Tottenham Hotspur 2017/18 - Spurs are on their way to Wembley

[Cerberus]

Been waiting all summer for someone that get our thread going...

Thought it might happen when we made the first of our big marque signings. As no new players have arrived; we've sold our right-back to league rivals who finished below us; and our left-back (plus the Sun newspaper) are doing their level best to scupper the start of the season...it's with great pessimism (even for a Spurs fan) that I'm kicking this off.

and that's without even mentioning the Wembley curse...

We're doomed...

 

[imposs1904]

If it wasn't for the temporary move to Wembley, I thought it might have been Spurs year. Shame that.

 

[Pickman's model]

I understand lasagne not on any Wembley menu this season.

 

[Cerberus]

Decent start to the season. Never really out of 2nd gear but did enough after Voldemort's indescretion.

Pleased for KWP getting MoM.

Signings may be on the way. Chelski next.....

 

[Pickman's model]

Chelski next.....

yeh let's see if you can do as well as burnley

 

[Cerberus]

Yeah well...given the opposition and the venue I won't hold my breath

 

[Pickman's model]

Yeah well...given the opposition and the venue I won't hold my breath

let's see if you can do as well as arsenal then.

 

[Corax]

I'd be interested if anyone can explain to me just what Ross Barkley would add to the team.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

I'd be interested if anyone can explain to me just what Ross Barkley would add to the team.

Dembele is the heart and soul of our team. Strong, not afraid to take the ball under pressure, quick to turn and make 10 yards or so, getting the opposition dropping back and putting us in the front foot. Maybe not so many assists or goals, but involved in most of our play going forward.

He's also 30 with a history of hip problems. Barkley is not exactly the same player (much less solid defensively, hence often played as a no.10) but has some of the same qualities, the ability to carry the ball and turn the opposition. I could easily see him learning the proper midfield position (for Football Manager fans, that's MC rather than DM or AM), and he could easily deputise for either Alli or Eriksen in the support forward roles.

Good result today. Kyle Walker-Peters earned a headline or two, really confident lad.

 

[Corax]

Dembele is the heart and soul of our team. Strong, not afraid to take the ball under pressure, quick to turn and make 10 yards or so, getting the opposition dropping back and putting us in the front foot. Maybe not so many assists or goals, but involved in most of our play going forward.

He's also 30 with a history of hip problems. Barkley is not exactly the same player (much less solid defensively, hence often played as a no.10) but has some of the same qualities, the ability to carry the ball and turn the opposition. I could easily see him learning the proper midfield position (for Football Manager fans, that's MC rather than DM or AM), and he could easily deputise for either Alli or Eriksen in the support forward roles.

Good result today. Kyle Walker-Peters earned a headline or two, really confident lad.

Deputising for Dembele? Two words:

Harry.
Winks.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Deputising for Dembele? Two words:

Harry.
Winks.

Completely agree. But a year or 2 from now, a quartet of Dier / Wanyama, Winks / Barkley looks pretty tasty, and the versatility of Dier and Barkley greatly reduces the issues fof getting enough minutes for all or them.

 

[The39thStep]

I'd be interested if anyone can explain to me just what Ross Barkley would add to the team.

More on the wage bill

 

[Corax]

Why the fuck is Dembele playing on the right wing?

Edit: I meant left...

 

[Corax]

That would have been on target by Luiz, but he stood on a rake as he took his shot.

 

[The39thStep]

Great free kick

 

[Badgers]

Oh dear #pochettinoout

 

[Pickman's model]

Never thought I'd say this but it's nice to see Chelsea winning

 

[Badgers]

Tottenham have now lost 8 of their last 11 games at Wembley.

 

[Corax]

Well, that was painful.

68% - 32% possession
18 - 9 shots
6 - 2 shots on target
14 - 3 corners
14 - 21 fouls

1 - 2 goals

Wanyama was absolutely shocking, giving the ball away in the middle of the park countless times. For a defensive midfielder, that's fucking unforgivable.

Poch should have replaced him with Winks when it became clear how totally out of sorts he was.

Lloris massively at fault for the second.

Two shots on target, two goals. Chelsea skanked it.

With those stats in mind though, I really hope the media (and everyone else) shut up about the stadium. It had absolutely nothing to do with the result.

 

[imposs1904]

So the Wembley hoodoo continues? Spurs being Spursy.

 

[Cerberus]

Strange and frustrating day out.

Embarrassed by the flags and silly drum - understand that the club are trying to kindle some WHL atmosphere but just let us and the players get on with that...

We were slow and sluggish to start. Morata missed a sitter with the header and when Alonso lined up the free kick it had goal written all over it.

Their goal woke us up however and the 15 minutes leading up to HT should have seen us equalise at the very least. In the 2nd half we carried on where we left off with a flurry of chances before regressing back to the error strewn and tentative beginning of the game.

Our goal came out of a set piece at a time when I was beginning to think it wasn't our day. From that point onward though, there was only one winner - fucking US - until a big flapping balls up hurt us massively.

I was quietly concerned about our season at Wembley, now I'm shitting it. We have a mental block against them - this lot we're there for the taking today and we bottled it. Chelsea just did what Chelsea do - defend and pick us off...

Full backs didn't look comfortable as wing backs. Wanyama had a shocker all game. Lloris had 30 seconds to forget. We need some pace....

All so Spursy

 

[Corax]

The Wembley hoodoo thing is nonsense, please don't add fuel to it. We lost because of a combination of Poch being outsmarted in terms of tactics/coaching, bad luck (eg Harry's rocket off the post), individual errors (eg Hugo's fuck up) and Wanyama constantly giving them the ball back. As you say, he had an absolute shocker, and Poch should have replaced him with Winks at half time.

After watching the stream I saw lots of Spurs fans bemoaning our lack of pace at WB, with Walker gone and Rose injured (and probably pouting too.) I didn't really agree or disagree tbh, until seeing Jenas' analysis on MOTD. He demonstrated very neatly that it due to lack of pace that Trippier and Davies were found wanting, it was for lack of bollocks. They were both far too timid, and should have been making runs wide instead of playing back/sideways passes. They didn't need to beat their man for pace, they just needed to commit them in order to create space for Dele and Kane inside. Trippier did it once, the pitch opened up, and we almost scored. This is what I mean above about Poch being outsmarted.

That being said, I'd not turn my nose up at a decent quick winger. as long as they're not just quick. We might as well get Townsend back in if that's the case.

 

[BCBlues]

Both the examples Jenas showed where he thought that Spurs could have broke us down, failed to mention that his arrows were leading to positions where our "sweeper" was standing behind the first defender. Clueless.

We had a moment of misfortune and also smashied one off the post too. The only thing you got right Corax is that Conte outsmarted Poch yet again.

 

[Pickman's model]

Tottenham have now lost 8 of their last 11 games at Wembley.

no one under 57 has ever seen spurs win the league

 

[Corax]

Both the examples Jenas showed where he thought that Spurs could have broke us down, failed to mention that his arrows were leading to positions where our "sweeper" was standing behind the first defender. Clueless.

You've failed to understand the pitch dynamics Jenas was trying to explain. He was a very accomplished pro, who's turned his hand to punditry/analysis with aplomb. I suspect he understands the game better than either of us.

That doesn't apply to all ex-pros at all. Shearer's a fucking idiot, for example. But Jenas is an intelligent lad and has managed to make that transition better than pretty much any former player I can think of.

And before you stoop to accusations of bias as he used to play for Spurs (not that you would, I'm sure), I can assure you that's not the case. He's been a fierce critic of us in the past. In fact, the very piece we're talking about was critical of the way we played.

We had a moment of misfortune and also smashied one off the post too. The only thing you got right Corax is that Conte outsmarted Poch yet again.

Sure, the luck wasn't entirely one-sided. But we had long periods of hammering you in your final third, against your handful of brief counter-attacks. We didn't capitalise, you did. You won the game, no one can dispute that.

But we were all over you, and with a few tweaks it would have been a very different result.

 

[BCBlues]

I'd agree with you there Corax that Jenas is usually a good unbiased pundit, it was just the examples he chose seemed to highlight our defensive strength rather than anything Tottenham were doing wrong.

 

[kabbes]

But we were all over you, and with a few tweaks it would have been a very different result.

Would those "few tweaks" be the two goals that Spurs conceded?

 

[Corax]

Would those "few tweaks" be the two goals that Spurs conceded?

Tweak 1)
Winks on for Wanyama. Wanyama's been immense for us, but he was diabolical yesterday, constantly turning over possession. That's the very opposite of what a ball-winning midfielder is supposed to do. It was astounding. Fuck knows what's wrong with him, but I hope it doesn't last. Winks wouldn't have done that - his ball-retention is already almost on a par with Dembele's.

Tweak 2)
Tell our FBs to grow a pair of bollocks in the attacking third.

Tweak 1) would have prevented the second goal. The free-kick was amazing, fuck knows what could have prevented that other than a powerful freak gust of wind. With those changes, the situation may never have happened in the first place though.

The Wanyama thing is huge though; he was a liability.

 

[kabbes]

Tweak 1)
Winks on for Wanyama. Wanyama's been immense for us, but he was diabolical yesterday, constantly turning over possession. That's the very opposite of what a ball-winning midfielder is supposed to do. It was astounding. Fuck knows what's wrong with him, but I hope it doesn't last. Winks wouldn't have done that - his ball-retention is already almost on a par with Dembele's.

Tweak 2)
Tell our FBs to grow a pair of bollocks in the attacking third.

Tweak 1) would have prevented the second goal. The free-kick was amazing, fuck knows what could have prevented that other than a powerful freak gust of wind. With those changes, the situation may never have happened in the first place though.

The Wanyama thing is huge though; he was a liability.

If the game had been different, with different players and different tactics, it would have indeed been different. Different how, who can say? But it would have been different.

 

[Corax]

If the game had been different, with different players and different tactics, it would have indeed been different. Different how, who can say? But it would have been different.

Tweak 3)
Go back in time. Sign Neymar, Ronaldo and Messi as kids. Invent Facebook and Google in order to fund their eventual wage demands.

ETA: To be fair, you are the one that implicitly invited clarification of what "tweaks" should be made.