Mental
Friday, March 9, 2012 at 10:00PM Another game live on the box. The potential for more televised heartache and heartbreak. A trilogy of defeats would turn a blip into a psychological mess. A good team doesn't turn to mush over night. But a good team can suffer if they begin to believe that the Gods are turning against them. The first defeat was a capitulation and deserved. The second we played well but naivety and incompetence buried us under a three goal mugging. Everton away is hardly the best place to go to seeking redemption but is probably the best game for redemption to be found. What better way to brush off the negatives and reboot the faith required to get us up off the floor and fighting again.
Moyes men are a unit that are fully aware of their strengths and weakness and play to contain and frustrate. They will be physical and tactically astute (our fullbacks have been made to suffer in the past). There is no disputing that any weakness we plan to mistakenly flaunt because we're too busy losing discipline or lacking in patience will be jumped on and duly punished.
That's not to say we can't give them something to worry about. Everton are hardly made of the sexy stuff. And if we compare quality, flair and trickery pound for pound we have it in abundance so we need to be ruthless when applying it. If they defend deep then we must hold onto the ball. Don't let them dictate the games pace, look to take advantage of it. Whether that's a defence splitting pass or disguised ball or a counter-attack. We've got so much creativity and vision, it's enough to make you blush. Blush when we put it to good use, blush when we fail to use it at all.
We've let ourselves down by losing some of that cohesiveness that played such a pivotal role in our long standing run of good form. We must defend set pieces better. Play our possession football. Just keep it simple Tottenham, embrace the back to basics mantra. It doesn't have to be over complicated. Strongest players in their strongest positions. Player instructions are key and it's an area where most (watching and micro-analysing) start screaming for Bale to remain wide and why hasn't he been instructed to do so and so on. Vital that we look the team and play like a unit. That starts with the gaffer. It leads with the captain. An executed by the players.
Personally, I'd have Adebayor upfront (he might not be as sharp as Defoe at the moment but he's a far superior team player) with a trio consisting of Bale, Modric and van der Vaart with Sandro and Parker holding behind them. Parker fetches and carries. Modric recycles. If van der Vaart journeys inwards then Sandro builds a wall behind him. Same with Bale. Ideally our left winger will stretch Everton by dragging players out to the flank meaning more opportunities to dink the ball through the middle, something Luka will relish. Player instructions simply need to outline player responsibilities, covering and protecting each other. I'm the king of the obvious. Harry will probably go with 442, we'll win 3-0 and I won't post tactical musings again.
I've always gone with some wild prediction in recent weeks with my preview that we'll re-invent push and run and demolish our opponents because we have to reclaim authority and grasp destiny back from the clutches of evil and other colourful metaphors concerning war and pride and desire. I'll be content with us playing rubbish and winning 1-0 with a deflected goal in our only attack in the game. I'd prefer the former to the latter but a win this Saturday, that's the most important thing and I'm happy to contradict my usual necessity to play the Tottenham Way. There's no doubt every time we run out onto the pitch we attempt to play the Tottenham Way. It just doesn't always happen. And if it doesn't happen then nick it, steal it, mug it off. Just like Utd did to us. It's what the big teams do, right? We've had our fair share of average performances this season, games where we've come away with all the points (Fulham away anyone?) so we have more than just the one dimension to our play.
We need to prove it.
We asked for a good reaction to the NLD loss and in some cruel twisted way got it (in part) but had nothing to show for it. Forget style for the moment, let's take the substance of three meaty points on the table. Then that blip doesn't turn into a crisis of confidence which can spread like the plague. It stalls the pressure. The pressure from others but more importantly the pressure from within. That pressure then turns back into belief and onwards we march.
Not taking enough points off the other big sides will only prove costly if we don't wake the **** up and take them off the remaining teams.
Mental strength.
COYS
Reader Comments (11)
Yes Blud. A call to arms, let's smaash 'em, by any means. COYS!
Gotta play Defoe. I'm not his biggest fan, but the boy's on fire.
Brad
Walker Younes King A&E
Modders Sandro Parker Bale
Defoe Ade
Agree with PP on the team selection 100%. Doubt that Arry will though sadly. We'll have to sit through another 70 minutes of VDV anonymity.
I agree with spooks on the formation. Aside from having more in midfield, I think we'll need a bit more invention to break Everton down. If Harry starts Defoe, and I hope I'm wrong about this, the boy's going to try too hard and get selfish and frustrated in the process.
This game is now super massive for so many reasons on many different levels. A bit like my Friday evening in. This is what it's all about though, this is being top 4 and fighting to get the status. We all want that status, regular CL contenders, and if we're to get what we want, then we'll have this super tension every season. It's about competing. Tottenham not competed properly for 3rd best side in the country until now and this is what that pressure feels like. We've got to love it.
Shame Lennon is out. Livermore did well against Man U but the build up play was at times too pedantic and Van Der Vaart and Modric didn't combine. Modric needs to play further forward (and centrally Harry) and shouldn't have to be continually picking the ball up so deep. Confidence shaken by the last 2 results.Bale needs to knuckle down and work harder and the team should be made to watch how Barca (and Bilbao on Thursday) play at such intensity as if every moment matters.I get the impression that as much as Harry's laissez-faire arm around the shoulder run around son philosophy is entertaining viewing, any defensive set plays are a nerve jangling nightmare and has me reaching for the Blood pressure pills. The Jose Mourinho 15 page dossier on defending a corner anyone?
With Defoe's current form, it seems daft and capricious not to play him: three well taken goals in one and a bit appearances. As long as he gets the service, he is a goal threat ... so the midfield has to be set up to supply him and Ade.
People criticise him as lacking a football brain, and maybe he isn't a big picture thinker, but he has a good brain for what actually counts: setting up chances to score. When Bale hit that long pass to him, the football brain was clear in his first touch, to put the ball where he wanted it in order to get a shot off. And having spent time working on his weaker foot, he is equally able to hit it left or right. Result: goal.
The second was good running off the ball at the throw-in, then direct movement to get into a shooting position, followed by the usual decisive finish.
The goal against Manure was well taken, and until he came on, we hadn't looked like scoring if we played all day.
He is extra motivated with the Euro tournament coming up, having been messed around by England in the past (left at home for 16 year old Walcott not to play).
Usually once JD gets his eye in he is a consistent goal threat, game after game, so it makes sense to use him for the time being.
Too many injuries for us, im bricking it.
Seeing the highlights from yesterday's game of United getting put in their place against Bilbao was a treat after last weekend, more specifically when SAF's cronies managed to drop the sub's board on his foot. Looked like United were trying their usual, tampering with the extra time. Good to see some karma there.
On tomorrow, we better win. I can see us having an arduous one but we'll take on the job at hand.
I honestly can't handle Jack "I'm a smarmy cunt" Wilshere and Sczezny being smug cunts. Obviously I would like us to finish third. And although not at all relevant - interesting how the fight for 4th place is among a few of my most hated - I'd like Newcastle of all teams to get that 4th spot, assuming we're in 3rd obviously.
Fuckinghell. Why oh why was Bale on the right today...I bet Neville was glad to see that! Comon Spurs, I couldn't take it if we lost 3rd spot to arsenal. ONWARDS AND UPWARDS. WE WONT LOSE ANOTHER MATCH THIS SEASON COYS!!!!
i can feel it slipping. at least beat chelsea for 4th.