Well not exactly going out on a limb there.
The Tottenham Hotspur 2020/21 thread
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Well not exactly going out on a limb there.
He will fit in perfectly instead of Lucas - he isn't getting shoehorned in at all as he will be playing in the same position he played for RM mostly which is on the right of a front 3.
Prime Bale yes, but prime Bale is long gone.
Even without prime Bale, Spurs have a very strong squad. They are the dark horses this season and I would not be surprised in the least if they win the league. They are not favourites, but they have a strong enough squad to win it. Certainly they are a safe bet to win some silverware this season. The key to their season is to keep at least Kane and Son fit, and if Bale regains some of his form that's a huge boost for them.
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If he is even 80% of the player he was he will be absolutely fantastic.
But the main point i'm making is even if he ends up being Alexis at United 2.0 he'd still be picked because he's Gareth Bale and that could hugely damage your season, especially if Bergwijn performs well whenever he's on one of his enforced layoff's. We had a similar situation last season, Kante had a really poor season and when he was injured we had a perfect midfield balance yet he kept walsing back in once he was fit, it buggered our momentum not one but twice.
Bale is effectively better than any option they have on the right at the moment. It's different from Sanchez situation who ended up playing on the left for us instead of Martial who got shoehorned to the right. Here he will be replacing Lucas and Bergwijn. Nothing special. So far their attack has been 100% dependent on Son and Kane and not the attacker playing on the right.
The only problem is if Bale will play as a winger stuck to the flank or a right forward cutting inside like Son. If Mourinho played him like Son, with Kane dropping deep as he has done against us and South, I can see them being great on the counters and Bale will score a lot. Of course, he can't be a winger who sticks to the flank and just crosses at this age so he needs to play close to the goal.
I am really surprise by Spurs this window that Levy and Mou work so well together. Levy basically addressed all the request of Mou for the team reinforcement. striker, LB, RB, CM, RW, and may be Rodon for CB too. I read the net spend is around £50M which truly impressive given Spurs still need to pay for the stadium. Seems like Levy is fully buying into Mou's project and give him all the tools to succeed. Good time for Spurs and you can tell Mou is a happy man.
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I'm pleasantly surprised about that too - you just never know how these things are going to work out and both Levy and Mou seem very strong characters but so far they appear to be working extremely well together which is very promising. Jose has basically got all his main targets this window (apart from maybe a CB) plus has been handed Bale. I'm sure he is absolutely loving it at Spurs right now.
I suspect what Jose will be trying to do is have Kane drop deep to hold the ball up and play those clever passes for Bale and Son to run onto. Kane is absolutely fantastic at that and is showing it this season. If Jose can get it to work then we really could be extremely effective.
On the other hand Mou will be under pressure to deliver top 4, just like Ancelotti in Everton , Lampard in Chelsea, Arteta in Arsenal as there will be no excuse for them. There are only 2 spots available though assume City and Pool will take the top 2 spot.
The level of pressure varies greatly between those managers. Ancelotti for example isn't under any pressure to finish inside the top 4. Making the Europa league will probably be a satisfactory season for Everton. They will be delighted if they can manage a challenge for top 4. Mourinho and Arteta are under reasonable pressure to get top 4. Lampard on the other hand is at the other end of that spectrum. He is under huge pressure to deliver top 4. Even that might not be enough for him. His team finished on same points as 3rd, then he was allowed to spend £230m to strengthen his squad. If he isn't in the top 2 or fairly close to them at the end of the season I would like to think it will be seen as a failure. Abramovich certainly isn't shy for pulling the trigger when a manager even slightly underachieves.
Are you suggesting that Ole is not under pressure to finish top four.
To me he didn't get the same support from the upper management as the other three so I didn't include him in the discussion. He has the "excuse". OGS is under huge pressure to deliver result in his next 10 matches. For whatever reason Ed seems keep pulling his own appointed manager's leg in their 2nd summer transfer window. It is weird.
Ole can keep his job without top 4. He’s cheap & doesn’t question authority, a dream for the Glazers. He’ll get sacked if we don’t get top 4 for 2 years in a row, because it will massively effect the finances, and that’s what the Glazers care about.
I dunno, mate. Based on the number of times I've been called a retard for expressing that exact opinion, I'm going to guess that it's still not mainstream.
(Not been insulted by anyone on here, mind you. But then I reckon the average intelligence on here is at least a standard deviation higher than that of the wider football fanbase. Having frankly ridiculous barriers to entry probably helps.)
I see you.
DCL is great though. Haven't seen enough of Richarlison to fairly judge.
Bale is on loan for a season. It's not about protecting an asset that they need to keep trying to make it work. Especially when it comes to damaging their bigger assets. Bale not doing well, then even to cut the loss and return him to Madrid.
Tottenham didn't get Bale to solve a problem but to reinforce their squad, in situation like last season where their main men dropping like flies. Tottenham already has the framework. Bale game on theory should be easy fit to that gameplan. Whereas Kante role has been changed with the different style and a partner like Jorginho.
Bale is a straight swap for Moura, Moura has been good without being great. Bale allows rotation on the right between the two for Europa league, FA cup, League cup, EPL games.
If you say Kane, Son, Bale are the main three attackers for the PL games Look at say Spurs 2nd string attacking group for their Europa league matches. Vinicius, Bergwijn, Alli, Moura, that B team should be more than enough to blow someone like Ludogorets away. And Bale, Son and Kane get to put their feet up for some R&R with their sites focused on the next PL game.
If you say Kane, Son, Bale are the main three attackers for the PL games Look at say Spurs 2nd string attacking group for their Europa league matches. Vinicius, Bergwijn, Alli, Moura, that B team should be more than enough to blow someone like Ludogorets away. And Bale, Son and Kane get to put their feet up for some R&R with their sites focused on the next PL game.
I agree with this and I see the Bale signing as a gamble worth taking. If he plays anything near his top level he will make a massive difference to their season and if he doesn’t he’s gone at the end of the season anyway and they aren’t even paying his full wages. It’s not comparable to Sanchez who was a Utd player on a long term contract with crazy wages or even Arsenals own incumbent good for nothing on crazy wages Mesut Bogarde.
Did Dele stay in the end then?
Many feared Jose's defensive style would ruin guys like Kane
He did yeah
A lot of people have been saying tons of things about what would happen and so far have been proved wrong.
Has Bale not played a game yet?
No he is still recovering from an injury he suffered last time he was on duty for Wales. He is now in full training and the hope is he will be fit in the next week or two.
To be fair even if it’s under Jose i’d love to see Kane get his hands on major honours before he calls it a day
All the talk of options Spurs have in Bale's position but not a single mention for the one who started there in the last game - Lamela.
Not a superstar by any means but the type of player that Jose always wants in his team and I think if you were to ask Spurs fans who they would start out of Lamela, Lucas, Bergwijn and Alli then I think the majority would probably say Lamela. He doesn't bring a massive amount in terms of attacking output but with Son and Kane on fire then it's not so important. Here's a good thread on what he brought to the team on Sunday, minus the total shithousery to get Martial sent off -
Not a superstar by any means but the type of player that Jose always wants in his team and I think if you were to ask Spurs fans who they would start out of Lamela, Lucas, Bergwijn and Alli then I think the majority would probably say Lamela. He doesn't bring a massive amount in terms of attacking output but with Son and Kane on fire then it's not so important. Here's a good thread on what he brought to the team on Sunday, minus the total shithousery to get Martial sent off -
I agree - when he is fit he is a very valuable player for us. Jose must love him.
To be fair, Man Utd have been shocking at the start and could have shipped 6 vs Brighton so I am unsure as to whether Lamela is good or not
Yep. Some say that Spurs wasted all the money we got from selling Bale originally - but Lamela was one of those signed with that money, as was Eriksen.
I kind of thought it might be curtains for Lamela once Jose turned up. He doesnt match up to that sit deep and play on the counter style being he is not pacey.
Seems Jose is mixing up his tactics however, some games adopting a press and playing Lamela, and this is where the guy shines and why he was key for Pochettino's pressing style. This transitional pressing I feel might be Sacramento's influence, and why Jose brought him in as part of his backroom staff. Lamela is constantly harrying and being a pest, Spurs first goal was Lamela chasing the ball around the box which pressured Maguire into a few hurried and miscued headers ending with the mad scramble between Shaw, Maguire and Lamela for the ball, with it rolling clear of the melee pretty much to the feet of Ndombele.
Seems Jose is mixing up his tactics however, some games adopting a press and playing Lamela, and this is where the guy shines and why he was key for Pochettino's pressing style. This transitional pressing I feel might be Sacramento's influence, and why Jose brought him in as part of his backroom staff. Lamela is constantly harrying and being a pest, Spurs first goal was Lamela chasing the ball around the box which pressured Maguire into a few hurried and miscued headers ending with the mad scramble between Shaw, Maguire and Lamela for the ball, with it rolling clear of the melee pretty much to the feet of Ndombele.
They're a cute team but I'd be surprised if they won a trophy this season.
They are not winning the league, lets be realistic, I think even the most rose tinted goggles Spurs fan would agree with that(Except maybe Glaston).
But they easily have enough in the locker to pull out a cup win or tear up the Europa League and win it. Especially now with all the reinforcements they have brought in for rotation. Look at their "B team" Hart, Aurier, Alderweireld, Tanganga, Davies, Sissoko, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Alli, Moura, Vinicius. That is not half bad for a B squad.
I forgot they were in the EL. They could win that indeed.
Yeah im not sure any constructive analysis can be made on a match where one team seemed so utterly determined to lose heavily
You do realise he has spent more than all those managers? £300m spend over two summer windows.
Yes, Solskjaer is under a load of pressure to get top four. He has to it get it with that expenditure; the highest average spend of any United manager.
You know it's funny to say that when discussing his spending or lack thereof relative to what Spurs have 'backed' Mourinho with. Stop listening to all of our fans, some even said he wasn't backed last season as well which was ridiculous
Agree. He's much, much too good to go his whole career without winning anything. Hell, if he was a mercenary type, he'd be at some other club competing for league + CL every season by now.
It looks like Spurs are making decently-sized moves but if another year passes and he still has to leave Spurs to have a shot at glory, he should do it IMO. He's more than paid his dues and done his part, and the only compelling reason to stay, in terms of football, would be to truly cement his place as a club legend. Unless, of course, Spurs can retain the same level of ambition indefinitely, to such an extent that staying becomes less of a long shot.
I'd go a step further and say that Moura has been thoroughly mediocre (assuming a top 6 club is your benchmark), punctuated by short purple patches and the occasional gem of a performance -- like the kind of CL hat-trick that convinces everyone who doesn't watch you regularly that you're way better than you are. (I'm not accusing you of making that mistake btw. You evidently do watch him and Spurs, but it's very common in e.g. YouTube comments.)
It won't be hard for Bale to improve on Spurs' options for a similar position, even if he is only ever 80% of the player he used to be. The squad is good but I wouldn't say that a single one of their other options for RW is PL top 4 quality.