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Aaron Lennon
- Thread starter Stenno
- Start date
braineclipse
Willie Hall
Do you find yourself watching Spurs games and often thinking "oh, there's Aaron Lennon again, isolated against the full back, but failing to take him on?" I sure don't.
Part of the problem is that when teams don't sit back and press us a tad it seems to take the pressing force of a butterfly landing on a concrete wall to make us punt the ball long. Upon which we usually lose the ball and Lennon is standing there out on the right scratching his nuts wondering if he will ever get another pass that's half way decent. Actually in those situations I think he could do more to get to those knock downs and lose balls, but that's true for every single player in our squad so I won't single him out for that.
In the Modric thread in general there were some videos posted. Particularly the first one perfectly illustrated what we've been missing since he left. And what I think Lennon desperately needs.
We don't even counter attack with purpose anymore I feel. Every time we win the ball someone has to take 5 touches or do a Parker-pirouette or play the ball uselessly in support.
In short we've been way too reliant on individuals doing something special on their own for too long. And in a system like that Lennon won't ever shine.
Actually, come to think of it, if I was Daniel Levy one of the questions I would ask any prospective new manager would be "how do you plan to make Aaron Lennon good again?" Not because Aaron Lennon is so super awesome that he has to be in the starting line-up, but because if we could find a way to build a team that makes him good again we will be right down the track to getting a properly good team.
Rossi22
Pedro Mendes
That's all very commendable braineclipse but at some point you're going to have to consider the distinct possibility that Aaron Lennon may just not be good enough anymore. We're a borderline top-four club and for me Lennon at his best was a borderline top-four player, now he's more like borderline top-half. You can keep reaching and suggest that if we were to re-sign Modric and Huddlestone, sign Andrea Pirlo and bring Paul Scholes out of retirement that Lennon may perk up but for me we are clearly past the point of no return and I actually find it comical how he starts every game without fail. I can't remember the last time a player could put in such nothing performances for such a length of time without being dropped. It's sad because once upon a time Aaron Lennon was my favourite Spurs player, now I'm starting to despise him, something which is primarily down to Sherwood persisting with him ahead of others who are more deserving of a chance.
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Pirate55
The Last Man Standing 17/18
Agree with you on this R22. Lennon has lost what he had. It is no good blaming other players, formations, teams that sit back etc, it is down to the player himself. He is supposed to be a right winger. He is supposed to spring counter attacks himself, he is supposed to score and /or assist goals. Frankly he doesn't do any of that any more.
Unless we rediscover the number 25 in the videos, we don't want the current number 7. Too many times a passenger nowadays. Never the edge of seat player we used to have.
SoundAndVision
Michael Brown
he just dosnt offer enough to be a regular started, offering help defensively isnt enough.If he offered 7/8 goals a season and regular assists then he would derserve to be a regular starter but he dosn't and hasn't looked close to do doing so in quite a while.I wouldn't sell him though id keep him as a is squad player.
braineclipse
Willie Hall
I'm guessing you haven't been entirely happy with our buildup play post-Modric either? Why not give a player like Lennon that obviously needs the right passes a chance to prove himself under the new man (or a full season Sherwood I suppose)?
We have another option for that position in Lamela at least. Lennon even when not at his best works hard for the team and gives us some natural width. Decent squad player at least.
No he's not.
thejazzman
Jason Cundy
Those videos perplexed me. I'd completely forgotten that he used to play like that, moreover strike the ball so cleanly. It's rare that you see a player change the way that he strikes a ball, yet recently he's been scuffing everything. One thing that I did note is that in all of the first video he seems to be playing instinctively. When our build up play is quick he thrives, such as when AVB had us playing a counter attacking game, or Harry's gung ho approach. Now It's as if he's been given a list of 3 crosses that he can perform, 3 types of "cut-insides" - his game is now just worryingly predictable.
I really hope that with a dynamic, intense attacking game next season he can play a major role, but I have doubts over his desire to do so. Alot will come down to how good a man-manager we hire in the summer.
braineclipse
Willie Hall
I want to see that too, but like I've been saying for a player like Lennon to correctly take on his man he has to be set up in the right situations.
That specific "no" was about counter attacking. Look at the Real Madrid counter attacking goals against Bayern as an example. No single player "springs counter attacks himself" apart from in very rare circumstances. It's a team game and that included counter attacking. Quick one and two touch passing combined with running. That's what set up Bale, that's what set up Coentrao. That allowed them to counter attack successfully.
That means players responding very quickly when winning the ball. We don't really do that, I thought it was a problem last season too.
As a contrast on Lennon (in general) look at Townsend and all the stick he rightly gets for his poor decision making. He's taking on his man almost every time, and almost every time it's a bad idea to take on his man. Because the passes we've been playing to our wingers aren't the kind of passes players like Townsend and Lennon need to thrive. Lennon has better decision making so he tries to look for a pass instead, but we rarely get going with the kind of quick passing that then later allows those players to do what they do best.
There was a time when one of our wingers could see that taking on his man wasn't a good idea, could play the ball in to Modric or Huddlestone who would have smartly switched our play to the other side in seconds. Where there would be space. Now, players like Dembele, Sandro, Paulinho, along with almost all of our defenders, just take too long on the ball. Those 3-4 touches or the useless sideways 5 yard pass allows the opponents to shuffle across and the space is gone. Rinse and repeat.
braineclipse
Willie Hall
Those videos were highlights across many seasons.
Of course when you pick out a handful of the most successful involvements for any player their play will look instinctive, their touch and the way they strike the ball will look just about perfect.
We agree fully on the general play of our team and the importance of that for Lennon's game though.
Whiffler
Jermaine Jenas
It might help if the crowd got behind Lennon the way both Spurs & England fans did. When he gets good ball, roar out for him to go with it - it will help both him and our striker(s), and discourage the defender(s).
Too often he's given the ball when he has less room and static, almost a hospital pass.
Too often he's given the ball when he has less room and static, almost a hospital pass.
Rossi22
Pedro Mendes
Excuses, excuses!
Poor little Aaron doesn't have other players making him look better, how about he takes it upon himself for once to look for the ball, demand the ball, take on players and deliver for our forwards? Why is he getting a pass?! It's crazy. I think it's just nostalgia at this point, we remember the Aaron Lennon of 10 years ago and want to believe he is still that player .... he's NOT. This is Fernando Torres territory, that player is GONE and he's not coming back.
Poor little Aaron doesn't have other players making him look better, how about he takes it upon himself for once to look for the ball, demand the ball, take on players and deliver for our forwards? Why is he getting a pass?! It's crazy. I think it's just nostalgia at this point, we remember the Aaron Lennon of 10 years ago and want to believe he is still that player .... he's NOT. This is Fernando Torres territory, that player is GONE and he's not coming back.
SoundAndVision
Michael Brown
1 goal and 3 assists in 26 games, and that's all because of others?
braineclipse
Willie Hall
Or explanations, explanations.
I honestly think that we could have signed some (squad) players from much superior teams like Dortmund or Atletico Madrid and ended up having no more use for them than we have for Lennon.
Lennon to me fits the "attack as a unit, defend as a unit" approach I desperately want us to take with out next coach. If we end up with someone looking to do what AVB (and Sherwood so far imo) did and rely primarily on individual brilliance to win us games you might be right. Because then it's a position where we need magical players to do the super special.
Nope not totally but he misses a Huddlestone or a Modric in Mid that is intelligent enough to pass - swap Dembele with a decent passer you'd prob see a better Lennon
Look at our other "wide" players (league only):
Townsend: 1 goal in 25 matches
Chadli: 1 goal and 3 assists in 24 matches
Sigurdsson: 5 goals in 23 matches
Holtby: 1 goal in 13 matches
Lamela: 1 assist in 9 matches
Spurs7891
Jermaine Jenas
Can't really compared Lennon with them as all of them have had less than 2 years at Spurs. Being a "veteran" at Spurs, Lennon should be contributing more.
