It’s pretty obvious really …. football is a game of two teams. It is not logical to expect that the team we support will have everything its own way.
Spurs have dropped points against teams where all supporters expected a win. This often leads to frustration, even anger, from many supporters. But, despite this, we sit in second place on the table, above such fancied clubs such as City, United, Chelsea, and Arsenal (although, to be honest, I’ve never fancied Arsenal).
A mid-table or bottom club can take points from a top club …. on any given day. This happens more and more as many teams decide it is better to play defensively and get a point rather than play to win and end up with nothing. it’s a practical theory, and it works. We see that every week.
But many teams also realise that by sitting back and defending they could steal a win from a fast break. We see that most weeks as well. Every PL team has at least one or two players that are above average. They can turn any game, and they sometimes do. That is the way the PL will play out in future years. That is why predicting results can be so difficult.
Some supporters seem to see this as a problem that only Spurs have. This isn’t true. Supporters, generally, fail to give credit to the opposing team when they win or force a draw. We are more prone to pick faults with our own team. To demonise the team or the manager because of a poor result does not make sense because …. there are two teams on the park. To demonise the team or the manager after a series of poor results is a different matter.
The reality is that every top team will lose points they should not, on paper, lose. We beat Brighton but could have easily lost as they missed three completely open goals that ‘Arry’s missus’ would have scored (she was some kind of player)! Sometimes teams play well and lose. Sometimes teams play badly and win. It’s the unpredictability and competitiveness of the PL that makes it the most exciting competition in world football. How lucky are we to be in the mix.
If I’m not mistaken I think we all agreed that the recent Transfer Window was a great success and we now have (arguably) two players for every position. Given the amount of games on the horizon that was crucial for the rest of the season. It’s also pretty obvious that team rotation is a significant aspect of the game for the clubs fighting on many fronts. Clubs like Spurs.
This is where the manager, any manager, needs to make the right decisions. But those ‘right decisions’ are not easy to make. A manager has to ‘mix and match’ his players for specific games. He bases his decisions on what he sees at training. He expects that his players will perform at their optimum level when he picks them. But sometimes they don’t. That is not the manager’s fault although he often gets the blame.
When to use the bench during a game is a decision managers will, in hindsight, be vilified or praised for. But it’s a fine line of distinction. Again, many supporters are quick to demonise a manager when things don’t go as expected (or desired). Even during a live match thread, many supporters start calling for heads before the match is over. What is that about? How does it help …. especially when we often go on and win the game in any case. What those supporters forget is …. there are two teams on the park! The other thing to remember is that it is not the manager’s fault every time a player does not perform.
Most league games so far this season have been against lower clubs who elected to defend. Those games were often a struggle. But we sit in second place. We have only played one match against a perceived major rival … a team intent on attacking. It was away from home. How did that turn out!
Spurs cannot play the same way against every team because those other teams will play differently. There are two teams on the park. We will play much differently against United, Arsenal, Chelsea, City, etc, than against, Fulham, WBA, Brighton, etc. As supporters we can provide a better service to our club by recognising, and accepting, how modern day PL football works. Knee-jerk reactions aimed against team members or the manager are far from helpful or supportive. Of course, it might be a different story if Spurs were in the bottom six instead of the top six.
But we are second and will remain there until our next game against Manchester City at home …. a game that will see two attacking teams on the park! Whatever happens, it’s worth remembering that one game does not define a season. Gotta love football!
We’re actually playing on a Saturday.
Hard to believe.
Some good posts here folks.
Trust you are all keeping well and not suffering too badly from lock down.
We are just coming to the end of 5 weeks “circuit break here” thank goodness.
Hopefully we’ll get Chrimbo over before the next one.
It does look like our players are coming round to Jose’s tactics and we do look a bit better on the eye than last season.
Ive always thought in previous seasons, even the good ones, that we were always a player or two short.
I don’t think it this year.
TQ (I think) listed our front 6, it looked pretty formidable and as good as any.
We are sitting up there in the league and have something to hold on to.
Given the rivalry between the two managers and team tactics I’m really looking forward to the game.
My feelings are much the same as HT’s win lose or draw.
COYS
https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2020/11/15/21565563/harry-kanes-new-deeper-role-under-jose-mourinho-is-opening-up-tottenhams-attack
Just read this interesting item re HK10
And to be honest I’ve never copied a link before, so just trying it out.
Well the link worked Niall.
Some of the long range passing we now see from Harry is Hoddle-like. And he was one of the best with his passing range.
At the start of this season, I made one simple request of Harry on here. And that was to hopefully be more of a provider of goals and goalscoring chances for others in the team as well as be his normal goal scoring self.
He answered my call… 😉 Cheers, Mr. Kane!
HT – can you please request a hat trick for Saturday then? He seems to be listening!
As my dear old Grandmother used to say, BS; “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”.
Hat-trick on Saturday please Harry…
Earlier in the year we beat City in this home PL fixture, 2-0. I recall them having a hell of a lot of possession and many more shots on our goal than we had on theirs. I have a feeling we’ll get more possession and more goalscoring chances this time around. But if it’s just 1-0 to Spurs, I’ll still be happy enough.
ND …. Maybe my article in August regarding Kane was ahead of the times. I did say, dropping back would not reduce his scoring but would result in more assists. Not sure too many agreed at the time. Mind you, it will only work if we have the right players in attack … which we do.
I think it was on that very article thread that I made my more assists request to Harry.
Jose has him getting deeper and defending well. Southgate did have Harry playing deeper for England and setting up goals for the likes of Sterling and Rashford. Now all we need is for him to start taking corners (as with Hodgson) and then somehow getting on the end of them himself. And Harry will be complete.
He did play in goal for us once (as did Hoddle a couple of times) but unlike Hoddle in goal, he was rubbish…
He can’t do everything. He’s only human after all…
I see “Our Arry” has broken another Spurs record, how many more will he break?
Harry Kane whilst at Spurs – 50 England caps
Jermaine Defoe whilst at Spurs – 49 England caps
Eric Dier whilst at Spurs – 44 England caps.
Come On You Spurs.
HT… If we dont win anything with jose this season… we will be in a better position to do so next year. You may recall, jose usually has a 3 years contract with clubs he goes to. So I guess…1 yr to organise players to his tactical methods (win domestic cup?) 2 years to win major trophies. Hence 25 trophies won in his managerial tenures so far, which makes him the manage with best track record we have had at spurs.
We will see jose getting the players fired up for the City game, so all guns blazing so to speak…HK10 / sonny / bale 2 goals city 1. COYS
Just seen a web site.. Last Word on Sports. They have article.. new tv prog. UFEA Man in The Middle. Its abot VAR penalty decisions and in particular… CL Final 2019. VAR officials did not review the refs. decision on sissoko penalty as the ball hit sissoko armpit, and not his arm held out from his body…VAR did not ask the ref to look at pitch side monitor either. As we all saw…Spurs players were shocked and never got going most of the game. As we have all moved on from that, it is still bad that VAR get these decisions wrong, like Leeds player goal offside by his arm. 🙁
Cheers HT
For the response.
Re HK10 indeed he is becoming the complete player.
On another topic discussed earlier in these pages.
Was listening to Talk Sport on the way home.
There was much stated around the international games lately.
A few stated the need for them currently and the back log of games in this condensed season.
Also how England played and Southgate’S tactics with many saying it didn’t matter that we had loads of possession and loads of chances we (England) still lost.
Many stated that they would rather win ugly.
Sounds familiar.
There are many bemoaning the crowded fixture list +the growing list of injuries coming from the international break. Not to mention COVID.
Even the presenter questioned the “need” for the Iceland game.
BTW
Ericsson To Arsenal????
Geof gonna change your name to Mystic Geof.
BTW The Mystic (van Morrison) fab song.
Watched the England U21 game tonight, there is some serious talent in there now, bodes well for the future if they all progress well.
Block 108 – the handball rule has changed recently, which now means that a ball to the armpit is no longer handball.
However, the CL final was before the rule change. At that time, if a ball hit any part of the arm (armpit included), it was handball.
According to today’s rules, it would not have been a penalty. In those days, it was (unfortunately) the correct decision.
BS/TQ …. It’s a conspiracy!! : – )
Block, my question was; What if Jose doesn’t win anything at Spurs? I didn’t mean this season… I meant as long as he is given at Spurs.
The point of that question is will it still be worth watching a lot of unentertaining football that is just about wining at any cost, if there is nothing to show at the end of it? Saying we will win something just because it’s Jose is not much of a meaningful answer to me…
Gio Lo Celso being lauded again in the press for his international performance, if fitness allows would love to see what we hope will be a magical midfield three behind Sonny HK10 and Bale for the City game. Just go for it Jose!
Listened to the England managers interview on Sky last night, regards the Belgium game, am sorry to say he saw a different game to me, yes loads of possession but no real threat, so in my opinion what a load of bollox his words were, for me he was just saying what his masters wanted him to say, covering backside etc.
TQ2S….I also watched the U21 game, lets be honest the opposition were total crap, and your comment “Bodes well for the future” how many times has that been said in the past, numerous times, and nothing comes out of it, sorry mate for disagreeing with you there.
As for Saturday and our “Big” game v MC, let em ave it lads, with an excellent win. COYS
Morning PY…….you’re on good form today! lol
I agree, the opposition wasn’t great but I’m looking at the individual skill levels of many of the lads who played last night, there is undoubtedly a good crop of players currently at this level.
Afternoon to you TQ…..That is something we do agree with, “undoubtedly there is a good crop of players currently at this level” but as I said prior “how many times has that been said” plus how many will actually make it, less than 40% of them I believe, representing the country at senior level that is.
Keep safe mate. COYS