Tottenham Vs Benfica: Match Thread

[talkshowhost86]

I'm worried they'll have too much for us full stop!

Nah, I would send out a positive team and hope they work a little harder for one another.

Not holding my breath though.

I'm all for positive but I don't think that necessarily means 4-4-2.

I think, assuming Dembele is out, I'd go:

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Vertonghen Rose

Paulinho Sandro Bentaleb

Chadli Adebayor Eriksen
​

Unless Tim can pull a real rabbit out of his hat and persuade Adebayor to actually play as a wide forward...in which case I'd replace Chadli with Soldado.

 

[Mr Pink]

I'm all for positive but I don't think that necessarily means 4-4-2.

I think, assuming Dembele is out, I'd go:

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Vertonghen Rose

Paulinho Sandro Bentaleb

Chadli Adebayor Eriksen
​

Unless Tim can pull a real rabbit out of his hat and persuade Adebayor to actually play as a wide forward...in which case I'd replace Chadli with Soldado.

Well yeah, you're quite right 4-4-2 doesn't necessarily mean its more positive, but it does allow us to play Ade and Soldado and it means we won't have to shoehorn one of the more peripheral types.

Formation isn't a problem. Collective fight and leadership is.


Far too much stock is placed on formations for my liking anyway. Its a fluid game and if everybody is aware of their roles and is prepared to work hard, that's the main thing as far as I'm concerned.

Soldado can drop deeper off the ball if we're getting out numbered at times in the middle of the park etc

 

[easley91]

I love what Sherwood has said (even if he is not going to be in charge next term). If the players do actually want to stay and fight for the club, then regardless of previous performances they'll give everything for the remainder of the season to prove their worth.

Still 50/50 on what sort of performance we'll see tomorrow, but, as I'm going, I hope it's a solid team one with loads of positivity.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Well yeah, you're quite right 4-4-2 doesn't necessarily mean its more positive, but it does allow us to play Ade and Soldado and it means we won't have to shoehorn one of the more peripheral types.

Formation isn't a problem. Collective fight and leadership is.


Far too much stock is placed on formations for my liking anyway. Its a fluid game and if everybody is aware of their roles and is prepared to work hard, that's the main thing as far as I'm concerned.

Soldado can drop deeper off the ball if we're getting out numbered at times in the middle of the park etc

Don't get me wrong I'm not a slave to formations, but winning control in the middle of the pitch is fairly crucial, and against good teams we've rarely been able to do that with two strikers on the pitch. Neither Soldado or Adebayor can operate effectively as a midfielder so that's why I'd go with three central midfielders.

You can have all the collective fight and leadership in the world, but if you get out-thought then it won't make a jot of difference.

 

[Mr Pink]

Don't get me wrong I'm not a slave to formations, but winning control in the middle of the pitch is fairly crucial, and against good teams we've rarely been able to do that with two strikers on the pitch. Neither Soldado or Adebayor can operate effectively as a midfielder so that's why I'd go with three central midfielders.

You can have all the collective fight and leadership in the world, but if you get out-thought then it won't make a jot of difference.

Well I wouldn't be starting Chadli on the right that's for sure, he hasn't even played there yet - and for a game of this magnitude where the onus is on us to win the game with the away leg to follow I would go with two.

I know we're better away from home and there is a strong argument for keeping it tight at home knowing there's a good change we'll score out there, its still risky given what happened on Saturday.

I don't see starting two forwards as ceding that much of the middle of the pitch anyway because we're at home and they'll probably be sitting a little deeper than they usually would as this is a two legged affair and they're playing away first.

 

[wiggo24]

Their manager has said the league is their priority, and that there's a decent chance they might rest some key players.

We, imo, have nothing to play for now, so TS shld put out our strongest team and try to win by 2,3 at WHL then hold out over there.

Actually really want us to win this now.

 

[EQP]

Their manager has said the league is their priority, and that there's a decent chance they might rest some key players.

We, imo, have nothing to play for now, so TS shld put out our strongest team and try to win by 2,3 at WHL then hold out over there.

Actually really want us to win this now.

They do have one serious advantage though. In the Portuguese League, teams are allowed to schedule league games after Europe League games to Monday, which gives them 3 full days to rest up. So in effect they could still play their best team and have enough time to regen/recover and play on Monday.

 

[wiggo24]

They do have one serious advantage though. In the Portuguese League, teams are allowed to schedule league games after Europe League games to Monday, which gives them 3 full days to rest up. So in effect they could still play their best team and have enough time to regen/recover and play on Monday.

That seems unfair to me. Maybe that's a reason why Porto won it in 2010? Their manager definitely said they'd be resting some players, so I'm not sure what to think now.

 

[talkshowhost86]

Well I wouldn't be starting Chadli on the right that's for sure, he hasn't even played there yet - and for a game of this magnitude where the onus is on us to win the game with the away leg to follow I would go with two.

I know we're better away from home and there is a strong argument for keeping it tight at home knowing there's a good change we'll score out there, its still risky given what happened on Saturday.

I don't see starting two forwards as ceding that much of the middle of the pitch anyway because we're at home and they'll probably be sitting a little deeper than they usually would as this is a two legged affair and they're playing away first.

Yeah fair enough I don't know if Chadli is necessarily the best option out there. But I'm fed up with Lennon and Townsend and if Sigurdsson is picked then the forum would implode.

I think if we had Sandro and Dembele fit then maybe 4-4-2 would be a bit more viable, but I think Paulinho has shown that he's pretty vulnerable in a midfield 2.

Even so, I actually think playing 3 in midfield allows us to be more attacking and that's what we should be going for.

 

[EQP]

That seems unfair to me. Maybe that's a reason why Porto won it in 2010? Their manager definitely said they'd be resting some players, so I'm not sure what to think now.

I imagine thats why AVB thought so much of the Europa League and was so adamant to play his strongest 11 when he was our manager, he won it with Porto and benefited from that monday rule in the portuguese league. But he severely underestimated the importance of that extra day of rest, as shown by our performances after EL games.

 

[nightgoat]

Incidentally I can't remember the last time I got to this stage of the season and was so disinterested in what was going on. We're mathematically not that far off 4th, we're into the latter stages of the Europa League, and yet it still feels like we're just treading water.

Temporary manager.

Probably lots of soon to be gone players.

Chirpy probably due for another revamp.

*sigh*

Bring back Evil Chirpy. That's where it all went wrong.

 

[Blake Griffin]

lennon, townsend, sigurdsson and chadli all usually offer next to nothing so why waste a place on them.

 

[mpickard2087]

Has there been any info about Kaboul and if he is fit enough now to play the Europa games then the league game after that at the weekend?

 

[only1waddle]

Well I wouldn't be starting Chadli on the right that's for sure, he hasn't even played there yet - and for a game of this magnitude where the onus is on us to win the game with the away leg to follow I would go with two.

I know we're better away from home and there is a strong argument for keeping it tight at home knowing there's a good change we'll score out there, its still risky given what happened on Saturday.

I don't see starting two forwards as ceding that much of the middle of the pitch anyway because we're at home and they'll probably be sitting a little deeper than they usually would as this is a two legged affair and they're playing away first.

Fairly certain he played on the right in one game under Sherwood, for the life of me i can't remember what one, think it was Southampton, put a fantastic cross in though and looked comfortable, that much i can remember.

 

[Blake Griffin]

Fairly certain he played on the right in one game under Sherwood, for the life of me i can't remember what one, think it was Southampton, put a fantastic cross in though and looked comfortable, that much i can remember.

yeah and then he started the following game against west brom on the right and managed to do less than lennon.

 

[only1waddle]

yeah and then he started the following game against west brom on the right and managed to do less than lennon.

Wow, one bad game on the right.. hang him i say.

 

[Jrmpinto]

We might rest some key players (Enzo Pérez, Gaitán, Markovic) and use players like Djuricic, Sulejmani, André Gomes and give some minutes to Salvio and Cardozo who recently returned from injury.

 

[Spurger King]

We might rest some key players (Enzo Pérez, Gaitán, Markovic) and use players like Djuricic, Sulejmani, André Gomes and give some minutes to Salvio and Cardozo who recently returned from injury.

You could probably rest your entire first team and still win this easily. We're a mess right now.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

We might rest some key players (Enzo Pérez, Gaitán, Markovic) and use players like Djuricic, Sulejmani, André Gomes and give some minutes to Salvio and Cardozo who recently returned from injury.

Well, you should still feel sorry for us, we're probably going to play Sigurdsson and Lennon

 

[shelfboy68]

You could probably rest your entire first team and still win this easily. We're a mess right now.

Yep can see us going down 0-2 we are not in a good place right now.