Vital Spurs Debate Section

Match Thread – Spurs Take A Second Bite At The Pacos de Ferreira Cherry

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Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the 2021/22 campaign has hardly been blistering, but you can certainly describe it as steady with two Premier League wins from two against Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Nuno Espirito Santo appears to be settling in well at White Hart Lane and we are undoubtedly more defensive in approach, but whether or not that changes when Harry Kane is back up to speed, is open for a bit of debate.

There’s still plenty to sort out off the pitch though and that’s not just limited to the ongoing Kane saga as few would think we are finished in the transfer market, particularly if we look at squad depth with an expectation that Nuno will continue to rotate wildly, ala the almost embarrassing no show against Pacos de Ferreira in the Europa Conference League.

And that is a pressing concern as we welcome them to home soil this Thursday and we already have a 1-0 deficit to overturn. Play as we did in the first leg, well, let’s just hope we don’t.

Pacos de Ferreira...

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  • BelgianSpur says:

    Play the kids/reserves again and what happens, happens.

  • Geofspurs says:

    5-0!

  • Geof says:

    BS …. Following on from your comment re Traore, I believe he would be a welcome asset if his job was not to score goals, but simply to provide assists as a midfielder. His dribbling ability from midfield would enable him to set up any forward player to either side of him.

    • wentwoth says:

      Kane is back, scoring and dominating midfield.
      Doherty still really grim. Lo Celso still falling over, Winks still tippy tapping. Otherwise we look the better side and should win this.

  • jod says:

    Pressing concern ? no it really isn’t. Either the reserves show what they can do or they don’t. In which case we are out of a meaningless competition and they have done their prospects no good at all. The game against Watford is a pressing concern, they will be physical and I’m not sure how well our defence will handle it.

  • Niall D says:

    Morning folks
    I’m much the same opinion as you here Jod, whilst I’d like us to win, I don’t feel that we should currently keep our first 11 for the Premiership.
    I think this is a good way of giving our squad players game time.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Sorry guys but don’t agree. There was a time when the Cup Winners Cup/Fairs Cup was seen as an inferior competition but the records show we were winners and have a trophy to prove it, nobody sneers at it now.

    Playing 11 players who have never played competitive matches together results in what we witnessed last Thursday so Nuno needs to learn to manage the squad better to provide some continuity from one game to the next while avoiding overplaying any one player.

    Regardless of the rewards at the end of the competition we should be taking them all seriously, look at the despondency amongst the supporters at the loss last week to what is in theory a much weaker team, that despondency must reflect itself in the squad as well and detract from the positivity that winning brings. We start the season with 4 possible ways of winning silverware and we should make the most of all of these.

    Having home advantage with the fans is going to be a big factor and I think we can win comfortably, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kane play at least one half if he is still with us as he needs to build up his match fitness, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see 2 or 3 other PL starters given some playing time in the game.

    • wentworth says:

      Last week’s effort was a disgrace with no shots on target. Doherty, Davies, Lo Celso and Winks were probably the worst players on the pitch. They should have stepped up and run the show. Shows how weak are back up players are. Time to offload and get some fresh blood in.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Reports of an interest in Traore won’t go away sadly, I really hope they are wide of the mark, we should be concentrating our funds and efforts towards a decent attacking midfielder, not yet another winger.

  • 123spurs says:

    If we get another winger, could mean kane is going and son will play up top. We need to take this cup seriously simple as.

    Other news.
    Lamela scored again
    Italian league 6 red cards.
    Bale looks happy.

    COYS

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    But, TQ… Those 11 players from last week that hadn’t all played together, have all played together now. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Nuno has talked a lot since the start of the season, about needing to get all of his players playing, and fit and ready to compete in all competitions. And so I half-expect a very similar line-up for this, as last week. But with a couple of changes to the staring eleven and a stronger looking bench. Like yourself TQ, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harry on the bench.

    One problem I see for Nuno is if Rodon is still not fit to play. CCV is injured and so who will play with Romero for example. Will Nuno start the match as he finished it last Thursday, with 4 at the back and not 3? Maybe we will see Romero and Davies as the 2 CB’s?

    Anyway, I can’t see Pacos doing anything other than doing their utmost to defend their slender lead. I can’t imagine them going all out for a second win. So they will probably make it quite tough for us to break them down… We’ll see.

    What I do imagine, is that as they were so intent on playing their spoiling tactics at home, they surely will do so away from home. (?) So, I do expect it to be a tough and bruising game for whoever Nuno plays… And if he does choose a similar line-up to before, then I feel it will prove to be a good experience for them. Especially the younger ones, and the new ones…

    Spurs 3-1 Pacos DF!

  • BelgianSpur says:

    TQ2Spurs – To be fair, Ryan Sessegnon was asked in his post match interview if playing in such a disjointed team was a reason for the result. To Ryan’s credit, his answer was “We play together in training all the time. That shouldn’t be an excuse”.

    Given the quality of the players in that team last week, we should still expect to see better than what we saw last Thursday.

    We can all find reasons to take this cup seriously, or reasons not to. You mention the positive effect of winning on the squad, fair enough.

    On the flip side, I see it several reasons to rotate, not least the potential injury risk. Any game has the potential risk of injury, but not all games have the same reward making that risk worthwhile. In this case, the potential reward is minimal, making it a risk not worth taking, for me.

    Now, don’t get me wrong. I would like nothing more than to see the squad players prove a point and use the platform they are given in inferior competitions to press their case for more minutes in the starting 11. That’s what these games are all about. But the rotation has to remain, for me.

  • Geofspurs says:

    TQ …. Traore could possibly be a good addition to the squad if he was used purely as a midfielder with the prime role of creating assists. His ability to dribble into good positions would allow him to set up goals for players on either side of him. He could be quite brilliant if he could adapt to, and accept, that role. ?

    • TQ2Spurs says:

      I agree Geof, I’ve always maintained that he could be a great addition to the squad IF he could be coached into making better decisions around the opposition box. His stats on goals and assists is very poor for a player with so much talent. Can he become the assist king? I’m not so sure.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    BS….playing together in training is surely a completely different kettle of fish to doing it in a competitive game?

    While I agree that out ‘second eleven’ should have been good enough to win last week it does also demonstrate what we have seen with other clubs, making too many changes in one go is very disruptive and nearly always leads to poor performances. Sensible rotation seems the best way for me so that there is at least some continuity from one game to the next.

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    I really doubt that Traore is genuinely on the THFC wanted list.

    One thing that is quite possible to me is, that our manager may have liked him at Wolves but won’t see him as good enough to be a Spurs player. (I hope so)…

    What is pertinent to me is that some have been suggesting that Traore may well be coached well to improve his end-game at Spurs. But Nuno didn’t really manage to achieve this with him at Wolves over 3 seasons, did he?

    My personal opinion of him is that he is a closet weightlifter that can run very fast. But with all that bulk of muscle he has, It won’t be too long before he slows down or gets himself seriously injured. And speed ain’t everything in football, anyway… And to me that’s mostly what he has. Speed, but nothing else worth writing home about…

    • Stan Rosenthal says:

      Speed but nothing else worth writing home about HT.? Traore ran us ragged for almost the whole game on Sunday. It was not just about speed, his ball control in tight situations was exceptional and he waltzed round defenders by pure dribbling ability. And itโ€™s his speed off the mark thatโ€™s the killing factor (as it is with most great players). To my mind he would be a terrific acquisition. Never mind his lack of goals, he opens up and panics defences in a way few players can. Certainly he would be an upgrade on Bergwijn.

  • wentworth says:

    So far the transfer window has been a huge disappointment. We have far too many average bench warmers in Doherty, Aurier, Lo Celso, Winks, Davies, Sissoko, Carter Vickers and even N’Dombele. All are no where near good enough and yet they are still clogging up our overall squad. We need two wing backs, another centre back, desperately need a decent attacking creative midfielder who can score etc. Don’t ask me who. Just get rid of all the has beens mentioned above. We never seem to aim high enough and then we persevere with those that are just not good enough. The bench should be strong not just players to run down the clock in the 89th minute.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Therein lies the problem WW……if you look at our window so far it’s been basically one out and one in i.e. Toby out Romero in, Hart out Gollini in, and Lamela out and Gil in. Stands to reason any incomings now will only result from current players being moved out first and, with the exception of maybe swap deals involving Ndombele, we aren’t hearing of any players being linked with moves away. Kane excepted of course!

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    I still find it beyond fathomable that CCV is still on our books, it looks like we are stuck with him again this window due to injury.

    • wentwoth says:

      The good news is that Dele is striving to get back to his best after being bullied and marginalized by the ghastly Mourinho.
      At the moment our first eleven is just about holding its own. We had an off day against Wolves but still managed a result. Levy was watching but will he be able to rid of the wage of mediocre players we have accrued. Time is running out. It seems no one wants to buy and no one wants to come.

  • Niall D says:

    Hi folks
    Sorry TQ, not with you on this one, I feel in previous seasons that the Europa League (particularly last season) cost us, and I did suggest that we would reach burn out in the new year, which seemed to happen, now I don’t want a repeat of us suffering Domestically, injuries etc, for a trophy which is in reality of little standing, in saying that I would still like to see the eleven who started the first game carry on into the second, get some minutes and maybe force their way into the first 11, if we are looking to bolster the team, let’s use Aurier, Sissoko and N’Dombele let them get a few extra minutes.
    I would also like to see this 11 take on the Carabo Cup (if that’s what it’s still called) even for the early stages.
    Re Traore I’m much with HT and I think WW here, if Nuno couldn’t get an end product with him whilst at Wolves, why should that change now, he is a big bustling strong winger, who can occupy a couple of players, but sadly lacking in goals and assists.
    Plus as Both WW and I have said on a few occasions there are positions in more desperate need of filling than a winger.
    And there are those we desperately need out of the club before the rot sets in, and they start to bring players down, I fear this started for us with the Transfer of Walker and the attitude of Rose who also wanted away at the time, I fear a rot set in around then and is still lingering to a degree.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Hi Niall……….playing Aurier, Ndombele, and to a degree Sissoko is a bit like throwing the match for me as they don’t have a future with us and it’s questionable how motivated they would be. Regardless of the tournament I, as a Spurs supporter, would never want to see us put out a team that accepts defeat before kicking off.

  • Niall D says:

    Hi TQ
    I don’t quite know where you’re coming from on this one.
    However here’s my take re Thursday, do we replace the team from last week with, our team which won on Sunday “scraped a win” as some say.
    Would this not have the action of demoralising the young squad players who just about lost last week or, do we give em a chance at home to justify their selection and maybe push on to the first 11.
    I can’t countenance that anyone would want to accept defeat, if by that you are alluding to Sissoko, Aurier and N’Dombele under playing, I can’t see what good it would do any player to do this as it would definitely De value their personal stock and could scupper a move if these players actually do want away.
    We’ll disagree on this one m8๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ‘Ž

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    Hi Stan… I saw exactly what Traore did to our defence on Sunday. And it was pretty impressive. But I’ve been watching him in the PL for 3 seasons now. And he doesn’t do that every time he plays. And besides, I think that our defenders actually got the better of him in the end. And he was running around a lot, going nowhere fast, in the end.

    If Traore did what he did do on Sunday, every time he played, and there were some heavy duty stats to back him up and showing us a lot of decent end product. Then he would be a bloody superstar by now, and probably not even affordable for Spurs. But he’s not. He is still at Wolves after 3 seasons and with no real interest from the top PL teams to poach him… Why?

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