Weird that united fans on this forum have been clamoring to this tired argument of the league being weak for the last few years
The Spurs thread | 2017-18 season | Serious thread - wummers/derailers will be threadbanned
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Dembele is a physical beast btw, I have yet to see someone consistently outmuscle him when he's dribbling. Held off the likes of Bakayoko and David Luiz on plenty of occassions.
Lloris has become a shocking goalkeeper. He was one of the better keepers in my view but the number of mistakes recently are just not something you can allow at the top level.
Arguably could've saved the free kick too if he wasn't positioned so far in one side. He must've watched Alonso's videos to know where he was going to put the ball.
Second goal, well, just don't know what happened there. Going with his hands instead of his foot is such a rookie mistake.
Add that to Kane always starting a season slow, spurs were toothless on both ends of the pitch really.
Arguably could've saved the free kick too if he wasn't positioned so far in one side. He must've watched Alonso's videos to know where he was going to put the ball.
Second goal, well, just don't know what happened there. Going with his hands instead of his foot is such a rookie mistake.
Add that to Kane always starting a season slow, spurs were toothless on both ends of the pitch really.
Definitely should have done better on the 2nd goal but I think you're being harsh on the free kick-Willian was standing over it as well, so if Lloris cheats towards his left Willian was there as an option. After all, he did do this just a few months back (albeit at the other end of the pitch):
Well that's just it right? Willian would have to kick it way too well to put it in the other corner with his right foot because of the side the ball was at. Lloris would have a lot better chance of saving that.
Yeah maybe, or alternatively that might have just left an open avenue for Alonso to shoot at, plus if he moves too far to his left he becomes unsighted by his own wall.
Yea I think Alonso was more likely to go far post out of the two. I might be wrong but he always goes for the same corner and has a ridiculous conversion rate from there. A goalkeeper who has that knowledge should be closer to the centre of the goal I feel.
Posted this in another thread but out of Alonso's last 8 free kicks he's scored 5 goals and hit the woodwork 3 times. Insane talent.
Not sure if its all mental. The atmosphere was much worse than WHL. I sounded similar to when England play some shit friendly rather than what it does at WHL (which I think is the joint top atmosphere among the top6)
Spurs and dirty play, name a better duo
He's pretty unproductive though. Does all these really good dribbles and works hard but when it comes to the final pass or finish he often screws it up. Sometimes he dribbles into blind alleys as well.
Chelsea had 2 shots on target and scored 2 goals. Thought Wanyama was poor and Spurs's defense didn't look as sold as it used to be.
Started with 3 defensive midfielders, that's way too much. Shame they don't have creative CM. They rely completely on Eriksen for creating chances, Dembele is very good midfielder but has lot of limitations, biggest of them all his creating chances.
Btw is Trippier injured for long time? Purely FF question.
Started with 3 defensive midfielders, that's way too much. Shame they don't have creative CM. They rely completely on Eriksen for creating chances, Dembele is very good midfielder but has lot of limitations, biggest of them all his creating chances.
Btw is Trippier injured for long time? Purely FF question.
That's wrong I think. His free kick was saved against Burnley.
Did he take one? In my defense I've tried to repress my memories of that game as much as possible.
Hoo boy I'm going to have to hide my head in shame since I've posted this all over the Caf if so.
Actually, that's pretty much all fans and especially non-English ones. Just look at the PL's collective European performances since Fergie left. As a Chelsea fan you should know better.
It's true, forced a great save out of Heaton in the second half. It was still an excellent free kickDid he take one? In my defense I've tried to repress my memories of that game as much as possible.
Hoo boy I'm going to have to hide my head in shame since I've posted this all over the Caf if so.
Bollocks. I feel like a right idiot now then. Serves me right for not validating that stat.
Now that it's been mentioned it is ringing a bell. In my defense I'd had a few whiskeys at halftime...
My understanding was that it dated back to his time in Italy as well, especially as he only started taking free kicks for us last winter.
To be fair he only starting taking free kicks for us in January. I distinctly recall my reaction to his first one for us being astonishment that he had any sort of capability to take them.
You did say "every week". I get your point but you put it in such a silly context. I mean if Lukaku keeps putting away his chances like he's done every week, he'll be scoring in 9/10 games for us. That's a ridiculous notion... hmmmI said if they perform like that, they'd probably win 9/10 times, as in, the whole point was; the performance today was good enough to win 9 in 10x, as in; They were a touch unlucky with result considering the performance. I didnt say they're going to keep that performance level 38 games a season.
Spurs did not deserve to win the game, not by any stretch of the imagination, at best a draw could be considered a fair result.
Perhaps you have the blinkers on and you cannot see the situation for what it is, Spurs look a far cry from what they were last year. Walker and Rose are clearly being missed by the team, specifically Alli who cannot seem to operate without Rose's support. Kane lacks movement and isn't showing for the ball in the manner he did last season, though his hold up play is as strong as ever. The movement in midfield is non-existent, as if the "dynamic" has changed somewhat over the course of pre-season. Can't explain what that could be though.
Eriksen is the only standout in that Spurs team, his movement off the ball and vision on it is scary good. He played some beautiful passes in and around the box yesterday, all to no avail. Dembele needs to wake up, Eriksen can't do it all himself.
The game reminded me of our European Super Cup game. Chelsea played 3-5-1-1 like we did and Spurs' formation you could label 4-3-2-1, which is the shape Real Madrid took when Bale dropped into midfield (which he did quite often). Spurs' extra man in midfield allowed them to dominate possession and they should have got a (much) better result.
Let's not get carried away here and evaluate after 5-6 games. Didn't think we deserved the victory yesterday but a draw would have been fair, Conte got his tactics exactly right and unfortunately we couldn't get through. Poch made a few tactical mistakes and Lloris had a mare. No need to panic.
I'm surprised more people haven't voted 'no' for Spurs finishing in the top 4 this season. With them playing at Wembley, then a new stadium next season, I expect them to finish outside the top 4 this season and next. If they were playing at WHL, I'd expect them to finish top 4 in both seasons. Simple as that.
So, two games into the season and - according to you - Spurs have declined compared to last season. You should change your username to Random Kneejerk.
Also, according to you, Kane is not a standout player, nor is Alderweireld, nor Alli, not anyone else aside from Eriksen. Righty-oh
As for the some of your other comments:
"Alli who cannot seem to operate without Rose's support" .... except that he scored last weekend.
"Kane lacks movement" ... except that he showed plenty of movement yesterday.
"Walker ... clearly missed by the team". Except that Walker-Peters got the MotM award last weekend and the season is just two games old (see kneejerk above).
Actually don't think this is knee jerk at all. It was obvious even last week before Newcastle went down a man that you missed Walker and Rose's pace on the flanks and their ability to stretch the opposition. When Rose gets back it'll be less of an issue, but I don't think it's a stretch to suggest the struggles Tottenham had yesterday in stretching Chelsea's defensive shape were indicative of less attacking threat from the fullbacks.
I didn't care for how wide Alli was playing at times yesterday and felt that was a direct reflection of him searching for space because Chelsea were able to stay organized and tight.
Never said there was cause for panic, just pointing out my observations from yesterdays game. Harsh on Lloris to say he had a mare though, he had no chance with the free-kick and the second was struck hard and low, directly under his body, you'd expect a keeper of his calibre to save it but it wasn't as easy as it looked. Definitely an awkward one.
So, two games into the season and - according to you - Spurs have declined compared to last season. You should change your username to Random Kneejerk.
Never said they have declined, simply that they haven't started well at all. They look toothless in attack, whether that will change as certain players find form is up for debate, but as it stands Spurs look significantly weaker offensively. I missed very few Spurs games last season, as they just so happened to be a team I enjoyed watching, so please don't deny the fact that something is missing from an attacking standpoint.
Also, according to you, Kane is not a standout player, nor is Alderweireld, nor Alli, not anyone else aside from Eriksen. Righty-oh
Eriksen was by and large the best player on the pitch yesterday, as he was in the Newcastle game, his industry, movement and sublime vision sets him apart in that Spurs team. Reminds me of Luka Modric funnily enough. The others you mention have yet to look the part. Only my opinion of course.
As for the some of your other comments:
"Alli who cannot seem to operate without Rose's support" .... except that he scored last weekend.
Scoring a goal masked his general poor performance. He misses Rose. Not a single worthwhile pass or dribble from him yet.
"Kane lacks movement" ... except that he showed plenty of movement yesterday.
Excpet that he didn't. You must have watched a different game then.
"Walker ... clearly missed by the team". Except that Walker-Peters got the MotM award last weekend and the season is just two games old (see kneejerk above).
That's an assersion though isn't it? That he was solid defensively does not make him MotM, not when you're up against a particularly weak Newcastle outfit. I thought Eriksen was far and away the best Spurs player last week and yesterday too.
The league table will not disregard your first 2 games of the season. Every game played is equally significant.
Clearly Spurs are missing Walker and Rose, their pace and attacking intent had a significant impact on the teams ability to penetrate opposition defences last season, the replacements do not offer the same offensive outlet. Trippier was awful yesterday, Davies was average. If Poch continue with the back 3 setup, and it looks like he will do just that, then the wingbacks will need to progress fast in order for it to work in the manner it did last season.
Spurs minus Walker & Rose are a weaker unit. Would you agree with that?
I haven't said that league table disregards games, but every league game is not equally significant ... not least because some fixtures are a lot harder than others.
Yes, I agree that Spurs minus both Walker & Rose are a weaker unit, but Rose will be back.
Many of your other comments are back-tracks. For instance, you now say "Eriksen was by and large the best player on the pitch yesterday (my emphasis)", but previously you said "Eriksen is the only standout in that Spurs team".
And you now say about Spurs "Never said they have declined ...", but previously you said "Spurs look a far cry from what they were last year".
I don't see how anyone can argue Spurs aren't weaker than last season.
Losing your first choice right back and buying a young upcoming centre back is a decline.
But obviously the window isn't shut yet and I'd be surprised if Spurs didn't buy anyone.
The result against Chelsea could work out well in a weird way, because it might show to Levy that he needs to buy one or two more players.
All in all Spurs won't be playing Chelsea every week so I wouldn't worry about them too much, the lack of width is really glaring without rose and obviously Walker though.
Losing your first choice right back and buying a young upcoming centre back is a decline.
But obviously the window isn't shut yet and I'd be surprised if Spurs didn't buy anyone.
The result against Chelsea could work out well in a weird way, because it might show to Levy that he needs to buy one or two more players.
All in all Spurs won't be playing Chelsea every week so I wouldn't worry about them too much, the lack of width is really glaring without rose and obviously Walker though.
Do you struggle to follow a simple conversation or do you purposely evade certain points to suit your narrative? Clearly Eriksen is not the only top drawer player in that Spurs team, I simply meant that up to this point in the campaign, a mere 2 games in, that he is the only standout performer thus far. The rest of the squad have some catching up to do.
You're nitpicking due to the fact that you lack a more meaningful response. Didn't want you to think it went unnoticed.
Bit soon to make any kind of solid predictions but I reckon playing on that huge pitch every week, combined with away teams treating a game at Wembley like a cup final, will make this a difficult season for Spurs.
Spurs were unlucky yesterday but lacked width and a clinical edge, early days though. They are a fantastic side but you have to wonder how Wembley will effect there home form. They need to win there next game at home, it could effect the players on a psychological level soon if they don't.
Second goal was all on him I'm afraid, no keeper of
His class
Should be beaten like that, he didn't seem to know whether to clear with him feet of smother it. He even came out after the game and practically apologised. You could argue also that he could of picked a better person to throw it to than Wanyama right in the middle
of the park. Still love the guy though.
They do always resort to this style of play when they lose. They just can't accept it.
I don't think there's any major cause for concern for Spurs because they tend to start each season fairly slowly before coming in strong - it's probably cost them the league in the last two seasons.
They're definitely a more ordinary side without Walker and Rose because they're completely stripped of pace. They really need Rose back fit and focused to help inject those qualities back into the side.
They'll have a good season, probably third or fourth, but I don't see them seriously troubling either Manchester club. I think Chelsea can stage a challenge if their squad holds out because yesterday showed that the players are pulling for Conte.
They're definitely a more ordinary side without Walker and Rose because they're completely stripped of pace. They really need Rose back fit and focused to help inject those qualities back into the side.
They'll have a good season, probably third or fourth, but I don't see them seriously troubling either Manchester club. I think Chelsea can stage a challenge if their squad holds out because yesterday showed that the players are pulling for Conte.
Wanyama probably should have done better after recieving the ball rather than panic and lose it as a result of that. Ultimately it was down to Lloris as you say though.
Gutting really, was hoping it would end 1-1. Chelsea winning done us no favours.
If that's what you meant then that's what you should have said. I'm not mind-reader
Honestly mate, I didn't think it needed pointing out.
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