Negative Positive
It seems that half the Internet has learnt a new word and we see it in headline after headline, you all know what it is so I shall refrain from even using it.
Tottenham won 5-1 so before the main positive to take out of the game let's look at the main negative, the midfield. To get caught out by a simple chip over the top once is good play from the opposition but now as a midfielder you are aware of it.
From then on you try to ensure the same player doesn't get too many more chances to deliver the same type of ball that gets you into trouble. Lamela, Townsend, Capoue and Dembele, less so Harry Kane should be cutting the ball out at source, by that I mean they should be preventing their playmaker from playing it again by not giving him the time and space to do so.
He continued to play the ball on several occasions in the first-half and then after the break you expect them to do something about it but Spurs were lazy. We started the second half as if we had already won the game and didn't have to bother, the result is they had chance after chance after chance, but weren't good enough to take them.
It was a poor and lazy midfield performance defensively.
On the positive side I have said for several years we need to be clinical when we are 2-0 up, we need to learn to bury teams, to create and take the chances at the end of a game. Yesterday we did that thanks to Harry Kane.
Erik Lamela scored two superb goals but it was Harry Kane who sparkled. With Tottenham going nowhere again he popped up with another long range shot right into the corner. The two in the second half were exactly what we have been missing for years, someone finishing in the 6 yard box.
As soon as Dembele had a shot, Kane was following up for the rebound while everyone else was ball watching, that is the sign of a goalscorer. You often see Adebayor just standing watching and only when the keeper has spilled it does he react and follow up, by then it's too late.
His third, after his shot, was again a good goal for him as he found space and raised his arm for Fazio to see and side foot a nice cross for him to head home an easy goal. It was easy because he had found the room in the box.
Spectacular may stick in the mind of everyone but the positive was the clinical finishing.
Tottenham won 5-1 so before the main positive to take out of the game let's look at the main negative, the midfield. To get caught out by a simple chip over the top once is good play from the opposition but now as a midfielder you are aware of it.
From then on you try to ensure the same player doesn't get too many more chances to deliver the same type of ball that gets you into trouble. Lamela, Townsend, Capoue and Dembele, less so Harry Kane should be cutting the ball out at source, by that I mean they should be preventing their playmaker from playing it again by not giving him the time and space to do so.
He continued to play the ball on several occasions in the first-half and then after the break you expect them to do something about it but Spurs were lazy. We started the second half as if we had already won the game and didn't have to bother, the result is they had chance after chance after chance, but weren't good enough to take them.
It was a poor and lazy midfield performance defensively.
On the positive side I have said for several years we need to be clinical when we are 2-0 up, we need to learn to bury teams, to create and take the chances at the end of a game. Yesterday we did that thanks to Harry Kane.
Erik Lamela scored two superb goals but it was Harry Kane who sparkled. With Tottenham going nowhere again he popped up with another long range shot right into the corner. The two in the second half were exactly what we have been missing for years, someone finishing in the 6 yard box.
As soon as Dembele had a shot, Kane was following up for the rebound while everyone else was ball watching, that is the sign of a goalscorer. You often see Adebayor just standing watching and only when the keeper has spilled it does he react and follow up, by then it's too late.
His third, after his shot, was again a good goal for him as he found space and raised his arm for Fazio to see and side foot a nice cross for him to head home an easy goal. It was easy because he had found the room in the box.
Spectacular may stick in the mind of everyone but the positive was the clinical finishing.
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