If you have anything to say, you know what to do: Mail theeditor@football365.com
Not all Tottenham fans are ‘helmets’, you know..
I read Alay N15 Gooner’s mail this morning and although it’s the most blatant attempt at school level trolling I feel it is up to me to slap him down.
Firstly, who is rating Tottenham above Arsenal and Liverpool? From what I’ve seen, media experts have tipped Arsenal and Liverpool in bigger numbers than Spurs. The bookmakers have Liverpool 4/1 and Arsenal 5/1 for the title and Spurs back at 10/1. The latter is driven by money, from fans of all teams. What you mean is, Tottenham fans are confident of winning, which of course isn’t always borne out of fact and realism, but hope and bravado.
As for the attitude dig you’ve had, I’m not exactly sure what you’re getting at. Against West Brom, the difficulty was due to ridiculous profligacy (that’s being wasteful) in front of goal in the first half. The same __with Leverkusen last night in the first half. In both games, we caused the opposition lots of problems and forced them into changes. Leverkusen are a wily side who beat Dortmund 2-1 (similar tactics to Spurs) two weeks ago and are seasoned campaigners at this level. How many of Tottenham’s players have played in the Champions League often in the past four or five years? Not many. We won’t win every game. But we don’t lose any, and have now only conceded 6 goals in 12 games this season.
Whenever I see Tottenham players talking after games, before __with media and in any general coverage, they are extremely down to earth, and talk of nothing other than wanting to improve. Dele Alli for example was extremely self critical after last night’s game and after West Brom regarding his finishing.
The funny thing about your mail was that no Tottenham fan wrote in saying what a great result it was. I was satisfied, based on the balance of play, in the end, to get a point, but nobody was overjoyed. I suspect you follow a few helmets on Twitter and Facebook who were sounding off.
Good luck for the season and I look forward to your inevitable round of 16 exit, as per usual.
Ross THFC
…Fine, I’ll bite. I don’t personally know a single Spurs fan that believes us to be bigger than Liverpool. Or United for that matter either. That said, we have in recent years notably outperformed Liverpool, and the reliance on history to define any team as a big club is often touted as boring or non-evidence of the fact so who knows anymore.
I would venture though that an issue motives league position year in year out would suggest we are on the way up, as would players wanting to stay and play for us (all signing new contracts).
I’m also fairly convinced that Leicester rewrote the applicability of the term ‘plucky underdogs’ last year, don’t you?
Jon (draws do count you know), Boston
…So, basically Alay trolled the Spurs fans because he was bored. Cool. I’m glad to know that we are always on your mind. Quick responses:
1. Yes. I am happy with the 0-0 actually, because Leverkusen last lost at home in any competition in March. Alas to those football fans with an insular ‘Premier League onl’” viewpoint the British Club should obviously ‘put one up’em!’ right? Well, no – just last Feb Bayern Munich failed to escape the clutches of the Schmidt Press and on day one of this month this team stuffed Dortmund (yeah, that one) 2-0. So they are no mugs.
2. Did you see the West Brom game? I’m not going to do an Arsenal and gripe about ‘Pulisball’ but what I will say is there aren’t very many other managers in the league that play that way (or whose fans will allow them to play that way) so I think we will be just fine. Again, thanks for thinking of us and caring.
3. The second paragraph of your letter is unintelligible and nonsense. If there is one thing that no end of pundit has spoken about – in respect of Spurs it is the change in attitude of the players (exhibit A, exhibit B and exhibit C). In respect of that ‘crazy’ second sentence – we are underdogs and overachievers because of the widely understood and proven notion that clubs with bigger budgets and higher salary bills usually perform better than those with smaller budgets and smaller salary bills – this is a fact (Rafa style). So, when Spurs finish ahead of clubs with far bigger budgets and salary bills (last season that list included Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool) as a matter of fact, they have over achieved. In terms of ‘seeing ourselves’ as bigger than Liverpool – have you lost your mind? Liverpool have x number of titles and European Cups you numpty. However, of late (say, last few years), we have on average outperformed them in the league. I don’t think that makes Spurs bigger, but just better performing.
Fact is, without getting hipster about things, in Spurs, Monaco and Leverkusen – you have three of the most interesting clubs across Europe today with very clear ‘philosophies’ duke it out in a very tight group. I can say now without reservation, Spurs won’t face another team that presses like Leverkusen (don’t be mad Klopp fans) or transitions like Monaco, period. Yesterday you got a feast of tactical football and although my team didn’t put one up ‘em. It was a really fascinating game football-wise.
Ike
…Seeing as nobody wrote in to comment on last night’s games (probably because Arsenal, Liverpool or United weren’t playing) I thought I’d contribute my view of the Spurs game.
Well done Alay, N15 Gooner for predicting Spurs fans would think this was a good point. The reason we think this is a good point is because it is a good point. 0-0 in what is arguably our toughest game of the group stage, away against the third best team in Germany while maintaining second spot in the group is obviously a good result. I’d have taken it before the game and I’m happy with it now, particularly considering the second-half onslaught we had to withstand. The fact we did it without our three best players from last season starting makes it all the more impressive.
First half we were excellent. Wanyama was dominant in midfield and we played some really quick, slick attacking football, creating some more than presentable chances in the process and comfortably dealing with the famous Leverkusen press. If I have one criticism this season though it’s that we haven’t been clinical enough in front of goal. There have been a number of games where we’ve had the chances but our inability to take them has cost us, or nearly cost us, and last night was the latest example. Janssen works his socks off, holds the ball up well and some of his link up play is excellent, but he’s not the finisher that Kane is and for that reason Harry’s return can’t come soon enough.
A friend of mine who knows the German league well warned me at half time about Leverkusen’s knack of producing two very different halves of football in one game, and said he wouldn’t be surprised to see a big improvement after the break. How right he was. They were brilliant second half and we just couldn’t settle. They didn’t allow us any time on the ball, pegged us back into our own half and created countless chances. As Pochettino said afterwards the fact we came away with a point was largely down to having one of best keepers in the world in goal, the save Lloris made from Hernandez was among the best I’ve ever seen. We defended well at times in the second half and showed good character to hang on for the point, but there’s no doubt we also had to ride our luck and we missed the organisation and leadership of Alderweireld.
So overall a performance of two halves but a positive result. In what always looked like being a tight group we’re currently sitting in second place at the halfway stage with two of our three remaining games to come at home, although whether this is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen.
Rob Pearse
We’re a serious team now
Brushing aside the glorious irony of an Arsenal fan attempting to dig Spurs out for celebrating mediocrity, I would say that I’m not particularly enthralled by a 0-0 no matter who it’s against, but getting a point away at our toughest group stage game is hardly a bad result.
What’s more important is the coherence we are starting to show no matter who starts, the fact that we now always expect we can win the game in front of us and are disappointed if we don’t, and that Arsenal fans like Alay are starting to obsess over the fact that they’re now continuously looking over their shoulders. We’re a pretty serious team these days.
Alex G, THFC
Reasons to hate Jurgen Klopp
If Nick LFC’s astonishing mail doesn’t start a Reasons-to-hate-Klopp-besides-being-Liverpool-manager movement, then nothing will.
To help with this endeavour, I’ve come up with a list to get everyone started…
1. He celebrates obnoxiously when opponents miss a penalty. This is essentially celebrating getting away with cheating and will eventually put him on the end of an Alan Pardew half-headbutt.
2. He always loses cup finals. So underneath it all he’s a bottler. A bottler!
3. He has perfectly square teeth.
4. Eh…can I say he’s Liverpool manager?
That’s all I could come up with. Someone else take the baton and run with it.
Stephen O’S, MUFC
Why are you dissing Jose?
If United get the win at Chelsea that would mean four out of the possible six, not bad if you ask me.
Then let’s exclude United from the current top 10 in the league. In their first nine games they would have played six of the current top ten. Only Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and Crystal Palace still to play. When you look at it like that it’s not a bad start at all. Give United and Jose some time and they will be right up there.
Lynton RSA (30 games to go, my money will still be on United)
Don’t diss Pogba…or any other playmaker
So you guys dedicated (defecated according to autocorrect) an article simply to try and expose Pogba as a bit rubbish. Yet another person in that role who gets a shoeing; it does suggest you don’t understand what that role is about, and it’s general praise suggests neither do many readers.
That role is the playmaker. As such, the first point is that it’s only successful when the chances created are finished. Second, it’s not about safe passes but the ones that may open the defence. That means low success percentages much of the time, at least against decent or defensive teams. Third, when you set the team up in a defensive way, that role and the forwards generally won’t see that much of the ball. Certainly not in danger areas. Not everyone in that role is a dribbler (Riquelme for example), nor should they have to be.
With that understood, it’s a bit daft to try and use those stats to rate a player’s success in it.
We suffered a couple of years under LVG playing defensive football, with exactly the same issues. It’s not the players, it’s the formation/your expectations.
As a separate issue, I don’t see how Pogba is expected to be a natural in that role. In his successful Juventus role he was more box to box, driving runs, range of passes and shots; a modern Vieira in many ways. The sooner we can move away from Fellaini to a Herrera and Pogba dynamic midfield the more attacking we’ll be and the more we’ll see the best of him.
Guy S (hurray for tactical draws)
Well done Leicester…but you have to be better
Got to show some love for Leicester and our 100% start to the Champions League. Phenomenal achievement and it is nice to see us sticking it to those who mocked that we would embarrass ourselves in Europe and ruin the English coefficient – you know who you are.
That said, we were poor last night. We spent so much time firing the ball long last night with generally nobody getting on the end of it. Drinkwater and the defence were both guilty last night. We really missed somebody in the centre of the park exploiting some space and linking up to the attacking players. I don’t know if it is a confidence issue or tactics, but every time we got on the ball the front four would go flying towards the goal, the defence/CMs would drop deep and we would launch it to their GK or out of play. We had a spell of 15-20 minutes or so around the 60-minute mark where we got the ball down and played, and looked a little reminiscent of the Premier League winners of last year.
I think I, and many, would just like to see us give the best possible account of ourselves and see how far that can take us. So far we are flying in the CL without being our best, which is great. But I would be gutted to see us limp out in the knockouts playing like we did last night when we know we are capable of a much higher level of performance than that.
Ben (Hearing that CL music in the stadium definitely drowned out all the critical noises on our PL defence!), LCFC
Big Weekend: Big love
Just wanted to say even thought it’s not relevant as of yet as it’s not Friday. But really loving the new Big Weekend layout. Especially the big games across Europe. I have been able to turn over a massive profit on FIFA 17 ultimate team as a result. Thanks for the help.
Franchise MUFC (could you start a player of the month predictor, no reason…)
Dembele of the week
Quite simply, this is my favourite feature on any footballing website.
Stu, Southampton
Praise for the mails…
Fantastic Mailbox this morning, special mention to Pranav for an excellent mail, but it had more than just that. Nice short open mail of worthy of a Homer Simpson Grinds my Gears, motivational Klopp, shameless Spurs baiting, love for an Icon, the ever-excellent Peter G and Man from Japan, a story about a humble footballer and that chap at the end because it feels mean not to mention him. Best of all not one list of conclusions from someone who feels we’ll all be missing out if we don’t hear their thoughts on the match the night before.
Matt, AFC
…Seeing as no one watches the Champions League anymore (cheers BT) thought I’d take this opportunity to doff my cap to Pranav, AFC and James T, Kanazawa, Japan from this mornings mailbox. When people send in a cracking mail I keep a running tally in my head of how long they can keep it up before sending in a dud. Congrats chaps, you’re still in the race.
Notable former hot-streakers include Ed Quoth, Peter G and thayden but you flew too close to the sun for too long lads.
Simon (oh cruel hubris) CFC
…I’m not usually a big fan of blowing smoke up a stranger’s arse, but Pranav’s email this morning was the best I’ve read on F365.
For me, this should be immortalised alongside the reverted WSC’s review of Tim Lovejoy’s ‘book’ as one of the best alternative commentaries on modern football. Great stuff.
Also, portrait of an icon on Ronaldo – brilliant. I’m buying the book for my dad, brother and myself for Christmas. My mum isn’t interested – she prefers UFC.
Tom, London
Love for an icon
I thought I’d write a short tribute to the Ronaldo. I am Australian. I was raised on Rugby and, if there was beer available, Cricket. I was probably 10 or there abouts when I first became aware of Ronaldo. It happened in that order. First came Ronaldo then the football. Only a select few sportsmen and women become so proficient in their profession that a 10-year-old child in a country unfamiliar with the sport knows their name.
It’s all changed now, obviously. Everyone has every EPL match (and the ads) streamed directly into their brain. I lose interest each passing year but i’ll never forget Il Fenomeno.
Cheers
Thomas Wilson
…Brilliant piece on Ronaldo.
I think people get too caught up in stats and goals per games and things like that. To watch Ronaldo was enough. You didn’t need to worry about how many goals he got that season. He had everything. Blistering pace when running with the ball that scared the life out of every defender. The type of skills we see today all stemmed from him. He was the first to try and pull these off during games and he done so with absolute ease.
He made some of the best defenders around look bang average and all with a smile on his face. Some of the examples of him running full pelt, then stopping shimmying past two defenders and accelerating away again are just a joke. The game at old Trafford when he was apparently fat and losing it showed just how good he was. Two unreal finishes done in the blink of an eye and a poacher’s goal only tell half the story. He was a beast that night and the standing ovation from the old Trafford crowd said it all. I can’t remember another example before or after this of them showing that kind of appreciation for an opposition player.
A true legend of the game and we still all think “what if?”
Chaz (Essex)
…I have to say that the portrait of an icon for Ronaldo almost made me weep. It also got me thinking that his injuries could have been caused by not getting enough food as a kid. I think that’s what Giggsy meant by the “war of nutrition”.
Craig, Dundee United
Universally popular footballers please…
With the quite deserved outpouring of love to the real Ronaldo this morning can anyone suggest a more universally popular player?
My only suggestions would be Paulo Maldini (maybe inter fans would disagree), Van Basten, and for a very brief period in the 90’s Baggio.
To qualify the player must be 1) Famous enough to be ‘universally’ known, 2) The player must be popular enough that if you met someone one didn’t like them you’d know that person is probably a bit of a wanker.
Matt, AFC