Home » Mourinho Discovers The Hard Way Just How Limited His Spurs Squad Is

Mourinho Discovers The Hard Way Just How Limited His Spurs Squad Is

By The Boy -

Spurs conceded three goals in a game for the first time since October’s 3-3 draw with West Ham – they had only conceded three times in their previous nine games before tonight.

It feels like José Mourinho is having problems stamping out the last vestiges of the loser mentality that he inherited at Tottenham Hotspur. Which appears a curious accusation to make, given so few players from Pochettino’s era were actually on the pitch. However, the problem here lies squarely with the Portuguese, who is now discovering who he can completely rely upon, and who is no good.

After the game, Mourinho told the BBC of a “difference in intensity, communication and enthusiasm”, but I maintain that you will only be able to get so much out of certain players, and football teams hit a tipping point, where weaker players look at the other 10 and adopt a mindset that they are in a second string side. So you get a second string performance from them.

Davinson Sanchez isn’t a player that is going to win anyone anything any time soon, perhaps not even in this lifetime, and despite the North London Derby on the horizon, I’d have fielded Eric Dier instead. You can’t have Sanchez in the same category as Dele Alli, and yet play one for 96-minutes and the other for just 13. That makes no sense at all.

The real problem is the midfield. Hojbjerg can be relied upon come rain or shine, yet pair him with anyone who isn’t quite at the races and everything falls apart. Tanguy’s passing accuracy was 68% which is embarrassing given his mean average is 88.7%.

A depressing night, and one which we will drill down into across the day.

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Legoverlassarisen
Legoverlassarisen
3 years ago

I know he has lost some pace nut I think he could give us more out wide on left with Requilion https://twitter.com/i/status/1323240776118226944. Get Kane and Sonny in the box to meet the crosses

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago
Reply to  Spurs est1882

100% as a spectacle there are a few passages of play over the 90 odd mins that are easy on the eye. Other than that it’s completely mind numbing.

Spurs est1882
Spurs est1882
3 years ago
Reply to  East Stand

I agree with all bar the fact “if we keep winning then there can be no argument”, although I agree a little, I watch football to enjoy the time of watching, if all I wanted was to win so therefore happy to win playing dross, I would simply catch the final score and maybe the highlights. If we win teh league, great, but for me, anything less simply makes this “brand of football” not worth the pain and suffering to watch it.

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago
Reply to  Spurs est1882

The squad went stale and we needed a few transfer windows to put it right. Lumping all the blame on Pochettino for the lack of urgency and motivation was completely laughable.

In Jose we have a very capable manager who has an amazing record. However, I still maintain that had our last manager been backed and given time to rebuild we would be in pretty much the same place as we are now playing a different brand of football. I will keep backing Jose while he delivers, I continue to back the team as ever.

If we keep winning any old way then there can be no argument that stacks up against it. If this approach doesn’t keep delivering wins and trophies while I continue to back the team, there is no way I can condone this type of football. Just my opinion, nobody please become offended…

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

He’s given freedom for Wales, player roles are very regimented in Jose’s system, just like it was with AVB. Players like Bale, Ali etc need to do more of their work higher up the pitch with possession of the ball, Jose doesn’t want that.

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago
Reply to  Whitehot

Honestly, I think he wanted to get back fit and playing and for him to get a rhythm back. I don’t think Jose is the right manager to utilize whatever Bale still has.

Jose’s approach, no matter how successful in the past is fairly specific in terms of player profile. Personally feel it is slightly at odds with the kind of players that are produced these days. His tactics while still effective are a bit of a throwback to football in the early 2000’s. Do many current players fit it that well?

HarryKaneisinourHearts
HarryKaneisinourHearts
3 years ago
Reply to  SpursGoliath

Yep if we lost to LASK we’d be level on points with them and (likely) a better head to head, that’s how the uefa cups work they use head to head. So unless we got spanked by them we were always going to have to win the last match to finish top. You’re right though, if we lost to them we’d HAVE to win at home to Antwerp to stay in the competition (and finish top). What an awful competition it is in the group stages!

SpursGoliath
SpursGoliath
3 years ago

So the last game would be win or go out…right, and against a side we previously lost to. I think we had to draw!

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

Not just cheap ones either Sanchez £42m & LoCelso

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

It showed last night that even as HH has said today Hojbjerg & N’Dombele will struggle playing with lesser quality around them. If you never start any game with less than 7 or 8 of your strongest side the levels won’t drop to the degree we saw last night and in Antwerp. Play your best 11 against the top sides but in the lesser games or EL you should be able to rest 3 or 4 players and the ones that are stepping up will have to raise their levels,not the other way round that the first team players drop their standards.

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago
Reply to  Whitehot

If he doesn’t improve soon a few Spurs fans will be asking that. Yet he looks good playing for Wales?

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago

Levy has made a lot of big mistakes down the years, Grealish and Dembele (Fulham) being the biggest, not to mention the year without any signings. You have to admit he has a penchant for always taking the cheaper option, Ndombele being the exception in recent years. But how many other cheap flops has be bought in from France?
But credit is due for Hojbjerg, Reg and Ndombele.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  rtj1211

Many thanks for your insight 😜

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

Forwards win you games, defences win you titles or something like that.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

Real Madrid it’s in the stars Bale & Jose up against them,box office stuff. If that didn’t lift Bale nothing would.

Cabspur
Cabspur
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

With Grealish we would be very close to winning the league bar injuries to the first16.

rtj1211
rtj1211
3 years ago

Winks was not on the pitch: who is paying you to write these lies? Whoever it is, they must be pretty thick, because it takes 15 seconds to look up the 16 who actually did enter the field of play….

Those 16 were: Hart, Doherty, Tanganga, Sanchez, Davies; Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Lo Celso; Bale, Son, Moura; Dier, Bergwijn, Sissoko, Dele and Aurier.

Cabspur
Cabspur
3 years ago
Reply to  East Stand

If Bale wont get back when required then he will get very little game time,Maureen doesnt care if he is on 200k

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago

We need the KO stages to come fast.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

I was laughing because Jose gets the credit for the good signings and Levy gets the brunt for the dross.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  Whitehot

Multi Champions League Winner,playing in freezing conditions with below par teammates,playing in a Europa league group game, he probably was disinterested and Jose said as much , not about Bale in particular but the team as a whole.

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago

Winks will go the way of all our recent academy hopefuls, slowly down the league and even into the next one, until he finds his level, because it’s certainly not with us.

Cabspur
Cabspur
3 years ago
Reply to  England Mike

Agree and if you are trying to impress the manager to be no 1 in your position then its just plain stupid.

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago
Reply to  Cabspur

Aaagh what he could have done for us!

Cabspur
Cabspur
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

Lets not mention Grealish…

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago

Yes I’m probably over-reacting, Hojbjerg, Reg and Ndombele were great signings. It’s just a pity we couldn’t have gone that little bit further for Skrinniar. I know what Eriksen can do if we pay him what he’s worth. I’ve no idea what Lo Celso does.
You’ve got to admit that Spurs should be pinning weaker opposition back against their own goal, not the reverse. LASK should have beaten us last night. This is a tactic for the big games not the ones against small fry.

Whitehot
Whitehot
3 years ago

Why did we resign him. He offered virtually nothing last night apart from the pen, Looked slow and disinterested.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago

Winks had a shocker,all sideways & backward passes,and that Dele ones is toast.

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  East Stand

What’s Bale without pace —– a golfer ⛳️🏌

Leslie Crawford
Leslie Crawford
3 years ago
Reply to  mikey hughes

Its amazing that under the good run we have had this season it’s all been about a typical Jose type player,great signing,winner etc,but then a bad performance and it back to a LEVY splurge. I fully agree about the fraud LoCelso but don’t bring tintin back.

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago
Reply to  Marbella Spur

Have to agree. It wasn’t a pricey transfer window yet still hailed because at the very least it provided competition for places and a degree of depth.

We can hope that Bale will have an impact this season but honestly It seems Jose just likes a pace merchant alongside Son and Kane. He’d rather pick Bergwjin or Moura over Bale.

I don’t like that approach myself but if he keeps piling up the points we have to go along with it.

mikey hughes
mikey hughes
3 years ago

Yeah being honest pretty abysmal really. I know we all like dreaming about winning the league, but lets be honest once we get a few significant injuries we’re gouing to be stuffed.
Levy’s transfer splurge wasn’t as good as we thought it was. High in numbers but low in quality. Mou needs better. Buying Lo Celso instead of Bruno Fernandez was a huge mistake. £37m for a bang average midfielder, we should swap him for Eriksen in January.

HarryKaneisinourHearts
HarryKaneisinourHearts
3 years ago
Reply to  MrChickenHead

Even if we draw to arsenal it’ll feel like a loss, really hoping this negative defensive football goes out the window but whatever happens we need those 3 points and send the arsenal packing.

MrChickenHead
MrChickenHead
3 years ago

Should? not a given then. Hart & Doherty were trash, Jose picks. I bet I know who doesn’t plays the next Ropey game, hope I’m right or we lose again.

England Mike
England Mike
3 years ago

Iv’e never seen so many misplaced passes as there was in that game, I’m not sure Mourinho is right with his claim of a lack of motivation, but I think his point is that no matter the conditions to play in , you have to show you are better and that didn’t happen enough.

Spurs est1882
Spurs est1882
3 years ago
Reply to  East Stand

I was thinking the same – at some point you need to look at mindset and tactics. We have had so many close, limited games this season, but we have generally won them by 1-0. Last night I think we were about half time before a shot on target. We had 3 all game. I am sorry, but a team like LASK, we should have peppered their goal. Yes, passing performance was poor, and yes movement was worse, but that comes down to mentality. We are 12months in, like it or not, EVERYTHING you see on the pitch now is a result of Jose’s coaching. This far on, there are no more “hangovers of a worse time”, which for the record was not actually that much worse if at all.

Marbella Spur
Marbella Spur
3 years ago

Hart and Doherty do not impress, both Mourinho signings, along with Gedson Fernandes incidentally who looks like he is going back to Portugal. The squad is much stronger than the one Poch had at his disposal. The damage was done by Levy going two transfer windows without signing any new players. Apart from Reguilon and Hjojberg, the new signings are questionable and that includes Bale and Vinicius, both on loan. I hope for a good result on Sunday as the football being played at the moment is dire and only a win will dispel the disappointed Spurs purists.

HarryKaneisinourHearts
HarryKaneisinourHearts
3 years ago
Reply to  SpursGoliath

No we didn’t have to draw, if we lost 1 or 2 nil then all we’d have to do is better Antwerp’s result when we played them away (so win 2 nil or 3:1). Pointless match away at LASK, waste of time to get too downbeat about it. Win the next 2 games (as we should) and we’ll be top of two tables, alive in 4 competitions and looking better than we have done at this stage of the season for many years.

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago

That team should have wiped the floor with a team like LASK. Would LASK ever be able to afford a single one of our players? It was still a team of internationals and I don’t buy all this “poor Jose having such a terrible and limited squad”.

Every squad in the world could do with improvement and your 2nd choice players are that for a reason.
However, you have to get them performing at some kind of level, and that lot last night we’re more than capable of a level to beat LASK

Some of the second string might not be buying into the whole thing like the ones being picked in the league. Even in that case, that was a side half made up of first choice players.

At what point does this fawning over Jose’s trophy record finally give way to some actual analysis of what he might be doing right or wrong at any point?

Like for example, going for the throat and attacking now and again… 🤔

East Stand
East Stand
3 years ago

That team should have wiped the floor with a team like LASK. Would LASK ever be able to afford a single one of our players? It was still a team of internationals and I don’t buy all this “poor Jose having such a terrible and limited squad”.

Every squad in the world could do with improvement and your 2nd choice players are that for a reason.
However, you have to get them performing at some kind of level, and that lot last night were more than capable of a level to beat LASK

Some of the second string might not be buying into the whole thing like the ones being picked in the league. Even in that case, that was a side half made up of first choice players.

At what stage does this constant fawning over Jose’s trophy record finally give way to some actual analysis of what he might be doing right or wrong at any given point?

SpursGoliath
SpursGoliath
3 years ago

we had to get at least a draw…we struggled to manage that with half the A Team.

Hardly a free hit.

Lilywhite without the II
Lilywhite without the II
3 years ago

Not getting Skriniar is clearly affecting us more than we thought. I was gobsmacked at how bad our passing was yesterday. Jose also has to take some blame though as none of them seemed to know what they were doing, and if the “2nd string” cant play like the 1st, then change the game plan – or, start knocking on Levy’s door again for some money…

HarryKaneisinourHearts
HarryKaneisinourHearts
3 years ago

Was a pointless match, even if we won we’d still have to beat Antwerp next week to finish top so it was a completely free hit. Which is why I was surprised he didn’t give a full second string team a go and rest the 1st team starters for Sunday. Mind games? Is he trying to keep Arteta guessing? Or is he just going to start our best 11 on Sunday as he did with Chelsea. Whatever the plan, if we win on Sunday and then next Thursday last night’s result was purely to weed out the losers and if young Daniel has any sense he’ll offload them in January for as much money as possible and buy a decent defender.

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