Spurs play hide and seek
The expected happened at Anfield, Liverpool turned up Spurs didn't. Another shambolic performance from players who didn't want to be playing. Being picked for Spurs at the moment is more like a punishment that a reward.
Now if I wrote about every mistake you'd be reading this for a week and quite frankly the situation is not about individual mistakes it's about attitude. I have discussed recently how attitude affects the way you play, how if you are not 100% focused and up for the game or the club then even if you try your best it is still a sub standard performance. You lack that vital spark, the anticipation, the sharpness, you lack the edge.
Liverpool showed it in abundance, the Spurs players showed their hearts are not in it. Where Liverpool anticipated, we reacted and so they beat us to everything. The catalogue of errors we saw again was only to be expected, as was going behind as a result of our left sided weakness.
Mentally there are some serious problems at Spurs. What you need to ask yourself about that game is who didn't hide? Not who didn't make mistakes, who didn't play well, but who didn't hide.
Who stood up to be counted, who wanted the ball, who was making an effort. make an effort on your own you'll get nowhere, you may even look bad yourself, but if you don't hide you are of a mental makeup Spurs need.
We witnessed that you can not simply send a team out with no idea of what they are supposed to do in 'this weeks' system. It doesn't work and is asking for a beating. A team with a plan will always beat a team without one, a team with a plan will always beat 11 men playing as individuals.
I expected 3-0, just about but not really acceptable in the current climate. 4-0 is not nice. Jan Vertonghen was delighted to get off but the manner in which he decided to depart was an insult to Tottenham fans. Letting the physio know he is injured and can't carry on, no problem, couldn't put weight on the foot, no problem.
Hang on a minute I'm walking off normally without a care in the world, I'm injured, I'd better start limping and put a bit of a show on. Sorry Jan you were fooling nobody.
Now I'm going to highlight a player most won't because most will probably think he did nothing wrong and look to the glaring errors to complain about the obvious, but I highlight this not to single out the player for special criticism but to highlight a point. The player in question is Glyfi Sigurdsson.
I will say that Sherwood should not have picked Sigurdsson to play in the role he did, he is, with a lone striker, a number 10, however so is Eriksen.
What Sigurdsson can not do is defend, he showed against Benfica in the same position that if you put him under pressure defensively he can't handle it. He likes time and he likes it in the opponents half so Sherwood made a blunder with that one.
The point though is that Gylfi hid during the game. When the ball was passed to him he simply wanted to give it to someone else even if that was the guy who had just given it to him in time and space. That shouts out clear and loud, I abdicate responsibility. I want someone else to take responsibility so it doesn't look as if I am making a mistake.
Players who take responsibility makes mistake, there isn't a footballer alive who doesn't. But if you don't take responsibility then you are nothing as a footballer. Dembele had trained all week he should have been playing in that role, not Sigurdsson.
Aaron Lennon gave up today, he was dejected, he was another that after we were 2-0 down wanted to be somewhere else, he even walked back on one occasion when he was beaten, he couldn't be bothered, and this is a guy who tries all the time, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully.
When a player like that drops his head you have serious problems, every player who drops their head heaps pressure on those whose head doesn't drop and that is usually the defenders. They have to undergo a siege because of the ineptitude in front of them and they then of course get crucified for those mistakes as if it were their fault.
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Soldado was up front and the nearest player to him was 40 yards away, he had no hope whatsoever. That is a crazy way to play, we haven't a hope of doing anything like that and Soldado is on a hiding to nothing, no wonder he looks totally pissed off. At one point he chased 3 passes in the Livepool half and when none of the midfield had pressed up he stood there with arms outstretched as if to say what the hell is going on.
Personally I don't blame the guy for thinking I've had enough of this. I'll single out as everyone else will Hugo Lloris for praise. We forgive his usual mistake because at least he has professional pride. He may well be leaving at the end of the season but he is showing Jan Vertonghen how to do it.
Thank goodness all the top teams are out the way now so the players can coast along and not look at potential hammerings each week. The seasons end was a long way away at the beginning of the dreaded March, now there is a glimmer of hope it won't seem so long. The results matter, of course they do, but they don't matter and haven't since January.
Now is a time for a sensible approach rather than the usual and predictable knee jerk he made a mistake he must go mindset. It would be pretty pointless calling for Tim Sherwood's head as well as what do we do then, play with nobody running the show at all for the remaining games.
The interim role always had the potential to be painful and so it has proven. It is a time for head down, baton down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass.
The can't be a supporter around who doesn't know we are waiting for the World Cup, if if any didn't the performances of some of the players should tell you, as they are saving themselves.
Now if I wrote about every mistake you'd be reading this for a week and quite frankly the situation is not about individual mistakes it's about attitude. I have discussed recently how attitude affects the way you play, how if you are not 100% focused and up for the game or the club then even if you try your best it is still a sub standard performance. You lack that vital spark, the anticipation, the sharpness, you lack the edge.
Liverpool showed it in abundance, the Spurs players showed their hearts are not in it. Where Liverpool anticipated, we reacted and so they beat us to everything. The catalogue of errors we saw again was only to be expected, as was going behind as a result of our left sided weakness.
Mentally there are some serious problems at Spurs. What you need to ask yourself about that game is who didn't hide? Not who didn't make mistakes, who didn't play well, but who didn't hide.
Who stood up to be counted, who wanted the ball, who was making an effort. make an effort on your own you'll get nowhere, you may even look bad yourself, but if you don't hide you are of a mental makeup Spurs need.
We witnessed that you can not simply send a team out with no idea of what they are supposed to do in 'this weeks' system. It doesn't work and is asking for a beating. A team with a plan will always beat a team without one, a team with a plan will always beat 11 men playing as individuals.
I expected 3-0, just about but not really acceptable in the current climate. 4-0 is not nice. Jan Vertonghen was delighted to get off but the manner in which he decided to depart was an insult to Tottenham fans. Letting the physio know he is injured and can't carry on, no problem, couldn't put weight on the foot, no problem.
Hang on a minute I'm walking off normally without a care in the world, I'm injured, I'd better start limping and put a bit of a show on. Sorry Jan you were fooling nobody.
Now I'm going to highlight a player most won't because most will probably think he did nothing wrong and look to the glaring errors to complain about the obvious, but I highlight this not to single out the player for special criticism but to highlight a point. The player in question is Glyfi Sigurdsson.
I will say that Sherwood should not have picked Sigurdsson to play in the role he did, he is, with a lone striker, a number 10, however so is Eriksen.What Sigurdsson can not do is defend, he showed against Benfica in the same position that if you put him under pressure defensively he can't handle it. He likes time and he likes it in the opponents half so Sherwood made a blunder with that one.
The point though is that Gylfi hid during the game. When the ball was passed to him he simply wanted to give it to someone else even if that was the guy who had just given it to him in time and space. That shouts out clear and loud, I abdicate responsibility. I want someone else to take responsibility so it doesn't look as if I am making a mistake.
Players who take responsibility makes mistake, there isn't a footballer alive who doesn't. But if you don't take responsibility then you are nothing as a footballer. Dembele had trained all week he should have been playing in that role, not Sigurdsson.
Aaron Lennon gave up today, he was dejected, he was another that after we were 2-0 down wanted to be somewhere else, he even walked back on one occasion when he was beaten, he couldn't be bothered, and this is a guy who tries all the time, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully.
When a player like that drops his head you have serious problems, every player who drops their head heaps pressure on those whose head doesn't drop and that is usually the defenders. They have to undergo a siege because of the ineptitude in front of them and they then of course get crucified for those mistakes as if it were their fault.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Articles:
Defence is a worry for Kaboul
Sherwood - Spurs Fans Need Educating
Spurs centre-back overhaul
The Trilogy - Part 3 Liverpool
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soldado was up front and the nearest player to him was 40 yards away, he had no hope whatsoever. That is a crazy way to play, we haven't a hope of doing anything like that and Soldado is on a hiding to nothing, no wonder he looks totally pissed off. At one point he chased 3 passes in the Livepool half and when none of the midfield had pressed up he stood there with arms outstretched as if to say what the hell is going on.
Personally I don't blame the guy for thinking I've had enough of this. I'll single out as everyone else will Hugo Lloris for praise. We forgive his usual mistake because at least he has professional pride. He may well be leaving at the end of the season but he is showing Jan Vertonghen how to do it.
Thank goodness all the top teams are out the way now so the players can coast along and not look at potential hammerings each week. The seasons end was a long way away at the beginning of the dreaded March, now there is a glimmer of hope it won't seem so long. The results matter, of course they do, but they don't matter and haven't since January.
Now is a time for a sensible approach rather than the usual and predictable knee jerk he made a mistake he must go mindset. It would be pretty pointless calling for Tim Sherwood's head as well as what do we do then, play with nobody running the show at all for the remaining games.
The interim role always had the potential to be painful and so it has proven. It is a time for head down, baton down the hatches and wait for the storm to pass.
The can't be a supporter around who doesn't know we are waiting for the World Cup, if if any didn't the performances of some of the players should tell you, as they are saving themselves.
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