Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham

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Sunday 19th February 2pm
FA Cup 5th Round
Craven Cottage​

Another disappointing away game and another cup loss.
What does that lead us to? A cup game away from home. Oh dear.
Pochettino picked a pretty strong side for our trip to Belgium and it didn't work at all.
A lack of balance and energy cost us badly, so we need a big reaction for this one.

Fulham, much like Gent, currently sit in 8th place in their division, but have an eye on the play-offs.
They've played a game less than a lot of their competition and have hit a good run of form.
Cup wins over Hull and Boro will give them confidence against Premier League sides, too.
Their manager, former Chelsea player Slavisa Jokanovic, will fancy this one.

Here are the highlights of their recent FA Cup win over Hull, which got them here:

And here's their win over Cardiff in the third round:

Sessegnon showing why many clubs are watching him, including us.
His side have used the 3-4-3 on a number of occasions this season too, with Ryan Fredericks on the other wing.
Our former player received a straight red card in their recent loss to Birmingham though, so he won't feature.

Their most recent league game was a 3-2 victory over struggling Nottingham Forest:

Who to look out for from their side?
David Button is another former player, who'll be starting between their sticks.
Scott Parker probably won't though, as he's mainly coming on from the bench in this campaign.
Tom Cairney and Neeskens Kebano are their dangers in midfield.
Chelsea loanee Lucas Piazon will offer a threat up front. He's a Brazilian who's played at youth levels up to U23.
Chris Martin and Sone Aluko are their other goalscorers, though the former's in some dispute with the club.

We have no suspensions for this one, but Lamela and Rose are definitely still out.
Vertonghen and Kane will be tested, but may feature.
Fulham have Fredericks serving the last game of his ban.
Kalas and Sigurdsson (not that one) are doubtful due to injury.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies; Wanyama, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Winks, Sissoko, N'Koudou, Janssen.
League form: WWDDWL.

Fulham: Button; Odoi, Sigurdsson, Ream, Sessegnon; McDonald, Johansen; Aluko, Cairney, Piazon; Ayite.
Subs: Betinelli, Malone, Kebano, Parker, Cyriac, Madl, Martin.
League form: DLWLWW.

Referee: Robert Madley.

TV: BBC1.

Two away losses and no goals scored. Do we need to change the system or just personnel?
We picked a strong side against Gent, so do we need to make small changes or drastic ones?
Should anyone be left out completely and if so, should they be rested or dropped?

 

TalkSport, yesterday, had several presenters and various wum-guests rubbing their cocks over this particular tie and predicting that it will provide everyone with an upset.

We have, once again, become the laughingstock plaything for TalkSport.

I want us to not only win, but to do so convincingly.

 

Lucky for anyone who can spell the word GCSE, let alone actually pass them, the opinions of TalkBalls are about as relevant as Leyton Orient are in this season's Europa League.

 

Be interesting to see Sessegnon, very possibly a future recruit for us if reports are to be believed.

Think there'll be a number of changes, ideally I wanted us to do small rotations during the Gent (a), Fulham and Gent (h) games but seeing as we practically went full strength on Thursday night, there's a high chance we'll go full strength next Thursday to turn over the deficit and then full strength again against Stoke, so tomorrow is going to need some fresh legs.

I reckon:

Vorm
Tripps, CCV, Wimmer, Davies
Winks, Dier
Son, Onomah, GKN
Janssen

Would like to see KWP play at LB, I know it's it not his preferred role but Davies has struggled of late, though I can't see Poch going for it. Hopefully Edwards makes the bench, he's been back in training for about two weeks now. Jan will hopefully feature too to get his match fitness built up.

 

Unfortunately, that team has "humiliation" written all over it. Fulham are no mugs.

 

Imo we need our strongest team playing.
Lloris
Toby Dier Wimmer
Walker Dembele GNK ( just for @C.Kane )
Eriksen Dele Winks
Kane

If Kane is injured then Janssen

 

Strongest team tomorrow and Thursday. Both games are must wins
The one player I might drop/rest is Dier. Wimmer should play in his position. Dier is not comfortable on the left. KWP might be a good shout at LB.
I don't see these changes as being contradiction to my request for strongest team.
Lloris
Walker, Toby, Kev, KWP
Wanyama, Dembele
Eriksen, Dele, Son
Kane

 

What's frustrating is knowing that, if everything went according to plan, this is around the time where Janssen would be coming into the team for a few games and expected to do a job - instead, because of circumstances outside of his control, the clickbait merchants are queuing up to wait for him to fail if he starts tomorrow.

 

What I'd like to see:

Vorm
CCV Toby Wimmer
Trippier Winks Dembele Davies
Son Eriksen
Janssen

What I think we'll see:

Vorm
Trippier Toby Jan Davies
Wanyama Winks
Eriksen Alli Onomah
Son

As critical as I have been of Trippier and Davies, I hold my hands up and admit that it is ridiculous to be critical when they haven't even been given a chance to play in and 'learn' our new preferred system of 3 at the back. If that is because Poch doesn't trust Davies as a WB, or because he doesn't trust Wimmer full stop, or a combination of the two...I couldn't care less. If Conte has managed to teach Victor bloody Moses how to be a wing-back, it's only fair that we give Davies the chance to show what he can do.

 

Massive week in our season, I expect alot of changes in personnel tomorrow, but to me what is most important for these 3 matches is a change in attitude.

We must start the matches quickly, impose our game plan on the match and get the opposition on the back foot from the start. We have been starting matches slowly and allowing every one from Wycombe to Gent to get a foot hold in the match, we must start every match as if we did against Chelsea home and away if we do that we will win all 3 if don't we won't.

 

It's not the side I'd preferably want but there's no way Poch will field a fully strength side tomorrow, then Thursday and then Sunday again.

The other night at Gent I thought we'd see a small bit of rotation, roughly four-in, four-out and then continue that trend through tomorrow, next Thursday and then back to full strength in the Stoke game but seeing as Poch went near enough as strong as possible away at Gent and came back with a **** result, it's really messed up preparation. We now need a full strength side for the Gent home tie and then they'll obviously be needed for the Stoke game too which will be a massive three points, so I think tomorrow will see a large/ full rotation.

I get that we all say players should be able to play regularly with few days rest but we've all seen the effects of fatigue on Spurs as the season progresses so I think it'd be absolute suicide if we opted to play our strongest side for four games in the space of about ten days.

 

What I'd like to see: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies; Dier, Winks; Son, Eriksen, GKN; Janssen

If things aren't working with that formation we can adapt into the 3421 formation on the fly - and, most importantly, it makes a hell of a lot of sense to have Trippier and GKN playing alongside Janssen as they'll be giving him the sort of delivery he needs.

 

I see Jannsen as another Loldado. Every time we put him on the pitch, it's like we've gone down to 10 men and resort to playing without a striker.

I'm sorry, but the player is another dud.

 

Fixed

 

I just can't see us suddenly putting in a good performance playing 4 at the back. Really it's absurd that Jan getting injured has thrown it off since the left side of a back 3 seems overstocked compared to the pother two positions. I really think we looked more comfortable in the 15 mins before Gent scored after we'd made the switch on Thursday. Sissoko's mere presence in that part of the pitch seemed to open up the play in the middle more. What I would like is:

Lloris
Dier Toby Wimmer
Walker Wanyama Dembele Winks Davies
Alli
Janssen

Have Son as an option off the bench. Give Jan some minutes late on if he's up to it maybe.

I wouldn't be massively upset to see GKN as the LWB. I'm fairly convinced that the system and shape make us so much more comfortable that I'd rather play 3 (or 5, however you look at it) at the back with Sissoko as LWB than play 4 at the back.

I'd play a strong side because honestly we look so out of sorts at the moment that we need a kick-start and playing a hotch-potch team just so rarely works for us.

Give Janssen a start and make it within a team that has some chance of winning and keeping the ball. midfield of Winks, Dembele and Wanyama might not look too attacking but I just want to see more of Winks - the one player I trusted with the ball on Thursday night. Instruct Walker and Davies to run their tits off and chuck on Son and Eriksen for Winks and Dembele if things start to go pear-shaped.

And please. Please. Can we...can we just not have goal kicks to a defender on the edge of the box who is basically marked? If I were an opposing manager I would absolutely target Lloris and our defence when they're in possession.

I've been meaning to start a thread for a while to discuss this baffling over-use of faffing about with the ball that we do all over the pitch now. Some of the short free-kicks are just baffling. Surely a free kick in the opponent's half is not just some fantastic opportunity to finally get the ball to Lloris is it? (I know, I know - now I open up the can of worms which is our free kick taking).

 

Strange but true:

The iceberg that sunk the Titanic originally broke off from an arctic region called the 'Sissoko Shelf'.

 

I'd go 3 at the back as well even if one of them was Davies he has enough experience playing for Wales there.I just hope the lads are up for it from the first whistle because Fulham will be.feel sorry for wimmer he doesn't seem to get a look in nowadays. If janssen isn't getting picked I wonder if young Harrison should make the bench now and then and on the subject of youngsters I would love to see Edwards on the bench He looks a real prospect and I would rather bring him off the bench if we are a goal down than sissoko. Can't wait for lamella to come back he gives us extra protection down the left flank shame he is not ready for this one.come on poch give the lads a good kick up the arse before the game pick our strongest available 11 and go for it.no more faffing about let's get back to playing football again.COYS

 

Getting older ain't mellowing you is it?

 

You sure this story ain't part of your meltdown?

I know that was awful but in fairness it's not as bad as my first thought of "God that's cold"

I'll get me coat

 

Sissoko is obviously responsible for:-

1. The shortage of courgettes
2. Reality TV
3. Stave Macmanaman's commentaries
4 Brexit
5 Trump
6 Spurs complete inability to play football