Bissouma, Sessegnon, Doherty, Skipp, Kane, Son, Lenglet
5 min read
Bissouma, Sessegnon, Doherty, Skipp, Kane, Son, Lenglet
Thank you for your kind messages, both here and on social media, they really are all appreciated.Everyone says that at a time like this, but it's true, they do help, each one gives you a little boost.
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I'm having a calm spell as various events that link us in our lives I can see give her life meaning and as her messenger, perhaps a legacy, but that is for the attendees at her funeral.
Anyway, during this quiet spell, I thought I'd give a few observations.
Yves Bissouma
Yves Bissouma was given the start many were clamouring for and I thought he showed in the first 30 minutes why Conte has had to be patient with him.
Conte has previously suggested that he is struggling to adapt to the requirements of his system and so the first 30 minutes proved.
He was playing as the holding defensive midfielder, allowing Bentancur and During that time he rushed out Højbjerg reign to operate further forward.
Twice though, he darted from this position to close a player down and left a gaping hole behind him that Brighton just bypassed him and played into.
He passed the ball lazily to the opposition just outside our penalty area, the red danger zone and got himself booked, quite rightly, for a very late challenge.
Emerson would have been sent off for it!
There is clearly a lot to work on if that is to be his role, a role he played at Lille.
I have long felt Spurs need a better passer than Højbjerg in that defensive role so this might be a solution, unless Paratici is going to buy one next summer.
My attention turned elsewhere after 30 minutes so I'd have to watch the game again to see how he progressed.
Ryan Sessegnon
Frustrating, he has ability but lacks composure in attacking situations at times and with flaws in his game both defensively and attacking, he still has to strengthen his mentality and decision-making.
I'm convinced that is still the issue with him, anxiety kicks in and wrong decisions are thus made.
Control the emotion, control the anxiety and you control the decisions.
Matt Doherty
Antonio Conte had indicated, I thought, that he didn't think Matt Doherty was ready for first-team football, that he hadn't seen enough in training, although Doherty himself during the international break said he felt better in training in the last few weeks.
The Emmerson suspension gave him his chance with Djed Spence seemingly a distance from being first-team standard ready and I thought he had a decent game until tiredness kicked in and he was substituted.
Oliver Skipp
Oliver Skipp is naturally being eased back with cameo appearances. It will take time for him to get up to speed and for his match fitness to return.
When it does though, what will be his position?
Will it be the more defensive of the two holding midfielders, or three or will it be the player who can range forward, as Højbjerg is tasked with when playing in a two with Bentabcur?
His tendency to dive into tackles and spend a lot of the time out of the game on the floor is a concern.
Is his game good enough in their third of the field?
Is his passing up to that role if we wish to win something?
Next summer will surely see us buy another central midfielder who can pass a ball better than those we have.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane might be scoring but I don't think he is playing well.
His passing has become poor, it isn't accurate unless he has time on the ball, he is overhitting too many, which is unlike him.
That has to be down to concentration because it isn't down to ability so is there something mentally wrong?
Is his mind elsewhere?
It's a minor cause for concern.
Indeed the front three are missing far too many opportunities.
They are under pressure to make these chances count so are they not calm enough when it matters most.
Through on goal, Kane missed the target easily with only the keeper to beat, not the first shooting opportunity he has fluffed this season.
I'd be having Son and Kane having a word with the first team sports psychologist, it's his job to make sure everything is alright, to nip things in the bud and not wait for them to develop into a bigger problem.
Heung-min Son
Does Heung-min Son now think he is a goalscorer and not a wide attacker who will score 15+ goals a season?
Has last season gone to his head in that respect, has that affected his game this season?
His shooting isn't what it was, which has been his key problem this season. No pressure on, as he knew he was offside, and he curls it beautifully into the top corner.
A chat with the sports psychologist just as a precautionary measure to keep him mentally right, controlling his emotions at the big moments.
Clément Lenglet
Clément Lenglet has shut all the social media idiots up, a clueless bunch who wrote him off before he had even arrived.
I suggested he would be our European defender and Davies our Premier League defender, it's been a bit of each so far.
I'm happy if either plays and that's what you want from a squad.
Spurs took the first step this summer, next step next summer.
906 words
COYS
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1 comment
Otherwise I tend to agree with your comments on the others too. I hope that the training and ongoing improvement of these players will show dividends as time goes on, but certainly there appear to be weaknesses that need work. At least LB sorted for now ;-)
COYS!!