****Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea****

[the dza]

Thanks gents. Overall, not a bad result.

 

[Yermiyahu]

Yep I will take that..especially after this weeks exertions....

It was Chel53a that needed the win...not that you could tell....

A previous Spurs side would have lost that but we defended well bar a few silly moments, I hope Mason is not to bad and it was good to see Lamela come on....
Got a week to prepare for a trip to the Hawthorns...I hope we turn it on......and put a hedgehog up Jeremy Peace's bottom.

Is that you Chich??

 

[thfcsteff]

Eh? We were tired, we missed a chance to be decisive, and we were a bit sloppy: if even that raises your heckles, then I have no words, mate.

Also, what about that statement is particularly untrue?

You spent a sentence on the positives and a paragraph on the 'negatives'.

 

[thfcsteff]

I think our best route to a goal today was set pieces... but Eriksen's corners and freekicks were woeful, hitting the first man in the chest rather than whipping into the centre.

Perhaps Eriksen needs to practice his set pieces at the pitch (with the steep slopes on the corners) rather than the training ground (flat run off area around the pitch).

Interesting. I have to say, personally I agree with you...but I thought about our set-pieces, especially corners, and I wonder whether Poch was concerned that without Alli we could get caught on a break?

 

[SpurMeUp]

Was hoping for the win, but given the fact that Chel53a has come into a bit of form lately, we had that midweek fixture in Farawaystan, and were missing our most energetic midfielder in Alli, a draw wasn't a terrible result. And it's not like we slipped down to the bottom of the table. No matter what happens in the scum game later, we're still 4 points from the top. In years past we'd be happy to be 4 points from 4th.

That said, though, the lads did look a bit knackered in the end. And we have to start winning more fouls near the opposition's goal. With such a threat in Eriksen, it's something we should probably try to take advantage of more.

Long way to go still and if we perform like we did against West Ham in our last 5 fixtures of the first half of the season I'll be super happy. Here's to everyone staying healthy and hoping Mason's injury is nothing serious.

COYS!

Agree with this. We wanted the win but after landing back in London on Friday, and a tough away game, a draw was okay. That seems to be a common statement this season when we've edged games and drawn. How many of our 6 PL draws have come after a midweek game? Even if we weren't physically too tired, we didn't look mentally as strong and prepared as we can when we have more time to prepare. Rose and Walker not any better than the rest despite having the week off.

True we could make more of challenges a la Chelsea and win more free kicks. But overall I think we're better sticking to our quick cute passing. The set pieces today were not effective, and you wanted us to play short instead and work the ball into shooting opportunities - which is how we did create chances today.

I desperately wanted us to win as we are good enough to be challenging the top. But in these tight games we haven't always got the goals. 6 wins, 6 draws (and just the one loss). Can the THFC management team unearth a talent who can come in mid-season, hit the ground running, and deliver10-15 goals? It might come from the current players - Eriksen, Njie, Lamela, Son - or a new signing. We certainly need a CF so hope we can secure a player who can contribute and help turn the draws into wins.

 

[thfcsteff]

We lost our intent today when Mason went off

I think the first-half bookings on our FBs hurt us the most...but yes, when mason went off it forced Dembele to sit deeper.

 

[The_Midlands_Yid]

Overall, it was a match between a tired team and a team who were desperate not to lose. So, unsurprisingly, we ended up with a 0-0 draw. For what its worth, we were still the better team. Better chances etc etc. But we weren't good. Chel53a looked no better than they have been playing to best honest. No confidence, just desperate to not lose. Not to fussed about today's result, yes i would have loved 3 points, but this result wont effect us in the long run. We are strong, we are confident and we will keep going. COYS.

 

[Yermiyahu]

Given that we were missing Ali and that Mason went off injured , I thought we did fine , against a team who came set up not to lose. Think about it, this was a team who I regularly watched shove it up us over the past twenty years, the reigning champions and they came with a game plan of not conceding and trying to nick an away goal. The kind of set up they have had when they have been to Old Trafford and Anfield in seasons past. Some better finishing and we would have done them. All in all, and taking into account the tiredness from a trip to Azerberjan I'm not unhappy with the performance.

 

[Bullet]

Well I just watched the half time highlights for Liverpool* vs Sawnsea

There weren't any.

Dreadful. Makes us look like Brasil. M

*the worlds finest team ever ever ever

 

[DubaiSpur]

You spent a sentence on the positives and a paragraph on the 'negatives'.

'The positives are that it's a draw, that is, the gaining of one point by preventing the opponent scoring more than you but failing to outscore them: additionally, that it keeps us unbeaten, where 'unbeaten' can be understood to mean 'undefeated by any opposition team over the course of multiple ninety-minute games over a certain period'.... and, beyond that, that's it's a hard run of games out of the way, where we faced many tough teams with better or on-par players and staff but emerged at the end of it ready to face many lower teams with inferior players and staff'.

I could make it a thesis statement if you'd like, steff. Long years at university have given me that skill. Either way, that objection isn't particularly relevant: I describe the negatives more floridly than I describe the positives, which takes up more space, but doesn't indicate a preference for one or the other. I could equally have said 'the negatives are that we're still being bummed by the Europa League, and we're still not good enough to aspire to the top', but that doesn't convey what I'm trying to indicate.

 

[DubaiSpur]

I wouldn't say we fluffed it at all. We didn't play well because Chel53a spoiled the game and had 10 men behind the ball at pretty much all times. If Chel53a played like this all season, they would not be where they are. This was a dangerous game for us, the cards were stacked against us and we came through. Between now and the end of the season there are not going to be many teams that will kill off Chel53a.

I do think we were lacking a bit of zip and I was disappointed with that, but it is completely understandable given the run of games that we've had. This would be a game that a number of teams would have lost but we didn't. We now have a week till the next game, time to recharge but most importantly we have a run of games where I really do think we will do very well. We were epic over the christmas period last year, and I believe we will do the same this season. Keep focusing on the positives Dubai

Like I said, it's understandable why we looked leggy today: we took the team to Qarabag, and seeing how close that game was, it's hard to say that it was a bad decision. However, we paid for it today, and three points here could have ended Chelsea's season and catapulted us into the top four with renewed vigour. Hence, it's an opportunity we missed: understandable why we did, but we did, and it's important not to overlook that. Chelsea played well, but we should expect all our rivals to up their game against us, and they duly did. It wasn't actually that long ago that we were considered the ideal team for any club lacking form to come up against: good run or bad, we'd gift them the points and confidence they needed. To our credit, we've erased that to a certain extent this season, but that doesn't mean that clubs won't still try to up their game against us, considering us the 'winnable' fixture amidst the other top five/six. We need to be prepared for that. Hopefully, over the coming easier run, we will be.

 

[thfcsteff]

'The positives are that it's a draw, that is, the gaining of one point by preventing the opponent scoring more than you but failing to outscore them: additionally, that it keeps us unbeaten, where 'unbeaten' can be understood to mean 'undefeated by any opposition team over the course of multiple ninety-minute games over a certain period'.... and, beyond that, that's it's a hard run of games out of the way, where we faced many tough teams with better or on-par players and staff but emerged at the end of it ready to face many lower teams with inferior players and staff'.

I could make it a thesis statement if you'd like, steff. Long years at university have given me that skill. Either way, that objection isn't particularly relevant: I describe the negatives more floridly than I describe the positives, which takes up more space, but doesn't indicate a preference for one or the other. I could equally have said 'the negatives are that we're still being bummed by the Europa League, and we're still not good enough to aspire to the top', but that doesn't convey what I'm trying to indicate.

Whatever mate.
Sorry for getting in the way.
Carry on.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

Like I said, it's understandable why we looked leggy today: we took the team to Qarabag, and seeing how close that game was, it's hard to say that it was a bad decision. However, we paid for it today, and three points here could have ended Chel53a's season and catapulted us into the top four with renewed vigour. Hence, it's an opportunity we missed: understandable why we did, but we did, and it's important not to overlook that. Chel53a played well, but we should expect all our rivals to up their game against us, and they duly did. It wasn't actually that long ago that we were considered the ideal team for any club lacking form to come up against: good run or bad, we'd gift them the points and confidence they needed. To our credit, we've erased that to a certain extent this season, but that doesn't mean that clubs won't still try to up their game against us, considering us the 'winnable' fixture amidst the other top five/six. We need to be prepared for that. Hopefully, over the coming easier run, we will be.

I'm actually of the opposite opinion. I think we do overlook that as it is just a fixture anomaly that will happen as we are involved in the Europa League when compared to others. We are trying to win every game, and I don't think any team will ever be able to demand/expect a victory against Chelsea. Resting players against Quarabag could easily have resulted in a loss with no difference to the Chelsea result. The rest didn't seem to do Rose or Walker any good. They seemed just as tired to me as some of our other players.

And you're right, it is to our credit that we've erased the fact that we are the ideal team for any club lacking form to come up against. This is progress and one I am especially happy to see.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Whatever mate.
Sorry for getting in the way.
Carry on.

Danke, steff. Might I suggest that light criticism of the performances of the team is sometimes necessary, and that wolfishly jumping on it whenever it appears might not be helpful? Especially when innocuous statements like 'the EL continues to be a problem' and 'we're not a top team yet' evoke such defensive reactions.

 

[Daisuk]

+ Our first clean sheet for a while in the league.
+ Thought we did splendid in our pressing work again today, worked our socks off, despite having played only 72 hours prior
+ Dembele was a beast again, give the guy a new contract, ffs!
+ Son showed real promise, I thought, too bad he couldn't put away one of his chances - but the chance he created with Lamela in the second half - quality!
+ Great movement off the ball from our front men, I thought we created quite a bit of space for ourselves by being clever with our movement, especially in the first half.

- A few too many brain farts defensively - thankfully we worked like a team, and rectified our mistakes every time, which was a huge positive!

Overall another good game by us, I thought. A bit disappointed by the result, but keep in mind that this was probably the best match Chelsea has had all season. They're back to their old selves, and they're certainly no pushover.

 

[thfcsteff]

Danke, steff. Might I suggest that light criticism of the performances of the team is sometimes necessary, and that wolfishly jumping on it whenever it appears might not be helpful? Especially when innocuous statements like 'the EL continues to be a problem' and 'we're not a top team yet' evoke such defensive reactions.

Suggest away mate.

 

[DubaiSpur]

I'm actually of the opposite opinion. I think we do overlook that as it is just a fixture anomaly that will happen as we are involved in the Europa League when compared to others. We are trying to win every game, and I don't think any team will ever be able to demand/expect a victory against Chel53a. Resting players against Quarabag could easily have resulted in a loss with no difference to the Chel53a result. The rest didn't seem to do Rose or Walker any good. They seemed just as tired to me as some of our other players.

And you're right, it is to our credit that we've erased the fact that we are the ideal team for any club lacking form to come up against. This is progress and one I am especially happy to see.

Oh, no one's denying progress has been made. You're right that no one should demand or expect a victory against Chelsea, but considering their recent travails, our sparkling form and the absence of Terry and Costa, I'd say we had as good a chance as we're going to get this season of convincingly beating them. Steff (I think) made the point about Rose and Walker being somewhat sub-par despite not playing against Qarabag, and that's true: but equally, Toby and Jan's communication/ control mishaps, Kane's slowness, Eriksen's lightness when closing down and trying to challenge and Son's relatively poor decision-making on the ball and rushed shots speak of the Qarabag game coming back to haunt us to a (very) small extent. The frustrating thing is that I completely understand why we took everyone to the Qarabag game, and overall I'm well aware that we could be sitting here with two losses (against a surprisingly good Qarabag side and Chelsea regardless) had we played the U-18s there, instead of a win and a draw. Still...I'm thinking to the game at the Bridge, and I'm wondering if they'll be quite as fragile and easy to beat as they were going into this, good performance from them aside.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Suggest away mate.

Okay. Light criticism of the team is sometimes necessary, and wolfishly jumping on it whenever it appears isn't helpful.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

Oh, no one's denying progress has been made. You're right that no one should demand or expect a victory against Chel53a, but considering their recent travails, our sparkling form and the absence of Terry and Costa, I'd say we had as good a chance as we're going to get this season of convincingly beating them. Steff (I think) made the point about Rose and Walker being somewhat sub-par despite not playing against Qarabag, and that's true: but equally, Toby and Jan's communication/ control mishaps, Kane's slowness, Eriksen's lightness when closing down and trying to challenge and Son's relatively poor decision-making on the ball and rushed shots speak of the Qarabag game coming back to haunt us to a (very) small extent. The frustrating thing is that I completely understand why we took everyone to the Qarabag game, and overall I'm well aware that we could be sitting here with two losses (against a surprisingly good Qarabag side and Chel53a regardless) had we played the U-18s there, instead of a win and a draw. Still...I'm thinking to the game at the Bridge, and I'm wondering if they'll be quite as fragile and easy to beat as they were going into this, good performance from them aside.

I think that's it, it is to a (very) small extent. I think the fact that Chelsea were so defensive is the main factor as to why we were unable to win today, not tiredness. The game at the Bridge is too difficult to call at this stage. They could easily have injuries to Willian, Hazard, Oscar, Costa and Cahill meaning it would be an even better time to play them. That is why I think Poch's approach of taking each game as it comes and securing qualification early is the right one.

I just think to expect anything more than 2 wins from 3 matches (WH, Quarabag and Chelsea) is unrealistic whatever the circumstances. Instead we should be pleased with the result. Sure things could have been done to get the 3 wins, but we don't live in that perfect world where perfection can be expected.

 

[thfcsteff]

I think that's it, it is to a (very) small extent. I think the fact that Chel53a were so defensive is the main factor as to why we were unable to win today, not tiredness. The game at the Bridge is too difficult to call at this stage. They could easily have injuries to Willian, Hazard, Oscar, Costa and Cahill meaning it would be an even better time to play them. That is why I think Poch's approach of taking each game as it comes and securing qualification early is the right one.

I just think to expect anything more than 2 wins from 3 matches (WH, Quarabag and Chel53a) is unrealistic whatever the circumstances. Instead we should be pleased with the result. Sure things could have been done to get the 3 wins, but we don't live in that perfect world where perfection can be expected.

Careful. This sort of logic and perspective can get you labelled around here.