Liverpool (A) PL Weds 16th Dec 2020 20.00

[skiathospurs]

Why Vinicius did not feature, the man Mourinho missed and January transfer plans

Here are our talking points from Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Wednesday night

www.football.london

 

[Don Diaz]

Ummmmm I didn't reply last evening because I was pissed off. not sure what I was actually pissed off with the most, the fact that Bergwijn missed two great chances and Kane one, them scoring in the last minute, us playing shit in the first half and much better in the second, or just losing to Liverpool again, from a corner for the 137th time in 256 years.

To be honest I was more angry after the Palace game, which we shoulda, coulda, woulda won 3-1. for Liverpool away we did Ok last night and if we reverse the result at home the result is net 0. I think my overall impression is that Maureen had a game plan (which I don't admire) that nearly worked and then went usual Maureeen mental in suggesting we were the better team and Sissoko is simply horrible to watch. I know everyone loves the bloke but seriously he is a donkey, with little control, grace or finesse. He is just not good enough on any level, several instances were literally laughable. We need 2-3 upgrades before next season.

Liverpool have been playing like this for 2+ years, we've been at it for 13 games. It's not just us that haven't been able to beat them at home since 1652, so worry not. The important thing is to beat Leicester on Sunday.

We've had a tough run of games and got 10/15 points, that's pretty decent, if Mourinho can play on the front foot for 90 minutes we'll score plenty of goals and stay near the top of the league. Play on the front foot Mourinho, you've got a team with the ability to do it. Lose that chip on your shoulder.

 

[Motspur Hotspur]

for 60mins !!He too just doesnt have that zip about him required for English football OFC its my opinion and I was wrong about aurier,sissoko.There is something just not committed for me,its a big step up the time you have vs french farmers and even stoke on a weds night in a cup qtr final.He has skills,show me a bit more dobby and I will change my mind.

I think we were crying out for ND yesterday, someone who have held the ball and turned in midfield. There was an enormous hole crying for someone with forward passing ability to drive in to.

 

[J.spurs]

We are missing a ball playing but high energy midfielder,like eriksen 3 years ago.TBH i wasnt a fan but we missed out on grealish,thats the kinda player we need.Someone to make things happen and be a bit of a cunt as well.I am perfectly fine with being super solid defensively with the hojbjerg/sissoko screen,but the other player(s) have got to make the difference.
If Bergwjn had slotted those chances,we`d be happy now.Hopefully he will get his head up and start scoring to compliment son and kane.Could have been a career changing moment if he had scored,he is looking good though,I wont knock him,just hope he gets a spell and the goals will come.

It's obviously hypothetical, but I can't see a player like Grealish ever featuring in a Mourinho side that also included Kane and Son. IMO Bergwijn is favored because he works so hard tracking back. If he has to choose between workrate and quality, Mourinho will take the former every time. It makes me sick to say it, the dippers won the title at a canter last season because they have so many players with both.

Yeh but we all know that that's that now, been a Spurs fan too long, we'll fold against Leicester now and be happy to try for 4th, that game was the chance to force change and Mou blew it.

Honestly, I think this season is so bizarre that we'll see some twists and turns. For the record, I think Liverpool are some distance better than we are--obviously, like most teams in the league, they're better to watch. But I don't think anything was settled last night.

 

[Don Diaz]

It's obviously hypothetical, but I can't see a player like Grealish ever featuring in a Mourinho side that also included Kane and Son. IMO Bergwijn is favored because he works so hard tracking back. If he has to choose between workrate and quality, Mourinho will take the former every time. It makes me sick to say it, the dippers won the title at a canter last season because they have so many players with both.

Honestly, I think this season is so bizarre that we'll see some twists and turns. For the record, I think Liverpool are some distance better than we are--obviously, like most teams in the league, they're better to watch. But I don't think anything was settled last night.

No nothing was settled last night, but they are playing well without Van Dijk and have missed others like Salah. Interesting considering Klippity's comments, don't remember them making a substitution last night, not that fatigued then.

I can't stand the bastards but they're a very good team

 

[Chavhater01]

Ok, so we come flying out the traps last night, which of our players dictates the play, who’s our orchestrator? Harry is by a country mile our best passer, so he effectively has to come a little deeper, therefore reducing his goal threat. GLC has his moments but he can be extremely sloppy with his passing. Bergwijn and Sonny aren’t great in tight cover, they excel when there’s space in front of them while running with the ball. You push the full backs forward and you leave Sissoko and Hjojberg to shield Toby and Dier who would likely be up near the half way line, up against the pace, movement and intricate passing of their front 3 we’d have likely got destroyed.

Even when we had a high(ish) press at the start of the 2nd half, they played through our press so easily.

We would’ve needed Tanguy and maybe Lamela (we miss him),on the pitch playing in front of GLC to have even half a chance of dictating play, and that would’ve left us so exposed to the counter from them, especially given our passing and moving is nowhere near the level of theirs, I have no doubt we’d have got picked off time and time again, especially when they can play, when necessary, a counter attacking style as well as any team in Europe.

I love the ideology of coming out all guns blazing but personally I think with the players we had on the pitch, we’d have got battered.

Even the chances in the 2nd half were from a corner, and Bergwijn’s chances were hoofs up the pitch and a couple of flick ons.

I don’t have the same hatred for Liverpool as some of you, so I can say that they were irresistible on the ball last night. When they’re on it, they’re extremely tough to play against.

I’d love to see us get back to the high pressing, high tempo football we played under prime Poch but that’s not Mourinho’s style, although he has done it with some success but with 2 days to prepare for the Liverpool game, it was never gonna happen.

Ideally i’d like to see this team on the pitch when everyone’s fit, which I think would give us the best chance of dominating teams again...
Lloris
Serge
Toby
Eric
Reguilon
Tanguy
Hjobjerg
Lamela or GLC
Bale
Sonny
Harry

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

Ummmmm I didn't reply last evening because I was pissed off. not sure what I was actually pissed off with the most, the fact that Bergwijn missed two great chances and Kane one, them scoring in the last minute, us playing shit in the first half and much better in the second, or just losing to Liverpool again, from a corner for the 137th time in 256 years.

To be honest I was more angry after the Palace game, which we shoulda, coulda, woulda won 3-1. for Liverpool away we did Ok last night and if we reverse the result at home the result is net 0. I think my overall impression is that Maureen had a game plan (which I don't admire) that nearly worked and then went usual Maureeen mental in suggesting we were the better team and Sissoko is simply horrible to watch. I know everyone loves the bloke but seriously he is a donkey, with little control, grace or finesse. He is just not good enough on any level, several instances were literally laughable. We need 2-3 upgrades before next season.

Liverpool have been playing like this for 2+ years, we've been at it for 13 games. It's not just us that haven't been able to beat them at home since 1652, so worry not. The important thing is to beat Leicester on Sunday.

We've had a tough run of games and got 10/15 points, that's pretty decent, if Mourinho can play on the front foot for 90 minutes we'll score plenty of goals and stay near the top of the league. Play on the front foot Mourinho, you've got a team with the ability to do it. Lose that chip on your shoulder.

Great post except the Sissoko bit.

You leave Sissoko alone. I am not telling you again.

 

[Style And Glory]

You make many valid points Chavy. But I just feel we didn't need to sit back so much. There were alternate strategies.

For instance, we knew that 'Pools FB's would rush forward in their attacks leaving a void in behind them. Once we won the ball back, Son & Steve could immediately take up those positions up front out wide stretching their 2 CB's who are also marking Kane. Get either one of them the ball quickly & we're off 3 v 3 or 3 v 2 with plenty of space to work in but we rarely did. Furthermore, on those rare breaks, I felt we played too narrow, funneling too early on their side of the pitch. It offered 'Pool less ground to cover.

On one occasion when we did drive forward from deep on a counter (like you said),GLC was able to beat a couple of players & play a through ball to Son. We scored but it was a rare occurrence. Maybe ND would have been able to do more of that.

Though Sissoko is appreciated as a selfless workhorse, he's very limited in what is necessary for us to excel. I firmly believe that upgrading him with another Hojbjerg but "with a turbo engine" would improve us immensely. Hojbjerg is quite skillful, strong & reads the game very well. Add someone like him with more pace & stamina being a box-to-box mid & he will enhance our ball control & ability to dictate the game. Guys like Manuel Locatelli, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Leon Goeretzka or even Luka Modric. Locatelli & Modric could be had on the cheap with the latter to finish off his career & mentor some of our young kids. Even at age 35 he's still got an excellent engine on him & a great deal of experience at the highest level.

All in all, it was an interesting matchup. We gave them the possession but we were also certainly in some control. A good debate would be "who was actually dictating the play?" There'd be a good argument that we were despite the lack of possession.

I simply feel we could have done a bit more or slightly different. I'd say that even if we had won.

 

[Chavhater01]

You make many valid points Chavy. But I just feel we didn't need to sit back so much. There were alternate strategies.

For instance, we knew that 'Pools FB's would rush forward in their attacks leaving a void in behind them. Once we won the ball back, Son & Steve could immediately take up those positions up front out wide stretching their 2 CB's who are also marking Kane. Get either one of them the ball quickly & we're off 3 v 3 or 3 v 2 with plenty of space to work in but we rarely did. Furthermore, on those rare breaks, I felt we played too narrow, funneling too early on their side of the pitch. It offered 'Pool less ground to cover.

On one occasion when we did drive forward from deep on a counter (like you said),GLC was able to beat a couple of players & play a through ball to Son. We scored but it was a rare occurrence. Maybe ND would have been able to do more of that.

Though Sissoko is appreciated as a selfless workhorse, he's very limited in what is necessary for us to excel. I firmly believe that upgrading him with another Hojbjerg but "with a turbo engine" would improve us immensely. Hojbjerg is quite skillful, strong & reads the game very well. Add someone like him with more pace & stamina being a box-to-box mid & he will enhance our ball control & ability to dictate the game. Guys like Manuel Locatelli, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Leon Goeretzka or even Luka Modric. Locatelli & Modric could be had on the cheap with the latter to finish off his career & mentor some of our young kids. Even at age 35 he's still got an excellent engine on him & a great deal of experience at the highest level.

All in all, it was an interesting matchup. We gave them the possession but we were also certainly in some control. A good debate would be "who was actually dictating the play?" There'd be a good argument that we were despite the lack of possession.

I simply feel we could have done a bit more or slightly different. I'd say that even if we had won.

Agree pretty much with all of that mate.

Good point about who was actually in control, which is why I believe Jose came out and said the best team lost, coz in his eyes, he probably felt that his game plan worked just as well as theirs, we kept it tight, limited them to a few decent chances in the first half and in the 2nd half when we were ‘slightly’ more adventurous, we created the best chances.

You’re right in saying that we could’ve deployed Sonny and Steve higher up the flanks when we got the ball back, so as to give TAA and Robertson more to think about but that in itself does put a lot of pressure on Serge and Davies if the ball got turned over, which we did time and time again, kept giving the ball back to them out of defence.

Absolutely, we really need to upgrade Sissoko, he does or has served his purpose and you really have to appreciate his stamina and work rate but he’s so clumsy on the ball. great out of possession but when he receives the ball, it’s almost like he’s received a ticking time bomb, in which he has to get rid of it as quick as possible, with a mentality of anywhere will do and if he’s dribbling with it, he wants it as far away from his feet as possible! If we’re to start making more of an impression in games, we need someone better on the ball. That’s why I kinda like the idea, if he ever gets fit enough to play a run of games, of putting Lamela next to Hjobjerg, and then having Tanguy playing behind the front 3.

 

[Havocc]

I am so mixed in opinion on the way at the moment. I don't even know which is the right way anymore. Everybody wants to win trophies by playing amazing football. Thats the dream right? But for one season, can we just win something playing a way that will win us something,,,,

 

[NiceOneCyril]

I am so mixed in opinion on the way at the moment. I don't even know which is the right way anymore. Everybody wants to win trophies by playing amazing football. Thats the dream right? But for one season, can we just win something playing a way that will win us something,,,,

No, unfortunately we can’t win anything in this way. We can’t even hang on against Palace, let alone Liverpool.

Finishing 2nd in the PL and losing a Europa semi just don’t do it for me if we have to play this way.

 

[Yid]

Jose Mourinhio is a varna sankar....!!!!

 

[Dorset]

I am so mixed in opinion on the way at the moment. I don't even know which is the right way anymore. Everybody wants to win trophies by playing amazing football. Thats the dream right? But for one season, can we just win something playing a way that will win us something,,,,

You can if you want, not me, if you want to be Chavs 2.0 then good luck, I'll suspend my membership of the Spurs supporters world until Mourinho has gone and we start playing football I enjoy watching. I don't watch sports that bore me like tennis or darts, I don't give a flying fuck about the results as long as I see 100% effort and players playing to the best of their capabilities - that usually means exciting, enjoyable football. This football is shite, it is worse than the dross we saw under AVB. Like I said before, if we are going to just support the results then there would be no point going through the pain of actually watching 90 minutes of turgid tosspottery, I would rather watch other teams as a neutral lover of the game.

 

[Motspur Hotspur]

You can if you want, not me, if you want to be Chavs 2.0 then good luck, I'll suspend my membership of the Spurs supporters world until Mourinho has gone and we start playing football I enjoy watching. I don't watch sports that bore me like tennis or darts, I don't give a flying fuck about the results as long as I see 100% effort and players playing to the best of their capabilities - that usually means exciting, enjoyable football. This football is shite, it is worse than the dross we saw under AVB. Like I said before, if we are going to just support the results then there would be no point going through the pain of actually watching 90 minutes of turgid tosspottery, I would rather watch other teams as a neutral lover of the game.

Tosspottery, I love it!