Chelsea are in 8th, have already sacked a club legend manager, and yet is is Spurs in 7th, with a place booked in a cup final that are in crisis. If you don’t understand how that works – then I salute you – and your triple digit IQ. Whatever the outcome of this evening’s game, those fans that can’t resist an opportunity, will go into full blown looking for problems mode.
I take a view that in this madcap season where there are odds on Klopp being replaced available, the only path to steer is the one based upon rational thought and critical thinking. So no, I don’t think we should install Ralph Hassenhüttl, and buy Jack Grealish, so he can team up with Dele Alli; then stand back and watch us win the double for the first time in colour.
I’m a monster.
Happier with that?
Tuchel is only in the door. I expect Jose to do a number on him tonight. Vinicius Maximus has to start, we need a striker up front, this is his time. The Man Bun owes us a performance. Perhaps he has been on Twitter since Sunday and all the abuse will spark him into life and we will get Gareth 2013 rebooted, ‘Taxi for Azpilicueta’ and all that. Having said that I think Jose will opt for Lamela who hides his limitations by running around a lot making lots of mistimed tackles.
Sissoko is absolute dogshite and is not a footballer but this is a derby and we need somebody to give little Timo a root up the hole before he gets any notions about rediscovering his mojo. Sissoko is the man, lets just hope he doesn’t do it in their penalty box. NDombele has been hit and miss the last couple of games but Thiago Silva is going to feel all his 46 years after Tanguy has tekkered him to within an inch of his life. PEH will be PEH, Kovacic, Havertz or whatever little cock splash is in midfield for them are not going to want to know.
Prediction: Spurs to win.
I agree with your suggested starting XI Harry. Based on the squad available I think going with a solid back four with PEH and Sissoko holding and Tanguy feeding Son and Vinicius plus hopefully Bale getting on the end of something represents possibly our best chance of getting a result tonight.
Unfortunately, following recent team selections I don’t think Jose shares this world view and isn’t confident in starting players like Vinicius in the league. There’s clearly a question mark over Toby’s fitness or else he’d be playing more, and playing Sissoko at RWB can’t be anyone’s first choice if you have a full squad to choose from. Jose’s seeing these players daily in training, and something’s telling him to go with some choices that seem odd from the outside looking in. But he’s the one with a cabinet full of trophies and a £15m a year contract, so we have to trust him to select the best team available.
Unless something significant has changed in training I won’t be surprised to see a makeshift selection with players out of position again tonight… lord help us. COYS
Why? He’s put forward a cogent opinion.
Yes agreed Davies is our only fit left back but he doesn’t have the attributes to play as a wing back. I take your point about Doherty but again Sissoko is not a wing back. So my point is if you don’t have the resources to play a system – don’t play it. We could have played a 4 with Davies at LB and Tanganga at RB.
In terms of Toby maybe he wasn’t fit to start against Liverpool. I am not privy to that information. He was fit to start against Wycombe on Monday night though. Which game do you want your best CH available for?
In the modern era, no player can play every game. That is why there are squads. Jose has said in public that he doesn’t trust many of the squad players though. On that point I can agree with him. There is a lot of deadwood. Where you point the finger there is open to debate.
I don’t feel too confident about the game, but we’ve seen weirder results this season than a Spurs home win over Chelsea.
I just hope there won’t have to be another article defending Jose if we lose – we still have the same players, the same limitations and the same lack of confidence. The situation hasn’t changed from the last two losses: some of our best players are still out and most of the others aren’t up for it.
That being said, if we lose, Hasenhuttl in!
Think he might start with Son through the middle again and use Vince off the bench.
On drugs? I thought PEH was your revelation of the season? No, I don’t think he needs a 6ft 3 doorman alongside him every match because he can look after himself. So i’d Prefer to play a more creative or attacking option. Now, where’s that rolled up fiver I had a minute a go…. 😂
PEH is more than capable of holding the fort in front of the defence on his own
Are you on drugs, and can the rest of us have some?
BobbytheBrain,
You’re heavily tipped to be the next man thrown from the HH plane.
Neither Toby or JM deemed Toby 100% fit for that game.
If Sissoko starts and proceeds to stink the place out then a midfield change should really happen. PEH is more than capable of holding the fort in front of the defence on his own, so play another attacking player instead. Why not if it’s not happening otherwise?
Said yourself we’ve played a lot of games. How do you know Toby was 100% fit to start that game? The Doherty thing I will agree with, I thought it was mad to start him at LWB, clearly didn’t work, rectified at half time. Poch used to make tactical mistakes all the time (for whatever reason, we just couldn’t play 3 at the back under him), lets calm down.
Davies is our only fit left back, who would you have put there against Brighton? Sissoko was played at RWB as he seems to be a player Mourinho trusts, I don’t necessarily think he should have been there but Doherty played the Liverpool game after just coming back from injury so likely wasn’t fit enough to start the game.
If Harry and Son didn’t start every game when they’re fit you’d all be calling for Mourinho’s head. Your best players play as many games as you can get out of them. Fact.
As is everyone. Every single team that has been top this year has had a horrendous slump in form. Teams “battling relegation” have all pulled off upsets against teams at the top.
West Brom (Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City)
Brighton (Us, Liverpool)
Sheff Utd (Man Utd)
Fulham (Us, Everton, Leicester)
These are just off the top of my head, there might be more.
Lets calm down and accept that this season is all over the place. City have finally taken control and will probably go on to win it, top 4 is anyone’s guess.
No we haven’t won the league cup yet (which is a stupid comment to make) but at least we are in with a chance, haven’t said that for a few years have we?
So Harry Kane is a liar.
Brilliant.
will use my double digit IQ and say…1) i dont care if their season is worse, does not somehow improve ours…2) they SACKED their inexperienced manager for being 1 spot lower than our “serial winner” Yes, they have had a bad year, so have Arsenal…West Ham are above us…We are in the final of a cup – have we won it…? nope so it means very little. Plyaing like we are, losing to teams quite literally fighting relegation…we are having a bad year.
Spot on!!
Two wins in 9 is nowhere near good enough. Yes there are mitigating circumstances, maybe the biggest being that we have played a lot of games already, however Jose has to shoulder a lot of the responsibility for our recent malaise. His team selections against Liverpool and Brighton have been questionable at best. Why was our best centre half (Toby) on the bench against Liverpool? Why was Doherty played at LWB (and then omitted against Brighton)? Why did Davies and Moussa start as wingbacks against Brighton? Neither offers the attacking threat needed in those positions. Why have Harry and Sonny been flogged to death and played in virtually every game this season? Out tactics recently have been naive. Parking the bus and defending a one goal lead doesn’t work in the Premier League. Any side can hurt you if you invite them on. I dont believe for one minute that these are not Jose’s instructions.
I will balance this criticism against the fsct that we are in the final of one competition, can move back into 5th if we win our 2 games in hand and are still standing in the FA Cup and Europa League so it is not all doom and gloom. However the next 3-4 weeks will go a long way to shaping our season. Improvement is required and quickly.
I haven’t been blown away by Vini’s performances but he is an outright forward, can play back to goal and make the ball stick – Bale or Son cannot.
He has to start.