Tottenham Talk on Friday 17th Sept
Tottenham Talk on Friday 17th Sept
Rennes vs Spurs Review
Good morning positive Spurs fans, our toughest group test out of the way with a point away from home.
Welcome to Tottenham Talk on Friday 17th Sept and we'll dedicate it to a first-half review.
Spurs needed to score two goals, asI expected and asked in my pre-game post yesterday morning, something the statistics revealed.
The general impression of the opening 16 minutes was OK, we put some passing movements together, especially for the goal.
An excellent improvised backheel from Tanguy Ndombele, the ball pinged to Kane for an exquisite first team pass into space behind the defence for Lucas Moura to exploit.
His cross took a deflection and we were 1-0 up having had most of the ball and looking comfortable in possession.
Too comfortable at times, too many instances again of the ball being slowly rolled to a teammate instead of pinged to them so that when they eventually get the ball, any space they had had already been closed down.
It is infuriating and it's mental thing, it shows the wrong mentality, the wrong body language.
You are not going to intimidate an opponent and make them nervous, therefore forcing mistakes, if you are displaying such timidness yourself.
On the plus side Ndombele looked up for the game and was displaying levels of skill we have been missing, he also looked as if he was somewhat free of defensive duties, which is perhaps what he needs to excel in the right areas.
He was the instigator of possession for the goal from our own half and to backheel he must have known there was a Spurs player there waiting to receive the ball so excellent awareness of the situation he was in.
I have spoken several times about the wrong mentality of Steven Bergwijn when he is through one-on-one and again, after 17 minutes, he was excellently played through by Ben Davies, only to almost fall over when he got near the box and he wasn't even sprinting.
This isn't being worked on by the coaching staff and that is criminal, the guy needs help, he needs mental training, he needs positivity training, he needs to be taught to control his thoughts and control his emotions.
He needs to be taught what emotions to feel in these situations to change the outcome.
As far as I can remember that is six one-on-one's on the trot he has fluffed.
Six.
The need couldn't be more obvious.
After 18 minutes their midfield runners are not tracked by ours and they play a ball into their forward to lay off for a shot (saved, parried by Gollini) and the ensuing header went over the top.
Skipp was jogging back, didn't read the lay off, was he aware of the player coming across to receive the lay off?
He is young, he is learning, but there is at times the lazy slow passing and times when opposition sides get in behind him.
I get the impression that players are leaving situations to each other and reacting to things rather than reading the game, being up for it and thus proactive having read the game.
Being reactive makes us slower, decisions are slower and often too late so we are always tying to fight a losing battle.
You change that by enthusiasm, motivation, reading of the game, to proactively act BEFORE an event has happened, not waiting for it to happen.
As players get to know the system better through experience of playing it and how each colleague reacts in situations, then reading of the game and reading what a teammate will do becomes quicker and more accurate.
When we look at our game we must understand we have only played seven games under a new head coach with new ideas the players have to adjust to.
I noticed when our back four had the ball the front four were static, the two wide players were static to create width but the movement was left to two midfield players.
Is it any wonder we struggle in these situations when the centre-backs with the ball have no options, when the whole team movement is two midfield players and one of their runs is simply towards the man with the ball to receive and return it to create space behind them.
If nobody is exploiting that space or the angle isn't there to use the space then we are easy to defend against and lack creativity.
Fans will tell you we need a creative player to solve our lack of creativity, but creativity can be created by movement, it's when we don't move that we don't create and if we are not moving a creative player isn't going to create anything.
There goal came about as Ndombele simply dangled a foot, they went easily past him, played a one-two around Skipp and Tanganga couldn't get in the way of a curling shot into the corner.
This is what I mean when I say Ndombele is a defensive liability, there should be a thou shalt not pass attitude, instead there is a it doesn't matter attitude.
For his skill on the ball starting a move for a goal, so his laziness in defence gives away a goal.
He cancels one out with the other.
Bergwijn took a kick after 26 minutes the referee didn't see and had to do off injured three minutes later with what looked like a twisted ankle.
After 28 minutes Spurs have a throw-in near our own box and lose the ball.
Again I have talked about the need for a throw-in coach instead of this make it upas we go along rubbish, as we can't.
29 minutes and Rennes pass their way through our defence only for Ben Davies to be goalside of his man and rescue us as the ball then gently rolls to Gollini, who is lying on the floor.
I have only seen a replay of the first half and the highlights reel so far.
Their second goal came through the legs of Tanganga and there is absolutely no way from that distance that that should happen.
Gollini did the right thing palming the ball away from the danger zone, that's what keepers are supposed to do but possibly Davies didn't read that and be proactive, rather reactive and therefore too slow.
But I say again, the error was Tanganga, that goal is down to him. His defending was nothing short of pathetic, he tried to close both his feet when you only have to put one in the way, which is quicker and easier.
Fuddled thinking under pressure, how many times do I have to point it out before we do something about it?
Arare good ball in from Doherty in this match and the backtracking midfielder couldn't deal with it, leaving Højbjerg to pounce.
I'll watch the second half replay later and see what pops out at me.
Have a great day.
Well that's it folks, short and sweet, just like me.
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