Trying out something a little different this season. I'm going to attempt to post a pre-match thread before all matches (just trying to commiserate with the gaffer during our fixture congestion) with a result poll. Your selections will be tracked throughout the season and at the end, we will crown a COYStradamus. I will create and stick a results table after we have started. The poll will close before the match, and you cannot change your selection after it has been made, so choose wisely (or select THFC by 2+ every time ya optimistic bunch)! We'll also try to keep all of the discussion pertaining to a single match in each thread - no real need to spread out related conversation. ---------------------------------------------------------------- TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V EVERTON PREMIER LEAGUE SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM KICK-OFF: 4.30PM GMT THFC injuries - Japhet Tanganga (out, thigh) - Giovani Lo Celso (late fitness test, hamstring) Everton injuries - Mason Holgate (out, toe) - Fabian Delph (late fitness test,calf/shin/heel) Lots of potential new faces for the first match of the 20/21 PL. Spurs have Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Matt Doherty looking for debuts, while Everton could give debuts to Allan, James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Niels Nkounkou. I will update with US TV information as soon as I can get it, or if someone can find it easily, I can add it to this post. Edit: appears to be on Peacock in some form.
It appears it’s scheduled to be on Peacock. I’ll be completely honest I don’t fully understand Peacock’s availability model (there’s purple feather on the listing). So it might be free to watch, might be part of their paid tier or part of their other paid tier. :shrug:
Jose will set us up in a classic 8-1-1 formation, Everton will have 70% possession, but we nick it with a goal on our only shot on target.
Tottenham XI Hugo Doherty, Dier, Alderweireld, Davies Højbjerg, Winks Lucas, Dele, Son Kane Subs Hart, Sanchez, Aurier, Lamela, Sissoko, Ndombele, Bergwijn Everton XI Pickford Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne Allan, Gomes Rodriguez, Doucoure, Richarlison Calvert-Lewin Subs Virginia, Kenny, Sigurdsson, Davies, Walcott, Bernard, Kean
Anyone seeing this? Not feeling confident at the moment. Monitoring online blows. I may have to walk away from this.
According to the numbers, possession roughly 50/50 and we've had 3 shots on goal to their 1. If the match thread at SC is anything to go by, however, our first half can be summed up thus: We're shit. Davies is shit. Moura is shit. Winks is really shit. To surmise: Mourinho out!
I don't think Winks was shit, but I did hope to see Ndombele start. Not a terrible half, but not great either. Onward and upward! If we're going to exclusively counter, I think Ndombele coming on is absolutely necessary.
Sissoko for Dele, then? Not exactly intuitive, but I'll grant that Jose should know a bit more than a fella sat in Indiana who can't even see it.
After 70 minutes Defense looks weak. No Lo Celso to unlock defenses Goal scorers seem to have a diminishing ability to score goals out of nothing Only the first game so not much to conclude from it.
Dreadful second half. Maybe a healthy Lo Celso will improve things, but doesn’t look like a team in contention for a top four finish.
what shit was that. new season, same shit. where is the desire, passion, movement? i didn't want to see an Everton home match, its our home start and that is the energy they give. livid. the players are not worthy of playing in that new stadium.
you were not wrong. James has not even settled in, and he was class. calm, movement, great passing. they had the energy and passion. we were crap.
I did not think we could be worse than last season but I was wrong. We did not create one scoring chance in the second half. We were played off the park, especially in the second half. We were second to every ball and looked knackered. I still can't see what Jose is trying to do tactically. The half-time sub of Sissoko for Dele was a terrible decision. Like I said, the squad is not good enough and the only person who can change that is sitting on his 6 million pound a year butt. Everton identified where their problem areas were and went out and signed 3 quality players in James, Allan and Doucoure, before the season started. You can talk all you want about the new stadium and the deal with the NFL, but if you don't invest in your squad, we will be nothing more than a rich man's Newcastle (and I am doing them a disservice because even they have had a better window than us).
It's clear that there's a disconnect between the defence, the midfield and the attack. The defenders seem more than happy to play long, hopeful balls out of the back because they don't trust the midfield to do anything. At the same time, Kane's out there looking for service and the best he can get are those long balls out of the back. Lo Celso probably changes that but it can't just be down to him to unlock defences. The team's success can't depend on whether one person's health or whether Son/Lucas have bothered to turn up. There's also the problem of too much space in between the lines. Every time James had the ball he had tons of space to play a diagonal pass. In the first half, we used a high press with some success but the back line didn't step up to try and suffocate Everton in their own half. Sometimes I watch this team and I wonder whether the attackers, the midfield and the defenders train separately from each other?