We Got Our Pochnham Back
It's seems so long ago now that we were dismantling Liverpool and Real Madrid. Longer than the 11 months it actually was. But this performance can trace it's DNA directly back to those performances, and is up there with the best of Poch's oeuvre. Chelsea, so long our most irritating of bogy sides, have become a club that we often now find something special for, and this was another one to add to that collection, I can't remember a game against one of the PL top clubs where we created so many chances of such high quality. Our X/G of 3.37 (and I think that seems conservative) our highest of the season, bearing that out, but it was the sheer quality, more than quantity, of many of the chances we carved out today.
Poch deserves a lot of credit for this one, I've been critical of some of his tactical applications the last few months, but he got them bang on today. I love Sarri's ethos, but I've also questioned (as have others) his current set up, using Kante as an 8 in his midfield three, and how if you stop Jorginho, Kante isn't going to be able to play-make. Marco Silva stopped him two weeks ago. And Poch went to school on it. At first I thought it was an orthodox 433 with the front three rotating continually, then it gradually dawned that he got Alli to do a minding job on Jorginho, and we played a kind of 4312. As much as the shape, it was the application. First game in months that we pressed as a cohesive unit, suffocated Chelsea from the get go, Kane and Son working the CB's, stopping easy flow, Sissoko and Eriksen cutting off the FB's and Alli sitting on Jorginho - this was proper clever stuff. There were decent signs against City, but the addition of Eriksen and Alli to this game elevated us to our best selves.
For me, this was Alli's best performance in a Spurs shirt; This was his most mature performance certainly. It wasn't that he was given the key job of stifling their conductor, the player who makes them play, it was that when he wasn't doing that with aplomb, he was causing them offensive problems too. There was no silly bollocks, no frittering away possession cheaply, this was the most complete performance Alli's put in IMO. Scored, was involved in our best moves, created chances for others, it was his calm vision under pressure that set Son on his way for the third.
The other player who deserves singling out, on a day when everyone was good, was Eriksen. When we tick as a team, it's hard to tell where the collective begins and Eriksen ends. This was us purring at our best, with Eriksen back to being that quiet conductor, through which everything good happens. Great ball for the first goal, two assists - his part of superb intricate team moves - for Son and was the "football" department of that midfield triumvirate.
Reminiscent of those Real and Liverpool games was the way once we'd blitzed our way to a two goal lead how we didn't then just timidly shell (as we have in other games this season) we played it smart, found the balance between pragmatic but aggressive discipline and rampant counter attack. We never lost control of this game, and that isn't about possession, it's about tactical control, without the ball as well as with. Very reminiscent of those Real and Liverpool games this time last year.
This was only really blotted in a couple of odd moments, such as by Foyth and Aurier getting a bit lazy/careless and allowing them a consolation goal or nearly giving away a pen.
The only real disappointment was that we didn't actually score form any of the beautifully slick moves we put together, Son the guiltiest offender, but he redeemed himself magnificently.
I love it when Poch gets his tactics right, because when he does, it compliments his coached ethos and we move to that higher plane. Even his subs today were spot on. Right people, right time, right shuffling. Having Eriksen and Alli back on song helped. This was one of those beautiful days when we look like a proper team, with and without the ball, back to front.
Individual
Lloris - Fuck all to do really.
Aurier - Let a couple of crosses come in too easily and was a bit lax for their goal, but apart from that was good defensively.
Foyth - One very poor moment aside, when he should have given a pen away at 1-0, he was ver good.
Alderweireld - Good game.
Davies - Went to sleep a couple of times, but was generally good today.
Sissoko - First half was the best 45 minutes he's had here, one lovely little move out of some midfield chaos. Faded a bit second half and was eventually shoved forwards. Good game though.
Dier - He worked hard, did OK, but his inability to play out of tight spaces, or see and play simple little passes in tight areas has got to be upgraded upon. Completed a pretty poor 70% of his passes today, which isn't great for a guy tasked with doing simple things, not creating, and there were several moments where he gave the ball away because it was a bit frenetic for him. He provided good ballast, but I think we will improve enormously when we find a player who can be that defensive busy cunt pivot, but can also play some football too.
Eriksen - Back to his quietly dominant best today. Couple of assists, ironically probably should have two better assists (apparently created more chances than anyone in any game this season in the PL) ahead of the defenders he completed more passes than anyone (at 89% too). Please pay him the same as Kane.
Alli - Despite Eriksen's superb performance, he gets my MOTM today. Absolutely pivotal without the ball, stuck to his task superbly, had Jorginho in his pocket for 90, and then still found time to score and play some great football, also playing a couple of incisive passes, one or two of them helping us to win this game. No silly fucking about, this was his most complete and mature performance.
Son - This boy drives me nuts. His movement and general attacking play first half was great, but his finishing was poor. Then he pops up and scores a goal of the very highest calibre, I mean up there with the best types of direct, "run at" goals out there, Hazard-esque. If only he didn't go weeks on end sometimes of tripping over the fucking thing and wasting great chances - this boy would be outstanding, and that's the frustration. He's capable of the sublime, but equally capable of the ridiculously bad.
Kane - Absolutely vintage uber Kane. That combination of robust hustle without the ball and attacking menace with it.
Poch - I love it when his plan comes together.
It's seems so long ago now that we were dismantling Liverpool and Real Madrid. Longer than the 11 months it actually was. But this performance can trace it's DNA directly back to those performances, and is up there with the best of Poch's oeuvre. Chelsea, so long our most irritating of bogy sides, have become a club that we often now find something special for, and this was another one to add to that collection, I can't remember a game against one of the PL top clubs where we created so many chances of such high quality. Our X/G of 3.37 (and I think that seems conservative) our highest of the season, bearing that out, but it was the sheer quality, more than quantity, of many of the chances we carved out today.
Poch deserves a lot of credit for this one, I've been critical of some of his tactical applications the last few months, but he got them bang on today. I love Sarri's ethos, but I've also questioned (as have others) his current set up, using Kante as an 8 in his midfield three, and how if you stop Jorginho, Kante isn't going to be able to play-make. Marco Silva stopped him two weeks ago. And Poch went to school on it. At first I thought it was an orthodox 433 with the front three rotating continually, then it gradually dawned that he got Alli to do a minding job on Jorginho, and we played a kind of 4312. As much as the shape, it was the application. First game in months that we pressed as a cohesive unit, suffocated Chelsea from the get go, Kane and Son working the CB's, stopping easy flow, Sissoko and Eriksen cutting off the FB's and Alli sitting on Jorginho - this was proper clever stuff. There were decent signs against City, but the addition of Eriksen and Alli to this game elevated us to our best selves.
For me, this was Alli's best performance in a Spurs shirt; This was his most mature performance certainly. It wasn't that he was given the key job of stifling their conductor, the player who makes them play, it was that when he wasn't doing that with aplomb, he was causing them offensive problems too. There was no silly bollocks, no frittering away possession cheaply, this was the most complete performance Alli's put in IMO. Scored, was involved in our best moves, created chances for others, it was his calm vision under pressure that set Son on his way for the third.
The other player who deserves singling out, on a day when everyone was good, was Eriksen. When we tick as a team, it's hard to tell where the collective begins and Eriksen ends. This was us purring at our best, with Eriksen back to being that quiet conductor, through which everything good happens. Great ball for the first goal, two assists - his part of superb intricate team moves - for Son and was the "football" department of that midfield triumvirate.
Reminiscent of those Real and Liverpool games was the way once we'd blitzed our way to a two goal lead how we didn't then just timidly shell (as we have in other games this season) we played it smart, found the balance between pragmatic but aggressive discipline and rampant counter attack. We never lost control of this game, and that isn't about possession, it's about tactical control, without the ball as well as with. Very reminiscent of those Real and Liverpool games this time last year.
This was only really blotted in a couple of odd moments, such as by Foyth and Aurier getting a bit lazy/careless and allowing them a consolation goal or nearly giving away a pen.
The only real disappointment was that we didn't actually score form any of the beautifully slick moves we put together, Son the guiltiest offender, but he redeemed himself magnificently.
I love it when Poch gets his tactics right, because when he does, it compliments his coached ethos and we move to that higher plane. Even his subs today were spot on. Right people, right time, right shuffling. Having Eriksen and Alli back on song helped. This was one of those beautiful days when we look like a proper team, with and without the ball, back to front.
Individual
Lloris - Fuck all to do really.
Aurier - Let a couple of crosses come in too easily and was a bit lax for their goal, but apart from that was good defensively.
Foyth - One very poor moment aside, when he should have given a pen away at 1-0, he was ver good.
Alderweireld - Good game.
Davies - Went to sleep a couple of times, but was generally good today.
Sissoko - First half was the best 45 minutes he's had here, one lovely little move out of some midfield chaos. Faded a bit second half and was eventually shoved forwards. Good game though.
Dier - He worked hard, did OK, but his inability to play out of tight spaces, or see and play simple little passes in tight areas has got to be upgraded upon. Completed a pretty poor 70% of his passes today, which isn't great for a guy tasked with doing simple things, not creating, and there were several moments where he gave the ball away because it was a bit frenetic for him. He provided good ballast, but I think we will improve enormously when we find a player who can be that defensive busy cunt pivot, but can also play some football too.
Eriksen - Back to his quietly dominant best today. Couple of assists, ironically probably should have two better assists (apparently created more chances than anyone in any game this season in the PL) ahead of the defenders he completed more passes than anyone (at 89% too). Please pay him the same as Kane.
Alli - Despite Eriksen's superb performance, he gets my MOTM today. Absolutely pivotal without the ball, stuck to his task superbly, had Jorginho in his pocket for 90, and then still found time to score and play some great football, also playing a couple of incisive passes, one or two of them helping us to win this game. No silly fucking about, this was his most complete and mature performance.
Son - This boy drives me nuts. His movement and general attacking play first half was great, but his finishing was poor. Then he pops up and scores a goal of the very highest calibre, I mean up there with the best types of direct, "run at" goals out there, Hazard-esque. If only he didn't go weeks on end sometimes of tripping over the fucking thing and wasting great chances - this boy would be outstanding, and that's the frustration. He's capable of the sublime, but equally capable of the ridiculously bad.
Kane - Absolutely vintage uber Kane. That combination of robust hustle without the ball and attacking menace with it.
Poch - I love it when his plan comes together.
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