Spurs 2018/19

SquishyMcSquish said:
Rarely. Generally the teams that improve the most, win. City had weaknesses, identified them, won the league. United had weaknesses and improved by signing Matic, Lukaku etc. In the past Chelsea under Mourinho came close to the title, brought in Fabregas and Costa and won the league. Usually the teams who go out in to the market and decisively work on getting proper improvements are the ones who win titles. We obviously can't afford to spend like these teams, but we can afford to bring in players who can compete for spots. Dembele isn't suddenly going to have his best season at 31 after being plagued with injuries, we need to work on that.

I don't know what your point is, really. Do we have a good team? Yes. Do we have a team which cannot be improved? Absolutely not. The fact you say our depth is good makes me think you didn't really watch us all that regularly last season, we regularly had to rely on players who weren't good enough and I expect it to be the same this season. Compared to the rest of the top 4 our depth is poor.
Click to expand...

Ok let's put it another way. Who do you think Spurs can buy that will make a significant difference to your league position?

Zaha, maybe? There is talk of Lewis Cook and Jack Grealish, who might be good for the future but are surely not going to make much immediate difference...

Let's face it. It could be perfectly rational not to buy anyone but fans like you will always hate it.
 
whatwha said:
I kinda agree with @sincher here. Signings or not, I think Spurs will do pretty well once all their WC players have been back for a while.
Click to expand...

We will do pretty well, we have some fantastic players in the team which makes up a very good starting XI. We'll absolutely compete for top four on the basis of that, but we won't make the next step and probably won't have the depth to go and win a trophy. We're taking a big risk though in that with Liverpool strengthening and Chelsea going to enjoy their new manager effect, competition for top four could be extremely fierce. Even if we're good, it may not be enough, and across the season our lack of depth is going to be an issue.

I also expect a very slow start, compounded by so many players being at the world cup and any signings we may make having no pre-season.
 
I would make an argument that it is nigh on impossible for you to 'go for it'. It would cost maybe 300m and break your wage structure... that is if you can convince a big player to come to Spurs in the first place. You are better off buying a couple of young players who might make it big and stay at Spurs, like Alli did and Foyth might, and hope for another breakthrough from the academy who will also stay at Spurs, like Kane did, and like Winks or Edwards or Sterling might.

As for Dembele, there are many options there. Phase him out, push him to get better fitness as he is not that old, sell and replace perhaps but who with?
 
sincher said:
Ok let's put it another way. Who do you think Spurs can buy that will make a significant difference to your league position?

Zaha, maybe? There is talk of Lewis Cook and Jack Grealish, who might be good for the future but are surely not going to make much immediate difference...

Let's face it. It could be perfectly rational not to buy anyone but fans like you will always hate it.
Click to expand...

Grealish or Cook would be good, they would make a difference because we need the depth. They'd make us less reliant on a single, extremely injury prone and fading player, and Cook at least has already proved he's very capable of operating at a decent level. A proven CM (like a Kondogbia or a Brozovic) would have been fantastic, as they could have come straight in and removed the dangerous nature of our reliance on Dembele. I'm a big fan of Doucoure personally and think he would have been a good Dembele replacement, but I don't think we were interested in him ever.

Zaha would have offered us something different, and we badly need a bit more competition for wide spots. Sissoko got plenty of games last season and Lamela is solid but unspectacular. Grealish would have been important mainly for putting pressure on Alli, who at the moment is coasting through most games because we have nobody to compete for that spot. He needs a kick up the arse but Pochettino can't give him that because our backup options aren't suitable, Grealish changes that. Alli made a difference pretty quickly and I could see Pochettino making excellent use of Grealish, he was very good for Villa and has an abundance of talent.

We need players to push for starting spots and add a few more strings to our bow, and we need more options in terms of rotation. Zaha would have been great because we notably struggled to break down parked buses last season, and are often overly reliant on Eriksen for creativity. A player who is unpredictable and has a bit of flair and directness to his game could easily win us more points in games we drew like Burnley or Swansea at home.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Grealish or Cook would be good, they would make a difference because we need the depth. They'd make us less reliant on a single, extremely injury prone and fading player, and Cook at least has already proved he's very capable of operating at a decent level. A proven CM (like a Kondogbia or a Brozovic) would have been fantastic, as they could have come straight in and removed the dangerous nature of our reliance on Dembele. I'm a big fan of Doucoure personally and think he would have been a good Dembele replacement, but I don't think we were interested in him ever.

Zaha would have offered us something different, and we badly need a bit more competition for wide spots. Sissoko got plenty of games last season and Lamela is solid but unspectacular. Grealish would have been important mainly for putting pressure on Alli, who at the moment is coasting through most games because we have nobody to compete for that spot. He needs a kick up the arse but Pochettino can't give him that because our backup options aren't suitable, Grealish changes that. Alli made a difference pretty quickly and I could see Pochettino making excellent use of Grealish, he was very good for Villa and has an abundance of talent.

We need players to push for starting spots and add a few more strings to our bow, and we need more options in terms of rotation. Zaha would have been great because we notably struggled to break down parked buses last season, and are often overly reliant on Eriksen for creativity. A player who is unpredictable and has a bit of flair and directness to his game could easily win us more points in games we drew like Burnley or Swansea at home.
Click to expand...

Ok that is a good post. But in your heart of hearts, even if you buy all these players, do you see Spurs winning the title?
 
sincher said:
I would make an argument that it is nigh on impossible for you to 'go for it'. It would cost maybe 300m and break your wage structure... that is if you can convince a big player to come to Spurs in the first place. You are better off buying a couple of young players who might make it big and stay at Spurs, like Alli did and Foyth might, and hope for another breakthrough from the academy who will also stay at Spurs, like Kane did, and like Winks or Edwards or Sterling might.
Click to expand...

I really can't argue with what you are saying at all, I'd certainly rather do that than buy more payers like Sissoko or Jansson. I think Cook and Grealish would be good business from us and help us in the home grown area too.
 
sincher said:
Ok that is a good post. But in your heart of hearts, even if you buy all these players, do you see Spurs winning the title?
Click to expand...

Depends, if City have a repeat of last season we (and everyone else) has no chance. We're not far off the others though, and it is conceivable that their level could be lower, so I don't see why we couldn't at least be up there with the rest of the pack had we had a strong summer. If an opportunity arises you should at least be in a position to take it, whereas right now we aren't. Even discounting that, if the league is unattainable then an FA or League cup, or strong champions league run could be crucial for a proper sign of progress. You (generally) don't achieve that unless you have decent depth throughout the side.
 
I will add this. Spurs are Spurs, and I don't see them as a huge threat, but we have had to spend millions to be roughly on a par with where you are at the moment and I think your squad is more balanced and settled than ours at the moment. There is, as there has been for a few years, still a reasonable case to be made for a huge shake up at United and the same is simply not true at Spurs. The last thing you need is a shake up.
 
sincher said:
Ok let's put it another way. Who do you think Spurs can buy that will make a significant difference to your league position?

Zaha, maybe? There is talk of Lewis Cook and Jack Grealish, who might be good for the future but are surely not going to make much immediate difference...

Let's face it. It could be perfectly rational not to buy anyone but fans like you will always hate it.
Click to expand...
It could be rational if this didn't happen every summer though.
Poch has spoken out against this practice but, yet again, here we are.
Posters will debate if this is by design, if Poch can even improve upon this squad etc up until they squander millions on Llorente, Aurier etc.
There's plenty of players Spurs could buy, its their squad that needs filling out more than anything.
 
InLevyITrust said:
I really can't argue with what you are saying at all, I'd certainly rather do that than buy more payers like Sissoko or Jansson. I think Cook and Grealish would be good business from us and help us in the home grown area too.
Click to expand...

Janssen was a decent punt. He was Eredivisie top scorer and worth having a go at, his success didn't translate in to the Premier League but that's the risk you take. I'd rather we at least take risks like that (they do sometimes pay off, Eriksen, Sanchez, Vertonghen etc translated their success there in to the Prem) than give up on them.

Sissoko was sheer stupidity. Average in the Premier League, but ran about a lot in a final and so bizarrely we blew 30m on him. Was predominantly down to the fact we were panicking at the end having left it to the last second so had an expensive punt on somebody who was proven to not be good enough already.
 
sincher said:
I will add this. Spurs are Spurs, and I don't see them as a huge threat, but we have had to spend millions to be roughly on a par with where you are at the moment and I think your squad is more balanced and settled than ours at the moment. There is, as there has been for a few years, still a reasonable case to be made for a huge shake up at United and the same is simply not true at Spurs. The last thing you need is a shake up.
Click to expand...

We've got a fantastic squad which Pochettino has done wonders in forming. He's a brilliant manager and I'm going to be devastated when he eventually leaves, because finding a replacement is going to be a major challenge. We definitely don't need a shake up and nobody is asking for one, merely a bit of investment and trust placed in our manager, who had made certain requests which so far have been ignored. I personally believe that this team is on the verge of being able to challenge for trophies and needs that extra bit in terms of squad depth and maybe that one extra fantastic player in order to get there.

Hence why I'm so frustrated at this window. This team is very good, our manager is excellent.. we're very close to having a great chance to do something big, but that last step is not being taken.
 
The problem is the better you get, the harder it is to reach that next level, because the cost rises exponentially and the quality of player you need becomes more difficult to attain. So I'd argue if you can't sign the top targets you really need, make do with what you have rather than buying mediocre players for the sake of making signings. In the end they only become deadwood. Us United fans know this better than anyone.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
We've got a fantastic squad which Pochettino has done wonders in forming. He's a brilliant manager and I'm going to be devastated when he eventually leaves, because finding a replacement is going to be a major challenge. We definitely don't need a shake up and nobody is asking for one, merely a bit of investment and trust placed in our manager, who had made certain requests which so far have been ignored. I personally believe that this team is on the verge of being able to challenge for trophies and needs that extra bit in terms of squad depth and maybe that one extra fantastic player in order to get there.

Hence why I'm so frustrated at this window. This team is very good, our manager is excellent.. we're very close to having a great chance to do something big, but that last step is not being taken.
Click to expand...

What is your evidence for these ignored requests?
 
AndyJ1985 said:
The problem is the better you get, the harder it is to reach that next level, because the cost rises exponentially and the quality of player you need becomes more difficult to attain. So I'd argue if you can't sign the top targets you really need, make do with what you have rather than buying mediocre players for the sake of making signings. In the end they only become deadwood. Us United fans know this better than anyone.
Click to expand...

If we sign nobody we will be likely be falling back on mediocrity throughout the season anyway. Except this will be proven mediocrity instead of players who could possibly step up. In the past we've brought in key players for reasonable prices, you don't need to spend huge money to find a game changer. Alli came from the championship and now starts.

The likes of Zaha, Grealish, Brozovic, Doucoure etc .. some would cost good money, but they would likely improve the team and add something different. Certain players in our side badly need cover (Dembele, Son) because we fall back on the likes of Sissoko when they're out. It's not about pissing loads of money up the wall on average players, but taking risks on a few new young players who may step up to the plate. We've not done that before, we've done absolutely nothing and will be starting the season down to the barebones as a result.
 
sincher said:
What is your evidence for these ignored requests?
Click to expand...

Pochettino at the start of the season asked to sign players early so they could get a pre-season. He complained that in the past we have done business late and he hasn't had time to work with them, and suggested that this had been a problem. He didn't want this to happen again, and it did. That is an ignored request.

He also talked a lot about 'being brave' in order to step it up to the next level. He signed a new contract after doing this, and it was pretty much roundly expected that it was on the condition that Levy would give him backing in the transfer market. Do you really think Pochettino is happy about being the only manager in the league to have signed not a single player with 3 days to go? Honestly?
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Pochettino at the start of the season asked to sign players early so they could get a pre-season. He complained that in the past we have done business late and he hasn't had time to work with them, and suggested that this had been a problem. He didn't want this to happen again, and it did. That is an ignored request.

He also talked a lot about 'being brave' in order to step it up to the next level. He signed a new contract after doing this, and it was pretty much roundly expected that it was on the condition that Levy would give him backing in the transfer market. Do you really think Pochettino is happy about being the only manager in the league to have signed not a single player with 3 days to go? Honestly?
Click to expand...

I would say probably not. But I would also say it is likely not because of 'ignored requests', but the normal difficulties in negotiations, the Villa deal which messed up the chances of getting Grealish cheap, and the delay in a lot of deals caused by the world cup and the holidays after it, rather than Levy ignoring what Poch wants.

Plus it is generally a tough market, what with clubs who used to sell because they needed the cash generally not needing to any more. Look at Crystal Palace and their determination to keep Zaha, Leicester with Maguire etc.

Same thing with many other clubs at the moment, including us.
 
sincher said:
I would say probably not. But I would also say it is likely not because of 'ignored requests', but the normal difficulties in negotiations, the Villa deal which messed up the chances of getting Grealish cheap, and the delay in a lot of deals caused by the world cup and the holidays after it, rather than Levy ignoring what Poch wants.

Plus it is generally a tough market, what with clubs who used to sell because they needed the cash generally not needing to any more. Look at Crystal Palace and their determination to keep Zaha, Leicester with Maguire etc.

Same thing with many other clubs at the moment, including us.
Click to expand...

Plenty of other clubs managed to get their business done earlier. The market is the same for everybody, the Grealish deal is not one which is impossible to negotiate, and if it is we should have switched targets. We have had an entire summer, Grealish wasn't involved with the world cup. We've struggled more than others because Levy has done his usual routine of wait till the absolute last minute because he thinks he'll get a bargain this way, it's not something new, he's been doing it for years.

It's a tough market, but we're the ones making it look the toughest. You've struggled yet still negotiated deals for Dalot and Fred before the World Cup, and have given Fred a proper pre-season. I'd say you've had a pretty poor market due to not bringing in at least one fullback to replace Young, but you have at least done something to improve. Others like Chelsea haven't done much but still managed to bring in Jorginho, Liverpool make everyone saying how hard it is look silly by bringing in a number of players.

The players we've looked at are not unattainable. That's a narrative being crafted in order to protect Levy, to make out that he's working extremely hard on very difficult deals. The 'it's a hard market' narrative gets a little old when we're also constantly told Levy is a master negotiator in a window where other chairmen seem perfectly capable of landing their targets. He's always done this, no matter how difficult the climate is Levy has always waited till deadline day to get important business done, that is his way and hasn't changed, despite Pochettino's request.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Janssen was a decent punt. He was Eredivisie top scorer and worth having a go at, his success didn't translate in to the Premier League but that's the risk you take. I'd rather we at least take risks like that (they do sometimes pay off, Eriksen, Sanchez, Vertonghen etc translated their success there in to the Prem) than give up on them.

Sissoko was sheer stupidity. Average in the Premier League, but ran about a lot in a final and so bizarrely we blew 30m on him. Was predominantly down to the fact we were panicking at the end having left it to the last second so had an expensive punt on somebody who was proven to not be good enough already.
Click to expand...

I was excited by Janssen myself and while he wasn’t that exspensive it just shows that there are no guarantees when it comes to signings. Plus we now find it seemingly impossible to offload him.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Plenty of other clubs managed to get their business done earlier. The market is the same for everybody, the Grealish deal is not one which is impossible to negotiate, and if it is we should have switched targets. We have had an entire summer, Grealish wasn't involved with the world cup. We've struggled more than others because Levy has done his usual routine of wait till the absolute last minute because he thinks he'll get a bargain this way, it's not something new, he's been doing it for years.

It's a tough market, but we're the ones making it look the toughest. You've struggled yet still negotiated deals for Dalot and Fred before the World Cup, and have given Fred a proper pre-season. I'd say you've had a pretty poor market due to not bringing in at least one fullback to replace Young, but you have at least done something to improve. Others like Chelsea haven't done much but still managed to bring in Jorginho, Liverpool make everyone saying how hard it is look silly by bringing in a number of players.

The players we've looked at are not unattainable. That's a narrative being crafted in order to protect Levy, to make out that he's working extremely hard on very difficult deals. The 'it's a hard market' narrative gets a little old when we're also constantly told Levy is a master negotiator in a window where other chairmen seem perfectly capable of landing their targets. He's always done this, no matter how difficult the climate is Levy has always waited till deadline day to get important business done, that is his way and hasn't changed, despite Pochettino's request.
Click to expand...

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Yet I think the market has been a letdown for most of the big guns in the market.

City signed 1 player, Chelsea signed 1, United signed 2, Real Madrid signed 1, PSG signed 1 (on a free), Bayern Munich signed 1 (on a free). There have been some active big clubs and I agree that things look very good for Liverpool. I just feel that the market is kinda at a low point without much movement. There is just too much money in the market, feels like players only move clubs now if they have a clause (Dalot, Fred, Keita, Leno etc etc) or if they throw a hissy fit (Dembele, Mahrez, Van Dijk).
 
Don Alfredo said:
I agree with pretty much everything you said. Yet I think the market has been a letdown for most of the big guns in the market.

City signed 1 player, Chelsea signed 1, United signed 2, Real Madrid signed 1, PSG signed 1 (on a free), Bayern Munich signed 1 (on a free). There have been some active big clubs and I agree that things look very good for Liverpool. I just feel that the market is kinda at a low point without much movement. There is just too much money in the market, feels like players only move clubs now if they have a clause (Dalot, Fred, Keita, Leno etc etc) or if they throw a hissy fit (Dembele, Mahrez, Van Dijk).
Click to expand...

It has been a bit of a dead market, to be fair. I feel like our targets are a little more attainable than some of the big guns those teams would be after though, and at least they've signed .. somebody as opposed to doing nothing. I don't see the likes of Grealish as unattainable for example, it's a deal I strongly feel should have been sorted a lot earlier, absolutely feels like a Levy special where he's trying to call Villa's bluff and will end up rushing it on deadline day. That being said, even someone like Felipe Anderson who ended up going to West Ham could have been a strong option. Offers the work rate Pochettino loves, as well as a bit of pace, and can cover both Alli/wider positions. Ended up going for around 39 million though, so in fairness at that price there is an argument it needs to be somebody who can come in and immediately start.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
It has been a bit of a dead market, to be fair. I feel like our targets are a little more attainable than some of the big guns those teams would be after though, and at least they've signed .. somebody as opposed to doing nothing. I don't see the likes of Grealish as unattainable for example, it's a deal I strongly feel should have been sorted a lot earlier, absolutely feels like a Levy special where he's trying to call Villa's bluff and will end up rushing it on deadline day.
Click to expand...

I kind of agree with this, it's not like Spurs are trying to sign a De Ligt, Pulisic, or some big name youth 'star' player. They are trying to sign Jack feckin Grealish, a championship midfielder. Who is one for the future but certainly a step down from Dembele, well both Cook and Grealish are steps down from Dembele. Spurs certainly are not stumping up the 60mil or so it would take to get a midfielder of equal skill to Dembele.
 
Have they bought anyone yet? Stagnation is a dangerous thing in football. Gotta keep the squad fresh and competitive.
 
Scroto Baggins said:
I kind of agree with this, it's not like Spurs are trying to sign a De Ligt, Pulisic, or some big name youth 'star' player. They are trying to sign Jack feckin Grealish, a championship midfielder. Who is one for the future but certainly a step down from Dembele, well both Cook and Grealish are steps down from Dembele. Spurs certainly are not stumping up the 60mil or so it would take to get a midfielder of equal skill to Dembele.
Click to expand...

I think Spurs are only interested in Grealish for the right price, so I don't think it's fair to say that lesser player = easier player to sign. If the clubs valuation is not close then it require one of the clubs to budge. I personally don't think Grealish is a signing Spurs care much about, and it's more a if we can get him for the right price type of signing.

SquishyMcSquish said:
In fairness someone who isn't Moussa Sissoko would do like.
Click to expand...

We already have players who aren't Sissoko, if we slightly upgrade on Sissoko it's hardly money well spent :)

Truth is that although we should do something in the market, and definitely more than what we've done so far, it's still important to find the right player for a fee and wage that works for the club. It's definitely not easy, but we do need new players and I don't believe that it's impossible to find players who can improve the squad.
 
I’d be gutted that Toby of 2/3 years ago was being sold to you , but he threw his dummy out of the pram , and Sanchez came in and did such a good job , so after he recovered from his injury he couldn’t reclaim his place .
To answer a couple of questions ,Son can play at Newcastle before going off to the Asian games , and Yes we did play them first game last season too , won 0-2 .
Whilst we’ve not signed anyone , we do have Lamela returning hopefully Harry Winks , Lucas Moura , has been exceptional in leading Spurs to winning the ICC cup . We also have some great youngsters from Cameron Carter Vickers and Foryth , Oliver Skipp , Amos and Marsh to come into the squad , we should,compete quiet well .
Personally I’d like us to swap Toby for Martial and a bit of cash , but can’t see that happening . I wouldn’t mind Grealish coming in , but is he better than Prichard ( or Ryan Mason ) and Cook from Bournemouth would be good additions , but I can’t see where we need to improve , that,wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg , and Levy doesn’t do that
 
hellohello said:
I think Spurs are only interested in Grealish for the right price, so I don't think it's fair to say that lesser player = easier player to sign. If the clubs valuation is not close then it require one of the clubs to budge. I personally don't think Grealish is a signing Spurs care much about, and it's more a if we can get him for the right price type of signing.



We already have players who aren't Sissoko, if we slightly upgrade on Sissoko it's hardly money well spent :)

Truth is that although we should do something in the market, and definitely more than what we've done so far, it's still important to find the right player for a fee and wage that works for the club. It's definitely not easy, but we do need new players and I don't believe that it's impossible to find players who can improve the squad.
Click to expand...

Then move on. If Villa are being totally unreasonable and we're not interested at their price, then go look elsewhere. We've had all summer to do it, I don't see how leaving it to the last three days helps matters whatsoever. It just makes things desperate, and we end up with the likes of a Sissoko. Pochettino seems to want Grealish and needs a player in that area.

I was kidding abotu Sissoko :lol:. Although we're often forced to turn to him due to poor depth, so a wide player coming in to limit his gametime would be nice. The club has people being paid to find the right people, there are players out there and other clubs are finding them. The truth is Levy waits till the last minute no matter how the market is so it's a moot point, this is his gameplan.
 
Wotspur said:
I’d be gutted that Toby of 2/3 years ago was being sold to you , but he threw his dummy out of the pram , and Sanchez came in and did such a good job , so after he recovered from his injury he couldn’t reclaim his place .
To answer a couple of questions ,Son can play at Newcastle before going off to the Asian games , and Yes we did play them first game last season too , won 0-2 .
Whilst we’ve not signed anyone , we do have Lamela returning hopefully Harry Winks , Lucas Moura , has been exceptional in leading Spurs to winning the ICC cup . We also have some great youngsters from Cameron Carter Vickers and Foryth , Oliver Skipp , Amos and Marsh to come into the squad , we should,compete quiet well .
Personally I’d like us to swap Toby for Martial and a bit of cash , but can’t see that happening . I wouldn’t mind Grealish coming in , but is he better than Prichard ( or Ryan Mason ) and Cook from Bournemouth would be good additions , but I can’t see where we need to improve , that,wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg , and Levy doesn’t do that
Click to expand...
That’s not really true, Poch has form for not playing players that want to leave. He still played towards the end of the season.
 
Lash said:
That’s not really true, Poch has form for not playing players that want to leave. He still played towards the end of the season.
Click to expand...

He gave him a view sporadic appearances, but it was obvious Sanchez was preferred. In fairness that's also down to tactical reasons and because Sanchez turned out very well, but I imagine Toby would have gotten plenty more opportunities had he not been having difficulties with the club. Pochettino also phased out Walker after he asked to leave and began giving Trippier far more gametime, he wants players who are dedicated to the team.
 
sincher said:
I will add this. Spurs are Spurs, and I don't see them as a huge threat, but we have had to spend millions to be roughly on a par with where you are at the moment and I think your squad is more balanced and settled than ours at the moment. There is, as there has been for a few years, still a reasonable case to be made for a huge shake up at United and the same is simply not true at Spurs. The last thing you need is a shake up.
Click to expand...

The thing with this, is that in the last 3 seasons, Utd have won more than Spurs have in the last 20 years...

But because everything Utd do is compared to the utter brilliance of SAF, it appears that we've shared a similar recent history with clubs like Spurs, who've won nothing in that time.

Maybe Spurs will get a trophy over the line this season, but until they do that, any talk comparing them to United is daft.
 
Rhyme Animal said:
The thing with this, is that in the last 3 seasons, Utd have won more than Spurs have in the last 20 years...

But because everything Utd do is compared to the utter brilliance of SAF, it appears that we've shared a similar recent history with clubs like Spurs, who've won nothing in that time.

Maybe Spurs will get a trophy over the line this season, but until they do that, any talk comparing them to United is daft.
Click to expand...

You've won more trophies but we've been at a similar level in terms of team quality in the league etc, there isn't a big gap basically. Do you think otherwise?
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
You've won more trophies but we've been at a similar level in terms of team quality in the league etc, there isn't a big gap basically. Do you think otherwise?
Click to expand...
There's a gap in mentality. And it's a huge one.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
He gave him a view sporadic appearances, but it was obvious Sanchez was preferred. In fairness that's also down to tactical reasons and because Sanchez turned out very well, but I imagine Toby would have gotten plenty more opportunities had he not been having difficulties with the club. Pochettino also phased out Walker after he asked to leave and began giving Trippier far more gametime, he wants players who are dedicated to the team.
Click to expand...
Yeah, don’t get me wrong Sanchez has been good, but he’s not dislodged Toby on form alone. I was going to compare it to the Walker situation directly, but that was what I was inferring.
 
They've stood still in the market for the last 2 seasons. They got worse last season and I'm expecting a further decline again this, unless they pull something big out of the bag before Friday
 
ayushreddevil9 said:
There's a gap in mentality. And it's a huge one.
Click to expand...

Is there? I'd say there's a huge gap in expectations, not mentality. What does that even mean anyway? Obviously not a great deal if it doesn't lead to more points on the table.
 
Carl said:
They've stood still in the market for the last 2 seasons. They got worse last season and I'm expecting a further decline again this, unless they pull something big out of the bag before Friday
Click to expand...

Not sure why you think we got worse last season. We ended the season third in the league, got to semi's of FA cup and through to the last 16 of the Champions League whilst getting out of probably the toughest group. In what way did we get worse?
 
It's also silly to suggest that Alderwiereld (sp?) didn't regain his spot due to form. It was quite obviously because he was agitating to leave and wouldn't sign a new contract.
 
Carl said:
They've stood still in the market for the last 2 seasons. They got worse last season and I'm expecting a further decline again this, unless they pull something big out of the bag before Friday
Click to expand...

Not a big deal if they are worse given that they've had two seasons with their Stadium being an issue. 19/20 season is the one they need to pull out the stops for and start moving forward again as they'll be used to their new stadium and won't have the World Cup causing them problems.

I think it's too late for any new signings to make any serious impact for this season anyway. If they brought new players in they probably won't start against Newcastle anyway and that's what they really need right now. Their first team is great and it'd be very difficult to improve on a position. The issue is their squad depth isn't great as demonstrated last season during the CL Group stages when their PL form started to decline as they were having problems with fitness.

They should focus on a Top 4 and go big for the Cups this season. Try and win the League/FA cup.
 
balaks said:
Not sure why you think we got worse last season. We ended the season third in the league, got to semi's of FA cup and through to the last 16 of the Champions League whilst getting out of probably the toughest group. In what way did we get worse?
Click to expand...

You finished the season with 9 fewer points. Granted it's not always as straight forward as that, so I'd also point to my eyes determining that you appeared to be a weaker side than the previous season ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.