Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [9 - 10th November 2013]
- Thread starter Robbo
- Start date
The amount of new players, the amount of rotation coupled with AVBs tactics and formations. We started to improve over the first few games this season but that seems to have stopped.
I was hoping AVB would play Lamela today after the great game he had in the week, but it seems AVB likes to stick to his first choices players despite other players coming into form. This is happening with Defoe and Soldado too.
MW
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 33,188
He's somewhat doing what he did at Chelsea, it's just taken longer to change them into the wrong style.
Soldado is doing his general thing, was never a penalty with Remy in so much as Soldado just stopped and tried to hook Remy's arm to drag him down on top of him when he flopped to the floor. Likewise ahead of Mbiwa he randomly threw both his legs in the air but did win a freekick. Soldado was always a poacher and a bit of a cheat, Negredo was always by far the better actual player, considering the way Spurs play they were mental to buy a poacher like Soldado. For me Defoe is the better poacher, if they wanted another striker buy something other than a poacher, he may be bigger than Defoe but he offers nothing actually different.
The thing is Spurs are almost doing this slow Barca wannabe build up play, but when they get to the final third they suddenly attack at pace but against a defence that has had plenty of time to get set, they don't do the barca thing of careful slow passing back and forward just outside their box while waiting for that opening. It's like two completely different styles that are completely daft, no point being fast in the final third after being so slow in build up that the defence is ready for it.
Krul has been good in general though he's made a bit of a meal of a couple of saves, Eriksons and Paulinho's, and the freekick/header, I have no idea why Krul was standing on the 6 yard line rather than the goal line, he made a great save but it was only so difficult because he was inexplicably standing miles off the line for absolutely no reason, he's incredibly lucky to make that save.
Spurs making Ameobi look almost like a footballer I think sums up the quality of Spurs performance pretty well. If Remy hadn't completely messed up his first chance, or been onside for 5+ other chances, Spurs could be 3 or 4 down by now.
Cabaye has picked out some utterly fantastic passes, Gouffran has been fantastic down the wing offensively and particularly defensively. Tiote is getting back to his best, Remy has been good aside from his offsides which are mostly lazy and stupid. This is pushing towards the team of two years ago, the difference, this relatively same team is playing almost every game now. No real injuries, consistent team, some form, fitness. It makes the world of difference, the same players who were diabolical last year have been improving all season, significantly recently. People vastly underestimated the problem injuries and playing an ever changing side have on a side.
Soldado is doing his general thing, was never a penalty with Remy in so much as Soldado just stopped and tried to hook Remy's arm to drag him down on top of him when he flopped to the floor. Likewise ahead of Mbiwa he randomly threw both his legs in the air but did win a freekick. Soldado was always a poacher and a bit of a cheat, Negredo was always by far the better actual player, considering the way Spurs play they were mental to buy a poacher like Soldado. For me Defoe is the better poacher, if they wanted another striker buy something other than a poacher, he may be bigger than Defoe but he offers nothing actually different.
The thing is Spurs are almost doing this slow Barca wannabe build up play, but when they get to the final third they suddenly attack at pace but against a defence that has had plenty of time to get set, they don't do the barca thing of careful slow passing back and forward just outside their box while waiting for that opening. It's like two completely different styles that are completely daft, no point being fast in the final third after being so slow in build up that the defence is ready for it.
Krul has been good in general though he's made a bit of a meal of a couple of saves, Eriksons and Paulinho's, and the freekick/header, I have no idea why Krul was standing on the 6 yard line rather than the goal line, he made a great save but it was only so difficult because he was inexplicably standing miles off the line for absolutely no reason, he's incredibly lucky to make that save.
Spurs making Ameobi look almost like a footballer I think sums up the quality of Spurs performance pretty well. If Remy hadn't completely messed up his first chance, or been onside for 5+ other chances, Spurs could be 3 or 4 down by now.
Cabaye has picked out some utterly fantastic passes, Gouffran has been fantastic down the wing offensively and particularly defensively. Tiote is getting back to his best, Remy has been good aside from his offsides which are mostly lazy and stupid. This is pushing towards the team of two years ago, the difference, this relatively same team is playing almost every game now. No real injuries, consistent team, some form, fitness. It makes the world of difference, the same players who were diabolical last year have been improving all season, significantly recently. People vastly underestimated the problem injuries and playing an ever changing side have on a side.
Last edited:
For me, you shouldn't have been trying to replace Bale this summer, you should have been trying to replace Modric. When he left, your midfield lost creativity rapidly. Bale masked this while he was there by scoring wondergoals, but you need a creative central midfielder.
Eriksen is great at number 10, but your two pivots don't do enough for me.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 33,188
Jol and now AVB have combined to turn a truly wonderful player in Dembele into a midfield hack
he joined Fulham as a striker, Hughes played him upfront or on the wing, Jol pushed him from wing to central and that has gradually gone from ultra attacking/creative central midfielder to defensive/deeper barely involved midfielder
Not that it matters, in that formation you need a striker who can push the defence back then drop a little deeper, receive the ball and make good passes, turn and pass other runners in behind the defence. In Soldado you don't have that. In Giroud you have a meh finisher but someone who the midfield can play off, you have that with Aguero or Negredo, whose interplay is very good, with Fabregas, or Messi, or Neymar, Real really do it with their wingers or a midfield attacker like Ozil(before) or Isco rather than Benzema, but he is by no means terrible. Higuain's interplay is good, every top team needs an all around striker if you play that kind of formation. You can't play an out and out poacher alone and expect them to link up with the creative midfielders.
Soldado was just a horrendously poor buy for them, he's entirely the wrong kind of striker. Even Adebayor, when he could be bothered, got what 11 goals AND 11 assists, he was another terrible buy upfront though.
Last edited:
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 33,188
I think he's the only player to play in like every game, though some as a sub, but every league and every europa game, so it says he likes him, but he's using him too deep.
The thing to do is actually play Dembele instead of Soldado, it will take him a few games to get back into the swing but he's exactly the type of attacker you want upfront, bit of strength, great movement, and ability to play others in. None of the current midfield, good or bad, can play off Soldado at all.
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Dec 2002
- Posts
- 21,276
- Location
- North Yorkshire
How did he miss!!
Perhaps I've been lacking in attention then, all the games I ever watch he's usually coming off the bench late on or going off very early.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 29 Nov 2008
- Posts
- 13,477
- Location
- London
How has that not gone in?
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Dec 2002
- Posts
- 21,276
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Jesus ****ing christ!