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Match Threads Everton vs Spurs

Date
Jan 19, 2025
KO Time
2:00pm
Score
2 - 3

Match Prediction

  • Spurs Win

    Votes: 53 35.1%
  • Everton Win

    Votes: 76 50.3%
  • Draw

    Votes: 22 14.6%

  • Total voters
    151
D

Deleted member 13663

I only saw the second half... What was weird about the formation in the first half? I assumed it was just going to be what we have been playing but with Gray in midfield and Davies in defence?
 

SPURSLIFE

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2011
1,631
2,226
You certainly have not learnt yours if you think Levy has learnt his lesson lol
Ever the optimist me but then you have to be if you support Spurs, certainly recent years but then I'm older enough to remember the good years but they are fading fast.
 

Dennism

Well-Known Member
Dec 23, 2006
1,286
2,820
Taking up the option of triggering the additional year on Sonny's contract isn't about doing what is right for the team. It's all about the revenue streams and fans from Korea who fill our stadium week in, week out. It's never, ever about doing what is right for the team. It's surely obvious by now!
I said we shouldn’t give him a contract. After your sanctimonious rant it is not clear whether you think he should get a contract or not.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
22,032
33,431
I only saw the second half... What was weird about the formation in the first half? I assumed it was just going to be what we have been playing but with Gray in midfield and Davies in defence?
Basically it was a total mess. Strap yourself in....

As you say, assumption would be normal formation with Gray in midfield.

What we got:

Without the ball, a back three/back five. Davies-Dragusin-Gray. Porro and Spence wingbacks. Bergvall and Sarr in midfield. Maddison and Kulu in behind Son.

So kind of the old Conte system? Well defensively it was just chaotic. The gaps between all three centre backs were a mile wide. Davies/Spence and Gray/Porro had no idea who picked up who down the sides. The two centre mids ran about like headless chickens trying to help but just making things worse.

Maddison and Kulu didn't fan out to defend the wings, they just stayed in the No.10 roles, them along with Son were just three superfluous wastrels defensively. This meant Porro and Spence had to try and rush up the pitch to press and would just leave space behind them time and again and give Everton easy outballs.

It is no exaggeration to say that any time Everton got the ball they were just carving us open at will.

With the ball, the commentators tried to claim we were playing a back four. Personally I don't think we were, it's just Gray was taking up a weird position in the right back slot, whilst the other two centre backs functioned in positions you'd put a normal back two in. Spence and Porro largely pushed on as wingbacks. Then during the half we started doing it different - Porro would start high and drop deeper, whilst Gray started just charging into midfield on underlap/forward runs ahead of him, pushing on into areas he couldn't get the ball and subsequently never did.

And whenever we had to transition from this in possession "shape" to the out of possession one, chaos ensued and Everton players ran through unmarked en masse.

If you're confused by all that, I'm not surprised. Unfortunately the players were equally so....

The cherry on top was that despite this apocalyptically awful half of football, Son had two fantastic chances. And he barbecued both of them.
 

TOMSPUR

Active Member
Jan 9, 2006
17
105
We're 8 points above Wolves/Ipswich. There's no way they both have a 3 game swing over us. Relegation is not a concern at all.
We're effectively 9 points above regulation places due to our goal difference.........not sure that helps your argument much.

Personally, agree fully. As shite as we are right now, we're not going down.
 

Rob

The Boss
Admin
Jun 8, 2003
28,395
69,288
We're effectively 9 points above regulation places due to our goal difference.........not sure that helps your argument much.

Personally, agree fully. As shite as we are right now, we're not going down.

Yeah, that's why I said 3 game swing, due to the GD.

No way we're even close to trouble.
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,543
2,656
Honestly mate the first 45 was as bad as anything spurs have put up in years. 3-0 down, could have been double that and the commentators genuinely laughing at how easy it was for Everton to carve us open. It was unbelievable how disorganised we looked. The players rallied in 2nd half when we got the 1st but it's the first time I thought the players have stopped playing for him.
I couldnt say it was the players stopped playing for him, it looked to me that he thought 'this is how we play' would overcome a poor Everton. The stupid and unthoughtful press, the high line with a makeshift back line and midfield who had never played together when keep the spaces tight and see how the game is panning out made more sense. I'm not overly tactical and being wise after is what this maybe but someone tell me what is wrong (without saying injuries because other teams are still competitive over a run of games we have had with their injuries, and without saying Son was poor) with what I have said.
 

Reece_Spurs

Well-Known Member
Sep 10, 2011
912
5,692
First half set up was really odd.

Looked very much like a back 3, but then Gray was pushing really high into that midfield space that the full backs would go into when we had the ball with Porro higher and wider. Gray was also coming very central at times and pressing the attacking player when we were defending.

It was bizarre because that was either the plan, some sort of hybrid RCB/midfielder or Gray didn't understand the position. He's an intelligent lad by all accounts so i'm inclined to think it was a tactical experiment.

So strange because the simple solution, and one everyone was looking forward to with Davies back was to play Gray and DM and play our normal system.
 

Pistols At Dawn

Well-Known Member
Jan 8, 2019
2,717
5,624
Perhaps the only reason we turned up in the last quarter of the match was because we were in (what we call in the States) "garbage time," but we might also consider that:

We finally had an actual Number 9 (Richarlison) through the middle.
We'd gone back to a Back 4.
We had Mikey Moore and Sonny (actual wingers) playing on the wing.

Maybe if we'd STARTED with a similar arrangement, we'd have gotten something from today.

I know, what difference does it make? Straw-grasping is all I have left.
 

spursville

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2019
1,344
2,229
First half set up was really odd.

Looked very much like a back 3, but then Gray was pushing really high into that midfield space that the full backs would go into when we had the ball with Porro higher and wider. Gray was also coming very central at times and pressing the attacking player when we were defending.

It was bizarre because that was either the plan, some sort of hybrid RCB/midfielder or Gray didn't understand the position. He's an intelligent lad by all accounts so i'm inclined to think it was a tactical experiment.

So strange because the simple solution, and one everyone was looking forward to with Davies back was to play Gray and DM and play our normal system.
Yep if we'd played Gray and Bergvall in front of a compact back four, let have Everton have more of the ball in front of us and hit them on the break etc. we may have conceded far less and got some sort of result.
 

Styopa

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2014
6,786
19,478
Yeah, that's why I said 3 game swing, due to the GD.

No way we're even close to trouble.

We're not getting relegated. But the fact we're now twice as likely to be relegated as to finish in the top four (according to the betting odds) should be a major embarrassment for a club which likes to boast about its world class facilities, talks about competing with the best, and charges some of the highest ticket prices in all football.
 

yido_number1

He'll always be magic
Jun 8, 2004
9,543
19,650


Not a fan of this. Appreciate they've travelled today when I haven't but support the team for 90 minutes. Shout levy out but at least stay with them for the 90m
 

DenverSpur

Well-Known Member
Sep 25, 2011
2,816
7,263
Basically it was a total mess. Strap yourself in....

As you say, assumption would be normal formation with Gray in midfield.

What we got:

Without the ball, a back three/back five. Davies-Dragusin-Gray. Porro and Spence wingbacks. Bergvall and Sarr in midfield. Maddison and Kulu in behind Son.

So kind of the old Conte system? Well defensively it was just chaotic. The gaps between all three centre backs were a mile wide. Davies/Spence and Gray/Porro had no idea who picked up who down the sides. The two centre mids ran about like headless chickens trying to help but just making things worse.

Maddison and Kulu didn't fan out to defend the wings, they just stayed in the No.10 roles, them along with Son were just three superfluous wastrels defensively. This meant Porro and Spence had to try and rush up the pitch to press and would just leave space behind them time and again and give Everton easy outballs.

It is no exaggeration to say that any time Everton got the ball they were just carving us open at will.

With the ball, the commentators tried to claim we were playing a back four. Personally I don't think we were, it's just Gray was taking up a weird position in the right back slot, whilst the other two centre backs functioned in positions you'd put a normal back two in. Spence and Porro largely pushed on as wingbacks. Then during the half we started doing it different - Porro would start high and drop deeper, whilst Gray started just charging into midfield on underlap/forward runs ahead of him, pushing on into areas he couldn't get the ball and subsequently never did.

And whenever we had to transition from this in possession "shape" to the out of possession one, chaos ensued and Everton players ran through unmarked en masse.

If you're confused by all that, I'm not surprised. Unfortunately the players were equally so....

The cherry on top was that despite this apocalyptically awful half of football, Son had two fantastic chances. And he barbecued both of them.
Pretty much sums up the first half. The most worrying thing about it was despite the obvious chaos the change of system caused Postecoglu didn’t do anything about until HT!
 

Mate

Well-Known Member
Dec 9, 2006
1,724
4,432
Why?

If the alternative is Mason, can he can possibly make us worse?

FFS open you eyes man, Ange is clueless. You truly think that he will improve this shower over the last third of a season?
With the 11 players returning, I would hope so yes.

That's not to say I think he's the long term solution either. But for now, and as long as the players are still playing for him (which appears to be the case), then they may as well continue playing the system that they've been trained to do, rather than chop and change systems once again.

I also look at Mason's two previous stints which were very uninspiring. And that's with a prime Kane and Son. What makes you so sure that Mason will improve results with the players available?
 

Frank Blank

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2007
2,527
4,368
Just got back, but did see the game. IMO the worst performance of the season so far (and that's saying something). I've gone beyong the anger stage; now our performaces are little more than risible with 10 outfield players running around clueless - both in terms of carrying the ball or passing it to a teammate.

There was no Plan B today - not least because there wasn't even a Plan fucking A.
 

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