Tottenham vs Aston Villa Post-match thread

[olaftab]

To clarify, I'm talking about the spine of the team, Guzan, Hutton, lescott, Richardson, Westwood, Agbonlahor particularly. Bacuna.

That's the spine of a grass snake.

[olaftab]

1.3 points per game will see us on 39 points and almost certainly staying up. 1.4 sees us on 41/42. Champions League form my arse. Unless someone has finished 4th on 53 points (which is 1.4 per game).

Agreed however if we don't get anything out of the next 3 than it will push up towards 1.5 and to sustain that over 24 games is very hard.

[oldtimernow]

Guzan

Richards Okore Clark Amavi

              Sanchez

     Veretout.          Gana

                 Gil
   
        Adama      Ayew.

I'd go with this on Sunday.

I'd go with that too

[john2710]

I keep seeing people complimenting Gestede's performance last night, from anonymous bloggers all the way up to Gary Neville on Sky. I have no idea what they saw. The guy just lurched about chaotically as usual, and even worse his heading (the only reason for picking him) was terrible - his awful flick-ons found no Villa players, his shots were terrible, he never kept the ball when it came to him, he's too slow to press effectively and missed a really good chance to make it 2-2. If he's missing that chance, and not heading the ball to team-mates or holding it up, then what's the point of him being in the team?

Whilst Gestede is not one of our biggest problems, he's also not one of the answers to our problems. When he came on for the last 20 mins vs Man U I thought he looked hopeless. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but I've seen nothing since that suggests he is anything other than a big fucking lump with little or no footballing ability.

Who watched him & thought he could play in the premiership? At best he's an impact player off the bench.

[Pat McMahon]

I think it was Gil who led to the team looking better, not Gestede. I thought Spurs handled him with laughable ease for the most part.

Laughable ease? I doubt they were laughing when he managed to outjump Lloris to win the ball with his head. Or when Vertonghen had to make a last-ditch challenge to block his goalbound shot. As for his flicks not reaching Villa players, I would be more inclined to attribute that no no Villa player anticipating the flick than expecting Gestede's ability in the air.

We were talking about him before the game in the pub and our summation was he is decent with balls played into the box that allow him to attack the ball facing goal.  Outside the box and with his back to goal he doesn't really hold the ball up well, nor does he manage to flick on to a teammate. I think this is because there is no understanding with any of our other attackers, but it may be their inadequate movement - or his inability to direct the ball accurately.

With the ball at his feet he just looks clumsy.

He did help unsettle the Spurs defence with a few headers last night but he fluffed the really big chance when outjumping Lloris. The shot he had, I honestly thought he had ballooned it and was amazed we won a corner. I thought Gil was more worthy of credit for our brief rally.

[paul_e]

Just a little comment about flick ons. The good Strikers actually direct their flick ons, the bad ones let the ball bounce off their heads and put it down to no one ever reading it properly. You can't just head the ball anywhere and expect your co-striker or runners to get on the end of it, you have to put the ball in to certain zones if you can that you know your runners have been told to look out for or gamble on.

This is down to a lack of coaching.  What you're talking about is a familiarity with each others game that needs to be worked on and then if the runs are wrong or the headers are wrong you can address them and find a way for them to work together.  Pundits regularly comment on 'training ground moves' when they're direct from set pieces but you can do just as many of them in open play, you just practice in specific zones/situations and concentrate on movement, both attackers trying to create space and defenders coordinating to stop those gaps.  We fail at both right now with too many players finding gaps around our box and us always looking outnumbered going forward.  That, and basic skills, should be the core focus of our training for the next few weeks, and slowly ramp up the work rate as well to get us to the point where we're not seeing players looking out on their feet after 70-75minutes (although this has improved a little in the last couple of weeks).

[Hookeysmith]

For whaty it's worth, I hope Remi gives this line up a try or, something close:

                                                                               Guzan

                                                  Richards                 Crespo            Okore      Amavi

                                                   Traore                  Sanchez          Veretout   Gueye

                                                                                 Gil

                                                                                   Ayew

Subs: Hutton, Grealish, Kozak, Sinclair, Bunn


We can all tinker around with a player here or there but, I honestly think something approaching the above would give all us long suffering supporters a lift. In view of his pace, would like to see Richards at RB and, with Traore's pace as well at least we could try something a little different instead of the garbage we've had so far.

I like it apart from I would swap crespo for Richards and have Hutton.  I then would stick with it for a few games at least. Everyone speaks of Leicester as a catalyst and i thought that although we through it away sherwood should have percervered with the team and formation that saw us go 2 up. He didn't and we lurched from bad to worse

[Skerra]

Only reason I put Crespo in was to see Richards at full back flying down the wing with his pace and, Crespo was initially a centre back before he ever played at full back.

[The Edge]

I think it was Gil who led to the team looking better, not Gestede. I thought Spurs handled him with laughable ease for the most part.

Laughable ease?? Your kidding right? They struggled greatly with his aerial threat.
He is no Benteke for sure but he can be very useful  to us if we play to his strengths. He can cause havoc with the right service and given the chance with some decent tactics from Remi I think other players-especially Ayew- can reap the benefits.My glass is still half full. VTID 

[oswald funkletrumpet]

i have only seen gestede in our home games but what i have seen i havent been impressed. very one dimensional, shit touch, doesnt link up play. for such a big bloke he should be battering centre halves and putting himself about.

if he is getting a regular game we will go down, he like many others isnt the quality required for aston villa

[Pat McMahon]

Just a little comment about flick ons. The good Strikers actually direct their flick ons, the bad ones let the ball bounce off their heads and put it down to no one ever reading it properly. You can't just head the ball anywhere and expect your co-striker or runners to get on the end of it, you have to put the ball in to certain zones if you can that you know your runners have been told to look out for or gamble on.

This is down to a lack of coaching.  What you're talking about is a familiarity with each others game that needs to be worked on and then if the runs are wrong or the headers are wrong you can address them and find a way for them to work together.  Pundits regularly comment on 'training ground moves' when they're direct from set pieces but you can do just as many of them in open play, you just practice in specific zones/situations and concentrate on movement, both attackers trying to create space and defenders coordinating to stop those gaps.  We fail at both right now with too many players finding gaps around our box and us always looking outnumbered going forward.  That, and basic skills, should be the core focus of our training for the next few weeks, and slowly ramp up the work rate as well to get us to the point where we're not seeing players looking out on their feet after 70-75minutes (although this has improved a little in the last couple of weeks).

Good points paul_e. That first half Spurs corner on their left that was pulled back for Rose to wallop left us clueless. I am sure that wasn't improvised.

[Monty]

I think it was Gil who led to the team looking better, not Gestede. I thought Spurs handled him with laughable ease for the most part.

Laughable ease?? Your kidding right? They struggled greatly with his aerial threat.
He is no Benteke for sure but he can be very to us if we play to his strengths. He can cause havoc with the right service and given the chance with some decent tactics from Remi I think other players-especially Ayew- can reap the benefits.My glass is still half full. VTID 

Thing is, no decent tactics involving the rest of our players involve Gestede. We're not a Pulis team. And no, I'm not kidding about the 'laughable ease' - he scared them once, with a good ball in, and fluffed a chance he should have scored easily. Other than that, what 'havoc' did he cause? I saw him flicking the ball to Vertonghen a lot, as well as some miscontrols and deflected shots from distance going wide. No way was that 'havoc', not in a million years.

[peter w]

"You're nothing special we lose every week"

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It was interesting to hear Gary Neville speak about us defending like 12 year olds. It does make you wonder what the hell has been going on with our coaching this season:

"It was such a poor start for Aston Villa. The obvious one was Clark getting out-muscled by Dembele in the channel.

"I have no idea why Joleon Lescott is not his side of his man and Kieran Richardson on the far side... They're all stood outside the line of the Tottenham players.

"To start with, the three are the wrong side of their men. I can't understand why you would mark that side of your man when the ball was where it was.

"We've talked about why Lescott didn't get across or the left-back doesn't get across or why Clark is in the situation in the first place. It's because they're all in the wrong position - they're all in bad positions.

"It's patently obvious the ball's going down the channel so to start with he shouldn't even let him have the ball in that channel, he should be stood in there waiting for it. Joleon Lescott is too far away from it, partly because he is in the wrong position to start with.

"It's brilliant work from Dembele, but I have to say from Aston Villa's point of view, this is under-12s and under 13s and 14s with this sort of defending.

"Forget the one-on-one when he gets rolled I'm talking about the defenders not getting goal side of their men.

"That is under-14s and under 12s that's when you get told that sort of thing. I've no idea why all three of them would be in bad positions like that.

"They improved second half Villa. They were working from a pretty low base.

"They got to a point where you thought 'actually there's a game on here'. They had a shot just before they scored that hit the post."

[The Edge]

I think it was Gil who led to the team looking better, not Gestede. I thought Spurs handled him with laughable ease for the most part.

Laughable ease?? Your kidding right? They struggled greatly with his aerial threat.
He is no Benteke for sure but he can be very to us if we play to his strengths. He can cause havoc with the right service and given the chance with some decent tactics from Remi I think other players-especially Ayew- can reap the benefits.My glass is still half full. VTID 

Thing is, no decent tactics involving the rest of our players involve Gestede. We're not a Pulis team. And no, I'm not kidding about the 'laughable ease' - he scared them once, with a good ball in, and fluffed a chance he should have scored easily. Other than that, what 'havoc' did he cause? I saw him flicking the ball to Vertonghen a lot, as well as some miscontrols and deflected shots from distance going wide. No way was that 'havoc', not in a million years.

Well right now we ain't got many options. Gabby has retired without telling anybody and we need to find an effective way to pick up points. I hate everything Pulls stands for.if the new boss can get us playing nice flowing football AND picking up the points we badly need no one will be happier than me. BUT Remi has no choice but to play the cards he's been dealt for now.  We need the points and if using a big target man is an option then  Gestede will have to be the man Or Kozack if anyone knows where he is.