My initial reaction to the Liverpool penalty was fury, however closer examination proves that Lamela did strike Coutinho’s boot. And that’s enough.
What was this 1-1?
It was in the main abject.
Liverpool had shape and a cohesion about them, whereas Spurs looked as tired as they have since the first game of the season.
I mocked the use of the word ‘settled’ to describe our first XI, but I don’t think I went far enough. We aren’t merely settled, we actually look a bit bored with each other.
But let’s focus on the shape that the visitors had, and that we distinct lacked.
Vorm had a pretty damn decent game. Of course, being the miserable son of a bitch that I am, this now leads me to wonder what our coaches are actually watching in training; based upon today all the man needed was some proper responsibility.
The removal of the maniac Bonzo only magnified the disconnect within the back four and on more than one occasion I thought we’d gone for 3 at the back.
Certainly Liverpool broke once and we only had 2 men in position.
Vertonghen was INCREDIBLY fortunate that the officiating was poor, his foul in our box was cheap and nasty and now an offence that is being specifically targeted this season.
Rose was undoubtedly gutsy and his goal proved that point.
The real flat tyre at The Lane today was the CM pairing of Dier and Wanyama.
It fundamentally didn’t work.
There was too little ‘Ying & Yang’ between them. The absence of the ageing Mousa Dembele is a massive issue.
Wanyama is a tad industrial and needs refinement in order that he can be more than he is.
Dier in the main spent most of the game serving up passes that were dull and lacking real invention.
‘Dele’ needs to do two things.
- Decide what his actual role is.
- Stop acting like a gangster pilchard every time someone makes contact with him.
I find this whole ‘squaring up thing’ frankly pathetic. If you want to behave like a mindless oik sonny, please go and do it somewhere else. And without our shirt on.
Lamela did a god impression of a man trying, but by Christ he was a man alone out there.
Eriksen is a player I would publicly advertise as being for sale.
I can’t recall such an uncommitted exercise on time-wasting since that time it was announced that Jason Dozzell wasn’t playing because he was ‘stuck in traffic’ on the way in from Ipswich.
If the daft Danish dyke wants a better deal or a better deal with someone else, then she’ll need to up her game.
It’s September soon and all that’s calling at the moment is the part of Wishy Washy – come Christmas – at the Theatre Royal Norwich.
Our play in the final third is, yet again, not worth the price of admission.
Janssen I maintain is god stuff, looking for a break. On of the reasons that he may have trouble landing one is Kane.
Tired, dogged and ultimately a massive frustration. He doesn’t just need a rest, he needs reprogramming. Does Poch know where Harry’s ‘Restore Factory Settings’ button is? Is he even looking for it?
A hateful commentary by Alan Smith (no surprise there) but one thing the Nasal Gnome called right was the imponderable uselessness of our bench.
We’re not settled, we’re boring and I wonder if Poch has it to go the distance here. Can Maurico elevate what we have to the next level?
By the next level, I actually mean play in a consistent and credible manner in either the league or A N Other top flight competition.
The early signs are unpromising.
