The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - Shakedown! 13th January 2015

[longtimespur]

Who the fuck is Segal ? Jason ? George ?

Steven......... but be careful what you call him

 

[longtimespur]

Jonathan Livingstone.

Great book!!

 

[spacessships]

Seen it all before; we still lack consistency, and one of the reasons we lack players capable of consistently creating chances through sublime passing & touches.

I'm not saying things haven't improved drastically since this time last season; I even think it's been better than the season before (when we had Bale), however I still get the strong sense that the team as it currently is, doesn't have what it takes to finish top 4. The last time we had a team like that was the first half of the 2011-2012 season, with Modric & van der Vaart cutting teams apart with their insane passing, complete with an on-fire Adebayor, a rock-solid defence lead by Ledley King, and a fit Gareth Bale among many other things.

Boy I couldn't disagree more. We've lost one EPL match since Chelsea two months ago and haven't had a team with this much flair in quite some time. If Dembele's pass to Kane's touch and finish or Eriksen's dummy to create his own chance weren't sublime today, then I'm not sure what is. And Levy made it clear at the beginning of the season that top 4 was not, for the first time in a few years, the objective. It's to completely revamp the program from youth to the top in players, management and system. And with Rob Mackenzie's recent arrival, I think it's pretty clear we're still very much in the middle of that.

I can understand your frustration that we don't have players like Modric, VdV and King anymore but times have changed and I think what we have going on right now is very exciting.

 

[NickHSpurs]

I think Ings or Lambert are the most likely with Lennon out and a fairly quiet deadline day.

 

[GodfreyJones]

Boy I couldn't disagree more. We've lost one EPL match since Chelsea two months ago and haven't had a team with this much flair in quite some time. If Dembele's pass to Kane's touch and finish or Eriksen's dummy to create his own chance weren't sublime today, then I'm not sure what is. And Levy made it clear at the beginning of the season that top 4 was not, for the first time in a few years, the objective. It's to completely revamp the program from youth to the top in players, management and system. And with Rob Mackenzie's recent arrival, I think it's pretty clear we're still very much in the middle of that.

I can understand your frustration that we don't have players like Modric, VdV and King anymore but times have changed and I think what we have going on right now is very exciting.

For starters, we beat Chelsea 1 month ago, and we've only played 3 games since then, and one of them was a loss to a rubbish team.

Dembele's pass to Kane was the only creative thing he produced all match, and might be the only creative thing he does for the next month or 5. He just doesn't have the vision to thread those balls on a consistent basis, and plays the safe option far too often, especially for a CAM (provided he's playing there).

As for Eriksen, I know for a fact that just about everyone here will disagree, maybe even dislike the thought, but he's a player who fades in & out of matches. When he has space, he's lethal, without question, and when his confidence is up, he works himself into space very effectively, however when teams clog the areas he likes to work in, or we're struggling to win possession as a team, he goes into his shell a bit, and becomes somewhat ineffectual. He lacks that cutting edge/killer instinct required to create/score opportunities under any circumstance consistently, like a Sanchez from Woolwich or an Eden Hazard, and baring that in mind, I think it's important to have another creative player or two to help with the balance, because with that, not only would we be a much more dangerous team in the final third, but I think Eriksen would improve his consistency a lot.

I think Soldado struggling to score is proof of our lack of creativity; I don't buy the notion that he just failed to adapt to the EPL after being a consistent goalscorer for 5+ years in La Liga & at International Level; he just couldn't adapt to our slow, sluggish style. He's the type of guy that capitalizes on chances created for him, and since he arrived, he hasn't received anywhere near as many clear-cut chances to score as he did at Valencia, who play fast, attacking football; so much so that when he does get those clear-cut chances on those rare occasions, he misses thanks to the rustiness built up.

Lastly, I'm not really frustrated. As I said, I had no expectations going into this season, and provided we don't sign another creative player this window, that just won't change. I'm not denying there have been a lot of positives this season, I'm just saying I don't think we'll acheive our long-term goal unless we bring in another creative midfielder similar to what we had with Modric 3-4 years ago (to those who will inevitably misinterpret this statement, no, they don't have to be as good as Modric, I was referring to the type of player he is).

 

[SpurSince57]

Surely we wouldnt let Adebayor go and not bring in another striker. Would we?

No need for panic! You're forgetting that Bobby is ready to step into the breach!







On second thoughts…

 

[spacessships]

For starters, we beat Chelsea 1 month ago, and we've only played 3 games since then, and one of them was a loss to a rubbish team.

Dembele's pass to Kane was the only creative thing he produced all match, and might be the only creative thing he does for the next month or 5. He just doesn't have the vision to thread those balls on a consistent basis, and plays the safe option far too often, especially for a CAM (provided he's playing there).

As for Eriksen, I know for a fact that just about everyone here will disagree, maybe even dislike the thought, but he's a player who fades in & out of matches. When he has space, he's lethal, without question, and when his confidence is up, he works himself into space very effectively, however when teams clog the areas he likes to work in, or we're struggling to win possession as a team, he goes into his shell a bit, and becomes somewhat ineffectual. He lacks that cutting edge/killer instinct required to create/score opportunities under any circumstance consistently, like a Sanchez from Woolwich or an Eden Hazard, and baring that in mind, I think it's important to have another creative player or two to help with the balance, because with that, not only would we be a much more dangerous team in the final third, but I think Eriksen would improve his consistency a lot.

I think Soldado struggling to score is proof of our lack of creativity; I don't buy the notion that he just failed to adapt to the EPL after being a consistent goalscorer for 5+ years in La Liga & at International Level; he just couldn't adapt to our slow, sluggish style. He's the type of guy that capitalizes on chances created for him, and since he arrived, he hasn't received anywhere near as many clear-cut chances to score as he did at Valencia, who play fast, attacking football; so much so that when he does get those clear-cut chances on those rare occasions, he misses thanks to the rustiness built up.

Lastly, I'm not really frustrated. As I said, I had no expectations going into this season, and provided we don't sign another creative player this window, that just won't change. I'm not denying there have been a lot of positives this season, I'm just saying I don't think we'll acheive our long-term goal unless we bring in another creative midfielder similar to what we had with Modric 3-4 years ago (to those who will inevitably misinterpret this statement, no, they don't have to be as good as Modric, I was referring to the type of player he is).

I'm saying since we lost to Chelsea on December 3.

Dembele is a work in progress; you couldn't be more wrong about Eriksen as he is one of the most lethal midfielders in the premier league (if not Europe) who has repeatedly shown his game winning killer instinct; Soldado can't score because he has no confidence--he has had numerous opportunities in front of goal that he has completely blown and now he looks to pass before shooting first, not what a confident striker (and his past self) would be doing in the box.

And if you can't see Bentaleb's potential as the closest thing we've had to Modrić since he was in North London then I give up--give it time.

 

[Ledleys Knee]

I think Ings or Lambert are the most likely with Lennon out and a fairly quiet deadline day.

Burnley won't sell Ings now for less than £20m.

Lambert might leave Liverpool, but they aren't going to strengthen their main rival for 5th.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

As for Eriksen, I know for a fact that just about everyone here will disagree, maybe even dislike the thought, but he's a player who fades in & out of matches. When he has space, he's lethal, without question, and when his confidence is up, he works himself into space very effectively, however when teams clog the areas he likes to work in, or we're struggling to win possession as a team, he goes into his shell a bit, and becomes somewhat ineffectual. He lacks that cutting edge/killer instinct required to create/score opportunities under any circumstance consistently, like a Sanchez from Woolwich or an Eden Hazard, and baring that in mind, I think it's important to have another creative player or two to help with the balance, because with that, not only would we be a much more dangerous team in the final third, but I think Eriksen would improve his consistency a lot.

Eriksen's not as quick as Hazard or Sanchez, so I think it's a bit harsh to compare him to them.

 

[$hoguN]

Eriksen's not as quick as Hazard or Sanchez, so I think it's a bit harsh to compare him to them.

If you look at the stats, for someone that is claimed to float in and out of games, he covers more ground and has as much if not more end product. Not bad eh?

 

[spacessships]

Eriksen's not as quick as Hazard or Sanchez, so I think it's a bit harsh to compare him to them.

Not to mention:

Hazard £32M
Sanchez £34M (25+9)
Eriksen £11M

 

[GodfreyJones]

I'm saying since we lost to Chelsea on December 3.

Dembele is a work in progress; you couldn't be more wrong about Eriksen as he is one of the most lethal midfielders in the premier league (if not Europe) who has repeatedly shown his game winning killer instinct; Soldado can't score because he has no confidence--he has had numerous opportunities in front of goal that he has completely blown and now he looks to pass before shooting first, not what a confident striker (and his past self) would be doing in the box.

And if you can't see Bentaleb's potential as the closest thing we've had to Modrić since he was in North London then I give up--give it time.

Firstly, doh

Secondly, work in progress? The guy's 28 years old this year ffs. Uncreative Players like him don't develop creative instincts this deep into a career.

Did I not say Eriksen was lethal? He's lethal in space; he's ineffectual in congested areas. He's statistically consistent, but having seen every game this year, there have been a lot of periods in matches where he has little to no influence on the flow of play. Similar to Gareth Bale in 2013; when he gets space, he's often clinical, but he's not the messiah, and unless he can replicate the quality of Zinedine Zidane on a consistent basis, he shouldn't be our sole creative spark, or even one of two; he needs more help.

I see Bentaleb's potential, but the reality is, it's just potential. You can't expect him to take the creative mantle in 2-3 years because there's a chance he might not fulfill his potential. You need alternatives, and most of our alternatives are more defensively-minded midfielders. Speaking of which, Bentaleb looks a lot more like a defensive-minded midfielder who maintains the flow of play in contrast to a Modric-like playmaker.

Eriksen's not as quick as Hazard or Sanchez, so I think it's a bit harsh to compare him to them.

I used those two because they play similar roles for their respective team & I happened to think of them off-hand. If you want a slower example, think Thomas Muller/David Silva.

My point is, he's lethal when he has space to work in, and whilst he's one of the very few high-quality creative midfielders we have at this club, I don't think we're getting the best out of his abilities. To put things more simply; if we had a Luka Modric or a Wesley Sneijder in this team (just examples), I think Eriksen could have maybe 12-13 goals as opposed to the 9 goals he currently has, which is still amazing.

I'd also like to point out that he only has 1 assist in the Premier League this season, despite playing most of his football in the final third as a creative force. That's another stat I believe would improve if we had an extra creative force alongside him & Chadli (who I'm a big fan of, and absolutely should play every match).

 

[Booney]

As for Eriksen, I know for a fact that just about everyone here will disagree, maybe even dislike the thought, but he's a player who fades in & out of matches. When he has space, he's lethal, without question, and when his confidence is up, he works himself into space very effectively, however when teams clog the areas he likes to work in, or we're struggling to win possession as a team, he goes into his shell a bit, and becomes somewhat ineffectual. He lacks that cutting edge/killer instinct required to create/score opportunities under any circumstance consistently, like a Sanchez from Woolwich or an Eden Hazard,.

Jesus bloody Christ....ineffectual!! He's the top scoring midfielder in the whole league. He's single-handedly clawed us points from the last minute of games repeatedly and got us to Wembley. I'm not quite sure what else you want but last time I checked we didn't have the pick of the most lethal free-scoring midfielders on the planet so I'm very happy to make-do with Eriksen for now.

That said I'll be really disappointed if Levy doesn't sign Pogba, Bale and Reus this Jan and will be calling for his bald head if he disappoints us again.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

This is not the thread for discussing the merits of Eriksen or for making comparisons. This thread is for the discussion of ITK.

So please indulge an old man by bearing that in mind. Ta.

 

[wiggo24]

I love the club at the moment. We've got a really bright future, Kane and Eriksen are 21 and 22, which is amazing, and there seems to be a real feel-good factor around the club right now.

I feel closer to the club than I have in ages. Kane, Mason, Bentaleb etc have helped, but I also think it seems like we finally have a long-term plan.

Compare that to last season and the division about AVB, then I find it amazing how well we're doing at the moment.

Anyway, I think if we sell Ade and Lennon, we have to bring someone in. You can't survive with 4 AM's and 2 ST's, only one of which can score, regardless of Dembele's upturn in form.

 

[Blackrat1299]

Who the fuck is Segal ? Jason ? George ?

Harry?.........................oops, that's Secombe....sorry

 

[Blackrat1299]

If we buy .as reported in the Sun,Aymeric Laporte Yohann Cabaye & Jay Rodriguez tomorrow

I am absolutely made up with the little baldy Danny Levy

I'll have the same as you are smoking/drinking

 

[shelfboy68]

Boy I couldn't disagree more. We've lost one EPL match since Chelsea two months ago and haven't had a team with this much flair in quite some time. If Dembele's pass to Kane's touch and finish or Eriksen's dummy to create his own chance weren't sublime today, then I'm not sure what is. And Levy made it clear at the beginning of the season that top 4 was not, for the first time in a few years, the objective. It's to completely revamp the program from youth to the top in players, management and system. And with Rob Mackenzie's recent arrival, I think it's pretty clear we're still very much in the middle of that.

I can understand your frustration that we don't have players like Modric, VdV and King anymore but times have changed and I think what we have going on right now is very exciting.

Have to agree with you i can be critical of the teams performance and lack of transfer activity, but this team is certainly more consistant than others.
We are much tougher on the road than before and we have developed a never say die attitude as scoring late winners will attest to.
We could do with a bit more creativity and goal threat but i would like to think that will be sorted for summer, but after reaching a winnable cup final plus being fifth placed what the Fuck is there to moan about.

 

[ValenciaYid]

We are actually having our best transfer policy in may years.....giving our youngsters opportunities.....

 

[knilly]

We are actually having our best transfer policy in may years.....giving our youngsters opportunities.....

These players are just ones given the opportunity to succeed at top level football. This season we have seen that the grass isn't always greener.

I don't think there's many fans who wouldn't prefer Carroll, Velkovic and Pritchard back over the next big thing. Velkovic is obviously younger but the other two have certainly made people take notice of their performances.

Long may it continue. It's galvanised the club with what we have done this season