Really like the logical approach to selection choices there, nice one.
I’d add that perhaps Lo Celso might be an option at RW rather than Sissoko, or even given a go at AMC if Dele’s data is showing he could do with playing less than 90.
-
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***OMT Tottenham Hotspur v AFC Bournemouth ***
- Thread starter Pirate55
- Start date
I’d add that perhaps Lo Celso might be an option at RW rather than Sissoko, or even given a go at AMC if Dele’s data is showing he could do with playing less than 90.
Pirate55
The Last Man Standing 17/18
It is more a fluid 4-1-3-1-1. Applying a wonky and letting Sissoko both cover Aurier and swop right wing duties with him. They have worked well together there for us. I do agree that Sissoko is not ideal long term, but he is the best we have there at the moment with his pace and power ( if only his final ball was better!). I don't want Eriksen anywhere near the squad from now on and we need to try to "encourage" him to leave in January.
Alistair has a half hour video up, where near the end he mentions that he believes Eriksen is preferring to go in January. (and that’s based upon him sniffing around Jose and various players)
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Jose's luck continues to run our way:
As for the visitors, captain Simon Francis will miss Saturday's game following his red card in the home defeat to Wolves. Phillip Billing is also unavailable through suspension. The Cherries are also without Joshua King and David Brooks. The Norwegian has a thigh injury, while a foot problem means the Welshman is missing.
As for the visitors, captain Simon Francis will miss Saturday's game following his red card in the home defeat to Wolves. Phillip Billing is also unavailable through suspension. The Cherries are also without Joshua King and David Brooks. The Norwegian has a thigh injury, while a foot problem means the Welshman is missing.
Pirate55
The Last Man Standing 17/18
Think you will find it was rather the mysterious piratical work of the OMT.
Ooo arrr me hearties! Shiver me timbers. Remember Cap'n Pugwash and Master Bates!
Let's do this.
COYS
We are Tottenham
Kasey Keller
I'd like to see Sessegnon play or at least to be sub'd on at some point...
Pirate55
The Last Man Standing 17/18
It's clear that JM doesn't see him as a left back at the moment. While he said he could see similarities with Ashley Cole and could play full back later in his career, JM obviously sees him as an attacking player atm
milo
Jack L. Jones
Do you have Sissoko in the three advanced midfielders with Dier holding? That is a big change from how we have played so far under Mourinho. If you started with Lo Celso on the left you have no real width on either side which again is a big change from his first two games.
Pirate55
The Last Man Standing 17/18
Yes , I see Sissoko on the right of the three with Dier holding. Poch played him there sometimes (albeit without a dedicated holding DM ) and JM did in the latter stages against Olympiakos. He offers decent cover for Aurier's forays and can also surge forward with power and pace down the line. All that is missing from him is his final delivery - and shooting ability!!!!! Hence, he needs to be upgraded in due course.
If JM wants to play the same way with width, then Sess would be that option on the left.
Last edited:
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Sissoko shouldn't be starting, under almost any circumstance.
Denmark Spur
Edgar Davids
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
https://www.football.london/tottenh.../jose-mourinho-emery-celso-sessegnon-17337943
Ben Davies' injury, how much of a blow is that for you?
Yeah that’s a blow, especially for a boy that was feeling my trust to be chosen to start my first game is always something that the players obviously enjoy. He was playing well, he adapted to our way of playing, would be good to have him as an option but it’s not possible so sad news for us, sad news for him.
But he will be back and we will survive without him. I trust the other people that can play in the same position, like Danny did in the last match. And we still have other players that can do it.
On top of that, I couldn't be at the game but I watched on video our youth team playing in the [UEFA Youth League], and we also have [Dennis Cirkin].
OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us, and to help his development.
Would you look to bring in another left-back in January?
No, we have a good squad. We have options - Danny Rose is the natural left-back, Jan Vertonghen can do it, he did it already for the club and for the national team. In extra emergency, I think even Aurier could give us a hand playing there, and we have options at right back. So the squad [can deal] with one or two injuries, so we are fine.
Has it been a good first 10 days for you?
Very good, obviously the results are important, and it’s always nice to start and to win. We needed these two wins, we needed the points in the league, we needed to kill the situation in the Champions League. It’s very important for us, but independent of the results, it’s also very very important my feelings, and day after day my feelings are better. It’s not like you arrive and you have a nice impact and then you realise it’s not as beautiful as you thought. Yes it’s really really good, I’m very happy with what the club is giving me.
You've got a bit of a croaky voice?
Always in pre-season when I’ve been on holiday for one or two months without the high volume voice all the time, when I go to pre-season it always happens to me. And this is pre-season, and I had a long holiday, not a normal holiday of a month. Was a holiday of 11 months. So now I’m struggling a bit but I gave my voice enough training and next week I’ll be fine.
You won your first four games with Chelsea, Porto and United, it would nice to beat Bournemouth and United to get that here?
It would be nice but every match is difficult and that’s not about my record, it’s about our objectives and we need points in the Premier League. We were too far behind - 12 points behind the Champions League, six or something like that from the top six. We need points, and Bournemouth is a very good team. Eddie Howe doesn’t need my words, his work is there, everybody knows what he is doing at that club for many, many years. They are a very difficult opponent, not afraid to play with theoretically stronger teams. They can get a good result against a top team, home or way.
The team has a very good model of play, very defined, good tactical culture. They can change system, in fact you never know the way they are going to play. So very difficult match but I think the boys have a very good feeling. For the first time we had three days in between matches because we had two in two, but now finally we have these three days to recover and to work.
Second match at home, I think our people in our stadium, they had a mixed feeling on Tuesday, but they hand me the positive feeling. They know the team is there to play, to make them enjoy, and to fight for them. So we have to be strong, we have to give B a hard game to beat them. There's no chance to beat Bournemouth if we don't play very, very well.
Ben Davies' injury, how much of a blow is that for you?
Yeah that’s a blow, especially for a boy that was feeling my trust to be chosen to start my first game is always something that the players obviously enjoy. He was playing well, he adapted to our way of playing, would be good to have him as an option but it’s not possible so sad news for us, sad news for him.
But he will be back and we will survive without him. I trust the other people that can play in the same position, like Danny did in the last match. And we still have other players that can do it.
On top of that, I couldn't be at the game but I watched on video our youth team playing in the [UEFA Youth League], and we also have [Dennis Cirkin].
OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us, and to help his development.
Would you look to bring in another left-back in January?
No, we have a good squad. We have options - Danny Rose is the natural left-back, Jan Vertonghen can do it, he did it already for the club and for the national team. In extra emergency, I think even Aurier could give us a hand playing there, and we have options at right back. So the squad [can deal] with one or two injuries, so we are fine.
Has it been a good first 10 days for you?
Very good, obviously the results are important, and it’s always nice to start and to win. We needed these two wins, we needed the points in the league, we needed to kill the situation in the Champions League. It’s very important for us, but independent of the results, it’s also very very important my feelings, and day after day my feelings are better. It’s not like you arrive and you have a nice impact and then you realise it’s not as beautiful as you thought. Yes it’s really really good, I’m very happy with what the club is giving me.
You've got a bit of a croaky voice?
Always in pre-season when I’ve been on holiday for one or two months without the high volume voice all the time, when I go to pre-season it always happens to me. And this is pre-season, and I had a long holiday, not a normal holiday of a month. Was a holiday of 11 months. So now I’m struggling a bit but I gave my voice enough training and next week I’ll be fine.
You won your first four games with Chelsea, Porto and United, it would nice to beat Bournemouth and United to get that here?
It would be nice but every match is difficult and that’s not about my record, it’s about our objectives and we need points in the Premier League. We were too far behind - 12 points behind the Champions League, six or something like that from the top six. We need points, and Bournemouth is a very good team. Eddie Howe doesn’t need my words, his work is there, everybody knows what he is doing at that club for many, many years. They are a very difficult opponent, not afraid to play with theoretically stronger teams. They can get a good result against a top team, home or way.
The team has a very good model of play, very defined, good tactical culture. They can change system, in fact you never know the way they are going to play. So very difficult match but I think the boys have a very good feeling. For the first time we had three days in between matches because we had two in two, but now finally we have these three days to recover and to work.
Second match at home, I think our people in our stadium, they had a mixed feeling on Tuesday, but they hand me the positive feeling. They know the team is there to play, to make them enjoy, and to fight for them. So we have to be strong, we have to give B a hard game to beat them. There's no chance to beat Bournemouth if we don't play very, very well.
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Can I asked you about Max Taylor, who made his senior debut last night for United and has spoken warmly about the care you gave him through his health problems?
It was not me, it was everybody at the club, it was a big shock for us at the time. Very sweet kid, fantastic young professional and when we had news, everybody was in shock, but I think the first one to motivate everyone at United was him.
I think he was the one that motivated all of us. Lots of people, including myself we tried to hide tears when we knew it, he was the one who motivated everyone, he was the one who was feeling strong, he was the one who was ready for this fight so that's amazing, amazing, amazing news for the club and for all of us connected to him.
You know he won the biggest match of his career, so everybody is happy. It is an amazing story and maybe an inspiration for other young people who will find a similar situation so absolutely beautiful and the fact that Ole and the staff at the club, they helped him arrive in this beautiful situation, apart from obviously the medical situation, the support situation they offered him, they deserve to earn that opportunity it's amazing.
Callum Hynes, the ballboy from Tuesday night, will he get a chance to meet the players?
He is coming for lunch, for a pre-match meal with the boys [on Saturday]. Happy days for the kid and hopefully we gave him amazing memories for the rest of his life, so beautiful for him.
What did you make of the sacking of Unai Emery?
It's always sad news. I felt it as a kid when my dad was sacked as a manager, I felt it myself when I have been sacked previously. There's not one single manager sacked that I'm happy with. I always feel a deja vu situation. So I'm sad for it but that's life. Unai is a fantastic coach, not happy at Arsenal obviously but a fantastic coach with a proven record. Little bit of a rest and another big club will come for him and his career will be back on track. So no dramas mi amigo keep going and you will get another club.
Would you have been interested in the Arsenal job?
No point to tell it. Didn't happen. Happened now. I'm so happy here that I couldn't even think about the possibility to go to another place. You can put now in front of me any club in the world, I would not move.
Were you surprised at Emery's departure?
One and a half seasons right? I cannot comment on it. I don't know the feelings, if Unai was even himself happy to leave. I just can't say. I'm always disappointed when a manager goes, even when I was waiting for a job, even when I need somebody to get sacked for me to eventually be a possibility, it's not something that I enjoy. In football and in life, when I hear about factories closing or people being made redundant, this kind of story, I'm never happy.
Eric Dier, do you see him as a central midfielder or a centre-back going forward?
Both. He can be both. He's a good player, an intelligent guy, loves Tottenham, we love him. As I was saying, it's a decision for the team. It was a decision the team needs at the time and he's one of the guys who easily understands that meaning. For him, the team is everything and you find sometimes in football some players when they are more important than the team. It's about them, them, them and when they remember there is a team. Eric is not that. Eric is about team, team, team. He understood and he's ready for tomorrow.
Eddie Howe said it's great you're back and that you're an unbelievable manager, do you think he's ready to step up to a bigger club than Bournemouth?
First of all I thank him for his words. Secondly I think obviously yes. What he did, come to Bournemouth, to the Premier League. Lots of people, including myself, we would think that the club would struggle to stay in the division. One year, two years, three, it's not just about staying, it's about staying and staying in a solid way and playing good football, competing against the top teams. So Eddie now is not just a manager who occasionally coached in the Premier League. He is a Premier League manager by his own right.
So with all the respect to Bournemouth, fantastic club that is also a Premier League club in its own right, one day Eddie has to go and to go for better.
Fans have been talking about a Dele Alli revival under you, is it too early to say that?
I think you have to speak with him because it was him not me. I don't play. I don't fight, I don't run. He is doing everything by himself. We just try to give him the right conditions to feel well to do that. I have to say, two fantastic performances. He will not be the man of the match every game, he will have some matches where he will not play as well as he did in these two.
He has to keep a certain base, a certain platform of performance where he is never going below that, so let's keep that base as the objective. Fantastic player, young, with all the conditions to develop, so I think a bright future and we just want to help him to reach his levels and maintain these levels.
Was he one of the players you identified as wanting to get more out of him from watching Spurs?
No, it's not just me, I think also you and everybody in the room. We saw Dele conquering the Premier League, arriving from MK Dons and immediately performing, not just for the club but the national team. He had immediately a big impact and we know that in the last months it was not him. Why? It's not for me to say. Probably a mixture of different factors including a couple of small injuries, which always disturb. We know we need to take care of him. We know that there is still from the physical point of view some fragility that can in any moment arrive, but we need to take care of him because he's such an important player for us.
There are so many managers being sacked or under pressure like Silva, Pellegrini, it feels like every week we could be asking you about another managerial change. What are your thoughts on that?
I hope not. I think you have so many great things to speak about I don't think we need to speak about eventual people in trouble. You never know when people are in trouble. I think we should let everybody work until the last day, everybody to be calm and give their best until the last day. There is always a last day for everybody.
When the last day arrives then it's time to think and analyse the situation and speak about possible replacements, but people are in a job. I believe that Marco [Silva], Pellegrini, the ones you are mentioning, they can win tomorrow. They can change the perception of things.
It's also magnificent when you see, for example, Brighton giving an incredible contract to the manager and showing in November an incredible trust that this is the guy for the future. We give him X years of contract. That is also the other part of the job. He knows that he's going to be in that club for many years and he can work in that direction. So that's also good news.
We know that football is very hard for us but we also have these great examples of clubs and people with great conditions to work.
You said supporters had mixed feelings about Tuesday, do you mean about the game or you?
I am nobody. About the result. They were not there because of me. They go there even if the manager is someone they don't even know the name of. They go there for that club. They are Tottenham supporters from probably the day they were born. It is not about me, it is not about Mauricio. Mixed feelings of going there and seeing the team start really bad and in a difficult position, they were probably think, 'Wow, we have to go to Munich and win in the last day'. Then of course the positive feelings of such strong second half. Then they were upset when the game finished because 10 more minutes and the game would have been five or six.
Might it take time for fans to feel the love because of your Chelsea connections?
Again, it is not about me, it the club, their club. Their feeling towards me is not important, the only thing that is important in relation to me is that they know that I give everything I have for this club and this is the only club that matters to me. It's not my past, it's my present and my future.
It was not me, it was everybody at the club, it was a big shock for us at the time. Very sweet kid, fantastic young professional and when we had news, everybody was in shock, but I think the first one to motivate everyone at United was him.
I think he was the one that motivated all of us. Lots of people, including myself we tried to hide tears when we knew it, he was the one who motivated everyone, he was the one who was feeling strong, he was the one who was ready for this fight so that's amazing, amazing, amazing news for the club and for all of us connected to him.
You know he won the biggest match of his career, so everybody is happy. It is an amazing story and maybe an inspiration for other young people who will find a similar situation so absolutely beautiful and the fact that Ole and the staff at the club, they helped him arrive in this beautiful situation, apart from obviously the medical situation, the support situation they offered him, they deserve to earn that opportunity it's amazing.
Callum Hynes, the ballboy from Tuesday night, will he get a chance to meet the players?
He is coming for lunch, for a pre-match meal with the boys [on Saturday]. Happy days for the kid and hopefully we gave him amazing memories for the rest of his life, so beautiful for him.
What did you make of the sacking of Unai Emery?
It's always sad news. I felt it as a kid when my dad was sacked as a manager, I felt it myself when I have been sacked previously. There's not one single manager sacked that I'm happy with. I always feel a deja vu situation. So I'm sad for it but that's life. Unai is a fantastic coach, not happy at Arsenal obviously but a fantastic coach with a proven record. Little bit of a rest and another big club will come for him and his career will be back on track. So no dramas mi amigo keep going and you will get another club.
Would you have been interested in the Arsenal job?
No point to tell it. Didn't happen. Happened now. I'm so happy here that I couldn't even think about the possibility to go to another place. You can put now in front of me any club in the world, I would not move.
Were you surprised at Emery's departure?
One and a half seasons right? I cannot comment on it. I don't know the feelings, if Unai was even himself happy to leave. I just can't say. I'm always disappointed when a manager goes, even when I was waiting for a job, even when I need somebody to get sacked for me to eventually be a possibility, it's not something that I enjoy. In football and in life, when I hear about factories closing or people being made redundant, this kind of story, I'm never happy.
Eric Dier, do you see him as a central midfielder or a centre-back going forward?
Both. He can be both. He's a good player, an intelligent guy, loves Tottenham, we love him. As I was saying, it's a decision for the team. It was a decision the team needs at the time and he's one of the guys who easily understands that meaning. For him, the team is everything and you find sometimes in football some players when they are more important than the team. It's about them, them, them and when they remember there is a team. Eric is not that. Eric is about team, team, team. He understood and he's ready for tomorrow.
Eddie Howe said it's great you're back and that you're an unbelievable manager, do you think he's ready to step up to a bigger club than Bournemouth?
First of all I thank him for his words. Secondly I think obviously yes. What he did, come to Bournemouth, to the Premier League. Lots of people, including myself, we would think that the club would struggle to stay in the division. One year, two years, three, it's not just about staying, it's about staying and staying in a solid way and playing good football, competing against the top teams. So Eddie now is not just a manager who occasionally coached in the Premier League. He is a Premier League manager by his own right.
So with all the respect to Bournemouth, fantastic club that is also a Premier League club in its own right, one day Eddie has to go and to go for better.
Fans have been talking about a Dele Alli revival under you, is it too early to say that?
I think you have to speak with him because it was him not me. I don't play. I don't fight, I don't run. He is doing everything by himself. We just try to give him the right conditions to feel well to do that. I have to say, two fantastic performances. He will not be the man of the match every game, he will have some matches where he will not play as well as he did in these two.
He has to keep a certain base, a certain platform of performance where he is never going below that, so let's keep that base as the objective. Fantastic player, young, with all the conditions to develop, so I think a bright future and we just want to help him to reach his levels and maintain these levels.
Was he one of the players you identified as wanting to get more out of him from watching Spurs?
No, it's not just me, I think also you and everybody in the room. We saw Dele conquering the Premier League, arriving from MK Dons and immediately performing, not just for the club but the national team. He had immediately a big impact and we know that in the last months it was not him. Why? It's not for me to say. Probably a mixture of different factors including a couple of small injuries, which always disturb. We know we need to take care of him. We know that there is still from the physical point of view some fragility that can in any moment arrive, but we need to take care of him because he's such an important player for us.
There are so many managers being sacked or under pressure like Silva, Pellegrini, it feels like every week we could be asking you about another managerial change. What are your thoughts on that?
I hope not. I think you have so many great things to speak about I don't think we need to speak about eventual people in trouble. You never know when people are in trouble. I think we should let everybody work until the last day, everybody to be calm and give their best until the last day. There is always a last day for everybody.
When the last day arrives then it's time to think and analyse the situation and speak about possible replacements, but people are in a job. I believe that Marco [Silva], Pellegrini, the ones you are mentioning, they can win tomorrow. They can change the perception of things.
It's also magnificent when you see, for example, Brighton giving an incredible contract to the manager and showing in November an incredible trust that this is the guy for the future. We give him X years of contract. That is also the other part of the job. He knows that he's going to be in that club for many years and he can work in that direction. So that's also good news.
We know that football is very hard for us but we also have these great examples of clubs and people with great conditions to work.
You said supporters had mixed feelings about Tuesday, do you mean about the game or you?
I am nobody. About the result. They were not there because of me. They go there even if the manager is someone they don't even know the name of. They go there for that club. They are Tottenham supporters from probably the day they were born. It is not about me, it is not about Mauricio. Mixed feelings of going there and seeing the team start really bad and in a difficult position, they were probably think, 'Wow, we have to go to Munich and win in the last day'. Then of course the positive feelings of such strong second half. Then they were upset when the game finished because 10 more minutes and the game would have been five or six.
Might it take time for fans to feel the love because of your Chelsea connections?
Again, it is not about me, it the club, their club. Their feeling towards me is not important, the only thing that is important in relation to me is that they know that I give everything I have for this club and this is the only club that matters to me. It's not my past, it's my present and my future.
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
You didn't mention Ryan Sessegnon as a left-back option, do you see him as more of an attacking player?
In this moment, yes. I think Ryan is absolutely fantastic, I have known him since a kid in Fulham. When he comes to the first team in the Premier League it is different to the Championship. I think in this moment he is a winger on the left, can also play on the right, can learn progressively and even developing physically, which he is doing. Even last time I saw him and the first time I met him, when I came here he is already different physically.
I think Ryan can play as a left-back. probably the left-back in the last decade was Ashley Cole, in spite of him being from two enemy clubs, but he was fantastic. But Ryan has lots of similarities with Ashley, and he can learn how to defend. In the future I think he can be (a left-back) but in this moment he is not ready to play as a left-back.
Lo Celso and Ndombele were starting matches before your arrival, now they're not, is it a case of them having to earn your trust?
Not my trust. It is not about my trust and I know them very, very well. It is not like I don't know them, I know the qualities they have, I know why the club bought them, I know what the club saw in them. I think good buys. I think good decisions and of course they will play with me. I always think that people who come from abroad, from different leagues need more time to adapt to the Premier League, but great potential and I am more than happy to have them.
What do you make of Serge Aurier and what is Victor Wanyama's situation right now?
Serge has to be very offensive, that is his nature as a player, that is the best qualities he has so he must have the freedom I am giving him to go forward because he can hurt opponents, he can break the balance of defensive teams and I think he has conditions to evolve.
I know how good Victor is, I know he is not playing lately. Of course when you don't play regularly you lose a little bit of that match condition. He is fit, he is fine, he has no physical problems at all. But one thing is to be fit and another is to be match fitness, match intensity, match pace.
He needs to play and in this moment, in this phase - me just arriving and trying to organise a team and trying to a few good results - it is difficult to bring him to the team a player in this situation. The ideal situation was for him to play and then when he plays he will be back to what Victor is and Victor is a very good player.
Have any players surprised you when you have seen them up close?
No, I have always said. People can say he is not Tottenham coach and he is speaking very well about them. How many years have I spoken well about Tottenham and the players? I like the squad and I like the players and I know them. I am in the Premier League now six or seven years in a row, I know them all very, very well. I am learning now about the younger ones. The ones that I didn’t know very, very well. (Troy) Parrott, (Japhet) Tanganga, (Oliver) Skipp. The ones that didn't play very much in the Premier League are the ones that I am trying to learn as well as the ones that are in youth football.
In this moment, yes. I think Ryan is absolutely fantastic, I have known him since a kid in Fulham. When he comes to the first team in the Premier League it is different to the Championship. I think in this moment he is a winger on the left, can also play on the right, can learn progressively and even developing physically, which he is doing. Even last time I saw him and the first time I met him, when I came here he is already different physically.
I think Ryan can play as a left-back. probably the left-back in the last decade was Ashley Cole, in spite of him being from two enemy clubs, but he was fantastic. But Ryan has lots of similarities with Ashley, and he can learn how to defend. In the future I think he can be (a left-back) but in this moment he is not ready to play as a left-back.
Lo Celso and Ndombele were starting matches before your arrival, now they're not, is it a case of them having to earn your trust?
Not my trust. It is not about my trust and I know them very, very well. It is not like I don't know them, I know the qualities they have, I know why the club bought them, I know what the club saw in them. I think good buys. I think good decisions and of course they will play with me. I always think that people who come from abroad, from different leagues need more time to adapt to the Premier League, but great potential and I am more than happy to have them.
What do you make of Serge Aurier and what is Victor Wanyama's situation right now?
Serge has to be very offensive, that is his nature as a player, that is the best qualities he has so he must have the freedom I am giving him to go forward because he can hurt opponents, he can break the balance of defensive teams and I think he has conditions to evolve.
I know how good Victor is, I know he is not playing lately. Of course when you don't play regularly you lose a little bit of that match condition. He is fit, he is fine, he has no physical problems at all. But one thing is to be fit and another is to be match fitness, match intensity, match pace.
He needs to play and in this moment, in this phase - me just arriving and trying to organise a team and trying to a few good results - it is difficult to bring him to the team a player in this situation. The ideal situation was for him to play and then when he plays he will be back to what Victor is and Victor is a very good player.
Have any players surprised you when you have seen them up close?
No, I have always said. People can say he is not Tottenham coach and he is speaking very well about them. How many years have I spoken well about Tottenham and the players? I like the squad and I like the players and I know them. I am in the Premier League now six or seven years in a row, I know them all very, very well. I am learning now about the younger ones. The ones that I didn’t know very, very well. (Troy) Parrott, (Japhet) Tanganga, (Oliver) Skipp. The ones that didn't play very much in the Premier League are the ones that I am trying to learn as well as the ones that are in youth football.
SpurMeUp
Jimmy Cantrell
With Mourinho so positive about so many players, we suddenly have a massive squad!
Wanyama, Ndombele, Skipp etc etc.
It should give confidence to push the first team in big games - knowing there are many hungry players behind them. For our least well-covered position, you could even make a case for Parrott being an exciting back for Kane. In reality, it would more likely be Son covering Kane, with Parrott on the bench. Excited for the Xmas period. We have a manager who's pleased to be working again, and a large squad of talented players.
Wanyama, Ndombele, Skipp etc etc.
It should give confidence to push the first team in big games - knowing there are many hungry players behind them. For our least well-covered position, you could even make a case for Parrott being an exciting back for Kane. In reality, it would more likely be Son covering Kane, with Parrott on the bench. Excited for the Xmas period. We have a manager who's pleased to be working again, and a large squad of talented players.
milo
Jack L. Jones
We switched to 4-4-2 when Sissoko came on against Olympiakos. Mourinho has so far started with one wide forward (Son) and one tucked in on the right when we become a 3-2-4-1 in attack with Aurier wide right. With you picking Lo Celso on the left, we have no obvious width on that side and a significantly reduced goal threat on the right. I don't see him doing that.
I think that he'll primarily use Sissoko to see out games.
SpurMeUp
Jimmy Cantrell
It is surprising how changing the manager - a loved one at that - has lifted Spurs. All the fans are so much more enthused. And it must be the same for the players. Mourinho has his critics, but he's had a positive effect. I know those who still doubt him worry about the long term, when the mood changes. But... @ShipOfGoldblum and others enjoy the ride! Half of football is the soap opera. We have that a hit show, to be aired next year!