Vital Spurs Debate Section

Match Thread – Will Everton Leave Spurs Feeling Blue

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After three defeats on the spin, Tottenham Hotspur got their proverbial butts back on the horse with a Harry Kane inspired victory over West Bromwich Albion in our last match and now it’s all eyes to the FA Cup once again as we face Everton in the fifth round on Wednesday evening.

It might not have been a classic performance, but we were more on the front foot again for most of the 90 minutes and we did look better for it, but given the quality of the opposition it’s unlikely to have changed any opinions about manager Jose Mourinho.

The FA Cup is the FA Cup though and with Premier League form wobbling, it undoubtedly remains one of the best chances we have for silverware in the 2020/21 campaign as even the most optimistic Spurs fan probably has to accept with a 14 point gap to top spot, we aren’t challenging for the title anymore.

With a game in hand and a point better off than we are, Everton will be a tough cookie to crack though, and we are going to need to be better than we have been in recent weeks if we want to progress. With some rotation expected, the team selection could be absolutely key to this one.

I think I’ll take up my usual position, hiding behind the settee.

Everton

Win

Lose

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  • Arky says:

    How do you think Ancelotti will setup for this match ? That is the key.

  • Allan says:

    Often teams play better in the cup comps often contradicting their weak league position .

    While our league position is not a concern I hope that out league style changes and we go for a win playing good football .

    However I expect that Mourinho’s pragmatic defensive non football style will prevail and we nick it by a Son breakaway goal created by the ball being hoofed up field !!

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Have you been consulting your crystal ball Allan? 🙂

  • TK says:

    Kane is back, so we might win some matches–in the league and in cups–in spite of Mourinho’s dreary negative influence. But if we win it will be in spite of the presence of JM and not because of him. God free us from the horrible influence of this pernicious man. Thanks to God that HK10 is back. Now do your next miracle for us. Free my people, the people of free flowing, intelligent, beautiful football. Free my people, Oh Lord, remove the chains that have bound our players. Let them play football. That should be the way as God intended it. Football was created for its beauty. Let it flow. Let it be Good, He said. And it was. Until JM arrived.

    Let’s see the players play and win by a trinity x zero. 3 x 0. That should be the will of goodness itself. Truth, Justice, and Beauty. Heaven can exist on Earth and appear to us as Spurs football.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Surely the football authorities and the broadcasters could organise things more fairly. They schedule United and West Ham to play in the cup on Tuesday when their next league games are on Sunday and Monday respectively. Spurs and City are scheduled to play in the cup on Wednesday and the league on Saturday. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

  • TK says:

    You’ve got a point there, TQ2, but fairness rarely is a part of human life. If life were fair, we wouldn’t be stuck with a manager who prefers boring people, while other teams have managers who like their teams to play football. But the scheduling doesn’t seem fair at all.

  • block 108 spurs says:

    HT… from the previous thread, I hope that jose will have seen the way spurs players can play an away or home game against quality opposition. By that I mean a shape of 4231 / 343 at home… 4321 away, with some fluid movement of WB with crosses in and fwd players moving around running into gaps and mf fwd passes to find them. Surely by now jose knows that fans, media pundits, have criticised his “effective” football, and seen how the players slumped in confidence / form and more so with HK10 injured.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    I wouldn’t bet on it block, you know he is a law unto himself!

  • Geofspurs says:

    B108/TQ …. Seems like JM is so locked in his own bubble that he notices little beyond himself.

  • Niall D says:

    Geof I think you’ve nailed it there, he is in his own bubble, he probably goes, to meeting with Mr Levy, shows his credentials (Excuse the pun) and brings up our cup form euro form and possible league position. I can just hear him say “with this team what more you want?”
    In Jose world he is doing OK. People were talking bout recent managers, I’m reminded of AVB and his style of play. For me just like JM Slow.
    Just thought under JM we may have at least been efficient, we have an odd flash of what we can do, but (for me) sadly its not enough.
    Get us to the end of the season, get us a decent position in the league, and get someone else in.
    Just like Boris and Brexit seemed a good idea at the time.

  • Alllan says:

    TQ
    I would really love my crystal ball to be proved wrong in order for me to watch my team play enjoyable , entertaining football and hopefully win .

  • not TK? says:

    AVB, of course, was a protege of Mourinho. Two peas in a boring pod. At least AVB lost his job in the last few days.

    • BelgianSpur says:

      AVB also took Marseille to a completed unexpected second, behind only giants PSG, in the French league last year, despite having an aging squad and nothing to spend.

      He didn’t lose his job, he quit, because he had no say in sporting decisions – the final straw was a player he had refused who was bought by the club anyways.

      I know it doesn’t suit the narrative, but let’s at least try to get facts straight.

      • TK says:

        The facts in this case are a matter of interpretation. A friend of mine in France told me that AVB quit because he’d lost the confidence of management. My friend support Lyon, so he might be interpreting from that perspective. My father retired at the age of 62 rather than 65 because he perceived he’s lost the confidence of the leader of the organization. Retired from volition or because it was subtly suggested to him that he’d leave with a somewhat better pension that if he stayed beyond what they wanted?

  • block 108 spurs says:

    I agree that jose is a bit head strong and has a sightly outdated view that his methods still work with the modern players. Also i think spurs senior players / coaches (and Levy ?) has spoken to jose about dele, playing as we need a player who can create chances / score goals as Lo Celso still injured. Tanguy is looking tired now, so I can forsee dele coming on at 65 mins, tomorrow.

    So as jose has mentioned to media he wants attacking football and in finals of FA Cup he should be playing an attacking formation with defensive cover, so 4231 ??? COYS

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    Hi block 108 spurs, The match is being played tonight, not tomorrow. Kick-off is at 20:15.

  • Geofspurs says:

    HT …. Maybe b108 got it right and JM will bring Dele on 24 hours after kick-off?! : – )

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    I think JM will start with Bale, replace him at half-time with Dele, and then sub Dele with Bergwijn 10 minutes into the 2nd half. Only to haul off Bergwijn and throw on Dane Scarlett for the final 10 seconds!

  • Allan says:

    TQ

    I really hope that my crystal ball is wrong for this one and I really would like to sit down with a beer and watch some good football from the team and hopefully win .

    I hate being negative but recent performances do not fill me with much optimism .

  • Marky says:

    Please not the 4 3 2 1 formation!! But if we do then Dele has to play.

  • Niall D says:

    Is it 5 subs for the FA Cup or the standard 3.
    If its 5 subs then we’ll maybe have arry, Sonny, N’Dombers, Bergs on for the first 60, then
    Replaced by Winksy, Dele, Bale, Vinny, then Captain Scarlett for the last 30 seconds.
    I think JM has tried this “tactic” several times but just around the time when we’re 2-0, with 25 mins to go, the other team scores and we have to dig in again and the subs then have to wait, Harry, et,al have to play more minutes. This has happened so often for us this season.

  • Hot Tottingham says:

    Its 5 subs Niall, within 3 stoppages.

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