When we cannot break teams down due to having wholly predictable attacking patterns, especially when playing teams sitting on a 1-0 lead, then scoring goals is the issue
Look at goals scored and then goals conceded this season. That’s the issue. Of course you could argue that if Spurs attacked more then they’d spend less time defending and the wouldn’t concede as many but I don’t think that would ultimately solve the defensive issues.
I think the issue has been that the way we’re scoring goals isn’t down to a particular system and therefore we struggle to score goals in certain situations or if players are in bad form. You could argue that we’d be higher up the table and with a much healthier goal difference if Son and Kulu could get near last season’s form but they haven’t. Saying we’re scoring goals the wrong way is in a sense a ridiculous thing to say, but what I mean is that we don’t really have an attacking system especially against a low block. The players don’t seem to know what to do with the ball in the final 3rd. Nobody plays close enough together and we’re too slow and purposeless in moving the ball. It tends to be individual moments that create chances rather than manipulating opponents to create space for players to make impact. Again this would be far less of an issue if we had other players scoring hatfuls of goals or if we could defend for toffee, but neither of those are happening, so our shortcomings when we have sustained possession are way more apparent.
Part of the issue is that the patterns Conte had us playing made it possible for any team who pressed in midfield to win a turnover, because once we started cycling the ball from one flank to the other through the midfield all it required was either a misplaced pass or opponents applying the right amount of pressure to our midfield and we'd be on the back foot A lot of this came from Conte setting up our pivot to be very static, so if a move broke down on flank it would wind up being worked through the pivot to the opposite flank in a u-shape that took 4-5-6 passes to try and create an opening down the opposite flank - but if an opponent with the pace and workrate to get in the pivot's faces tried their luck they might win the ball, or the pivot would send the ball back to the CBs and we'd be starting from nothing The lack of any of the CMs taking on their man to break the lines themselves, which Bissouma can certainly do while Skipp and Sarr are capable of doing so, also contributed to this problem because if we were 1-0 down and still playing the same combinations and patterns the odds of scoring an equaliser diminished minute by minute, as the second leg against Milan made painfully apparent
In terms of scoring goals I think it's worth pointing out we essentially have a cheat code in Kane. Very, very few clubs have a striker than can score goals in any type of system; attacking, countering or defensive. It almost feels like our goals scored figures are fabricated because our style of play shouldn't have produced as many goals as it has. His 21 goals in 28 league games is ridiculous and the only reason it's not getting as much attention as it should be is because some massive ugly Viking is filling his boots thanks to playing in front of the likes of de Bruyne, Foden, Silva, Mahrez and Grealish. If we played a system that didn't put our iffy defence under so much pressure and actually played to the strengths of all our key three forwards, then we'd probably be anything between 7-10 points (at least) better off this season and still in a cup or two, as well as actually enjoying the football. This is why I want a Nagelsmann/ Pochettino/ Frank/ De Zerbi etc type of progressive coach in charge, it won't fix every problem but it'd almost surely make a big positive difference.
Martin Jol has recommended we bring in Julian Nagelsmann Don;t suppose that anybody has asked Jacques Santini or Juande Ramos for their hot takes, just in case they both suggest the same person and gives us two good reasons to look elsewhere?
Let's hope Tottenham fans were all right and Conte was the issue otherwise you might be in for trouble.
This goes some way to explaining why the first half of most games looked a lot like a recovery period after a game.
It’s mad seeing all these comments about how things will be better with a new manager and how Conte was holding the players back. My fellow Spurs fans absolutely baffle me.
It does indeed if true, but as a statement it is very worrying. This was a regime that Conte directed, but with support staff that now remain in charge. Did they not speak out to challenge this? Did the likes of Kane and Lloris feel incapable of speaking out? Maybe I understand the former, but not the latter. Did Conte really impose such a Draconian and excessive training regime? Was this his mantra throughout his long career? Seems unlikely to have only just emerged now. Personally, I sniff prime bullshit. But that doesn't detract from the simple fact that Conte was never going to succeed at a club that has so much trouble understanding itself!
2km is around 1.3 miles - a 10 minute run. Would that have professional athletes on their knees? It’s a twice round the pitch jog to warm up.
Mokbel also mentions how, back in January, Conte gathered the squad for a meeting to discuss our poor form - and the second the final player arrived, Conte walked out telling the players to sort it out amongst themselves Isn't that something the manager should do...?
Yeah on reflection it really isn't that far all. Might not be the most sensible thing to do right before a match though. One thing is for certain, our fitness levels under Mourinho and Nuno were atrocious and urgently needed improving, which I think Conte did and the supporting evidence is the number of late goals we scored last season.
A cursory look at the stats would have that as 20% of the average distance run by a player in a PL game. If true, you wouldn't have long distance runners or cyclists putting 20% of effort on their legs before the event proper.
Runners World says: To warm up for a 5K or 10K race, start with brisk walking 5 minutes to wake your body up, then run 1.5 - 2 miles, starting out at an easy running pace and incorporating four to six 30-second pick ups at race pace in the last half of the running warm up. Try to finish your warm up as close to the start of the race as possible. Or basically exactly what Conte was asking for
That’s a race where you run the fastest consistent pace you can aside from maybe the last 30seconds. Football is 10-12k of intermittent unpredictable sprinting and constant slower movement with other physical exertion mixed in. The two are not the same in terms of what is optimal for warmup. Especially if you’re playing multiple times a week.