There’s no other way of saying it, Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the 2020/21 campaign has been mixed but on Sunday, we put in a performance and raised a result that did inspire confidence as we go into another quick fixture against Leyton Orient in the EFL Cup Third Round.
A hugely disappointing defeat to Everton on the opening day, a woeful attacking display against Lokomotiv Plovdiv where the ‘proverbial’ got out of jail became ‘literal’ and then all change for Southampton as our second half performance rightly put them 5-2 to the sword.
We can expect plenty of first team changes from manager Jose Mourinho as we go into our trip to Brisbane Road, and although some youngsters may come in, I would still expect a pretty strong squad in reality as we have to build on Southampton now and get some momentum and consistency.
Orient...
Win
Draw
Lose
Of course, it’s another of those banana skin Cup ties, so you don’t expect it to be a comfortable 90 minutes, but it’s an opportunity to show we can make life easy for ourselves, even if not at our flowing best.
Hopefully with another win under our belts, we can go into Thursday clash with Shkendija and summarily dispatch them.
No worries HT – glad you can see where I was coming from there in the spur of the moment – no harm intended whatsoever at all – as regards your job keep up the good/top work mate – we need more HT’s in the this World end of – few and far between unfortunately – GOD BLESS my friend ……….!
Indeed TQ – for example I’m currently down a lot of money (and naturally stressing without showing it so far and coming on here and my love of Spurs, etc is helping to occupy my mind a lot naturally ATM and thankfully so a bloody good thing for sure – especially this last week with all the good news – Bala, Reguila, 2 wins, etc) on the back of all this having made a big move at the end of August in the hope that this bloody CV/Covid19 even Brexit, etc could start getting resolved ASAP – hope Trump is right about this vaccine being very soon available (but most importantly that it is safe and sound to use foremost) for everyone’s sake and in every possible consideration (health, wealth, etc)!
I know health is a lot more important than money, but without money health deteriorates vastly for the majority indeed if not all – so you have to respect it whatever you think/say about it, etc – on top if nobody backs the economy (as I have done here – obviously to make a profit but then that’s just a part of normal life, etc) it all goes to pot anyway and that’s no good for anyone in any bloody way so hopefully soon enough top people like HT and PY, etc (in their respective fields/lives, etc) can start resolving this for the bloody good of all finally ………!
You shouldn’t get me started EJ……society does have it’s values very wrong in many respects, not least the obscene rewards we give to footballers as opposed to the pittance we pay care workers for example whose contribution to society is most under appreciated. Sorry guys!
TQ2S, as an ex-military man don’t get me started, our society is knackered, and very well said, no bloody need for sorry’s. COYS
It’s hard to see how a group of players training hard together can protect themselves from the virus if one gets it. With cases rising, irrespective of your views on the threat posed, we’re likely to see many matches postponed or forfeited. I don’t expect this season to be in any way normal.
Mixed emotions re the match cancellation.
Obviously my heart goes out to the guys at LO not only for the health concerns.
But also for their chance to pit themselves against Spurs.
For us it was a chance to give some fringe players a run out and perhaps boost morale.
To previous post.
HT /TQ 100 % re Dele. I’d rather he stayed and Gedson, or Lamella left.
Maybe JM is just giving Dele a, wee rocket. I think he has a bit of attitude at times.
He used to have it on the pitch, which I saw as a positive, but he has lost it there and seems to have the attitude now off the pitch. Which I feel has regressed his game a bit. (Hope I’ve got this across right)
EJ
Re King you are 100%. I was in favour of signing him. But that was, assuming we had an extremely restricted budget and the Home player rule.
But now our net is bigger and wider so to speak, I think, with patience, we could do better.
Big shout to HT/PY and all carers. RESPECT.
Danny good post sorry for going off piste a bit again.
Citeh starting their season in our colours ! LOL.
ND – yes I did allude to that also – that maybe upon signing Bala and Reguila, etc – we’ve raised the bar significantly as regards further and future signings – although JK still has to be an option for all I’ve written about him and the closer we get to the end of the window the more I think his stock rises and the more likely it might even become that we do indeed sign him – let’s wait and see ……….!
As for Dele – he has to stay end of. Indeed JM has stated he needs 2 players for every position – I would argue ATM that our 2 AMC’s are Dele and Lo Celso. N’Dom is a CM with all be it good attacking qualities but I don’t see him as an AMC as such and between him, Hoj, Winks and Sissoko that’s the 4 to cover the CM area primarily (of course there’s still Fernandes lurking [lol] if needed but can’t really see him playing that much or indeed staying for next season via a permanent deal especially given his reported fee, not to mention White, although in White’s case given his age he still counts as a freebie thankfully)!
Lamela I would still keep, yes we now have Bala, Sonny, Bergs and Moura as our 4 main wingers but Lamela can still cover either side and at ACM if desperate and he always gives his all 110% and is content with being a squad player and coming off/from the bench mainly.
I see Gazzaniga, Fernandes and Lamela as our 3 extra on top of the much needed regular 22 (as per JM’s 2 for every position line) – giving a max 25 man squad barring the freebies of course like: Cirkin, White and possibly Sess (although fully expect him to go out on loan just like Clarke who again would also be a freebie if he was to stay but he won’t so case closed) and maybe even Fagan-Walcott, etc!
The likes of the following need to go out on loan for me for sure : Foyth (best case scenario if not sold) Sess, Clarke, Whiteman, Austin, De Bie, Oluwayemi, Bowden when he’s back fit so in January, maybe even Okedina and Fagan-Walcott also and for me given what JM has said (about his squad being too big) would not be surprised with Cirkin and White also heading out on loan in January – it just makes sense for them and for us in everyway really especially as regards the future!
Sell : CCV, Rose and Aurier primarily and obviously – although not liking the sound of all 3 potentially being linked with loan deals first – hopefully not because we need all the funds we can get from selling them and then CCV and Rose especially only have 1 bloody year on their respective contract’s and even Aurier only 2 – so now is definitely the time to get rid off them end of.
Foyth I would prefer to keep and send out on loand and see properly what we have with him with a season’s regular play to back him up but I guess £15m might be too tempting and even necessary and then Gazzaniga – I would love to have 3 good even top (especially in Lloris’ case still anyway) experienced GK’s for this season given it’s going to be a long and especially compact one – then next Summer depending on how the 4 other young GK’s I mentioned above for loan get on, we could then look to maybe sell Gazza and bring at least 1 of them into our 1st team squad and then again the season if after with Hart maybe going when his contract expires (depending on how everything works out and goes of course). Again here though with Gazza maybe a decent offer comes in that might be too tempting and again simply necessary meaning he goes and we look to keep 1 of the 4 afore-mentioned younger GK’s – hope not though but let’s indeed wait and see……….!
So for me:
GK – Lloris, Hart, Gazza
RB – Doherty, Tanganga
LB – Reguilon, Davies
CB – Toby, Davy, Dier, ?
CM – Hoj, Winks, N’Dombele, Sissoko, Fernandes
AM – Dele, Lo Celso
RW – Bale, Moura, Lamela
LW – Sonny, Bergs
STR – HK10, ?
With a new CB and STR (hopefully we get them both in after all) that’s a full 25 man squad.
Expecting the likes of Cirkin, White and even Fagan-Walcott to be lurking (lol) around the 1st team squad until at least January minimum.
Even if the new STR and CB are foreign – we’ll have 17 FRGN’s as regards the Prem and 18 as regards the EL (with Davies counting as FRGN here unfortunately) but for the EL squad we could simply drop Fernandes from it – not likely to get much game-time for us at all in any competition this season I reckon but let’s wait and see – personally can’t wait to start finding out ……….!
Morning EJ
Aside from the first team transfers in/out I have been quite excited by the apparent push to improve our academy squads. We know about Alfie Devine coming from Wigan and it has just been announced that we have bought a 17 year old Estonian centre back. I read a report yesterday that we are trying to sign a sought after 19 year old right full back, I think his name is Tavares and is currently at Benfica. Do you know anything about him EJ?
I wasn’t offloading any crap. I just wanted to inform people of how this disease affects so many people that have no way of understanding and dealing with it… Because many people seem oblivious to this.
I am fine and happy with my lot. My work helps me a lot with my perspective on life… In fact, I have it easy and I have no complaints ….. 😉
I know you weren’t HT, my comment wasn’t aimed specifically at you but did include myself!
I listened to a bookie quoting odds on winning the PL this season, he quoted Spurs at 50-1 which I thought was pretty generous considering the impact the new signings could make. Got to be worth gambling a tenner of anyone’s money. 🙂
I think we are a long way from winning the PL title TQ…… unless we get to play the Saints every week…
Yeah, but it’s worth betting a tenner just in case isn’t it? 🙂
Not when I’m skint! 🙁
Now I am complaining… Haha!
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/09/22/report-spurs-have-made-two-bids-for-carlos-vinicius/
Hmm the one who was pretty much top of my list recently (along with maybe Weghorst, Willian Jose, Edouard, Giroud [if could be enticed from Chelski], etc) but reckon they’ll want 50m Euros minimum especially after having already rejected apparently 60m in January and from a Prem club no less……!
Reading A Bola this morning – they’re in quite a lot of trouble financially with the CL drop-out – probably going to cost them up to 49m Euros and their revenue total last season including CL money was around 140m Euros, so a massive dent and on top they’ve gone out and spent around 80m Euros this summer and so far only brought in around 2m and last season they did get up to 126m Euros for their record sale of Joao Felix meaning they made a 41m Euro profit for that season but now completely different as no CL money this season and then no Joao Felix record sale, etc and with having to comply with the FFP Rules, etc and also given their massive squad and a lot of them on good even top money especially for Portugal, etc as well as their budget problems as outlined above something has to give surely………!
They’ve signed Darwin Nunez for a record of their own as well as in Portugal generally of 24m Euros and JJ was saying he wanted another different type of STR on top LOL although now they might promote Goncalo Ramos who is a prodigy from the academy apparently so 1 of if not even both of Vinicius/Seferovic will surely have to go to balance the books and we’ve been linked to both already several times as seen above for example, etc.
Would love Vinicius indeed as it says in the article – he’s a target man for sure – big, strong, physical, good in the air but also very mobile as I’ve alluded to before on here (having watched him play, etc) and knows exactly where the back of the net is as proved by his number’s from last season and delving deeper a good assists record as well on top meaning he can develop play for our plethora of attacking midfielders – a big added bonus most certainly ………!
No surprise they want at least 50m Euros, etc!
Seferovic – to be fair to him – had a great record in 2018/19 when he was the main man – on a loan deal might be of interest if we’re desperate – see if he can rediscover that 2018/19 form but like I say he was the main man then and doubt he’d perform similar again especially being HK10’s understudy and in the much tougher Prem on top – we did apparently have a permanent deal for around 15m Euros turned down in January already – but we we’re very desperate at that time – thus now got to be better options surely!
Let’s wait and see and hopefully very soon start finding out indeed……..!
Morning TQ – not seen much of him to be honest – given I’m naturally a Portista and not a Benficista LOL also he’s only played around 15-20 games max for them so far and all last season but if he was that good they’d keep him to challenge their 1st choice in Almeida especially given he’s 30 already but they’ve gone (bit similar to us with KWP really who also was an academy development) and brought in Gilberto from Brazil so he could well just be another Gedson – half-decent but nothing much to write home about – indeed for me we should go with Tanganga at RB to compete/cover Doherty – great way for him to get game time given the heavy compact schedule and also to learn his trade as a general defender properly on top – much more risky at CB than at RB and hopefully with a new CB (possibly KMj given his low price for one so probably worth a punt and decent rep also all be it only in Asia for now) we’ll then have the 4 minimum necessary required CB’s (even as per JM’s 2 to every position line on top LOL) with Toby, Davy and Dier and of course Tanganga and even Davies can always help cover……..!
https://www.footballfancast.com/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumours/spurs-latest-news-interest-ruben-dias-rumours-benfica-jose-mourinho-fan-daniel-levy-finances-update-gossip
Love this 1 to happen also – in fantasy land of course LOL – they ain’t selling him for less than 70-80m Euros for sure – so probably out of our budget normally let alone now LOL! Maybe 1 day soon when the stadium is back up and running and helping produce big new revenue’s we can dream of such expensive transfers but certainly not yet especially with the current crisis going on that’s for sure…….!
KMj – much, much more likely for sure (around 15m Euros) and I’d take him no real problem TBH and then the 2nd STR also – let’s wait and see though……..!
Thanks for that EJ, from what I’ve read he would fit Jose’s supposed liking for tall full backs at 6ft 2″. You mentioned in your earlier post that Benfica may be cash strapped as a result of dropping out of the CL so may be tempted to sell even if he is highly rated by themselves.
Only seven and a half hours from kick-off and still no announcement about whether it’s going ahead or not when it’s pretty clear that can’t.
*that it can’t
No worries HT – much obliged – unless they can make up several smaller sales via the likes of: Florentino, Tavares, even Gedson (and all academy guys so far), etc – then they’ll surely have to sell 1 or 2 of their stars even if loathsome to do so – like Vinicius or Dias – these 2 being the main guys from last season – Pizzi is another but at 31 in October already it’s more limited what they could get for him so they’re pretty much better off keeping him quite frankly, Rafa is also a good player as is Gabriel and Cervi and then there’s Seferovic, etc but never going to bring in more than 15-20m Euros tops IMHO and I think they might need quite a bit more having missed out on CL (so nearly 50m Euros for this season) and gone and outlayed around 80m Euros in signings, heavy wages on top of big wages already anyway given a massive squad and lots of decent/good players, etc – so something will have to give end of again IMHO……….!
That said even if have to sell they’ll never let the likes of Vinicius go for less than 50m Euros or Dias go for less than 70m Euros also again IMHO………………..!
As regards Orient game – it’s surely off and that’s a big bonus for us end of (rest players, no injuries possible, no banana skin potentially, etc, etc, etc – shame for them of course but lucky for us so I’ll defo take it for sure 100%)!
Sorry there TQ, meant it for you so TQ naturally – but unfortunately a force of habit given my regular chats with HT on here LOL!