Paulinho

[Raoul Duke]

Re: Official - Paulinho

i think this is going to rile some feathers on here, but after a very impressive start, I can't help thinking that Paulinho's starting to look a lot like Jenas... extremely busy and involved but very difficult to assess his effectiveness and direct impact on the game. its not that I don't rate Paulinho but i think we have very good options now with Sandro, Dembele and Capoue competing for the 2 central midfield places.

Agree with this, but I think he's going to get better. It takes time to adjust to the PL, just look at Sandro.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Paulinho

i think this is going to rile some feathers on here, but after a very impressive start, I can't help thinking that Paulinho's starting to look a lot like Jenas... extremely busy and involved but very difficult to assess his effectiveness and direct impact on the game. its not that I don't rate Paulinho but i think we have very good options now with Sandro, Dembele and Capoue competing for the 2 central midfield places.

Look at the game yesterday though. We were struggling to create chances and part of the problem was that we weren't getting enough men in the box. Withing 5 minutes or so of coming on Paulinho had made two excellent runs into the box and gotten on the end of a couple of crosses. Didn't score, but he got into the right positions and he will score if he keeps doing that.

He's not outstanding the way Modric was on the ball and he's not as sublime defensively as Sandro or Capoue. But he's a very well rounded player with very few weaknesses. He gets around he pitch really well, is tidy on the ball, works hard defensively and has a good physical presence. Added to that he scores goals and he has the ability on the ball to find the right pass and get an assist here and there. Those players can be extremely important.

I agree that we have 4 very strong midfield options and it's pretty close between them. Of the 4 of them Paulinho is to me the one that's come closest to making himself a clear first choice though, mainly because of the goal threat he offers that none of the other 4 gives us and because he's the most well rounded, complete, player of the bunch.

 

[metalgear]

Re: Official - Paulinho

I agree with your assessment of Paulinho as a player and his contributions to the team. However I thought Lamela had more to do with our 2nd half initiative than the sub. Sherif had nothing left to lose so was going for goal, and it is notable that they didi score after Paulinho came on. But it was one game so let's not read too deep into that.

But I liked what I saw with Dembele and Capoue - for the first time we had some pace in attack: we were quicker turn defence into attack, and more decisively too. For a first game back after injury - and considering he's still very new to the team - I thought Capoue did well turning defence into attack quickly - something that has been lacking i all our games so far this season.

As solid as Paulinho he takes a long time to get possession and turn it into attack. Like Jenas he likes to drop back to collect the ball personally from the centreback. Like Jenas he is often short sighted and looking for the 20m pass instead of the 40m searching ball (which Capoue threatened to do excellently in the first half).

Also if he is going to be in the box so often, he has got to show something for it i.e. goals/assists. Otherwise he is denying the space that we so dearly need to supply Soldado, or for someone like Lamela and Townsend to run into.

Not putting Paulinho down but I think that while he is a very strong total player, he isn't the only choice for all games. We have very credible options with the rest.

 

[africanspurs]

Re: Official - Paulinho

factor in that this was sherriff

 

[Jordinho]

Re: Official - Paulinho

factor in that this was sherriff

Who put in yet another superb pressing game, but once again couldn't keep it going until the end. Perfect example of how important it is to stay patient for our players. Once the openings came we were able to take advantage of them.

 

[diego_maradona]

Re: Official - Paulinho

factor in that this was sherriff

I think they were a fantastic side to play in practise for a typical premier league game in the way they were disciplined, strong, physical and dangerous on the counter

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Paulinho

I agree with your assessment of Paulinho as a player and his contributions to the team. However I thought Lamela had more to do with our 2nd half initiative than the sub. Sherif had nothing left to lose so was going for goal, and it is notable that they didi score after Paulinho came on. But it was one game so let's not read too deep into that.

But I liked what I saw with Dembele and Capoue - for the first time we had some pace in attack: we were quicker turn defence into attack, and more decisively too. For a first game back after injury - and considering he's still very new to the team - I thought Capoue did well turning defence into attack quickly - something that has been lacking i all our games so far this season.

As solid as Paulinho he takes a long time to get possession and turn it into attack. Like Jenas he likes to drop back to collect the ball personally from the centreback. Like Jenas he is often short sighted and looking for the 20m pass instead of the 40m searching ball (which Capoue threatened to do excellently in the first half).

Also if he is going to be in the box so often, he has got to show something for it i.e. goals/assists. Otherwise he is denying the space that we so dearly need to supply Soldado, or for someone like Lamela and Townsend to run into.

Not putting Paulinho down but I think that while he is a very strong total player, he isn't the only choice for all games. We have very credible options with the rest.

Oh, I wasn't saying that he turned the game for us. Was just using that most recent example of what he does so frequently - make excellent runs into the box to get into goalscoring positions.

Like you I'm very positive about Capoue, like you i think he's the most effective/most purposeful passer of those 4 obvious central midfield options we have. He seems very well suited to that most defensive role either in a duo or as the anchor in a midfield 3. I adore Sandro and it's a difficult decision to make, but I want to see more of Capoue now that he's back from injury.

I disagree about runs into the box and effectiveness. He has two assists and 1 goal in 10 PL games so far, not a terrible start. Consider that Paulinho had one goal and 3 assists in 26 PL games last season playing a similar position and role most of the time. Soldado needs more movement in the box, not less. Crosses towards a lone striker that two centre backs can cooperate to mark will be very difficult to make work. Another runner from the flank and from midfield can both score and create space for others. Townsend, Sig, Holty, Eriksen and quite possibly Lamela need to take a page out of Paulinho's book and make those runs more frequently.

Look at United under Ferguson, get into a decent crossing/passing position and they would have 4-5 players storming into the box. That creates space, that makes defenders struggle.

 

[diego_maradona]

Re: Official - Paulinho

Oh, I wasn't saying that he turned the game for us. Was just using that most recent example of what he does so frequently - make excellent runs into the box to get into goalscoring positions.

Like you I'm very positive about Capoue, like you i think he's the most effective/most purposeful passer of those 4 obvious central midfield options we have. He seems very well suited to that most defensive role either in a duo or as the anchor in a midfield 3. I adore Sandro and it's a difficult decision to make, but I want to see more of Capoue now that he's back from injury.

I disagree about runs into the box and effectiveness. He has two assists and 1 goal in 10 PL games so far, not a terrible start. Consider that Paulinho had one goal and 3 assists in 26 PL games last season playing a similar position and role most of the time. Soldado needs more movement in the box, not less. Crosses towards a lone striker that two centre backs can cooperate to mark will be very difficult to make work. Another runner from the flank and from midfield can both score and create space for others. Townsend, Sig, Holty, Eriksen and quite possibly Lamela need to take a page out of Paulinho's book and make those runs more frequently.

Look at United under Ferguson, get into a decent crossing/passing position and they would have 4-5 players storming into the box. That creates space, that makes defenders struggle.

I was trying it raise this point recently. Paulinho has a natural tendency to get himself into the box where Dembele doesn't. Siggy does too. Lennon, Townsend, don't.

 

[elltrev]

Re: Official - Paulinho

Oh, I wasn't saying that he turned the game for us. Was just using that most recent example of what he does so frequently - make excellent runs into the box to get into goalscoring positions.

Like you I'm very positive about Capoue, like you i think he's the most effective/most purposeful passer of those 4 obvious central midfield options we have. He seems very well suited to that most defensive role either in a duo or as the anchor in a midfield 3. I adore Sandro and it's a difficult decision to make, but I want to see more of Capoue now that he's back from injury.

I disagree about runs into the box and effectiveness. He has two assists and 1 goal in 10 PL games so far, not a terrible start. Consider that Paulinho had one goal and 3 assists in 26 PL games last season playing a similar position and role most of the time. Soldado needs more movement in the box, not less. Crosses towards a lone striker that two centre backs can cooperate to mark will be very difficult to make work. Another runner from the flank and from midfield can both score and create space for others. Townsend, Sig, Holty, Eriksen and quite possibly Lamela need to take a page out of Paulinho's book and make those runs more frequently.

Look at United under Ferguson, get into a decent crossing/passing position and they would have 4-5 players storming into the box. That creates space, that makes defenders struggle.

Well, 3-4 goals a season is a poor return for someone who gets into the box as often as he does.

If the 10 games so far are an accurate representation of his goalscoring ability, then I think he will be a pretty underwhelming player. But if his goal tally starts to reflect how often he gets into the box from midfield, then he could be a huge asset.

Let's hope it's the latter! (Though sadly he doesn't have the look of a natural goalscorer to me, in terms of his shooting and finishing so far).

 

[King of Norway]

Re: Official - Paulinho

I remember a thread on this forum called "Jenas - what does he do?"

What does Paulinho do? What are his strengths as a player? What does he contribute to our game?

Okay, he is quite good at making runs into the penalty area, but so far he has scored one goal in 11 games. If he continues like that he will finish the season with three or four league goals. That is not good enough for a player whose main attribute seems to be making those runs. I obviously understand that the fact that he makes those runs can also create space for other players, but I think that his overall contribution is quite limited.

He did have one good assist for Soldado against Villa, but the wasn't the most difficult pass to make. When he is in possession in midfield, he looks pretty clueless in all honesty. In that sense, a comparison to Jenas is actually in its place judging by what he has done so far in a Spurs-shirt. He is definitely not the creative central midfielder we need. His long range shooting is absolutely atrocious. Defensively, he covers quite a lot of ground, but he is not a great ball winner. That is fine, however, as long as we have Sandro alongside him.

I am not saying he is rubbish. He is obviously a decent player. The fact that he has been playing for a long time now without a break should also be mentioned, but I have to say I have been a bit disappointed by what I have seen so far. For all the money we spent on him, I expected more, cause so far I would say he looks like a slightly less athletic Jermaine Jenas.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Official - Paulinho

As i've been saying for a while..the resemblance in terms of style of play between Paulinho and Jenas is frightening. They're clones imo.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: Official - Paulinho

what does our whole team do? they're all ****, the lot of them.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Official - Paulinho

what does our whole team do? they're all ****, the lot of them.

Lets not go overboard we have some good players that are let down by passengers.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: Official - Paulinho

Lets not go overboard we have some good players that are let down by passengers.

bit harsh on Soldado, ITS THE SERVICE after all.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Official - Paulinho

One thing i will say is that the way AVB is instructing Paulinho to play certainly doesn't help matters. He's a limited footballer when in possession so why is he being expected to drop deep and be the 'carrier' when that's not in his locker? he should be instructed to have limited possession on the ball and instead make continuous darting runs forward to support the front man. I think he would be more effective in a 4-3-3 but until then he should be benched and given 20 or so minutes when teams are tired.

 

[King of Norway]

Re: Official - Paulinho

One thing i will say is that the way AVB is instructing Paulinho to play certainly doesn't help matters. He's a limited footballer when in possession so why is he being expected to drop deep and be the 'carrier' when that's not in his locker? he should be instructed to have limited possession on the ball and instead make continuous darting runs forward to support the front man. I think he would be more effective in a 4-3-3 but until then he should be benched and given 20 or so minutes when teams are tired.

The problem is that we don't have any other playmaker in the deep positions central midfield either. Whether we have Sandro, or Dembele or Capoue there, neither of them are much better at initiating attacks than Paulinho is. And someone has to receive the ball in those positions.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Paulinho

The problem is that we don't have any other playmaker in the deep positions central midfield either. Whether we have Sandro, or Dembele or Capoue there, neither of them are much better at initiating attacks than Paulinho is. And someone has to receive the ball in those positions.

I thought we looked significantly better in a 4-3-3 after half time against Saudi Sportswashing Machine with Sandro clearly holding and Paulinho next to Eriksen ahead of Sandro. Got Eriksen on the ball a bit more slightly deeper perhaps?

Of course there were a lot of things different from that first half to the second half so it becomes very difficult to pinpoint any one improvement that made a telling difference, but I would like to see us in a more 4-3-3 looking formation in the next couple of games.

Edit: On Paulinho. Am I right in thinking that he's had one long-ass season so far. The Brazilian season including the club World Cup and the Libertadores followed by the Confederations cup and then the buildup to our season this summer. In between our games he's been away on long international trips with a lot of pressure to perform to secure a place in the Brazil squad/team for the World Cup.

Might be that he needs a breather at some point?

 

[indianspur]

Re: Official - Paulinho

I remember a thread on this forum called "Jenas - what does he do?"

What does Paulinho do? What are his strengths as a player? What does he contribute to our game?

Okay, he is quite good at making runs into the penalty area, but so far he has scored one goal in 11 games. If he continues like that he will finish the season with three or four league goals. That is not good enough for a player whose main attribute seems to be making those runs. I obviously understand that the fact that he makes those runs can also create space for other players, but I think that his overall contribution is quite limited.

He did have one good assist for Soldado against Villa, but the wasn't the most difficult pass to make. When he is in possession in midfield, he looks pretty clueless in all honesty. In that sense, a comparison to Jenas is actually in its place judging by what he has done so far in a Spurs-shirt. He is definitely not the creative central midfielder we need. His long range shooting is absolutely atrocious. Defensively, he covers quite a lot of ground, but he is not a great ball winner. That is fine, however, as long as we have Sandro alongside him.

I am not saying he is rubbish. He is obviously a decent player. The fact that he has been playing for a long time now without a break should also be mentioned, but I have to say I have been a bit disappointed by what I have seen so far. For all the money we spent on him, I expected more, cause so far I would say he looks like a slightly less athletic Jermaine Jenas.

if the side had scored 23 goals in 11 games then id be concerned about paulinho's 1 in 11........but 1 in 11 when the whole total scored is 9 in 11??

the whole team has problems with scoring and attacking

i think once the team is more fluent in attack, and once Paulinho has had a bit of a break, then id expect him to get into more goalscoring positions. Anyway with this being his first season in the PL if he can get 8-10 goals in the PL then it would have been a good start.

 

[Yiddo]

Re: Official - Paulinho

I have been harsh on Paulinho in recent weeks and at the moment he is looking like a Jenas Mk II, i really do hope that he just needs a rest as when he first started he looked fantastic.

 

[Mulletperm]

Re: Official - Paulinho

if the side had scored 23 goals in 11 games then id be concerned about paulinho's 1 in 11........but 1 in 11 when the whole total scored is 9 in 11??

the whole team has problems with scoring and attacking

i think once the team is more fluent in attack, and once Paulinho has had a bit of a break, then id expect him to get into more goalscoring positions. Anyway with this being his first season in the PL if he can get 8-10 goals in the PL then it would have been a good start.

Absolutely spot on. Singling out a midfielder's lack of goals when the whole team have only managed 6 (not including penalties) is ludicrous.