Vertonghen yesterday on Belgian TV said that Moose is the most important player of the team and that all the players realise this , without Dembele we aren't a unit
-
The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...
Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports
It seems as if he doesn't want to play anymore
he needs two months off to completely heal but as his injury is not that bad, they just treat it and let him play even if its only 85-90 %. He said he's never been fully fit since he left Fulham
Then u must surely have to question our physio team &/or why we are in such a state that we are rushing a player who has hardly been pulling up trees.
We joke about ( or some do) scapegoats & who's to blame but we also seem to think that " If "player A" was fit, we'd be fine" . Be that Lamela, Kaboul,Dembele, Sandro, Eriksen & so on. Truth is , we're in a right old pickle & it isn't changing any time soon.
Then u must surely have to question our physio team &/or why we are in such a state that we are rushing a player who has hardly been pulling up trees.
We joke about ( or some do) scapegoats & who's to blame but we also seem to think that " If "player A" was fit, we'd be fine" . Be that Lamela, Kaboul,Dembele, Sandro, Eriksen & so on. Truth is , we're in a right old pickle & it isn't changing any time soon.
Last season Dembele played injured and was having injections etc to play. You pretty much have to sit some players down let them heal. We just keep compounding issues. Harry was the worst at it. He played people into the ground. This club is begging for some intelligence behind the scenes.
Liverpool headhunted our team doc and that could be part of it.
What do any of our midfielders have to aim at? Ade is being marked out and nobody is making any intelligent runs outside Eriksen. Under AVB we used Siggy, Lennon, Soldado and Townsend. Not exactly cerebral players. I suppose Soldado is but he's too slow for the prem and spends a lot of time with his back to goal ball watching.
I would sooner he aimed for one of our players as oppose to over hitting simple passes to our wingers/full backs, and to be frank, I have sat there plenty of times looking at Lennon wide open and Dembele turn away from him...but that aside, you are right, we lack movement with which to pass too.
Dembele has one of the most underrated passing games in the prem. Plus a lot of people misunderstand his game, Parker used to do this too: DM's when they find themselves forward dwell on the ball to draw defenders. The more they draw, the less the Townsends and Soldados can get double teamed. The problem is when Dembele does release, there is no quick passing after that.
Dembele can't afford to be cavalier with it because what is behind him if he misses a pass: Dawson? Naughton? Fryers? Rose? Dembele is solid as a rock.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...No-Steven-Gerrard-10-Mousa-Dembele-leads.html
"Long ranger: Mousa Dembele leads the way in the Premier League for successful long passes"
This is from last year. Dembele actually has the best passing stats at the club since he has been here. That is such a bonus since he has played as a DM and that is not usually their game. Such an underated player. And criminally underused tactically by AVB.
Dembele is a strange one for me. When he is playing I often find myself thinking that he doesn't do enough and is far too safe but then whenever he doesn't play I always feel we are missing his presence on the pitch and his ability to carry the ball forward. I'd have him over paulinho any day of the week right now
Speaking of Paulinio, it's not a case of either or. For me it's both. Right now the Brazilians are victims of other players ducking out of the game. Dembele, Sandro and Paulinho should be starting. We really need to drop the wing/wingback play to move on and play to our strengths (literally).
We need lumps like them and Capoue to swallow souls leaving the Eriksens and Lamelas with no water carrying duties. AVB had Lamela water carrying and tracking back and IMO it could have ruined his career. How can you put players like Holtby, Lamela and Eriksen in the boiler room? They are supposed to be dancing around in the final third, not running half the pitch to cover a counter.
It's probably the thing that makes me the angriest about how this club has been run. No defined roles. Actually no: The starting 11's make me the angriest, haha. I had a meltdown when I saw the Chelsea lineup.
Really? Because I believe both Sandro and Paulinho started yesterday and only Sandro actually looked engaged in the game.
I do think Paulinho has it in him to be good player but regardless of how are wingers are performing (Disgraceful all season) the fact is he hasn't been anywhere near good enough lately and If I had to guess, I would say that he will never be the player we need.
How can you not understand? Why do you think Sandro ends up puking every other game? He's being run ragged this season because Naughton, Lennon, Rose, Defoe, Soldado, Siggy etc mincing around disappearing and ball watching for swathes of the game causes THE SHAPE OF THE TEAM TO DISSOLVE. The Brazilians spend so much time babysitting, they can't play their own game.
Have faith! Watch him surrounded by good players in every position (like for Brazil etc) and you will see what he is about.
Can't wait till he's back. Always look a much better team with him on the pitch.
Even though he DOES have the ability to do more than what he often does, he is still unfairly criticised for not performing the role of a totally different sort of player. He's not a play maker, play him alongside one and we're on to something.
Even though he DOES have the ability to do more than what he often does, he is still unfairly criticised for not performing the role of a totally different sort of player. He's not a play maker, play him alongside one and we're on to something.
Yeah, fuck the English players, hooray for the Brazilians!!
Interesting choice of characters you choose to blame, by the way! Defoe is gone and a full 1/2 of his appearances this year were as a sub. Siggy hasn't had any significant playing time in a while and you just threw in a winger, a RB/LB, and another striker as the reasons why a CM is totally uninvolved in a game. By the way, Soldado was out of position because the goddamn midfield couldn't move the ball into the box, and he had to pull back to get involved.
Whether or not you want to accept it, Paulinho has been spotty at best this year. He'll have a brilliant game one day and then go invisible for the next two, and that is purely based on his inability to step up and make a difference in the game.
Yeah, it's everyone else's fault, couldn't be their own inability, could it?
IMO The Moose is missed, he keeps the ball better than most of our midfield, but unfortunately doesn't have finishing skills. If he could score a few goals, it would ease the burden on our front man/men ... sorry is that stating the bleeding obvious??
It's a fair assessment, even as a box to box player with his dribbling ability he should be scoring and/or assisting close to double figures imo.
Whatever happened to Moussa Dembélé?
No, not you, the Fulham player
No, the other Moussa Dembélé?
Wasn't he supposed to be an awesome young striker? Would have assumed he'd have popped up by now.
On topic of this Moose, I think he'll play well with a better team vision - we must have a record this season of "how many different roles have all our players played in one season"
No, not you, the Fulham player
No, the other Moussa Dembélé?
Wasn't he supposed to be an awesome young striker? Would have assumed he'd have popped up by now.
On topic of this Moose, I think he'll play well with a better team vision - we must have a record this season of "how many different roles have all our players played in one season"