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Mauricio Pochettino - Sacked

Spur of the moment said:
Good point. And given the enormous sums the other 'big' clubs routinely spend on their squads compared to ourselves we don't do too badly either.

Our record against the rest of the 'Big Six' in 2018 reads: W 5, D 1, L 5.
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'You win some...you lose some' shocker.

This thread is just a cut and paste job from some Chelsea forum last week.

Between the top 6 most games are quite hard to analyse..it could be the selection, subs, tactics but mainly it's just momentum, mindset from the get go and running around like men possessed.

Only City can play with a control that conquers all.

Liverpool got lucky yesterday because Everton showed up. They are the games when the result is big...deserving it when you don't deserve it.
 
SPURSBOY said:
Anyone else concerned with the amount of big games we lose when we have been winning?

3 x cup games last year

West ham 2-0 up at HT lose
Man Utd 1-0 up lose
Juve 1-0 up 30 mins to go lose

this year

Watford 1-0 up 20 to go lose
Inter Milan 1-0 up 5 mins to go lose
PSV 2-1 up 5 mins to go draw
ARSE 2-1 up HT lose

Is this a fitness thing, game managment thing by manager or players???
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It's no secret our defence is not as solid as it was a couple of years. We need two first choice full backs as we badly miss Walker and (a healthy) Rose. Centre midfield is also a problem which will hopefully get addressed in the January window.

Sissoko - not quite good enough despite his recent improved form.
Dier - good when on form / terrible when off form.
Dembele - Over the hill and always an injury concern.
Wanyama - Doesn't look like the same player anymore due to injuries
Winks - Probably the best of the lot but still young and learning, and also coming off long term injuries.

We address those three positions and it will go some way to improving our solidity at the back.
 
Legohamster said:
All reports say Toby was fit, so he was rotated.

It was an error by the manager, lets not pretend it wasnt.

Lamela gets it as a player, so I agree
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In your opinion it was an error, that, of course, doesn’t mean it was. As I said before Toby has not pulled up any trees this season. We had lost 3 times before yesterday and Alderweireld had played in all 3 of those. In the loss against Watford we had all 3 of our best central defenders playing in a back 3. So playing Alderweireld doesn’t mean a definate win.

Posters just want something to beat the manager with without knowing the facts behind the decision. I think the loss yesterday was more down to the intensity of our 2 games before, Arsenal were on it and took full advantage. That is why Poch tries to rotate the squad.

The positive from yesterday was that it re-ignited the passion of the NLD, banana skin aside, (that just makes me feel ashamed). Can’t wait for our next match and I am sure the players feel the same way.
 
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Jurgen the German said:
It's no secret our defence is not as solid as it was a couple of years. We need two first choice full backs as we badly miss Walker and (a healthy) Rose. Centre midfield is also a problem which will hopefully get addressed in the January window.

Sissoko - not quite good enough despite his recent improved form.
Dier - good when on form / terrible when off form.
Dembele - Over the hill and always an injury concern.
Wanyama - Doesn't look like the same player anymore due to injuries
Winks - Probably the best of the lot but still young and learning, and also coming off long term injuries.

We address those three positions and it will go some way to improving our solidity at the back.
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I still can't see how having a better midfield account for Verts trying to punch the ball, or Foyth not being able to pass the ball 3 yards...

Its basic errors that cost us so many times. Not enforced ones. Im ok with conceding a worldie or even just a good team goal but this year we have conceded so many basic goals, and a lot from set pieces
 
Jurgen the German said:
It's no secret our defence is not as solid as it was a couple of years. We need two first choice full backs as we badly miss Walker and (a healthy) Rose. Centre midfield is also a problem which will hopefully get addressed in the January window.

Sissoko - not quite good enough despite his recent improved form.
Dier - good when on form / terrible when off form.
Dembele - Over the hill and always an injury concern.
Wanyama - Doesn't look like the same player anymore due to injuries
Winks - Probably the best of the lot but still young and learning, and also coming off long term injuries.

We address those three positions and it will go some way to improving our solidity at the back.
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Mate, I agree with most of that and we definately need to bring in at least one defensive midfielder while also moving on Dembele and Wanyama, much as I love the former. I think Sissoko is good enough and offers breaking at Pace from deep which our other midfielders do not. We have seen how effective that can be. Tbh I was surprised that he played from the start yesterday given that he has played a lot of games recently. Perhaps Poch believes he brings the best out of Aurier.
 
Robspur12 said:
Posters just want something to beat the manager with without knowing the facts behind the decision. I think the loss yesterday was more down to the intensity of our 2 games before, Arsenal were on it and took full advantage. That is why Poch tries to rotate the squad.

The positive from yesterday was that it re-ignited the passion of the NLD, banana skin aside, (that just makes me feel ashamed). Can’t wait for our next match and I am sure the players feel the same way.
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Agree whole heartedly. That game mattered to them which shows how we have progressed. We looked jaded and tired but we won't have that issue again IMO
 
Bedfordspurs said:
I still can't see how having a better midfield account for Verts trying to punch the ball, or Foyth not being able to pass the ball 3 yards...

Its basic errors that cost us so many times. Not enforced ones. Im ok with conceding a worldie or even just a good team goal but this year we have conceded so many basic goals, and a lot from set pieces
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True but we're not as good in centre midfield as we were with a fit healthy Dembele and Wanyama. Our defence has looked all over the place compared to previous seasons.
 
Many of you will know my views on our summer (in) activity in the transfer market.

Let me play devil's advocate a bit here and put myself in Levy's shoes.

When looking at the last few windows you've bought:

Victor Wanyama - 14M
Georges-Kevin N'koudou - 11M
Vincent Janssen - 22M
Moussa Sissoko - 30M
Davinson Sanchez - 40M
Serge Aurier - 25M
Fernando Llorente - 15M
Juan Foyth - 13M
Lucas Moura - 25M

You look at the list and you then as Levy think:

a) that's 155M straight there, and a third of that on attacking players that when your manager NEEDS to use for rotation he barely does
b) 30 odd million on players the manager has effectively banished from the first team squad/training ground (effectively) since the first season they were brought in
c) variety of strikers/attackers but not much variety of attacking tactics (target men in squad but mostly no tactics played to utilise them)

Looking at it, being cautious, how does Levy know if he backs Poch to the tune of 50/60M on such players as NDombele, Martial, Zaha or that ilk, that they wont end up as unused/banished/mothballed assets? Particularly with Poch tendenecy to not make subs when we NEED them in crucial games against our top 6 competititors and NOT integrate squad players, especially attacking ones (how many minutes did/does he give to the likes of Janssen or Llorente when the agme is won at 70 mins to try and get the squad used to playing with and the varying of tactics that goes with that? Remember how many times in 2016/17 we were 4-0 up with 25 mins or so to go and he still didn't bring on Janssen for Kane??)


Looking at our team/squad, it is basically only really functioning at best when the same 13/14 players who the basis of our third placed finish in 2015/16 are being played. If you are Levy, seeing that pattern and the lack of substitutions/integration overall of new signijngs since then, would you also be hesitant to spend 60/70 million on a player who should on paper increase the squad options but who barely gets played even when it's clear the first 13/14 need rotation etc?
 
StephenH said:
No, it's football.
What bothers is we were all over the place from the first whistle.
We could not cope. That was a worry.
We looked scared and unnerved by the occasion which is strange.
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True to begin with.
But then we got it together, coped for a while, and then lost it again.
That's the mystifying part.
 
Jurgen the German said:
True but we're not as good in centre midfield as we were with a fit healthy Dembele and Wanyama. Our defence has looked all over the place compared to previous seasons.
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Our defence has been changed every game. And don't forget in previous seasons we weren't coming off the back of the WC where we had so many players still there which has effected our fitness
 
Jurgen the German said:
All true but I still think all of our options at CM besides Winks are either not good enough or not fit enough.
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Yet they dominated Chelseas much imperious and highly rated CM last week...

For me Dier/WInks works well but hasn't bene played much as a pairing due to Poch rotation and the recent emergence of Sissoko there. Yesterday I would have started WInks/Dier as sissoko has played every game lately

Seeing Torreira yesterday reminded me of vintage wanyama and thats an issue for us as we have no idea whats happening with him. Dembele is practically one now so we need to make some big calls. The only thing ill add is that if we were to bring in a new player would that hinder the development of Skipp who is massively rated by the club.
 
Bedfordspurs said:
Yet they dominated Chelseas much imperious and highly rated CM last week...

For me Dier/WInks works well but hasn't bene played much as a pairing due to Poch rotation and the recent emergence of Sissoko there. Yesterday I would have started WInks/Dier as sissoko has played every game lately

Seeing Torreira yesterday reminded me of vintage wanyama and thats an issue for us as we have no idea whats happening with him. Dembele is practically one now so we need to make some big calls. The only thing ill add is that if we were to bring in a new player would that hinder the development of Skipp who is massively rated by the club.
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Winks is the best in that position and all the others should be competing to play alongside him. Wanyama and Dembele look finished and I don't rate Dier or Sissoko highly enough for either to be starting IMO.
 
Jurgen the German said:
Winks is the best in that position and all the others should be competing to play alongside him. Wanyama and Dembele look finished and I don't rate Dier or Sissoko highly enough for either to be starting IMO.
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Loads don't rate Dier, and people are entitled to their opinions

Skip could make the step up next year potentially but we do need numbers there
 
Bedfordspurs said:
Loads don't rate Dier, and people are entitled to their opinions

Skip could make the step up next year potentially but we do need numbers there
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Personally would keep Winks, Dier and Sissoko and get rid of both Dembele and Wanyama who dont appear to have much to offer anymore.Focus on signing a CM with real class/quality (I know easier said than done with our restrictions but doable if we are clever about it) and either promote Skipp or sign a young CM with potential of the Foyth type age and quality....
 
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