Before the game started, a comment went round on Twitter complementing how strong our bench was. To be fair it was pretty impressive, over £80 million worth of talent, were treated to a pitch side view of our dismantling by West Ham. Andre Villas-Boas has got a lot right since he arrived at Spurs, but […]
Strength On The Pitch Not The Bench Please
Before the game started, a comment went round on Twitter complementing how strong our bench was. To be fair it was pretty impressive, over £80 million worth of talent, were treated to a pitch side view of our dismantling by West Ham. Andre Villas-Boas has got a lot right since he arrived at Spurs, but on Sunday he got it horribly wrong.
There will be a certain level of knee jerk reaction from this result, which in all honesty is to be expected and deserved. Spurs have failed to beat a local rival, failed to score and in the course of 90 minutes ensured that our rose tinted glasses have been well and truly broken.
Football is a results game and currently Spurs find themselves in a rather complicated situation. Seven games, six goals scored and now five goals conceded. From what had started to look like a solid foundation from which to build, Spurs now need to call in the surveyors for a second opinion.
My biggest issue is the team selection.The whole point of Spurs investing in £100 million worth of talent was to ensure that we could compete on all fronts. Roberto Soldado who had played against Chelsea last weekend, was rested midweek, yet come Sunday afternoon he found himself on the bench again.
Where was the logic in this? If AVB intended to play Jermain Defoe in this fixture, why not rest him for the Europa League game instead?
Also the reasoning behind fielding Defoe remains unclear. As a former player for West Ham many many years ago, is this supposed to give him an edge? Does playing against your former club all of a sudden improve you movement, first touch and presence? As he wandered offside, or slipped in a promising position, I took some solace from the fact that at least now we can get back to playing with Soldado upfront again.
[linequote]From what had started to look like a solid foundation from which to build, Spurs now need to call in the surveyors for a second opinion[/linequote]
Defoe is a decent squad player and a useful sub, but he is not and has never been the starting number 9 for any team attempting to reach the levels Spurs are. Of course it would be grossly unfair to pin sole responsibility for Sunday’s debacle on Defoe, there were plenty other Spurs players who failed to turn up, but his starting place was an omen most of us rightly took as a bad one.
One player clearly out of sorts was Kyle Walker, according to the commentary he was carrying an injury, and that hindrance plainly on show, but why wasn’t this rectified?
In a match where West Ham had air-dropped six midfielders into White Hart Lane, width was always going to be the key and Andros Townsend apart we had none. Walker for all his faults positionally, does offer Spurs something wide, but up against lumbering Razvan Rat, I struggle to remember one point where he ran past him, or even made a suggestion he would. We needed a change, but it never came.
Across on the left even less was being created. Glyfi Sigurdsson was anonymous and Kyle Naughton, although he tried, is not a left-back solution. The sooner Danny Rose returns the better.
With no width being offered our game plan involved running head first into a mass of claret and blue. At times there were 8-9 players within a tiny radius. We were looking for that one piece of magic to slice them open, but other than that one chance we carved out for Defoe to squander, magic was in short supply. It was new Tottenham doing a perfect rendition of old Tottenham. We were supposed to have moved on from these lethargic and tepid displays, we are supposed to be the dark horses, but on Sunday we weren’t close to being at the races.
[linequote]With no width being offered our game plan involved running head first into a mass of claret and blue[/linequote]
It’s a fair assessment to make that AVB has been in charge at Spurs during a complicated changing of the guard. He has had a lot to contend with in his 16 months or so in charge. We have lost inspirational players, from game changers, to tempo makers and captains. Our clubs identity has also shifted in this time; we have moved to a new training ground, looked to develop our youth teams and finally started to put a new stadium in place. During this time though he along with Franco Baldini have been given free rein to build the best Spurs squad in recent years, but at the moment something clearly isn’t working.
We may need time but how much time can we afford to give? We need to be winning these games, but more importantly we need to look able to win these games.
This season the teams we have beaten in the PL have been vastly inferior to us, yet despite this perceived superiority, only once has the winning margin been by more than one goal. The teams that have taken points from us, are ones that have posed us a question that our players and AVB especially have been unable to answer.
As Sunday’s game dwindled away, I couldn’t help but think of the similarities between this game and our one at the Emirates. Both teams essentially played the same, both teams easily stifled us and hurt us on the break. That Sunday we played Arsenal, had they been as clinical as West Ham, then perhaps the warning bells that are now ringing would have been set off earlier.
[linequote]The teams that have taken points from us, are ones that have posed us a question that our players and AVB especially have been unable to answer[/linequote]
This second season challenge for AVB has just stepped up a gear. He needs to figure out what his plan A is, then create a backup plan, switching to 4-4-2 as the game slowly slips away isn’t a serious Plan B.
Once again we head into the international break on the back of a depressing performance and result. Two weeks with no club football but plenty time for us to ponder the thought that having the best bench in the PL means nothing. You need your strength on the green stuff, not watching from the sidelines.
[author name=”ARLombardi” avatar=”https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000190788876/b1d0a1120760e39338a815ea5827d7f8.jpeg” twitter=”ARLombardi” website=”arlombardi.com” tag=”ARLombardi[/linequote]
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12 Comments
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07/10/2013 @ 4:11 pm
COYI
07/10/2013 @ 4:12 pm
” for any team attempting to reach the levels Spurs are ” where are spurs exactly? where have they been. is it once or twice in the champions league, 50 odd years since the last title?
08/10/2013 @ 8:20 am
the article says “for any team attempting to reach the levels Spurs are ” not where they have been you numpty. read the article properly before you make comment you moron. COYS
07/10/2013 @ 5:21 pm
I have come on here and told you many times its no longer a numbers game because Liverpool are playing 352 and was top Arsenal have a shed full of players missing and only bought one man yet they are top. If knew West Ham was going to cause an upset no matter who we played then i must no something you are ignoring or cant see. Forget how we played look at how West Ham Bullied and harassed Spurs of the ball with nutcase Nolan and bad boy Revel Morrison chasing the ball like rabid dogs. I no Morrison has talent but all the times i watched him he never run that fast he left Vertonghan and co in is slip stream. I admit Reids goal was bound to happen i have said many times corners and free kicks we lack height with Chadli and Capoue both 6ft2 they make up for the missing Huddlestone 6ft3 and Kaboul 6ft4 . When Walker waved to the bench he felt ill but AVB was having none of it he was staying on a big Mistake i would brought Walker off for Chiriches then in second half gone three at the back took Naughton off brought Saldado on the Siggy off Lamela on. But the major problem is this new football is no good for AVB style unless we have Rose Kaboul fit Walker at the back this is what teams are doing suck us forward with all there players behind the ball we try long shots then if they get the ball bang all the space behind Dawson Vert and co is exploited by the wave of attacks for eneregised teams full of supplements i no are being swallowed to up tempo defending and attacking. The team who taught me about this form of cheating was no lees than Liverpool a club 12 miles from where i was born the year they finished second to Utd 2008-9. The drug they used was ephedrine capsules at the time the FA chairman was a Liverpool fan and is now on there board it got swept under the counter they then went down the table next season after the FA boss got sacked. So with my knowledge of this drug now changed to T20 Nickname and containing Ephedrine Caffeine Aspirin ,. This drug acts quicker and the aspirin is to stop strokes and risk of heart attacks with blood pressure rising with all the extra running and overheating . I no this is hard to believe but i no its true and the testing Lady confirm to me it was rife and in samples but not enough to catch the cheats. This i found out was because they would run most of the drug off and mixing drinks also messed with results this is why they swallow Lucozade and other supps,. The reason i mention this story firstly i have never said who it was taking this drug and i find myself like ground hogg day having to repeat myself so i thought if i tell who it was somone might beleieve me. This is hard because i have family supporting them they all now about it because i remind them and Kolo Toure going there never shocked me he was only caught because he was unused sub against Utd when Rooney won the game with is overhead shank. So this was why i knew it was not numbers but ex Liverpool players and Scouser Nolan who i knew would be full up with T20 and we would have to score before half time to get them attacking but we let them score and the rest was a nightmare. This will be the same at Villa because Football has allowed a once banned drug to be declassified to stop all the sudden deaths strokes illness. But Caffeine is not stopping it but making it worse AVB needs to wise up taking the Ufa cup and League cup will be dangerous without some of our kids playing why have Arsenal West Brom played Kids Villa yet we played our good players. He also took most of our team to Russia freezing cold stadium to sit no wonder young Walkers ill . I hope you believe me because my reputation has been damage with this excuse every time we get beat but i see it during games and at the after game chats and Nolan had the ephedrine red faces mask and Reids vacant look. One last point why play Erickson who has been used to Saldado when Holtby his telepathic with Defoes runs is baffling
07/10/2013 @ 8:37 pm
i believe you.
but,T20 or not, no real excuse to lose that game.our defense, mid and attack was really awful.
07/10/2013 @ 5:42 pm
2 of the new players started against West Ham. Another one was injured. But what about the 4 others. Spurs should generally sign players the manager wants for the first eleven, gradually strengthening that team.
07/10/2013 @ 6:09 pm
AVB got it horribly wrong. The team selection was not good at all. Soldado should have started. Allardyce beat AVB on tactics.
07/10/2013 @ 7:37 pm
AVB Out! Bring back Harry
07/10/2013 @ 9:28 pm
From the moment the crouching tiger (now, thankfully, he seems content with some ridiculous whistling routine) walked through our hallowed gates I have constantly stated that although a very nice man, AVB is clueless. How many mistakes can one man make in the space of just 8 days? Outplaying Chelsea and a goal to the good, he decides to shut up shop, with an astonishing 50 mintues to go! The not so happy one makes a change but our very own not so special one fails to respond. Opposition players are now running straight at our back four due to the dirty big hole behind the Paulino/Dembele combo (those two are much too similar to play together and the latter can go back and help out Martin Jol for all I care). Surely Sandro will now be introduced but, sadly, AVB gets caught in the headlights (yet again) and does nothing. 36,000 fans, but not AVB it seems, can see that the equaliser is just a matter of time. Sure enough, another runner says “see yer” to Dembele and Jan is forced to pull him down. 1-1 but we still have our record signing Lamela to get us out of jail but instead All Very Boring has opted for Chadli. Add in yet another like-for-like sub (centre forward for centre forward) and we are woefully short when Chelsea go down to 10, with Eriksen and Saldado looking on from the bench. Why take Soldado and Eriksen to Russia (in fact, why take anyone to Russia!) just to continue the bench warming? Defoe scores and gets to replace Soldado in a proper match. Saldado is a class act, holds the ball up, links up play and will score hatfuls if only AVB hadn’t banned crosses. Apparently, it’s all part of his “project” to play “inverted wingers” (I wish I was making this up) who “play tight” and come inside to pass sideways, at best. With Walker (needs to be rested for a few games to get his confidence back), Naughton (yet another player expected to play off his wrong foot) and Dembele also included the signs were not good, not good at all. Off we go and Eriksen picks the ball up, looks up and sees Defoe running off away from him. The Dane looks wide left, nothing, wide right, nothing. Oh dear the signs are not good, not good at all. All part of the “project” boys, keep the ball (“think of the poccession stats, I may need them should we lose”) and pass sideways. Oh and by the way, don’t forget, free-kicks in their half must be played backwards. Half-Time can’t come quick enough and surely AVB will do his stuff and change something, anything……please. Maybe three at the back as they have no one up front? Maybe Jan to LB to support Lamela? Maybe Saldado to give us more balance? But, I forgot, we are not allowed to make a sub until the 62nd minute. Play continues and Big Sam gets to his feet, perhaps realising that the game is there for the taking, and waives his players forward (this is a West Ham side who haven’t won on our turf this century, goodness me we must be looking bad). Time to get Sandro on and plug that dirty big gap? No chance and instead we are treated to more whistling by a now very worried looking AVB. He looks, and is, out of his depth. 0-3 but we won the poccession stats.
08/10/2013 @ 8:17 am
first and foremost Lamela needs to start. He is our record signing and has yet to start a premier league game. The PL must be first priority and all the cups second. Soldado despite his lack of goals so far is a far better option than Defoe. Bring him on as an impact sub but that is all. Kaboul to centre half and Vertonghen out left. COYS
08/10/2013 @ 11:21 am
GK: Lloris
FB: Chiriches & Vertonghen
CB: Dawson & Kaboul
DM: Sandro or Capoue (sit)
CM: Paulinho (with that lot behind him, he can push on)
RM: Lennon (stay wide and attack down the wing)
LM: Lamela (stay wide and attack down the wing)
AM: Eriksen (free role)
CF: Saldado (convert the crosses)
08/10/2013 @ 1:14 pm
I concur. The predictable, slow, sideways, possession for possessions sake, lethargic, pedestrian, must stay where I am told to, me to you you to me – and most important of all DULL football of last year was blamed on the players we had.
So we spend and spend big on quality and I’m afraid to say nothing has changed – so what does that tell you?
It’s down to All Very Boring. I want to give him a chance. I want to believe he is a tactical genius, a man managing colossus – but I don’t see much to back it up – in fact at the moment the evidence is against him.
I’m sure AVB’s project might see us squeeze out the results and be there or there about’s but I for one might well have fallen asleep.
We may have to change our motto to ‘ To ponder is to do’
My fear is that he will turn Spurs into the Chuckle Brothers of the premiership……… no!