Match Threads Spurs vs Luton

[PCozzie]

True re: Villa. Maybe it’s just about scoring the first goal, but it does seem we’ve lost the swagger from earlier in the season, when we absolutely looked like we could beat anyone.

Opposition adapt. We were being pressed high and exploiting the space behind the press very well. Unsurprisingly teams started working out how to both stop that happening by dropping deeper and squeezing the space between the lines, and also how to counter our high and central full-backs by hitting us quickly wide on the break.

Now it's our turn to figure out how to create chances in different ways. No one thought we'd have all the answers in season 1. The mid-season injury/suspension calamity probably set us back three months but we're well in the CL hunt still.

 

[easley91]

It's so nice to have options off the bench again. Granted it would be great to not need them but it makes such a difference.

 

[Bobby TwoShots]

Like City? Oops. Like Arsenal? Oops. Like Villa? Oops. Like United? Oops.

The only "mullerings" I'd say were Chelsea (and that took almost the whole game for the goals to actually flow for them when we had nine mem), Brighton (depleted squad and still fought back to 4-2 after being 4-0 down) and Fulham in our last game.

Top half teams tend to play into our hands. It takes us to have a REALLY poor day to be mullered. And those have been a rarity.

I wasn’t talking about the past, though, just speculating on how these sleepy first halves could cost us against a good team. It’s all fortune telling, so I’m hopefully very wrong. Just not enjoying the performances as much as earlier in the season, even when we lost, like v Chelsea

 

[1882andallthat]

They usually show it so I wanted to see how close it was. Dont see whats wrong with that.

I've seen how close it is on sky sports highlights it's literally a couple of millimeters from being a goal it was that close.

 

[Bobby TwoShots]

Opposition adapt. We were being pressed high and exploiting the space behind the press very well. Unsurprisingly teams started working out how to both stop that happening by dropping deeper and squeezing the space between the lines, and also how to counter our high and central full-backs by hitting us quickly wide on the break.

Now it's our turn to figure out how to create chances in different ways. No one thought we'd have all the answers in season 1. The mid-season injury/suspension calamity probably set us back three months but we're well in the CL hunt still.

For sure. And pleased to see Ange make early subs today, trying to find a plan B

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Anybody else think that Madders takes too many touches at times?

I like Lo Celso's 1 touch play.

When he’s on our left flank he relies too heavily on the outside of his right boot. The extra touches are to get the angle for that. He needs to use his left more, which would allow more one touch passes.

 

[Pochemon94]

lo celso looks like he put on some much needed weight, he looked like he put on 15 pounds of muscle out of nowhere

 

[TonyS]

You may recall I mentioned after the Villa game that it gave my good friend a lift as he was quite ill in hospital. Tragically he passed away yesterday morning after his short illness. An absolute gent and a Tottenham man through and through. Rest Easy Mike. As he would always sign off on texts to me, COYS

 

[kitchen]

We smashed Villa only a few weeks ago.

We are just inconsistent at the minute. If we are on it we can beat almost anyone, and if we're off it we can lose to almost anyone. It's not so much where the opposition are in the table, but whether we put together a coherently good 90 minutes.

If you look at the Fulham game where we were comprehensively outplayed we lost so many 50/50s it wasn't funny.

I think to beat anyone we need Bissouma to regain his early season form where he was the best CDM in the league, and maddison to step up. Our spine is the key and on its day it is immense. Currently it looks a bit fragile and error prone. Particularly against an efficient press like all the top 3 have.

 

[mark87]

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Pace like that from all angles is such a weapon.

It's part of what made Salah Mane Firmino so formidable.

It's also nice to finally see us have some genuine off-ball movement.

same as : Sterling,Sane,Aguero in City’s 100 goal 100pt team.

In a system like Ange’s pace and ability to push defenders back and stretch them high & wide is so important.

 

[matty74]

lo celso looks like he put on some much needed weight, he looked like he put on 15 pounds of muscle out of nowhere

Think he did ok when he came on created a couple of good moments and got back in the last minute to help clear Luton’s last promising attack

 

[markt]

Looking at highlights we really did make hard work of scoring. How that Son chance which hit both posts and either follow up did not go in.

I know Werner missed a good chance, but great movement and play to create that space for himself in the first place.

Then the most minimal of distance required to get over the line.

Still we got the win and hoping Wolves come back at Villa Park.

 

[whenstevewentup]

I’m concerned about our form , very happy to get the win but I’m not enjoying what I’m watching . It’s all very bitty , a chance here , a chance there but never really sustained pressure where the opposition can’t get out thier half . We also only seem to have one way to score a goal and that’s the cross along the 6 yard box . Defensively we are a shambles and I wouldn’t be suprised if we took a couple of batterings between now and the end of the season. We’ve regressed as a team , we look lethargic and ponderous in large parts of games . Credit today to Johnson , Romero and Dragusin , decent cameos from lo Celso and bentancur but the rest were not on it . How many needless fouls did we give away today . I’m not sure what the answer is , perhaps the players are just not good enough but I’d be expecting to see performances at this stage of the season and instead I’m seeing 15 mins a game of decent play .

 

[YiddoInPoland]

Glad we got the win, but it was a bit of a slog

 

[Bobbins]

Apart from that one time where it absolutely was wrong because there were players blocking the view of enough of the cameras that it didn't detect that the ball had crossed the line.

I thought today's looked in, live but it fairly obviously didn't entirely cross the line in the replays and the GDS confirmed it.

What one time was that? I have a vague memory of such a thing a few years ago. So you're saying it's been right every single time except for one very specific circumstance which was in no way replicated in todays game?

Ok, cool.

 

[Bobbins]

They usually show it so I wanted to see how close it was. Dont see whats wrong with that.

They did show it, repeatedly - but obviously it takes a few minutes to get the footage ready after it's been checked.

 

[Cochise]

On a seperate note, I'm in agreement with those saying that Alfie Doughty would be a shrewd bit of business.

 

[Tucker]

I didn’t think we’d drop points at any time this afternoon. I was always confident we’d put some chances away in the end.

Think we played quite well tbh.

 

[luRRka]

What one time was that? I have a vague memory of such a thing a few years ago. So you're saying it's been right every single time except for one very specific circumstance which was in no way replicated in todays game?

Ok, cool.

If I remember correctly, it was a villa goal that kept them up against Sheffield United. Ended up being a draw and they scraped relegation by 1 point or something