So after suffering 90 minutes of terrible football from a team that has spent over or close to £100 million on new players, my conclusion is this.
The manager: Andre Villas Boas
Now I am a fan of his but I have to say the fact he doesn’t realise that 442 is a good system for a team that finds goals hard to come by is somewhat disturbing. He just doesn’t seem to realise that we have two good strikers in Defoe and Soldado and a good back up in Adebayor who on his day is better than most strikers, is he blind to realise that we don’t have Bale and we don’t have people of Bale’s quality left in the team. He made three changes and none of real purpose to help the team, yes I no he bought on Townsend but that was it, he had his chance to change it when Sandro got injured and bring on Defoe and go 442 and he bought on Holtby. Soldado is good but when I see him behind Holtby on the pitch it doesn’t board well that goals are going to be scored does it. His system hasn’t worked all season and yet no change takes place in his mentality, I just don’t get it. He stands on the line waving and pointing and yet no changes happen on the pitch, I don’t see anyone swapping positions or moving around to do other things. Is it they are ignoring what he is saying or is it he just isn’t saying anything different to the dressing room?
Defence: Well apart from the fact they scored 5 goals and the defending at times was all most non existence, it was shocking to watch. They played balls over the top and not having defenders with any real pace to cope with this gave them a really easy way of scoring. Naughton went of injured and to be honest wasn’t having a good game against Sterling, Capoue and Dawson were way wood and slow to everything that was being thrown at them, they never dropped back to cope with the balls over the top, they played the high line and got punished for it. Walker couldn’t string any passes together that made a difference and never showed his quality in going forward, he was lack in defence when called upon and never really was in the game.
Midfield:
Paulinho, Dembele and Sandro (Holtby), well what can I say four good players and yet none have the capacity to attack and make a difference to the team. Paulinho got forward and tried as he always wants to but there needs to be something on the end product, there was nothing there apart from one maybe two small chances and a good penalty shout oh and that red card which to be honest was a disgraceful decision, there wasn’t much to write home about, no killer balls, no real defending and know what seems to be a lack of communication between Sandro and Dembele. Dembele as I touched on earlier was poor he didn’t attack he didn’t control the midfield like he normally does and didn’t bring the Liverpool defence to fear as he has to so many times to other defences. Sandro well can’t really say much he did go of injured and played with the Sandro spirit that we come and expect. Holtby tried he always does he closes defence and closes the goalkeeper and yet has no support doing it, I don’t know what is a good position for him but I know for sure he doesn’t seem to fit into the position that AVB wants him to, he reminds me of a classier Parker someone who will run all do for you if you asked him to. What would I do with the three player’s well I would play Dembele and Paulinho together and leave Sandro to get fit before he comes back into the team. Lennon and Townsend on both wings which leaves Soldado and Defoe up front.
Attack: Soldado
Without much support and balls into him he won’t score, he tries so hard to get the ball that he ends up behind the midfield, and then it leaves Spurs without a forward to get the ball to when they do break forward. Soldado needs the ball to come to him that’s how Spurs will get the best out of him and that’s why I believe in having two forwards to help him. Whether it is Defoe or Adebayor there needs to be two strikers, Spurs do not have the quality in Chadli, Lamela, Lennon or Townsend to do the job that Bale did last year, there needs to be a different approach to the Spurs team and at the moment I don’t think AVB is getting it. Something needs to change maybe there needs to be a player and coach meeting to air what is keeping them from doing what there are as we know from last year good at, or does there need to be a coach change and get someone else, that would be the last thing I would want as a fan because I am not a big believer in changing managers and as Man Utd has shown supporting your manager for 20 years or more brings success, so what is it that is needed is it AVB to wake up and smell the coffee and hope he gets hit with a epiphany and realise what he is doing wrong, as a fan I hope so otherwise the Levy axe will come crashing down on yet another manager through the doors of White Hart Lane.
Source: DSG
