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OMT - Tottenham Hotspur v aston villa

Not surprisingly, Andros Townsend get the Man of the Match Award today.

October 2013 is going to be a month the lad won't forget in a hurry.

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SUIYHA said:
IMO - a mediocre performance with a few positives to take.

Yes, Villa hardly had a shot on goal, but that was more due to their wayward finishing of their players hitting things that should have gone into the back of the net into row Z. We could easily have gone a goal down in the first half. And if that were the case, I very much doubt they'd have stopped doubling up on Townsend and committed men forward, which was what gave us the space to hit them on the counter in the second half.

A problem I have with AVB is that he has the right overall idea and philosophy about the way the team should play, but regularly fails to use players in a combination that makes the system work. When we play Sigurdsson and Vertonghen on the left, we don't have a real wide threat from that side. That means teams know they can double up on Townsend and we'll struggle to find space as we'll be playing narrowly. This can only be avoided if we either have a really dynamic dribbling forward type up front, which Soldado isn't. The other problem with doing this is that one of Paulinho's best attributes is making well timed, late runs into the box in space to score, but if we're playing too narrow it becomes much harder for him to do so. No co-incidence that, as soon as Lennon came on and we stretched the play a bit more, he got the space he needed to set up Soldado. We need to adapt our shape, formation and personnel depending on who we're playing - we got away with it today but against West Ham we got spanked because we got the tactics very wrong.

Positives - An immense performance from the best defensive midfielder in the Premiership, great to have him back in the side. Dawson good in the air and Chiriches also very solid too. When they started committing men forward and we could hit them on the counter, Townsend was very good and Soldado's goal was superbly taken, great to have that "open play" monkey off his back (nobody make any Townsend jokes). We have equalled our best ever Premier League start and the team hasn't fully clicked yet, which is good to see. Now looking forward to a response from Eriksen, Dembele and Lamela who have been left out.
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We rarely agree mate, this I know, but I'm sorry, I have to call you out on the bold passage.

The first priority away from home, especially when you're coming off the back of a shock defeat and especially when you know the other team are going to try and bore you off the park in the most undignified of fashions, is to be solid. How on earth you can question moving Verts to LB and dropping Naughton is beyond me. Obviously he would like to have Rose back, but without Rose, it is an area where we are short. Today, knowing that Verts would not get tested much for pace by a side who put 11 men in their own half, he went for solidity. Of COURSE Lennon coming on opened the game up, and of course AVB knew that would happen, which is why he, err, put him on, right? As for your comment about AVB regularly failing to use the players in a system that works, you should re-read your penultimate sentence. I'll say this; if the man 'regularly fails to use the players in a system that works' then I cannot ****ing wait to see him 'regularly' get it right.

BTW, how many clean sheets this season?
 
Do we think Eriksen will play the next league game? Don't change a winning team is a mantra I usually agree with but I really thought Holtby would take this opportunity today and do better. For me Eriksen has to start against Hull.
 
Jurgen the German said:
Do we think Eriksen will play the next league game? Don't change a winning team is a mantra I usually agree with but I really thought Holtby would take this opportunity today and do better. For me Eriksen has to start against Hull.
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Could see it go either way.

In a way a little bit similar to the Defoe-Soldado situation where today Holtby showed that without the space and lower quality opposition of the EL he found himself facing a lot of the same problems that Eriksen has faced in some of his less impressive looking league games.

I would go for Eriksen personally, but really not much in it. Townsend for me is the only one of that attacking midfield trio that is guaranteed a start against Hull if fit, could see the other two spots go to any two of Eriksen, Holtby, Lamela, Lennon, Chadli or Sig and honestly I would probably be happy with any two of those.
 
Just back from Villa Park.

Over the moon with the win, naturally.

The rain stopped just as we got to our seats, knew that was going to be a good sign,
First half was pretty poor from both teams, second half we stepped it up.
Great to see Sandro back, has to start ahead of Dembele, such a presence on the pitch.
Good to see Soldado bag a goal
and another good performance from Townsend. Loved hearing the fans signing 'He was born to play for Spurs'

Back in the hunt, but still a lot of improvement to be made. We look a different side when we pass it quicker instead of the slow build-up play in the first half

West Ham defeat not quite out of the system, but by GHod that helped a lot today
 
Papercut said:
Can Azza play the inverted winger role though? I'm sure Arry tried it and it didn't work. Is Azza 2 footed enough?

I know in a perfect World we'd switch Andros to the left where he'd perform exactly the same and then we'd have the options of Azza and Lamela on the right but we shouldn't potentially break what isn't broken.

I really think that Ade in for Siggi at points might work.
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Several managers have tried it and he looks very poor there almost all the time. Because it's unnatural for him he seems to have to think about his game there rather than instinctively playing. Defensively on the right wing Lennon is very good at helping out his full back, but every time I've seen him on the left defensively he is terrible. He just stands there ball watching and tracks back far too late.

It's funny how certain players can play on one flank and not the other. Townsend is a left footed player who has always looked poor on the left when I've seen him, but put him on the right and he looks superb.
 
SUIYHA said:
IMO - a mediocre performance with a few positives to take.

Yes, Villa hardly had a shot on goal, but that was more due to their wayward finishing of their players hitting things that should have gone into the back of the net into row Z. We could easily have gone a goal down in the first half. And if that were the case, I very much doubt they'd have stopped doubling up on Townsend and committed men forward, which was what gave us the space to hit them on the counter in the second half.

A problem I have with AVB is that he has the right overall idea and philosophy about the way the team should play, but regularly fails to use players in a combination that makes the system work. When we play Sigurdsson and Vertonghen on the left, we don't have a real wide threat from that side. That means teams know they can double up on Townsend and we'll struggle to find space as we'll be playing narrowly. This can only be avoided if we either have a really dynamic dribbling forward type up front, which Soldado isn't. The other problem with doing this is that one of Paulinho's best attributes is making well timed, late runs into the box in space to score, but if we're playing too narrow it becomes much harder for him to do so. No co-incidence that, as soon as Lennon came on and we stretched the play a bit more, he got the space he needed to set up Soldado. We need to adapt our shape, formation and personnel depending on who we're playing - we got away with it today but against West Ham we got spanked because we got the tactics very wrong.

Positives - An immense performance from the best defensive midfielder in the Premiership, great to have him back in the side. Dawson good in the air and Chiriches also very solid too. When they started committing men forward and we could hit them on the counter, Townsend was very good and Soldado's goal was superbly taken, great to have that "open play" monkey off his back (nobody make any Townsend jokes). We have equalled our best ever Premier League start and the team hasn't fully clicked yet, which is good to see. Now looking forward to a response from Eriksen, Dembele and Lamela who have been left out.
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Agree with almost all of that. Sandro should have been playing ages ago. I don't subscribe to the theory that we were easing his way back in. In fact, I call bull**** on it. Hopefully now AVB will keep him in the side.

Despite playing poorly, we won a tricky away game and remained comfortable throughout. I am very happy with that. I wish we played more attractive football, but I've given up on that now under AVB and just hope that we can have moments like our second goal today where the players take it upon themselves to get forward and play one touch football in and around the area.
 
Jumpers said:
Several managers have tried it and he looks very poor there almost all the time. Because it's unnatural for him he seems to have to think about his game there rather than instinctively playing. Defensively on the right wing Lennon is very good at helping out his full back, but every time I've seen him on the left defensively he is terrible. He just stands there ball watching and tracks back far too late.

It's funny how certain players can play on one flank and not the other. Townsend is a left footed player who has always looked poor on the left when I've seen him, but put him on the right and he looks superb.
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Yeah I've noticed Lennon is good at tracking back. The way Townsend is playing I feel he would be comfortable on either wing, the fact that he's good on his right side makes it a nightmare for defenders, they don't know where he's going to go. He's very direct like Bale in a sense, give him the ball and he takes the pressure of the back four. I agree Lennon isn't a good option on the left.
 
I think with the inverted winger thing you have to have a good long range shot and Lennon doesn't have it where as Sigurdsson, Lamela,Townsend do and why I'm not sure he will fit into AVBs long term plans...
 
Jurgen the German said:
Yeah I've noticed Lennon is good at tracking back. The way Townsend is playing I feel he would be comfortable on either wing, the fact that he's good on his right side makes it a nightmare for defenders, they don't know where he's going to go. He's very direct like Bale in a sense, give him the ball and he takes the pressure of the back four. I agree Lennon isn't a good option on the left.
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I hope you're right about Townsend. As his confidence grows your speculation may end up proving to be true. I definitely think right now he is a far better right option than he would be on the left though.
 
Listened to the game in patches whilst driving back from a friend's child's baptism do.

From the bits I did hear it sounded like Townsend was having the game of his life and was putting in cross after cross after cross into very dangerous areas and quite often nobody in a white shirt in the box to connect onto it (with Soldado doing good link-up play outside the box - apart from his great-sounding goal of course).

Was this true?
 
glorygloryeze said:
Listened to the game in patches whilst driving back from a friend's child's baptism do.

From the bits I did hear it sounded like Townsend was having the game of his life and was putting in cross after cross after cross into very dangerous areas and quite often nobody in a white shirt in the box to connect onto it (with Soldado doing good link-up play outside the box - apart from his great-sounding goal of course).

Was this true?
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Not far from the truth. I'm quite considered about my opinion for Townsend. I think it's early days for him but I was pleased to see that he wasn't continually shooting but instead delivering good crosses and passes and, to me, that showed greater awareness and maturity in his game than I'd previously given him credit for. If he can play like this regularly then he'll prove to be a great asset for the team.
 
thfcsteff said:
We rarely agree mate, this I know, but I'm sorry, I have to call you out on the bold passage.

The first priority away from home, especially when you're coming off the back of a shock defeat and especially when you know the other team are going to try and bore you off the park in the most undignified of fashions, is to be solid. How on earth you can question moving Verts to LB and dropping Naughton is beyond me. Obviously he would like to have Rose back, but without Rose, it is an area where we are short. Today, knowing that Verts would not get tested much for pace by a side who put 11 men in their own half, he went for solidity. Of COURSE Lennon coming on opened the game up, and of course AVB knew that would happen, which is why he, err, put him on, right? As for your comment about AVB regularly failing to use the players in a system that works, you should re-read your penultimate sentence. I'll say this; if the man 'regularly fails to use the players in a system that works' then I cannot ****ing wait to see him 'regularly' get it right.

BTW, how many clean sheets this season?
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I never questioned putting Vertonghen at LB. With Rose out, this is the only option (have decided I'd rather we changed formation than use Naughton there again, he's not a LB). What I questioned was using Sigurdsson and Vertonghen on the same flank when neither of them give us natural width. Against a team like Villa, who have lots of fast players that will get back quickly when we get the ball, press us and make it difficult to find space, you need to be able to stretch the pitch. To create gaps in the defence. It is a common tactic used against teams that have poor wide players to defend narrow, because you either force the ball out wide to poor players who can't do much with it or don't give the good players in the middle any space. Our good players in the middle are good. But we don't have Messi, Iniesta, Fabregas etc who can pass their way through tiny gaps regularly. As it was, Villa doubled up on Townsend in the first half and he was less effective, only when they started committing men forward after a lucky goal and the introduction of Benteke did we start getting more space. If you have two wingers, you can't double up on both without leaving lots of space for the players in the middle.

You might have thought we lost to West Ham because of defensive errors, and whilst that's true, we weren't winning by the time they were made because we played right into their hands using these kinds of tactics.

As for clean sheets - yes, the defensive side of our game has been good. But clean sheets don't win you matches, they just stop you losing them. It's key for us to work out how to start battering teams, as it's going to be tight at the top this year and currently, if the season were to end now, we'd miss out on CL football on goal difference. We have scored the same number of goals as newly promoted Cardiff and a West Ham team managed by Sam Allardyce. We've scored less than Villa and Saudi Sportswashing Machine. City and Arsenal have scored more than double what we've scored. This needs to improve, and playing two wingers (or at least two strikers) in these types of game, is how.
 
SUIYHA said:
I never questioned putting Vertonghen at LB. With Rose out, this is the only option (have decided I'd rather we changed formation than use Naughton there again, he's not a LB). What I questioned was using Sigurdsson and Vertonghen on the same flank when neither of them give us natural width. Against a team like Villa, who have lots of fast players that will get back quickly when we get the ball, press us and make it difficult to find space, you need to be able to stretch the pitch. To create gaps in the defence. It is a common tactic used against teams that have poor wide players to defend narrow, because you either force the ball out wide to poor players who can't do much with it or don't give the good players in the middle any space. Our good players in the middle are good. But we don't have Messi, Iniesta, Fabregas etc who can pass their way through tiny gaps regularly. As it was, Villa doubled up on Townsend in the first half and he was less effective, only when they started committing men forward after a lucky goal and the introduction of Benteke did we start getting more space. If you have two wingers, you can't double up on both without leaving lots of space for the players in the middle.

You might have thought we lost to West Ham because of defensive errors, and whilst that's true, we weren't winning by the time they were made because we played right into their hands using these kinds of tactics.

As for clean sheets - yes, the defensive side of our game has been good. But clean sheets don't win you matches, they just stop you losing them. It's key for us to work out how to start battering teams, as it's going to be tight at the top this year and currently, if the season were to end now, we'd miss out on CL football on goal difference. We have scored the same number of goals as newly promoted Cardiff and a West Ham team managed by Sam Allardyce. We've scored less than Villa and Saudi Sportswashing Machine. City and Arsenal have scored more than double what we've scored. This needs to improve, and playing two wingers (or at least two strikers) in these types of game, is how.
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I remember us being quite effectively stopped by hard working, well organized defensive teams when we played Bale left and Lennon right both under AVB and Redknapp.
 
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