Match Threads Sporting CP Vs Spurs

[slartibartfast]

Some of you really lose the plot after a loss don’t ya?

I've shaved my head I'm so angry.

Was bald to start with tbf.

 

[Nick]

But we look so ponderous in the middle of the park.

We need some energy in there.

I thought we'd of seen more of Bissouma by now.

I did want him on also tbh

 

[PCozzie]

This system does not work without 2 attacking wing backs. I'm tired of people pretending it will!

With two attacking WBs we can play a 3-5-2. We can get more contol of the middle of the park, have our 2 CF play in between the three defenders, get deep runners in behind when Kane drops short and also arriving late into the box, and still be essentially playing 4 up front. It will be easier for Conte to rotate our MF and Deki can move into the AMF position as needed.

3-4-3 has, within one year, been nullified by any opposition back 5 with our forwards and WBs being matched up and suffocated. We are marked tightly and the oppo is very happy for PEH to take the ball deep knowing it's going to be a simple ball sideways or a 25 yard pass into a forward with a defender already all over him and a CM dropping onto his toes to clean up.

We need more tactical flexibility and three, maybe even four different formations that we can switch to.

 

[Ndombers]

We're just not getting out of second gear. You'd kind of imagine we'd be hitting some form at some point. No urgency. Kulu needs back in the side too.

 

[Finchyid]

He’s the shortest player on our side?

Yeah but not point in having tall men in the box if the corner doesnt reach the 6 yard line

 

[shelfboy68]

Some of you really lose the plot after a loss don’t ya?

No I think many are fucked off with the unbalanced, slow, boring football that continues to be on display.
Conte needs to find a way of sorting the shit out and quickly, the team is lucky not to have lost at forest, west ham and home to wolves very lucky.
Still other than that it's all ok

 

[spursville]

I went to the game today. Struggling to find some positives to be honest. Kulusevski was bright when he (finally) came on. Loris made a couple of good saves. Looked towards the end as if we were settling for a draw (against 11 players none of whom would supposedly get into our first XI) so perhaps we got what we deserved? Great atmosphere though and the Sporting fans were absolutely ecstatic - they clearly didn't expect to win.

 

[N'Obody]

I wonder if we’ve become a bit complacent?

I think we have. The reason being purely because we have Conte, so the lads are essentially riding the Conte wave and believing the hype. Racking up points and winning games, not caring about how it's achieved, but getting the results.
It was always going to end with a loss at some point as others have previously mentioned, it's not sustainable to keep playing the way we have been. We needed that defeat to knock some sense into us.

If the guys kept grinding out results and being content with that way of playing, it wouldn't have changed anytime soon, that's how I see complacency. We needed this to reset and start over this weekend.

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

I agree, but it's easy to get complacent when things are going well and your winning games playing a certain way even if its boring and unsustainable, the lads know we have an elite manager behind us so it's definitely easy to believe the hype and ride the wave.

I'm confident things will get even better now and this may be the defeat we needed to really kick start our season.

 

[VoteMe4Prez]

I haven't been so angry in ages. Still ****ing spitting bullets here. I'm still quite sure this is just a nightmare and I am about to wake up. F**k that pinch hurt so it's real. Oh ffs.

 

[C0YS]

Have you watched the CL before? Seriously, every year this stuff happens. We reached the final and lost to Inter and PSV. Real Madrid lost to Sheriff last season. Every team in the CL can beat another team, even the smaller teams quite regularly get points or win against the bigger ones.

You see arrogance against these teams every year, yet alone Sporting, who would see failing to reach the last 16 as a massive disappointment. But all this proves is the selective memory of fans and a lack of understanding of football tbh.

This was probably our toughest tie. Possibly Marseille are better, but probably not. Porto are a team who will be aiming for the last 8, considering theyve done it twice in the last 4 years, Sporting are not that far off Porto. Marseille on the other hand haven't been in Europe for a very long time and after PSG in France I don't think the teams behind are better than the big 3 of Portugal, who are all seriously good teams who expect to get to the last 16 as a minimum in the CL. Sporting, for example are probably around the same level of Inter and Milan in Italy, possibly slightly better. Marseille, we don't really know how good they are because this team hasn't been in Europe and has only very recently emerged as a force.

We as a team are, on paper, better than the likes of Sporting and Marseille but really not by a lot, and both of those teams can beat any team in the competition on their day. Because that's the champions League.

Ultimately, losing is a disappointment, the game was even, and a draw would have been a good result. At the same time we can't say we didn't deserve to lose but we continue. This isn't a catastrophe.

To back up my point. Today only 3/7 of the favourites won their CL tie. Those were; Inter, who played the worst club in the competition; Bayern; and Liverpool, who won through a late goal. Not a single favourite won a tie away from home.

The biggest shock wasn't Sporting beating us, but the crazy game were Porto lost 4-0 at home against club brugge. Which has to be one of the craziest score lines in the competition for a long time.

Furthermore, Leverkusen beat Atletico Madrid. Atletico have had a reasonable start to the season, losing against Villarreal and drawing against Real Sociedad are not unexpected results and were they sit on the table is more a reflection of a harder start than most rather than anything more. Leverkusen are in the relegation zone. I would say that is much more a surprising result.

Frankfurt v Marseille is a little bit of a shock as Marseille are playing well this season and were at home, but they are fairly evenly matched teams so not a great suprise.

The point is, it's not that surprising we lost the match today. It's just the CL. Welcome back. The only time we haven't had these kind of results in the CL was the second Poch season, were we were the best team in the tournament in the group stage, only to then go out in the last 16. But generally these sorts of things happen, particularly when away from home.

 

[shoggy33]

Conte is starting to grind my gears, spoke about improving the squad and rotating players but here we are running the same bozos into the ground. The only players he’s ‘rotated’ are our 2 best attacking players so far this season (Deki and Richy). If we were playing well you’d understand it, but it has been mostly turgid with flashes of what we can do here and there

And I know I’ll get pelters for this but I’m sick of watching Højberg trudging around in midfield. If he’s tired play Bissouma or Skipp

PEH and Emerson are OK if we are happy competing for 4th. If we want to actually go up a level and start winning they should be squad players at most. Yet these are the guys who Conte refuses to rotate, it does my head in.

 

[Zippy1980]

We are in trouble in this group now

 

[cjbyid]

We are in trouble in this group now

No we're not. Plenty of points to play for.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Some of you really lose the plot after a loss don’t ya?

Well, for me it’s after several years of us playing poor football and winning fuck all, but if it makes you feel better to classify it as knee jerk, then fine…

 

[Thenewcat]

You seem very angry mate peace out.
??
I was disagreeing that it was a ‘bullshit excuse’, as I said I think we are still short of quality (Davies, PEH, Emerson all need upgrading and aside from Kulu we had nothing off the bench, another option like a Zaniolo would’ve been good as would a top class ball playing CB to help our build up play.

Sure we didn’t play great tonight and have had a few off halves or games this season but I’m not throwing my toys out the pram as I fully fully trust Conte and it’s a very long season.

We are 2nd in the league and that is our 1st loss in what 10 games or more?

And we did compete with Sporting, we had a reasonable amount of chances, but I also think you’re underrating Sporting, they’re in the CL for a reason.

I think we will click eventually and it’s a long season so I’m not worried at all right now.

I’m not angry, but not buying recruitment as an excuse for our performances this season. I also trust Conte to sort it out, but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He’s been painfully slow to make changes, he’s trying (understandably) to play Sonny into form when he’s been utterly shite and had left our most in form attacker on the bench for 70 mins in our last two games. The lack of fluency is a concern

 

[rossdapep]

We are in trouble in this group now

We need to get something against Frankfurt and then take 6 points from our 2 home games.

I hope we are not having to go to Marseille to get something though.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I’m not angry, but not buying recruitment as an excuse for our performances this season. I also trust Conte to sort it out, but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He’s been painfully slow to make changes, he’s trying (understandably) to play Sonny into form when he’s been utterly shite and had left our most in form attacker on the bench for 70 mins in our last two games. The lack of fluency is a concern

Fair, can’t argue too much with that mate, appreciate the explanation.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Some of you really lose the plot after a loss don’t ya?

Same culprits too mate. ?

 

[Locotoro]

It's really quite strange when you see Conte time and time again talk about needing wingers as wing backs and then persist with Emerson there. I'm not a huge fan of Doherty but our best run of form under Conte coincided with him playing at wing back and he worked well with Kulusevski. And as you say, Spence would be my pick as I think he'd be less hesitant in the final third and can beat a man.

On the other side whilst Sessegnon has improved he still has limitations and Perisic whilst we can clearly see he's got a brain it looks as though he's lost a yard of pace to me.

The problem I'm noticing is since Perisic has come into the team Son hasn't been at his best. I wonder if there is an issue with them making the same runs or crowding each other?
Then I look at the RW and think Spence would 100% invade Dekis space on the pitch with his marauding runs forward down the line. Emerson and Doherty less so because they do come inside a fair bit.
Just an observation

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

We need to get something against Frankfurt and then take 6 points from our 2 home games.

I hope we are not having to go to Marseille to get something though.

Yep the Frankfurt game is pretty important now. Tbh I never thought this group would be a walk in the park at all. Sure none of the teams are juggernauts but they’re all pretty solid sides who are used to European football and we’ve only just got back into the competition and still have a few weak areas in our team.

I hope we can get through but yes will need ideally to not lose to Frankfurt and win our 2 home games then we should be good.