Last week the score was 3-3 in a game that ought to have been branded a thriller. But it wasn’t.
This week, we won 3-1 and anyone who wants to tell me they were either as thrilled or more thrilled watching that will soon find their underpants being attended by firemen, shouting “liar lair!” whilst pointing at said flaming undergarments.
To provide a tactical analysis isn’t a complex business. Whatever the lads are achieving is despite whatever Tim is saying and doing.Eriksen as a LM in a 442 isn’t a disaster, but does look to make far less sense than playing him centrally in a 433. Unfortunately, Dimmo is a meat and potatoes, none of your fancy foreign 433 muck for me, fank yew very much.
Also, Timmy & Les’ idea of what constitutes an effective centre midfield isn’t funny.
The Tweet from Sandro wasn’t the problem. Yeah sure, he would’ve preferred to have been playing. But Bruxie asked where he was and when Bruxie pitches you a question, you answer. No matter how good your kung fu is.
The problem was the response. Tim could’ve said, “Everything’s Kool and the gang with Sandro, I’m sure he’ll be back in the thick of it in no time”, but no …SayOwl Face had to snatch at it, let everyone know who’s boss.
He ain’t good enough to get in my team right now. I like Sandro as a kid.”
This is horrible. Really horrible.
If you stopped most fans in the street and asked them to name their favourite players, my guess is that Holtby and Sandro would be in their top 5. People like passion and they like spirit. To publicly knock disparage Sandro, a player who has earned the respect he enjoys, to belittle him so publicly is not just cheap, it’s destructive.
The lack of professionalism displayed is no surprise. Tim does this. When things aren’t going to plan, Tim talks about how it’s someone else’s fault. He has always done this. It is how he operates.
When things go well, it’s all about him. How he influenced things. This is why he is delighted with the Harry Kane scenario. It fits the narrative that Sherwood is a footballing mastermind. Don’t worry about how vanilla Townsend, Rose, Naughton and Bentaleb have been, I gave you Kane!
I made a point of saying on this week’s show and perhaps even last week’s HHH, that I don’t believe Sherwood is doing anything other than trying to pick his best XI trainers and hope for the best. If his influence were greater, then we would have seen it evidenced in a more pronounced fashion by now.
Individual mentions…
The goalie (sic) yet again a lifesaver. Perhaps he’s earned our manager (sic) remembering his name.
The back four needs a good looking at. Naughton was awful. Again. Kaboul seems to have been fitted with an energy saving device. On Fryers, this is another Sherwood triumph. Instead of bring the lad on responsibly, he used as a device to show Vlad who’s boss. I could weep. Rose? Somebody make it stop.
Paulinho is rapidly become a player that some don’t understand. There are some reading this who still don’t understand the fuss over Carrick. There are some reading this who still don’t understand the fuss over Modric.
Chadli isn’t doing too bad at all. If he was played in his right position, under a real manager, we’d get even more out of him.
Eriksen was superb. If he was played more centrally, he might add even more than set piece loveliness.
The Adebayor Show appears to have been decommissioned.
Harry Kane is notching ’em up. Stoke away may well prove a happy hunting ground for him. Let’s hope so.
