Match Threads Spurs vs Leicester - Match Thread - Day 14

[SpursSince1980]

I see it as potentially season defining. Even more so now, after the Palace game. If we had won that, I feel like the Pool result was borderline irrelevant. So now, we bookend this six game maelstrom with the Foxes and for me, it is paramount for the squad’s confidence that we win. It also sends a signal to other teams. We gave Liverpool a game, that very easily could have flipped the other way. We beat Vardy and Co. I think it cements us as a force with staying power... and that does have a psychological impact on other teams. We lose, and that is 1 point out of 9. Blood in the water. We look vulnerable and ready for a full on wobble. We need teams to fear us. Losing this game will undue a lot of good work that we achieved so far. It also impacts the Stoke game too. We win on Sunday, I believe Tues will be a stroll. We lose, this looks like a banana skin.

Amazing, as we know how fragile confidence and form can be at this level.

Hence, I feel, much like the Palace game, this is season defining match that we have to win. Otherwise I’ve seen this Spurs film before and know there’s a very good chance we slide after a loss and it has a negative cascading impact on the rest of our season. Sorry to be a doom merchant, but as I said, I’ve seen this happen to not only us, but others too over the years.

Remember the season the Foxes won the league? With about nine or ten games to go we played that home and beat on their door for 88 mins. Horrible missed chances. World Class saves and last ditch blocks and some stupid decision making led to us not being able to score. They have one corner. One header. They win.

I truly believe, we beat them that day, and their wheels would have come off. Whether that means we would have gone on to win the league, who knows? But they were balancing on the fence at that juncture. We take the wind outta their sails, I don’t think it comes back quite the same way again. Such is the nature of football. Just ask Liverpool fans and Newcastle fans about their infamous season meltdowns.

Confidence is everything. Win this, and our fans know, our boys know, other fans know, other teams know, pundits will finally accept... whether they like it or not, we are a force to be reckoned with.

And there you have it.

This is Spurs this season.

Bummer.

 

[TheTanguy]

Disasterclass from start to finish. Need to play 10 times better and with much more intensity next week if we want to have any chance of getting a result at Wolves.

 

[Monkey boy]

There’s just not enough goals from other areas of the pitch. Central midfield has nothing. If the forwards don’t score we need to get lucky from a set piece. Ive said it for months. We need new central midfielders.

If only we’d spent £100m on 3 of the buggers in the last year.

 

[sebo_sek]

We have gone from being above Liverpool because of a healthy goal difference to them being 6 points in front of us with a healthy goal difference.
That’s it,over.

What's over exactly?

 

[dbspurs]

I think everyone needs to take a breath and realise that Jose has been here for a year and we have come a long way in that time.

Mostly we look difficult to beat and we have the tools up front to hurt any team.

It is still a work in progress and I believe it wont be until next season at the earliest that Jose has the players he needs to mount a title challenge.

I think he wants 2 top centre backs, another 2 centre midfielders and a right back.

Once he has them I believe he'll be able to fully implement his style of play and it will be easier on the eye.

 

[whitesocks]

Travelling within a tier 4 area
If you are Tottenham in a tier 4 area, you must stay in your own half. You must not leave your own half to travel unless for Son, Kane or other legally permitted counter-attacks. If you need to travel out of your own half you should stay near the centre spot - meaning avoiding travelling outside of your zone, position or the part of the penalty box where your team bus is parked - and look to reduce the number of forward runs you make overall.

- Puncrock, comment on guardian.

 

[dbspurs]

What's over exactly?

Nothing that any sane person believed could happen.

We can all dream but most of us were looking at top 4 and maybe a cup.

I predicted 7-12 this season so I'm pleasantly surprised to see us doing so well.

 

[spursfan77]

If only we’d spent £100m on 3 of the buggers in the last year.

Hojbjerg has been a good signing but for the money, the other two have a long way to go to prove they are worth what we paid for them. Especially when you compare then to Hojbjerg. An upgrade on sissoko in CM is an obvious one.

 

[Phil-spur99]

The things that still worries me is how many times this seasons does Jose say that the attitude of the players is not right. He has said this about PL and Europa League games. It could be him deflecting but it has been going on for a while, even in the end of the Poch reign, we often started games so slowly. There is still an issue there with a weak mentality. I don’t know why they don’t treat every game as a must win.

 

[Amo]

I have no issue whatsoever with the tactics. Against the big teams it's actually beautiful to watch. The issue is that we play like that from the first minute of every single match to the last. And if we concede we're fucked. They had us by the balls today and we were so lethargic that even 2-0 down we played like we're winning by miles.

 

[UbeAstard]

I have no issue whatsoever with the tactics. Against the big teams it's actually beautiful to watch. The issue is that we play like that from the first minute of every single match to the last. And if we concede we're fucked. They had us by the balls today and we were so lethargic that even 2-0 down we played like we're winning by miles.

Even against other counter attacking sides we are getting battered for possession. We have so little meaningful possession most games as we lose the ball so easily.

 

[DFF]

To be fair to them I thought Brendan Rodgers’ tactics were spot on in the first half. They played a medium block with no space between the lines for Kane to operate, and they pressed our midfield like crazy when we got the ball. We had no time or space to turn and do anything. Our counterattacks died before they even started.

That being said, I think we were ok at 0-0. I think we changed tactics too soon because of the penalty, and played into their hands in the second half.

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

We should be Bluto.

 

[Mr Pink]

I'm normally optimistic, but that was pathectic today.

Can accept the draw at Palace, where they battled admirably, can accept the defeat at Liverpool which we battled admirably - but lost, but that today was fucking bolllox from the first minute.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

The way we set up each game is not flexible and not difficult for managers to work out how to play against it. It needs our manager to play different styles for different teams, have a plan B. However I wonder if he can or actually wants to as he believes this system will work. The problem is that if there are a few more games like the last few then the players may get more frustrated and the edge may go from their play. I know many think it already has but to me it's the system not the players. The next half a dozen games will show us if the manager can be more flexible with our style of play and turn it round. I hope he does as I believe this squad is good enough to win something this season probably not the PL (need a couple more players for that) but a cup or two.

 

[Oh Teddy Teddy]

I'm normally optimistic, but that was pathectic today.

Can accept the draw at Palace, where they battled admirably, can accept the defeat at Liverpool which we battled admirably - but lost, but that today was fucking bolllox from the first minute.

Spot on. We were outfought today from minute one. Even before the penalty they were comfortably first to every loose ball and looked the more likely. Once it was 1-0, we never looked to be in it.

 

[rossdapep]

To be fair to them I thought Brendan Rodgers’ tactics were spot on in the first half. They played a medium block with no space between the lines for Kane to operate, and they pressed our midfield like crazy when we got the ball. We had no time or space to turn and do anything. Our counterattacks died before they even started.

That being said, I think we were ok at 0-0. I think we changed tactics too soon because of the penalty, and played into their hands in the second half.

Yeah, I guess he did. Although, Jose said he adapted and we did start to get at them a bit more and find better situations. Unfortunately, Aurier doing what he did meant that we never got to see if the change were working for more than just that short period. Ndombele getting hooked and then Lo Celso going off injured pretty much killed any chance we had of being able to be a bit more patient or construct attacks in all areas.

After that we had nothing to give centrally and ended up with 5 attackers on the pitch with no-one to actually provide the guile, just Sissoko at RWB and Reguillon at LWB.

One thing United have is central options, their defence sucks and there attack is a bit hit and miss but with Van De Beek, Fernandes, Pogba, McTominay, Matic, Fred - you have loads of options to mix things up. Ole has started games and got it wrong with United going behind, but he has the ability to remove two midfielders and give something different, change the approach to confuse defences.

Not even gunna mention Liverpool who have about 8 MFs, and now have Curtis Jones to add to Thiago.

We have;
Lo Celso, who keeps getting injuries and is better further forward
Ndombele, who has the tools bar his mentality to really dominate games, he's also a bit of a wimp and he feels any contact.
Sissoko, who is not fit for purpose against the teams you need to take the initiative against.
Winks, who is not athletic or creative enough.
Hojbjerg, who is absolutely superb at what he does.

It's simply not enough options. If we are to improve we need reinforcements here.
Get Skipp back next year and replace Sissoko/Winks, add Sabitzer and go get a dominant box-to-box MF.

It's important to note that all of Jose's best teams had a superb group of MFs. It has to be our area of focus.

 

[Mr Pink]

Spot on. We were outfought today from minute one. Even before the penalty they were comfortably first to every loose ball and looked the more likely. Once it was 1-0, we never looked to be in it.

Yeah and even worse mate they didnt have to compete that hard, was very easy for them.

Absolute fuck all desire from us today. Worrying going forward. I was really optimistic before today, now I'm not sure we'll compete for top 4 after that.

 

[Japhet]

Spot on. We were outfought today from minute one. Even before the penalty they were comfortably first to every loose ball and looked the more likely. Once it was 1-0, we never looked to be in it.

A common theme in a load of our games. We are easily out-fought.

 

[Who’s our next manager?]

I think everyone needs to take a breath and realise that Jose has been here for a year and we have come a long way in that time.

Mostly we look difficult to beat and we have the tools up front to hurt any team.

It is still a work in progress and I believe it wont be until next season at the earliest that Jose has the players he needs to mount a title challenge.

I think he wants 2 top centre backs, another 2 centre midfielders and a right back.

Once he has them I believe he'll be able to fully implement his style of play and it will be easier on the eye.

With those players coming in it will mean being even better defensively