Zokora

[PoshSpur]

If any of you were lucky enough to see the brief glimpse of Didi Zokora last night, you will have noticed how calm and colective he was on the ball.

I am pretty sure that he'll fill in for Carrick right away.

His passing was inch perfect, he settles things down, and seems to have a lot of time to play a pass (one of Carrick's major traits).

I hope we can build our midfield around him and drop Davids.

[Danners9]

I did see that. But also think he should play alongside Davids for a while before taking over from him, Davids was also very good last night.

[ox utd]

I did see that. But also think he should play alongside Davids for a while before taking over from him, Davids was also very good last night.
Davids can do the dirty work and win possession, just hopefully Zokora is nearby and Edgar can get him the ball quickly. I've been a Davids fan for a while (since he was at Ajax), and I think he did a good job last night in harassing the opposition and ball winning, but his passing and keeping possession are no where near what we saw from Zokora. Edgar did have moments of class like that long run in the second half, only to have the shot blocked. They could make a good pairing.

[THFC1]

It is going to be interesting who starts, Jenas seems a certain starter and its between Zokora, Davids and Tainio for two spots.

Zokora did look good last night.

Davids was superb.

And Tainio is a Jol favourite.

[ox utd]

It is going to be interesting who starts, Jenas seems a certain starter and its between Zokora, Davids and Tainio for two spots.

Zokora did look good last night.

Davids was superb.

And Tainio is a Jol favourite.
Not a bad problem to have!

[tapper]

I think Davids can still be effective in his more natural position, but when he gets forced in wide on the left instead of Teemu...it totally exposes BAE to pressure as Davids tucks in too much.

As I said somewhere else, I think Davids' job this season is to give us big performances until Zokora can settle into the team. I think that holding role is a very hard one to settle into. Eventually Davids will fade just like last season, and by then Zokora will be ready to step in for him. Davids will ultimately be cover for Zokora and Tainio, but for now, I think he's key.

Don't forget, Davids was really good for the first half of last season too. His age precludes him from doing it all season though, but I think he's important to bridge the gap in the holding role between Carrick and Zokora being ready.

I still hope we could get a versatile left sider who gives us some more width on offense, but I think Tainio could be fine if he stays fit.

[OrlandoSPUR]

....all i know is Davids should not be on the left.

[DigitalTron]

I haven't seen the Sheffield United game yet, so I an only comment on Zakora from his time at St. Etienne, for his country and during the Bolton game.

But I've seen the Maestro play quite a bit, and he's a very good player, no doubt. More of a destroyer than Carrick, quicker and faster than Carrick. IMHO, Carrick is better at the holding role and long passing, although Zakora is a good holder and decent long passer as well. Zakora isn't as good of a deep playmaker as Carrick, nor is his passing as consistent as Carrick, but Zakora can do the job.

Zakora can be physical, but he usually plays more of a positional role than a physical one, and in the first game against Bolton, he did a poor job of it. I'm sure he'll improve on that though. Davids has made himself far more available for passes than Zakora has. Davids has disrupted opposing defenses far better than Zakora has. Davids has bailed out floundering midfielders and back line players far better than Zakora has. At this point in time, Zakora hasn't earned a starting spot over Davids.

But, Davids will not continue at this rate forever, and definitely will wear down with all the competitions throughout the season. So, it is absolutely in Jol's best interests to develop Zakora and/or Huddlestone to fill the Dmid role for this season and beyond. So, I expect Jol to play Zakora a lot until he settles. He has the talent.

Tainio, like it or not, was our most creative midfielder last season. Don't be fooled by his willingness to get stuck in, or his somewhat unorthodox style. I think Tainio will play more this season than last, which means he's usually a starter.

Jenas is an enigma. Apparently he had a gem of a game against Sheffield United, and he scored a goal--something our other midfielders seldom do. So, there are some very encouraging signs, and he definitely has talent if it ever develops. My fear is that despite his willingness on both sides of the ball, and his obvious physical talents ... he simply disappears for long stretches and often entire games. Given the talent in midfield, we may see a shorter leash on Jenas this season. It's usually pretty clear well before halftime what type of game Jenas is having.

Lennon is pure class, moving from strength to strength, and the only automatic selection in our midfield. But frankly, I'm up for giving Routledge some time on the pitch, with Lennon taking over the Jenas attacking midfielder role.

As for Zakora, I expect him to get better and better once he starts to adapt to the Premiership's speed and physicality, life in London, and the playstyle Jol prefers. He needs to be on the pitch to do that, so I'd guess that'll leave Huddlestone as the odd man out.

-Digital

[ox utd]

Digital, my friend, let me be the first to humbly remind you before some rude and uncouth person jumps down your throat about it - it's Zokora, with an "o" in place of the "a". ;)

[PoshSpur]

I liked your comment about Lennon, Digi. I also believe that Routledge should be tried on the right, with Lennon on the left.

Little Aaron did so well on the left wing.

Any thoughts on this?

[Spur_Forever]

Well, by all accounts, Zokora bossed the middle of the park in our European outing - something which I never doubted his ability to do - especially in Europe. So congrats to him for his MOTM performance.

The big question remains, however: can he do it in the premiership? People have already compared his style to a young Patrick Vierra - so there's no problem there. And Zokora seems to have all the required assets of a premiership player + is a cut above in terms of technique. The problem to me has been the pace at which he plays the game. He needs to pick things up a notch in our domestic games. Hopefully he can start again against Fulham and can begin to get a string of games under his belt.

[Lillywhite]

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9508360&postcount=14

:cool:

[Spur_Forever]

Here's to hoping he's back for us this weekend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqJ2UKuN6w

[Spur_Forever]

Bad news, Didi's out for 2 weeks :(
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/zokoraupdate211006.html