- Oct 19, 2004
- 39,837
- 50,713
That was a real throwback of a game. That was vintage Stoke, their shitty bus parked, a little bit of boot left as a memento with every challenge, a crowd of menstrual baboons wearing electric shock pants with the on button seemingly connected to any blast of the referees whistle and linesman's flag.
Hard to enjoy these games, you have to scrap for everything, things don't roll smoothly, and the ever-present flirtation with the unbearable injustice of not getting three points through some skanky moment of misfortune has it's hold on your sphincter until the referee eventually blows the final whistle.
But these games, if not more, then at least as much as games like last week, are what evidence our arrival as a serious team. Serious teams come through these games, go away to the baboon cages, stand toe to toe with the shitkickers, don't get bullied, earn the right to play football and still find a way to make that superior football count for points.
It would have been utter travesty if we'd let Stoke pick our pockets today, they didn't get out of their half for 80 minutes. Even their goal came from inside their half, yet another gift from Lloris.
It's always hard to shine on the shitkicker days, but Eriksen once again was exceedingly good. Saw more ball than both CM's, scored one, made one and was just the hub for most things that happen.
I thought both CM's were decent, Dembele even playing a collectors item - a through ball that - that led to the opening goal.
Poch's subs as ever baffled me. The first one was fine, and putting Dier on was fine when trying to protect a game, but why an earth you take off your busy ****, and not Kane or Alli who were now chugging around on fumes is just daft.
Individual
Lloris - what the fuck was he doing, there was only one place he can't kick that ball, and he choses that place.
Walkier - Marks for up and downedness, but what happens in those up and down areas is not always so good.
Sanchez - Decent day overall.
Vertonghen - Good game.
Rose - Loves to bate the baboons.
Dembele - Decent game, great ball for the first goal to set Alli away.
Wanyama - Decent game.
Alli - Cool head for the first goal, worked pretty hard and involved in some good moments. Pretty good game.
Eriksen - Quietly enormous. It's not just the pure amount of ball he sees, seeing more than our (and most PL) CM's whilst playing primarily more as an 10 than an 8 technically, it's that that quantity doesn't come at the cost of quality, as well as conducting everything he's creating, assisting, scoring. It's like he's playing all the instruments in the orchestra as well as conducting it. MOTM.
Son - Eyes a bit bloodshot, like a samelar hound with distemper.
Kane - Pretty poor game. Didn't work hard enough, his hold up play was a bit weak at times.
Hard to enjoy these games, you have to scrap for everything, things don't roll smoothly, and the ever-present flirtation with the unbearable injustice of not getting three points through some skanky moment of misfortune has it's hold on your sphincter until the referee eventually blows the final whistle.
But these games, if not more, then at least as much as games like last week, are what evidence our arrival as a serious team. Serious teams come through these games, go away to the baboon cages, stand toe to toe with the shitkickers, don't get bullied, earn the right to play football and still find a way to make that superior football count for points.
It would have been utter travesty if we'd let Stoke pick our pockets today, they didn't get out of their half for 80 minutes. Even their goal came from inside their half, yet another gift from Lloris.
It's always hard to shine on the shitkicker days, but Eriksen once again was exceedingly good. Saw more ball than both CM's, scored one, made one and was just the hub for most things that happen.
I thought both CM's were decent, Dembele even playing a collectors item - a through ball that - that led to the opening goal.
Poch's subs as ever baffled me. The first one was fine, and putting Dier on was fine when trying to protect a game, but why an earth you take off your busy ****, and not Kane or Alli who were now chugging around on fumes is just daft.
Individual
Lloris - what the fuck was he doing, there was only one place he can't kick that ball, and he choses that place.
Walkier - Marks for up and downedness, but what happens in those up and down areas is not always so good.
Sanchez - Decent day overall.
Vertonghen - Good game.
Rose - Loves to bate the baboons.
Dembele - Decent game, great ball for the first goal to set Alli away.
Wanyama - Decent game.
Alli - Cool head for the first goal, worked pretty hard and involved in some good moments. Pretty good game.
Eriksen - Quietly enormous. It's not just the pure amount of ball he sees, seeing more than our (and most PL) CM's whilst playing primarily more as an 10 than an 8 technically, it's that that quantity doesn't come at the cost of quality, as well as conducting everything he's creating, assisting, scoring. It's like he's playing all the instruments in the orchestra as well as conducting it. MOTM.
Son - Eyes a bit bloodshot, like a samelar hound with distemper.
Kane - Pretty poor game. Didn't work hard enough, his hold up play was a bit weak at times.
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