose this. In part it’s down to poor pressing from the players who used to lead it, and general poor form, but I would cite the inconsistency in personnel and formation as the main cause. Injuries have really hampered us this season. First it was the AMs, now they’re all fit it’s the CMs, while Vertonghen’s absence is just not good for anyone.

Individually there were some lovely moments, we deserved the win and there were a few nice relationships out there, but there needs to be better composure, better care of the ball and better better collective defending if we are to do what we need to escape this group.

Gazzaniga played well, he was alert to make the saves he needed to in a match where his involvement was limited and he showed composure under pressure on a few occasions.

Aurier was unremarkable for most of the match, defending relatively solidly, neat in possession, disciplined, but he was beaten a little easily more than once including in the build up to the corner from which we conceded. Not an error per se, but defeinitely lax defending in not pressuring his man. Also, absolute brain fart in letting the ball trickle out for a corner on another occasion.

Alderweireld was generally okay, some decent mopping up as ever, a few good psssess and won a lot in the air. Could’ve been better on the goal, after De Jong had lost Dele, Toby was the player with the most opportunity to stop De Jong but he was totally out leapt.

Sanchez was fine, little for him to do defensively, kept it simple passing out, used his pace well a couple of times.

Davies was solid enough defensively but going forward he found himself in several good positions only to waste the cross. The one great ball he did deliver won us the match.

Winks played pretty well, passing was on point and purposeful usually while he was industrious off the ball, albeit he needs to be more robust. Would be keen to continue this experiment of him at the base of a 3 even when the 3 bulldozers are fit again. Sumptuous pass should have been converted by Llorente.

Eriksen lacked. His psssing was off, he was sluggish when chasing, and the one glorious chance he had was wasted. This wasn't for many lack of effort, he just didn’t have it in him. Needs games to build up his fitness.

Dele played well, Gerrardesque in his ability to sometimes be part of the midfield 3, sometimes part of a front 2, and his drive was a big part of our dominance and the amount of chances we created. Should’ve scored one of his chances, unlucky not to with a beautiful flick and generally his radar was on point.

Lucas was the player worth watching, and while yes there needs to be something at the end of his dribbles, they sure are beautiful to watch and something we’ve lacked in the Pochettino era before him. Deserveda goal after his magnificent dribble up half the pitch, our best presser and the type of entertainer we need at this club.

Son wasinfusfrious but often clumsy and ran into blind alleys. He’s another struggling for rhythm or form, and it shows in his decision making, often selfish and unaware.

Kane’s touch was a bit off, hold up play and passing both inconsistent, but he’s scores goals and his sharpness in front of goal is invaluable. I don’t think he’s had many more difficult finishes than the first goal, digging the ball out amidst a swarm of defenders, while his second was fortuitous but deserved because it was him leading us all match. Loved his cool head and authority when we scored the first, not getting carried away.

Lamela was neat but largely ineffective and his decision making not at its best.

Trippier was largely ineffective but made one key defensive contribution and helped crank the pressure with early deliveries.

Llorente affected the game and go a simple assist, should have scored with his head and held the ball well high up the pitch to protect our lead.

 

[Japhet]

Gazzaniga - 7 - Making the most of his chances. Couple of good stops.
Aurier - 6 - Some nice bits but mostly OK.
Sanchez - 7.5 - Solid performance.
Toby - 6.5 - Mostly OK but not back to form yet.
Davies - 6.5 - Never ducks a challenge but wasteful going forward (apart from 1 cross)
Winks - 8.5 - Great stuff. Worked hard, fought hard and knitted it all together.
Eriksen - 6 - Meh. Mostly anonymous.
Moura - 8 - Caused havoc a few times but dropped off in 2nd half. Think he was hooked off a bit early though.
Dele - 7 - Good to have him back. Some clever stuff, some meh.
Son - 5.5 - Mostly poor and wasteful. Shocked when Moura went off first.
Kane - 7.5 - Bagged the goals but still looks like he's running in treacle.

Trippier - 5.5 - Given just enough time to give away a pointless free kick in a dangerous area. Seriously needs to wake up.
Lamela - 6.5 - Charged about but couldn't get into the game.
Llorente - 7 - Showed some nice touches and should have buried that header.

Winks MOM.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Gazzaniga - 7 - Making the most of his chances. Couple of good stops.
Aurier - 6 - Some nice bits but mostly OK.
Sanchez - 7.5 - Solid performance.
Toby - 6.5 - Mostly OK but not back to form yet.
Davies - 6.5 - Never ducks a challenge but wasteful going forward (apart from 1 cross)
Winks - 8.5 - Great stuff. Worked hard, fought hard and knitted it all together.
Eriksen - 6 - Meh. Mostly anonymous.
Moura - 8 - Caused havoc a few times but dropped off in 2nd half. Think he was hooked off a bit early though.
Dele - 7 - Good to have him back. Some clever stuff, some meh.
Son - 5.5 - Mostly poor and wasteful. Shocked when Moura went off first.
Kane - 7.5 - Bagged the goals but still looks like he's running in treacle.

Trippier - 5.5 - Given just enough time to give away a pointless free kick in a dangerous area. Seriously needs to wake up.
Lamela - 6.5 - Charged about but couldn't get into the game.
Llorente - 7 - Showed some nice touches and should have buried that header.

Winks MOM.

Harsh. I thought Son deserved a 5.6

 

[Spurs 1961]

Hard to decide who was MOTM we pressed hard but it mostly seemed we were huffing and puffing but unlikely to score. Kane looked the least likely to get a goal until Llorente came on and suddenly Kane stopped trying to be Modric and remembered what he does best.

A lot of decent performances that would have been good ones if we had not conceded such an early goal. All is made more dramatic and mistakes magnified when we are chasing games. I just feel we need a bit more composure at times. Without question though Dele, even if not fully fit, makes a difference and I look forward to seeing him back with Eriksen, Lamela and Kane all fit playing together.

So as many have said I will give the motm to Kane for doing what seemed impossible for nearly 80 mins, scoring!

 

[buckley]

Must agree with the Moura comments of guilty party Moura runs about like a loony mad dervish who is all arms and legs he looks so busy but the end product is nil ;nought; nothing

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Must agree with the Moura comments of guilty party Moura runs about like a loony mad dervish who is all arms and legs he looks so busy but the end product is nil ;nought; nothing

Apart from 4 league goals this season...

 

[buttons]

Birdie - Gazzaniga, Winks, Kane
Par - Moura, Davies, Sanchez, Toby, Dele, Son, Lamela, Llorente, Trippier
Bogey - Eriksen, Aurier

I plumped for Gazzaniga MOTM because he made two tremendous saves and his kicking and throwing was good and proactive. But Winks was very impressive considering he was all but alone in central midfield and Kane obviously had the telling contributions when they mattered most.

Eriksen looks very off the pace and Aurier was extremely frustrating to watch, even though I can't remember any blatant mistakes apart from the one he screened out for a corner to PSV.

All the luck we've been without for the first three games shone upon us for the winner. Hope we can use it to kick on and smash Inter to bits in three weeks.

If ever there was a passage of play that sums him up, that was it...!