Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[Nev]

Is it really beginning to grate on anyone else how all these so called 'experts' are predicting how much we are going to struggle and we are in a dog fight to survive?

There is so much trash in this league, I mean seriously how many Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Norwich, Sheff Utd, Southampton and Watford players would get in our side? Yet these 'experts' have the likes of Bournemouth and Burnley riding high and us as relegation fodder.

I can really see us around 10th most the season and with a bit of luck going our way even higher.

The three promoted teams will always be amongst the favourites to be relegated. Add to that the play off winners are usually the hot odds on favourites to go straight back down but the pundits actually fancy our chances to survive the drop more than the two reams automatically promoted. We have also made a lot of new signings, some unproven in the Premier League so it is easy for people to throw around the 'do a Fulham' phrase. So personally I don't bother about the pundits opinions. I do think we have a very tough game to start the season with tomorrow and hope we come out of it relatively unscathed. The last thing we need is a heavy defeat, which Spurs are capable of dishing out to most teams on a good day.

There are "pundits" and there are "journalists". The latter, despite having their opinion discounted because they have "never played the game", tend to analyse and study situations and articulate this from a dispassionate viewpoint.
The former, sit like peacocks pontificating from a point of view influenced by bigotry, cliché, who they played golf with earlier in the week and as desire to cover up their ignorance by being controversial.

I know who's opinion I value more.

[Clark W Griswold]

I suspect that our best team will be;
Heaton
Guilbert
Targett
Mings
Engels
Douglas
McGinn
Grealish
Jota
Trezeguet
Wesley

Subs
Steer
Elmo
Hause
Hourahane
Nakamba
El Ghazi
Kodjia
I think with that bench we're covered in every position.

For tomorrow though i suspect El Ghazi and Hourahane will swap for Trezeguet and Douglas, Douglas maybe not making the bench even and Lansbury or Davis coming in.

1-1 optimistically.

[Spurs]

Davies, Aurier, Foyth, Dier, Wanyama, Dele, Son all miss this game, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, NDombele will need to get up to speed with pochettino's double sessions in training (maybe NDombele will make the bench).

Your players will need to be fit to keep up. In fact, it's one of the biggest differences between first and second division.

Winks will most definitely play the deepest of the five in midfield.

Didn't know about that thing I mentioned in the first post, apologies.

[LeeB]

Morning! My first game was at villa park, semi final v leicester. Great english football stadium.

Anyway, welcome back to the first division. Our starting eleven will most likely be 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Walker-Peters Sánchez Vertonghen Rose
Winks Sissoko
Moura Eriksen Lamela
Kane

Dont expect to see Lo Celso/Sessegnon in the squad, NDombele on the bench.

Good luck!

Well that's a very pleasant oppo post. Is Winks really playing that deep? I'd have thought Ndombele came in early enough in the summer to be first XI by now.

He's won me over by calling it the 'First Division'

[Percy McCarthy]

Is it on Sky or BT?

[Mister E]

Is it really beginning to grate on anyone else how all these so called 'experts' are predicting how much we are going to struggle and we are in a dog fight to survive?
There is so much trash in this league, I mean seriously how many Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Norwich, Sheff Utd, Southampton and Watford players would get in our side? Yet these 'experts' have the likes of Bournemouth and Burnley riding high and us as relegation fodder.
I can really see us around 10th most the season and with a bit of luck going our way even higher.

Having just seen the transfer-window activity for every Premier League side, I'm now a little moe sanguine about our chances. Almost all the sides have substantially improved their squad, with the possible exception of the Jawdies, Burnley, Palace and Sourhampton.
It's a tough league, and we're relying on relatively inexpensive unknowns to do the business.
The first 4-6 games are critical, to get a confidence-boosting start.

[Risso]

Davies, Aurier, Foyth, Dier, Wanyama, Dele, Son all miss this game, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, NDombele will need to get up to speed with pochettino's double sessions in training (maybe NDombele will make the bench).

Your players will need to be fit to keep up. In fact, it's one of the biggest differences between first and second division.

Winks will most definitely play the deepest of the five in midfield.

Didn't know about that thing I mentioned in the first post, apologies.

Fitness won't be a problem, we've had a very intense pre-season, and won every match.  We don't actually have many "second division" players left from last year, and those that are still here, like McGinn and Grealish, are absolute athletes.  I wouldn't worry about McGinn's fitness, he's like the Duracell bunny.

You're obviously a very good team indeed, and will be expecting to win quite easily against a newly promoted side, just don't be surprised if it's not quite as easy as you think.  The likes of Mings and Grealish will be wanting to show that they're amongst the best players in the division, and hopefully you'll get to see that tomorrow.

[cdbearsfan]

I was hoping Eriksen wouldn't be playing. 🙁

[Clark W Griswold]

Is it on Sky or BT?

SKY.

The BT game is West Ham v Man City Sat lunchtime.

[Richie]

Morning! My first game was at villa park, semi final v leicester. Great english football stadium.

Anyway, welcome back to the first division. Our starting eleven will most likely be 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Walker-Peters Sánchez Vertonghen Rose
Winks Sissoko
Moura Eriksen Lamela
Kane

Dont expect to see Lo Celso/Sessegnon in the squad, NDombele on the bench.

Good luck!

Keep an eye out for our number 10. Decent player.

In the words of Jim Bowen, "Here's what you could have won !"

[garyshawsknee]

I reckon we will just lose out 2-1, but it'll be a very encouraging performance. Good a feeling Marvellous will start and will be....well marvellous. Really hope Wesley can get off the mark early on in his career with us.

[john e]

Morning! My first game was at villa park, semi final v leicester. Great english football stadium.

Anyway, welcome back to the first division. Our starting eleven will most likely be 4-2-3-1

Lloris
Walker-Peters Sánchez Vertonghen Rose
Winks Sissoko
Moura Eriksen Lamela
Kane

Dont expect to see Lo Celso/Sessegnon in the squad, NDombele on the bench.

Good luck!

Keep an eye out for our number 10. Decent player.

In the words of Jim Bowen, "Here's what you could have won !"

‘Not good enough for Spurs’ though
as a landlord in London told me

[Percy McCarthy]

Is it on Sky or BT?

SKY.

The BT game is West Ham v Man City Sat lunchtime.

Thanks.

[KevinGage]

Even with a few players out and transfer business that was solid, rather than spectacular, that Spurs team still looks decent.  The bastards.

I'm partly of a mind just to get this game out the way and view Bournemouth at home as the true start of the season.

But hopefully we'll have a shit hot start and won't have to wish games away as per 2011-2015.

[paul_e]

Even with a few players out and transfer business that was solid, rather than spectacular, that Spurs team still looks decent.  The bastards.

I'm partly of a mind just to get this game out the way and view Bournemouth at home as the true start of the season.

But hopefully we'll have a shit hot start and won't have to wish games away as per 2011-2015.

You wouldn't expect anything less from a team that made the champions league final. That said I wouldn't be writing this one off, the first few weeks of the season often throws up a few surprises (like us tearing Arsenal apart at the start of Lamberts second season) and we've got to be one of the most confident sides in the league right now (coming from nowhere to win the play offs and then brushing aside everyone we played in pre-season including a very good RB Leipzig team). It might mean a big fall back to earth but it won't take a lot more than an early half-chance for us to think we can match them and make it a very good game.