Spurs Takeaways from the Rangers game The 17 second problem

The 17 seconds that highlight the Spurs' problem

Kulusevski goal vs Rangers

The THBN first-half takeaways from the Rangers UEFA Europa League group stage game.

Rangers left-back, Jefte was it, should have been booked early on for his shirt-pulling tug back on Brennan Johnson near the halfway line to stop our counter-attack.

Brennan Johnson does nut have enough faith in his abilities to cross a ball. 

Spurs were attacking late in the first half (39 mins) and our attack was crying out for a curling right-footed low-whipped cross but he stopped and went back central and James Maddison complained he should have played the ball for his run.

But, Johnson had crossed the ball a couple of minutes earlier beautifully across the six-yard box. 

It was plain to see it coming, yet Spurs captain Son and vice-captain Maddison did not make the centre-forward run into the 6-yard box for a tap-in so it went aimlessly across to be collected by Werner.

Timo Werner was not there for a tap-in, as Johnson so often is on the other side and come to think of it, when Son is playing on the left he isn't there at the back post for tap-ins either, why not?

• Is Johnson frustrated that there is never anyone there for his cross. 
• Does he trust his teammates to be there?
• Is that preventing him from crossing in the moments I describe?

Archie Gray gave the ball away passing out from the back about 4 times in the first-half and lost it in our half when running it out of defence, yet he looks like a player and I'm comfortable with him deputising at centre-back in Europe at least.

Cerny was always free on the left edge of our penalty box, Destiny Udogie never seemed to be there.

Secomd-half

Rangers build-up to their goal vs S[urs

You can see two players around the goalscorer and neither get near him.

It's 6 defenders against 3 attackers plus the man with the ball free to break.

Further Rangers build-up play for their goal v Spurs

You#ll not Bentancur has left him for Porro or is unaware he is there and simply losing ground.

Just look at those two pictures and see where the players move.

• Who loses ground?
• Who is not affecting play?

The pass for Rangers goal vs Spurs

Bentancur has lost more ground, doesn't really want to get involved.

Porro still hasn't caught the man up, I'd suggest he didn't read the game and see the danger.

Bissouma has done nothing to affect play. He has just joged back but he could have closed the run down, if he is aware their is no Rangers midfield, which he ought to know.

Rangers goal vs Spurs - the final moments

Porro, still the wrong side of his man can't affect play.

It was a disappointing goal to concede to the Scottish Premiership side who had been the equal of Spurs to this point.

I haven't watched the rest yet, so we'll see how it goes.

Our commentator called it a speculative ball over the top, what rubbish.

That was a deliberate run and a deliberate pass to find him that was executed to perfection, give the passes some credit.

Straight from the lick-off within 2 passes we have lost the ball, OK, we win it back, but how can you lose the ball within 2 passes of a restart?

Why does Kulusevski play a waist high pass?

OK, Dejan Kulusevski came on at half-time for Timo Werner.

He is left-footed.

• Why then, does he need to play a waist-high pass behind Maddison centrally?
• Why can't he pass to along the floor to his left-boot?

Bear with me here.

Destiny Udogie poor pass

Maddison has collected the ball, driven forward and laid the ball off the Destiny Udogie.

• Why does Udogie then play the ball backwards over the halfway line for Yves Bissouma centrally? 

It should be the other side of him to drive us forward.

You might think this doesn't matter, but I again go to mentality/

Ask yourself what is the mentality of players simply playing a ball without care and attention to the receiving player.

Why are they constantly being given these small things to rectify before they can think of attacking intent?

Are these players really playing or the team in these instances or simply passing the buck to someone else?

Deki has been our best player so it is good to include him in this example to try and demonstrate a malaise that has crept into the team.

My concern is are players concentrating on their own game when they are on the ball too much and has the team game become too lazy?

What do you think, let me know in the comments.

Bissouma collecting Udogie's poor backward pass

You see how this stops attacking play.

There is no though about what he is giving Bissouma, who has to waste time, when we are losing, to collect the ball, turn, then go back forward.

So, to sum up, we have lost the ball within 32 passes of a restart and two out of three passes are poor for the receiver, slowing any attacking play.

Why?

For me, this is the most important question that comes out of this game because it's asking where Spurs are at the moment as a whole.

Mentality is everything in football.

So what does that sequence tell you, specifically about the players mentality?

Then you have to ask, how is it being addressed and how should it be addressed?

Can it be addressed?

Is there anything to address?

This is the crux of the problem at Spurs, mentality, has been for years, but isn't addressed by any coach, because traditionally football has never done anything meaningful about it.

We have a vision, we are working as a club toward a vision.

We have a head coach with vision and we are working toward that vision.

But where we have a problem, mentally, we have no vision, only tradition.

The world has changed, football has changed.

Let professional in mentality training proactively do their job.

I'll say it again, if our 1st XI sports psychologist has not put a proposal to Ange Postecoglou or Daniel Levy, then perhaps he is the wrong man for the job?

Perhaps the club don't see the job in the right way?

But if that is the case then it's the job of the incumbent in that position to promote what he can do, how he can help, with a detailed proposal.

I advocate, as you know, sports psychologist working on the mentality of players as a compulsory part of training.

BUT...

Has our sports psychologist got the right mindset himself?

Is he reactive in his job or proactive when it comes to the first XI?

As a chairman, I'd be looking at that, but Daniel Levy doesn't have a coaching background so perhaps isn't going to be looking at the mentality of staff in the way I would.

A growth mentality, great, but a growth mentality just for yourself or a growth mentality for the organization too?

Again, are we talking about people interested in their position or the 'team' position?

Mentality, it's not a small issue is it.

Now you can't just give a directive from the top, to staff, you really want it coming from within.

Then, as a chairman or CEO, you take note of the individual.

You ask more, you encourage because you've got a forward thinker there and they are valuable.

Anyone can do a job.

You want something more than that.

A few passes and it raises all those deep issues, but not for the fan in the street telling us to sack left, right and centre!!!

Back to the game.

Go back and see the position we were in, then look below to see the position we are in teo passes later.

Bissouma restarts Spurs going forward

Look at the position Tottenham are in 12 seconds after Dejan Kulusevsli had the ball.

That a bloody long time to be wasting possession with lazy, pathetic passing.

That has nothing to do with skill.

Nothing to do with the chairman Daniel Levy.

Nothing to do with the head coach Ange Postecoglou, only in the respect he has to see it and resolve it.

Nothing to do with the recruitment department.

It has EVERYTHING to do with the players...

And EVERYTHING to do with their mindset.

Discuss it in the comments, spread the issue by linking this post on social media because this is the big issue affecting our club.

Think about it, we are bringing in players into this mindset.

That mindset has to change...

And then you are bringing players into a better mindset.

It is all well and good doing everything differently to get different results, but if you don't change the foundation, MENTALITY, then results aren't going to be any different.

Think of mentality as quicksand.

You are bringing in a player to stand on quicksand.

So he has to now figure out how not to sink, once he feels himself sinking.

Lay on the surface, is that an option?

You'll probably still sink, but will it be slower?

You have to ask for help.

Isn't that the problem, we don't even know the quicksand is there it seems.

Well, I can see it, hence why I can see the solution...

From a few passes on the football field!

Gray returns the ball to Kulusevski

OK, 17 seconds and the ball is back out wide with Pedro Porro via an Archie Gray pass.

Now I'm sorry, but if you don't think those 17 seconds are a problem, then you have a problem...

You can't see what you're watching.

Check out the time in this picture, Deki has just been shoved off the ball, now watch the sequence of play.

Kulusevski has just been shoved off the ball and is about to be passed around.

OK, so this is the same sequence of play, now watch how this unfolds.

The Rangers player is going to play a pass and Deki will jog totally out of the game, no have, no effort to make it difficult, no pressure.

The result is they break and are on the edge of our area again know seconds having a blocked shot on our goal centrally from 8 yards out..

Watch.

Rangers playing out from the back without Kulusevski closing swn

The ball has been passed to and is on it's way to the Rangers player out wide.

The initial passer runs past Kulusevski, who does not react, he takes himself out of the game.

I prompt you with mentality again - what is it?

It isn't switched on to stopping Rangers play out from the back, it's going through the motions.

Now the guy who was on the touchline has received a return pass and is playing it out of defence to start an attack.

Now this isn't a literal point.

I'm not saying Deki could have stopped this, I'm asking you to look at the attitude and ask if the attitude is right and is not, why not?

So, we have seen a poor attitude from Kelusevski twice, a poor attitude from Unogie and Bissouma took too long and passed lazily to Gray, three players in moments with the wrong mentality.

Everyone doesn't have to have the wrong mentality and they can have the right and wrong mentalities in the same game at different times.

But several at a time seriously affects play and there is nothing players with the right mentality can do about that.

• Is there enough team mentality?
• is there too much individual mentality?

52 mins: Rangers on a spell. Destiny Udogie yurnd back and passes to Fraser Forster, no problem with that...

BUT...

He then instantly turns his back on Forster and walks looking upfield.

Not a thought of pulling wide or wanting to be involved with anything that Forster might do other than hoof it upfield, which is what he did.

Again I ask you to think of his mentality at that point.

I talked about Bissouma being fed up and having had enough, well Destiny Udogie is overworked because we didn't bring in a left-back, which I felt was more important than a left-sided centre-back.

Son is hardly going to win a header of a ball hoofed forward so they have the ball ready to attack again.

Bergvall looks to play with urgency instead of Bissouma's more languid style, as does Gray, which is why these two need game time to develop.

I could give you another example of our 17-second problem with Pape Matar Sarr bringing the ball out of defence after a Lucas Bergvall pass, but instead of diagonally playing it back to him to turn defence into attack and this is after 92 minutes, he slows it down, keeps the ball.

Rangers are able to get more men behind the ball before we attack again which ends up with us giving them a free-kick in our half.

While getting ready the whistle goes for the end of the game and the ball isn't even in play.

It's the same mental problem.

COYS