Tottenham 2017/18: Suck it Arsenal

coremiller

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It's a really good fit from a purely on-field perspective. Athletic, pacy, relatively young (24), has top-level/champions league experience. Plus the price isn't crazy in this market.

The off-field stuff though ... yikes. It's not a good sign that Aurier never really apologized or expressed contrition for his homophobic comments.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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Janssen loaned to Fenerbahce. Off to Istanbul today.
Seems a good move for both (though a Prem loan would have been preferable to Spurs).
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Hopefully the performance from this game meant something going forwards, because the depth chart looks much better if Spurs replaced Frustrating Void of Nothingness Moussa Sissoko with Useful Rotation Option Moussa Sissoko.

Hope he's not too hurt as well.
 

coremiller

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Sanchez also looked very assured. If he beds in immediately that gives the team more rotation options with Dier/Wanyama and all the CBs.

Dortmund at Wembley is next on Wednesday. That should be a fun one.
 

Gunfighter 09

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Sanchez also looked very assured. If he beds in immediately that gives the team more rotation options with Dier/Wanyama and all the CBs.

Dortmund at Wembley is next on Wednesday. That should be a fun one.
I really like how Sanchez seemed to let Toby & Jan get much further forward than normal. And Dier is a still a fucking beast, love that guy and how he destroys in the middle of the field.

Delli can't play on Wednesday, so I am curious what the line up will look like against Pullisic & Co. With Swans next week, I expect a stacked line up at Wembley.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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I really like how Sanchez seemed to let Toby & Jan get much further forward than normal. And Dier is a still a fucking beast, love that guy and how he destroys in the middle of the field.

Delli can't play on Wednesday, so I am curious what the line up will look like against Pullisic & Co.
Ditto on Sanchez and Dier at DM.

Wednesday should look the same as today, but Aurier for Trips, Dembele for (surprsingly decent) Sissoko and Son for (suspended) Dele.
 

Gunfighter 09

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So, Wembley curse dead?

That was an impressive performance, perhaps difficult to replicate due to the quality of Spurs finishing in the first half, but I really appreciated the tactical flexibility that Poch demonstrated by laying back in the first half and smashing Dortmund on the counter. I am left wondering how effective how that will be against Real, but they really only need 1 point in those two matches if they can just earn a point in Germany and do what they should against APOEL.

Apparently Vertongen's red was merely a second yellow and not a straight red, so he will only miss the road APOEL match, which is probably good forced rotation for Poch anyway, provided Toby and Sanches stay healthy.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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Son brings such unbridled joy when he scores. Reminds me of Koji getting a save.
 
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Gunfighter 09

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So the path in the UCL is clear:

- get a point in one of the two Real matches
- get a point at Dortmund
- take care of business against APOEL at Wembley.

That gets them to 11 points that Dortmund can't match, even if they get 6 off of APOEL and Real has nothing to play for on the last match day At Dortmund.
 

coremiller

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So the path in the UCL is clear:

- get a point in one of the two Real matches
- get a point at Dortmund
- take care of business against APOEL at Wembley.

That gets them to 11 points that Dortmund can't match, even if they get 6 off of APOEL and Real has nothing to play for on the last match day At Dortmund.
They don't need anything from the Real matches if they draw in Dortmund and beat APOEL at home. That would put them on 10 with the H2H tiebreaker over Dortmund, and Dortmund wouldn't be able to get to 11.
 

Kliq

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Harry Kane's last two weeks:

- Scores twice to beat West Ham

- Scores hat trick in CL victory.

-Scores two more in win against Huddersfield

- Named England captain, scores extra time stunner to send England to the WC.
 

Kliq

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I know all YT comments are poison but reading Real Madrid fans talking about how they NEED to get Kane makes me want to puke.
 

coremiller

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Dominant performance today. They look like the second best team in England right now. Four of their next six matches are against Man Utd, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Dortmund. If they got through that stretch intact we'll start to get a good idea of their prospects.

The big surprise for this year has been how well the depth players have been playing. Today they were missing at least 4-5 crucial players from last season (Dembele, Dier, Wanyama, Walker, Rose), including both fullbacks and all their nominally first-choice central midfielders, and they hardly missed a beat. This is a deeper, more versatile squad than last year, last year they went 13-14 deep and this year it's more like 16-17, with guys like Sanchez, Winks, Sissoko, and Aurier making contributions and Davies and Trippier improving. They still don't have much cover for the Kane/Alli/Eriksen/Son group but every other position has capable depth.

Winks in particular has been a revelation. They've thrown him into the deep end as the lone holding midfielder against Madrid and Liverpool, and he's more than held up. He's only 21 and this was only his sixth league start. I had no idea he'd be this good this soon.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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They still don't have much cover for the Kane/Alli/Eriksen/Son group but every other position has capable depth.
Don't forget Lamela (nearly back) and Ross Barkley in January. Llorente proved his value in Madrid, too.

Winks in particular has been a revelation. They've thrown him into the deep end as the lone holding midfielder against Madrid and Liverpool, and he's more than held up. He's only 21 and this was only his sixth league start. I had no idea he'd be this good this soon.
1000 times this.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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i’m not normally the biggest Trippier fan, but I thought he played especially well today. Good service, pretty elusive with the ball, and didn’t fail to get back when needed
 

Gunfighter 09

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i’m not normally the biggest Trippier fan, but I thought he played especially well today. Good service, pretty elusive with the ball, and didn’t fail to get back when needed
Agree completely. He's will never be fast, but he had several on ball stops and took possession from several different attacking Liverpool players today. He is improving to the point that despite the fact that he will never have Walker's speed, he is nearly as useful of a player, especially in the attack.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Trippier's service from out wide is quite good.

I really enjoy watching this team and rooting for them. I'm pretty sure they can beat anyone in the world, which is a pretty amazing thing to say about Spurs, but I believe it.

And I'll third the Winks comment- I didn't realize he was only 21 until the RM game. He was so impressive that day.
 

coremiller

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Shitty result. Spurs controlled the game for long stretches, and they played well enough to get a draw, but they made one dumb mistake not tracking Martial. Brutal to concede direct from a route one long-ball in a game like this.
 

InstaFace

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I don't root for Spurs, but I'll gladly root for them against RM, and goddamn if that wasn't the biggest job of bossing around CR7 and co for 90 minutes that I've seen since that Clasico like two years ago. Either Zidane got his defensive tactics all wrong or Marcelo and Sergio Ramos had a double helping of hookers and blow the night before, because they basically got blown off the field. You just don't see that, ever. Massive result for you guys.
 

Zososoxfan

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Very nice win today. Citeh took care of Arsenal and Chelsea-United means points will be lost one way or another. Kane injury is definitely worrisome. Son should've had a brace. Where's Coco?? Phenomenal game from Aurier (love his game). Rose is behind Davies IMO. Dembele and Dier had a nice game. Backup keeper also did well, although I do remember one goof, that luckily didn't cost them.
 

Kliq

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Big win over Dortmund gives Spurs the group and with only Nicosia left it looks like they are going to go through the group unbeaten and only one tie, which was Real Madrid. They have looked pedestrian over the last few gamedays in England; but have been tops in the Champions League so far. It’s like a reverse of last season.
 

coremiller

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They played merely ok but were still much better than West Brom. West Brom got a very early goal and just sat deep and defended for 90 minutes. Spurs created a whole bunch of half chances, and Kane converted the best chance. it's the kind of game that with better finishing luck both ways they could easily have won 2-0, but they didn't defend that well on West Brom's goal and they weren't dominant enough to overcome the variance. It happens.
 

Kliq

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The issue I saw was that they settled a lot for long shots which isn't anything new for Spurs but they needed to really send some through balls into the teeth of the defense and hope Kane or Son got on the end of one of them (this is how they scored their goal). I thought they rushed a lot of their potential chances and there was no real need to do so against a team you shouldn't fear.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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West Brom was so tightly packed in... usually 10 men in and around the box. Really difficult to find a way through a defense set up that way, without a moment of magic. Sonny tried unlocking the D a few times, but couldn't quite do so. This team needs to figure out how to score against packed and set defenses.
 

Zososoxfan

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Didn't see the match start to finish, but did catch the last 15-20. First and foremost, great to see Coco Lamela back in action. He could really add to the rotation of forward players, although there is now a glut of those and Llorente isn't cutting it as a second striker, or at least the club should add a third viable striker. In fact, there's too many offensive mid types with Eriksen, Alli, Coco, and Son. Danny Rose gets worse every time I see him. The team really lacked any creativity in the late rush in the final 15-20 of the match. Everything went to the wings and then crosses and a prayer - unlike Spurs to play like that. Really missing Toby right now.
 

coremiller

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I'll expect the xG will show Spurs comfortably ahead in this match. Leicester scored two difficult low-percentage shots, while Spurs wasted four excellent chances (Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen, Llorente). Plus that was clearly a penalty on Rose at the end. They're still playing reasonably well.

The return of Lamela means they can give Eriksen some rest, he looks exhausted and has started every EPL and CL game so far this season. Not surprisingly, his form has dipped recently.

The bigger issue is that the Dembele-Sissoko midfield pairing does not work, especially now that Alderweireld is out. Leicester were bypassing the press too easily and there's not enough passing with those two in there and no Alderweireld to step forward. They miss Winks badly when he's not in.
 

Zososoxfan

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I'll expect the xG will show Spurs comfortably ahead in this match. Leicester scored two difficult low-percentage shots, while Spurs wasted four excellent chances (Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen, Llorente). Plus that was clearly a penalty on Rose at the end. They're still playing reasonably well.

The return of Lamela means they can give Eriksen some rest, he looks exhausted and has started every EPL and CL game so far this season. Not surprisingly, his form has dipped recently.

The bigger issue is that the Dembele-Sissoko midfield pairing does not work, especially now that Alderweireld is out. Leicester were bypassing the press too easily and there's not enough passing with those two in there and no Alderweireld to step forward. They miss Winks badly when he's not in.
You'd think that with Dembele-Sissoko-Dier in the middle that the midfield would be stout, but that just wasn't the case. There could be some tactical discussion here (e.g. Dier was dropping into a central back 3 at times), but I think the reality is that Toby was the heart of the defense and they are acutely feeling that loss at the moment.

On the first goal, Dier dropped into a back central 3 with Sanchez and Jan. Vardy found the space between them perfectly - this is basically a result of having Dier play in the back where he is not at his best and Sanchez still breaking in. Just as importantly, I don't remember who coughed up the turnover, but it was in the defensive third. Fair play to LCFC too, as both the assist and finish were sublime.

Sanchez also deserves much of the blame on the Mahrez goal as he needs to be prepared to help once Mahrez cut inside. Jan tried to show him the outside, but it's a dangerous counter and Mahrez took a sharp angle, so I don't have a problem with Jan's defense here. Rather than step up to the top of the box, Sanchez just kept sinking in, almost to the penalty spot. Aurier was covering the weakside attacker (Okazaki?), so Sanchez has no excuse there.
 
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Jimy Hendrix

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Lamela looked sharp at least.

Actually having him back would be pretty massive as it might let Eriksen get a rest once in a while and gives another option for close control and pretty passing to attack these packed in defenses that have been utterly bedeviling Spurs this season.
 

Kliq

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He's played well in the UCL; but Alli has not given them the kind of offensive production they have become accustom to. He has 3 goals and 2 assists, and is well off the pace of last season, when he netted 18 and added 7 assists. Too often I feel like this team is entirely dependent on whether or not Harry Kane scores or not. Son (2 goals so far after 14 last season) has also been slightly disappointing, although last season may be a high peak for him. They are 7th in total goals after leading the EPL last season. I know the xG indicate that they will score more goals this season, but considering they brought back the same, young core that ran over the EPL last season, the last few league games have been very frustrating.
 

Kliq

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Very much a B-team against Apoel Nicosia and they are up 2-0 at HT in a meaningless UCL game. I think part of their struggles in league play can relate back to their low-production bench that has not stepped up which is needed when you are playing in the Champion's league and expect a deep run. No Kane, Eriksen, Vertonghen, Lloris or Dier in the starting lineup. Llorente scored so maybe that will get him going.
 

Zososoxfan

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Very much a B-team against Apoel Nicosia and they are up 2-0 at HT in a meaningless UCL game. I think part of their struggles in league play can relate back to their low-production bench that has not stepped up which is needed when you are playing in the Champion's league and expect a deep run. No Kane, Eriksen, Vertonghen, Lloris or Dier in the starting lineup. Llorente scored so maybe that will get him going.
I wrote this on another board, but the Toby injury is far and away the number 1 cause for the fall in the form IMO. It forced Dier into the back and took him out of the MF, which combined with the Wanyama injury, was a real problem. That's a bit unexpected because with Sissoko, Dembele, and Winks you'd think they'd be fine, but they weren't. Also, the Lamela injury took almost a year to have its full effect felt, but Eriksen and Alli have looked gassed before he returned. Hopefully rotating those 3+Son keeps them all fresh. And while I like Llorente more than most, Spurs really need to bring in 1-2 other striker options.
 

Kliq

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Easy win today at home against Brighton as they have taken advantage of some of the bigger clubs dropping points and they now tied for fourth with Liverpool and Burnley(!). Spurs will have a real test coming up around late January, they play Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Juventus all in a row.

Juventus doesn't really scare me the way a team like Real Madrid did, but its hard to argue with the European success in recent years. Having to go through Real, Dortmund and Juventus before the Quarterfinals; they certainly haven't taken the easy way.
 

Tangled Up In Red

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Do they recall CCV or Onomah in January?
Do they get Barkley and Sessengon or...?

Lamela can be in the CL squad for knockout stages, which is big. Assume GKN gets dropped.
 

Zososoxfan

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Do they recall CCV or Onomah in January?
Do they get Barkley and Sessengon or...?

Lamela can be in the CL squad for knockout stages, which is big. Assume GKN gets dropped.
I want no part of Barkley, but I haven't seen him play in the last month or so, when Everton's form has apparently improved. He also creates a bigger logjam at the attacking mid area of the squad where Lamela, Son, Dele, and Eriksen already occupy. I'd really like to see them bring in another quality striker. Stuani from Girona, Maxi Gomez from Vigo, Jose from Sociedad, or Sanabria from Betis all seem like good targets. Maybe a secondary guy on those squads like Oyarzabal or Portu. Really, just find a midtable side from Spain, Italy, or Portugal that has financial trouble and try and pry a striker from a squad that has more than one.
 

coremiller

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Barkley has been injured all year and hadn't played. I'm not a huge Barkley fan; I'm fine with adding him if they can do so at a reasonable cost, but I wouldn't shell out big money for him. I'm not worried about the attacking midfield logjam -- there are plenty of games to go around and I'd rather have too much depth than not enough. They've been running Eriksen into the ground as it is.

The problem with signing a striker is that it's hard to recruit when everyone knows they won't be first choice. Spurs mostly play a single-striker system and nobody is going to replace Kane. So if you were a young, up-and-coming player, why go to Spurs where you'll mostly sit on the bench? For clubs like City and Real Madrid, the answer is "because they'll pay you a shit-ton of money," but Spurs can't afford to pay those kinds of wages.

The real focus though needs to be on the midfield pivot rather than the attacking band. Getting Wanyama back would help (he reportedly started to return to training this week), but with Dier forced to play a lot of CB to cover for injuries and suspensions there they are really thin in the 6/8 roles, especially since Dembele is fragile and not up to playing 90 minutes 2x/week.