With Tottenham Hotspur opening up the 2020/21 Premier League campaign with a very disappointing defeat to Everton on Sunday, attentions quickly turn to our Europa League Qualifying Second Round tie against Lokomotiv Plovdiv on Thursday.
Qualifying rounds are never the nicest and you generally tend to meet a few teams who, with the greatest of respect, you’ve never actually heard of before, so whilst the assumption is usually ‘a cricket score’ – the matches themselves can often play out quite differently.
Manager Jose Mourinho will be looking for a comfortable and steady victory here to boost spirits and bed in our new signings but it’s definitely one of those games for fans where it’s an ‘avoid a banana skin’ moment at all costs and if it’s not pretty, just scrape through somehow.
Plovdiv...
Win
Draw
Lose
That’s probably never been more true after our opening day defeat as after last season’s struggles, we need some confidence and momentum as it still hasn’t quite clicked for the manager formerly known as the ‘Special One’.
With that said, it’s never ‘just’ the manager, it might be early doors and some players take a bit longer than others to get up to speed, but there surely can’t be any excuses for this one….can there?
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and locomotiv was doing that dirty thing from the first half and trying to look innocent
Suppose you can only beat what’s in front of you. Good result could’ve should ‘ve been more.
But for good saves from their goalie.
Still think we should’ve kept a clean sheet.
Nearly 80% possession 12 shots 6 on target.
Could ve been more clinical. But a wins a win.
What an utter shambles. We scrape a 2-1 against a pub team of 9 men and not enough subs on bench!!! It was awful to watch. We have zero creativity in midfield. Too many journey men thrutching around pretending they are top players. Wonder what the excuses from Jose will be this time….pitch was too bumpy, we were tired, lack of crowd support, players are not match fit, poor hotel,no English food. Why not admit it…you are a dinosaur and will drag our team down further.. oh goodie,its only Southampton on Sunday so we can get a 0-0 draw.
If we get Bale, we also need Luka Modric. Our midfield is non existent now we no longer have Eriksen. We have too many nobodys buzzing around falling over gaining nothing. We were playing a very poor team and we were clueless. Boring and clueless.
Wentworth, agreed. The excitement over Bale seems to have masked the fact that we are really a poor team. Other than defensive shape, what does Jose actually work on in training. They seem to be clueless going forward with players getting in each other’s way and no pattern of play. We can sign all the Bales and strikers in the world but without a midfield player capable of passing the ball and without some method to our attacking we will get no where. It’s not as if Jose’s endless defensive coaching has made us any more secure at the back.
Something glaringly obvious was missing on the pitch today………..Sonny’s smile. It might come across as a bit odd to mention but says more to me than any match report.
We conceded from another headed goal ! Why are we so poor in the air ? 🙁
A weakness I have been pointing out for a good while now Arky!
Question is if Ralph Hasenhüttl and co know about this also. Hope not.
Arky….if we laymen are aware of it I’m pretty sure a PL manager and his coaching team will be also! lol
At home to Chelsea or Barnsley in the Carabao if we beat Orient.
I’m not quite sure how so many supporters are making judgements on a match that no one outside of the ground, saw more than about 40-45 minutes of.
I watched a very frustrating game, but we did play attacking football from the off, it wasn’t brilliant but it was decent, it was always when we score, which in the end we did though against 9 men, typical minnows v bigger side, 11 men behind the ball, thus frustrating for me and I think for Spurs.
Whatever we won the 1st in a quick concession of games to come, now on to the Scum of the South. COYS
HT, your post Me Me Me PY, loved it, very good, having served in the military I have to ask “What freedom of speech?” and yes I am a great believer in it, FoS is about opinions even on here, but in today’s world, esp Britain, you can only have it as long as it does not upset anyone and it goes with those others beliefs.
lastly we must have FoS but without resorting to name calling, but then if we do have an opinion/Fos we will get called an ist or ism, thus name calling back, its pathetic. COYS
HT – LOL – lost the last 15 minutes of the 1st half and a good 20 mins from the 65th to the 85th easily so indeed a good 40 minutes of the match totally down the drain – very annoying and frustrating naturally.
That said, Bergs should have had a penalty in the 1st half, Sonny should have buried his 2nd half chance and that would have almost certainly have been 0-2 up and game over, as it was some poor defending again let them in from a set-piece (I heard on Sky Sports News – given had to switch there with coverage cutting out, etc – the pundit saying he thought they were a threat from set-pieces/aerially as had good height in their team, etc – although personally take that with a pinch of salt given : Doherty is 6ft1, Dier is 6ft2, Davy is 6ft2 and even Davies is 5ft11 not to mention the likes of Hojbjerg at 6ft1 and Sissoko at 6ft2 and even Sonny at 6ft and HK10 at 6ft2 – no way should we be so easy to beat/pushed over at set-pieces/aerially with that kind of height in the side/team – very poor once again in this respect – much to be dealt with and learnt especially in training from the looks of things!
Fact is though we got the all important result and did actually dominate the game, it’s still early days, clearly most of them are not fully fit (especially match wise), we’ve still got new players (hopefully to come in), everyone then needs to bed in and get used to the formation/shape and tactics, etc and given all these games in quick succession during this – all that truly matters is the results ATM, in a month or 2’s time – then hopefully performances as well as results will keep coming!
Possibly Chelski in the 4th round of Carabao if all goes well for us against Orient away on Tuesday night – very tough game if we do get through but at least it’s at home and if you do harbour ambition’s of winning it and given the squad strength generally in the Prem especially the top 6 but even the top 10 these days, your bound to have to face at least 2/3 tough games etc if you are going to go on and win it – so be it and hope we can do it……….!
Yes it was a bus parking tactical game by Plodiv team, with nasty tackles and dodgy actions, hence 2 red cards. But we got the result needed, now back to PL and southamption.
It has been mentioned on here, that Jose is a character of foul mouth verbals etc. Therefore not a nice guy really…. Compare his trophy wins to poch, a decent / nice guy. That’s right nice guy won NIL silverware in competitive PL & all cups over 7 years or so as a manager in UK / Spain. Jose won 25 trophies in 4 countries over 15 years or so.
Therefore the old saying nice guys don’t win (big trophies) as bad guys do, is apt in this instance. Even Man Utd Alex Fergie was a nasty guy… ask David Beckham about hairdryers ! As Man Utd won multiple trophies of PL / cups and Champions League So after 12 years of zero silverware won by spurs playing attractive flowing football, but fragile mentality we need to be shaken up and start wining again. COYS
block, everyone knows that Jose has won a lot of stuff. That obviously has nothing to do with why many people dislike him and his style of football. Or why he gets fired so soon after winning stuff.
But, I really can’t be bothered to make yet another explanation as to what I was actually talking about… One clue is that I don’t give a damn what kind of foul language he uses… I’m not exactly Mr. Clean myself… 🙂
Everyone hooked in to NewsNowSpurs, etc already then LOL?!
Can’t wait for today’s hopeful announcements as regards Real’s finest pair LOL and then even a further STR and (L)CB on top hopefully before the window shuts as reported………………!
I see Roles out on loan again this time to League 1 – hopefully does well and maybe even already in Jan could be taken by a Championship club – at best probably going to end up similar to CCV and being sold to lower league side – still OK though as we can pick up a small fee (every little helps) and he can move on and hopefully have a decent career elsewhere!
The potentially interesting loans could be that of maybe :
Sessegnon,
Foyth,
Clarke,
Whiteman,
Austin;
even at a stretch :
Fagan-Walcott,
Cirkin,
White.
Then the likely sales of :
CCV,
Rose,
Georgiou,
Marsh,
Tracey,
Sterling;
and even the likes of:
Gazzaniga,
Foyth (if not loaned out as above),
Aurier,
Lamela.
Can’t wait to see what happens and find out!
EJ….it seems like we can’t give Rose away, has been linked to Genoa theses past few days but reports now suggest they have signed Zappacosta from Chelsea so he won’t be going there now.
always thought the saying was, if you play bad and still win it’s a good sign.
block, different times now I’m afraid, yes poch won nothing, but jose had a free wallet going to Chelsea, Madrid , inter hebhad the ready mad player, tactics has changed over the last number of the years, how did jose 2nd return go at chelsea, and at united even though he won a trophy, but overall it was never gonna work out. And how many times has jose the special ibe been sacked
I agree block spurs are soft weak mentality, i was hoping jose would change that, but he hasn’t in fact he gave dier a new contract, says it all really.
Morning TQ :
Zappacosta is a RB I believe, Rose a LB – so might still happen!
Heard Villa and Spam also interested, but Villa have Targett and Taylor and Spam have Cresswell and Masuaku – so probably not!
Let’s wait and see – think he still has something to offer in the Prem for sure……….!
Don’t know why my local club Fulham aren’t in for him – would definitely be an upgrade and with his experience on top – a very good signing – they’re going to need all the help they can get – on top Scotty Parker their manager – so could facilitate a transfer for sure – another whom they should be interested in is Foyth – if Leeds seem to think he’s good enough, why not bloody Fulham LOL?! Gazzaniga was another 1 and they were supposedly interested but now got Areola instead……….! Bet they’ll also be interested in at least taking Sess back on loan – indeed probably makes sense for all parties concerned – most probably look to play him as a LW again though……!
Rose permanent and Sess on loan to Fulham – you heard it here first LOL!
Hi EJ…..I didn’t stop to check which side Zappacosta played on just read he had signed for Genoa and knew he was a full back! lol