Match Threads Sporting CP Vs Spurs

[archiewasking]

So angry at how turgid and spineless we are.

 

[shelfboy68]

time will tell whether this is a blessing in disguise but it also wouldn’t surprise anyone in the slightest if results start going the way of Nuno and Jose. The performances have been really bad lately and unfortunately you can’t just flick a switch and have a reset. We had a full week to prepare for that and we produced that.

Does make you wonder what is going on in the training sessions because there is no intensity at all.
The tactics seem to be soak up the pressure and try to find a gap to exploit but most of the time the ball just keeps coming back bizzare tactical application.

 

[N'Obody]

time will tell whether this is a blessing in disguise but it also wouldn’t surprise anyone in the slightest if results start going the way of Nuno and Jose. The performances have been really bad lately and unfortunately you can’t just flick a switch and have a reset. We had a full week to prepare for that and we produced that.

I get what your saying. But I've seen it plenty of times in football, that unbeaten streaks make teams lazy and complacent. A loss is usually a kick up the back side to get things going again.

They haven't tasted defeat in a while, neither has Conte, so I'm sure the lads are going to be gutted, but will definitely come out all guns firing against Leicester.

I'm sure the last time we lost was against Burnley when we played the same exact way and then the rest is history after that, we went on a crazy run since then.

Have a little faith. It's only one game, and we still have more games left in the group.

 

[Joely]

Still unconvinced by that midfield

Agree. Hojbjerg and Bentancur are decent to good players however far from convinced either has an all round game good enough to play in a two. Hojbjerg just isn't mobile/dynamic enough to play in a two and is too easy to evade.

 

[only1waddle]

Looked to me like we were caught between styles tonight, for the most part we've just sat passively back in our other games, tonight we saw some better sequences of passing, trying to move up the pitch in a better way, albeit very clunky in the first half, almost robotic, we did look better after the break for 20 mins, some decent quicker one touch but just too eager to get it forward quickly, I think it's quite clear we've worked with the ball much more this week than previous.
Our high pressing was also a positive.

Lack of subs was a clear issue, Kane and few others looked leggy and maybe Bissouma into a 3 would have seen the game out, front 3 with some heavy touches and Son not firing at all were the main negatives.
We definitely need a different option in the front 3 in addition to what we have, someone with close control in tight spaces etc.

Even though we lost I thought we tried to play more on the front foot against a decent side with the ball in their house, we were just rough around the edges, we've spent a number of games sitting back and now suddenly we need to be this slick passing machine, it's not going to happen that soon, if we keep working on the passing game it will click.

Maybe stick a man on the back post though.

 

[slartibartfast]

Ditched the game at 70 to read a book to my son in bed. Looked at the score at FT and saw we’d lost 2-0. Found the 70 minutes I watched very boring and monotonous so posted about it. Cheers though.

I only saw the last 20.
You didnt miss much, apart from conceding 2 goals obviously.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Its games like this one where a more creative midfielder would be good as we all said in Summer. Mabye giving us the option to mix it up and go 3-5-2 or just put a more creative CM on instead of PEH for example.

Under Conte at Inter he had Barella and Erisken, at Chelsea he often brought Fabregas on off the bench, I think we lack this and I'd be surprised if it wasn't on our next to do list.

 

[Barrd10]

But we haven't played well at all this season so far and we haven't played any of the top sides yet. Hopefully the better sides will bring out the best in us and we can move forward but I'm not convinced this style of football is going to win any trophies. We have to start passing better and moving quicker and getting into games earlier not wait till the 2nd half.

I agree. We have been poor to watch all season and been lucky with a couple of results really. That ran out today. A lot of our attacking play ends with Emerson having time and space which he wastes.
I watched the game sober and now feel a lot more sober.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Too many incomplete passes/unforced errors.

 

[Sarsipius]

I just don't think that this formation works that well without superb WBs. Perisic is doing his best with his excellent crossing ability but he doesn't have blistering pace anymore. Royal is never going to convince me in this set up. He just doesn't have the attacking output for the role and I'm amazed he's getting picked over Doherty. Our best spell last year coincided with Doherty being in the team last year and once he got injured the rest of the team were so in form that we managed to continue playing well.

Right now we're so out of sorts something has to give.

 

[slartibartfast]

No end product, not going to score a goal while I have a hole in my arse.

So some kind of butt plug required?

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Tbh the performance was honestly on par with the Marseille one, if anything it was a bit better. But it’s really tough when the front players struggle with touch and passing as they did in both games. The play between the lines isn’t consistently slick enough currently. It’s to be expected from Son who has never been good in this area, but Kane was incredibly sloppy in those areas where he is usually really good. Richy wasn’t much better. It is why I do think Kulusevski should really be playing more.

I think tonight really exposed our lack of creativity with that front three. As mentioned before Kane was forced to sit deeper and be the primary playmaker and when he’s not on his game we look completely toothless and our passing anywhere near the final third is horribly hit and miss. It’s why Kulu needs to be playing and really, I’d hope, we should be looking to bring in another player with an eye for a pass and good on the dribble.
This is obviously more exposed when Son is out of form and when he gets back to his best, which he will, it will easy our concerns a lot im sure. But for now, IMO, Kulu has to be starting when he can not because he’s the answer but because he can at least take some of the pressure and attention off Kane in a creative sense.

I would also add that having Royal as our RWB massively hinders our attacking dynamic but Conte can’t really complain about that and needs to get him working . He clearly favours him above our other options and was content enough to enter the season with him being our first choice so he needs to figure out a way to get him helping our attack more.

 

[spursfan77]

You win some you lose some.

A defeat was always coming for us. There's only so long a team can go unbeaten in all comps till they need a reset.

I believe the team needed this loss to give them a kick up the back side as they were getting complacent of going unbeaten in so many games.

This is a blessing in disguise for me personally.

I wonder if we’ve become a bit complacent?

 

[UbeAstard]

The two man midfield doesn't work maybe try a 3-5-2 yes we have almost zero creativity but teams wouldn't find it so easy to cut through us

Not with Hojbjerg and Bentancur anyway

 

[Chimbo!]

Disgraceful performance all around. Players, coaches, everyone.

It wasn’t disgraceful. We had chances to win and for 90 minutes we had more of the chances. But we tired and their fresh subs made us pay in injury time. There are issues with that but it’s not disgraceful!

 

[Mate]

Sporting have played 6 English clubs in the CL... Not won one of them.

They also lost all of their 3 home games, not scoring once.

What could go wrong?

FFS!

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Leicester must be laughing as Dr Tottenham is in the house when they are rock bottom .

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Leicester must be laughing as Dr Tottenham is in the house when they are rock bottom .

Na fuck that we are going to batter them mate.

 

[worcestersauce]

We play some lovely passes forward from the defensive midfield area to forwards through the middle on the ground but so often when it reaches the striker, Kane or Richardson for instance, the defender is on them so tight we lose it or there's an interception. It's not a bad pass it's that we don't make it quickly enough, there always seems a second before we play it by which time we've telegraphed it, we must be quicker thinking and acting with the ball.

 

[shelfboy68]

I wonder if we’ve become a bit complacent?

Complacent about what? This team isn't good to achieve anything of note so what makes it so cocky.