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Match Threads Spurs vs Manchester City - Match Thread

Match Prediction

  • Spurs Win

    Votes: 59 30.9%
  • City Win

    Votes: 95 49.7%
  • Score Draw

    Votes: 36 18.8%
  • Goalless Draw

    Votes: 1 0.5%

  • Total voters
    191
  • Poll closed .

Phomesy

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
9,188
14,102
Throughout the game I thought we had an element of control tactically. Subs were good, and a clean sheet against the top scorers isn't a bad thing. Signs of improvement.

I thought defensively we were very solid and disciplined in our shape and strategy - it was poor errors of skill that got us in the biggest problems.

Offensively however we were a shambles. Once we won the ball back we didn't have a clue what to do with it. This might be down to Dele and Son particularly having poor games and being out of form but I couldn't actually understand what our gameplan was in possession. This improved with Tanguy on the pitch and them being down to ten men but still - we absolutely have to improve tactically in offense. It was pretty shambolic there for 55 minutes.
 

SirHarryHotspur

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
5,003
7,419
Was at the game so decided to watch the whole tv coverage of the game and see if some of the comments by certain media pundits were justified.
Yes City enjoyed the vast amount of possession but apart from the penalty how many crucial saves did Hugo have to make , the tip over from De Bruyne probably the most crucial, there were a couple of other crosses he tipped away but nothing really direct at goal calling for a world class save .
For those that remember the Newcastle game a few seasons ago and Tim Krul saves, https://thefootballfaithful.com/most-saves-premier-league-match-goalkeeper/ , the way some pundits went on you would think the game was like that.

Three of the big chances City got were self inflicted , Sanchez giving the ball away when they hit the post, Serge for the penalty and Hugo coming out needlessly when Toby cleared of the line. Probably the biggest chance they had was Aguero first half shooting wide from close in but Serge and Hugo were close in making things difficult for him. Everything else our defence were blocking with headers , tackles and anything else they had available. They had a couple of pull backs from wide positions which missed all their attacking players but looking at some of our counter attacks ,several times one perfect pass from notably Deli, Harry, Sonny and Lucas would have seen us in with a chance of a shot at goal.
In the old days of defensive Italian football the Italian press would have been praising yesterday's game as the perfect defensive performance.
All in all I think some of the reporting is off the mark , defence is just as big a part of the game as attack.

COYS!!
 

shelfboy68

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2008
14,566
19,651
I thought defensively we were very solid and disciplined in our shape and strategy - it was poor errors of skill that got us in the biggest problems.

Offensively however we were a shambles. Once we won the ball back we didn't have a clue what to do with it. This might be down to Dele and Son particularly having poor games and being out of form but I couldn't actually understand what our gameplan was in possession. This improved with Tanguy on the pitch and them being down to ten men but still - we absolutely have to improve tactically in offense. It was pretty shambolic there for 55 minutes.
Was this due in part to not having say Kane or someone who could hold it up and bring others into the game.
 

Mr Pink

SC Supporter
Aug 25, 2010
54,771
99,331
Was at the game so decided to watch the whole tv coverage of the game and see if some of the comments by certain media pundits were justified.
Yes City enjoyed the vast amount of possession but apart from the penalty how many crucial saves did Hugo have to make , the tip over from De Bruyne probably the most crucial, there were a couple of other crosses he tipped away but nothing really direct at goal calling for a world class save .
For those that remember the Newcastle game a few seasons ago and Tim Krul saves, https://thefootballfaithful.com/most-saves-premier-league-match-goalkeeper/ , the way some pundits went on you would think the game was like that.

Three of the big chances City got were self inflicted , Sanchez giving the ball away when they hit the post, Serge for the penalty and Hugo coming out needlessly when Toby cleared of the line. Probably the biggest chance they had was Aguero first half shooting wide from close in but Serge and Hugo were close in making things difficult for him. Everything else our defence were blocking with headers , tackles and anything else they had available. They had a couple of pull backs from wide positions which missed all their attacking players but looking at some of our counter attacks ,several times one perfect pass from notably Deli, Harry, Sonny and Lucas would have seen us in with a chance of a shot at goal.
In the old days of defensive Italian football the Italian press would have been praising yesterday's game as the perfect defensive performance.
All in all I think some of the reporting is off the mark , defence is just as big a part of the game as attack.

COYS!!

To be fair he made a fantastic save onto the post from Ageuro, albeit a slight touch but it's in without it.

Extremely different game had that gone in.

He was definitely our MOTM yesterday.

Personally i think we'd be 4/5 points better off had he not got injured.
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
Was at the game so decided to watch the whole tv coverage of the game and see if some of the comments by certain media pundits were justified.
Yes City enjoyed the vast amount of possession but apart from the penalty how many crucial saves did Hugo have to make , the tip over from De Bruyne probably the most crucial, there were a couple of other crosses he tipped away but nothing really direct at goal calling for a world class save .
For those that remember the Newcastle game a few seasons ago and Tim Krul saves, https://thefootballfaithful.com/most-saves-premier-league-match-goalkeeper/ , the way some pundits went on you would think the game was like that.

Three of the big chances City got were self inflicted , Sanchez giving the ball away when they hit the post, Serge for the penalty and Hugo coming out needlessly when Toby cleared of the line. Probably the biggest chance they had was Aguero first half shooting wide from close in but Serge and Hugo were close in making things difficult for him. Everything else our defence were blocking with headers , tackles and anything else they had available. They had a couple of pull backs from wide positions which missed all their attacking players but looking at some of our counter attacks ,several times one perfect pass from notably Deli, Harry, Sonny and Lucas would have seen us in with a chance of a shot at goal.
In the old days of defensive Italian football the Italian press would have been praising yesterday's game as the perfect defensive performance.
All in all I think some of the reporting is off the mark , defence is just as big a part of the game as attack.

COYS!!
They had 17 shots I believe, 5 on target. We had 3 on target.
As Blackadder said 'Its not what you've got, its where you stick it.'
 

Phomesy

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
9,188
14,102
Was this due in part to not having say Kane or someone who could hold it up and bring others into the game.

I hope not because if they haven't come up with an offensive strategy that doesn't require Kane by now they probably won't ever have one.

I think it's probably just a new team getting used to new ways. But we need to improve fast because we can't just hope that our opponents miss multiple chances. We need to threaten more going the other way.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
I thought defensively we were very solid and disciplined in our shape and strategy - it was poor errors of skill that got us in the biggest problems.

Offensively however we were a shambles. Once we won the ball back we didn't have a clue what to do with it. This might be down to Dele and Son particularly having poor games and being out of form but I couldn't actually understand what our gameplan was in possession. This improved with Tanguy on the pitch and them being down to ten men but still - we absolutely have to improve tactically in offense. It was pretty shambolic there for 55 minutes.

I can only repeat, and ask in the nicest possible way, have some of you not seen Mourinho/park the bus before?

There wasn't a game plan in possession. Actually there was - don't have the ball. It gets treated largely as the enemy. The sole aim was to try and be as compact as possible in behind the ball and don't get broken down. You aren't going to be constructing any attacks when 9 or 10 players are in the vicinity of the penalty area, needing a breather from defensive duties, and often just forced to scramble the ball away and clear their lines and get some brief respite.

It aims to not get broken down and then steal whatever it can (and this is what sorts the most effective exponents from the rest, how they capitalise on what gets presented to them). Whether that be a mistake by the opposition, a set piece goal, or doing something with the handful of decent counter attack opportunities you will get all game, etc. Apart from that quite simply do not expect much football.

That's effectively what happened in the end, after all their domination we pounced as City ballsed up their corner routine. And with the added bonus that it didn't just have the effect for a brief moment and one goal on the scoresheet, the red card completely changed the momentum and flow of the game, what it did to City, and that we no longer had to just sit back and cling on, and gave us our path to the win.

In any big game this will likely be the approach, fans need to get used to it. I don't think it even matters if Kane was fit or not in all honesty.
 

bsinghd

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
647
1,035
A few years ago we outplayed Chelsea in a FA cup semi-final but still lost 4-2, I remember many pundits (including the prick Shearer) saying it didn’t matter that Spurs had more possession or shots or played better football, it was about the end result. Last night we rode our luck, but got the result and hopefully the players can take some confidence from the game and build on it.
 

Bulletspur

The Reasonable Advocate
Match Thread Admin
Oct 17, 2006
10,690
25,246
I am glad someone has pointed out what a disaster Aurier is! I cannot believe he is picked every game! I have always said he fouls far too much, cannot get a cross into the box and gives away too many penalties! I done a little stat search on him yesterday, how does Jose not see this...
Sent off twice this season
Committed 62 fouls (I think 3 were pens)
Of 180 crosses only 30 were successful
I hate to slag off any footballer as they are undoubtedly better than me, but Aurier is one of the worst I've seen at Spurs!
Your stats has no foundation if you are not going to do the same other for example Dele. By just focusing on one player's attributes, you can read into it anyway you want depending on your personal bias, where yours is out there for all to see. I could take the same match and look at only the good things that Aurier did in the match (and there were loads) and then portray him as the best RB we ever had.
 
Last edited:

walworthyid

David Ginola
Oct 25, 2004
7,059
10,242
Was at the game so decided to watch the whole tv coverage of the game and see if some of the comments by certain media pundits were justified.
Yes City enjoyed the vast amount of possession but apart from the penalty how many crucial saves did Hugo have to make , the tip over from De Bruyne probably the most crucial, there were a couple of other crosses he tipped away but nothing really direct at goal calling for a world class save .
For those that remember the Newcastle game a few seasons ago and Tim Krul saves, https://thefootballfaithful.com/most-saves-premier-league-match-goalkeeper/ , the way some pundits went on you would think the game was like that.

Three of the big chances City got were self inflicted , Sanchez giving the ball away when they hit the post, Serge for the penalty and Hugo coming out needlessly when Toby cleared of the line. Probably the biggest chance they had was Aguero first half shooting wide from close in but Serge and Hugo were close in making things difficult for him. Everything else our defence were blocking with headers , tackles and anything else they had available. They had a couple of pull backs from wide positions which missed all their attacking players but looking at some of our counter attacks ,several times one perfect pass from notably Deli, Harry, Sonny and Lucas would have seen us in with a chance of a shot at goal.
In the old days of defensive Italian football the Italian press would have been praising yesterday's game as the perfect defensive performance.
All in all I think some of the reporting is off the mark , defence is just as big a part of the game as attack.

COYS!!
I agree. Yes they dominated, but they did the same in all of the games last season. Yet we are 2 victories, 1 draw and 3 defeats. We put them out of the cl and have taken 4 points off of them this season. Surely that is more than luck?

We were far less clinical on the counter yesterday, but the fact is that we have managed to keep the clear cut chances down to very few. Only 1 or 2 that came from their good play rather than a mistake.

There is a long way to go, but what has pleased me over the last few games is that there is a plan. We look solid and organised. I think that the offensive play will improve once we the midfield settles and they get used to each other.

I'm certainly far more optimistic about our cl and top 4 chances than I have been at any point this season.
 

southlondonyiddo

My eyes have seen some of the glory..
Nov 8, 2004
12,599
15,012
Had we been 3 nil down by the time they went down to 10men not too many would have had that many complaints

Mourinhos tactic of comatosing the opposition and then nicking something worked very well. Obviously much easier to send 10 players to sleep than 11

Reminded me of the old days when we played a side much better than us (scum etc) and the tactic was to try and get 1 of them sent off. Normally guaranteed at least a point

Another transfer window and a fit Ndombele and hopefully we won’t have to rely so heavily on a one man advantage
 

jay2040

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
2,636
4,165
There was a greater sense of urgency from the players and more attempts at closing down sooner.

Looking forward to the team being more instinctive and the new signings appear to have a sense if excitement about them.

COYS
 

littlemandefoe

Conte's Blue and White Army!
May 22, 2005
4,245
4,540
Optimism on this site has gone through the roof since our win against City. Nice to see positive comments at the moment x
 

Guernman

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2013
1,507
7,838
Was at the game so decided to watch the whole tv coverage of the game and see if some of the comments by certain media pundits were justified.
Yes City enjoyed the vast amount of possession but apart from the penalty how many crucial saves did Hugo have to make , the tip over from De Bruyne probably the most crucial, there were a couple of other crosses he tipped away but nothing really direct at goal calling for a world class save .
For those that remember the Newcastle game a few seasons ago and Tim Krul saves, https://thefootballfaithful.com/most-saves-premier-league-match-goalkeeper/ , the way some pundits went on you would think the game was like that.

Three of the big chances City got were self inflicted , Sanchez giving the ball away when they hit the post, Serge for the penalty and Hugo coming out needlessly when Toby cleared of the line. Probably the biggest chance they had was Aguero first half shooting wide from close in but Serge and Hugo were close in making things difficult for him. Everything else our defence were blocking with headers , tackles and anything else they had available. They had a couple of pull backs from wide positions which missed all their attacking players but looking at some of our counter attacks ,several times one perfect pass from notably Deli, Harry, Sonny and Lucas would have seen us in with a chance of a shot at goal.
In the old days of defensive Italian football the Italian press would have been praising yesterday's game as the perfect defensive performance.
All in all I think some of the reporting is off the mark , defence is just as big a part of the game as attack.

COYS!!
I agree.

I missed the first half so watched it yesterday expecting to see us get absolutely battered but City miraculously fail to score. In fact, City looked pretty ineffective against what was a really good defensive performance from the whole team.

From the moment De Bruyne lashed a shot into the stands having been ushered down a cul de sac I thought that maybe Mourinho had got this one right.

The only times throughout the match when City really should have scored came from stupid individual mistakes as you say, with the most blatant being Sanchez gifting them the opportunity from which Aguero hit the post. (Due to Toby sliding in and Hugo making the save with his foot).

I actually thought that we looked much more likely to score on the break. I know it wouldn't have felt like this had I been watching live without the comfort of knowing the result, but I think that is just because watching any game where the opponent has the vast majority of possession is just damn stressful even if we are playing to our plan.

Of course you need luck for a game to pan out the way it did for us, but I think Mourinho got this right and the effectiveness of that defensive display is being completely ignored. We weren't lucky to snuff out the majority of City's attacks, we were well prepared - we did get lucky with the touch from Fernandinho which deflected Son's shot though, because Ederson was going to save that all day long.
 
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Matecheck

Free pawn
Sep 25, 2016
307
967
When Sterling fouled Alli it was a yellow not a red. It looked terrible in slow motion replay, but it was an honest challenge for the ball, Sterling got a bit of the ball, his foot wasn't high and he was in control of his body. Sterling's studs went into Alli because Alli's leg slid under his foot after Alli played the ball, not because Sterling went over the top.

Are you sure?

 

mightyspur

Now with lovely smooth balls
Aug 21, 2014
9,760
27,014
Are you sure?


You can clearly see from that, that Alli got to the ball first and his heel knocked it away just before Sterling's foot comes in to where the ball was and takes Dele's ankle. Definitely could have been a red though with his foot coming down like that considered to be dangerous play.
 
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