Spurs officially departed tonight

Jose is close to a league winning team, just needs a midfielder that can hold and pass the ball properly. As good as Sissoko and Hoijberg have been this season they just keep giving it away when harried. A Deco is needed in there somewhere (no, that's not Lo Celso or Winks).

Ironically Thiago or Erikson would have made this Spurs team PL favourites, nay champions I reckon. Kane and Son would be even more dangerous than they already are. And teams like West Ham and Palace would not see enough of the ball in the final 5-10 minutes to launch comebacks.
 
I am not sure losing at Anfield is the barometer of a team's title credentials, we lost plenty of times there over the years in seasons when we would win the league at a stroll.
 
Dumbstar said:
Jose is close to a league winning team, just needs a midfielder that can hold and pass the ball properly. As good as Sissoko and Hoijberg have been this season they just keep giving it away when harried. A Deco is needed in there somewhere (no, that's not Lo Celso or Winks).

Ironically Thiago or Erikson would have made this Spurs team PL favourites, nay champions I reckon. Kane and Son would be even more dangerous than they already are. And teams like West Ham and Palace would not see enough of the ball in the final 5-10 minutes to launch comebacks.
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We need a top class centre back who can play on the left side and box to box midfielder who is athletic and with good ability on the ball. I'm sure Jose will be looking at that in January and the summer - we are close without a doubt but we just need a little more to make that extra step to becoming real, solid title challengers.
 
padzilla said:
I am not sure losing at Anfield is the barometer of a team's title credentials, we lost plenty of times there over the years in seasons when we would win the league at a stroll.
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The bigger picture is, theyve won 1 in 4. Last night is just a continuation.
Its like people want them and Chelsea to be contenders. Weeks ago fans pointed to their league position and immediate results as definite proof theyre contenders. Now we are deeper in where there is a lot more to analyse, suddenly dropped points etc doesnt mean that much. West Ham could be a point behind them next week if they lose v Leicester and West Ham win. Theyre a bad weekend away from being 6th and thats just 1 matchday.
 
padzilla said:
I am not sure losing at Anfield is the barometer of a team's title credentials, we lost plenty of times there over the years in seasons when we would win the league at a stroll.
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In those seasons, Liverpool were not title challengers (bar 2008-09). You do have a point, City and Chelsea don't have stellar records there yet have won the league.
 
cyberman said:
The bigger picture is, theyve won 1 in 4. Last night is just a continuation.
Its like people want them and Chelsea to be contenders. Weeks ago fans pointed to their league position and immediate results as definite proof theyre contenders. Now we are deeper in where there is a lot more to analyse, suddenly dropped points etc doesnt mean that much. West Ham could be a point behind them next week if they lose v Leicester and West Ham win. Theyre a bad weekend away from being 6th and thats just 1 matchday.
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By this definition only Liverpool is a contender, and they've dropped silly points too. This season is just a weird one.
 
saivet said:
I doubt it. While I don't think Spurs were that impressive they had those two chances that they can look back on as being pivotal.
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Perhaps but some players aren't happy scrabbling around for half-chances on the break with 24% possession in a top-of-the-table clash, especially when it doesn't work.

Of course, if it worked that would be a different story.

My concern would be it could affect the mentality of the team because they know the manager doesn't think they're good enough to go toe to toe with Liverpool who had a make-shift backline.
 
adexkola said:
By this definition only Liverpool is a contender, and they've dropped silly points too. This season is just a weird one.
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I didnt say that, i think its too difficult to judge who is a title contender just now or else you could say West Ham and and Southampton are contenders (by the way how good does our 2 wins in a week away from home against them look right now)
Theres nothing that sets Spurs apart from those 2 sides right now imo apart from name value. We need to see more.
Liverpool could easily fall away as well. Teams are getting at their defence with 1 ball far too easily and their attack just looks tired. Theyre getting by with a pen, deflected shot and a set piece. Defences are looking confortable and set against them.
 
cyberman said:
I didnt say that, i think its too difficult to judge who is a title contender just now or else you could say West Ham and and Southampton are contenders (by the way how good does our 2 wins in a week away from home against them look right now)
Theres nothing that sets Spurs apart from those 2 sides right now imo apart from name value. We need to see more.
Liverpool could easily fall away as well. Teams are getting at their defence with 1 ball far too easily and their attack just looks tired. Theyre getting by with a pen, deflected shot and a set piece. Defences are looking confortable and set against them.
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Ah I agree 100%. Not even comfortable saying there is a title race yet.
 
Game of fine margins really - Bergwijn should have put them 2-1 up and then they'd probably defend that lead until the end, then we'd be taking Spurs seriously for the title.

Kane and Son will carry them pretty far, 2 absolutely class attackers. If 1 of those gets injured though they'll struggle again, the whole team shape is setup for them.
 
Dumbstar said:
Jose is close to a league winning team, just needs a midfielder that can hold and pass the ball properly. As good as Sissoko and Hoijberg have been this season they just keep giving it away when harried. A Deco is needed in there somewhere (no, that's not Lo Celso or Winks).

Ironically Thiago or Erikson would have made this Spurs team PL favourites, nay champions I reckon. Kane and Son would be even more dangerous than they already are. And teams like West Ham and Palace would not see enough of the ball in the final 5-10 minutes to launch comebacks.
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Surely he needs a bench as well?

They've a decent first team but there isn't much beyond that.
 
I think Liverpool will be Champions and are comfortably the best team in the league. Spurs are being hyped up in a way that suggests that they are their main challengers. They are not. Spurs could finish second, but they could also finish sixth. I don't see much difference between them, Leicester, City, Chelsea and us.

The huge discrepancy in the media between Spurs' title challenging side, Super Frank's Chelsea, Pep's City (who are still referred to like they are the side who topped 100 points) and us who are faltering, inconsistent and any given game away from sacking our manager, is quite striking.
 
They're so mentally weak. Fully expecting them to have that period when they won't win a game for weeks (March-April).
 
Withnail said:
Surely he needs a bench as well?

They've a decent first team but there isn't much beyond that.
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I think we have a much stronger squad now than we have ever had. It may not still be good enough but we do have genuine strength in depth. Look at the players who can't get into the starting team right now - Bale, Dele, Lamela, Winks, Lucas, Rodon, Sanchez, Vinicius. That's not bad.
 
Withnail said:
Perhaps but some players aren't happy scrabbling around for half-chances on the break with 24% possession in a top-of-the-table clash, especially when it doesn't work.

Of course, if it worked that would be a different story.

My concern would be it could affect the mentality of the team because they know the manager doesn't think they're good enough to go toe to toe with Liverpool who had a make-shift backline.
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Come on they had more than half chances that's ridiculous. They had the freedom for most of the second half to go for it and should have led.

Possession doesn't equal quality of chances. Liverpool had a lot of the ball but they and Spurs had equal footing in terms of good chances.
 
Smores said:
Come on they had more than half chances that's ridiculous. They had the freedom for most of the second half to go for it and should have led.

Possession doesn't equal quality of chances. Liverpool had a lot of the ball but they and Spurs had equal footing in terms of good chances.
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You are wasting your time mate.
 
My take is that Liverpool aren't the force they were last season, or the season before. Whilst they won last ight, I saw a lucky deflection and a free-header set piece goal. You think Spurs actually were the better team in the 2nd half, and had better chances (Kane header, they hit the inside of the post with Allison beaten).

Liverpool aren't actually blowing teams away, they're relying on an element of good fortune to win games. They must be favourites, simply because they're champions, and top of the league. However, it's one thing pumping yourself up for the big games, and another playing poorly for large parts of games like Fulham, Brighton, Villa. And then had very good fortune to win last night, against West Ham, Sheff United, Leeds.

I expect Spurs to recover, they've had a lot of tough games recently, and were moments away from a good result last night.
 
balaks said:
I think we have a much stronger squad now than we have ever had. It may not still be good enough but we do have genuine strength in depth. Look at the players who can't get into the starting team right now - Bale, Dele, Lamela, Winks, Lucas, Rodon, Sanchez, Vinicius. That's not bad.
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On current form there's not even one good attacker in there. You just have to pray that Kane's ankles survive the season. Son and Kane must be one of the best partnerships in the PL in a long long while, but you don't have much else at the moment.
 
Smores said:
Come on they had more than half chances that's ridiculous. They had the freedom for most of the second half to go for it and should have led.

Possession doesn't equal quality of chances. Liverpool had a lot of the ball but they and Spurs had equal footing in terms of good chances.
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I was going to disagree with you but I looked at the Xg and Tottenham led Liverpool in that. Didn't seem so watching the game but fair enough
 
simmee said:
On current form there's not even one good attacker in there. You just have to pray that Kane's ankles survive the season. Son and Kane must be one of the best partnerships in the PL in a long long while, but you don't have much else at the moment.
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Vinicius has 3 goals from 5 starts in Europe and 2 assists. I'd say that's a decent return. Ok so he is no Harry Kane but then who is? At least we have a proper striker in the squad which we haven't had for years.
 
Only a feeble 24% possession last night.
No team in history has won the title with the incredibly low percentage stats this Spurs team a racking up.
I'm no Liverpool fan, but I would much rather they win the title than a team playing the way Spurs play.

Jose is lucky he's been left with Kane and Son, because without them his idea of football would be ruthlessly exposed for the dinosour football that it is.
 
balaks said:
Vinicius has 3 goals from 5 starts in Europe and 2 assists. I'd say that's a decent return. Ok so he is no Harry Kane but then who is? At least we have a proper striker in the squad which we haven't had for years.
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Fair enough, that's a good return. Can't say I've watched much Europa league this season (yet...).
 
Smores said:
Come on they had more than half chances that's ridiculous. They had the freedom for most of the second half to go for it and should have led.

Possession doesn't equal quality of chances. Liverpool had a lot of the ball but they and Spurs had equal footing in terms of good chances.
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Ok maybe, half-chances was a bit strong but my basic point stands. 24% possession, 60% pass completion to 88%, 254 passes vs 813. 8 shots, 2 on target vs 17 shots, 11 on target.

I'm not sure what you mean by freedom when Spurs didn't have the ball. It really would have been a smash and grab if they had won it. Liverpool were the better team and watching the game it was them I was expecting to win it. Of course, I was hoping for a draw.


balaks said:
I think we have a much stronger squad now than we have ever had. It may not still be good enough but we do have genuine strength in depth. Look at the players who can't get into the starting team right now - Bale, Dele, Lamela, Winks, Lucas, Rodon, Sanchez, Vinicius. That's not bad.
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No it's not bad but I don't think you would want to rely on them in a title run-in.

Bale and Dele in particular have a lot to prove. This year especially every team could do with some additions in Jan.

Of course, Spurs could be lucky with injuries but I think this year will be hellish for injuries and will be a proper war of attrition.
 
Dumbstar said:
Jose is close to a league winning team, just needs a midfielder that can hold and pass the ball properly. As good as Sissoko and Hoijberg have been this season they just keep giving it away when harried. A Deco is needed in there somewhere (no, that's not Lo Celso or Winks).

Ironically Thiago or Erikson would have made this Spurs team PL favourites, nay champions I reckon. Kane and Son would be even more dangerous than they already are. And teams like West Ham and Palace would not see enough of the ball in the final 5-10 minutes to launch comebacks.
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Basically Ndombele then, though Jose doesn't trust him enough defensively yet to play him deeper.
 
adexkola said:
By this definition only Liverpool is a contender, and they've dropped silly points too. This season is just a weird one.
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I've fully geared myself up for another draw or even a loss this time against Palace. Not that I'm a negative bugger or think that we won't win the league but that's just how this season is going for everyone.
 
Withnail said:
Surely he needs a bench as well?

They've a decent first team but there isn't much beyond that.
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Spurs have a better bench than we do and we won the league. If you offered a swap of benches right now I would snap your hands off. Obviously that has to include Jota but on their side it has to include Bale, etc.

Ps. No Thiago though!
 
adexkola said:
By this definition only Liverpool is a contender, and they've dropped silly points too. This season is just a weird one.
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Well if Liverpool go to Spurs and lose that works out even. But I feel the pressure is on Spurs to get 6 points now from Leicester Wolves who they have coming up.

adexkola said:
I was going to disagree with you but I looked at the Xg and Tottenham led Liverpool in that. Didn't seem so watching the game but fair enough
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Mane and Salah had some tame shots through a lot of traffic and under pressure, and Salah's goal, the ball could of ended up anywhere, other shots outright blocked or fielded by Lloris. Firminos was a good chance and he buried it. For Spurs the Bergwijn - Kane chances should have been buried, one of Bergwijns was a one on one the other he was jostling with a defender making it harder, and Kane had a free header, one of those three needed to go in. Son buried his chance and he was pretty much in the clear at the time of the strike. So despite the possession and shots from range Spurs actually ended up with the better chances it seems, that whole possession doesnt tell the whole story thing.

I felt a draw was fair, Spurs were too slow to get rolling in the first half, didnt really come alive until the 35th minute, but after that really came back into the game with fast counter attacking play. People look too much at possession as a means to judge the game. That Salah goal though :lol: Seriously could have gone anywhere. As it stands it looped into the corner of the goal out of the reach of Lloris.

Liverpool top of the table, where they belong tbf. But Spurs have shown they are no slouches and Jose has them definitely in the mix, certainly wasnt a walk in the park for Liverpool turning over Spurs. Probably some hairy moments for the fanbase watching Bergwijn go through one on one or Kane with a free header.
 
Jose has really done a number on people here if they'd rather Liverpool match our 20 titles than see him win the league with Spurs.
 
Panther said:
Jose has really done a number on people here if they'd rather Liverpool match our 20 titles than see him win the league with Spurs.
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We should really just win it ourselves, makes much more sense than deciding between Spurs and Liverpool.
 
This Spurs team is essentially a more negative version of Mou’s Inter. The only difference is that Inter side had world class players in almost every position.
 
thatsme said:
Only a feeble 24% possession last night.
No team in history has won the title with the incredibly low percentage stats this Spurs team a racking up.
I'm no Liverpool fan, but I would much rather they win the title than a team playing the way Spurs play.

Jose is lucky he's been left with Kane and Son, because without them his idea of football would be ruthlessly exposed for the dinosour football that it is.
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It´s only a matter of time their luck will run out, or an injury to one of the two. It´s also still very early in the season. Things will change quickly.

Everybody´s jumping the gun when the´ve seen Everton on top after 5 rounds. Now this season I can see Liverpool to run away with it even not in the same fashion. The rest of the pack will lose a lot of points I reckon, can´t see teams go on long runs due to accumulated fatigue and shortened season.
 
Panther said:
Jose has really done a number on people here if they'd rather Liverpool match our 20 titles than see him win the league with Spurs.t
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The Premier League became the number one league in the world by capturing the imagination of football fans across the world.
It didn't do that by them watching top teams parking the bus and playing safety first football. If that's what fans do want to see, then Serie A would be played in full stadiums and be the top league in the world.
Spurs as champions would be a dreadful flag bearer for our league.
 
InLevyITrust said:
This is getting hilarious, we departed tonight after losing to a team who has been beaten once at home in what 30 games at home? Jesus the desperation, we beat City, Lucky, we draw with Chelsea, we were negative, we beat Arsenal, we were negative, we lose to the champions and we LEFT TONIGHT. Honestly, the absolute state of some of you.
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Yep.

We had posters on here claiming that Spurs would win none of the games when our tough run of fixtures began. We are in 2nd place in the table, yet apparently "Spurs officially departed" last night because we narrowly lost, away from home, to the best team in England as of last season and as of the current table.

The desperation of some posters reeks from a mile away.
 
Bobski said:
Spurs is the right type of club for Mourinho at the moment, one that has been starved of recent success, far more willing to accept the unpleasantness of his character and playing style.

They are disgusting to watch, long term it is not a style a fanbase can tolerate, but hold the nose for the short term.
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I bet you weren't saying that when we thrashed United 1 - 6 or S'hampton 2 - 5 ... both away from home.
 
thatsme said:
The harsh facts.
No matter who their manager is and how great some of their players are and have been, when it comes down to the really big games against the big teams, Spurs fail time after time after time.
The big teams don't keep winning these games by having good luck and Spurs losing because of bad luck. Calling them "bottlers" is probably a bit harsh but there's no doubt something is missing within that club and missing for a very long time.
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United 1 - Spurs 6.
Spurs 2 - City 0
Chelsea 0 - Spurs 0
 
cyberman said:
The bigger picture is, theyve won 1 in 4. Last night is just a continuation.
Its like people want them and Chelsea to be contenders. Weeks ago fans pointed to their league position and immediate results as definite proof theyre contenders. Now we are deeper in where there is a lot more to analyse, suddenly dropped points etc doesnt mean that much. West Ham could be a point behind them next week if they lose v Leicester and West Ham win. Theyre a bad weekend away from being 6th and thats just 1 matchday.
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These 4 matches were Chelsea Arsenal Palaca Liverpool. I don't think they were expected to win anything more than 2 from them.

Whatever way we look into it, their December schedule was ridiculous and they were expected to drop ton of points in it. I myself predicted them to be completely out of title race after this month and just in top 4 struggle. I expected them to lose to all of Chelsea, City and Liverpool. The fact they are still second through this is a near miracle.

So I don't see any crisis when I look at them to be honest.
 
thatsme said:
The Premier League became the number one league in the world by capturing the imagination of football fans across the world.
It didn't do that by them watching top teams parking the bus and playing safety first football. If that's what fans do want to see, then Serie A would be played in full stadiums and be the top league in the world.
Spurs as champions would be a dreadful flag bearer for our league.
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Who cares about the league image? I only care about my team and at the moment Liverpool are about to smash oue record in PL. Fergie took 27 years to bring us here and Liverpool are about to undo all this in just 8 years and this isn't important? I want even West Ham to win the league as long as it's not them. Them equaling our record will be a disaster. Feck the league as long as they don't win it.
 
el3mel said:
Who cares about the league image? I only care about my team and at the moment Liverpool are about to smash oue record in PL. Fergie took 27 years to bring us here and Liverpool are about to undo all this in just 8 years and this isn't important? I want even West Ham to win the league as long as it's not them. Them equaling our record will be a disaster. Feck the league as long as they don't win it.
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Totally agree.
Some fans nowadays are unreal. They rather Liverpool win the PL than Spurs, so it makes the English league the most entertaining in Europe. ?Never heard so much crap in my life. Football is becoming a joke!
 
thatsme said:
The Premier League became the number one league in the world by capturing the imagination of football fans across the world.
It didn't do that by them watching top teams parking the bus and playing safety first football. If that's what fans do want to see, then Serie A would be played in full stadiums and be the top league in the world.
Spurs as champions would be a dreadful flag bearer for our league.
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Holy feck are you for real? :eek::lol: I've heard it all now!

Some of you lads are hilarious honestly - fecking balloons. This thread is comedy gold.
 
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