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Match Threads FK Crvena Zvezda vs Spurs - Match Thread

Match Prediction

  • Spurs to Win

    Votes: 82 52.9%
  • Spur to Lose

    Votes: 38 24.5%
  • Score Draw

    Votes: 34 21.9%
  • Goal-less Draw

    Votes: 1 0.6%

  • Total voters
    155
  • Poll closed .

Hugh DeMann

Well-Known Member
Dec 14, 2010
203
348
As I said above, it's not just about the quality of the opposition, it's about their style of play. Crvena Zvezda's midfield was made for us to have for breakfast. They don't press and they don't retain the ball well.

I get what you're saying but Liverpool lost here a year ago.

Every game is about a team playing well and the other underperforming to a degree (often the media focus on one side only) but I think we can take positives from tonight.
 

TottTommy

Active Member
Jun 29, 2019
126
248
BBC:
During his 86 minutes on the pitch, Lo Celso touched the ball more times (102) and made more tackles (five) than any other player on the pitch, while he won the ball back eight times. He made 79 passes with an accuracy of 90%.
 

jolsnogross

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2005
3,730
5,431
We can't get carried away with one result and performance, but I think there's some green shoots of recovery if Poch sticks with the attacking part of this 4231 at least. Persisting with Dele in the #10 role is fine with me. If he gets back at it, we'll be a different beast. Lo Celso and Son either side, with Kane up front.....this is the way forward in my book and there are plenty of options from the bench.

That approach would also cement Ndombele and Sissoko as the central two and I'm fine with that. It means we're playing our two 50M+ signings regularly. And Winks will get plenty of game time and offers something different from the bench or against certain types of teams.

At the back, the inclusion of Dier at centre-half was relatively new and seemed to work out. I'm not gone on the idea of Foyth at right back, but it's an improvement on Aurier. A competent back four will do for now if we get some vim and vigour going again in the attacking areas.

Barring injury, I'd love to see the same front 6 again against Sheffield Utd at the weekend.
 

worcestersauce

"I'm no optimist I'm just a prisoner of hope
Jan 23, 2006
26,895
45,044
BBC:
During his 86 minutes on the pitch, Lo Celso touched the ball more times (102) and made more tackles (five) than any other player on the pitch, while he won the ball back eight times. He made 79 passes with an accuracy of 90%.
Most importantly he got better as the game went on, he grew into it and the players around him gradually tuned into his rythm. Early doors they weren't reading him as they were at the end where they were aware of where he'd be.
Thought it funny that the commentator began by calling him Les also but even he got there in the end.
 

RikkiRocket

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2015
1,605
3,277
Looking at the players body language on the whole we might be about to turn a corner, we seem to be getting used to the chopping and changing of players & tactics which means we don't have a best 11 where an injury would weaken us, instead, we have a really strong squad.
Harry Kanes passing (for those old enough ) remind me of Johnny Haynes. sublime

His finishing last night tho was Postiga esque?
 

Gbspurs

Gatekeeper for debates, King of the plonkers
Jan 27, 2011
26,946
61,828
Ndombele is a superb player, his twists his turns, his eye for a pass and the ability to make the pass. He can even tackle and intercept.

This man got everything.

This man can get to the top.

His through balls are exceptional, they are so unpredictable and he doesn't seem to telegraph them at all. The only downside is that unpredictability means our players don't realise they are coming either but once they have had enough game time with him to know what's coming this is going to be a huge tool.
 

Wig

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2018
2,813
11,080
Very much agree on his ability, but he has to learn to do his twists and turns in the right areas of the pitch. He got caught out badly on our defensive line and Red Star should have scored. Of course I'm glad they didn't, just trying to illustrate he'd be better served doing the fancy stuff in the other half. He's going to be a top player
 

stevenurse

Palacios' neck fat
May 14, 2007
6,089
10,022
BBC:
During his 86 minutes on the pitch, Lo Celso touched the ball more times (102) and made more tackles (five) than any other player on the pitch, while he won the ball back eight times. He made 79 passes with an accuracy of 90%.

He could quite easily be our Bernado Silva. Looks like the player we thought Lamela would be
 

Wig

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2018
2,813
11,080
Night and day compared to Eriksen's stats on the weekend
BBC:
During his 86 minutes on the pitch, Lo Celso touched the ball more times (102) and made more tackles (five) than any other player on the pitch, while he won the ball back eight times. He made 79 passes with an accuracy of 90%.
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
15,980
48,500
OK, it was a good performance away from home, with a couple of lovely goals.

But seriously, in their sweeping comments about team selection, people are not factoring in the quality and, more importantly, the style of the opposition. Red Star have a loose midfield that doesn't press and leaves opponents plenty of space. We eviscerate teams who play like that on a routine basis. Their defence is OK, but their midfield can't keep the ball under pressure.

The problem with this thread is that people are extrapolating from the performances of Lo Celso, Foyth, Ndombele and Sessegnon against this opposition and comparing it to the recent substandard performances of Eriksen, Winks and [opposite side] Aurier against Premiership sides. (For the hundredth time) that ignores the time it takes for new players to get used to the pace and physicality of English football.

Ndombele is getting there after a few months, but Lo Celso has scarcely had any exposure. Concluding that we should immediately replace Eriksen and Winks with Lo Celso and Ndombele against Sheffield United is just simplistic. They've just played 90 minutes in another country. If we were to do that, not only would we be throwing two players without much Premiership experience into starts on a few days' notice, we would also inevitably see a flurry of angry posts here, when they do not replicate their performances against English opposition.

It's not the same kind of football. They can't be expected just to slot in, especially as Lo Celso has been absent with injury for most of the season. It would be great if we could bench the out-of-focus Eriksen in the near future. Despite his goal this evening, he still passed inattentively to the opposition. But it's still an invalid and misleading conclusion that Lo Celso would be a better bet against Sheffield United and subsequent Premiership opponents.

People keep applying what we achieved against Red Star to domestic football and it's bollocks. Red Star's approach is tailor-made for us. That's why their vaunted home record counted for nothing this evening. They have a weak midfield that gives us too much space. Premiership teams form a disciplined low block, fight for possession in midfield, close down and press. It's not an equivalent game and our new players need to get used to it before they become regular starters.

Bang on.when Winks, Aurier and Toby start instead of NDombele, Foyth and Dier at the weekend we’ll still get post upon post of whinging though.
 

easley91

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
18,721
53,768
Do people not realise the home record of Red Star? They very rarely concede or lose in Europe at home. Even the eventual winners lost there a year ago to the day without scoring. So, for a team who hasn't won away in any competition since May at Ajax and one seriously struggling for confidence, to do so in what is famously a very hostile environment is very positive. Say what you want about their quality on the day, but we smashed them in their backyard regardless as a clinical side should. You only beat who is in front of you and let's be honest, we haven't really been beating anyone anyway so any win will do at the moment.
 

muppetman

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2011
8,901
24,817
Do people not realise the home record of Red Star? They very rarely concede or lose in Europe at home. Even the eventual winners lost there a year ago to the day without scoring. So, for a team who hasn't won away in any competition since May at Ajax and one seriously struggling for confidence, to do so in what is famously a very hostile environment is very positive. Say what you want about their quality on the day, but we smashed them in their backyard regardless as a clinical side should. You only beat who is in front of you and let's be honest, we haven't really been beating anyone anyway so any win will do at the moment.
I hear what you're saying and I'm happy to take any positives I can get at the moment but I thought Red Star were (ironically) scared of getting another smashing and so sat back and let us have the ball. This then gave us confidence to play and have a go at them - it also helped that when they did get through on our goal they fluffed their lines. they could easily have had two that I can recall of the top of my head.

I'm very pleased with some of what Ndombele offers and Lo Celso was clearly a highlight but we very much look a work in progress. This is of course a significant step up from where we've been the last few weeks!
 

walton

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2006
3,162
4,963
We can't get carried away with one result and performance, but I think there's some green shoots of recovery if Poch sticks with the attacking part of this 4231 at least. Persisting with Dele in the #10 role is fine with me. If he gets back at it, we'll be a different beast. Lo Celso and Son either side, with Kane up front.....this is the way forward in my book and there are plenty of options from the bench.

That approach would also cement Ndombele and Sissoko as the central two and I'm fine with that. It means we're playing our two 50M+ signings regularly. And Winks will get plenty of game time and offers something different from the bench or against certain types of teams.

At the back, the inclusion of Dier at centre-half was relatively new and seemed to work out. I'm not gone on the idea of Foyth at right back, but it's an improvement on Aurier. A competent back four will do for now if we get some vim and vigour going again in the attacking areas.

Barring injury, I'd love to see the same front 6 again against Sheffield Utd at the weekend.

Yep, definite green shoots. Really impressed with Ndombele; he adds much needed drive and intent to our MF, with good end product. GLC an obvious plus, but the form of Kane, Son, and Dele also very encouraging. Defensively we’re far more suspect, and I’m concerned at how little Sanchez has developed given the potential he showed early on.

Would also like to see Lucas involved a bit more please Poch
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
As I said above, it's not just about the quality of the opposition, it's about their style of play. Crvena Zvezda's midfield was made for us to have for breakfast. They don't press and they don't retain the ball well.
So Colchester, Watford and Brighton do retain the ball well?
Ok.
Personally I think its more to do with the fact we had 11 players actially trying and not 3 or 4 who couldnt give a shit.
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
Bang on.when Winks, Aurier and Toby start instead of NDombele, Foyth and Dier at the weekend we’ll still get post upon post of whinging though.
Yes because we look utter fuckin dog shit with them on the pitch!
Christ we cant beat a fkin egg with these guys playing. Nobody.
And when we drop them we look better.
Yes the opposition were shite but we've been losing against shite.
I really dont get what you're trying to say.
People are wrong to moan about Eriksen, Aurier, Rose etc because they'renot the problem???
Have to disagree then.
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
15,980
48,500
Yes because we look utter fuckin dog shit with them on the pitch!
Christ we cant beat a fkin egg with these guys playing. Nobody.
And when we drop them we look better.
Yes the opposition were shite but we've been losing against shite.
I really dont get what you're trying to say.
People are wrong to moan about Eriksen, Aurier, Rose etc because they'renot the problem???
Have to disagree then.

So I must have been dreaming when we beat Crystal Palace with those players then?
 
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