Today has been another tough day for critical thinkers. So here’s some welcome relief for those fans in the top 5% of online fans wanting to add to the burdening weight of common sense that says sacking Mourinho might achieve something.
One major area of concern has been Tottenham’s defensive abilities – hey some fans have even been attacking José for being too defensive! So thanks to our friends at Wyscout (€) here’s where our current megastars are in the Premier League rankings.
For clarity, these stats are compiled identifying the top 30 players in each category for the current season. What cannot speak cannot lie.
Only one Tottenham player featured and that was Pierre Hojbjerg in pole position, the Dane racked up 249 of them. Numero uno – the very best in English football!
No Spurs player made the top 30 list in this discipline.
20th in this category was Harry Kane with 112 defensive aerial duels. On his heels in the 24th spot with 105, is defender Eric Dier.
5th here is Eric Dier with 22 shots blocked, in the 18th spot is Toby Alderweireld with 14 shots denied.
Heung-Min Son was badly at fault in this discipline, so whilst he’s obviously not a defender… being 2nd in this list with 232 opposing players having spun past him, isn’t great. Højbjerg features, in 13th place.
Hugo Lloris has conceded the 12th most goals in the division, with 25 shots that got past him.
Hugo was only worse when it came to shots against him, which of course, is about the actions in front of him. In 10th spot, the Frenchman suffered 99 attempts.
In conclusion, only 2 Spurs defenders feature in any of the Premier League’s top defensive rankings. Might this explain why Mourinho can’t settle with his defensive selections, or win games, everyone is so damn poor.
Yea, you are right. But how do you eplain all the individual errors? It’s not just Dier and Sanchez, it’s even top boy Pierre now. Can that be coached out of them? Is it brought on by the immense pressure Jose puts on them to not make mistakes?
i favour Pope in goal, Soucek & Grealish. We are all better than Winks. Sadly Toby is too old , like Bale , was class but no longer
When has Winks ever, I mean EVER stopped anyone from attacking?
Yup
Big jump for Ollie but better than Winks
I think Jose should go all in with Rodon and Tanganga as regular starters and develop a shape with them. Skipp and Hojberg could be an almighty middle if Olly progresses as he seems capable. He needs to stick with something and build on the pitch partnerships/relationships.
Reason we have a good defensive record is because everyone, including Kane and Son, is defending. As soon as we try and play expansive football without everyone behind the ball, like against Everton in the FA cup, we get torn apart defensively. When I see Sissoko and/or Winks on the pitch my heart sinks. They offer nothing going forward. They are there solely to stop the other team attacking.
Second best defence in the league behind city. Injuries, fatigue and individual errors have meant that we have not been able to have a consistent centre back pairing
Pool would struggle without firmino salah and mane.
Have you ever seen him play a full game? High hopes for him at tottenham. José wants him close by (no loans) dillenberg territory? I’m like no one on here
If only we had their fresher squad
He couldn’t get a tune out of them b4 he left, no reason to think he could now. Squad’s to old and too shot, ENIC’s fault Unfortunately.
The stats are hardly suprising after recent games.. Pierre is a beast at number 1 for defensive duals… Players must know now they are playing for their lives at the club… Shape up, or get out…. At least try hard when things aren’t going our way.. No excuses, no blaming.. We can still win the ropey which would get us into the CL. And we are in a final so the season isn’t a write off yet.
Worse defenders.. Verts complimented him. No Rose anymore. Walker was there at the beginning too… Nearly all our defenders are still Botches. The thought of Botch coming back with his 4231 high press or die, and trusting in his players like Davies Winks and Dele makes me want to weep…. One step forward, three steps back.
What about him? A prospect at best. You’re edging toward Dillenberg territory with the “what about xyz kid” who’s miles off the standard required. Join us in reality, Tappa. Hugo is past his peak, Hart was 3rd choice at Burnley for good reason. We need a GK. Whiteman ain’t it.
Konsa is English and is starting to appear on other clubs radar so should not be cheap , is he out of contract in the summer?
And Alfie whiteman? It’s about time we had a keeper come through the ranks. Alfie. Keep working hard & learning hard son.
Horrible fall from grace… When Toby first showed up to partner Jan, his defensive impact was really similar to that of VVD coming to Liverpool.
12/13 PL goals conceded 46
13/14 PL goals conceded 51
14/15 PL goals conceded 53
— Toby signs —
15/16 PL goals conceded 35
16/17 PL goals conceded 26
Now…I don’t know if he’s not as good as he was or if he’s just playing with much worse defenders (maybe both?), but it certainly isn’t working anymore.
On another note, PSG won at Barca 4-1. If only we had their coach to work wonders with our squad…
Both Konsa and Johnstone will be available this summer, for not a lot of money. Two years from now, both those players will be worth 2-4x what we could buy them for now. We desperately need to shore up the defense, and Hugo’s time is up. Sell him to PSG, go for Johnstone, bring Gazza back from loan as #2, and cut Hart loose. Konsa is a boyhood Spurs supporter, and underrated imo. That Villa side have been impressive and he’s been central to it.
Without PEH, Son and Kane we’d be fighting relegation…