Match Threads Spurs vs Borussia Dortmund - Match Thread

[worcestersauce]

Whatever Dortmunds scoring ability is it isn't matched by their defending ability, yes they scored three goals at the weekend but they also let in three didn't they.
I f we go out to just kick the ball around and take it easy we will have a problem but we won't do that so we won't have a problem, this tie is over we are in the hat for the quarters.

 

[Singayid]

If an equally good team as Tottenham had a 3-0 lead over an equally good team as Dortmund then I'd say game over. But if you've spent any time following Tottenham you should know by now that if there is any possible way to fuck things up, this team will find it somehow. Why? Spursy, that's why.

• 10 point lead over our rivals for Champions League at the end of February? Europa League. Spursy.
  
  
• Only have to draw with already relegated Newcastle who are down to 10 men in order to finish above Arsenal? 5-1 defeat. Spursy.
  
  
• 26 minutes of the second leg against Juve remaining, 1-0 up on the night with two away goals in the bank, at home and dominating. Crash out. Spursy.
  
  
• Five wins on the bounch, overtaken Man City, 1-0 up with 18 minutes to go at home to Wolves. 3-1 defeat. Spursy.
  
  
• 3-0 win in the first leg against Inter Milan. 4-1 away defeat after extra time, got the away goal to luckily get away with that one, same thing in the cup semi against Burnley.

Lasagnagate, those two 3-0 half time leads against the Manchester clubs...the list goes on.

NEVER not underestimate the power of Tottenham Hotspur to go full Spursy. Doesn't matter who the players or manager are, it's in our DNA. It's ALWAYS a risk.

If we get an away goal then I'll relax and enjoy the game. But it's perfectly plausible that they could beat us 3-0 at home. They've done so under Pochettino, after all.

I mean this in the nicest way @SUIYHA

SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!! ?

 

[slartibartfast]

Reasons to be cheerful. One, two, three.

 

[Fidget]

Got a few sceptical ratings for this view. @Fidget @gp13tot @Giovanni @jonnyrotten

What do peeps think is going to happen in the second leg?

There is no way we should not be going through against an all-out attacking team like this who will have to come at us bonkers nuts from the off.

They already play super open.

We should be setting up a tactical 11 to neutralise their game and counter hard and fast.

Losing this this tie would take immense incompetence.

nothing is ever ‘over’ till it is won.

 

[Fidget]

Surprised people are so pessimistic tbh.

Wide open games are always in our favour imo.

BD will have no option but to come out the blocks right at us and they won't be holding back.

Should have Harry and Dele back in the squad.

I fully expect us to nick a couple goals.

it’s not pessimism. it is not over and if D get an early one it will boost them. i believe we will do it and that we should be very optimistic but trying to get an away goal is what can seal it easy for us.

 

[JimmyG2]

nothing is ever ‘over’ till it is won.

I think the fat lady
has cleared her throat.

 

[JCRD]

it’s not pessimism. it is not over and if D get an early one it will boost them. i believe we will do it and that we should be very optimistic but trying to get an away goal is what can seal it easy for us.

We will need a goal and the worst thing we could do is try to defend it out - they get a goal then we get nervy then who the fuck knows...

 

[CoopsieDeadpool]

nothing is ever ‘over’ till it is won.

So it carries on if you lose?

 

[slartibartfast]

Cant believe the pessimism. We are too good a team these days to go fk up a 3.0 lead tp get to the quarter finals of the CL.
If we fk that up we dont even deserve to be in it let alone get to the quarters.
I can see a draw or Spurs win.
We are better than them by some way imo.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

We won't go flying out of the traps to nick a 4th goal and we won't put 10 men behind the ball. Pochettino will demand a balanced team performance, defending from the front to try to apply pressure and make chances, but also defending in depth to protect our lead.

The key will be midfield control. There's a fair amount of evidence that Dortmund have a habit of fading late in matches. If we can keep the ball and make them run, defend calmly and competently for the first 50-60 minutes and have at least a 2-goal lead with a half hour left, there will be good chances to score a 4th and kill the tie.

But the point is that Pochettino will take a balanced attacking/defending approach.

 

[chinaman]

Cant believe the pessimism. We are too good a team these days to go fk up a 3.0 lead tp get to the quarter finals of the CL.
If we fk that up we dont even deserve to be in it let alone get to the quarters.
I can see a draw or Spurs win.
We are better than them by some way imo.

Agree with that. If we really fuck that up, I think we'll wobble in the league as well from the resultant shock.

 

[rez9000]

My mentality would be a great thing for the players and management to have. "Stay on your fucking guard and finish the job" would have been useful mindset to have instead of the "done deal" bollocks they turned up with when they lost 5-1 to 10 man Newcastle when we only needed a point.



Dortmund away is a much tougher game than any of those you mentioned except Barca. And no, he has not "eradicated this mentaltiy", despite the improvements we are still prone to a fuck up even this season under this manager in this competition, as the examples I gave plus the Inter and PSV games from earlier in the season showed.



You're misunderstanding the point.

I've been delighted with the progress of the team to have got this far. I think people went way overboard in their criticism of Levy, the players and our chances of success this season and I was over the moon with Wednesday's result.

But in a competition that has recently seen that Roma V Barca turnaround, the Barca V PSG one from the year before, and the overall history of Spursy even under current players and management - I have to say that anyone who thinks this is already a done deal and that Dortmund 3-0 Tottenham is not a possible result is extremely naive.

I think I see where you're coming from, SUIYHA. I do. But perhaps it's not what you mean, but how you've said what you've said (or perhaps not, I don't know) that is the problem.

What you've said isn't a warning, it's a critique. Essentially I took what you said to mean that there are inherent things that are immutable in Spurs and will never go away.

But as @easley91 and @Shadydan have said, these things aren't immutable and are fuelled by the fans' attitude. I actually said this many years ago on this very forum - that we didn't believe enough - and had the piss ripped out of me for it. I get a strong feeling of gratification now that our world-class manager says the same thing. And I believe it to be as true now as I did then.

It's doubtless that there are some particular traits that are more prominent in our fanbase (as there will be traits that run through other club's fanbases too) based on our history. I'd say that our more recent history before Poch has seen us begin to hope and then see that hope dashed. So many of us can be very pessimistic. That pessimism, I believe, can be transmitted to the players from the stands.

But that isn't something inherent to the club. It's just an attitude that the fans have. And it's something that can be changed. But it requires belief. It requires us to think that we, as a club, are winners. A winner isn't someone that feels entitled to the win and, contrary to popular belief, isn't the same as someone who has won things. It's an attitude, it's a belief that one has the resources to win. And I think that under Poch, the players do feel that. I have no doubt that Poch himself does. So it's time we did too.

A major part of that is not to look at past failures and think those things are inherent to the club. The past is the past. If losing under pressure was inherent to Spurs, then how does one account for the two League titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, two UEFA Cups, and one Cup Winners Cup? If a tendency to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is woven into the fabric of the club, we wouldn't have won anything.

Therefore, even if recent history has seen us drop the ball on occasion, that doesn't mean it's a part of our makeup. Nor does it mean we should believe that it will always happen. All it takes is belief.

 

[Yid-ol]

We won't go flying out of the traps to nick a 4th goal and we won't put 10 men behind the ball. Pochettino will demand a balanced team performance, defending from the front to try to apply pressure and make chances, but also defending in depth to protect our lead.

The key will be midfield control. There's a fair amount of evidence that Dortmund have a habit of fading late in matches. If we can keep the ball and make them run, defend calmly and competently for the first 50-60 minutes and have at least a 2-goal lead with a half hour left, there will be good chances to score a 4th and kill the tie.

But the point is that Pochettino will take a balanced attacking/defending approach.

Half expect us to sit a bit deeper and play Moura and Son and play on the counter. They will have to come out the traps to us and might leave gaps for us to run into.

 

[ajspurs]

Strange how being 3-0 up makes me more scared than if we were holding a 1-0 scoreline. It's just hard to predict without seeing the opening 5-10 minutes and seeing the pattern of the game. We've seen us concede poor early goals in a lot of big matches and doing so again would most certainly have Spurs fan fearing.

Hopefully we can get the first goal and put any worries to bed.

 

[JCRD]

Cant believe the pessimism. We are too good a team these days to go fk up a 3.0 lead tp get to the quarter finals of the CL.
If we fk that up we dont even deserve to be in it let alone get to the quarters.
I can see a draw or Spurs win.
We are better than them by some way imo.

If we lose

You best run

 

[slartibartfast]

If we lose

You best run

As long as we ront lose by 3.0 or more then who cares.
Can you see that happening given what we just watched because I cant.

 

[fletch82]

As long as we ront lose by 3.0 or more then who cares.
Can you see that happening given what we just watched because I cant.

Raggy ??

 

[swarvsta]

I think we know Poch will get the players mentality right for the 2nd leg. We know we have barely ever lost by 3 or more goals under Poch. Being 3 up away from home SHOULD play into our hands perfectly.

HOWEVER, the game is far from done. Dortmund are fantastic at home and the crowd will be electric, no doubt. I am sure they will be thinking that if they can get in at half time with a 1 or 2 nil lead, the pressure will be massive on us.

The good news is we know we can score against them. Their defending isn’t that good. We just have to back ourselves to score out there and not be negative.

I have faith in our boys either way.

 

[JCRD]

As long as we ront lose by 3.0 or more then who cares.
Can you see that happening given what we just watched because I cant.

oh i dont care if we lose 2 - 0... although unless they score the second in the 94th minute then im watching the remainder on the toilet.

In all honesty I can see it happen having said that i think we will score and cant see them scoring five... if they keep a clean sheet against us then things can happen...

We scored three goals - why cant they?

 

[Blackrat1299]

Why do people keep going back to the past to try and make a point? It was a different era, different manager, different mentality and different players. We now play to the end, the players have grade 1 steel running through their veins and they have a never say die attitude. We play a much better style of football, so much more flexible in what they can do. COYS