Lush Vlad

The highlight right at the end is the best of the lot. Nods it back to Tonali to relieve pressure and retain possession. Gets it straight back, turns and plays a through ball that takes about 3-4 Spurs players out the game. Pirlo would have been happy with that pass.

Errrrr. I dunno like.

Nobody is calling Bruno and Tonali the best CM’s of their generation or going on like they’re the world’s best though, are they? I don’t remember Scholes getting so many plaudits at the time. If anything, underrated when I was growing up. I remember him being incredible on the ball, always scoring against us and how shit he was at tackling. Usually just laughed off by the commentators after he’d hacked someone. I feel with Scholes, since retirement. He gets better every year. On his current trajectory. He‘ll be considered better than Messi ever was in around 10 years time.

Scholes gets better with every year he has been retired. I’m sure some of those quotes. Were the likes of Xavi are saying he’s the best player of all time (citation required). Are totally made up and all.

I mean. It’s not even close when it comes to dominating the box. Pope is at the top. I noticed on Wednesday Ramsdale looked stuck to his line a lot and a bit shaky coming for it. Pope releases it quickly out his hands when it is on. His kicking out of hand or off the deck is absolute wank, for sure. If you think the trade off for distribution vs having a keeper that is better at almost every other metric is worth it. Then fair enough. But I don’t.

Worth noting Guehi has looked dreadful against us a couple of times at SJP. Been done for strength and positioning numerous times. Not even on about the own goals, either. Where Guehi comes into his own, is his distribution off both feet. Criminally underrated when it comes to his passing. Possibly the best in the league?

Really? Pretty much everyone I speak to say how good Cunha and Mbeumo are? Both have always been fairly highly rated on here, too? Well, they were. But they probably get loads of stick now due to the club they are at. Quite right and all Sesko has looked far more neat and tidy the last two times I’ve seen him. Not sure a £70m striker who has regularly looked invisible is underrated, mind. Usual caveats of he is still young, you watch him more than me etc.

Not sure he is rated particularly highly these days. But I almost never see Kolo Muani have a good game. Only a handful of times. So maybe I only see him when he’s shit.

Exactly. Pope’s kicking has been shit his entire career. Not sure playing Ramsdale in his place is going to mean he can suddenly strike a ball cleanly I’ve mentioned it on here before. But James Scowcroft and the Bury Town manager had to teach him how to take a goal kick properly (still not mastered it) in his teens. That’s how bad he has always been on the ball. Charlton still signed him not long after. He’s been one of our best and most consistent performers this season too. So he shouldn’t be getting dropped full stop. He is still the superior ‘goalkeeper’ to Ramsdale IMO. Not sure Ramsdale is going to fare well longer term, either. Not under this new aerial barrage route the league seems to have gone down. I can sort of see the argument, however. As his distribution is just that much better than Pope. It does change how we can play a bit.

Main story of the night. Our backup keeper comes in and doesn’t miss a beat. Plays so well some want him as number one. Theirs comes in and shits himself. Dives underneath the ball for the first. Then comes out for no reason at all and manages to somehow make himself smaller/shorter when he jumped for the ball

He does get away with some assaults, mind. Maybe the refs are scared of him

He’s done it a good few times since joining. Just the old school knock it down the line and outpace them. Stuck record here. But Spence is one of the best 1 v 1 defenders in the league. Apart from lacesgate. I thought he was their best player by a mile.

Krafth once followed his man all the way to left back. They then just bumped down one each. Burn to LCB, Thiaw to RCB and Schar to RB. Elanga made sure to cover as well. Extreme example and maybe not something we would usually do. But We take man to man marking and how we press to extremes, for sure. The reward clearly outweighs the risk in Howe’s eyes.

The Laurent Robert cross and the constant shimmies and shoulder drops had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Oh and when he decided to play as a number 10 and Ramsey nearly score off his lay off

I do think he has been a bit off this season and for the last 2-3 seasons. It seems like he is always playing through a knock or three. But I think those almost writing him off are about as premature as Jim Levenstein was with Nadia. Ramsey is a much tidier footballer. But his frame and physicality are miles off Big Joe. Willock can’t really be trusted to stay fit and I don’t think Miley is as great as some like to make out. We’ll have plenty of games in Europe, against the Sky Six and away to certain sides. Where Big Joe will be vital to us getting a result. He was actually very good on Saturday and much more measured and useful on the ball than he usually is. Just had a standard Big Joe head loss last night

We‘ve been a bit shite and unthreatening away from home so far. Not won away in the league since April, is it? So hard to be overly confident. That said, we showed some positive signs in attack at Brighton and should have scored a couple. Undone by uncharacteristically bad defending and a top finish. Also, these are utter shite and their fans seem completely uninterested with it all. Just don’t concede early on and I think we’ll have too much for them.

It is surprising that he has never been sent off in a competitive game for us. It was an ugly and needless challenge. It’s understandable seeing as he’s a converted forward who is radge as fuck. But his tackling technique is woeful and I’m surprised he hasn’t seriously injured someone yet. The one on Saka after about 30 seconds was equally as bad. No problem with him taking a yellow to stop a counter. But he didn’t need to nearly start a riot with a challenge like that. Still funny though……

For me. He’s up there with Paul Van Dyk already.

Spurs mate messaged me at HT saying they hoped he’d bring him on. That reminds me. I must text him back and say they shouldn’t have left him on the bench.

He was. Yet he was still more effective than Kudus.

I thought he was MOTM for an hour or so. But then Tonali went into overdrive the last 20-30 minutes and deserved it.

I’ll take that. Although we do always struggle a bit against Silva’s Fulham. Avoided the big teams home or away. I suppose you play them sooner or later and we beat the lot last season. But if we are to get through. Looks like Chelsea, City and Arsenal will be in the semis.

Much more like it. But still so Joe Willock. Deceptively fast as fuck, great carrying the ball, pressing, strong running from deep and was finding loads of space. Just also a lot of his infuriating decision making when he got near the box. Great that based on tonight. We might, just might. Have 6 genuine centre mid options.

I know Barnes missed by trying to be cute and go near post. But plenty have said Barnes will love playing with Woltemade and they’re not wrong. Unreal turn and pass to feet for the shot. So many of our players over/under hit passes or put it behind the run. But not this fella. Of all our wingers, Barnes is the best fit to play with him and I think we will get plenty of chances from their link up. Well, mostly Big Nick feeding wor Harvey.

Had a rash 10 minutes in the first half. So aggressive with his pressing and how far up he wants to go. Along with what we ask our CB’s to do. I feel he gets caught wrong side now and then and gets rolled. Still, basically a bad 10 minutes and a few ropey moments against Bournemouth. To go with all the 8 and 9/10 performances. I’ll take it. He’s class.