Baggy Trousers
If we hadn't spent the best part of last season watching much of the same soggy shit as that today, it would be easy to put that game down to it being the season opener, WC hangover, lack of pre-season etc etc. but the fact is, what was served up today was very similar to a lot of the baggy shit we watched last season. I fact, it was almost identical to where we signed off at home to Leicester, just against a much shitter team.
In my opinion Che Poch has lost his way a little. Not "Roberto Martinez" lost, but lost none the less. He just seems to have lost sight of the principles on which he built this revolution. Aggression, tempo, collective ethos.
He spoke in his book of owing a debt to people like Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb. And when I think back, my very favourite Poch game was a 2-1 win over Woolwich at WHL, in his first full season, with those two at the hub of a relentless fisting of what had been to that point a superior Woolwich team. It was the match that cemented Pochettino was the real deal. Before that game we'd beaten Woolwich, we'd occasionally outworked them, and even more occasionally outplayed them, but never all at once, but that day we did all three.
Now, we all know that Mason and Bentaleb weren't world class CM's. And our team that day wasn't as full of class as it probably was subsequently, but what it had was some fucking urgency, some tempo, a bunch of kids who'd vanquished the dressing room of billy big bollocks egos and brought with them a hunger.
I was seeing a Spurs I'd wanted to see for most of my 50 years of watching them. I was seeing a Spurs side that was nasty, tenacious, pressed the ball, suffocated opponents but also played progressive football.
We were allowed to use the word philosophy and not feel like cunts. Because there was one. It was about voracity, collectiveness, meritocratic selection "you're paid to train, not to play".
We seem to be losing some of this. Players like Sissoko and Aurier clearly aren't there on merit. Do not tell me that any of Onomah, Amos, Skipp etc could be any worse, any more inept, any less technically proficient with - OR WITHOUT - the ball. I read people saying he's there to do a job, carry water, break up play. He's fucking atrocious without the ball, can't press without falling into the man. Second half, when we were desperately needing to get some control of the game he went completely awol, 20 touches of the ball in the second 45 minutes compared to 39 in the first. He made one tackle in 90 minutes and no interceptions. His touch is that of a Rhino on PCP. Why the fuck are we not seeing one of the lively, tenacious and technically proficient kids out there?
And one great cross aside, there is certainly no way KWP could be any worse than Aurier.
I'l forgive Dier being out there, but he's not the future either and I don't know how much longer I can watch him doing his impression of Phil Jones going his impression of Marcel Desailly. It's all very ponderous and predictable and when teams, even very shit ones like Newcastle, get lively, he's another that struggles to get hold a game, he just shells himself back into the penalty area and drags the game back with him.
I know that some of the kids Ive mentioned aren't going to be world beaters, but the players being selected ahead of them sure as shit ain't. And at least a judicious introduction of one or two of these kids would bring some fucking hunger, some vim and vigour, some pro-active tenacity, could get us pressing and moving as a collective again, give us back some of that urgency and tempo to our play, as opposed to the baggy, open ended, slap dash bollocks we are watching too much of in the last 18 months.
Really not entirely sure what structure we were playing, and the players didn't seem to either at times. At first it looked like a 433 with Alli and Sissoko as 8's. But then at times it looked like a 4312, with Eriksen in the hole, and at other times a 442 with Moura running into congested central areas. Even without the kids, why not be braver and play Alli and Eriksen as 8's, hubbing off Dier and have Son and Moura either side of Kane, with Sissoko on the bench to come on as a wide right forward - the only role he's ever remotely looked valid in?
As it was a game we had a lot of ceded (by Newcastle) possession in, ended up a very uncomfortable grind, that with a bit of bad rub, a couple of posts and bad finishes, could easily have gone away from us, when we should be more comfortable against shit cunts like Newcastle. Our play lacked tempo, incision, wit or craft and will continue to do so with players like Dier, Sissoko at the hub of it.
Individual
Lloris - Good game.
Aurier - Looks like a novice out there. Here's an idea, lets paly one that doesn't.
Sanchez - Done by a decent cross, but decent enough after that.
Vertonghen - Pretty decent knock, one game saving block.
Davies - Meh.
Sissoko - Like a Rhino on PCP. Second half the PCP wore off.
Dier - Ponderous and predictable with the ball, lack of dynamism without it.
Alli - Decent enough.
Eriksen - Not great by his high standards but still managed one less key pass than the rest of the team put together. Dier, Sissoko, Alli, Kane, Moura all managed fucking none.
The Brazilian Lennon - Contributed fuck all of tangible worth. Fucked the ball away cheaply, and ran around like a headless cunt the rest of the time.
Kane - Effort was there but football wise, another pretty atrocious shift.
Don Corleone
your thread has backfired massively - all you’ve done is create an old boy’s reunion of wordy twats who can now post their drivel on here - so thanks for that. You’ve turned this place into SC - self-obsessed, humourless, armchair pundits with previous for taking themselves too seriously.
