Article by @ginolasleftfootThe missed opportunities at the Lane against Newcastle and West Ham grow all the more prominent with the prospect of entertaining Manchester United come Sunday afternoon.
To panic or not to panic has been the question running as a week long background monologue for all Spurs fans this week in the aftermath of the thrapping we received at the hands of Senior Aguero and Co. Are we about to get the other side of our faces slapped by the other side of Manchester?
Fresh from an excellent away win to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Champions League featuring an all action Rooney and perhaps more worrying signs of the ‘Kagawa’ that had Jurgen Klopp spouting poetic beauty about the former Borussia Dortmund playmaker. Playing in behind Rooney, Kagawa displayed real vision in his movement and selection of passes. Although one cannot see Moyes breaking up the Rooney/Van Persie duo, to fit the Japanese playmaker into his favoured position, but it does give him an alternative option in attack.
Moyes, somewhat under the radar has lead his team to an 11 match unbeaten run.
Spurs are in need of conviction. An away win at Tromso to confirm our top spot in the Europa League, albeit in a group lacking in real competition, should not detract for an underlying problem with Villas Boas and his team. If the defeat to West Ham didn’t raise enough alarm bells, then one hopes the display at the Lane last Sunday (a truly galling day to be a Spurs fan) has snapped the coach and players alike out of this moribund, barren, coma inducing journey they are currently on.
Round pegs in square holes. Square pegs in round holes. Inversion. Eversion. Lateral. Medial. Vertical. Horizontal. Are things getting a little bit too complicated?
The pressure generated by the loss to Man City has accelerated the demand for this Spurs team to now perform. It is clear that with an attacking unit of new talent to become cohesive, time would be needed, and prior to the Newcastle defeat, Villas Boas had been able to rely on his defence with his selection of Sandro in front, to ensure minimal goals would be conceded. This approach is sensible and one can argue a necessary action to allow the forward line to develop their attacking play.
The pitfall in this approach however, was outlined with Loic Remy’s early goal for Newcastle. Once the team concedes, the necessity to score becomes paramount and Tottenham have yet to convince anyone that they are a real threat.
With each disheartening display, confidence in the players and their performances become less. Speculation over selection grows. Tactics start to be questioned. Coaches become public enemy No 1.
The greatest tonic for this entire furore is for Spurs can put in a worthy performance come Sunday.
Villas Boas will need to galvanise his team, and a degree of self-introspection to ensure his is asking the right questions of himself will need to be applied in order to address this malaise. He has appeared calm throughout the week’s media coverage and confirmed that should this Spurs adventure not work out, a place at the Poker World Series awaits. The man is simply unreadable. His passivity in the face of persistent and pertinent questions throughout his British managerial career is a form he is beginning to perfect.
A possible question to be raised from Villas Boas’ character gleaned through various media sources is how he motivates his team?
The theme of motivation is key to any teams performance and many factors can effect this ever fluctuating characteristic. It is also a vital tool for any management role, irrelevant of field.
An observation of a footballer’s motivation could be ‘playing in their preferred position’.
Dembele, Vertonghen, Sigurdsson, Holtby. Naughton. All Spurs players consistently played out of their preferred positions. There have been several media reports of the two Belgians publically professing their displeasure of their current squad roles.
The need of the team is paramount and should always take precedence of any individual’s needs. One imagines the players understand this to a certain extent, specifically with Rose’ absence at the left back position which has forced Vilas Boas to use Vertonghen almost exclusively in this role. But at some point, players will crave to play in their ‘true’ role. Rooney’s summer transfer speculation was based around this principle.
The possible tactical and personnel changes are the ripe fruit currently being quaffed across footballing interdom by Spurs fans and football fans alike. And Villas Boas will have serious selection issues to be addressed come Sunday.
Does Chiriches come into the fray with Kaboul? Is Dawson’s card marked? Who to play on the wings? Lamela? Townsend? That other Belgian guy….no not Dembele, the other one. Dembele behind Soldado? Should we start Soldado?
Digest all those questions over a bowl of pasta goddammit and get back to me.
As for Villas Boas....
Round holes for round pegs Andre.
Over and out.
@ginolasleftfoot.
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You'd have to think some combination which nobody has thought of before, to arrive at AVB's team selection. How else would he be seen as being the "tactical magician" and get all the plaudits.
ReplyDeleteEveryone can seemingly see the inverted wingers don't work apart from AVB. Either swap Townsend and Sigurdsson over or better still, go back to 4-4-2 and back to basics. Lloris, Walker, Kaboul, Chiriches, Verts, Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Townsend, Ade, Soldado.
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