Spurs 2024-25

[Zapp Brannigan]

Experimental lineup to say the least.

Forster
Gray Dragusin Davies Udogie
Bentancur
Bergvall Maddison
Moore Richarlison Werner
​

Big guns all available on the bench, with Odobert it looks suspiciously like a full complement of fit players for now.

 

[Cerberus]

Hell of a bench that.

Forster is a concern. As for Werner

 

[Silas Loom]

Experimental lineup to say the least.

Forster
Gray Dragusin Davies Udogie
Bentancur
Bergvall Maddison
Moore Richarlison Werner
​

Big guns all available on the bench, with Odobert it looks suspiciously like a full complement of fit players for now.

That mad Aussie is rotating centre backs like Poch did with full backs.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Oh Timo Timo Timo. Great run, great timing, great pace, great composure to slow himself down and set himself for the finish. Then a backpass to the keeper.

He's got to come off, take a few weeks away and just concentrate on training. His head's gone - being in the pitch right now is counterproductive, it's not doing him any favours to hear the groans in the crowd every time he mucks up.

Johnson on please.

 

[Cerberus]

Firstly, this is a fairly tedious affair tonight.

Secondly, who on earth signed off on Werner’s loan extension?

 

[Silas Loom]

Three points, surprisingly good performance from Forster, to pick just one rotated player, and astonishing new levels from Mikey Moore.

Poor Timo. At least we get the new Korean in January, when the loan presumably ends.

 

[Cerberus]

Three points, surprisingly good performance from Forster, to pick just one rotated player, and astonishing new levels from Mikey Moore.

Poor Timo. At least we get the new Korean in January, when the loan presumably ends.

Forster was good wasnt he? Moore had a 15min spell in the second half (pleasingly right in front of me) where he had AZ on toast.

A routine-ish 1-0 win at Spurs!?!

And got away with playing a mostly reserve side

 

[Silas Loom]

No Son today, so let’s go with what I think might just be our best possible team: Vicario, Porro-Romero-VDV-Udogi, Biss-Kulu-Sarr, Johnson-Solanke-Moore. Even for Palace, stopping Maddison and Kulu from getting in each other’s way is the way forward.

Obviously this post means that Maddison and Werner will now start.

 

[Cerberus]

No Son today, so let’s go with what I think might just be our best possible team: Vicario, Porro-Romero-VDV-Udogi, Biss-Kulu-Sarr, Johnson-Solanke-Moore. Even for Palace, stopping Maddison and Kulu from getting in each other’s way is the way forward.

Obviously this post means that Maddison and Werner will now start.

Wouldn’t be too upset with Maddison starting. Would be shocked and let’s face it, raging to see Werner get anywhere near the first XI!!

That said, if MM starts I can’t see him lasting 90mins. We do have Oderbert fit again, so we avoid Werner coming on.

Look out for an Eze screamer today. What’s that I hear you say? Palace without a win this season? - ‘paging Dr Tottenham’

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

I reckon it's a Kulu, Bissouma, Maddison midfield. Isn't it great to be picky about it because we've got loads of good players though, rather than because they're all equally shite?

Moore should start, but I'll understand if he doesn't.

 

[Silas Loom]

Maddison can start against City in the Rumbelows.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Maddison can start against City in the Rumbelows.

City only had 5 outfield players on the bench yesterday, they're really struggling for fit players at the moment (the poor little lambs). Their team on Wednesday is going to have a lot of academy players.

My main issue with Sarr and Kulusevski starting is that they both prefer the right side of a midfield 3. It's not a big problem and either should be able to adapt, just a bit of an unknown.

 

[Silas Loom]

City only had 5 outfield players on the bench yesterday, they're really struggling for fit players at the moment (the poor little lambs). Their team on Wednesday is going to have a lot of academy players.

My main issue with Sarr and Kulusevski starting is that they both prefer the right side of a midfield 3. It's not a big problem and either should be able to adapt, just a bit of an unknown.

It all looked pretty balanced in the midfield for the second half against West Ham!

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

It all looked pretty balanced in the midfield for the second half against West Ham!

Totally agree, but small sample size. By the same argument, Kulu-Bentancur-Maddison looked awesome when we dismantled Man Utd.

 

[Silas Loom]

Totally agree, but small sample size. By the same argument, Kulu-Bentancur-Maddison looked awesome when we dismantled Man Utd.

Ange seems to agree with you. I suppose he also has your unnerving ability to remember anything at all about a game that was four weeks ago.

And Moore starts!

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Ange seems to agree with you. I suppose he also has your unnerving ability to remember anything at all about a game that was four weeks ago.

And Moore starts!

View attachment 448620

I'm like a football rain man. Who got the assist for Harry Kane's late headed winner in the WHL North London derby in 2015? Nabil Bentaleb did.

 

[Silas Loom]

I'm like a football rain man. Who got the assist for Harry Kane's late headed winner in the WHL North London derby in 2015? Nabil Bentaleb did.

It might be slightly more impressive if someone else was setting the questions, though.

Name the opponents in the first and last matches to feature Evil Chirpy.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

It might be slightly more impressive if someone else was setting the questions, though.

Name the opponents in the first and last matches to feature Evil Chirpy.

View attachment 448624

You got me, my eidetic footballing memory is limited to players and events on the pitch

 

[Silas Loom]

You got me, my eidetic footballing memory is limited to players and events on the pitch

Alright, sensible pre-match question then: which of our senior and emerging wingers (including Yang, but not Kulu) are as comfortable playing on the right as the left? And what happens if Johnson is injured?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Alright, sensible pre-match question then: which of our senior and emerging wingers (including Yang, but not Kulu) are as comfortable playing on the right as the left? And what happens if Johnson is injured?

Sensible answer - Son, Odobert, Werner and Moore all have played on the right. All would tell you they're left wingers though.

 

[Silas Loom]

I would actually put Sarr on for Kulu now. Or Bentancur, if two Sarrs on the pitch is too confusing.

 

[Silas Loom]

- ‘paging Dr Tottenham’

The good doctor just goes on healing. He could revive corpses.

Everyone was shit today except for Vic.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

That was shit.

Impressed with Palace. Pressing high against us is dangerous because it plays into our style if and when we play through it; I don't think we actually got through more than a couple of times in the entire 90 mins.

Disappointed in the subs too. We're best when we play in triangles, multiple passing options; ending up with a flat front 4 and no creative player in behind is distinctly uninspiring.

 

[Cerberus]

Glad I paid zero attention to this game today, knew in my bones that it’d be a loss (see Dr Tottenham above).

Serious question - how long does Ange have?

I’m torn. On the one hand, he is in the middle of a rebuild with kids replacing deadwood (or experienced players if you like). On the other, we are sitting in between Brentford and Forest with 4 losses already. Taken as a whole, last seasons form has been carried into this season.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Glad I paid zero attention to this game today, knew in my bones that it’d be a loss (see Dr Tottenham above).

Serious question - how long does Ange have?

I’m torn. On the one hand, he is in the middle of a rebuild with kids replacing deadwood (or experienced players if you like). On the other, we are sitting in between Brentford and Forest with 4 losses already. Taken as a whole, last seasons form has been carried into this season.

Serious answer - I think he gets at least this season, unless it all goes really really pear-shaped. The league table is starting to take shape but we're still in the stage where 2 wins in a row (or 2 losses) can mean up or down 4 places.

Last season was learning how to be a Postecoglu team. Now we have his stamp all over it, the season as a whole should be the indicator of whether a Postecoglu team is going anywhere.

For the record, I think it will. If, and it's a big if, we can get over what looks like quite a dependency on our only player for whom the inevitable march of time is a concern - Sonny still makes all the difference for us.

 

[Cerberus]

Serious answer - I think he gets at least this season, unless it all goes really really pear-shaped. The league table is starting to take shape but we're still in the stage where 2 wins in a row (or 2 losses) can mean up or down 4 places.

Last season was learning how to be a Postecoglu team. Now we have his stamp all over it, the season as a whole should be the indicator of whether a Postecoglu team is going anywhere.

For the record, I think it will. If, and it's a big if, we can get over what looks like quite a dependency on our only player for whom the inevitable march of time is a concern - Sonny still makes all the difference for us.

Largely agree on the time he will likely be given.

Yes, his stamp is on the team and when it works it’s joyous. When it doesn’t we don’t have a Plan B (stated by many, many times). We also don’t have any evident on field leaders, players who can guts a game like today out. Players who can lift the rest. Players who can stay in the game and win ugly. Whether this is on Ange or Levy or both I don’t know (in terms of recruitment)?

Sonny - yeah, he’s a talisman but not convinced he would’ve had much of an impact today. Palace and Glasner deserve credit…they evidently didn’t allow Spurs to flow and there wouldnt have been much room - something Son thrives on.

 

[Silas Loom]

It’s a minor point about Ange and coaching, but I think that Vic looks much spikier and more confident now when defending his personal space against encroachment at set pieces. That’s a thing that we were all bitching about at the start of the season that has now improved.

 

[ska invita]

the whole pass it out from the back tactic that lead to the goal needs binning, in this case it lead to the goal that lost the match but even when the defence get away with it its stressful to watch...and im not convinced the reward is worth the risk...clearly not today

 

[Silas Loom]

Maddison can start against City in the Rumbelows.

No he can’t, says Ange. Gray for Porro, Dragusin for Udogie with VDV moving to the left, and a Sarr/Bents/Kulu midfield, with Werner getting yet another chance, because Odobert is broken again.

I don’t think we’ll ever see Odobert again.

 

[Silas Loom]

Okay, it wasn’t City’s first 11, and the finer points of the game were subsumed by the director’s avant-garde insistence on filming every event as a continuous Erling Haarland reaction shot, but you’d need to be very Ange out not to be impressed with good defending and some very nice counter-attacks, especially those starring Timo, when pressed back.

This could be our generation’s 2008!