December means only one thing for Tottenham Hotspur fans – yet another month of fixture congestion and burnout concerns for manager Jose Mourinho and the associated injury issues – okay, maybe that’s more than just one thing, but Thursday is our penultimate Europa League Group J clash and we face LASK once again.
With a pretty comfortable 3-0 victory in the effective first leg against LASK, Mourinho will shake the squad up again for this one after our battling draw against Chelsea, but we should have more than enough in the tank to take another win and secure our progression through to the next round – the Antwerp clash should simply decide who tops the table and takes J’s top spot.
As most will know, Toby Alderweireld is already ruled out for this clash with his injury and according to PhysioRoom also have Erik Lamela as remaining out of contention for this one.
We’ll wait for the official update, but few will see anything other than another victory here.
LASK...
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Thanks for the new thread Danny
The matches sure are coming thick and fast.
There are very few Christmas gifts for us over this period. With Liverpool (twice), Arsenal, ManC among the opponents between now and mid January, with no winter break.
This will be a demanding, challenging, and definitive few weeks for us over the Christmas period.
I think it is important that we do similar to the Ludo game, and put out some of our fresher players.
I think the team we put out against Ludo should more than suffice to achieve a win against Lask.
Ref Lamella, much as I like him unfortunately I think it’s time he moved on, he must have his own physio table at Tottenham now considering the time he has spent injured over the years.
It must have a small brass plaque with his name on it. Dk
Thanks for the thread, Danny.
A nice win with no injuries would make life easier.
ND …. Lamela’s physio table has been handed down to him from Darren Anderton. It’s not a very good table!
A nice win on Thursday would guarantee our qualification for the knockout stages.
Regarding Lamela, my opinion on him has actually changed for the better recently.
When he arrived for a big fee, I had high expectations, which he failed to live up to. Since then, the injuries have essentially relegated him to being a squad player, a role he seems happy with.
As a squad player, I think we could do far worse. When he’s available, even when he isn’t scoring he’s a hard worker, which is what you want from players coming off the bench.
If the expectations are that he’ll challenge to start, he is always going to be a disappointment. But as a role player, I’m quite happy to have him.
BS … Despite my previous flippant remark I agree with you completely about Lamela’s usefulness as a squad member. He does bring honest energy and desire to the pitch.
Morning all, thanks for another! thread Danny, keeping you busy ans your mind working.
Tomorrow v Lask away, yes use the rotated team/side, fresh legs and impetus, to give us a nice win and into the latter stages, which also adds more confidence for the rested group who will also be fresh for the NLD.
Regards Lamela, I am in agreement with BS and his break down of the fella, he is most certainly a good squad player. COYS
(a) If any of the first 11 play tomorrow it would be a mistake. There is a reason to have depth, and with this crowded schedule, now is the time to use it.
(b) Lamela is more than a good squad player. He plays an intense style that goes beyond just coming in and playing. In his youth he looked like someone who might be a star, and injuries have robbed him and us of that. But he dedicated himself to playing hard. I’m hate to see someone like him leave. He plays with heart and he still has a lot of skill. Not the star he and we thought he might be, but he’s never stopped putting his heart into his play and this should be recognized.
While I agree with all comments ref Lamela he has a dark side which on occasions make me feel rather embarrassed
Yes he puts energy and enthusiam into his work but some of his tackles can be very bad and getting a player sent off at Old Trafford was inexcusable .
Allan …. Absolutely, that is certainly the most worrying side of his game.
Hi folks
Trust you are all keeping well.
Re Lamella, I am much of the same opinion as many of you.
I think he is a very good player.
But my concern is not how well he plays, his skill or his commitment when on the field.
My sole worry is his time spent injured, for me there is little sense in having even a squad player who is unavailable for the likes of tomorrow night.
Sadly I would let him go whilst we could get something for him.
He is a good player, it’s just the injuries.
TK…..it’s all very well Lamela putting his heart into his play but we need him to be able to put the rest of his body in as well! :- )
Seriously though, I too was excited when he joined us and it has been a big disappointment for me that he has been unable to reach the heights I was hoping for due to the endless injuries he has sustained over his time with us.
That said, even as a good squad player he is still only useful to us if he is available to play when needed, now is a time when this is so much more relevant than in a ‘normal season’. I’m afraid there is no room for sentiment if we are serious about winning titles and cups and believe we should sell him while he still has some value.
Yes Lamela is a useful squad player. who has skill to attack and mf steel. He is typical latino in that he has a volatile edge to his game, which has good and not so good benefits. I have seen him since the first game he played at old whl, always 100% effort, and agree he has been unlucky with injuries, sicknote mk 2. 🙁 and we haven’t seen his potential fulfilled. I would keep him unless a reasonable off comes in.
Is Jose playing mind games over Kane’s fitness? He reported that Bergwijn was injured and was only 50/50 for the Chelsea game which he subsequently started and played most of the game. It’s a bit disappointing that Vinicius is also unfit to face LASK as I have seen reported, it’s going to leave us a bit short of experienced attackers if we want to save our best for the weekend.
Wow, I’ve seen everything now, Fred headbutts Paredes, everyone is waiting for him to get the obligatory red card, the ref goes to the VAR screen and takes no more than a cursory glance and then shows Fred the yellow card. Unbelievable!
The gooners must be regretting letting Giroud go. 🙂
I told you TQ there is no slant towards Man U.
haha…..I thought that might spike your interest Niall. 🙂
It was ridiculous though, it’s no surprise that there are suggestions akin to the referee leaving the ground with a bulging back pocket when you see decisions like that being made.
How ironic if Jose does not take both Harry and Vinnie to play LASK ( injured ?? ) for this game .
After all we have been wishing the club to invest in a reliable backup for Kane in several TWs !!!
If neither play then he presumably will revert to the side during the period when Kane was injured .
I can’t remember the formationbut it will be interesting to see the side he puts out .
Hi gents, long time no speak – how is everyone keeping – well I hope for sure first of all – GOD WILLING!
Almighty vaccines on the way – we’re not there just yet but it’s certainly starting to look better – THANK GOD!
Missed a few important threads recently – City, Chelskia, etc, etc, etc but could not NOT check in before the big one el Domingo LOL – THE ALMIGHTY SCUM OF THE WORLD LOL!
Got to go for and back a win surely – we’re in solid form, numero uno in the Prem, at home, etc, etc, etc – bring them on FFS LOL!
Funnily I’m more interested right at this moment and fascinated that Lamela is being discussed here because I’ve recently been thinking that we maybe need to cash in on him unfortunately to help complete the squad finally perhaps in January already.
My view is given how el MERO MERO JM is using N’Dom regularly in the all important Prem as our sort of ACM/no.10 that we are short in the double pivot with only HOJ (what a signing he has been so far – then again ND and myself backed him all the way from 1st link pretty much so great to see personally) and also Sissoko and Winks to play in that critical double position/role.
I mean we have easily now 3 ACM’s/no.10’s with N’Dom, Gio and Dele, then we have 5 wingers and 2 STR’s yet for the double pivot we only truly have 3 options – that’s surely not good enough for what we could possibly achieve this season as TQ alluded to above. Fernandes for me is certainly not the answer and JM appears to agree now also and he’ll soon head back to Benfica as I predicted already in the summer unfortunately and White is way too young and in-experienced surely for the kind of regularity that will most probably be needed.
This is where the sale of Lamela becomes vital for me, not just because it will bring in some much needed funding in our current financial predicament but because it will ultimately free an important spot in the squad and also crucially a foreigner spot at that. And just to glide over the fact that he’s always injured, is 1 of our highest earners apparently and has only 1.5 years of contract left!
5 wingers for 2 spots, 3 ACM’s for 1 spot, etc and yet only 3 DCM’s for the double pivot role – something needs to change here as regards our crop of midfielders and quickly for me! I might add that N’Dom has become somewhat of a revelation this season by (as I also suggested in the summer) being un-shackled from regular defensive duties and being much freer to express his natural, attacking flair, etc – credit to JM as usual here also for harnessing this pretty much fully so far this season!
I can’t stop wondering just how good Ruben Neves could be in there for us being the central link/foil between Hoj and N’Dom. He’s got it all – tackling, tenacity, engine, passing short+long, shooting – still young, 6fter, quick enough, great Prem experience already, full international, bla, bla, bla – for me the missing link to complete the squad quite possibly for the next 18 months minimum assuming the likes of Aurier keep up the good work recently shown and that Toby and Sissoko for example can also maintain their current standard when being the wrong side of 30!
I know we still have to pay for Vinny in the summer if all goes well for him in the meantime (hope so, 2 goals and 3 assists is a decent return in something like 3 starts and 5 overall appearances so far I believe) but for me the money we could get between Lamela (E20m), Foyth (E15m) and lastly Gazzaniga (maybe E10m) a triple Argentine combo unfortunately – Gio will be left lonely LOL – would cover that!
So I would hope that we could find the funds against future earnings for example for 1 top signing namely Neves or someone similar to help complete that central midfield area. Jota surprisingly went for £41m(+£4M) in the summer to the Skip Rats LOL – so I’d hope a similar kind of offer or perhaps nudging £50m if necessary would be sufficient to prise him away – get JM and JM (Jorge Mendes) working their magic to make it happen (not to mention Levy of course)! For the me the missing and final piece of the squad jigsaw for now.
As regards Gazza – never plays so makes sense to get some money for him and let him go and play regularly somewhere whilst at the same time giving Whiteman/Austin more responsibility and even chance in the 1st team squad and again this will remove a foreigner spot from our bloated list (at least in European competition terms)!
Really hoping that JM sees a DCM/CM as the priority signing this January already and can get someone good in – ideally and hopefully Neves for me but I’m not going to hold my breathe – but as I say that’s currently the only real weakness I can see in the squad – hopefully it gets resolved ASAP!
Any thoughts on this guys?!
Good to be back – will check for responses later/soon and go from there – 1st post in a good while so will leave it here for now LOL!
P.S. Goes without saying great to be no.1 in Prem, hopefully tonight qualified as regards EL for the KO phase early 2021 and still in the QF of Carabao (easish tie dare I say there), etc – most defo exciting times are back – long may they continue MY FELLOW YIDDOS …………..!
Allan…..that’s why I question whether Jose is playing mind games prior to the NLD. Physioroom has Vinicius and Reguilon as ‘undisclosed’ injury the same as Kane with all 3 having a Sunday return date.
It’s fair to say that Reguilon and Kane wouldn’t play tonight so no problem there but Vinicius is a strange one.
I think the formation you are thinking of is Sonny playing a false 9, a number of pundits have suggested we could do this again but personally I would rather we didn’t have to play him tonight. Actually, I think Bale might be more suited to the role but we have seen Jose try Dele in this position before.
P.P.S. Defo a shame about Vinny tonight, maybe go with Bale and Moura and Berg – keep Sonny fresh for Sunday?! Winks, Lo Celso and Dele – keeping Hoj, Siss and N’Dom fresh for Sunday also! At the back – given Aurier’s performances and overall defensive help against Utd, City and Chelski – he deserves the spot v Arse (indeed can anyone believe I just wrote that LOL)?! So Doh, Davy, Jaffa and Davies with Hart in goal – that’s my 11 shout – hope it’s correct and we get the win – clearly even forgetting the only necessary draw apparently – will be watching as always and may well come back to comment later/2row and then over weekend for the big 1 – keep well gents and all my sincerest best as always – KEEP THE FAITH MIGHTY YIDS LOL!