Today’s starting XI against Southampton doesn’t feature a single new signing, which feels at odds with a top-flight side that supposedly got its business done early doors, with only one new player failing to board the preseason flight to South Korea.
Antonio Conte’s bench boasts 5 new faces and only 4 old ones. However, it remains to be seen just what value Bryan Gil has for the Italian.
Whilst it is easy to sneer, progress is undoubtedly being made, although glacial, which is about right considering the extent of the neglect. The £150million ‘cash injection’ has been far from exhausted, indeed, given the number of players that look to be sitting in the Departure Lounge at Hotspur Way, the overall net spend may well be as vertically challenged as normal.
Today’s starting XI feels like a band kicking off a new tour by playing its greatest hits, as opposed to debuting new material.
Tottenham is in no position to palm off fans with hits of yesteryear, because over the last two decades very little has managed to chart.
We’ve gone forward they’ve gone backwards. Over the last two months of the season we got far more points them. I’m not saying we will win but on Saturday at Everton they looked bang average
Richarlison hasn’t been bought to displace anyone, not immediately anyway.
He has been bought to give us options to rest and rotate all three forwards when we eventually end up playing every weekend/midweek.
These are great ‘problems’ to have!
Let’s hope you’re right. Biss looked clunky in the little playing time he’s had so far and Skipp is generally unavailable these days, so PEH and Bent are still the go-to option, but that may change. We need all four to contribute anyway.
So 8 or 9 of the players who started yesterday weren’t at all involved in those three games? :/
He did really well in the run-in, I am absolutely fine with him being a potential starter for now, and part of the rotation through the season.
I’m not a hater, was eager for us to go for him, and delighted when we actually did. That was then though, and this is now.
He has his qualities, sure, but he is not slick enough when receiving and moving the ball on for my liking. Clunky. Defensive positioning and anticipation of danger is a concern too.
Bissouma has this and more. Skipp you only have to look at his body shape when collecting a pass, the first touch always buys time and opens up space if it isn’t a pass. The fullbacks always covered.
Yep – it is all about improving the pool of players he can count on.
We have gone from 15 players – which with injuries and suspensions can soon become 11 players – to having 21 to choose from.
When the new year comes around, and hopefully CL and FA cup games are having to be squeezed in, maybe league cup semis, the true benefit will show.
For now, keeping with the side that finished like a train is absolutely fine, with gradual iintegration.
Absolutely. Kept it going from last season and it worked. The new guys will improve our squad options for the cups and CL, but they might not find it easy to get into the starting 11.
To be fair, I did watch only the second half and didn’t see their goal (writing this, I feel like Arsene “say ‘I didn’t see it’ whenever it doesn’t suit me” Wenger).
Interesting you say “it is sacrilegous to say it on here” re criticising PEH. By contrast, I feel that many people here and elsewhere are happy to criticise him and are all too open to replace him with an unproven Skipp or an unfit Bissouma – or even Pape Sarr who hasn’t played competitive football in England and might be a squad player in 2023/24, if then.
In my view, PEH is absolutely not exempt from criticism, but he doesn’t deserve the flak he got last season. His partnership with Bentancur was a large part in us getting fourth, and the onus is on Biss and Skipp to show they’re good enough to displace one or the other.
Sounds horrendous ,yeah a preseason as well as personal has improved them i hope .
I know it is sacreligious to say it on here, but PEH did put a foot wrong. He was at fault for their goal. Totally lost the flight, wild jump, left JWP with a free hit instead of potentially blocking the shot
It was not the same pool of players at all. Look at my other post. Look up the games. We had a proper makeshift side in that spell.
If you go to https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/8618/England-Premier-League you can look at last season’s table by date range.
Do it from about 28th Feb. Kulu and Bentancur with a month to settle, and Conte with a distraction-free month to drill them properly under his belt.
Liverpool……P12…….32
Spurs…………P13…….29
City……………P11…….27
Leicester……P15…….25
Chelsea……..P13…….24
Arsenal………P14…….23
Newcastle….P13…….24
That last third of a season we were clearly the third best side. If we assume the extra games before this were won by City and Liverpool, the gap is pretty similar up and down.
The XI was fine by the end of last season. He probably had 15 players he truly trusted. We now have 21 (hopefully).
We’re looking confident but it’s still interesting that yesterday was mostly the same pool of players as we had during those defeats. The Chelsea supporters I know all think they’ll get beat as their preparation for the season was 2-3 weeks behind ours but still, shows the Conte effect that the same (mostly) players are now expected to win.
Agree with Park Lane. Conte’s a bloke who, with his training methods, can -and has done – walk into a club and win trophies and titles very quickly.
It’s not just about overhauling the squad, he can alter mindsets and change attitudes. With the correct drilling, he’s shown a remarkable ability to ‘polish a turd’ as it were.
I realise we weren’t up against much today, but we had good goals from Sess and Dier, and Emerson looks like he’s been inhabited by football player.
Kulusevski is immence, and we’ve gained decent quality depth in almost every area
Reasons to be cheerful.
Yep, a back 6 in the last 2-0. Davies, Sanchez, Dier, Tanganga in the back four, then Sessegnon and Doherty wide mids. Bergwijn and Winks started too.
In the 2nd leg 1-0 cup defeat the side included Gollini, Tanganga, Sanchez, Winks, Lo Celso, and Moura.
The 2-0 1st leg loss was a better side, but still had a back three of Davies, Sanchez, Tanganga, with Lucas too.
Not really the same side at all. I’m sure we had about 6 defenders in one of those Chelsea games
Apparently Tottenham.
Be interesting next weekend if Conte keeps faith with this line up…one that’s very similar to the same team that got their pants pulled down multiple times by Chelsea in the space of a few weeks last season.
A lot has changed…but has enough changed to turn the tables and get the win?
Too much flapping about new signings not starting.
Conte has explained his thinking, and has been vindicated completely.
Yeah, love Buffalo Camembert.
I’d add Buffalo Camembert, Ticklemore, and maybe some 6 year cave aged Comte to the menu ………………… wait, sorry, were you talking players?
If we rock up at the bridge next week with a game plan as we do at City we might just come away with something.
Good balance today.
Haven’t you heard, there’s a drought mate.
Bentacur,kula and dare I say it royal the stand outs.
decent performance all in all , proper match next week.
Saw only the second half and it sounds like we improved a lot over the match.
At a glance:
Kulu was great, had their LB for breakfast.
PEH and Bentancur didn’t really put a foot wrong.
Cameos by Biss and Doherty were pretty poor.
Kane and Son didn’t seem completely ready.
Royal, Davies, Romero played well.
All in all, some pretty decent work today.
Is it Chelsea away next? That might tell us more… 😬
Very good in patches, very average in others, but I wasn’t cringing when the subs come on…Son was poor, Kane struggled to get into a rhythm but 4 goals without either being on the score sheet is a good thing..good start, well done…!
still need two or three quality additions.
That’ll do
Bloody stream has gone
Kulusevski=outstanding.
Carrying on from where he left off last season. He seems much improved.
About 20 seconds bud 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bentacur is also having a great game.
Certainly is .
#RoutOUT
Right it’s a long season get the subs on I’ve been promised tin pots so let’s not knacker them out.
Emerson is having a royal good game
Great finish
This aged well 😂
Fcuk hope we don’t pay for not putting this to bed
Yeah he has been decent today so far.
Richarlison will have to work hard to displace Kulu
AMEN
So despite all the hype about how wonderful this transfer window has been not one new signing in the starting eleven for our first match. Are we to read into this that the strategy has been to add depth but not of first-team quality that commands an immediate place in the starting eleven? Why is Emerson still here? We need dare I say a Ward Prowse-type attacking midfield playmaker another CB and definitely an RWB of quality.
And Spence
Get the croatian on for the 20.
Decent play again , I’m fairly happy , it’s weird.
Oh yea, I forgot they changed the name, blastards.
👍
Sonny….
He deserves a statue to be fair. A statue of him pointing.
You started on that value scotch then ?
Snicker
Dier deserves a new long-term contract
Tis a marathon not a sprint.
Two goals from the unlikely of sources.
Remember, its a season trophy winning thing
Good stuff lads
Great goal!
goal!
Nearly!
Get him off though😂
We can’t send links, try buffstreams.sx if HH doesn’t work…
Sess deserves a new long-term contract
Cracking goal…much better 10mins…more please..
👇
Level bevel.
linky pleasey
https://www.vipbox.lc/tottenham-hotspur-vs-southampton-1-live
Usual mistakes…miss passes, sloppy defending..
I wouldn’t bother…
Yawn….
anyone got a stream link?
That draw is looking great value
GOOOOLAZO
…for the visitors
#SessegnonOUT
This is where it’s at 🤣
Live blog for todays shenanigans or guess which room has the most people in it? Her indoors wants to know.