OneMoSalah

Another coach after Potter and Lampard that doesn’t work on defensive set pieces, clearly. We are a soft touch team. That has to change. To make real progress things like defending set pieces have to become a piece of piss, instead its a shambles every week.

But again whilst Barella is a very rounded player he isn’t exactly a holding midfielder or particularly defensively minded. So wouldn’t of made sense but sure that calibre of player would of been available for close to or the same as Moises no doubt. NB does play a lot more as that more attack minded midfielder, regularly getting in the sort of half spaces similarly to like where Silva/de Bruyne had done for City under Pep for a while. He is also renowned for making a lot of those runs - underlaps (I think thats how they would describe it 😂?)- past their wingbacks as well as getting into the box. Maybe Gerrard is a good comparison for him. He can do that at Inter as they play him on the sides of a 3 but us signing Barella as a like for like to play instead of Caicedo when we look more like a 4231 team most weeks would probably not work. To restrict him to a more sort of defensively minded position would be stupid. If anything, signing him instead of Enzo may have made sense tactically as he has a different role. Enzo is definitely the more freed up of the two when they play next to each other or more recently Connor. Moises was bought to be that bit more defensively minded and his role (& Lavia when he plays) has to be more for bringing balance to the team. Barella wouldn’t of done that, restricting his best qualities. It is weird though they play Mkhktaryan and the Turkish lad in central MF too.

I think he does too much of this sometimes. Yes it helps the team at times but the amount of times he does this when it is unnecessary is also frustrating because when the play advances he is miles behind it and not in the box. There are things for him to learn as a young CF in particular like holding the ball up, finishing and doing some simpler things as well as being offside a lot and picking up unnecessary bookings for dissent but there is no way he is a better bet than Victor Oshimen. He needs a more experienced player to learn from and we need a more proven player to carry the goalscoring burden. Nkunku may do this as a 10 but he isn’t a striker and folk going on about the Cole Palmer false 9 thing are off their heads. I can’t see Oshimen coming here anyway, would be a crazy move from him to do so considering he is just about to go into the best period of his career.

Rodgers and Lennon both stagnated Celtic the last 18 months they were there though. Ask any Celtic fans. Rodgers has also gone back and has really struggled to replicate the same high levels of performances that they were producing with Postecoglu. Look at how tight the table is in Scotland. With the same squad barring a few additions/departures. In Europe the quality difference is hugely noticeable, agreed, but Celtic trying to go toe to toe with Real Madrid, RB Leipzig & Shakhtar Donesk (first match I had seen Mudryk play in) is historically unheard of, yet they went at them in every game and by all account had big chances in each game which better quality players would of scored. Same as how Spurs have gone at every team they have played. Top quality players make a difference. Even Brendan Rodger’s record in Europe with Celtic is below par and Lennons when he returned didn’t come up against teams of that quality barring maybe Lazio so it is a false stat to waive around when you consider Rodger’s record in the PL with Swansea, Liverpool and Leicester also & Lennon’s record domestically in Scotland with Celtic & Hibs. I think if he gets the additions he wants which are reportedly another CB, a winger and central midfielder - this will strengthen Spur’s position a lot. Although it does remain to see how he continues to do and especially again next season but a lot of football to be played to then. But I don’t think people should think that this is just a honeymoon period or a flash in the pan. Most would argue he has already lifted Spurs to another level much more than Mourinho and Conte ever did.

Honestly I don’t get why anybody in modern day football would want to sign a 7 or 8 year contract. Including all the guys we signed on them. Just severely limits them to what they can do and also the club if the players struggle. Other than the amortisation benefitting the club, it seems especially baffling from a sporting point of view. For both club and player. Yes you can believe in a project or love a club that much or whatever other reasons but see a 7 or 8 year deal, players are giving away control of nearly half of their careers and potential earnings in one go. Even if they don’t honour the full duration, as most players don’t tend to on average these days, if your good but fancy moving somewhere else, you’re likely not going to get a move for at least 4 or 5 years as the club will want to protect their investment. Unless a team matches what will no doubt be crazy valuations based on how many years they have left. Particularly if you have 4 or 5 years left of a 7 or 8 year deal. And you’re more than likely not getting a new and improved deal for at least 4 or 5 years either unless you do a freak of nature season after season for 2-3 years where it is near impossible to not warrant one be it increased pay/bonuses or whatever. Sure reasonably content players may see it as a good way to tie their futures up over a huge chunk of their careers, but the money in football now, most players (and their agents) are probably making much more money from moving clubs than they ever have from signing new contracts too. Particularly the sign on fees for free transfers also thats a massive money maker for them. It would actually be interesting to see what players make when signing a new deal at a current clubs in terms of bonuses etc compared to what they do when they move to another club.

Yeah. But he probably hasn’t impressed Poch enough to play there. I think defensively he is very poor also for this level. Perhaps but he had the same thing at Celtic too. His tactics were dubbed “naive” after his first 4 games by the media yet once it clicked properly - which takes time/all your best players being fit - and he strengthened the squad in key positions, those naive moments disappeared and he was rightly commended for his personality and approach to football. Irrespective of the league and quality of opposition I don’t believe it is any different. Even Pep was the same at City year 1, they needed to spend 300m on another GK and 4 fullbacks the next summer to really kick on from when we beat them to the league. That was maybe a season or 2 after Pellegrini won the league ridiculously comfortably too. And then there was Klopp with the high pressing too at the beginning, it was “naive” because he was “burning players out” but a few transfer windows and a pre season later, different story. No doubt he will need to make additions as Spurs are scraping by personnel wise, lost Harry Kane in the summer but I think it’s unfair to say the style he has done throughout his whole career won’t transmit to the PL when it already has and lets be honest, the style it isn’t exactly too dissimilar in ways to what we have seen from various managers like Pep, like Arteta, like Bielsa, like Wenger etc. Just with his own twist on it as all these guys had/have on possession based attacking football. Its just his reputation more for me that makes me think people are dismissive of his football. If he had played the sort of football he did throughout his managerial career at an Ajax or a Villarreal and had the same level of success or some other slightly higher profile clubs than he has done, people wouldn’t be as pessimistic I think. Yes their games have had scary moments and a few of their games could have gone either way or been finished earlier but everyone was praising Brighton and de Zebri last season now they are leaking goals left right and centre, playing the same way. Nobody is deeming them or him as naive - but because he had the success last season. I think irrespective if people think Spurs are naive or not, they are ballsy to play that way against everybody and have got clear belief they will score goals. Be it v City, Liverpool, Brighton, us - whoever. When they get their starting 11 back and if they add some good quality to their squad that suits that style, I don’t think people will be convinced that he is naive to play that way. If I am honest (maybe a bit biased as I was a huge fan of what he did up at Celtic as I have family who are Hoops and seen some games), I think he has the potential to move again to the likes of a Manchester United or a Liverpool or somebody if he has some real success at Spurs if I am honest. I mean Klopp won’t go on there forever and Radcliffe could see him as a viable option for United. Maybe a bit unrealistic as I’d think Klopp wont be going anywhere yet but even when we were linked with him before Poch was announced, I’d of taken him. Purely for his reputation of improving players, the style of football and more importantly his character.

I mean either way Poch will not be happy if he is sold to anyone, never mind Spurs who are well above us. Only other examples I can think of is Mata maybe? But even then it is not like that entirely, as he rarely played with Jose and it was clear he didn’t rate him where as Connor has been a regular and captained the team over 10 times this season. So not even that similar. Would be a crazy move by the directors and ownership, just gives more indication and puts a potential wedge between the footballing dept & Poch too. Not to mention the story already running about Poch wanting increased influence in the transfers & wanting more experienced players.

Honestly feel he needs to take Colwill out of the team full stop for now as he has really struggled I think but he cannot as we have no fit LBs. When Cucurella and Ben are back, Levi should be dropped just to get a bit of a rest and also get himself right as he has been a mixed bag. Got the feeling Cucurella was turning a corner performance wise but still has more to offer.

Selling Connor (one of our key players) to Spurs of all teams, who currently look lightyears ahead of us, would be a sign that the owners are not interested in winning anything for me. Or fully behind Poch.

I think this is also why perhaps we have to keep Poch although results have been incredibly mixed/poor. But we haven’t seen any signs yet of what a Poch team usually is which is why I am dubious about how long he should get.

But again Spurs could have probably got the 4-4 or even won too the last 15-20 mins. Considering the players they are missing, the commitment and results based off of the style and the performances with so called inferior players filling in positions they don’t usually play (Royal & Davies at CB in particular) and new younger players with next to no exposure at this level (Udogie and Sarr) has to be applauded lets be honest. With a few more good additions, similarly like he did at Celtic in his first season in the January, they will get the results to justify playing that way, although you could already argue they have done that. Said it before when we were linked to him and also when Spurs appointed him, he will die by his philosophy but he will improve most players and their team as a whole - as he has done everywhere he has been from Australia to Japan to Scotland and now in England. It’s so clear they are better coached than we are and than Man United are. Irrespective of results - look at the style the patterns etc. Do you think anyone would achieve that by changing their beliefs? Is it really that stubborn? Did Pep change his philosophy that much after an unsuccessful first season? No. Did Klopp? No. Did Mourinho after he came back the second time round? No.

Him & Connor best players last night. Reece is going to struggle to get back in if he cant get fit and this guy keeps playing like that. Aggressive when defending, showed real intent when he got forward. None of this going through the motions nonsense you get from watching Reece at times. Fully agree with above, one of the few good signings under Boehly.

May seem a bit controversial (although I don’t see why) but I would go with Disasi and Badiashile again at the back. Think they actually played well enough as a pair at times in the first half and allowed the defensive line to be 5-10m further up the field. They struggled second half, but we as a team struggled to match Palace’s physicality - this cannot happen again v Luton as this is their bread and butter. They’ve also given very good accounts of themselves v both City and Arsenal and will no doubt be up for it. Gusto, Gallagher and Nkunku are must starts also. Palmer and Sterling also if they are back, think those 2 and Nkunku could really form a nice attacking trio behind the CF.

Scraping a 2-1 v Palace in this manner has to be alarm bells for the higher ups though. Surely? There is still so many questions and not enough answers. Poch has a lot of work to do. Second half we were so far off it, so many passengers. Physically. Terms of duels etc such a poor effort. Swapping Gusto who was an outlet for us on the right to the left also killed us.

Yeah Poch out. Players either aren’t good enough or aren’t having him. Would say its likely the players aren’t good enough but he hasn’t made enough progress with the system, style, organisation etc. to get any benefit of the doubt. Playing like we did in bigger games v Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City may buy him some credit but you cannot play this poorly against smaller sides constantly. Looks like we might get this pen though.

And time and time again, most weeks it looks like some of our best chances come from Thiago Silva crossfield passes/crosses….

Yeah definitely offside. Was a lucky finish. Almost as if he scuffed it with his toe trying to put his laces through it but suppose they all count (if onside). Big moment but second half performance not worth a second goal in all reality. No fight and Palace are dogged, diligent, doing the basics well. Mistakes everywhere from us and not matched the physical effort of then at all second half.

Spoke too soon 😂

True but when you’ve got players rolling around over nothing moments of contact like Mudryk there and pulling out of 50/50s like Maatsen in the first half, why get behind the team when they are not willing to match the physical effort of the other team? Even the CBs struggling with the physical contest against the Palace striker. I wouldn’t be paying for a ticket to watch this shit we are seeing in the second half thats for sure 👍 Its like men v boys. All fans want is to see players giving it their all. You don’t get bullied and out worked by Palace if your giving it everything as a Chelsea player.

Also bit surprised Poch has taken our best player in the first half and put him at left back. Despite Colwill struggling and making that mistake. If they would show something worth getting behind would make all the difference though! Can ask for folk to get behind the team all day long won’t get them very far if they don’t raise the level of the game

Perhaps but wouldn’t be difficult either. Hopefully he can add something to this game but people were creaming themselves at the prospect of Enzo Lavia and Caicedo as if they were the next Modric, Casemiro and Kroos. Or best MF 3 in the PL 😂 Lot of pressure but regardless Enzo & Caicedo been dogshit most of the season.

People are putting a LOT of faith in Lavia based off one season at Southampton though and have been all season. Sure some potential s there but the same was said about Caicedo’s level and performances last season when we signed him. Not a doubt who out of the two is a better player and more established either. If people are expecting Lavia to save our midfield singlehandedly they are horribly mistaken. He still needs to be tested at this sort of level of club. Still needs to establish himself.

Honestly if Enzo keeps playing as he has done this season he won’t be missed that much. Has got huge potential and showed that last season at times but honestly I haven’t seen anything this season to make me think he’d be a huge miss if he left tomorrow. If he doesn’t improve his body language also never mind his performances, he can go. Poor attitude is worse than poor performances.

Honestly? 🤣 How the fault is not with Colwill and Caicedo much more than anybody is beyond me but not surprised on here anymore. Be Sterlings fault next… Yes Badiashile maybe could jump instead but Colwill goes and challenges it. Rashly. Stupidly. He doesn’t need to go for it because its clearly going over the player he feels the need to try and challenges head? No? Stevie Wonder would see that FFS. Also Caicedo? If he passes the man on ok all on Colwill but honestly, he should still try and follow him in. Maatsen shirking that 50/50 more to blame than both Disasi and Badiashile too…. But yeah selective criticism on here is very very common not surprised. I think Colwill should be much more aware and the trajectory of the cross is clearly going over the guy in the middles head. So yes him and Caicedo 100% at blame. Baidashile could maybe od challenged but its likely still going to go to the same man isnt it?

How? Caicedo lets the man go? Colwill attacks the ball misjudging it… what has it really got to do with Disasi and Badiashile? Again folk pointing the finger at the wrong players as per usual.