The one take-out from Saturday’s display is that despite winning the points, we were dreadfully unconvincing, and given what happened to Chelsea on the weekend, we’d have to conclude that should have been two points lost, not a point gained.
The dumbest amongst us would surely reason that the lack of a midfield that could transition play has been the key to this: we are basically playing keep-ball with 7 players (all but the front three) and not venturing past the defensive midfield line.
We have nothing in the way of box-to-box and so end up pinging long balls to the forwards, which is an uncertain proposition: “we used to call that kick and run when I was a lad… argh!”
The recruitment has been oaky and we have strengthened the squad as well as adding a few for tomorrow On these occasions I am inclined to believe that we are looking for players for the future: it may be an each-way bet for Levy, but I am sobered by Harry’s team-sheet showing just how old our squad is moving into the midterm of two to three years hence (and especially our star turns).
What concerns me now is that we seem to be faltering, at least according to the great unwashed of the aggregated gutter gossip brigade. Most of those we are linked with are neither serious star turns to command our midfield, nor are they “for the future” prospects…. they are in-betweeners, journeymen at best.
Now Paratici in concert with Levy’s renowned shenanigans may well be spitting chaff across the sky to confuse our true intent, I’d expect no less. But there seems to be little to no serious strategy to get what we need, namely a grade ‘A’ centreback and a top-quality box-to-box creative midfielder.
If Conte is really seriously being backed, we should be expecting to pay £100 million quid on two players.
A decent midfielder is hard: there are a few contenders but the likes of the Ukrainian lad and Zaniola (apparently he was taken off injured in a cart – hay!), aren’t the players to build a team around.
As for the defenders, we are still waiting: Pau Torres, Skriniar, Gvardiol, and of course Bastoni are all still in place, despite the speculations for them to be on the move. Inter we know has two of these either of which would be great for us, and we know they are skint and will need to raise funds.
So why have we not pursued one of these with the same fervour as we have apparently done for the frequently injured Zaniloa?
Maybe there’s still a piece to fall somewhere, and then the rest will go like dominos. Maybe there is a deal being done or already done? Maybe Lenglet/Davies is a stop-gap for a future deal for one of them post World Cup?
We can probably accommodate this especially if we can find a midfielder who can place the pressure forwards onto the opposition instead of backward, onto our back three.
By the time we offload players for real cash (as opposed to reducing our wage bill on subsidised loans), where will we be the net spending? I’m sure there’s someone out there with a calculator to work it out. Does our spend include the completion-of-purchase price for Cuti/Kulu?
Let’s say it was £$100 mill (when add-ons and bonuses etc are removed), what do we do? Should we pester Inter/Villareal/Leipzig, or cope with what we have? Do we go out and get a top, top midfield powerhouse… should we choose to do that, who would we look at, and what would we need to do to get them? Do we wait to see what the World Cup shows us by way of new stock in the shop window?
I’m asking here!
One thing I am certain of, is that the last thing we want to do is go splurge our dosh on someone who is NOT that midfield force, but happens to be “available” and “might” add something: in-betweeners, journeymen, a better than nothing (so frequently not the case).
They say that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, I somehow think and fear we might (once again) be shy on the history front.
agreed
poch footie was better though
Exactly this… In Contes 343 system which he uses now there must be two holding centre mids.. Same as Tuchels Chavs…
Now if we can sign a top Centre Attacking Mid then this would mean we could swap to a 352.. Which in the past at other clubs has been Contes favourite, most used, and most successful formation.
one million ??????????????
At this moment in time according to transfermarkt our net spend so far in 22/23 is 73million. This is net spend on players bought and sold only. Our net spend the last 4 years was something like 75,83,59, and 78 milllion each year going back.. We are a sustainable club so our overall net spend we won’t know until the end of the financial year. All outgoings like players wages and debt fees are subtracted. All profits from football and other sporting events and music events are added up. Players bought and sold are just a part of the equation.
It’s early doors, we’re 3 games in, and all the big teams have dropped points. (Arsenal aren’t big).. We all know any team can win a match in our league.
We didn’t play well at all against Wolves.. Which makes me happy to get the three points.. We are showing a shift in mentality.. When we don’t play well and we are under pressure, we are refusing to crumble.. I’ve watched many winning premier league teams and so many needed and had the ability and savvy to grind out 1 nil wins. Whether it was Sir Alex Manures, Maureens Chavskis, or Raneris Foxes..
I’m sure Paratici and co are doing their best to sign and sell some more.. Great window so far, and still 6 odd days left to go… We could do with 1 or 2 more top players at centre back and midfield, but top players are few and far between. The hardest things are to persuade the clubs to sell and players to come.. Bellingham, DeJong, Savic, Kessie etc would be brilliant, but it’s tough to attract this calibre being the Spurs.
Ndombelly has gone, Perisic is a legend, we are winning games, unbeaten start to the season.. Onwards and upwards Brother Finn.
The alleged war chest opened by the alleged businessman. I like it.
And you look at Royal and think what the fak am I doing here..Royal is crap..get over it what is Spence for ..
Put me in the white Spurs shirt and they will believe in me ..nauseating..
Your forgetting Pochettino..
There is one constant outside of all those managers! Levy out.
None of our signings go straight into the team whoever is the manager
spot on. Still waiting for Conte to extend his deal as well…….oh, Daniel, please just go.
They won trophies when they all meant something both domestically and on the European front. With the exception of Ginola though. He was unfortunate being at Spurs at that point in our history.
Ndom is ours until that 200k contract ends for sure.
Maddison looks an upgrade on anything we have there – not that we have anything – and he’s been decent for a few years now. Maybe he will step up another gear with even better players around him.
His stats are still excellent. Maybe the ‘big teams’ have quality AM already?
An attacking midfielder can still do defensive duties.
Bissouma is probably the midfield player to which you refer. A solid signing but a game changer in an already decidedly ordinary ‘squad’ of midfielders; Skipp, Bentancur PEH… Yes, ordinary, all of them, both individually and collectively.
when anyone talks about Spurs’ strengths, Kane/Son are the general focus and the fact that now they’ve got Kulusevski and Richarlison as options too seems to have got some people seriously over excited.
A team is the sum of its parts, lumping it long to the ‘good’ part of the team from the bang average part is only going to get you so far.
In short, we lack quality…
Didnt the first 3 all win trophies? And I wouldnt personally put Ginola in that list
But mainly on loan so could well return next Summer
Facts is last year from these same 3 fixtures we had 0 points. This year 7. Last summer we added only Romero who made an impact. This year we have Richi Bissouma Peresic who are good, Lenglet could be good. FF an upgrade on Goallini. And 2 punts for the future. Not bad.
We’re not done yet maybe. Do we still need 4-5 more upgrades? Yes. But Roma wasn’t built in a day.
Arevi Derci ( excuse spelling)
Denial I’m in Charge Mr Byrite strikes again..
Which I believe you’re reading too much into – he is possibly just saying – we have a team here, new guys, it’s up to you to break into it.
Good man management if you ask me.
You can’t in the 3-5-2 he plays, but he’d need to have a plan B and go 4-4-2 or something. Problem is a quality AM doesn’t come to just sit around waiting for Conte to change his system – the truth is we do NOT need an AM, we need more quality from the wing backs, this is what Conte’s system rely’s upon and has not been addressed.
£150m warchest and still no discernible improvement at right back.
Am I being picky? Central mid seems good, and the front 3 has depth I suppose. Just can’t get over this problem at right back.
Maybe some of the signings are ready to play – just not up to speed with Contes system?
By characters, I meant ‘blokes’ or ‘tossers’, or ‘geniuses’, multiple human things ☺️
I’m not poor.
He’s another non-attacking midfielder! ☺️
Grealish at Spurs would have suited him much more ,he would have got plenty of the ball and have 3 willing runners in front of him.
Since he has went there he is just a bit part player that has to conform to their style and lost his freedom to play.
For 1 million we would have found out…
amen to that ……………
I think you will find that Levy offered Villa £10 million for him and Josh Onomah as he tried to take advantage of Villa’s then financial crisis. If we had offered the market rate, eg more in the region of £30 million, we might have got him and at that price, it would have been worth it. The rest is history as they say. A great example of Levy’s penny wise but pound foolish philosophy which has cost us over twenty three years.
I am
I think Elland Road would turn to dust and the Leeds faithful would revolt ..excellent player but his veins run brown with Yorkshire tea.
“that’s why we aren’t coaches”… at the highest level. I’ve coached junior and men’s (am I allowed to call them that?) teams at semi-pro, but I don’t think you need to be a coach to understand that if you want to play a creative midfielder then you need to replace one of the existing positions in the current system, which will impact the system / formation.
Conte will be playing Kane deep soon enough if the wheels start to come off..thought Martial’s ball through to Rashford was quality last night ..perhaps Kane and Charlie can drop deep,at different times Son seems very uncomfortable attempting this,
Buy Jack Harrison!
The white Traore ..another off the Pony Express.
I would even consider selling Son if we could get silly money for him. I agree that our football looks almost part of a bygone era and I am concerned that Conte is inflexible in the system he seems wedded to. Liverpool generally play with a flat back four as do City and Chelsea. I am not saying they never play with three at the back but they have the personnel to do it when needed. I have read on several posts that under Conte’s tactics, we don’t have room for an AM. How depressing, and I think it will cost us.
Lol that’s why we aren’t coaches 🤣
Rumours are we are interested in Dan James please nnnooooooo
I would argue that Maddison has been more consistent ..he has also been starting more games which suggest his tantrums are behind him..Grealish always struck me as an assist man though he does score goals ..Grealish is also trying to find a starting place in an exceptional team..
We are not that ..yet.
AFC seemed nailed on for Tielemans ..if that happens they will have a tidy team..I also wonder how long Brendan Rodgers will put up with it..
If Jack Grealish doesn’t prove that sometimes the latrgest amounts of money DONT buy brilliance every time .
He may yet step up at City , but before he signed for them he was gonna be our saviour ….. We could so easily be scratching our bonces if we’d have nicked him from City , cos I am sure they feel ROBBED right this minute ????
The one take-out from Saturday’s display is that despite winning the points, we were dreadfully unconvincing, and given what happened to Chelsea on the weekend, we’d have to conclude that should have been two points lost, not a point gained Same story every season. Groundhog Day
Tbh Marbella I want to see if it works …Son is 30 now and the trouble with these players that are deemed indispensable is that we have become dependent on them ..Soon enough it will be the CL..much as I like Peresic I doubt if he can do 3 games in eight days..likewise Son..the truth is there should be no sacred cows at a so called elite club..we can always bring on Son..right now our football despite our league placing seems as though it comes from a bygone age…I suspect we will be undone soon enough.
ONE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE ……………..and the floodgates will open . You have to ascend to rule …………it aint gonna be easy == but we got a shout with Conte .
No idea – but it’s not about HH, it’s about the point that a lot of fans are urging us to sign a creative midfielder, fine, who does he start instead of and how does that impact our current formation / system?
If it’s Bents or PEH – then we are left with only one holding mid – I don’t see Conte taking such a risk from kick off (maybe later in a game if we need a winner / equaliser)
So to keep two holding mids and play a creative mid – you either lose a defender / wing back or lose an attacker. Who is it to be?
I agree about Son being dropped but as I wrote earlier today, is he a victim of Conte’s system? Having watched the Leeds Chelsea and the game last night, which I thoroughly enjoyed, they both had one thing in common, speed . We look so pedestrian with too much lateral and back passing and with next to no incisive forward passing. I can only think it’s in Conte’s DNA.
Conte has done nothing in Europe….
If Maddison scored 12 to 18 goals a season would that be good enough ..Royal is a bad guess , Doherty et al..Reg..ahhh bless.
I see your view though why bother with anyone who can actually do the job ..they aren’t wanted at Spurs.
COYS
NUFC have had a bid turned down and I don’t think that Eddie Howe is a bad judge but you make a fair point as to why one of the big teams haven’t come in for him, although Arsenal were also rumoured to be interested in signing him if you count them as a big team! I have read that he has a bit of an attitude problem.
This is the tripe I’ve read or listened to for years ..we look knackered and dejected one half holding back wave after wave of neat attractive football..CFC missed sitters and Wolves cannot buy a goal..it’s because our defence is BRILLIANT or is it our midfield that is BRILLIANT I cannot tell the difference they merge so well. In the the second half we hope the tiredness and our outstanding ability to play 2 banks of 5 will outwit the entire EPL CL for an entire season .. we have been lucky so far ..and long may it continue ..but if this is the best we have got we are bang in trouble.
AFC are top ..don’t tell me they are crap ..Leeds are above us …they are crap..
What does it mean when we go top ..We look like donkey’s compared to these organised high pressing teams and now I have to include Utd in this ..and like Ten Hag ..it’s time to drop a superstar , Son will do , love him but he as been poor .why should he start ? ..coz he is a lovely bloke , not good enough . Charlie has made the difference twice as a sub what more does he have to do , oh yeah and start Bissouma , see what he can do.
Can we have a decent A/M under 28 years old if possible.
Everyone seems to be forgetting Bissouma.He’s got to be starting soon surely.
Maybe a side point, but thinking that we dropped two points at Chelsea is a bit delusional. What happened to them at the weekend is they played without maybe the best DM in the league and had a kid on instead, plus their keeper gave Leeds a farcical goal. After that, they were unable to take their chances and Leeds were clinical.
As for the transfers, I think we’re all hoping for one or two more genuine quality additions, but I don’t see them happening (I think they would have happened by now.)
We’ve had a decent window, but given the wholesale neglect over the past few years, there’s more work to be done. A CB, an attacking midfielder and possibly a RB – but that would bring us to 10 incomings in one window, which is an ambitious thing to expect.
I believe we’ve done some good business and hopefully we will build on that in the coming windows. Ideally we would get to where Liverpool were – signing one or two genuinely good players every window, while moving on some deadwood.
No more Lo Celsos and Ndombeles please.
But the real deadwood are still there.
HH is a great advocator for Maddison, but I can’t help thinking that he’s a “big fish in a small pond” type of player. And I wonder if he was as good as he’s being portrayed then why hasn’t any of the so called big teams not signed him??? Can’t all be wrong.
Haha poor Harry hit 3 instead of 2🤣🤣🤣. Or?????
I understand your stats H , but you mentioned “characters” and me being Old School – and Spurs heart and soul- characters they aint ………
Bring me a Star !!
So far the transfer window has been good.
Out goings very good.
Incomings pretty good but not amazing.
Would I have taken this transfer window if offered it at the end of last season. Absolutely. But we always want better, that is natural.
Do we need more creativity? yes. Maybe that can come from coaching. Maybe not.
Another centre back? Probably. Depends on how Lenglet shapes up.
And another right sided wing back wouldn’t go amiss, although Royals stats are clearly getting improving. Clearly he listens to the coaches and learns. Needs to cross better though.
Perisic has probably been our best signing in my opinion. A top class player and it shows. 2 appearances, 2 assists.
I would describe both him and PEH as holding midfielders. Sorry I may have mis-understood your comment “Swap out Bentancur. You don’t need 3 holding mids.” I agree, you don’t, but if you swap out Bents for an AM, you end up with one holding mid (PEH) and one AM. Not sure how that works in the current system which relies on 2 holding mids, especially in light of the recent comments that our midfield two are often outnumbered by the opposition midfield three.
Sessegnon has been with us for three years,I really don’t see any progress in his developement.He’s a backup at best and not a very good one at that.He should be got rid of as soon as possible and while he’s waiting observe Peresic in action.
Or words to that effect
A complete guess.
The indexes are based upon achievement. So you get characters like Rodri, Cancelo, Jorginho and Forfana. They absolutely make stuff happen. Even Eriksen is up there at present.
In Conte we have a very different kind of manager yes I agree. However, he does seem to make similar mistakes to his predecessors. We sill struggle to break down teams who defend against us. Is that tactics personnel or both. Either or both he has to adapt better. The football we’re playing isn’t very good and that will
likely impact incoming silverware.
I wanna ma mamma!
How would you describe Bentancur?
You must surely agree that in Conte , if all our intuition is correct , is a different kind of animal .
He has that Shankly Clough Stein Busby Klopp Guardiola touch of class , steel , integrity and aura that separates from the rest .
My previous love affair with Poch has had its day – I’m a complete convert !!!!!!!
22years of hurt will soon dissolve when he lifts that first trophy … C O Y S !!!
I wasn’t aware we played with three holding mids, I always thought it was two (PEH & Bents)
Not that again 😳 what’s berry appy in Italian
We’ve been in transition for the last 22 years. At some point that transition has to be completed.
Most of those “creatives” would still be guesswork .
I personally do not feel that our current “required” AM , Maddison is at the levels needed. Probably gets away with it at most Prem matches , but I feel our search is beyond him .
He may be “The Man ” but he is still a ‘guess’ .
Towards the end of last season I believe most of us felt we needed a massive overhaul – at least 6 players replaced with superior quality ones. That was never going to be easy or cheap – if you want instant starters to replace the deadwood then you are paying 65M+ per player (or else you get the likes of Perisic for free for a couple, of seasons).
I don’t agree with all the signings we’ve made, but think we’ve been sensible with our money. Conte wants to compete now, not in 2/3 years. If he stays and continues to be supported (my guess is those two are inextricably linked) then we might see more of the higher priced ready made starter signings , two or three per season – rather than 6 or 7 squad players.
For now we have to trust the process, the system and those leading it.
I agree, especially for home games against the more average and poorer sides.
Thank you , encapsulated very nicely !
I can never understand how much pessimism I read , but your words are reassuring to me.
Try to put the past behind us and move on , Glory , Glory is still the watchword , still the Mantra and support till die – just “the way it is ” I’m afraid !! C O Y S !!!
Swap out Bentancur. You don’t need 3 holding mids.
If one casts an eye at the indexes for creative players in the Premier League, there are actaully loads ☺️
Frankly, on the outgoings side of things it’s been nothing short of amazing
We’ve shifted how many players? And of those, how many were stoopid buys in the first instance?
Spence, Udogie, Sar and Sessegnon will need time
…in some instances, a decade
From the team sheet above we started with Kulu and Sessegnon both younger than the given profile
Eh?
Forgot how much rubbish the binman took out ,,quite a list….
You’re Conte. Caste your minds back to when he arrived and saw what was available in the dressing room, you take a very deep breath. Does anyone think shipping out the likes of Clarke, Rodon, Ndombele, LoCelso, Carter Vickers, Bergwjn and Gollini amounts to poor decision making. There is still time to complete the removal of Winks, Tanganga, Gill and Reguilon. Frankly, on the outgoings side of things it’s been nothing short of amazing. I mean good luck to Napoli with Ndombele. The squad needed a fundamental overhaul and it is on it’s way. Incomings? Probably not so overwhelming but the age issue is being addressed. Spence, Udogie, Sar and Sessegnon will need time granted but recent signings Kulu and Bentancur are both young and have definitely been an upgrade.
Agree with the writer one hundred percent that what we really need is a top notch creative mid and centre back.
Not sure about the age issue? From the team sheet above we started with Kulu and Sessegnon both younger than the given profile. Also the “average” age of all squads is approx 26 yrs. City, arguably the best team in the league have an average age about 6 months above this figure and we are 7 months above them. But we are taller (joke)
We are in the midst of transition and players at this level [ generally internationals ] are looking very gingerly to their World Cup places . Lots of players , I feel , are not quite at it.
As far as I am concerned Conte will be monitoring all aspects of potential purchase , I do not believe an’Ndombele’ would have got past him , so I trust his judgement .
Given a choice , I would love Fernandes and of course the impossibly good De Bruyne , but how many genuine playmakers are their anymore ? That kind of individualism is just incredibly difficult to find . If one is found , then that may be the catalyst for success but no guarantee either . Hoddle , Gascoigne , Ardiles , Ginola , fantastic players for us , and yet no great honours [ at club level] came their way .
But we are in good hands , support him , believe in him , and if an unexpected Superstar emerges , rejoice rejoice , he could be the one that makes the transition complete
Cheerio!
I hope that cheerfulness makes your day 🤣
Which is massive clue – we’re in ‘berry happy’ territory
But he’s not playing his new signings.
Have any of those signings made a difference? The answer is we don’t know. They aren’t being played. We must be the only team to buy 7 players and not play any of them.
If you can’t or haven’t worked out that Levy is and has always been the problem. Then you’re part of the same problem.
We’ve basically come full circle to Levytime. Back to penny pinching. Looking deep
in the bargain basement bin for a hidden gem that’s just not there but will be dressed up as one when he does arrive.
We are Tottenham Hotspur. Fans with ambition, a manager with ambition some players with ambition but a chairman with none.
We all thought the leopard changed his spots. Newsflash: Leopards don’t change their spots.
Getting players in early. What has that achieved exactly? 3 games in some have had a few minutes. Most none. I know we’re only 3 games in. But ! It’s as plain as the nose on your face or up Levy’s backside that we’re not improving. Same tired football and same pattern of play as the author points out.
Conte is hailed as a great manager and in the main he is. Son isn’t playing to his normal standard so why not bench him and bring in Richi. He’s shown he’s made a difference with the few minutes he’s played. Defensively without Romero we look fragile. There’s a mistake waiting to happen.
If we are to make any significant signings they have to be done quickly and specifically ready to play. Not players we won’t see until late September.
You will never be happy. Its starting to get tiresome. 7 signings and still complaints from levy haters. Groundhog day
Shouldn’t the core of the ‘key passes’, ‘deep completions’ and ‘crosses’ arrive from the WIngbacks (with other player positions as ‘secondary’ sources) in Conte’s system? He needs to perfect this area. Perisic is starting to deliver… perhaps Emersion needs to be dropped for Doherty or Spence on the right?
Agreed. The chaotic transfer strategy continues and it has Levy’s grubby paw prints all over it.
I went to the game on Saturday and my view was that this team is crying out for a midfield schemer. We only created goalscoring opportunities when the opposition over commited themselves and allowed us to counter attack. We cannot unlock teams when they are sitting deeper and more organised. Eriksen was available but we didn’t seem to pursue the opportunity. The problem is, where would such a midfielder play in Conte’s system?
Kane doesn’t look sharp or strong enough yet when dropping into midfield which isn’t helping – he’s probably in the top 10 passers in the league when on form.
We should have more options than that of course, but it does effectively kill us creatively when he’s only operating at 50%.
Also hoping Perisic toughens us up drifting in midfield as well as on the flank. Bentancur on his best form has had a creative influence, maybe at some point he’ll be given more license?
I agree with much of the above. It has been apparent in our last two games wherein our problems lie. Midfield is our problem area. We have little in the way of ball retention skills and passing ability and we are unable to move the ball quickly enough to the front three. This could well be one of the reasons that Son has started so poorly. Watching some of the other games, it is apparent that they are being played at a much higher pace, last night’s game was a prime example. I can see little discernible difference between the playing styles of Mourinho and Conte and frankly, our style of football is turgid and dull. Our defensive problems have not been solved. Playing Dier and Sanchez is frightening and our FB or WB positions, if you prefer, have also not been sorted out but it is in midfield that we really struggle. It seems that Conte doesn’t trust what could be described as a “luxury player” whom he might consider as superfluous to the team ethic but both Chelsea and Wolves adapted their tactics to nullify our attacking potency and it was in midfield where we really struggled. If we are going to play Hjojberg and Bentancur as our preferred choice in that area of the pitch, we will suffer from lack of creativity.
I suspect that Zaniolo is not the answer and I doubt he will be coming. Maddison is probably our best option but what would we have to pay for him after Forest paid £42.5 million for Gibbs-White? Chelsea have reportedly upped their offer for Anthony Gordon to a staggering £60 million whilst we have been linked with Dan James of Leeds who has no end product. I would prefer us to buy Jack Harrison over him.
In short, we need more creativity and pace, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and we are a stronger squad than we were last season with mentally stronger players.
Unfortunately it is really a case that ‘we don’t know what we have available’ right now – to judge this squad at this juncture is an awful lot of guesswork.
The phrase ‘but how good is {insert player name} really?’ could be applied to all but about eight or nine of our players.
Might be uncomfortable, and yes one or two more signings with some bit part players out would still be welcome, but I think we’re just going to have to wait until the end of this half season before the world cup to understand this squad in any meaningful way.
We haven’t got going at all yet (so this ‘slow start’ pattern (in terms of form) is just a ‘Spurs thing’ not a lack or pre season then?) but we already look an absolute nightmare to play against – we’re letting in HARDLY ANY goals while playing poorly, the Conte machine is creaking into life. We’re going to be horrible to play against..hopefully not too horrible to watch.
Last year, Conte stated loud and clear, that it will take five transfer windows to fix the problems. We’re almost at the end of the second window. There’s a long way to go, and the two most important employees to keep are Conte and Paratici