I don't think Jose is telling them to sit back (unless we play the truly big boys) but he has an obsession with players' defensive responsibilities and therefore doesn't like any of them vacating their positions. The easiest way of staying in your shape is by not having the ball. Jose isn't directly asking them to sit back but he is totally responsible for it.
Also, we seem to adapt tactically to every opponent we face, which you could argue is a great thing, but shouldn't a club of our size be pushing our game opposition teams, rather than stifling theirs? Certainly that applies to three quarters of the league. To change our shape and approach against a team that's lost virtually every game this season is shocking. The more you stick to a way of playing, the more it becomes muscle memory. That's why Liverpool or City will win the league and United won't. United have the same lack of real identity as we do. It's hard to change from one game to the next. The idea of us sitting back only really started when we played City, Chelsea and Arsenal in quick succession. We then found it difficult to play on the front foot playing bottom half teams afterwards as you can't just turn the tap off from habits you've had for the previous month.
It's all Jose. As much as he'd like to deflect, he's responsible.
As for Bale, I'm shocked it's gone this badly. It looks like he's playing within himself, like he's perpetually playing a first game back from injury every week. I just don't get it. It's almost like he doesn't completely trust his body anymore. The difference in speed between a 24 year old and a 31 year old should be negligible really. The only difference would be the amount of times you can do it. I've not seen him do one.
Then again, he's not been trusted in games where the opposition leave spaces in behind for him to exploit, which always used to be his biggest strength. I've no doubt a different manager would have thrown him in more just to test the waters. If you keep getting only cup games and 3 mins of a Prem game, you lose confidence. Any invincibility he felt when he first came back to us has now completely evaporated. Wrong manager for him.
Can you tell I don't like Jose much?
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 4 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking a break according to Admin.
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 46 seconds ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this weather? He’ll do himself a mischief!
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good to hear he's safe!
The 'stupid board' line though did make me double take a little bit. For a minute there I thought Sandy might have multiple accounts.
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good to hear he's safe!
The 'stupid board' line though did make me double take a little bit. For a minute there I thought Sandy might have multiple accounts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But it’s hardly like bale has been given much of a chance is it? Winks has had many more chances and not done much, Sanchez, Doherty, gedson, the same
Interesting quote overheard in training. Not sure if it's Bale or Reguillon but I'd love to hear what was said just before it. The irony is, if it is Bale, HE'S NOT PLAYING JOSE!!!!!
(Really hope it doesn't refer to Reguillon itching to get back to Spain)
https://twitter.com/theMadridZone/status/1350229192189894669
Sound on by the way, it's very quiet.
comment by Smeg (U6574)
posted 23 minutes ago
But it’s hardly like bale has been given much of a chance is it? Winks has had many more chances and not done much, Sanchez, Doherty, gedson, the same
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly, we have not seen enough of Bale to gauge whether he is up to it or not.
Bale is in the same boat as Dele, a victim of Mourinho`s negative brand of defend first football.
Bale was always a huge gamble which is why I disagreed with it at the time.
Make no mistake the first time he was a super hero for us and was simply sensational but things like the way he forced his move to Madrid and his big banner of Wales Golf Madrid shows to me that he has a bit of attitude going on.
I thought it before we signed him and I think it now, he is a spent force and I would far rather remember his first time at Spurs and the sensational player he was then than harp on about him now.
Sign in if you want to comment
Now that the dust has settled....
Page 3 of 3
posted on 18/1/21
I don't think Jose is telling them to sit back (unless we play the truly big boys) but he has an obsession with players' defensive responsibilities and therefore doesn't like any of them vacating their positions. The easiest way of staying in your shape is by not having the ball. Jose isn't directly asking them to sit back but he is totally responsible for it.
Also, we seem to adapt tactically to every opponent we face, which you could argue is a great thing, but shouldn't a club of our size be pushing our game opposition teams, rather than stifling theirs? Certainly that applies to three quarters of the league. To change our shape and approach against a team that's lost virtually every game this season is shocking. The more you stick to a way of playing, the more it becomes muscle memory. That's why Liverpool or City will win the league and United won't. United have the same lack of real identity as we do. It's hard to change from one game to the next. The idea of us sitting back only really started when we played City, Chelsea and Arsenal in quick succession. We then found it difficult to play on the front foot playing bottom half teams afterwards as you can't just turn the tap off from habits you've had for the previous month.
It's all Jose. As much as he'd like to deflect, he's responsible.
As for Bale, I'm shocked it's gone this badly. It looks like he's playing within himself, like he's perpetually playing a first game back from injury every week. I just don't get it. It's almost like he doesn't completely trust his body anymore. The difference in speed between a 24 year old and a 31 year old should be negligible really. The only difference would be the amount of times you can do it. I've not seen him do one.
Then again, he's not been trusted in games where the opposition leave spaces in behind for him to exploit, which always used to be his biggest strength. I've no doubt a different manager would have thrown him in more just to test the waters. If you keep getting only cup games and 3 mins of a Prem game, you lose confidence. Any invincibility he felt when he first came back to us has now completely evaporated. Wrong manager for him.
Can you tell I don't like Jose much?
posted on 18/1/21
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
posted on 18/1/21
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 4 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking a break according to Admin.
posted on 18/1/21
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
posted on 18/1/21
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 46 seconds ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In this weather? He’ll do himself a mischief!
posted on 18/1/21
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good to hear he's safe!
The 'stupid board' line though did make me double take a little bit. For a minute there I thought Sandy might have multiple accounts.
posted on 18/1/21
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 minutes ago
Talking of liking or not liking Jose, has any heard from Sandy since our dip in form? Is he safe and well?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy is just fine.
He is obeying lock down.
And he has taken a rest from this stupid board which gives him indigestion every time he looks at it.
Instead he is swimming every morning in the pond at Hampstead Heath.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Good to hear he's safe!
The 'stupid board' line though did make me double take a little bit. For a minute there I thought Sandy might have multiple accounts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 18/1/21
But it’s hardly like bale has been given much of a chance is it? Winks has had many more chances and not done much, Sanchez, Doherty, gedson, the same
posted on 18/1/21
Interesting quote overheard in training. Not sure if it's Bale or Reguillon but I'd love to hear what was said just before it. The irony is, if it is Bale, HE'S NOT PLAYING JOSE!!!!!
(Really hope it doesn't refer to Reguillon itching to get back to Spain)
https://twitter.com/theMadridZone/status/1350229192189894669
posted on 18/1/21
Sound on by the way, it's very quiet.
posted on 18/1/21
comment by Smeg (U6574)
posted 23 minutes ago
But it’s hardly like bale has been given much of a chance is it? Winks has had many more chances and not done much, Sanchez, Doherty, gedson, the same
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly, we have not seen enough of Bale to gauge whether he is up to it or not.
Bale is in the same boat as Dele, a victim of Mourinho`s negative brand of defend first football.
posted on 19/1/21
Bale was always a huge gamble which is why I disagreed with it at the time.
Make no mistake the first time he was a super hero for us and was simply sensational but things like the way he forced his move to Madrid and his big banner of Wales Golf Madrid shows to me that he has a bit of attitude going on.
I thought it before we signed him and I think it now, he is a spent force and I would far rather remember his first time at Spurs and the sensational player he was then than harp on about him now.
posted on 19/1/21
Grand
Page 3 of 3