Ratings v Stoke

[St José Dominguez]

I think it's time to start heaping responsibility on Eriksen. Not knocking him as he's our most talented player but this hiding for periods of a game has got to stop.
For a multitude of reasons I think we need and have to move to 4-3-3/4-3-2-1/4-3-1-2. I want Eriksen as one of the three, with the weight of the game on his shoulders. He should be the one relieving some pressure and making sure we keep rhythm at problematic times in a game.
I love what he does at times, he's unsellable, but this flitting about at times (He's not alone, Mr Chadli) is actually hurting us.

 

[Cravenspurs]

Dier again, for me, played a streaky game. He didn't break up as much play as he did against Man U but he played a nice game for me. I like him over Bentaleb for me.

Mason was great and we missed him dearly. His run was 99% complete outside a Butland worldy.

Davies, didn't like his game and we miss Rose quite a bit. Run for the goal was great though.

Rest of defense had a decent game outside last 15 mins.

Kane needs service!!! Gosh he needs some help.

Thus the attack deserves a much of the blame. Once the game was sealed they stopped working. They went missing and just gave the ball back.

Why did the last 30 or so minutes or so did we just let them have the ball? We got our lead from controlling the tempo and bossed the game. We need to carry that through the whole game. That's what top 4 teams do. The control the game ALL the way through. For me this lands on Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela, Bentaleb and the rest of the attacking.

 

[Mr Pink]

The Polarisation of Pochettino

May 2014:


Today wasn't the first time we have seen these fears realised, but today we saw it enacted so perfectly. That first half was up there with the best football we've played under Pochettino, up there with the best football we've played in recent times really. We were tenacious, cohesive, clever and clinical (well, by our standards any way). We pressed high, we pressed together, we won the ball and transitioned quickly and Kane had his best 60 minutes since February. The passes he played for Mason and Davies were superb, as was Eriksen's for Chadli. Everything about our play was everything good about Pochettino's methods.

Some will say we were undone by a crazy 5 minutes that began with a needless penalty given away by the otherwise excellent Alderweireld. But that's not the whole truth. By the 70th minute we'd turned a 59% possession supremacy to a 53% deficit. We made 262 passes in the first half and 142 in the second. At 2-0 up there is nothing wrong with a bit of pragmatism, but you keep working, you do it cleverly and and as cohesively without the ball as you played with the ball in the first half.

A coach has to be able to read the game and react to improve things. This is where Pochettino continually struggles. Kane was forced, but by then we were already under the cosh. What I don't understand why, at 2-0 up, he didn't consider bringing Bentaleb on for Kane, pushing Chadli up and going 451 without the ball and 433 with it, he then had a second opportunity to do this with his second sub, instead he took off our best player on the day, moved Dembele, from in front of the heavily pressured Walker and put Lamela there and kept the 4231, with the floundering Dier and Bentaleb maintaining the CM2.

I thought Eriksen had become anonymous second half, but I checked the stats, he actually saw more of the ball in the second half than he did in the first, and having watched the game again he was one of the few still pressing. The player who really dropped off second half was Dier. he made 33 of his 50 passes first half, 17 in the second. There was a great example of why I don't want Dier as CM, especially in this CM2as early as the 15th minute of Sky's extended highlights. We are trying to play the ball out of defence, Stoke are pressing high, Vertonghen and Alderweireld look to Dier repeatedly as they swap passes, Dier responds by refusing to make himself available and instead points to others to receive the ball. He is not comfortable receiving the ball under pressure. He also cannot press the ball because he is easily turned. He also gave another hospital pass away - unpressured - first half. I like Dier. I think he has the makings of a fantastic young CB. He has great qualities for a CB. But he is not the right choice to play in a CM2 that wants to pressurise the ball and transition quickly and progressively.

I don't know how anyone can defend Walker's performance. I read comments like "apart from letting a few get past him he was very good". In context that is an oxymoronic statement. His poor reading and stupid reaction got him booked first half. He wasted a great chance when put behind the defence by Dier because of a poor touch. He was continually reading the movement of Arnautivic wrong and failing to stop balls coming in. So yeah, apart from all the incompetent stuff he was great. Once again he offered absolutely nothing productive offensively. Fuck me, if having a great game not stopping balls coming in and doing nothing offensively ? What's having a bad game ?

Persoannly I would have had Bentaleb on for Kane, gone 451/433, then had Tripier on for Walker, kept Dembele in front of Tripier to help him deal with Stoke's stronger side. Had Mason over that side as well to double/triple up and help deal with Ireland and Stoke's midfield superiority at that point.

What worried me previously and continues to worry me, is Pochettino's inability to tactically manage the second phase of games, tactically react to the changes of momentum or tactical changes the opposition make or, as we saw last week, respond to adversity.

It's really hard to know whether to be excited about what we saw in the great first half or scared of what we saw in the second.

Both I guess.

Individualness

Lloris - one horrible blunder, two or three great saves.

Walker - he did a couple of good things, but his inability to read the game gets him all sorts of trouble and his pace doesn't always get him out of it. Offensively not giving anything to mitigate the defensive deficiencies.

Alderweireld - Really poor penalty to give away, which blotted what had been an otherwise exemplary performance. Fucking shame.

Vertonghen - Pretty decent for the most part. Maybe could have tried to get to the Diouf for the second but I think he thinks Alderweireld has the front end covered.

Davies - I thought he was pretty meh other than his excellent contribution to the second goal. Showed real determination to burst throughout the two defenders, stay composed and put a great ball across.

Dier - Counter intuitive to the way Pochettino wants to play. Was OK first half, disappeared second.

Mason - MOTM until he went off. Was everywhere, blocking vital shots (twice), tenaciously pressing them out of the ball in midfield and was unlucky not to score with a clever move into to the box.

Dembele - Worked really hard and contributed enormously to the game. Only grumble is he still doesn't actually produce the final ball or incisive moment.

Chadli - A typical Chadli performance really. Frustrating poor touch when clean through then pops up and finishes a great move with aplomb. Some good, some bad.

Eriksen - Actually was pretty OK throughout, just the second half his touches were in much less threatening or productive areas, because by then we'd stopped playing and were sitting on the edge of our own box.

Kane - Best 60 minutes for a while. Played two or three lovely balls, worked hard but smart, didn't try to run through brick walls.

BC does it not concern you that they had more clear cut chances than we did? No matter how we appraise the game overall, that's what worried me the most today - despite some good football in the first half.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

BC does it not concern you that they had more clear cut chances than we did? No matter how we appraise the game overall, that's what worried me the most today - despite some good football in the first half.

To be honest Mr P, I hadn't made that calculation. Seemed to me with Chadli clean through, Mason clean through, the two goals, Kane from point blank we created plenty of decent chances today, theirs all seem to come from crosses from what I can remember and I only remembered a couple plus the goal. But I might be one or two out.

My bigger concern is how we can turn domination of a game into no control over it whatsoever.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

My bigger concern is how we can turn domination of a game into no control over it whatsoever.

Completely agree, there always seems to be some sort of trigger during the match which turns our control into a shambolic mess- sometimes it's a goal conceded, but more often that not, just being on the end of some pressure from the opposing team causes us to collapse. I think it could be linked to a lingering weak mentality, but it really is aggravating, that's for sure.

 

[beats1]

It's the problem of Poch's 4-2-4. Those four in front of the central midfielders are basically allowed to get away with doing their own thing. Too many times they are neither pressing nor are they getting back in and making two banks of four or something like a 4-4-1-1 shape. Poch needs to set some standards and get one or the other out of the players on a much more consistent basis. If he is content with what he is seeing them I am worried.

For someone who supposedly is a better manager because he has a philosophy its amazing he has got away with so much stick since we don't manage to do either this points to no gameplay at all when not in possession

 

[HotspurFC1950]

Unable to see the games I usually check in to this thread for "guidance" but it's all over the place this time.

Thank god for Bill Oddie on this occasion.

 

[allpaths]

BC does it not concern you that they had more clear cut chances than we did? No matter how we appraise the game overall, that's what worried me the most today - despite some good football in the first half.

Michael Caley ‏@MC_of_A 10h10 hours ago
xG map for #COYS -#SCFC . Well that escalated quickly. First 60 Min: 1.6 - 0.4 Last 30 Min: 0.1 - 1.3 (+ Pen)



not saying i totally agree with his methods but think this gives a good account on how we created much better chances if u take their very soft penalty away.
my thinking from this match other than how brilliant we were for the first 60 minutes was how shockingly bad we where/r at stopping in-swinging crosses from the left and how individually jan and toby r good cbs but neither of them r dominate in the air especially jan and i see that as a real problem.

 

[allpaths]

funny this game really reminded me of last year's 2-2 at sunderland a really good performance marred by a late spursy collapse. i see this as a growing pains as poch shapes this squad into a legit top 4 contender in the next 2-3 years. so as disappointing the result was, i will remain patient for this season and prey that we win a cup or two

 

[Bulletspur]

Dier, Kane & Mason were good.

Lamela was awful.

Everyone else put in a standard performance.

Including Bentaleb ?

 

[littlemandefoe]

Lloris - 8 - Not at fault for the goals and pulled of some good saves.

Walker - 7 - Did what he could with absolutely zero support.
Alderweireld - 6 - Was good in general but should have been smarter when it came to the pen even if it was a very soft penalty.
Vertonghen - 7 - Can't remember him doing much wrong.
Davies - 6 - Did well to begin with and created the second goal. He was destroyed by Dioufs pace and power when Diouf was moved out wide.

Mason - 8 (MOTM) - Did his job very well and we never looked in trouble while he was on.
Dier - 6 - Looked decent again.

Dembélé - 4 - For me he is such a waste of space when playing out wide (and he aint much better when played in the middle either). He only woke up when Stoke were at 2-2 and still only managed a shot or two. Drifts inside making us very narrow without the skill to be able to do something productive when in the middle.
Chadli - 6 - Scored a goal and did his job.
Eriksen - 5 - Thought he looked great first half but vanished in the second half.

Kane - 7 - Played well on the ball, unlucky not to score.

Lamela - 0 - This is what a 0/10 performance looks like. What a fucking shit performance. I'm done supporting him untill he starts to earn it (and I don't count on him to start performing anytime soon). Give me Townsend on the pitch instead of Lamela and sell him if possible, I don't give fuck about him anymore.
Bentaleb - 2 - Came on and did nothing, but at least he didn't give any stupid free-kicks away.

How can you give Lamela a 0?! He was worse than that...

 

[stevenqoz]

Their guy Arnautovic reminded me of our own Chris Waddle.......laconic style that made him strangely difficult to get near to. Poch needed to bite the bullet and give Walker the hook for the last half an hour....can't remember him being physically dominated in this fashion

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Good read. When I've finally made it back home (flight is delayed and then there's still the train from gatwick to North London) I'll watch the extended highlights which father will hopefully remember to record for me but this is pretty much how I anticipated things to have gone. Great pre subs, awful post subs. If this transpires to be the case then I will credit the manager for our great performance, but berate him for our game changing subs, in equal measure. Off gut instinct, sure the the energy / enthusiasm of Alli would have better replaced a waning Mason, while Carroll after pre season should surely have been the one to come on for Kane in the absence of a striker, with Chadli moving up top?

Also, you liken Dier to Busquets, and if that's the case then wonderful, but surely that is further evidence that we are better off with a 433?

Honestly, I don't see a massive difference.

The important thing is how we play rather than what formulation of numbers we attribute them when kick-off happens. Our system involves so much movement, it's easy to get bogged down in 4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3 vs 4-1-4-1 vs 4-1-3-2 conversations. Red herring, innit?

For me, if Dier (or a new alternative - very important to note no one else in our squad looks suited or trained to perform this role currently) + 1 are doing their job in the pivot properly, then the full backs can get forward. Then, when Kane does what he did for 60 minutes so superbly yesterday in the False 9, we have 6 attackers.

I go back to Martin Jol's time. (as I so often do when I hear the hooting indignation of angry berks who forget football involves two teams and that any failure on our part to win each game comfortably reflects mass incompetency that only brutal slaughter of the entire playing and coaching staff will rectify). Jol used to say his big change at Spurs was making us work as a 6-4 team rather than a 7-3.

That's to say, he didn't look at his teams being 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever. Defence, midfield, forward is a very old-fashioned and unsatisfactory way of looking at formations. But you can basically say which players are committed to defending and which attacking - especially if, as BC always does, you clarify both with and without the ball.

Anyway, point is, whether you want to argue we should be 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, it's almost irrelevant as in both, thanks to the deeper roles assumed by Dier and Kane (or their replacements), we are at least 3-7 with the ball and at least 6-4 without. Two whole players more attacking than BMJ.

Personally, I like my football that way and am glad we have a coach who plays this way.


Thanks for the comments, by the way. And really enjoyed reading others' views. BC's comment about Poch's system running out of steam after 60-odd minutes has strike a slightly worrying chord with me. Good point well made, mate (although our number of late goals in that patch last season leaves cause for optimism). We'll see if it becomes a regular thing.

 

[mattdefoe]

Da fuck?

?

 

[EastLondonYid]

The Polarisation of Pochettino

May 2014:


Today wasn't the first time we have seen these fears realised, but today we saw it enacted so perfectly. That first half was up there with the best football we've played under Pochettino, up there with the best football we've played in recent times really. We were tenacious, cohesive, clever and clinical (well, by our standards any way). We pressed high, we pressed together, we won the ball and transitioned quickly and Kane had his best 60 minutes since February. The passes he played for Mason and Davies were superb, as was Eriksen's for Chadli. Everything about our play was everything good about Pochettino's methods.

Some will say we were undone by a crazy 5 minutes that began with a needless penalty given away by the otherwise excellent Alderweireld. But that's not the whole truth. By the 70th minute we'd turned a 59% possession supremacy to a 53% deficit. We made 262 passes in the first half and 142 in the second. At 2-0 up there is nothing wrong with a bit of pragmatism, but you keep working, you do it cleverly and and as cohesively without the ball as you played with the ball in the first half.

A coach has to be able to read the game and react to improve things. This is where Pochettino continually struggles. Kane was forced, but by then we were already under the cosh. What I don't understand why, at 2-0 up, he didn't consider bringing Bentaleb on for Kane, pushing Chadli up and going 451 without the ball and 433 with it, he then had a second opportunity to do this with his second sub, instead he took off our best player on the day, moved Dembele, from in front of the heavily pressured Walker and put Lamela there and kept the 4231, with the floundering Dier and Bentaleb maintaining the CM2.

I thought Eriksen had become anonymous second half, but I checked the stats, he actually saw more of the ball in the second half than he did in the first, and having watched the game again he was one of the few still pressing. The player who really dropped off second half was Dier. he made 33 of his 50 passes first half, 17 in the second. There was a great example of why I don't want Dier as CM, especially in this CM2as early as the 15th minute of Sky's extended highlights. We are trying to play the ball out of defence, Stoke are pressing high, Vertonghen and Alderweireld look to Dier repeatedly as they swap passes, Dier responds by refusing to make himself available and instead points to others to receive the ball. He is not comfortable receiving the ball under pressure. He also cannot press the ball because he is easily turned. He also gave another hospital pass away - unpressured - first half. I like Dier. I think he has the makings of a fantastic young CB. He has great qualities for a CB. But he is not the right choice to play in a CM2 that wants to pressurise the ball and transition quickly and progressively.

I don't know how anyone can defend Walker's performance. I read comments like "apart from letting a few get past him he was very good". In context that is an oxymoronic statement. His poor reading and stupid reaction got him booked first half. He wasted a great chance when put behind the defence by Dier because of a poor touch. He was continually reading the movement of Arnautivic wrong and failing to stop balls coming in. So yeah, apart from all the incompetent stuff he was great. Once again he offered absolutely nothing productive offensively. Fuck me, if having a great game not stopping balls coming in and doing nothing offensively ? What's having a bad game ?

Persoannly I would have had Bentaleb on for Kane, gone 451/433, then had Tripier on for Walker, kept Dembele in front of Tripier to help him deal with Stoke's stronger side. Had Mason over that side as well to double/triple up and help deal with Ireland and Stoke's midfield superiority at that point.

What worried me previously and continues to worry me, is Pochettino's inability to tactically manage the second phase of games, tactically react to the changes of momentum or tactical changes the opposition make or, as we saw last week, respond to adversity.

It's really hard to know whether to be excited about what we saw in the great first half or scared of what we saw in the second.

Both I guess.

Individualness

Lloris - one horrible blunder, two or three great saves.

Walker - he did a couple of good things, but his inability to read the game gets him all sorts of trouble and his pace doesn't always get him out of it. Offensively not giving anything to mitigate the defensive deficiencies.

Alderweireld - Really poor penalty to give away, which blotted what had been an otherwise exemplary performance. Fucking shame.

Vertonghen - Pretty decent for the most part. Maybe could have tried to get to the Diouf for the second but I think he thinks Alderweireld has the front end covered.

Davies - I thought he was pretty meh other than his excellent contribution to the second goal. Showed real determination to burst throughout the two defenders, stay composed and put a great ball across.

Dier - Counter intuitive to the way Pochettino wants to play. Was OK first half, disappeared second.

Mason - MOTM until he went off. Was everywhere, blocking vital shots (twice), tenaciously pressing them out of the ball in midfield and was unlucky not to score with a clever move into to the box.

Dembele - Worked really hard and contributed enormously to the game. Only grumble is he still doesn't actually produce the final ball or incisive moment.

Chadli - A typical Chadli performance really. Frustrating poor touch when clean through then pops up and finishes a great move with aplomb. Some good, some bad.

Eriksen - Actually was pretty OK throughout, just the second half his touches were in much less threatening or productive areas, because by then we'd stopped playing and were sitting on the edge of our own box.

Kane - Best 60 minutes for a while. Played two or three lovely balls, worked hard but smart, didn't try to run through brick walls.

The Polarisation of Pochettino

May 2014:


Today wasn't the first time we have seen these fears realised, but today we saw it enacted so perfectly. That first half was up there with the best football we've played under Pochettino, up there with the best football we've played in recent times really. We were tenacious, cohesive, clever and clinical (well, by our standards any way). We pressed high, we pressed together, we won the ball and transitioned quickly and Kane had his best 60 minutes since February. The passes he played for Mason and Davies were superb, as was Eriksen's for Chadli. Everything about our play was everything good about Pochettino's methods.

Some will say we were undone by a crazy 5 minutes that began with a needless penalty given away by the otherwise excellent Alderweireld. But that's not the whole truth. By the 70th minute we'd turned a 59% possession supremacy to a 53% deficit. We made 262 passes in the first half and 142 in the second. At 2-0 up there is nothing wrong with a bit of pragmatism, but you keep working, you do it cleverly and and as cohesively without the ball as you played with the ball in the first half.

A coach has to be able to read the game and react to improve things. This is where Pochettino continually struggles. Kane was forced, but by then we were already under the cosh. What I don't understand why, at 2-0 up, he didn't consider bringing Bentaleb on for Kane, pushing Chadli up and going 451 without the ball and 433 with it, he then had a second opportunity to do this with his second sub, instead he took off our best player on the day, moved Dembele, from in front of the heavily pressured Walker and put Lamela there and kept the 4231, with the floundering Dier and Bentaleb maintaining the CM2.

I thought Eriksen had become anonymous second half, but I checked the stats, he actually saw more of the ball in the second half than he did in the first, and having watched the game again he was one of the few still pressing. The player who really dropped off second half was Dier. he made 33 of his 50 passes first half, 17 in the second. There was a great example of why I don't want Dier as CM, especially in this CM2as early as the 15th minute of Sky's extended highlights. We are trying to play the ball out of defence, Stoke are pressing high, Vertonghen and Alderweireld look to Dier repeatedly as they swap passes, Dier responds by refusing to make himself available and instead points to others to receive the ball. He is not comfortable receiving the ball under pressure. He also cannot press the ball because he is easily turned. He also gave another hospital pass away - unpressured - first half. I like Dier. I think he has the makings of a fantastic young CB. He has great qualities for a CB. But he is not the right choice to play in a CM2 that wants to pressurise the ball and transition quickly and progressively.

I don't know how anyone can defend Walker's performance. I read comments like "apart from letting a few get past him he was very good". In context that is an oxymoronic statement. His poor reading and stupid reaction got him booked first half. He wasted a great chance when put behind the defence by Dier because of a poor touch. He was continually reading the movement of Arnautivic wrong and failing to stop balls coming in. So yeah, apart from all the incompetent stuff he was great. Once again he offered absolutely nothing productive offensively. Fuck me, if having a great game not stopping balls coming in and doing nothing offensively ? What's having a bad game ?

Persoannly I would have had Bentaleb on for Kane, gone 451/433, then had Tripier on for Walker, kept Dembele in front of Tripier to help him deal with Stoke's stronger side. Had Mason over that side as well to double/triple up and help deal with Ireland and Stoke's midfield superiority at that point.

What worried me previously and continues to worry me, is Pochettino's inability to tactically manage the second phase of games, tactically react to the changes of momentum or tactical changes the opposition make or, as we saw last week, respond to adversity.

It's really hard to know whether to be excited about what we saw in the great first half or scared of what we saw in the second.

Both I guess.

Individualness

Lloris - one horrible blunder, two or three great saves.

Walker - he did a couple of good things, but his inability to read the game gets him all sorts of trouble and his pace doesn't always get him out of it. Offensively not giving anything to mitigate the defensive deficiencies.

Alderweireld - Really poor penalty to give away, which blotted what had been an otherwise exemplary performance. Fucking shame.

Vertonghen - Pretty decent for the most part. Maybe could have tried to get to the Diouf for the second but I think he thinks Alderweireld has the front end covered.

Davies - I thought he was pretty meh other than his excellent contribution to the second goal. Showed real determination to burst throughout the two defenders, stay composed and put a great ball across.

Dier - Counter intuitive to the way Pochettino wants to play. Was OK first half, disappeared second.

Mason - MOTM until he went off. Was everywhere, blocking vital shots (twice), tenaciously pressing them out of the ball in midfield and was unlucky not to score with a clever move into to the box.

Dembele - Worked really hard and contributed enormously to the game. Only grumble is he still doesn't actually produce the final ball or incisive moment.

Chadli - A typical Chadli performance really. Frustrating poor touch when clean through then pops up and finishes a great move with aplomb. Some good, some bad.

Eriksen - Actually was pretty OK throughout, just the second half his touches were in much less threatening or productive areas, because by then we'd stopped playing and were sitting on the edge of our own box.

Kane - Best 60 minutes for a while. Played two or three lovely balls, worked hard but smart, didn't try to run through brick walls.

Your posts are fairly accurate but the Walker thing is getting really boring , i can picture you through the game itching to get to your PC to slate him , let it fucking go, he is one of our better players imo, he gives 100% every game every season, only when hes gone will he be appreciated even though i accept he makes the odd fuck up, yesterday Poch fucked up by not shutting the game out at 2-0, i would have had Trippier on and kept Walker in front of him the last 20 rather than what Poch changed.

You slag off Walker for being imcompetent and offering nothing going forward, but you praise Dembele and i quote what you posted.....
.'' Worked really hard and contributed enormously to the game. Only grumble is he still doesn't actually produce the final ball or incisive moment.''............he gets praise and contributed enormously?? and in the same sentence you admit he doesn't actually produce a final ball or incisive moment??...a midfield player? who also doesn't really defend either or score goals ...so how the fuck did he contribute enormously???

Don't get me wrong, i like Dembele , though he isn't playing that well atm, but i just find what you wrote baffling.

After your rant at Walker...that kind of smacks of double standards , let it go mate, your Walker rants spoil your otherwise really accurate and good posts. which i often agree with.

 

[dynamoSpurs]

Formation, forschmation. Face it - our players are just second rate.

I've never seen two more ineffectual and clumsy substitutes as I have in Bentelab and Lamela. Absolutely shocking. Both need to be shipped and FAST.

Dembele did OK and I think he was the only one.

No attacking outlet on the right whatsoever.

I hope Clinton is good, because our current crop are not of the same level as the competition. That's the cold hard truth.

 

[We need another Hoddle]

3 votes for Lamela as MOTM,are you kin sure

Stevie Wonder,Ray Charles and some geezer in a care home must have been on here since the Stoke game

 

[Gilzeanking]

It would be too simple to put Bentaleb's(4) form collapse down to him getting a 'setup for life' contract....Wouldn't it ?

As someone mentioned , in the style of Ade after he gets a big contract . We've been thinking of him as our rock in the close season..it must be a shock to Poch to see a central figure in his plans suddenly shrink away . Kid's young and presumably will return to the job of marshalling our midfield at some point . Needs some time out of the limelight imo .

Amazing pair of Kane (7) passes . We need 2 Kanes now . 1 to make the defence splitting pass and 1 to score from them .
Agree with BC he looks back to his best...and what about his amazing offside 'goal' !

Agree with the disappointment re Poch's (4) ingame abilities . It was screamingly obvious that we were slacking off long before we conceded. You find yourself shouting ' Do something f'gawds sake' , but no , he doesn't contribute . Seems to be outfoxed by all sorts of oppo managers ....and not learning from mistakes..worrying imo .

First 60 was pretty good , tho as is mentioned elsewhere...Stoke had point blank misses and many free headers in our box .If any had gone in , presumably our brittle confidence , would have sagged sooner .

I've been a long term Lamela (3) supporter.... this support was based on tiny encouraging moments AND the understanding that he's young and would improve . Saw him in the Audi Cup and realised he simply aint improving . Hopefully new attacker signings will make him less of a problem , and if no improvement arrives we can sell him back to Italy .

Always a disappointment to have a 2 goal lead pegged back , but there were one or two bright spots to cling to..

 

[BK007]

Growing pains eh?

Poch has not shown that he can adapt and surely that's key for a manager, especially if your game plan always fails at some point.

 

[Mr Pink]

To be honest Mr P, I hadn't made that calculation. Seemed to me with Chadli clean through, Mason clean through, the two goals, Kane from point blank we created plenty of decent chances today, theirs all seem to come from crosses from what I can remember and I only remembered a couple plus the goal. But I might be one or two out.

My bigger concern is how we can turn domination of a game into no control over it whatsoever.

But equally you could say Chadli's clean through wasn't really because he made a mess of it...Mason's wasn't an easy chance per se and I'm not sure Dier is going for goal, more like trying to help it on - a touch fortunate in that respect.

Where as they had at least three/four headers at nearly point blank range - where you;d expect them to score 2 or three of them.

Sorry, I know that sounds like I'm nitpicking but I just felt they had the more dangerous moments once totted up.

Totally agree with your comment on how easily we lost our control and focus.