there.
This season any team can lose to any other team. Any team can even be spanked by a lot of other teams. It’s when the performance is so poor and they look like they gave up after 14 seconds that make this so bad.
In truth it was a game where both teams defences were there for the taking, it’s just Citeh took their chances and were more direct – and I don’t mean that in a derogatory long ball way – incisive and clinical in their forward play. Spurs had their moments as they should have against a flaky back four but again as far too often ended up going backwards and when they went all the way back handed Citeh pretty much all of their six goals on the day.
Right from the opening kick off.
Needlessly back to Lloris. Yes it wasn’t the best kick out by the ‘keeper, he made up for it with a good save but as with all afternoon the defence was slow to react and Navas struck lucky. Not for the first time defence were found wanting, this time Kaboul and Vertonghen. Later both and Dawson. Dawson has done well since he was nearly offloaded but this was never going to be his game, against the likes of Aguero he just doesn’t have the pace to well keep pace.
Vertonghen looked at times like he was sending AVB a message. I’m not a left-back, I don’t want to play at left-back
.
It could have been oh so different not five minutes later. As Citeh’s left side of defence was shown to be there to be attacked. get to the byline, get a cross over, it’s neither rocket surgery or brain science but it works. As Walker’s cross went right across the face of goal with merest of touches from the ‘keeper. Lamela was free on the other side but who knows what he was doing with a side footed cross come shot come nothing. Seemed absolutely no confidence in what he was doing, which persisted most of the game as he lost possession in most confrontations with a light blue shirt.
I wanted Lamela to start, thought he would be up for finally his first league start but no. On the other side I certainly didn’t think Lennon had done enough previously to keep his starting spot but he did look lively. That ball between left-back and centre-back was the one, of course after showing it worked Spurs stopped doing it. But Lennon had Clichy.
Spurs had the ball they were in possession for most of the time after that opening goal. But again it showed possession stats and passing percentage are pretty bloody meaningless if you do sod all with the ball and Soldado certainly wasn’t being played into scoring opportunities.
It all went wrong again when they looked back instead of forward again heading back to Lloris. His kick was better but found a light blue shirt where there wasn’t a dark one. Every attacking Citeh player that could cause danger had no dark blue shirt in their vicinity. The ball was played into the box to easily and after another good save by Lloris from Aguero – which came after an excellent stop earlier in the game – Negrado had an easy shot that hit the flinching Kaboul – weak – and went in off Sandro.
Eventful afternoon for the big Brazilian. Caught out by Lloris’ kick for the opener. Carded for a palm to his face by Aguero. Put in an outstanding tackle in the box against Nasri. Threw up on the pitch and now an own goal.
Two nil at half time all was not lost. Three nil, well it didn’t seem salvageable the way the visitors looked. And that third duly came before the break. Vertonghen looked to have given up on the left, Lamela is no defender and an simple cross found yet another unmarked Citeh player in the box for a tap in, after no effort from Kaboul.
Didn’t take long after the break for the unlikely to become the impossible.
It’s not like half started on a positive note either as desperate times called for desperate measures and Adebayor entered the fray.
All too simply, Citeh passed and then ran their way through Spurs. Walker employing the modern defender’s technique of trying to grab hold of the player rather than tackle and play football. Toure found Aguero again all on his lonesome in the box for another easy one.
It got worse when a simple pass through the middle and Negrado turn Dwason inside out before firing in the fifth. Then as the clocked mercifully was about to stop the man who started it ended it as Navas received Milner’s hump up the park after Vertonghen barely put in any effort to cut it out and scored the sixth.
A collective 90 minute omnishambles. AVB looked lost. The players looked like they gave up very early.
Manager really has to sort out the middle of the park. There’s nothing coming from there. Paulinho did nowt but be offside all day. Dembele looked far better when he came on than he has for a while, mainly because he went forward, it’s the needless sideways and backwards passing that ruins his game.
Adebayor can’t be the answer but then neither is the one all the delusional ones online and in the media were screaming for, Defoe. All those crying before hand that they’d rather lose 1-0 than have a boring nil, nil draw, I wonder if they changed their tune. No it’s not working, it hasn’t really all season, still only 2 points off top four and eight off the top with 26 games to go. Yes he’s got questions to answer but screaming for AVB’s head is pathetic. Carping on about too much spent on crap players, I suppose they are the ones that were going to offload Bale when it didn’t work out straight away for him after his move to the club.