I made one of the biggest decisions in my short-lived technological life to present. I voided into the unknown and swapped my unintentional life-loyalty of Windows for a Macbook Pro. I've never been one that's scratched further than the surface in regards to technology. I don't keep my finger on the pulse at the best of times in regards to innovation, it doesn't reflect my greatest interests in life.
But I ventured into the unknown. Sure, it was a little difficult at first but I'm starting to understand the basics. Over time I'm sure I'll grow to be more comfortable, more natural in my approach in utilising a Mac. Transitioning from one way of thinking, one approach, to another is naturally difficult. Don't we just know it. At Spurs we're lacking those basics. The foundations looked there after pre-season. The win over QPR reiterated this. The patches of pressing solidified this perception. But that's all it was at the time, perception.
Eriksen made a note to the Danish press that Pochettino has changed his system in the short-term with the hope of instant results. A damning issue if correct. It largely reflects arguably our managers own concerns of his position which will do little to breathe confidence into the playing staff. Our results have reflected this. A manager appointed for his pragmatic and exciting approach to football matches belittled into becoming his own enemy.
A fearful mentality at Tottenham Hotspur. That cutting edge of belief always missing. A mere soundbite of "What happens if we don't make it..." rather than "we will make it" removed with the conveyor belt of endless manager sackings. We're too quick to shy away and it is just this fearful mentality that reflects the frail nature and polystyrene spine of Tottenham Hotspur from top to bottom at all levels.
We're lightweight on the pitch. Regardless of the prospective intelligence of our playing staff, you cannot both shy away and revamp over 100 years of English culture. Power, aggression. Paramount at one level or another. Its' non-existence telling of our sour position in the Premier League. A position only not classified as 'disastarous' because of the disappointment form of our rivals. Worrying.
We're lightweight off of it as well. Our scouting network just as embarrassing as our performances on the pitch. Bitterness from Comolli regarding our scouting network? It didn't seem so. The links with Pochettino's former scout Paul Mitchell as well as the further employment of former chief scout Ian Bloomfield suggests there was a gaping flaw in the now-seeming previous 'regime' (can we call it that?) of trusting one man duly unaccustomed to Premier League football with over £100m of a transfer kitty. Quite possibly the strongest two fingers up to Baldini he'd have likely ever seen but an also quite probable indirect further set-back in the confidence of those we did recruit. "The bloke that signed us has been told he's done a terrible job". It wouldn't fill me with confidence if I ever heard that.
Signs. In pre-season it's all we seek out. How we set-up, a style in how we approach fixtures, an identity. We carried one through for all of 5 minutes of the Premier League for it then to diminish. I jump back to what I mentioned earlier on about Pochettino altering his system in the short-term in the hope of immediate gain. In truth we have seen glimpses, but blink and you'll miss them. It fits an all too typical narrative but we look sideways. We try and play it safe in possession and actively encourage the opposition to harass us.
Does this reflect the nerves in the side that Adebayor came out so publicly to talk about? Arguably. But we've struggled to facilitate and engineer a set style for the most-part of the season. It's not that we're failing to successfully undertake an obvious style but that we are failing to even attempt one. Then we fail to have the players to lead by example and grab the game by the lower regions. What does it say about our first XI that 3 players have come through from the academy over the last 12 months and 2 started the last game? That those players are exceptional or that our current crop are just poor? I'm deliberately opening this can of worms. Mason & Kane have looked good when playing but I'd argue the answer to the above is a mis-match of both aspects. For arguments sake, I've actually been happy to see Bentaleb, Mason and Kane involved in the first team of late.
It's easy to argue we have the wrong players in the wrong system, but it's natural to expect more. Sometimes it becomes difficult to tell if we've a set of rough gems or dirty stones. Talented, raw players or overpriced imports? Maybe it's too early. We've seen what Eriksen can offer and Chadli has grown into a more forward role, but we've failed to see what anyone else has to offer. We're sitting in a posh restaurant and have so far been given a plate of cheesy chips in a greasy cardboard box. It's natural to have expected more.
We're paying the expensive price for flaws throughout the hierarchy at Spurs. The lack of scouting network has presented us with a wealth of problems in which we have well and truly dug our own grave. It's easy to say hindsight has shown the players may not have been right but the conditions in which we went about seeking out these players were clearly far from ideal. All we can do now is do what we do best. Hope, pray, then cry.
Regards
Ben
Showing posts with label THFC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THFC. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 November 2014
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Early Days
We've reached, endured and survived our first international break of the season. It provided a great platform in which to reflect on our relatively promising start to the season. Three largely differing performances could easily reflect inconsistency but, in truth, highlight how we're still piecing together the Pochettino puzzle. We're sat on a learning curve, embracing structure.
Early signs have presented promise and reason for quiet optimism. There seems to be a greater sense of unity in the side, a hunger to go for the throat. Against Liverpool we were choked out the game after missing the opportunity to go in on level terms. We bowed down at 2-0 and our inadequacies reminded us that we are in the early stages of a hopeful long-term project for success rather than an attempt at a 'quick fix' (if they even exist).
Our ideology this summer was that of building a stronger squad rather than a team littered with individual talents. I like to think our signings represent greater quality than the sum of their individual talents. We've purchased players because of their style and type to fill in the gaps. They arrive with no weighted price-tag allowing them to steer clear of the media spotlight. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but the mistake we made last year was signing Soldado based on his numbers rather than his style. A square peg in a round hole. He's not young enough to develop his game & still looks horribly starved of confidence.
In Vorm we've signed a keeper better suited to the game Pochettino is clearly trying to install. The space between Friedel & our back four under AVB's high line (especially in cup competitions) left a consistent worry we were playing a keeper not suited to our game and thus at a detriment to the side. This would naturally have proved a worry for the defence. In Ben Davies we've signed a defender that has more quality in operating as a wing-back. His defensive work, based on last season, clearly surpassed the failings that we'd had to endure in Danny Rose every week. Davies' move has also seemed to reinvigorate Rose whom had probably his best game for a long time against QPR.
Reading between the lines of breaking down Fazio as a footballer, my perception is that of the lovechild of Vertonghen and Kaboul. Technically good with the ball at his feet, he's also a mountain in the air. The perception that quick defenders are the holy grail of a successful high-pressing game are a myth. The best defenders in the world aren't renowned speed-kings . Positioning and spatial awareness are far more valuable assets.
Stambouli is allegedly in the mould of Schneiderlin. A raw gem, albeit a little rough around the edges. According to the press he represents great value and when have they ever wrongly over-hyped a player? Aside from this I feel our chances of developing younger more 'promising' players are far more prosperous with Pochettino and his coaching team overlooking this development than I ever would under Sherwood or Redknapp. AVB is another debate.
Pre-summer, our most pressing areas to add to were arguably left back and centre back. On paper, we've done this with relative success. Abraham Maslow theorised that human motivation can be listed in a 'hierarchy of needs'. This theory identified that the 'basic needs' (such as living) must be met before more complex needs are required (such as self-actualization). We arguably fulfilled our basic needs of a left-back and centre-back, before suddenly demanding a more complex need in a striker as the window wore on.
We have three forwards but play just one in our current system. It's clear that we showed an interest in Jay Rodriguez of Southampton but with his injury naturally showing cause for concern, we decided against making a move. Talks of a January move make far more logical sense as it provides us with 4 months worth of assessment. During this period, we have to show some faith that our £26m striker can provide the return we've been crying out for for 12 months. We have to also hope that Adebayor can hit the heights consistently that we know he can and Harry Kane can continue showing promise whenever he plays in the lilywhite.
If these 3 forwards can't produce the goods then the January window will provide us with a golden opportunity in which to fulfil this renewed 'basic need'. A striker would've been a nice touch to finalize the window but the money evidently wasn't there to bring in the type of forward we'd have wanted.
It's easy to forget that we brought in Pochettino to exploit the talents of the individuals in the squad and mould them into a football team. The signs have been there. Its early days, but hopefully the finished image of the Pochettino puzzle will be that of sheer beauty.
Early signs have presented promise and reason for quiet optimism. There seems to be a greater sense of unity in the side, a hunger to go for the throat. Against Liverpool we were choked out the game after missing the opportunity to go in on level terms. We bowed down at 2-0 and our inadequacies reminded us that we are in the early stages of a hopeful long-term project for success rather than an attempt at a 'quick fix' (if they even exist).
Our ideology this summer was that of building a stronger squad rather than a team littered with individual talents. I like to think our signings represent greater quality than the sum of their individual talents. We've purchased players because of their style and type to fill in the gaps. They arrive with no weighted price-tag allowing them to steer clear of the media spotlight. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but the mistake we made last year was signing Soldado based on his numbers rather than his style. A square peg in a round hole. He's not young enough to develop his game & still looks horribly starved of confidence.
In Vorm we've signed a keeper better suited to the game Pochettino is clearly trying to install. The space between Friedel & our back four under AVB's high line (especially in cup competitions) left a consistent worry we were playing a keeper not suited to our game and thus at a detriment to the side. This would naturally have proved a worry for the defence. In Ben Davies we've signed a defender that has more quality in operating as a wing-back. His defensive work, based on last season, clearly surpassed the failings that we'd had to endure in Danny Rose every week. Davies' move has also seemed to reinvigorate Rose whom had probably his best game for a long time against QPR.
Reading between the lines of breaking down Fazio as a footballer, my perception is that of the lovechild of Vertonghen and Kaboul. Technically good with the ball at his feet, he's also a mountain in the air. The perception that quick defenders are the holy grail of a successful high-pressing game are a myth. The best defenders in the world aren't renowned speed-kings . Positioning and spatial awareness are far more valuable assets.
Stambouli is allegedly in the mould of Schneiderlin. A raw gem, albeit a little rough around the edges. According to the press he represents great value and when have they ever wrongly over-hyped a player? Aside from this I feel our chances of developing younger more 'promising' players are far more prosperous with Pochettino and his coaching team overlooking this development than I ever would under Sherwood or Redknapp. AVB is another debate.
Pre-summer, our most pressing areas to add to were arguably left back and centre back. On paper, we've done this with relative success. Abraham Maslow theorised that human motivation can be listed in a 'hierarchy of needs'. This theory identified that the 'basic needs' (such as living) must be met before more complex needs are required (such as self-actualization). We arguably fulfilled our basic needs of a left-back and centre-back, before suddenly demanding a more complex need in a striker as the window wore on.
We have three forwards but play just one in our current system. It's clear that we showed an interest in Jay Rodriguez of Southampton but with his injury naturally showing cause for concern, we decided against making a move. Talks of a January move make far more logical sense as it provides us with 4 months worth of assessment. During this period, we have to show some faith that our £26m striker can provide the return we've been crying out for for 12 months. We have to also hope that Adebayor can hit the heights consistently that we know he can and Harry Kane can continue showing promise whenever he plays in the lilywhite.
If these 3 forwards can't produce the goods then the January window will provide us with a golden opportunity in which to fulfil this renewed 'basic need'. A striker would've been a nice touch to finalize the window but the money evidently wasn't there to bring in the type of forward we'd have wanted.
It's easy to forget that we brought in Pochettino to exploit the talents of the individuals in the squad and mould them into a football team. The signs have been there. Its early days, but hopefully the finished image of the Pochettino puzzle will be that of sheer beauty.
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Diluted expectation.
It's been an uncharacteristically low-key and rather reserved summer. We more or less wrapped up our managerial appointment early and saved ourselves a shadow fewer and a 'saga' less than we've known to expect of latter years. We should probably thank the World Cup for this. The fact it's essentially prevented Neil Ashton from inking poison on to the back pages of the Mail has certainly ensured my enthusiasm for the tournament has remained consistent.
Although come next week and we can only expect the usual pathogens to breed more bollocks on to toilet paper and bleed the eyes of the unfortunate reader. We're fully aware of the vicious circle we fall into every summer. Is it a sign of improvement that these calibre of players are happy to join Tottenham Hotspur or that these players are more wiling to use us as a stepping stone to then fuck off into the sunset? Probably the latter.
But Pochettino's short tenure at Spurs thus far has taught me that we don't need to have our manager bleating the same soundbites of league titles and Champions League qualification for me to feel a sense of warmth and quiet optimism towards him, subjectively speaking. I almost feel as though our greatest ever optimum opportunity in which to establish ourselves firmly within the seemingly intimidating presence of the top 4 has essentially been and gone. I don't see this as a negative though.
Our expectations in recent years have poisoned the atmosphere at White Hart Lane. It becomes more of a chore to enjoy a game and this, possibly, may be the first season in many in which expectation is more aspiration. Content at top 6 is bluntly realistic. The competition for the Champions League and its' riches via Premier League qualification seems more than an arms lengths out of reach. Our arguably more modest and realistic goals for the forthcoming season may ease the previous burden of weighted expectation and allow us to thrive in a more structured environment.
So where do our main priorities lie? The recent survey sent out by THST (that you should definitely fill out here if you haven't yet) asks fans where their personal priorities lie for this season. I felt torn on this one. On a previous question I'd answered that I felt '"dissatisfied" at the atmosphere at White Hart Lane at present and, in reality, a good league run would help to an extent to cure this - but only in the short-term. In Fact, I placed the FA Cup and Europa League above the Premier League in preference. Have I contradicted myself? Arguably, but I hate how we seemingly can't have a fairly average run in the league anymore and still have White Hart Lane as a fortress as we did in the past.
Pochettino's appointment excites me. Not because I think we'll be world leaders under him though. We've craved structure and preparation prior to fixtures. We certainly didn't utilize our squad to the full last season under a manager that struggled to know how to implement them best. Hopefully we'll bring more attractive football back to White Hart Lane and with this a snowball effect of injected enthusiasm into the fans that could roar the side on in the league and cups.
A combination of more modest expectations behind a manager that will pay more thorough attention to detail could (again) be a mix we've desperately required. We've finally reached a point in time in which 'how long' our manager will be given has slowly been swept under the carpet, well - for now. For the moment we seem content to sit back and just see what happens, maybe we could enjoy the company of our football team again.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
Although come next week and we can only expect the usual pathogens to breed more bollocks on to toilet paper and bleed the eyes of the unfortunate reader. We're fully aware of the vicious circle we fall into every summer. Is it a sign of improvement that these calibre of players are happy to join Tottenham Hotspur or that these players are more wiling to use us as a stepping stone to then fuck off into the sunset? Probably the latter.
But Pochettino's short tenure at Spurs thus far has taught me that we don't need to have our manager bleating the same soundbites of league titles and Champions League qualification for me to feel a sense of warmth and quiet optimism towards him, subjectively speaking. I almost feel as though our greatest ever optimum opportunity in which to establish ourselves firmly within the seemingly intimidating presence of the top 4 has essentially been and gone. I don't see this as a negative though.
Our expectations in recent years have poisoned the atmosphere at White Hart Lane. It becomes more of a chore to enjoy a game and this, possibly, may be the first season in many in which expectation is more aspiration. Content at top 6 is bluntly realistic. The competition for the Champions League and its' riches via Premier League qualification seems more than an arms lengths out of reach. Our arguably more modest and realistic goals for the forthcoming season may ease the previous burden of weighted expectation and allow us to thrive in a more structured environment.
So where do our main priorities lie? The recent survey sent out by THST (that you should definitely fill out here if you haven't yet) asks fans where their personal priorities lie for this season. I felt torn on this one. On a previous question I'd answered that I felt '"dissatisfied" at the atmosphere at White Hart Lane at present and, in reality, a good league run would help to an extent to cure this - but only in the short-term. In Fact, I placed the FA Cup and Europa League above the Premier League in preference. Have I contradicted myself? Arguably, but I hate how we seemingly can't have a fairly average run in the league anymore and still have White Hart Lane as a fortress as we did in the past.
Pochettino's appointment excites me. Not because I think we'll be world leaders under him though. We've craved structure and preparation prior to fixtures. We certainly didn't utilize our squad to the full last season under a manager that struggled to know how to implement them best. Hopefully we'll bring more attractive football back to White Hart Lane and with this a snowball effect of injected enthusiasm into the fans that could roar the side on in the league and cups.
A combination of more modest expectations behind a manager that will pay more thorough attention to detail could (again) be a mix we've desperately required. We've finally reached a point in time in which 'how long' our manager will be given has slowly been swept under the carpet, well - for now. For the moment we seem content to sit back and just see what happens, maybe we could enjoy the company of our football team again.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Sherwood's Master Plan.
Fresh off of consecutive wins at Old Trafford we arguably approached the Emirates with a false sense of confidence and a not so much a 'renewed' but a brief 'revitalisation' of the limited optimism that had dragged us through the season so far. Possibly unwanted. We'd just about scrubbed away the expectation. The brief strangle hold of financial net spend and squad settling issues keeping us from scenarios involving dark rooms and brandy. It's our defence mechanism. A mechanism I sincerely hope we lack next season.
I'm not knocking it, it's fact. Tottenham Hotspur: forever the 'next season' team. Not quite the soundbite notoriously heard at Anfield at the start of every season but you get the gist, it's frustrating. With Bale leaving and 7 players unknown to the Premier League, this year was always going to have atleast an element of settlement required. With AVB gone who knows how long it'll be before we can have a season with little change.
Confidence at your own peril. The DNA of Tottenham never changes, you never know what you'll get with us. The Enemy at their place on the back of Christmas was probably one fixture too much for us. The same 11 feeling the effects of 6 games in 17 days. Feet up and cotton wool were probably needed for the week preceding the win at Old Trafford, they deserved it.
Sherwood, not wanting to alter a short-term winning formula and a lack of options, was limited in selection and picked the strongest available names - bar arguably Bentaleb. Fatigue likely ripe within. We could see the car-crash on the horizon. Yet we remained hopeful. Somehow, someone would step up and become a hero. Contrary to our boss, we were overrun in midfield. Dembele given the job of three at the worst of times. Dropping Soldado and putting Capoue in alongside Dembele and Bentaleb would've given the protection the back four needed. What was more worrying was we could foresee this although our manager seemingly couldn't.
When in possession we were pressed high up the pitch, as expected. Walcott making up extra numbers in midfield. Arsenal were relentless without the ball. Again though, as expected. Sitting deep to counteract Walcott's pace made sense although as a result we couldn't press the ball as often as we may have liked. Eriksen was forced to stay out left far often than he'd have liked and we didn't set up as we should've done until after Rosicky had capitalised on our second defensive error of the night. Given, we sought to make the change before that blunder.
But it is how it is. Neither side were at their strongest. It's frustrating, of course it is. We made individual errors but, if anything, this game should encourage us to operate a different system. The short term under Sherwood made us far more unpredictable, as did 4-4-2, but it's so quickly sussed out & an easy system to play against with a rampant midfield. The space in front of the back 4 left Dawson and Chiriches with little protection but also fewer options to play the ball when in possession.
Hindsights a wonderful thing. It's perfection. We always question our decisions to lavish any hope on a performance at the Emirates worthy of 3 points. It's the hope that keeps us sane, but it's the same hope that can push you over the edge. You appreciate the smaller things in life and turn your back on football momentarily after a defeat.
Soldado reportedly came off with a knock. He's remained a regular fixture in the side despite the recent flurry of fixtures. He's looked better without quite turning it on just yet.If When he's not scoring he's contributing. There's a real ball of fire in him, but we're seeing just a flame so far. The tip of the iceberg. Time obviously not on his side but it's more promising than it was 4 months ago. But this knock may provide us the opportunity to tamper and test the 4-2-3-1 that Sherwood finished the Arsenal game with, albeit with different personnel.
Sherwood: When you lose the ball you are always going to be out of shape - otherwise you are going to be a rigid, boring team". You understand his point but that statement is incredibly naive. Eriksen's recent growth in confidence has allowed him more expression on the pitch. Taking away those final shackles pinning him to cover left midfield will grant him the freedom he so desperately craves in that number 10 role. With Dembele & Sandro sitting in behind him offering support in possession, we could still play with the same flair but have the stability we've arguably lacked under Sherwood. Ie. we could keep our shape though operate it a little deeper when not in possession.
Regardless of how this season turns out, you still get the impression we lack a long-term plan. Sherwood's steered the ship back on course in the Premier League but we look every part as likely to steer it back off it again. We've one competition left in which to compete for silverware and I hope we give it a go (again that word 'hope'). A fully fit squad will allow us to. But that's a feat rarely found but desperately craved in football.
Regards,
Ben
I'm not knocking it, it's fact. Tottenham Hotspur: forever the 'next season' team. Not quite the soundbite notoriously heard at Anfield at the start of every season but you get the gist, it's frustrating. With Bale leaving and 7 players unknown to the Premier League, this year was always going to have atleast an element of settlement required. With AVB gone who knows how long it'll be before we can have a season with little change.
Confidence at your own peril. The DNA of Tottenham never changes, you never know what you'll get with us. The Enemy at their place on the back of Christmas was probably one fixture too much for us. The same 11 feeling the effects of 6 games in 17 days. Feet up and cotton wool were probably needed for the week preceding the win at Old Trafford, they deserved it.
Sherwood, not wanting to alter a short-term winning formula and a lack of options, was limited in selection and picked the strongest available names - bar arguably Bentaleb. Fatigue likely ripe within. We could see the car-crash on the horizon. Yet we remained hopeful. Somehow, someone would step up and become a hero. Contrary to our boss, we were overrun in midfield. Dembele given the job of three at the worst of times. Dropping Soldado and putting Capoue in alongside Dembele and Bentaleb would've given the protection the back four needed. What was more worrying was we could foresee this although our manager seemingly couldn't.
When in possession we were pressed high up the pitch, as expected. Walcott making up extra numbers in midfield. Arsenal were relentless without the ball. Again though, as expected. Sitting deep to counteract Walcott's pace made sense although as a result we couldn't press the ball as often as we may have liked. Eriksen was forced to stay out left far often than he'd have liked and we didn't set up as we should've done until after Rosicky had capitalised on our second defensive error of the night. Given, we sought to make the change before that blunder.
But it is how it is. Neither side were at their strongest. It's frustrating, of course it is. We made individual errors but, if anything, this game should encourage us to operate a different system. The short term under Sherwood made us far more unpredictable, as did 4-4-2, but it's so quickly sussed out & an easy system to play against with a rampant midfield. The space in front of the back 4 left Dawson and Chiriches with little protection but also fewer options to play the ball when in possession.
Hindsights a wonderful thing. It's perfection. We always question our decisions to lavish any hope on a performance at the Emirates worthy of 3 points. It's the hope that keeps us sane, but it's the same hope that can push you over the edge. You appreciate the smaller things in life and turn your back on football momentarily after a defeat.
Soldado reportedly came off with a knock. He's remained a regular fixture in the side despite the recent flurry of fixtures. He's looked better without quite turning it on just yet.
Sherwood: When you lose the ball you are always going to be out of shape - otherwise you are going to be a rigid, boring team". You understand his point but that statement is incredibly naive. Eriksen's recent growth in confidence has allowed him more expression on the pitch. Taking away those final shackles pinning him to cover left midfield will grant him the freedom he so desperately craves in that number 10 role. With Dembele & Sandro sitting in behind him offering support in possession, we could still play with the same flair but have the stability we've arguably lacked under Sherwood. Ie. we could keep our shape though operate it a little deeper when not in possession.
Regardless of how this season turns out, you still get the impression we lack a long-term plan. Sherwood's steered the ship back on course in the Premier League but we look every part as likely to steer it back off it again. We've one competition left in which to compete for silverware and I hope we give it a go (again that word 'hope'). A fully fit squad will allow us to. But that's a feat rarely found but desperately craved in football.
Regards,
Ben
Monday, 30 December 2013
Change is good.
Those of you that actively follow me on Twitter or read my piece for Spurs Stat Man here would understand that I held immediate concerns and strong apprehension amongst Sherwood's full-time appointment. In the short-term he was the only real viable option and Levy had dug himself into a hole without an apparent long-term direction for the football club. I welcomed the introduction of Adebayor alongside Soldado although I strongly felt/still feel that the 4-4-2 previously being employed was not exploiting the talent that we have at our disposal.
The game against West Brom highlighted this. We were far too easy to play against and didn't look organised in midfield as well as being clueless in the final third. Although, against an admittedly poor Stoke side, we looked a fresh outfit. Sherwood's reaction as well as his acknowledgement to change the side and employ a more flexible system against Stoke was a strong positive to see.
Dembele and Paulinho took turns to sit and advance, closing up any space Stoke had in the middle of the pitch and facilitating our attacks. In truth, this is where we exploit the best of Dembele and it's surprising that we don't see him scoring more goals than he does. Hopefully this license to drive from midfield as he did so well last year will enable us to be more clinical in the final third than we have been in general this season. The attributes are there, we just need him operating in his strongest areas of the pitch.
We're slowly seeing more of Eriksen as the season progresses and it's becoming easier to forget that the Dane is just 21. This side tended to drift away from the 4-4-2 operated against West Brom and Eriksen was given license to tuck in behind Soldado and to operate centrally. With Adebayor dropping in to an advance midfield role as we know he can so well, it was a pleasure to see him and Eriksen on the ball and feeding in others. Two players that fully appreciate the lack of shackles bounded around their ankles. The general consensus was that we were far more organised against Stoke, something we distinctly lacked against West Brom, and hopefully this is another building block to implementing a system and a regular first XI.
What brought about more confidence was the interview Dembele gave regarding Sherwood post-Stoke.
"He's not been with us long, but he's made some adjustments and he's talked with us a lot." - This suggesting Sherwood is still open to the idea of implementing a different system to suit the players who welcome the communication and the open-mindedness.
"He gives us confidence to play our own game and to attack while remaining organised." - In truth, the players seem to struggle with self-belief towards the end of AVB's reign and it's positive to see that the confidence is being restored. It'll be the reaction after a defeat from here on in that will be the biggest test. Also to note that Dembele has mentioned about the organisation whilst attacking, something distinctly missing against West Brom but evident against Stoke.
"We're playing in a very attacking way, but he makes sure we're organised. You can't all attack at once, so he explains it to us and we train that way." - More emphasises on the organisation of the side which will be given a huge test at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
It's frustrating to see us continually in a transition although it's positive to see an open and confident response to an unsettling two or so weeks at the club. Sherwood has sought to lay down the organisation in the side and the next step will be selecting a consistent XI and arguably finding how to best exploit Eric Lamela.
I'd be tempted to label our set-up against Stoke as a 4-2-3-1 with Adebayor dropping in the front three behind Soldado. His free role in the team makes it difficult for him to be picked up by defenders and also supports the midfielders in attack. Soldado's movement still lacks a real cutting edge but he's made notable improvements in the last two weeks under Sherwood and hopefully we'll see the best of him in 2014.
United and Arsenal will be two real tests for Sherwood that have arguably come slightly prematurely. He's stabilised the train and we no longer look to be falling off the rails. Although we've experienced some very poor performances under his brief time in charge and hopefully these have been addressed. Sherwood knows he's little to lose during his time in charge of the club and this was reflected in our last outing against Stoke as we played with far more confidence and conviction as well as looking far more settled and organised than we have done for a few months.
We'll need both discipline and ruthlessness if we're to get a sniff of a point on Wednesday. We've the personnel to over-power their midfield and create the chances although have looked a little suspect at the back at times. Grabbing the chances we do get by the lower regions and smothering United will be key but I predict a very open game.
It's hard to see how this side will approach the tougher fixtures that await us. The arguably reduced expectation can only be seen as a positive.
Regards,
Ben - you can follow me on Twitter here
The game against West Brom highlighted this. We were far too easy to play against and didn't look organised in midfield as well as being clueless in the final third. Although, against an admittedly poor Stoke side, we looked a fresh outfit. Sherwood's reaction as well as his acknowledgement to change the side and employ a more flexible system against Stoke was a strong positive to see.
Dembele and Paulinho took turns to sit and advance, closing up any space Stoke had in the middle of the pitch and facilitating our attacks. In truth, this is where we exploit the best of Dembele and it's surprising that we don't see him scoring more goals than he does. Hopefully this license to drive from midfield as he did so well last year will enable us to be more clinical in the final third than we have been in general this season. The attributes are there, we just need him operating in his strongest areas of the pitch.
We're slowly seeing more of Eriksen as the season progresses and it's becoming easier to forget that the Dane is just 21. This side tended to drift away from the 4-4-2 operated against West Brom and Eriksen was given license to tuck in behind Soldado and to operate centrally. With Adebayor dropping in to an advance midfield role as we know he can so well, it was a pleasure to see him and Eriksen on the ball and feeding in others. Two players that fully appreciate the lack of shackles bounded around their ankles. The general consensus was that we were far more organised against Stoke, something we distinctly lacked against West Brom, and hopefully this is another building block to implementing a system and a regular first XI.
What brought about more confidence was the interview Dembele gave regarding Sherwood post-Stoke.
"He's not been with us long, but he's made some adjustments and he's talked with us a lot." - This suggesting Sherwood is still open to the idea of implementing a different system to suit the players who welcome the communication and the open-mindedness.
"He gives us confidence to play our own game and to attack while remaining organised." - In truth, the players seem to struggle with self-belief towards the end of AVB's reign and it's positive to see that the confidence is being restored. It'll be the reaction after a defeat from here on in that will be the biggest test. Also to note that Dembele has mentioned about the organisation whilst attacking, something distinctly missing against West Brom but evident against Stoke.
"We're playing in a very attacking way, but he makes sure we're organised. You can't all attack at once, so he explains it to us and we train that way." - More emphasises on the organisation of the side which will be given a huge test at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
It's frustrating to see us continually in a transition although it's positive to see an open and confident response to an unsettling two or so weeks at the club. Sherwood has sought to lay down the organisation in the side and the next step will be selecting a consistent XI and arguably finding how to best exploit Eric Lamela.
I'd be tempted to label our set-up against Stoke as a 4-2-3-1 with Adebayor dropping in the front three behind Soldado. His free role in the team makes it difficult for him to be picked up by defenders and also supports the midfielders in attack. Soldado's movement still lacks a real cutting edge but he's made notable improvements in the last two weeks under Sherwood and hopefully we'll see the best of him in 2014.
United and Arsenal will be two real tests for Sherwood that have arguably come slightly prematurely. He's stabilised the train and we no longer look to be falling off the rails. Although we've experienced some very poor performances under his brief time in charge and hopefully these have been addressed. Sherwood knows he's little to lose during his time in charge of the club and this was reflected in our last outing against Stoke as we played with far more confidence and conviction as well as looking far more settled and organised than we have done for a few months.
We'll need both discipline and ruthlessness if we're to get a sniff of a point on Wednesday. We've the personnel to over-power their midfield and create the chances although have looked a little suspect at the back at times. Grabbing the chances we do get by the lower regions and smothering United will be key but I predict a very open game.
It's hard to see how this side will approach the tougher fixtures that await us. The arguably reduced expectation can only be seen as a positive.
Regards,
Ben - you can follow me on Twitter here
Monday, 18 November 2013
Big Issues.
So we're just over a quarter of the way through the season. We've won 10 of our last 14 games and sit just 5 points shy off of the top of the table but yet we're struggling to breathe, let alone smell confidence at the moment. Our performances have reflected much of our thoughts this year in what has started to look like a far greater transitional season than the one we felt we'd be victims of last year. Fake smiles at 1-0 victories, manufactured laughing and joking far more out of relief than delight. We've lost the that touch of flair and dynamism.
We traded £100m worth of talent for another £100m worth of talent and in all honesty we're a left with a mix of hope and anxiety. We finally didn't see ourselves in the envious shoes watching on as squads - not teams - destroyed competitions and lifting silverware. It was hard not to succumb into a dream world where Tottenham Hotspur are up there with the best, it was a struggle to hold back writing endless pieces of satire about how it all ended happily ever after. But this wasn't the pragmatic viewpoint. This was theory. Theory is something that would generate far more success on FM than in real life. Unfortunately.
What we found ourselves left with was a system that generated an initially unbalanced side. The emergence of Andros Townsend on the right and injuries to Nacer Chadli left us short of an immediate option out left and the natural width that we'd grown so used to. We had quality, but it needed time to settle in - they needed to find their feet and their place in the side. We've grown to become a more expectant fan base. Mix that in with a pot of a £100m+ squad in front of you and the results can be deadly. Last years' consistent performers found themselves fighting off the fringes. One has found himself shoulder to shoulder with the youth (or out in Siberia).
Either a lack of pass and move or a sincere lacklustre attempt at pass and move left us almost unsurprisingly leaving with a sense of misdirection. Was it still a settling in period or are we simply not clicking as we felt we would?
Soldado. I'm still a little lost for words. He hasn't had the service we'd have expected him to get but at the same time he's finding himself marked out of games far too easily. He looks far too leightweight up front and almost seems to have underestimated the physicality of the Premier League.
Soldado's average shot accuracy stands at just 55%. His shots have been few and far between, averaging just 2.3 shots per game. This isn't too considerably less than his final season in Valencia in which he averaged 2.9 shots per game. The issue is that Paulinho and Townsend both have 3.3 and 4.5 shots respectively each - but have scored just twice in 81 shots between them. This arguably hinders the opportunities given to our number 9 as our midfielders aren't picking him out.
Is it worrying that Rebrov had 5 goals in his first 11 league games? I don't think we can dive to deep into that.
With just 12 key passes and 2 assists as well as an average of 0.3 dribbles per game so far, it's arguable to say that Soldado isn't the creative forward that can engineer chances for himself or others and so relies on the service around him. One key issue is we took around 50% of our shots from outside the box from last year (albeit due to the mesmerising attributes of Gareth Bale) and it would always take a more pragmatic approach on the training ground to actually adapt and bed in a team of new players and a new system to fit in a £26m poacher. Soldado's final season in Valencia saw him have exactly 100 shots in the league and a conversion rate of 24% - most of which were inside the penalty area. With two inverted wingers, Soldado lacks the natural width he'd thrive off of to pounce on whipped balls into the centre. Our second issue is that with Townsend preferring to cut inside and shoot, Soldado lacks further service coming from central areas.
Soldado's heat map vs. Newcastle is shown left. It's evident that the forward continued to come deep to try and get involved with play as he became more isolated staying on the shoulder of the last defender. Soldado's a poacher but he's having very little in which to poach. A change of system may resolve this. Shifting Townsend out wide and encouraging him to stick more balls into the box - as he did so well away vs. Tbilisi - would increase the likely attempts on goal and the chance of conversion. But shifting Townsend isn't the only answer.We'd have probably expected more of Soldado but the service provided has been exceptionally poor - and this points us to our next man.
Cristian Eriksen. It raises more than one eyebrow to recognise this guy is just 21 years of age, not due to the ever recinding hairline, but because of the expectation and reliability the guy seems to weight himself down with whenever he takes to the field. His lack of starts (just 7 in all competitions) has prohibited him to find his rhythm and forge a partnership with Soldado in the squad. This has to be our man to unleash our number 9. Engage them, marry them, send them away on a training camp to Dubai together - I don't care - just get the two playing in the same side.
Statsbomb highlights brilliantly that Eriksen actually engineered 9 key passes v Newcastle which has notably only happened 15 times across this year and last year out of a whopping 1800 matches across the big 5 leagues in Europe. This is quite significant. A player that was slated for his performance achieved something that has happened in around 0.0083% of games spanning last year and the start of this year. I feel our main issue is that we don't get the ball at Eriksen's feet high enough up the pitch for any real impact. It's evident that for a player operating just off the shoulder of a lone striker, he's evidently having to come deeper to pick up the ball and play a pass as shown. His heat map also shows an honest story with much of his influence being pulled out left or into the centre midfield role. This arguably could've been as a result of Paulinho pressing so high and leaving the midfield a player short. According to FFT Statzone, Eriksen created 4 chances from open play but notably 3 of the 4 chances created were on the fringes on the final third and unsurprisingly lead to little damage.
This guy was brought in to feed our £26m forward. With 41 assists in 113 matches at Ajax and still being at the ripe age of just 21, it's obvious we've an immense talent within our ranks. A quicker transition between the defensive players/midfielders to Eriksen into the final third will only allow for an environment in which he can engineer goal scoring opportunities. Let others do the tracking back and keep him off of the shoulder of Soldado. That partnership has the making for something quite beautiful. Time is also a beautiful thing, so let's keep our heads grounded and give him the patience than a 21 year old attacking midfielder quite probably needs. Let's leave Eriksen and Soldado to be our vocal point in attack.
I do find it a little ironic that one of our most influential players last year in Mousa Dembele has struggled to infultrait his presence amongst the new side and his influence has been noticeably absent. Although I don't pin this on the player losing his ability over a summer, but put it down to the new role he's finding himself locked down in. He's far more restricted this season, I've almost gauged the impression he's been told not to cross half way on a number of occasions and is forced to act as the anchor in our side. If this is the case then we've sacrificed both an efficient and effective use of Dembele. He's not a midfielder that sits, he's one that breaks up play and drives from midfield, easing past players and picking out a pass. His pace and stamina allowed a flurry of counting attacking moves last year and it's quite possible that this slight change in our new system this year has isolated Mousa from his most effective place in the side. Dembele's heat map vs. Sunderland (our final game of last season) is shown on the left and his heat map vs. Newcastle is shown on the right.
Although this represents just two games spanning last season and this one thus far, it's evident that we're restricting ourselves the opportunity to get the best out of Mousa. The question remains that within this system, if the Belgian is proving ineffective then arguably moving Holtby into this role may work more effectively for the team. I do feel a little guilty at the suggestion of dropping Dembele after his fantastic performances last year, although I can't see him jumping straight back into the side in the long run unless if he is given license to drive from midfield as he did so well for us last year.
With Dembele and Paulinho initially offering more bite than creativity in midfield, a lot of our flair was reborn through the unearthing of Andros Townsend, who seemed to pick up where he left off at QPR and showed a lot of confidence starting in the Premier League for Spurs. In all honesty, I'd always been a fan of Townsend. For me if a winger can beat a player and put in a decent cross then they're half way to becoming a substantial figure in the side. The once irreplaceable Aaron Lennon has found his opportunities more limited this season (granted he's suffered injury for much of the season) but his absence from the team is proving the burden that it once was. We may have the real possibility on our hands of having a fully fit Aaron Lennon come the end of the season which would prove invaluable. This is something that I keep in hope.
After Andros' initial impact in the side, he's arguably come under more scrutiny than he likely ever has done in a Spurs shirt. My frustrations are derived from we lose the effectiveness of Roberto Soldado when Townsend cuts inside and favours a shot. His average shot accuracy is at just 52% and his inability to play (not pick) a pass is proving detrimental to the side. I say this because, interestingly, Andros has created the most chances in the Spurs side with 19. Kyle Walker (17) and Cristian Eriksen (15) are the two behind him. With Townsend being naturally left footed, it's understandable that he prefers to cut in and shoot than try and pick a cross. He's evidently been given license to do this from AVB and as a result his cross accuracy this season has been a rather abysmal 20.4% in the Premier League this season. Shifting Townsend out left would see him receive the ball on his more favoured left foot and grant a stronger possibility of him whipping in a cross instead of cutting inside and shooting.
This would leave a spot open on the right hand side of midfield and this is where Erik Lamela steps in and tries to recreate the fantastic form he showed for Roma last season out there. Although Lamela is left footed as well, he's had a far stronger experience in the past playing out wide right and seems to prefer to pick a pass than to shoot when inside. This would also mean we're playing with two wingers and give us more balance in the side. Lamela's last outing was a far more confident and thorough performance than in the past and it's clear the Argentine is slowly finding his feet in the side.
Although, with Eriksen now set to be out injured for around 4 weeks, this does offer us the possibility to bringing Lamela into that number 10 spot and recalling Aaron Lennon out wide. This would naturally see us play with more flair and give us some good options on the counter-attack, something greatly needed away at City. Lamela needs integrating into this side and seems to grow in confidence the more times he takes to the field. Although City won't be the most ideal team in which to start his first Premier League game against, he will have the benefit of playing without the pressure and expectation he'd arguably have playing at home against a side in which we're favourites to win. Leave the industrial work to the centre midfielders sitting behind him and allow him to flourish in a free role off of the shoulder of Roberto Soldado.
One other name that needs to be starting more or less every Premier League game is Sandro. I think we as fans do well to not underestimate his ability to break up play and start off our counter attacking. He arguably operates in a similar role to Paulinho but does it in deeper positions then sits - he's not a natural box to box midfielder. Paulinho hasn't proven to be as effective as he was at the start of the season and although I think Sandro and Paulinho can play as a partnership (and arguably against City this may be the best option), overall, we need a more naturally creative outlet to sit in and begin moves - just as Luka Modric did so well. This is where Holtby steps up and plays in his favoured role in centre midfield. The German's looked far more effective and efficient this year and channelled his energy into being more intelligent with his passing and movement. We're seeing more of the Holtby that did so well Schalke. Holtby isn't creative enough to be a number 10 but, like Modric, he has an eye for a pass and begin moves.
We're graced with having 4 very good diverse centre midfielders in Dembele, Paulinho, Sandro and Holtby and utilising the best of all four for the sake of the club is key. Our game should naturally adapt with whichever partnership is playing, ie, we shouldn't force Mousa to play the role that Sandro would play if the Brazilian is missing out. We need a consistent 11 in the Premier League and I'd love to take a punt on seeing Sandro and Holtby paired together or reverting back to Sandro and Dembele and giving the Belgian license to break from midfield. If Paulinho is to make an impact in our side, as I felt he did at the start of the season, then he needs to be sharper. I felt he was capable of winning the ball high up the pitch and beginning moves but his performances have been far more lacklustre as the season has worn on and his shooting has been exceptionally poor - especially for a player that thrives in a 'box-to-box' role.
Contrary to what I'd read recently, 4-4-2 is not the answer. This system naturally isolates the most creative players (if they were to both be playing) in Lamela and Eriksen. They'd start too deep and be pressed higher up the field. Although, in saying that, movement between the lines needs to be better. We don't appear to be playing as a unit, we're lacking any real partnerships - albeit the squad is a relatively new one. If the defence have the ball, we should have more options to play it short - start the moves deeper if we have to. We shouldn't be forced to go long. With these numbers we should play to get the ball into the final third as quickly as possible and one of the centre midfielders should be supporting Eriksen in trying to pick a pass - whether out wide or through the centre. Keeping the ball in the final third, being patient and encouraging an emphasis on quick passing and movement will unlock chances for Soldado and the midfield behind him. We need to be more ruthless instead of the barrel of nerves we appear to be when going forward at the moment.
We've more talent in our side than Mila Kunis' thong yet we;re struggling to see it on the pitch. These aren't changes that will happen over night but are changes that need implementing. We need to get our squad playing the same game, on the same wave length and understanding one another. The Newcastle game was a big a wake up call as we needed. Let's see our response.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
We traded £100m worth of talent for another £100m worth of talent and in all honesty we're a left with a mix of hope and anxiety. We finally didn't see ourselves in the envious shoes watching on as squads - not teams - destroyed competitions and lifting silverware. It was hard not to succumb into a dream world where Tottenham Hotspur are up there with the best, it was a struggle to hold back writing endless pieces of satire about how it all ended happily ever after. But this wasn't the pragmatic viewpoint. This was theory. Theory is something that would generate far more success on FM than in real life. Unfortunately.
What we found ourselves left with was a system that generated an initially unbalanced side. The emergence of Andros Townsend on the right and injuries to Nacer Chadli left us short of an immediate option out left and the natural width that we'd grown so used to. We had quality, but it needed time to settle in - they needed to find their feet and their place in the side. We've grown to become a more expectant fan base. Mix that in with a pot of a £100m+ squad in front of you and the results can be deadly. Last years' consistent performers found themselves fighting off the fringes. One has found himself shoulder to shoulder with the youth (or out in Siberia).
Either a lack of pass and move or a sincere lacklustre attempt at pass and move left us almost unsurprisingly leaving with a sense of misdirection. Was it still a settling in period or are we simply not clicking as we felt we would?
Soldado. I'm still a little lost for words. He hasn't had the service we'd have expected him to get but at the same time he's finding himself marked out of games far too easily. He looks far too leightweight up front and almost seems to have underestimated the physicality of the Premier League.
Soldado's average shot accuracy stands at just 55%. His shots have been few and far between, averaging just 2.3 shots per game. This isn't too considerably less than his final season in Valencia in which he averaged 2.9 shots per game. The issue is that Paulinho and Townsend both have 3.3 and 4.5 shots respectively each - but have scored just twice in 81 shots between them. This arguably hinders the opportunities given to our number 9 as our midfielders aren't picking him out.
Is it worrying that Rebrov had 5 goals in his first 11 league games? I don't think we can dive to deep into that.
With just 12 key passes and 2 assists as well as an average of 0.3 dribbles per game so far, it's arguable to say that Soldado isn't the creative forward that can engineer chances for himself or others and so relies on the service around him. One key issue is we took around 50% of our shots from outside the box from last year (albeit due to the mesmerising attributes of Gareth Bale) and it would always take a more pragmatic approach on the training ground to actually adapt and bed in a team of new players and a new system to fit in a £26m poacher. Soldado's final season in Valencia saw him have exactly 100 shots in the league and a conversion rate of 24% - most of which were inside the penalty area. With two inverted wingers, Soldado lacks the natural width he'd thrive off of to pounce on whipped balls into the centre. Our second issue is that with Townsend preferring to cut inside and shoot, Soldado lacks further service coming from central areas.
Soldado's heat map vs. Newcastle is shown left. It's evident that the forward continued to come deep to try and get involved with play as he became more isolated staying on the shoulder of the last defender. Soldado's a poacher but he's having very little in which to poach. A change of system may resolve this. Shifting Townsend out wide and encouraging him to stick more balls into the box - as he did so well away vs. Tbilisi - would increase the likely attempts on goal and the chance of conversion. But shifting Townsend isn't the only answer.We'd have probably expected more of Soldado but the service provided has been exceptionally poor - and this points us to our next man.Cristian Eriksen. It raises more than one eyebrow to recognise this guy is just 21 years of age, not due to the ever recinding hairline, but because of the expectation and reliability the guy seems to weight himself down with whenever he takes to the field. His lack of starts (just 7 in all competitions) has prohibited him to find his rhythm and forge a partnership with Soldado in the squad. This has to be our man to unleash our number 9. Engage them, marry them, send them away on a training camp to Dubai together - I don't care - just get the two playing in the same side.
Statsbomb highlights brilliantly that Eriksen actually engineered 9 key passes v Newcastle which has notably only happened 15 times across this year and last year out of a whopping 1800 matches across the big 5 leagues in Europe. This is quite significant. A player that was slated for his performance achieved something that has happened in around 0.0083% of games spanning last year and the start of this year. I feel our main issue is that we don't get the ball at Eriksen's feet high enough up the pitch for any real impact. It's evident that for a player operating just off the shoulder of a lone striker, he's evidently having to come deeper to pick up the ball and play a pass as shown. His heat map also shows an honest story with much of his influence being pulled out left or into the centre midfield role. This arguably could've been as a result of Paulinho pressing so high and leaving the midfield a player short. According to FFT Statzone, Eriksen created 4 chances from open play but notably 3 of the 4 chances created were on the fringes on the final third and unsurprisingly lead to little damage.
This guy was brought in to feed our £26m forward. With 41 assists in 113 matches at Ajax and still being at the ripe age of just 21, it's obvious we've an immense talent within our ranks. A quicker transition between the defensive players/midfielders to Eriksen into the final third will only allow for an environment in which he can engineer goal scoring opportunities. Let others do the tracking back and keep him off of the shoulder of Soldado. That partnership has the making for something quite beautiful. Time is also a beautiful thing, so let's keep our heads grounded and give him the patience than a 21 year old attacking midfielder quite probably needs. Let's leave Eriksen and Soldado to be our vocal point in attack.I do find it a little ironic that one of our most influential players last year in Mousa Dembele has struggled to infultrait his presence amongst the new side and his influence has been noticeably absent. Although I don't pin this on the player losing his ability over a summer, but put it down to the new role he's finding himself locked down in. He's far more restricted this season, I've almost gauged the impression he's been told not to cross half way on a number of occasions and is forced to act as the anchor in our side. If this is the case then we've sacrificed both an efficient and effective use of Dembele. He's not a midfielder that sits, he's one that breaks up play and drives from midfield, easing past players and picking out a pass. His pace and stamina allowed a flurry of counting attacking moves last year and it's quite possible that this slight change in our new system this year has isolated Mousa from his most effective place in the side. Dembele's heat map vs. Sunderland (our final game of last season) is shown on the left and his heat map vs. Newcastle is shown on the right.
Although this represents just two games spanning last season and this one thus far, it's evident that we're restricting ourselves the opportunity to get the best out of Mousa. The question remains that within this system, if the Belgian is proving ineffective then arguably moving Holtby into this role may work more effectively for the team. I do feel a little guilty at the suggestion of dropping Dembele after his fantastic performances last year, although I can't see him jumping straight back into the side in the long run unless if he is given license to drive from midfield as he did so well for us last year.
With Dembele and Paulinho initially offering more bite than creativity in midfield, a lot of our flair was reborn through the unearthing of Andros Townsend, who seemed to pick up where he left off at QPR and showed a lot of confidence starting in the Premier League for Spurs. In all honesty, I'd always been a fan of Townsend. For me if a winger can beat a player and put in a decent cross then they're half way to becoming a substantial figure in the side. The once irreplaceable Aaron Lennon has found his opportunities more limited this season (granted he's suffered injury for much of the season) but his absence from the team is proving the burden that it once was. We may have the real possibility on our hands of having a fully fit Aaron Lennon come the end of the season which would prove invaluable. This is something that I keep in hope.
After Andros' initial impact in the side, he's arguably come under more scrutiny than he likely ever has done in a Spurs shirt. My frustrations are derived from we lose the effectiveness of Roberto Soldado when Townsend cuts inside and favours a shot. His average shot accuracy is at just 52% and his inability to play (not pick) a pass is proving detrimental to the side. I say this because, interestingly, Andros has created the most chances in the Spurs side with 19. Kyle Walker (17) and Cristian Eriksen (15) are the two behind him. With Townsend being naturally left footed, it's understandable that he prefers to cut in and shoot than try and pick a cross. He's evidently been given license to do this from AVB and as a result his cross accuracy this season has been a rather abysmal 20.4% in the Premier League this season. Shifting Townsend out left would see him receive the ball on his more favoured left foot and grant a stronger possibility of him whipping in a cross instead of cutting inside and shooting.
This would leave a spot open on the right hand side of midfield and this is where Erik Lamela steps in and tries to recreate the fantastic form he showed for Roma last season out there. Although Lamela is left footed as well, he's had a far stronger experience in the past playing out wide right and seems to prefer to pick a pass than to shoot when inside. This would also mean we're playing with two wingers and give us more balance in the side. Lamela's last outing was a far more confident and thorough performance than in the past and it's clear the Argentine is slowly finding his feet in the side.
Although, with Eriksen now set to be out injured for around 4 weeks, this does offer us the possibility to bringing Lamela into that number 10 spot and recalling Aaron Lennon out wide. This would naturally see us play with more flair and give us some good options on the counter-attack, something greatly needed away at City. Lamela needs integrating into this side and seems to grow in confidence the more times he takes to the field. Although City won't be the most ideal team in which to start his first Premier League game against, he will have the benefit of playing without the pressure and expectation he'd arguably have playing at home against a side in which we're favourites to win. Leave the industrial work to the centre midfielders sitting behind him and allow him to flourish in a free role off of the shoulder of Roberto Soldado.
One other name that needs to be starting more or less every Premier League game is Sandro. I think we as fans do well to not underestimate his ability to break up play and start off our counter attacking. He arguably operates in a similar role to Paulinho but does it in deeper positions then sits - he's not a natural box to box midfielder. Paulinho hasn't proven to be as effective as he was at the start of the season and although I think Sandro and Paulinho can play as a partnership (and arguably against City this may be the best option), overall, we need a more naturally creative outlet to sit in and begin moves - just as Luka Modric did so well. This is where Holtby steps up and plays in his favoured role in centre midfield. The German's looked far more effective and efficient this year and channelled his energy into being more intelligent with his passing and movement. We're seeing more of the Holtby that did so well Schalke. Holtby isn't creative enough to be a number 10 but, like Modric, he has an eye for a pass and begin moves.
We're graced with having 4 very good diverse centre midfielders in Dembele, Paulinho, Sandro and Holtby and utilising the best of all four for the sake of the club is key. Our game should naturally adapt with whichever partnership is playing, ie, we shouldn't force Mousa to play the role that Sandro would play if the Brazilian is missing out. We need a consistent 11 in the Premier League and I'd love to take a punt on seeing Sandro and Holtby paired together or reverting back to Sandro and Dembele and giving the Belgian license to break from midfield. If Paulinho is to make an impact in our side, as I felt he did at the start of the season, then he needs to be sharper. I felt he was capable of winning the ball high up the pitch and beginning moves but his performances have been far more lacklustre as the season has worn on and his shooting has been exceptionally poor - especially for a player that thrives in a 'box-to-box' role.
Contrary to what I'd read recently, 4-4-2 is not the answer. This system naturally isolates the most creative players (if they were to both be playing) in Lamela and Eriksen. They'd start too deep and be pressed higher up the field. Although, in saying that, movement between the lines needs to be better. We don't appear to be playing as a unit, we're lacking any real partnerships - albeit the squad is a relatively new one. If the defence have the ball, we should have more options to play it short - start the moves deeper if we have to. We shouldn't be forced to go long. With these numbers we should play to get the ball into the final third as quickly as possible and one of the centre midfielders should be supporting Eriksen in trying to pick a pass - whether out wide or through the centre. Keeping the ball in the final third, being patient and encouraging an emphasis on quick passing and movement will unlock chances for Soldado and the midfield behind him. We need to be more ruthless instead of the barrel of nerves we appear to be when going forward at the moment.
We've more talent in our side than Mila Kunis' thong yet we;re struggling to see it on the pitch. These aren't changes that will happen over night but are changes that need implementing. We need to get our squad playing the same game, on the same wave length and understanding one another. The Newcastle game was a big a wake up call as we needed. Let's see our response.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
Friday, 27 September 2013
The Holtby Dilemma
I still remember the moment. I had alcohol pumping through my veins in the French mountains when I read that Daniel Levy had sanctioned a move to bring Lewis Holtby to Spurs in January. Immediate erection. The fuel of optimism was a feeling I'd rarely felt. It was gold dust. Of course, the reality was that we'd rarely seen much of Holtby in action. A few dazzling Champions League displays can build an unwarranted and inaccurate perception of what to expect. Adaption is critical when young players move between countries. Although Holtby didn't provide too much value initially in the few months that followed January, we were provided with moments of what to expect prior to digging any deeper.
It's easy to forget the age of some players considering the weight of expectation that we, sometimes unintentionally, place upon their shoulders. It's arguably a little naive to expect a player of Holtby's profile to come in and make the White Hart Lane turf his own within 6 months and it's exactly this reason why I continually fought consciously with myself to not jump into brandishing opinion on him last season. We saw far more industry than end product with Holtby last year. There's an evident passion there. A fight inside him that commands our love and attention. We give a stronger emotional response than a rational one. But there's nothing wrong with that.
It's obvious right now that we're still trying to find a role that suits both him and ourselves. I naturally thought he was the number 10 we'd dropped to our knees and begged for but it's becoming clearer he's a far more rounded central midfielder. He mentioned himself that his preference is sitting in the middle of the pitch and this is where he's proven most effective for us. There's an obvious trait of playing that killer pass from a deeper position and bringing the ball forward. His energy allows him the freedom to press opposition which is something we're doing more and more under AVB.
So where does this leave us? We're lucky enough to be packed to the brim of centre midfielders; Dembele, Paulinho, Sandro, Capoue. Depth is beauty. We couldn't crave it enough last season and now we find ourselves in the fortunate position of having it. Selection dilemmas are under appreciated. Holtby offers far more flair breaking from midfield then distributing the ball. He needs more playing time there and to become more understanding of his role. He has the eye to play that final pass but needs encouragement to try it more often.
Call me crazy but his play is reminding me more and more of Modric. Obviously the skill set is not quite as matching but the way he can take the ball from deep and bring it forward then provide another option in the final third is similar to what the Croat did best for us. It was a role vastly under appreciated to the naked eye at first but a role that allowed us to be far more fluid. There's arguments for every player to have their position in the starting 11. It's incredible that if we rewind 12 months back, Dembele & Sandro were irreplaceable. Yet, now, arguably neither are guaranteed to start.
I'd like to see more of a chance taken on Holtby. Away from home against a top side may leave us needing more strength and stability in the middle but I'd like to see him given more game time at home alongside one of Paulinho or Dembele. He needs consistency to prove to both us and himself that he is worth a place in our first 11. He's proven effective when emerging from the bench but a consistent role should increase this effectiveness.
A start against Chelsea may be too much of a gamble at this moment but that's not to say that I wouldn't knock AVB for testing him. We'll want to avoid defeat more than anything. Let our CM's suffocate the space given to Chelsea and let our attack run at their defence.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
It's easy to forget the age of some players considering the weight of expectation that we, sometimes unintentionally, place upon their shoulders. It's arguably a little naive to expect a player of Holtby's profile to come in and make the White Hart Lane turf his own within 6 months and it's exactly this reason why I continually fought consciously with myself to not jump into brandishing opinion on him last season. We saw far more industry than end product with Holtby last year. There's an evident passion there. A fight inside him that commands our love and attention. We give a stronger emotional response than a rational one. But there's nothing wrong with that.
It's obvious right now that we're still trying to find a role that suits both him and ourselves. I naturally thought he was the number 10 we'd dropped to our knees and begged for but it's becoming clearer he's a far more rounded central midfielder. He mentioned himself that his preference is sitting in the middle of the pitch and this is where he's proven most effective for us. There's an obvious trait of playing that killer pass from a deeper position and bringing the ball forward. His energy allows him the freedom to press opposition which is something we're doing more and more under AVB.
So where does this leave us? We're lucky enough to be packed to the brim of centre midfielders; Dembele, Paulinho, Sandro, Capoue. Depth is beauty. We couldn't crave it enough last season and now we find ourselves in the fortunate position of having it. Selection dilemmas are under appreciated. Holtby offers far more flair breaking from midfield then distributing the ball. He needs more playing time there and to become more understanding of his role. He has the eye to play that final pass but needs encouragement to try it more often.
Call me crazy but his play is reminding me more and more of Modric. Obviously the skill set is not quite as matching but the way he can take the ball from deep and bring it forward then provide another option in the final third is similar to what the Croat did best for us. It was a role vastly under appreciated to the naked eye at first but a role that allowed us to be far more fluid. There's arguments for every player to have their position in the starting 11. It's incredible that if we rewind 12 months back, Dembele & Sandro were irreplaceable. Yet, now, arguably neither are guaranteed to start.
I'd like to see more of a chance taken on Holtby. Away from home against a top side may leave us needing more strength and stability in the middle but I'd like to see him given more game time at home alongside one of Paulinho or Dembele. He needs consistency to prove to both us and himself that he is worth a place in our first 11. He's proven effective when emerging from the bench but a consistent role should increase this effectiveness.
A start against Chelsea may be too much of a gamble at this moment but that's not to say that I wouldn't knock AVB for testing him. We'll want to avoid defeat more than anything. Let our CM's suffocate the space given to Chelsea and let our attack run at their defence.
Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here
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