Tottenham Talk on Midfield vs Arsenal (1st-half)
Tottenham Talk on Midfield vs Arsenal (1st-half)
OK, let me say I am writing this as a knee-jerk reaction to the first-half, I'll watch the second half later, as I don't want that to impact the issues we saw.
This first-half match report will only look at that disastrous first-half where once again our midfield was the major problem.
So far this season, our defeats have generally been down to mistakes by Dele, Ndombele (at least 3 goals) and Tanganga, Crystal Palace defeat and one other game.
These three combined to be our Achilles heel again.
I stand by what I stated on social media that Emerson should be playing ahead of Tanganga and Romero ahead of Sánchez.
Spurs were playing far too many long balls which suggests there were no short passes into midfield available.
Now I ask you to forget what happens on the ball when you watch a replay and I urge you to watch extended highlights.
Watch our midfield, you'll find them to the left of the screen whereas the ball is on the right-hand side of the screen.
Watch the jog back.
Watch Dele jog, watch Ndombele jog, his jogging gets slower as the game goes on.
Højbjerg, if he were defending, is left exposed on his own with it all to do himself.
If you have a system, everyone has to do their bit within that system or it falls to pieces.
I wrote that when Pochettino was here and our midfield was a problem.
OK, let's get on to the first goal.
Our defence doesn't stand a chance because they are simply left to0 it by the midfield who are all up the pitch and, quite frankly, don't want to get back.
Dele jogs, Ndombele jogs.
Why was Højbjerg trying to pinch the ball off Grant Xhaka just outside their box when he is our defensive midfielder?
Those two things left u totally exposed.
Just look below at the space between out group of players, the vast expanse in midfield to our back four.
Højbjerg and Kane are in the Arsenal box, why is our defensive midfielder there?
I think that is Ndombele central, Tanganga has run forward and taken himself out of the game.
Look at the body language, one player is running back, but one player ahead of the ball, either Dele or Moura is walking, walking.
I haven't checked but it looks like Dele walking and Moura running.
It's bloody disgraceful.
Ndombele apparently doesn't see any issue and as the central midfielder, the defensive midfielder in this situation, he should be sprinting back.
Instead he gently jogs so he is well out of the way and to his brain, I assume, can't be blamed, it's not my fault.
A catalogue of errors.
Are we playing schoolboy football or professional football?
There is no discipline in midfield, no teamwork and wrong decisions.
We saw and heard under Mourinho that Dele doesn't want to defend and while he has done reasonably well in that role so far this season, his head dropped and he reverted to default.
Remember me telling you people revert to default under pressure?
This game was an example of it and why, I repeat for the hundredth time, we need mentality training to control our thinking DURING games.
We have no movement so we have no passes on.
If we have no passes all we can do is pass sideways or kick it long and none of our long balls was very good.
The third goal.
Harry Kane takes too long deciding what to do, is that because he has few options?
Again, watch the midfield, Kane sprints back, Ndombele jogs and ends up twenty yards behind him.
Kane tries to make a block in our box, ask yourself where is Ndombele?
Go watch a replay and find out.
You may need a search party.
There is an incident when Dier is dictating the defensive line and is calling Sanchez forward, but Sánchez refuses to join the line and the ball forward ends up 10 yards in front of Dier.
How can you defend if Sánchez simply wants to drop back and keep everyone onside?
Reguilón was not up with the line either, but Dier was calling and gesticulating at Sánchez.
Once that is done he would turn to Reguilón to bring him forward to.
Again if you don't watch the ball and watch our midfield when Arsenal attack, they jog and Ndombele jogs slower and slower.
He does not want to defend and you can not play him in a position where he has to unless he is highly motivated and he isn't highly motivated playing for Spurs.
He needs a right rocket from the manager and he needs somebody to point out to him with force and a few expletives exactly what he is doing or NOT doing.
Dele Alli is jogging back as well.
To say I am angry would be an understatement.
We can not just keep changing managers when the players are the problem, the players mentality.
Buying players with mentality issues has to stop.
We MUST assess players mentality and body language PROFESSIONALLY, not in the amateur way we currently do.
Well that's it for this morning's offering folks.
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1 comment
Deli Ali is a total, total waste of space I have been saying this all season. His little flicks and tricks amount to nothing. He should not be in the team and when he is we play with 10 men. I would cut Ndombele some slack, at least he was trying to move the ball and when Skipp came on we looked a better shape with Ndombele in front of them. Just a simple change of Ali out and Skipp in worked and we looked much better. Obviously Tanganga had a mare as well and needed to be subbed out. I also noticed the Dier / Sanchez moment which was awful. Time to bring Tanganga or Romero into central defence.