Spurs 21/22: Conte? Conte!!

DJnVa

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Ndombele could now stay to add the missing guile to Nuno's impressive Spurs – The Athletic

Tottenham are an extremely structured team out of possession. Nuno spoke afterwards about how proud he was of his team’s discipline. “We kept all game the shape, the right triggers, the right moment to press,” he said. Certainly those new roles for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dele Alli either side of Oliver Skipp have given Tottenham an extra energy to press from midfield. Even this early in the season, it is clear what Nuno is trying to do, with that 4-3-3 and a narrow front line who stay high up the pitch.
There is a knack to doing just enough to win games, and Spurs have it, or at least they do right now. Some people might think this is just a more amenable version of Jose Mourinho’s football. Maybe it is, but it is also a more effective version. The fact that Spurs no longer drop 20 yards back as soon as they go 1-0 up does give them a stronger platform from which to defend their lead.
 

Zososoxfan

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Spurs top of the table, Arsenal at the bottom. All is right in the world, even if only for a moment. Spurs are 3-0-0 with a GD of +3. This isn't sustainable and not how the story ends. Wolves haven't scored a goal in 3 matches, and Watford's one win is over Villa. Son's goal yesterday was a good fundamentals play (aiming to the far stick) but will ultimately go down as a keeper howler in my book. The MANC result is still legit, even if they were missing some starters.

Leaving that all aside, I'm just enjoying the good feels while they're around. The coherence and competence of this team is refreshing. The incorporation of Skipp and Tanganga feels great. The Dier-Sanchez pairing also showing some life. Dele being used is a positive. Romero hasn't been incorporated yet, Moura and GLC are excellent bench/rotation options, and if Tanguy is around this season he still has tons of potential.

September's fixtures are also relatively easy with an EPL match against Chelski being a big exception. NLD is never easy, but I love getting Arsenal this early while the wheels are fully off and the axle is generating sparks off the pavement. 3 cup matches (2 ECL, 1 Carabao) means plenty of low risk opportunities for rotation.
 

Gunfighter 09

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I think the first three games affirm two things:

- Jose was definitely a problem, both tactically and how his leadership impacted key players and their performance and effort
-This squad is still incomplete and needs improvement

There is a good chance that the second issue could be quite improved in the next two days if they can strengthen the backline, get the midfield settled and diversified by either adding another player or bringing Ndombele back in and add another attacking player. I think just addressing the first issue - Jose being a stubborn asshold - only improves their ceiling from 5th or 6th to 4th or 5th, but improving both gives you a punchers chance for higher than that.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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I think the first three games affirm two things:

- Jose was definitely a problem, both tactically and how his leadership impacted key players and their performance and effort
-This squad is still incomplete and needs improvement

There is a good chance that the second issue could be quite improved in the next two days if they can strengthen the backline, get the midfield settled and diversified by either adding another player or bringing Ndombele back in and add another attacking player. I think just addressing the first issue - Jose being a stubborn asshold - only improves their ceiling from 5th or 6th to 4th or 5th, but improving both gives you a punchers chance for higher than that.
Either or even both could yet come good, but Ndombele + Lo Celso is looking like such a brutal whiff on midfield reconstruction two years in.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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A Scud Away from Hell
Not sure if Traore transfer will actually happen but the Wolves just got a similar player in Son's Korean National teammate Hwang Hee Chan.

Hwang's nickname is The Golden Bull and has the pace, speed, and strength to play in the EPL. He's probably most well-known outside of Asia for this goal faking out Van Dijk last year:

View: https://youtu.be/PTP0hSDhcNw


Could a Traore be a last-minute signing after the Emerson Royal deal?

View: https://twitter.com/ZachLowy/status/1432363570579247104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1432363570579247104%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Ftottenham-hotspur
 

candylandriots

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I'm not saying the criticism isn't valid, but both stadiums are in Berlin, right? You obviously lose something going away from your home ground, but it's not like they're being forced to travel to another city.
They are both in Berlin, though about as far away as you can be without leaving the city (31km driving).

Olympiastadion is a big, soulless place with a track, so all the seats are far away from the action. Stadion an der alten Försterei is quite intimate, fans are on top of the field practically. It diminishes Union's home field advantage a bit. The worst thing is that Union will likely never be able to use their stadium in European competition, because there is a standing area. Currently, about 85% of the capacity is for standing. They intend to increase capacity from around 22k to 37k, but still the majority will be standing.

UEFA talks about clubs keeping their finances sound, and then forces them to choose between the culture of its club and the ability to have a home game for international competition (at massive expense).
 

Kliq

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So far what I can tell from the team is they have managed to not capitulate 1-0 leads, which was a giant problem under Jose. The team remains aggressive with a lead and while they haven't yet scored again in league play, they have kept other teams from really cranking up the pressure to the point that an equalizer feel inevitable. The defense has been great so far to start the year, which is impressive because there haven't been a ton of personnel changes yet, as Romero has barely seen the field. Dier/Sanchez has worked out well and Tangaga has shown great improvement. Skipp has been thrown right into the fire and has looked overmatched at times, but still happy he is getting all of that time playing at the highest level. This team needs some promising home-grown young pieces and Skipp and Tangaga have offered some hope so far.

Offensively Kane sticking around for the time solves almost any issue. We know that Kane/Son, with very little support, can find ways to create goals and win games. Playing with more offensively progressive tactics should only improve that. Dele's return to prominence is very interesting; he hasn't played great in any game yet, but we are talking about a player who once scored 18 goals in a season and under Poch, was one of the better chance creators in the EPL. Is that player still there? Can he be the true #10 to replace Eriksen and create more chances for the frontline? I'm excited that he is at least getting the chance to prove it, and he has shown some flashes of production; earning the PK against Wolves and getting himself in a great position to score yesterday.

We are also seeing a lot more of Steven Bergwijn, who is returning to the fold after a lost season last year. Bergwijn has the pace and skills to be a threatening presence on the counter-attack and has gotten himself into some dangerous position, but has been lacking in actual production. He's a talented player, but I don't have a ton of confidence in his ability to consistently make things happen, even though he will probably get chances while sharing the field with Son and Kane. Lucas to me is a superior option as a player; he has some of the some faults as Bergwijn but also adds much more as a pressing and his doggedness and all-around shit housery is needed at times. I was surprised Bergwijn got the start over Lucas yesterday, but at the same time it was a good time for some squad rotation coming off the Ferreira game and playing a weaker EPL opponent.

Bryan Gil was really exciting in the Ferreira game and I think he has the makings of a fan favorite if he can be productive. I think there is an opening in this team's starting XI as an attacker alongside Kane and Son, and I'd be interested in seeing what Gil brings to the table in the EPL playing with those guys. Tottenham still have a pretty large group of players where the jury is still out on how good they can be, even if they've been on the team for a while; Gil, Ndombele, Dele, Sessengon, Bergwijn, Romero, GLC, Skipp, Tanganga, etc. There are not a ton of known-entities on the side at the moment, and we obviously don't know how everyone will fit in playing under Nuno.

Lastly, particularly during the Ferreira game, it was really obvious how hard these guys were playing. Even up 3-0, the substitutes were coming in and pressing and not letting their opponents gain an inch. Part of it is certainly having fans back, but it does feel like there is a new sense of energy and purpose around the team so far under Nuno.
 

Zososoxfan

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So assuming Emerson is in and Aurier (or less likely Doherty) is out, what does that mean for Tang? Considering Fab was trying to loan him out and the price paid for Emerson, it seems clear that Emerson is being brought in as a starter.

Is there enough PT for Tang as the 4th or 5th option at CB (Dier, Sanchez, Romero, Rodon) and as the 2nd or possibly third option at RB?

IOW, I was initially psyched that Tang turned down the loan and has shown very well in the season so far, but assuming this transfer gets completed I worry about his development getting stunted without enough PT.

All of this could seem really dumb if Fab pulls off a shit-ton of biz in the next 36 hours.
 

coremiller

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Spurs have a negative xGD after three games; the results have flattered them. The intensity and structure have been better but Spurs still have the same recurring issues with the buildup possession structure and handling pressure.

The results though have given Nunu some cushion to work it out. And the personnel may continue to change as the window closes. It's been a decent start and the vibe is so much better than during the Mourinho endgame but significant improvement is still required.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Spurs have a negative xGD after three games; the results have flattered them. The intensity and structure have been better but Spurs still have the same recurring issues with the buildup possession structure and handling pressure.

The results though have given Nunu some cushion to work it out. And the personnel may continue to change as the window closes. It's been a decent start and the vibe is so much better than during the Mourinho endgame but significant improvement is still required.
Sample size is pretty small though, basically all the negative xGD based on the numbers I quickly looked at was the City game, to which I say duh.

I do agree that winning every game 1 - 0 is not sustainable, although I'm happy to have it buy time to actually fix some of these patterns of play / get creative midfielders healthy and back in the squad.
 

Kliq

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The xG numbers are actually pretty ghastly. The ones I saw had their xPTS at like, 3.5 through three games.

Spurs also basically didn't have Kane for the first two games, so the offense is unsurprisingly down.

The key so far to me is that the team is committed to playing more attacking football and the result has been they have gotten these 1-0 leads and held onto them, as opposed to succumbing to relentless pressure by parking the bus for 90 minutes.


So assuming Emerson is in and Aurier (or less likely Doherty) is out, what does that mean for Tang? Considering Fab was trying to loan him out and the price paid for Emerson, it seems clear that Emerson is being brought in as a starter.

Is there enough PT for Tang as the 4th or 5th option at CB (Dier, Sanchez, Romero, Rodon) and as the 2nd or possibly third option at RB?

IOW, I was initially psyched that Tang turned down the loan and has shown very well in the season so far, but assuming this transfer gets completed I worry about his development getting stunted without enough PT.

All of this could seem really dumb if Fab pulls off a shit-ton of biz in the next 36 hours.
Nuno at least trusts Tang a bit because he has played him a ton. If he isn't the starter at FB, I think there is still plenty of time for him to play, between the league, Carabao/FA Cup and Conference League. The fact he can play all across the backline will also aid him in getting playing time, I'm not worried about it.
 

Zososoxfan

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Just looked at the xG too, and it was in Spurs' favor for both Wolves (a bit surprising) and Watford. Not drastically so, but does provide some support to the idea that this hasn't all been luck to this point.
 

Zososoxfan

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The xG numbers are actually pretty ghastly. The ones I saw had their xPTS at like, 3.5 through three games.

Spurs also basically didn't have Kane for the first two games, so the offense is unsurprisingly down.

The key so far to me is that the team is committed to playing more attacking football and the result has been they have gotten these 1-0 leads and held onto them, as opposed to succumbing to relentless pressure by parking the bus for 90 minutes.




Nuno at least trusts Tang a bit because he has played him a ton. If he isn't the starter at FB, I think there is still plenty of time for him to play, between the league, Carabao/FA Cup and Conference League. The fact he can play all across the backline will also aid him in getting playing time, I'm not worried about it.
Yeah, if Aurier ships out and Nuno has Tang above Doherty at RB, then it should be fine. Like you said, the 2 domestic cups plus the low stakes of ECL should allow for most squad players to get minutes. I don't think he'll see many minutes at CB unless NES starts playing 3ATB more frequently--although that's a damn good possibility. Truth of the matter is there are so many unknown variables this early. I should just enjoy the fact that Tang has seemed up to it so far and let the questions come later.
 

DJnVa

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Twitter rumors have Spurs after both Traore and Neves from Wolverhampton.
 

DJnVa

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Looks like it might a quiet final few hours for Spurs--only thing percolating seems to be CCV on the way out again.
 

Zososoxfan

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Aurier or Doherty has to be going somewhere right? I guess there are worse things than paying Serge for his final year if he's a professional and pushes Emerson/Tang. Doherty won't be seen anywhere near the field.
 

Kliq

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Emerson is official. I don't watch Barcelona so no idea what kind of player he is going to be or how he would fit in at Spurs. Looking at his Statbomb numbers, he seems to be more of a defensive oriented FB, ranking in the 87th percentile or higher in pressures, tackles, interceptions and clearances. His goal generation numbers are more mediocre.
 

swiftaw

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Emerson is official. I don't watch Barcelona so no idea what kind of player he is going to be or how he would fit in at Spurs. Looking at his Statbomb numbers, he seems to be more of a defensive oriented FB, ranking in the 87th percentile or higher in pressures, tackles, interceptions and clearances. His goal generation numbers are more mediocre.
I dont think he's ever played for Barca, or at least not recently. He's been with Betis for a while. (Barca and Betis had a weir co-ownership arrangement, that Barca bought Betis out of this summer)
 

Kliq

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I dont think he's ever played for Barca, or at least not recently. He's been with Betis for a while. (Barca and Betis had a weir co-ownership arrangement, that Barca bought Betis out of this summer)
He started for Barca last week. I will restate that I again know very little about him though!
 

Kliq

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Well that was a bad way to start my weekend.

Rotten luck with the Dier injury, and then Tanganga just losing his head. Not having Son available was a huge killer. From the start it was a pretty brutal team. Three holding midfielders, two of which were Skipp and Winks, just isn't going to cut it, especially when playing against a team you are expected to beat. I would have started Gil in place of Winks.

Compounding things was I think the idea was to get the FBs forward to create more chances. The problem was that Reguilon and Emerson were AWFUL on the ball. Emerson was very unimpressive in his debut, giving the ball away on offense and routinely getting roasted by Zaha.
 

scott bankheadcase

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Well that was a bad way to start my weekend.

Rotten luck with the Dier injury, and then Tanganga just losing his head. Not having Son available was a huge killer. From the start it was a pretty brutal team. Three holding midfielders, two of which were Skipp and Winks, just isn't going to cut it, especially when playing against a team you are expected to beat. I would have started Gil in place of Winks.

Compounding things was I think the idea was to get the FBs forward to create more chances. The problem was that Reguilon and Emerson were AWFUL on the ball. Emerson was very unimpressive in his debut, giving the ball away on offense and routinely getting roasted by Zaha.
yeah the 49ers better win tomorrow for both my and coremiller mental health.

I thought Nuno had a bad game. Even without dier, Sanchez and Romero — Spurs were ok defensively. But playing 3 holding midfielders gave palace confidence on the ball getting forward. The midfield was screaming out for someone to get forward, even Gil to the wing and dele in midfield would have helped.

Ndombele really should be the answer here, but even calling him an enigma is flattering at this point.
 

DJnVa

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A blah 2-2 draw at Rennes but Ndomebele got to play, so that's news.

Lucas and Steve going off with knocks isn't great though.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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A blah 2-2 draw at Rennes but Ndomebele got to play, so that's news.

Lucas and Steve going off with knocks isn't great though.
From a blindly results oriented standpoint, I’ll take the point from the toughest group game.

The injuries are getting ridiculous though, the Slog to Qatar is going to really punish teams without sufficient depth and we’re very much in that group.
 

Zososoxfan

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Watched the match on and off yesterday. My only thought is that if you're going to play Kane for a half (or less), why not make it the end of the match when he can go at tired legs?

How did Scarlett look?
 

scott bankheadcase

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Watched the match on and off yesterday. My only thought is that if you're going to play Kane for a half (or less), why not make it the end of the match when he can go at tired legs?

How did Scarlett look?
Like a 17 year old (and not a Rooney 17).

Parrot just scored again for M.K. dons though.
 

Zososoxfan

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Sooooo, are we gonna talk about that? I didn't get to watch with the focus the NLD typically deserves, but on the first goal my suspicion is that Tang didn't communicate well with Dav. As soon as the play shifts out to the wing and the defense expects a cross, Dav looks around and intelligently picks up the trailing man. Tang gets back into position to pick him up but Dav never shifts forward. It might've all happened so fast that any communication wouldn't have helped, or perhaps Dav should've stepped forward anyway and let the last man beat him (another good possibility) but to me it looks like Dav was in a bad spot, potentially chose wrong in a rush but never got the communication to fix their setup.

This is bad.
 

scott bankheadcase

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Sooooo, are we gonna talk about that? I didn't get to watch with the focus the NLD typically deserves, but on the first goal my suspicion is that Tang didn't communicate well with Dav. As soon as the play shifts out to the wing and the defense expects a cross, Dav looks around and intelligently picks up the trailing man. Tang gets back into position to pick him up but Dav never shifts forward. It might've all happened so fast that any communication wouldn't have helped, or perhaps Dav should've stepped forward anyway and let the last man beat him (another good possibility) but to me it looks like Dav was in a bad spot, potentially chose wrong in a rush but never got the communication to fix their setup.

This is bad.
It's at the point now where (despite my general hatred of the formation), they need to just let Nuno be Nuno and play his 3-5-2. They'll be defensive and I'll be bored but they'll resemble a PL team at least. He doesn't seem to have the right idea for the current formation. The 4-3-3 worked with City, but not since. And the City game was both crazy with emotion and had a bit of a surprise element with Son/Lucas/Stevie B running at them that it took a bit for Pep to adjust.

My biggest question at this point is, why did you hire Nuno (and on a 2-year we're going to sack you soon deal)? Whether it was ten Hag or Potter or even Fonseca, there were options to play the type of game Levy said he wanted and was in Tottenham's "DNA". Nuno has always been Nuno, even when he was back with Porto.

If he struggles over the next stretch, I wonder if he makes it to Christmas.
 

Zososoxfan

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It's at the point now where (despite my general hatred of the formation), they need to just let Nuno be Nuno and play his 3-5-2. They'll be defensive and I'll be bored but they'll resemble a PL team at least. He doesn't seem to have the right idea for the current formation. The 4-3-3 worked with City, but not since. And the City game was both crazy with emotion and had a bit of a surprise element with Son/Lucas/Stevie B running at them that it took a bit for Pep to adjust.

My biggest question at this point is, why did you hire Nuno (and on a 2-year we're going to sack you soon deal)? Whether it was ten Hag or Potter or even Fonseca, there were options to play the type of game Levy said he wanted and was in Tottenham's "DNA". Nuno has always been Nuno, even when he was back with Porto.

If he struggles over the next stretch, I wonder if he makes it to Christmas.
Doesn't the Paratici hire in the middle of the whole process explain it some? In other words, ten Haag, Potter, and Fonseca are attacking-minded managers, and Nuno is at least defensively-minded? Levy may have promised attacking football, but that's not what Paratici represents or is developing.
 

coremiller

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Sooooo, are we gonna talk about that? I didn't get to watch with the focus the NLD typically deserves, but on the first goal my suspicion is that Tang didn't communicate well with Dav. As soon as the play shifts out to the wing and the defense expects a cross, Dav looks around and intelligently picks up the trailing man. Tang gets back into position to pick him up but Dav never shifts forward. It might've all happened so fast that any communication wouldn't have helped, or perhaps Dav should've stepped forward anyway and let the last man beat him (another good possibility) but to me it looks like Dav was in a bad spot, potentially chose wrong in a rush but never got the communication to fix their setup.

This is bad.
I said this in the game thread, but the problem for all three goals was the same: way too much space between midfield and defense. Spurs were playing a very flat 4-3-3 and the gaps between the midfield 3 and the back 4 were enormous. The front 6 were pressing very high while the back 4 would drop off. But you can't press with only part of the team. The goal of pressing is to compress the area the opposition have to play in. To do this the whole team have to move up and down the pitch together as a unit. Spurs entirely failed to do this. Either Nuno gave tactical instructions that made no sense or the players were not properly executing those instructions.

Nuno adjusted at half-time by bringing on Skipp for Dele and playing 4-2-3-1. Skipp didn't play particularly well, but he filled an important tactical role as now Spurs had an additional man defending the space in front of the back 4 that Arsenal had been exploiting. But by then it was too late.
 

coremiller

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It's at the point now where (despite my general hatred of the formation), they need to just let Nuno be Nuno and play his 3-5-2. They'll be defensive and I'll be bored but they'll resemble a PL team at least. He doesn't seem to have the right idea for the current formation. The 4-3-3 worked with City, but not since. And the City game was both crazy with emotion and had a bit of a surprise element with Son/Lucas/Stevie B running at them that it took a bit for Pep to adjust.

My biggest question at this point is, why did you hire Nuno (and on a 2-year we're going to sack you soon deal)? Whether it was ten Hag or Potter or even Fonseca, there were options to play the type of game Levy said he wanted and was in Tottenham's "DNA". Nuno has always been Nuno, even when he was back with Porto.

If he struggles over the next stretch, I wonder if he makes it to Christmas.
They hired Nuno because everyone else they wanted either turned them down or wanted too much money (or required a transfer fee) and Nuno was cheap and available. I think he's basically stopgap until they can find someone better.
 

teddykgb

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Didn’t Fonseca say this week the deal was seemingly fine but Patriaci showed up and wanted to play a more defensive style? Seems like Levy said all the right things about attacking football but maybe there’s a conflict internally about how to win
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I think Nuno has done a poor job but also has been thrust into a nearly impossible situation. Spurs just don't have the roster to play expansive, technical attacking football where they dominate the ball. This has been their primary weakness for several years - if pressed either high or in a mid-block, they can't keep the ball let alone play around the press on the ground to create advantageous situations. They have done best either playing a pure counter-attacking system holding on defensively then ripping teams apart on the break with Kane and Son - who are still both genuinely elite players - or against weaker teams that just fall back and let them advance the ball into the final third with little resistance (although fewer and fewer PL sides are willing to do that now).

The irony is that Nuno is the type of coach who actually fits that counter-attacking system. His natural inclination was probably to go into this kind of match playing three at the back with Hojbjerg and Skipp in front of them and just have a rock solid wall there that is hard to break down and look for a few opportunities to score. But he seems to have been given this contradictory duel mandate of winning while also playing more proactive, attacking football with a team not suited to do that. And so you've got a roster not suited to play more openly, a manager not really suited for that style anyway, yet pressure from the boardoom to do it, which is just a bad combination.

IMO, there are some good pieces in place to build around but a real rebuild is probably necessary and the longer Levy desperately tries not to face that reality, the more painful it will eventually become.
 
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eddiew112

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It seems like just yesterday I was watching Jermain Defoe break our European scoring record on a cold and rainy Thursday night at WHL against FC Sheriff. Football's a funny sport huh.
 

Zososoxfan

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So we won this match and Arry bagged a hatter. Presumably the subs were made to bring key players on to keep them sharp and work on chemistry? Skipp maybe subbed to prevent a second yellow? Any other thoughts?
 

Jimy Hendrix

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So we won this match and Arry bagged a hatter. Presumably the subs were made to bring key players on to keep them sharp and work on chemistry? Skipp maybe subbed to prevent a second yellow? Any other thoughts?
Nuno might have made those subs anyways for that reason, but I think he also made them because the game was on a knife edge at that point before said subs turned it back into a laugher. Other thoughts:

  • Dele makes me sad now. From worried we were gonna lose him to Madrid four or five years ago to hoping we can sell him to Everton or something
  • Gil has a real spark of something. He could be a monster if he puts it all together
  • Not sure if I'm sold on Gollini yet, glad he's a loan with a buy option and we shall see.
 

Gunfighter 09

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They looked better today and should have scored a couple more. I just don't think the ceiling of this team is very high. At this point my goals for the team this season are as follows:

-Win the Conference league
-Finish in the European places
-Finish as the second highest London team in the table.

That just seems like such a step back from a couple years ago.
 

scott bankheadcase

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They looked better today and should have scored a couple more. I just don't think the ceiling of this team is very high. At this point my goals for the team this season are as follows:

-Win the Conference league
-Finish in the European places
-Finish as the second highest London team in the table.

That just seems like such a step back from a couple years ago.
Win the conference league and you don’t even need to finish in the Europe places!
 

coremiller

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This was probably their best performance since the first game of the season. The good news was that Nuno learned from last week's first half disaster and didn't try the same tactics.

The team has been so all over the map in the first part of the season in terms of lineups, tactics, players available for training, COVID quarantines, etc. that I'm not sure I'd read too much into anything yet. It's all still very much a work in progress. At least they have been fortunate enough to bank some points from the opening stretch that they haven't dug themselves a hole while Nuno sorts out what the best version of this team will look like.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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Jun 15, 2002
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Did anyone catch yesterday's shitshow?
It was frustrating to watch.

Sanchez was the only potential first team guy that looked good.

Scarlett is simply not a lone striker in senior football and has continued looking woeful in that role. Jose was not right about a lot of things at Spurs but I think he was completely correct about his first steps coming as a Rashford-y wide forward.

It is insane to me that Nuno has used 1/8 available subs in the last two games. The full rotation also really emphasized the lack of an offensive plan to plug those guys into, two non-offense oriented managers in, our offense is definitely just the relationships players have built playing with each other, making our rotated offense nothing at all.

The ref was inconsistent and Vitesse worked him like a speedbag. It’s absurd that there’s no VAR in this competition. Find a clip of Scarlett’s yellow card if you can, it’s maybe the worst dive I have ever seen.
 

scott bankheadcase

I'm adequate!!
SoSH Member
Nov 1, 2006
3,057
hoboken
It was frustrating to watch.

Sanchez was the only potential first team guy that looked good.

Scarlett is simply not a lone striker in senior football and has continued looking woeful in that role. Jose was not right about a lot of things at Spurs but I think he was completely correct about his first steps coming as a Rashford-y wide forward.

It is insane to me that Nuno has used 1/8 available subs in the last two games. The full rotation also really emphasized the lack of an offensive plan to plug those guys into, two non-offense oriented managers in, our offense is definitely just the relationships players have built playing with each other, making our rotated offense nothing at all.

The ref was inconsistent and Vitesse worked him like a speedbag. It’s absurd that there’s no VAR in this competition. Find a clip of Scarlett’s yellow card if you can, it’s maybe the worst dive I have ever seen.
agreed with basically all of this (I thought Gil looked ok), one note I’d add, and this isn’t meant to excuse the rest of the team, but with Vorm or Gazziniga in goal that’s a 0-0 away draw.

gollini is very not good. This isn’t the first time either. Spurs should extend Hugo and look elsewhere.