Spurs 3 Aston Villa 1 post match thread.

[olaftab]

We went toe to toe with them in the first half and disturbed their rhythm. Second half we played like a small team as if we remembered our status and recognised their superiority. This was inevitable and paid for it in the end. However we will have to wait till about 10 games to see if this problem is going to persist. If it is we will have to pray for survival.

[garyshawsknee]

I thought the first half was very encouraging, we were very compact and looked dangerous on the break. Both centre backs we're great, very impressed with Engels considering it was his first game in English football. Second half they we're always gonna come on strong, they exposed us on the wings, both their full backs were pushed up really high and our full backs didn't get great support from our wingers, thought El Ghazi was poor. Wesley started to tire and when they brought on Erikson they ramped it up.


Not that it influenced the result, but I thought the ref was very poor, two or three times Wesley got taken out and the ref gave nothing and when Grealish got fouled the ref wasn't looking at the incident or even following the ball. But still, encouraging signs for next week.

[Stu]

I thought that "On the piss my lord' was the worst terrace song in the world, but I had forgotten about the slow version of "oh when the saints come marching in" that Spurs do.

It's very cringe.

As is our song about Konsa's dick. What a thing to have to write, for a start.

[garyshawsknee]

Spurs really do only have one song. Another reason to dislike them.

[themossman]

Thinking about it there were parallels with Ajax second leg. Spuds looked so much better than us in the latter stages. Partly a result of us chasing the game from the off and partly the fact that they just look like an amazingly well conditioned team.

[gpbarr]

Was terribly disappointed last night especially given how well we had played in the 1st half - but having slept on it overnight, I awoke to see it for what it was.

1. Spurs are a very good team - there is no doubt about that. And it took them 60 mins, at home, to break us down - a good sign of our resoluteness
2. Engels, Heaton, and Mings were fantastic - if they play that well through the season, we will be absolutely fine
3. We showed in the 2nd half that it will take time - this is a learning phase and I think it will take 10-15 games until we really settle again in this league
4. We did not play our strongest starting 11 yesterday - a good sign, because we will be stronger and better once Guilbert, Luiz, and Targett (in particular) enter the fray
5. Loved Dean's brutal honesty after the game - this is a guy that wont attempt to plaster over the cracks and thats both refreshing and a quality many managers dont have. We should thank the lord we got him
6. I watched the Bournemouth/SU game earlier in the day (and the CP/Everton game on replay) and nothing there told me we wont survive and flourish in this league. Both games were awful and devoid of quality.

We will be absolutely fine. I saw a lot of positives yesterday and a few things to work on.

Finally re Grealish - I do think a lot of our fans see him through rose tinted glasses. He is a genuine world class talent but for me remains mercurial and unpredictable which, isnt how you'd describe the very best players in this league. For me, he needs to show he can command games when we are under pressure - if you look at City, they slow the game down when under pressure (as they were at times in the WHU game despite winning 5-0) but we just panicked and kept giving the ball away without someone taking charge - Grealish as captain must show the way. I have no doubt he will improve but as our captain, he cannot afford to be a superstar in one game and absent in another.

UTV - its just great to be back and in a years time, when we have signed 2-3 genuine world class players in summer 2020, we will be able to go to Spurs and genuinely threaten. 

[Flamingo Lane]

Finally re Grealish - I do think a lot of our fans see him through rose tinted glasses. He is a genuine world class talent but for me remains mercurial and unpredictable

I'm not sure that even those Villa fans who might see Grealish through 'rose tinted glasses' would actually consider him a 'genuine world class talent.'

[Clark W Griswold]

There's one or two, not many but one or two. You'd got some comparing him to top class players from the past and saying they couldn't believe Liverpool / Tottenham hadn't signed him a couple of years back when he'd been wank in our relegation season and first year down which was frankly ridiculous. That was severe rose tinted specs. In the couple of years since though he's come on enormously and I'm now quite baffled at a few of the 'not good enough' comments from yesterday. Funny lot, football supporters.

[Rudy65]

Great to see our owners there yesterday. If nothing else to see what they need to spend to compete at the top level. Let’s hope that’s doesnt put them off!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Not sure it's been mentioned but the goal apart, the highlight of the game for me was an absolutely amazing exchange of passes in a really tight area down the left midway through the first half.

[Pat McMahon]

Not sure it's been mentioned but the goal apart, the highlight of the game for me was an absolutely amazing exchange of passes in a really tight area down the left midway through the first half.

There is a programme on 5Live around midday called the Squad, I think.  I find them slightly irritating but caught some of it in the car on the supermarket run earlier. One of the fellas referred to that passage of play and said it was like watching Barcelona. He also said he thought Grealish had a great game except for that mistake.

[Pat McMahon]

There's a lot of worrying about Jack giving the ball away late on, or about our physical deficit compared to them in general - but let's not forget that this Spurs side might just be the fittest, best pressing side in the world. In our first game in the Premier League, to hold them off and nearly get something from the game, looking quite good in the process? That's very positive. Let's wait to judge this side after ten games.

Walking to the ground pre match I was discussing this with Chico.

I mentioned an interview with Kieron Trippier during the World Cup in Russia in which he discussed Spurs’ fitness. He said he was one of the 2-3 fittest players at Burnley and when he signed for Spurs they told him he would need to get fit. He told them how for he was considered at Burnley and they said, “no, we mean really fit, fit enough to play our high pressing game”. I saw that first hand yesterday.

[Lastfootstamper]

Spurs were too good for us second half. We lacked the guile to get out, it looked like they they had twice as many players as us playing on a pitch half the size. I doubt very much that what we saw was what Smith planned. We'll get better.

[paul_e]

Haven't done a scores thing for a while, so here's mine:

Heaton - 8 - Organised things well, some very good saves and nothing much he could do for their goals.
Elmohamady - 6 - harsh introduction to life back in the top flight with an instant give away, but recovered after that.
Engels - 9 - one of the best debuts I've seen. Commanding, good relationship with Mings and Heaton, extremely promising
Mings - 9 - my Villa MOTM by a whisker - put his body on the line, and every other part as well - imperious.
Taylor - 7 - best defensive display from him in a while
Hourihane - 5 - the sort of display I expected from him, just didn't add very much at all in any area, and even his dead balls were poor
McGinn - 6.5 - good goal and a couple of nice passes, but then was overrun with the rest of them
Grealish - 5.5 - one nice run and good ball, but looked poor second half and bad mistake for their goal.
Trezeguet - 7 - most promising of the attacking players but needs to take his chances
El Ghazi - 5 - looked out of his depth and didn't track back nearly enough
Wesley - 5.5 - difficult introduction to the Premier League.  Put himself about a bit though, although looked a bit sulky at times.  Liked how he held one of their defenders off for the goal and another chance though.

Subs

Jota - 3 - difficult entry and not the sub I'd have made, but looked completely and utterly out of his depth.  Hardly touched the ball and when he did, gave it away mainly
Kodjia - 4 - minimal impact when he came on
Luiz - 6 - added energy and bite to the midfield, but too little too late, should have come on when Jota did and we may have held out.

I'd go with most of those but I'd give Grealish a 6. I thought both he and McGinn looked good in the first half and drifted out of the game in the 2nd because they were pushed too deep and just couldn't get a grip on the game. I'd have given Jota and Kodjia the same mark, neither of them was remotely involved in the game and both gave the ball away the few times they got it.

[Rudy65]

Haven't done a scores thing for a while, so here's mine:

Heaton - 8 - Organised things well, some very good saves and nothing much he could do for their goals.
Elmohamady - 6 - harsh introduction to life back in the top flight with an instant give away, but recovered after that.
Engels - 9 - one of the best debuts I've seen. Commanding, good relationship with Mings and Heaton, extremely promising
Mings - 9 - my Villa MOTM by a whisker - put his body on the line, and every other part as well - imperious.
Taylor - 7 - best defensive display from him in a while
Hourihane - 5 - the sort of display I expected from him, just didn't add very much at all in any area, and even his dead balls were poor
McGinn - 6.5 - good goal and a couple of nice passes, but then was overrun with the rest of them
Grealish - 5.5 - one nice run and good ball, but looked poor second half and bad mistake for their goal.
Trezeguet - 7 - most promising of the attacking players but needs to take his chances
El Ghazi - 5 - looked out of his depth and didn't track back nearly enough
Wesley - 5.5 - difficult introduction to the Premier League.  Put himself about a bit though, although looked a bit sulky at times.  Liked how he held one of their defenders off for the goal and another chance though.

Subs

Jota - 3 - difficult entry and not the sub I'd have made, but looked completely and utterly out of his depth.  Hardly touched the ball and when he did, gave it away mainly
Kodjia - 4 - minimal impact when he came on
Luiz - 6 - added energy and bite to the midfield, but too little too late, should have come on when Jota did and we may have held out.

I'd go with most of those but I'd give Grealish a 6. I thought both he and McGinn looked good in the first half and drifted out of the game in the 2nd because they were pushed too deep and just couldn't get a grip on the game. I'd have given Jota and Kodjia the same mark, neither of them was remotely involved in the game and both gave the ball away the few times they got it.

Kodjia should even get 1. Truly awful