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Passing problem, not pacey winger problem

4 min read

TOTTENHAM TALK


Twitter is full of people shouting for a pacey winger to give us that speed we lack in attack and width, especially now that Fernando Llorente has arrived and he is excellent in the air.

 7 hours ago
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Serge Aurier, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose and Ben Davies provide our width though, we don't play with traditional British wingers who cross the ball, few clubs do now. The trend is inverted wingers, wingers who do not stay wide but cut in to shoot themselves, leaving the full-back or wing-back to do the overlapping, provide the width and the crosses.

In that respect we have arguably one of the best crossing right-backs in the Premier League in Kieran Trippier and new recruit Serge Aurier, who can surely cross a ball better than Walker. On the other side Rose has pace and he and Davies have improved their delivery.

The fastest method to get a ball from one end to the other, apart from the long ball, which takes the control element out of a move, is to pass the ball, not run with it. Pace does no harm, don't get me wrong, but you don't simply go out and buy any fast player simply because he has pace. Andros Townsend had pace, Aaron Lennon had pace, you wouldn't be happy if we brought a player of their alledged poor crossing ability. I say alledged because Lennon's statistics are better than most realise and a cross is only any good if there is someone who can get on the end of it.

Traditionally a cross has been into an area and it is the strikers job to get on the end of it, rsather than a winger pinpoint a forward every time. They thus often get bad press from fans when, quite frankly, they have done nothing wrong.

If we have a pacey winger storming down the line, Fernando Llorente isn't going to keep up in the middle, besides, it is the wing-backs role in our system. Georges-Kevin N'Koudou has pace, Clinton N'Jie had pace, neither can or could break into the side, pace simply isn't enough.

We would be better served speeding up the pace with which we move the ball, again England showed us pedestrian passing last night, players having to wait for the ball to arrive from another player. No urgency in the pass.

You look at Spain for instance and their passing at the back is quicker, by qiuicker, I mean the speed the ball travels between players. It is so so simple, yet players mentality doesn't have urgency it should.

Think about it, one signifies you are alert, have intent, whereas a slow pass indicates I'm comfortable, I don't want to put myself out, it signifies a sleepy, lazy mindset.

If you are changing play from one side to the other it should be done in the shortest possible time, to give the recipient as much free time without a marker as possible, it gives more space to exploit. Slow passing allows a defence to shuffle across in formation and you haven't improved your situation, just moved it from one side to the other, which isn't that tiring for a defensive unit.

You have to break the unit up, shifting a ball at speed means individual players from that defensive unit have to respond before others, thus changing the tight defensive unit and creating holes, which we then want to find our creative players in.

Turning from slow to quick is a tactic, but even when playing slow, the passing should still be crisp, the slowness is the delasy on the ball, not slowing the pass down. England are hopeless at it and it something Spurs fall into the trap of, especially at the back.

Before we simply call for pace, we need to sort out our slow passing so any pacey player gets the ball quickly with space in front of them to run into. Our pacey men usually get the ball marked by a defender and look to go backwards, thus our style doesn't help pacey players. We need to solve our passing problem first.

COYS
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19 comments

  1. Well that's one way to look at it but there wasn't a much better sight than Bale or Lennon breaking at pace and it is a bit of a shame the fad for inverted wingers as in reduces the space on the pitch. If the inverted winger even chechs for a split second the C?Fs run is missed. I'm not much of a fan but it's only a fad and will change like everything else. You used to be classed as a good footballer if you could take the ball past 3 people and put a decent cross over. It will come back at some point but it will take some team to have success first then they all follow !
    • The fact that England never had ant success after 1966 with that style saw it's days numbered. It won't come back any time soon if clubs want to be successful in Europe. The game has moved on and player requirements have changed. Less Mark Hateley type strikers around now.
  2. If you check we have just signed a RB from PSG whom is primarily a pacey winger! Do you disagree with Poch?
    • I believe Clive's point was not so much that pace is a bad thing. Simply that it isn't tbe be-all and end-all of the problems we have to take best advantage of that.

      We have a number of pacey players already. Alas, Serge Aurier simply replaces an already very pacey RFB in Kyle Walker. It's not enough simply to have pacey players though. The ball needs to be moved between them, when it is, at more of a zip. This would be true for pretty well all passing in order to keep extra pressure on the opposition.

      I don't see that as a disagreement with Poch's approach. Merely highlighting another important aspect.

      COYS!!
  3. A lot of the slowness arises because the receiving player simply has no idea where to pass to next so this engenders multiple touches of the ball whilst he alters his body position in order to find an open player.
    The only player to my mind who could play one touch football was Michael Carrick (which is why I rued the day we sold him).
  4. No player however quick can run faster than a well placed fast pass so yes movement and passing is the key
  5. There was a very good article last season that showed that our 'attack' came from our ball playing centre backs,not midfielders or wingers. Whether it be a controlled run forward by Jan or one of his slide rule passes through the middle of the pitch to Eriksen or Kane, or whether it was one of Tobys long range diagonals, they are the players who play the important passes. So when we signed Sanchez with his great passing stats,and then Foyth, who is said to like to bring the ball out of defence with close control, it kind of backs up that philosophy.

    Someone replied earlier that there was no better sight than wingers (like Bale) galloping up the pitch, but i had a season ticket for years through our 'winger' days and while that is true, you sometimes forget that matches back then with wingers were like basketball games. It's not like that now, certainly not for a 'big' club against a smaller club,where a winger has little space to run into unless on the co…
    • Yeah, like the author says, there is nothing wrong with a bit of pace, the problem is when folk believe it is the be all and end all. The problem we face as a club now is that opponents will sit deep and suffocate games. A player can only achieve so much running fast, over the ten yards of so of the pitch where the opposite are, while being ushered into a narrowing cul-de-sac that leads only to the by-line. Speed of thought, lateral movement, the ability to work space - far more important when opponents blanket defend than the ability to run fast. Would rather have Teddy Sheringham in my team against the stiflers, thanks.

      If/when you get ahead and your opponents open up is a different matter. But even then, you don't need every player to be a speedster in order to take advantage of the extra space, just a couple. In fact, when played right just average running ability can be enough. For me, one of the most frustrating moments of the game against Burnley came when we were a goal up.…
    • I think you hit the nail on the head SPx2.
      There are times when all our 4 attackers are more concerned with getting a shot off when maybe an alternative would have produced a better result.
  6. I agree that we definitely don't need conventional wingers and they would suit our system. What I would say however, is that we don't really play what I would call inverted wingers. We play attacking midfielders, with the freedom to move around. Davies, Dembele, Wanyama and Trippier form the shield around the forward 4 and it is up to the forward 4 to find a way through the defence, usually either through intelligent play or through a long range shot.
    Kane generally stays central and advanced when we are in possession, but Eriksen, Alli, Lamela (or Son) tend to move around with a lot of freedom in the attacking midfield line, which confuses their markers.
    Son is an ambidextrous wide forward and has pace, flair and power. Alli, although mainly playing as a second striker has become more creative in his play. Eriksen is probably the best creator in Europe and very intelligent in his play. Lamela also is very intelligent in his play, creative and his presence combined with E…
  7. I don't think we need a pacey 'winger', we just need a pacey attacker.
    Lamela's absence has meant that we don't have that player in the final third who can consistently beat a man.
    I agree with the wing back claims, but we also play 4-2-3-1. It is in the 3 behind Kane where we could do with a player similar in style and pace to say Zaha. I don't think Son has those in his locker consistently and Nkoudou will not be at that level for some time (both are good for the squad tho).
    For the record: Sissoko out, Barkley in; Zaha in, maybe Lamela out (sorry!). Would give us an amazing squad.
    Next summer: Dembele (Celtic) and Sessegnon (Janssen & a left back out).
  8. I don't think we need a pacey 'winger', we just need a pacey attacker.
    Lamela's absence has meant that we don't have that player in the final third who can consistently beat a man.
    I agree with the wing back claims, but we also play 4-2-3-1. It is in the 3 behind Kane where we could do with a player similar in style and pace to say Zaha. I don't think Son has those in his locker consistently and Nkoudou will not be at that level for some time (both are good for the squad tho).
    For the record: Sissoko out, Barkley in; Zaha in, maybe Lamela out (sorry!). Would give us an amazing squad.
    Next summer: Dembele (Celtic) and Sessegnon (Janssen & a left back out).
  9. I think we will find that Sissoko will perform better on the bigger pitch...he's a 'rangy' player.
    IMHO I think Wembley will suit him better than the old WHL.
    • Agree about Sissoko, a player well worth retaining this season imo. In fact, i think i'm right in saying that against Newcastle and Burnley we broke after an opponents attack, and Sissoko was in a superb position,unmarked, had the player with the ball (Kane against Burnley) seen him and made the pass. Now of course he might have miscontrolled it and/or missed the shot but point being Sissoko was the furthest forward support for the player with the ball, and no doubt that will continue on the big Wembley pitch.
  10. Ok boys , what was more exciting than Bale knocking the ball past the outside of a defender and running round the otherside cutting in and scoring ? I also love 1 touch football but can't stand tippy tap. So it's nice when you can do both. Inverted wingers, just my opinion, is crap to watch. Would you play Ginola down the right ? Of course it wouldn't matter if you were Chris Waddle ! So I really don't want to hear there are no places for the likes of Bale in our system. It all adds up to what you want to watch.
    When Spain lined up for the Euro's 2 back, they started without a recognised striker on the pitch and for me that was the day football died.
    They are all fads !
    • I'd say Bale running down the left wing and crossing along the floor across the six yard box. He was quite brilliant at it, unfortunately we didn't have strikers who could get there for tap ins often enough. Had we found that then maybe he would have stayed on the wing and not moved central to score a stack of goals and get his move to Real Madrid.
  11. What a great article. If for no better reason than it's triggered such a discussion. It seems we have all the thinkers in the house today and far fewer of those that just come in to moan. I don't necessarily agree with all the points made, but then my opinion's only one of many. A very pleasant read.

    COYS!!
  12. Yep I'll second that Ade , what a great article Clive and lots of interesting comments but I think we all agree , speed of thought , couple with a great touch and add a little pace, makes perfect.
    COYS
  13. Hubba Bubba does like to misread and misinterpret things doesn't he. Aurier is a wing back and as a regular reader is fully aware I see the full-backs as those who provide our width and thus it is those who need pace, perhaps more so than inverted wingers.

    I agree with Poch, as the squad shows