Came from COYS, poster called Bankrupt.
Interesting read....
Does anyone know if the comments about Clive Allen are an accurate reflection?? I was surprised to read that...
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Tottenham 3-0 Sheffield United
Line up/formation (ages in brackets)
--------------------------Jansson (17)--------------------------
--Smith (17)---Butcher (17)---Caulker (16)---Cox (18)--
Parrett (17)--Bostock (16)--Kasim (17)--Townsend (17)
-----------------Mason (17)---------Obika (18)---------------
Subs: Butler (16), Ekim (17), Mpuku (16), Byrne (16), Oyenuga (15)
Scorers: Obika x3
The Game
Spurs lined up in a standard 4-4-2 formation, with Jonathan Obika as main striker and Ryan Mason dropping deeper. In midfield, Yaser Kasim was the holding player, and Dean Parrett played wide right to accommodate John Bostock in the middle. Steven Caulker was captain until he was withdrawn with a thigh injury, and Calum Butcher took over the responsibility.
From the very first minute, it was pretty clear that Spurs were the vastly superior side. The only surprise was that it took them so long to kill the game off having taken the lead. Sheffield United managed few chances, and were mostly mere spectators, like the rest of us, to Spurs’ impressive, cultured display. Most of the attacking threat for Spurs came from the right flank, particularly in the first half, where the excellent Adam Smith was causing United all sorts of problems on the overlap. Attacking play on the opposite flank was less impressive, with Townsend struggling to get involved, and Sam Cox not really contributing much offensively. In the centre, for all Bostock’s impressive work, it was Kasim and Mason coming deep who provided the more telling creative passes. Ultimately, Spurs’ superiority paid off - five times Obika found himself through on goal, and three times he finished smartly, wrapping up a hat trick and the victory.
Another impressive result for Alex Inglethorpe’s side, and the coach must take some credit for the style and organisation he manages to achieve with these players. His team play a slick, short passing game, with the ball on the ground and a reliance on good combination play to open teams up. Much like reserve boss Clive Allen, Inglethorpe doesn’t seem to be a particularly vocal coach on the sidelines, but unlike Allen, he has his side playing a very well structured and organised system in which players know their roles and responsibilities, and is clear in his instructions to the players when he does intervene.
Inglethorpe first impressed me whilst he was managing Exeter City, and I was delighted (and quite surprised) when he joined Spurs to manage the youth team. He continues to impress me, and I suspect he is on the verge of delivering the best crop of academy players in recent memory to the reserves. As such, he should be rewarded, in my opinion, by graduating with his players and succeeding Clive Allen as reserve manager, thus allowing him to continue his role in the development of this group of players.
The Players
The two strikers, fresh from their first team debuts, will have been of interest to many. Obika obviously bagged a hat trick, but also missed another two clear chances. As I’ve said before, though strong and quick, he looks awkward at times, and his all round game probably needs major improvement before he can be considered a serious prospect. Having said that, his progression over the past six months seems to me to have been massive, and if he can continue to develop at that kind of rate, he may have a chance.
Mason looks a bright, intelligent player. His technique is pretty good, he’s quick with the ball at his feet, and has good vision and awareness. On this occasion he didn’t really provide a threat on goal, save one well worked shot from distance, due to his deeper role, but some of his approach work was impressive. He does need to bulk up considerably though - his thighs are probably the same size as Bostock’s biceps - before he can make an impact at a higher level.
The two most hyped players in this group are Bostock and Parrett. In Parrett’s case, it was a game to forget. He struggled to get involved playing wide right, and his pass selection and general decision making was clearly below the level of some of his team mates’. I have to say, I couldn’t really see any particular aspect of his game that would explain why he is so highly rated. His technique was decent enough, but I wouldn’t say it stands above the general level of the team, and neither his passing or work on the ball was impressive on this occasion.
Bostock put in a positive performance. His technique, ability and confidence on the ball are very impressive, although there is a danger of him over complicating at times. As encouraging as his game was, it has to be said that very little of his play lead to much by way of end product. He completely dominates opponents physically at this level, and to some extent that makes him harder to judge as a player, because once he steps up to the first team, that advantage will largely disappear. Still, he’s quite clearly a big prospect (in both senses), and barring some ‘off the rails’ deviance from his current path, will almost certainly become a Premier League level player in the future.
Both midfield ‘wonderkids’ were upstaged by Kasim, whose performance was hugely impressive. His passing was excellent, off either foot, short and long. On a couple of occasions, he took the ball smartly on to his left foot and lofted an inch perfect through ball for the forwards. Defensively, he looked quite good also - strong in the tackle, and aware of threats around him. I would like to see him properly tested against a stronger opposition first, but he certainly seems the kind of cultured, dictating holding midfielder that has been lacking in the reserve group (and arguably first team) for some time.
Spurs’ best performer on the night was another player who has had a taste of first team football - right back Adam Smith. He’s very impressive going forward - his runs are well timed, he has sufficient skill and pace to get past players in the final third, and his end product is generally good. He’s comfortable attacking his opponent on the outside, or bringing the ball inside and breaking directly toward goal. As I’ve said before, if he can improve defensively and become physically stronger, I can see a path to more first team involvement for him, even though there is depth in his position at the moment.
Of the rest of the back four, central defenders Caulker and Butcher looked an impressive partnership. They are pretty much the classic English centre back pairing, with Caulker the strong, quick, dominant presence, and Butcher the sweeping, anticipatory, reader of danger. Caulker, particularly is the perfect build for his position - tall, strong but not so big that his mobility is restricted.
In goal, Oscar Jansson had a relatively quiet game, but his handling, when required, was immaculate, and he was very quick to take responsibility by coming off his line, either on crossed balls/set pieces or to sweep up through balls. It’s easy to see why he has been fast tracked to first team duty.
Belgian summer signing from Standard Liege, Paul-Jose M'puku, also made an appearance from the bench, and looked bright - creating the third goal for Obika, and showing some decent technique on the ball.
The Ratings
Jansson - 74% - Performed all that was required of him with a degree of class.
Smith - 86% - Excellent going forward, which had his opponents resorting to dubious methods to try and stop him.
Butcher - 71% - A few impressive tackles and interventions.
Caulker - 73% - Dominant in the air and physically strong.
Cox - 62% - Struggled to provide any attacking contribution.
Parret - 54% - When he did see the ball, his play and decision making were not great.
Bostock - 76% - Showed plenty of skill and dominance of opponents without actually creating much.
Kasim - 82% - Superb passing at times and a decent defensive shift as well.
Townsend - 63% - Quick and direct, but wasn’t involved enough.
Mason - 72% - Some smart play, but really needed to be involved further forward.
Obika - 84% - Always looked a threat when on the last man and could, perhaps should, have scored more
Interesting read....
Does anyone know if the comments about Clive Allen are an accurate reflection?? I was surprised to read that...
- - - - - - - - - - -
Tottenham 3-0 Sheffield United
Line up/formation (ages in brackets)
--------------------------Jansson (17)--------------------------
--Smith (17)---Butcher (17)---Caulker (16)---Cox (18)--
Parrett (17)--Bostock (16)--Kasim (17)--Townsend (17)
-----------------Mason (17)---------Obika (18)---------------
Subs: Butler (16), Ekim (17), Mpuku (16), Byrne (16), Oyenuga (15)
Scorers: Obika x3
The Game
Spurs lined up in a standard 4-4-2 formation, with Jonathan Obika as main striker and Ryan Mason dropping deeper. In midfield, Yaser Kasim was the holding player, and Dean Parrett played wide right to accommodate John Bostock in the middle. Steven Caulker was captain until he was withdrawn with a thigh injury, and Calum Butcher took over the responsibility.
From the very first minute, it was pretty clear that Spurs were the vastly superior side. The only surprise was that it took them so long to kill the game off having taken the lead. Sheffield United managed few chances, and were mostly mere spectators, like the rest of us, to Spurs’ impressive, cultured display. Most of the attacking threat for Spurs came from the right flank, particularly in the first half, where the excellent Adam Smith was causing United all sorts of problems on the overlap. Attacking play on the opposite flank was less impressive, with Townsend struggling to get involved, and Sam Cox not really contributing much offensively. In the centre, for all Bostock’s impressive work, it was Kasim and Mason coming deep who provided the more telling creative passes. Ultimately, Spurs’ superiority paid off - five times Obika found himself through on goal, and three times he finished smartly, wrapping up a hat trick and the victory.
Another impressive result for Alex Inglethorpe’s side, and the coach must take some credit for the style and organisation he manages to achieve with these players. His team play a slick, short passing game, with the ball on the ground and a reliance on good combination play to open teams up. Much like reserve boss Clive Allen, Inglethorpe doesn’t seem to be a particularly vocal coach on the sidelines, but unlike Allen, he has his side playing a very well structured and organised system in which players know their roles and responsibilities, and is clear in his instructions to the players when he does intervene.
Inglethorpe first impressed me whilst he was managing Exeter City, and I was delighted (and quite surprised) when he joined Spurs to manage the youth team. He continues to impress me, and I suspect he is on the verge of delivering the best crop of academy players in recent memory to the reserves. As such, he should be rewarded, in my opinion, by graduating with his players and succeeding Clive Allen as reserve manager, thus allowing him to continue his role in the development of this group of players.
The Players
The two strikers, fresh from their first team debuts, will have been of interest to many. Obika obviously bagged a hat trick, but also missed another two clear chances. As I’ve said before, though strong and quick, he looks awkward at times, and his all round game probably needs major improvement before he can be considered a serious prospect. Having said that, his progression over the past six months seems to me to have been massive, and if he can continue to develop at that kind of rate, he may have a chance.
Mason looks a bright, intelligent player. His technique is pretty good, he’s quick with the ball at his feet, and has good vision and awareness. On this occasion he didn’t really provide a threat on goal, save one well worked shot from distance, due to his deeper role, but some of his approach work was impressive. He does need to bulk up considerably though - his thighs are probably the same size as Bostock’s biceps - before he can make an impact at a higher level.
The two most hyped players in this group are Bostock and Parrett. In Parrett’s case, it was a game to forget. He struggled to get involved playing wide right, and his pass selection and general decision making was clearly below the level of some of his team mates’. I have to say, I couldn’t really see any particular aspect of his game that would explain why he is so highly rated. His technique was decent enough, but I wouldn’t say it stands above the general level of the team, and neither his passing or work on the ball was impressive on this occasion.
Bostock put in a positive performance. His technique, ability and confidence on the ball are very impressive, although there is a danger of him over complicating at times. As encouraging as his game was, it has to be said that very little of his play lead to much by way of end product. He completely dominates opponents physically at this level, and to some extent that makes him harder to judge as a player, because once he steps up to the first team, that advantage will largely disappear. Still, he’s quite clearly a big prospect (in both senses), and barring some ‘off the rails’ deviance from his current path, will almost certainly become a Premier League level player in the future.
Both midfield ‘wonderkids’ were upstaged by Kasim, whose performance was hugely impressive. His passing was excellent, off either foot, short and long. On a couple of occasions, he took the ball smartly on to his left foot and lofted an inch perfect through ball for the forwards. Defensively, he looked quite good also - strong in the tackle, and aware of threats around him. I would like to see him properly tested against a stronger opposition first, but he certainly seems the kind of cultured, dictating holding midfielder that has been lacking in the reserve group (and arguably first team) for some time.
Spurs’ best performer on the night was another player who has had a taste of first team football - right back Adam Smith. He’s very impressive going forward - his runs are well timed, he has sufficient skill and pace to get past players in the final third, and his end product is generally good. He’s comfortable attacking his opponent on the outside, or bringing the ball inside and breaking directly toward goal. As I’ve said before, if he can improve defensively and become physically stronger, I can see a path to more first team involvement for him, even though there is depth in his position at the moment.
Of the rest of the back four, central defenders Caulker and Butcher looked an impressive partnership. They are pretty much the classic English centre back pairing, with Caulker the strong, quick, dominant presence, and Butcher the sweeping, anticipatory, reader of danger. Caulker, particularly is the perfect build for his position - tall, strong but not so big that his mobility is restricted.
In goal, Oscar Jansson had a relatively quiet game, but his handling, when required, was immaculate, and he was very quick to take responsibility by coming off his line, either on crossed balls/set pieces or to sweep up through balls. It’s easy to see why he has been fast tracked to first team duty.
Belgian summer signing from Standard Liege, Paul-Jose M'puku, also made an appearance from the bench, and looked bright - creating the third goal for Obika, and showing some decent technique on the ball.
The Ratings
Jansson - 74% - Performed all that was required of him with a degree of class.
Smith - 86% - Excellent going forward, which had his opponents resorting to dubious methods to try and stop him.
Butcher - 71% - A few impressive tackles and interventions.
Caulker - 73% - Dominant in the air and physically strong.
Cox - 62% - Struggled to provide any attacking contribution.
Parret - 54% - When he did see the ball, his play and decision making were not great.
Bostock - 76% - Showed plenty of skill and dominance of opponents without actually creating much.
Kasim - 82% - Superb passing at times and a decent defensive shift as well.
Townsend - 63% - Quick and direct, but wasn’t involved enough.
Mason - 72% - Some smart play, but really needed to be involved further forward.
Obika - 84% - Always looked a threat when on the last man and could, perhaps should, have scored more
