he was decent against partizan. apart from the sitter up the other end. even without the goal i thought he was definitely MOM.
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I'd like to see him get more starts with either Mason or Bentaleb. I think his experience and more natural ability as a DM would work well alongside one of the other 2.
Deserves a start on Wednesday! Really steadied us up when he came on yesterday.
Was nice to see him play in the Prem, Poch seems to be taking his time introducing new players into the time which is probably better, maybe he's now match fit as he dod look sluggish in the europa league game afew weeks bachhh?!
I don't think he's fit enough to start games yet, I've mentioned it before but he looks very lethargic in the second half of matches when he's started, which could be down to a number of things. I think Pochettino does rate him, as he makes an impact when he plays with his defensive ability.
Agree really like the guy but when I watched him in the EL he got burned for pace a few times don't know if it was injury or fitness, if he plays I would like him next to someone like Bentaleb with his speed and energy. Stambouli does look like he has some class though.
So hope Benji plays today. His treatment by Poch is baffling me to say the least. I think it's cost us points in the Prem.
Any particular reason why?
Because he is an average player who isn't good enough for a team that wants to finish in the top 5
And you've come to that conclusion based on 20 minutes of Premier League football in his whole career.
Not sure how anyone can pass such a whitering assessment of the player unless they have some kind of inside information. He was excellent in a championship winning team in France, good enough to get a national team call up, and has scarcely set foot on the pitch for us.
And when he has, there is something there which suggests an authority which both of Mason and Bentaleb can benefit from.
And when he has, there is something there which suggests an authority which both of Mason and Bentaleb can benefit from.
Yes
That's just not true. He's barely had any time in the PL time, but he has looked very solid in the EL, where he's played in 6 matches. For all midfielders who have played at least five games in the Europa League this year, according to Squawka, he is ranked #11 in overall performance score. Considering that there has been more than 22 midfielders who have played thus far in the EL this year, this would suggest that he is a much better than average player in that competition.
If we look at our team and players that typically play in a similar area of the pitch, in terms of performances this year, his stats are better than average as well.
Appearances/Minutes played
Stambouli - 9/602
Dembele - 17/944
Bentaleb - 13/972
Mason - 13/946
Capoue - 14/1,002
Paulinho - 14/613
Passes per game/Passing Success Rate
Stambouli - 57.4/89%
Dembele - 46.2/86%
Bentaleb - 53.1/85%
Mason - 52.2/81%
Capoue - 56.8/86%
Paulinho - 27.2/86%
Tackles per game
Stambouli - 4.4
Dembele - 2.3
Bentaleb - 2.1
Mason - 2.9
Capoue - 2.3
Paulinho - 1.2
He's definitely a deeper, more defensive player than some of the others and that shows in his shot totals. He only has 4 shots (100% accuracy), but he has one goal, which is one more than can be said for Dembele, Bentaleb, and Capoue. The most similar other player is Capoue, and he has a total of 6 shots with an accuracy of 83%. I personally think that his skills are definitely needed as we could use some defensive help as we continue to look ready to break at any moment, and he has the passing strength to help move the ball back up the pitch as he gets it.
Obviously, Poch has his reasons for not giving Stambouli more time this year in the PL, but I just don't understand why he hasn't been given more of a chance at this point.
He will get his start and if we play a 4231, it will allow the other DCM more freedom to be offensive. This could help a player like Dembele, who needs to be in the attack, but will not replace Ericksen. Having both Ericksen & Dembele creating in the center might get Spurs more goals.
They've definitely shown promise and appear to be very comfortable playing side-by-side. That being said, I think that I'd rather see a Mason/Stambouli partnership. I'd like to see Stambouli provide the needed support in the back that allows Mason to push up higher, and that may allow Eriksen to work into key areas to be more creative instead of being responsible to bring the ball up the pitch.
Benji played really well yesterday. Cleared everything up, covered when defenders pushed and got stuck in. Played exactly how he should have.
