*** OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Bayer 04 Leverkusen ***

[SpurMeUp]

What's upsetting is this is the CL you know you're up against a good team and have to perform. You also know Levekusen will come out and press the shi1 out of us. Yet like England at the Euros, we didn't rise to the challenge.

Passing passing passing. And movement. Both missing. So much of our setup is about closing down, we're not as hot as we need to be on passing and movement.

Poch has to teach the team how to beat the press with better passing and movement. Same applies to our attack.

 

[Dr Rosenrosen]

Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham manager: "If we see the stats, it was 50-50 in the chances that we created. If you don’t score in football it’s difficult to win. Two games in Wembley, Monaco and Leverkusen, they were clinical and we weren’t and for that we lose the game. We cannot blame Wembley again. Wembley for me was fantastic. I enjoy a lot to come here. We need to show more. We were poor again. We need to find more in ourselves. It was not just about Wembley. We need to be critical with our performance. We were the problem, not Wembley. We’re very disappointed because we cannot show our quality. We need to improve. We don’t have too much time to improve. The players are very disappointed now in the changing room. We must play better and show better quality. It’s true that the Champions League is tough and demands a lot of mental energy and physical energy. When you’re playing at that level, as a team we need to show more. I am very calm now."

Eric Dier, Tottenham defender: “It was very disappointing that we couldn’t score, not just me. We are all very disappointed and it leaves us in a difficult position now. We have to get back to work tomorrow and go again. If you want to be a big team you have to bounce back straight away so we have got to do that.”

Dele Alli, Tottenham midfielder: "I don’t think anyone can work out what is wrong. We are playing well but we have got to finish our chances and have got to keep going. Tottenham is a club looking to move forward. We have confidence in our ability. It is a matter of finishing off games and getting results. We are a young team but we expect ourselves to perform against anyone."

Roger Schmidt, Leverkusen coach: “We had a few situations in the first half that we could have used better. We knew Tottenham would have chances, but we stayed solid at the back. After going 1-0 up we had to defend a couple of sticky situations and generally we managed to keep them away from our goal. I think it was a deserved win. It was very special. The game really pleased me. You can always enjoy it when your team plays well and fights, and that’s what I saw. We showed real desire. To beat Spurs – who are yet to lose in the Premier League – is outstanding. The last game [in this group] will be decisive, our home game against Monaco. In the first four games, we’ve shown that we can finish in the top two. With the win away here at Tottenham, we’ve shown what we can do. We need to keep believing."

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2017/matches/round=2000783/match=2019339/index.html

 

[Kandi1977]

What did Janssen do wrong? He had no service

He should have had a stone wall penalty! Obviously his fault it wasn't given

 

[mjc23]

White Hart Lane. There are grounds in the CL with lower capacities

I understood that it didn't meet uefa requirements or am I mistaken?

 

[ringo]

"If we see the stats, it was 50-50 in the chances that we created. If you don’t score in football it’s difficult to win."

For me that is a worrying comment. There was lot more wrong with our performance than the failure to convert chances. Despite the injury list, Poch could have set the team up better tonight, and made changes during the game that improved our performance, but I think he was indecisive and short of ideas.

 

[AuroRaman]

Still on my way home. That's all, really....


Sitting on my porcelain throne using Fapatalk

 

[Dr Rosenrosen]

1. 
   Tottenham Hotspur ‏@SpursOfficial 40m40 minutes ago
   Mauricio: "We need to be critical of ourselves. The only way to change it is to work hard and to analyse it to fix it."
   
   
2. Tottenham Hotspur ‏@SpursOfficial 41m41 minutes ago
   Mauricio: "We didn't have energy and weren't aggressive. The players are very disappointed. Now we need to lift them."
   
   
   
   
3. 
   Tottenham Hotspur ‏@SpursOfficial 41m41 minutes ago
   Mauricio: "We were poor and it was a bad result. There's no excuse - it wasn't the pitch and it wasn't Wembley."
   

 

[ringo]

We are also missing dembele's "drive through the press." We struggle against any team that presses us at the moment. Wanyama is a defensive beast but he doesn't drive forward as well as the moose. We will struggle with Kane, Toby and moose out. They are essentially our spine. Those 3 played most games last season and we were very good as a result.

Last year Dier was one of the players of the season, and part of our spine. He was praised from many quarters, including by other managers and players, and earned himself a place in the England team. Yet this season he is not good enough to play DM regularly apparently. I don't think his absence from DM and our poor performances are a coincidence.

 

[Bullet]

Don't act all surprised guys. We've been blunt for weeks. I would be far more surprised if we had put together cohesive passing movements and scored 3.

 

[billyiddo]

Some gonad*s been posted in here

 

[Jordinho]

"If we see the stats, it was 50-50 in the chances that we created. If you don’t score in football it’s difficult to win."

For me that is a worrying comment. There was lot more wrong with our performance than the failure to convert chances. Despite the injury list, Poch could have set the team up better tonight, and made changes during the game that improved our performance, but I think he was indecisive and short of ideas.

His quotes from BT were a little different:

“We were poor. I have nothing to say about Wembley, we were poor,” Pochettino told BT Sport.

“If we analyse the game we created the same number of chances and have more possession but the feeling was always that is was difficult to score.

“We don’t have the freedom to play and show real quality. After two games at Wembley, both have been poor. It is not an excuse, it is the truth.

“Mousa Dembele is an important player for us but it (his first-half injury) is not an excuse. He twisted his ankle and cannot continue in the game.

“We need to improve and change some things. We are in a bad moment. After Emirates Marketing Project we don’t win and we need to be critical and find answers.”

 

[ringo]

His quotes from BT were a little different:

“We were poor. I have nothing to say about Wembley, we were poor,” Pochettino told BT Sport.

“If we analyse the game we created the same number of chances and have more possession but the feeling was always that is was difficult to score.

“We don’t have the freedom to play and show real quality. After two games at Wembley, both have been poor. It is not an excuse, it is the truth.

“Mousa Dembele is an important player for us but it (his first-half injury) is not an excuse. He twisted his ankle and cannot continue in the game.

“We need to improve and change some things. We are in a bad moment. After Emirates Marketing Project we don’t win and we need to be critical and find answers.”

Still concerning nevertheless. Phrases like.. "we need to be critical and find answers." I would hope he has some idea of what those answers were, as he has had a bit of time to think about it.

I think the problem may turn out to be a too narrow tactical outlook, an overreliance on the pressing game, an AVB-esque favouring of physical fitness and ability over football creativity, the lack of quality players in a few key areas. It's not that Poch is without talent -i just think he might be bit limited. I thought that when we played Poch's Southampton several seasons ago.

tonight for example, we played with a lot of width on a big pitch, which led to a disjointed feel to our performance. If Poch had just narrowed it up a bit, and pushed someone a little further forward to give whoever is lone forward some support, that would have been an improvement. and why not play a proven CB as CB, who was excellent as cover last season, instead of a very good DM who is currently sidelined for a Poch favourite from Southampton, who I believe is inferior overall.

 

[balesleftboot]

Throw the Europa and silverware year after year for the pursuit of the top 4 and the Champions League, only to produce utterly lacklustre performances and probably end up back in the Europa having finished 3rd in our group.

 

[ringo]

x

 

[balesleftboot]

Throw the Europa and silverware year after year for the pursuit of the top 4 and the Champions League, only to produce utterly lacklustre performances and probably end up back in the Europa having finished 3rd in our group.

 

[Kandi1977]

I don't know what's wrong, but it's painful to watch us now. Things change quickly in football, but atm we don't look like we could score from 5 inches, even if life depended on it! We don't create much, but we certainly don't have any sort of luck either. Based on the latest performances, it could be a really ugly result on Sunday. Not looking forward to it.

 

[balesleftboot]

Anyone else feeling underwhelmed by the whole CL experience? Games only available on BT, poor viewing figures. No real home matches. All been a bit of a bore.

 

[jabbathehut]

Totally agree. I think we have to start questioning whether the Poch prepares them well for big games. Is he a winner? Does he instill a winners mentality? What medals has he won as a manager? Are we over-trained? Are we under rehearsed in basics like corners? Do we have a plan b? Are his substitutions effective. Every time we have a big, 'must win' game, we have capitulated - in some cases like Saudi Sportswashing Machine last season, completely impotently. Were his purchases what we really needed? Sissoko looks a shocking buy.

Some crucial questions there. Poch had better find some answers and quickly. Sunday would be a good place to start.

I would add are these contract extensions taking away some of the incentive for the players.

 

[jabbathehut]

Anyone else feeling underwhelmed by the whole CL experience? Games only available on BT, poor viewing figures. No real home matches. All been a bit of a bore.

Yes it all felt a bit wrong.No comparison to the CL games at WHL a few years ago.I'd rather we play in MK or a similar type of stadium next season even if it means lots won't be able to go regularly.

 

[paxtonwolf]

Yes it all felt a bit wrong.No comparison to the CL games at WHL a few years ago.I'd rather we play in MK or a similar type of stadium next season even if it means lots won't be able to go regularly.

That would be no good for the business, wont happen. Football comes second

 

[lurker of old]

don't think his absence from DM and our poor performances are a coincidence.
Agree. Dier's passing, while not at the Carrick level, is really handy in a DM.

 

[Rorschach]

Anyone else feeling underwhelmed by the whole CL experience? Games only available on BT, poor viewing figures. No real home matches. All been a bit of a bore.

It would feel a lot better if we were winning.