William gallas could be fit for Saturday's visit of QPR but reports suggest that the gaffer will stick with Sebastien Bassong and Younes Kaboul in the centre of defence.
The defensive pairing is neither regular nor favoured but they did a great job in dealing with blackburn's aerial bombardment last Sunday and deserve another chance to team up.
Our defensive options are spending more time visiting the physio than the training pitch at the moment, so we're crying out for some consistency at the back and Brad Friedel would no doubt be grateful if the revolving door stopped just long enough to for him to get some familiarity with the faces in front of him.
I mentioned last week that I'm not a huge admirer of Bassong. Harry brought him in on the promise of big things and he has flattered to decieve; scoring the odd goal and making the odd last-ditch challenge but struggling with confidence.
However, the Cameroon international's White Hart Lane career has been stop-start to say the least. He was originally forced out of the starting 11 when Michael Dawson started fulfilling his potential and now only seems to step in when we need an extra big man at the back, or when Ledley King comes off injured.
Whether Bassong is up to the task of an extended run in the first team remains to be seen but his performance last week should certainly have earned him another chance.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Monday, 17 October 2011
Newcastle took advantage of mixed-up midfield
So much for a back bone. Just as it looks like we are churning out some sort of consistency at the back, Ledley King pulls up and it's back to the treatment table for the club captain.
I never have much confidence in Sebastien Bassong, I find that he lacks confidence and confuses those around him. He is pacey for a centre-back and can chase back and challenge but his clumsiness is a constant penalty risk.
That said, Bassong came in a did a solid job at St James' on Sunday. Annoyingly, where we lost out against Newcastle was in midfield.
Bale started on the right, Modric was farmed out wide to accommodate Jake Livermore and the result was nobody really knew what they were doing. Too many times the ball went backwards when we could have broken upfield and, whilst it's nice to see us protecting possession, it is our pace going forward that really causes teams problems.
The central pairing of Scott Parker and Modric that had worked so well against Liverpool and Arsenal was missing, and starting Livermore alongside the footballer of the year was a gamble that didn't pay off.
The youngster has slotted into the Europa League side well and is confident and assured with the ball at his feet but what Modric does so well is to take the ball off the anchor midfielder, and drive through the midfield, into the final third. With Parker and Livermore we were static, inviting Newcastle forward to harass for possession.
The proof of the pudding came just after half-time when Livermore failed to follow Demba Ba into the box and the Senegalese gobbled up the gaping space around him to force home Newcastle's equaliser after Van Der Vaart's penalty put us in front before the break.
Having lost control of the midfield and merely treading water, we needed a goal out of nothing, which is the ideal situation for Jermain Defoe. Sides like Newcastle are always going to give him space to shoot and it was in typical fashion that he restored our lead.
It was also in typical fashion that he insisted on shooting down the keeper's neck with minutes remaining, when a square ball to an unmarked Adebayor would have won us the game. Lee Dixon on Match Of The Day claimed that the striker is always going to shoot if he gets a sight of goal, but that's precisely the reason we all get so annoyed with Defoe. He has to start looking up when it matters most as it's the difference between one point and three points.
It's difficult to blame anyone for Newcastle's equaliser, with the power and accuracy that Shola Ameobi lashed the ball past Friedel. By that stage, Newcastle were rampant, they knew wehas lost our shape and the 50,000 Geordies in St James' smelt blood.
I appreciate that we are missing some key midfielders and that Jake Livermore needs to be given his chance, but messing with a tried-and-tested unit is always asking for trouble. When possible, the first names on the team sheet need to be Parker and Modric, next to each other, in centre midfield.
I never have much confidence in Sebastien Bassong, I find that he lacks confidence and confuses those around him. He is pacey for a centre-back and can chase back and challenge but his clumsiness is a constant penalty risk.
That said, Bassong came in a did a solid job at St James' on Sunday. Annoyingly, where we lost out against Newcastle was in midfield.
Bale started on the right, Modric was farmed out wide to accommodate Jake Livermore and the result was nobody really knew what they were doing. Too many times the ball went backwards when we could have broken upfield and, whilst it's nice to see us protecting possession, it is our pace going forward that really causes teams problems.
The central pairing of Scott Parker and Modric that had worked so well against Liverpool and Arsenal was missing, and starting Livermore alongside the footballer of the year was a gamble that didn't pay off.
The youngster has slotted into the Europa League side well and is confident and assured with the ball at his feet but what Modric does so well is to take the ball off the anchor midfielder, and drive through the midfield, into the final third. With Parker and Livermore we were static, inviting Newcastle forward to harass for possession.
The proof of the pudding came just after half-time when Livermore failed to follow Demba Ba into the box and the Senegalese gobbled up the gaping space around him to force home Newcastle's equaliser after Van Der Vaart's penalty put us in front before the break.
Having lost control of the midfield and merely treading water, we needed a goal out of nothing, which is the ideal situation for Jermain Defoe. Sides like Newcastle are always going to give him space to shoot and it was in typical fashion that he restored our lead.
It was also in typical fashion that he insisted on shooting down the keeper's neck with minutes remaining, when a square ball to an unmarked Adebayor would have won us the game. Lee Dixon on Match Of The Day claimed that the striker is always going to shoot if he gets a sight of goal, but that's precisely the reason we all get so annoyed with Defoe. He has to start looking up when it matters most as it's the difference between one point and three points.
It's difficult to blame anyone for Newcastle's equaliser, with the power and accuracy that Shola Ameobi lashed the ball past Friedel. By that stage, Newcastle were rampant, they knew wehas lost our shape and the 50,000 Geordies in St James' smelt blood.
I appreciate that we are missing some key midfielders and that Jake Livermore needs to be given his chance, but messing with a tried-and-tested unit is always asking for trouble. When possible, the first names on the team sheet need to be Parker and Modric, next to each other, in centre midfield.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Can Spurs new backbone with stand pressure of the 'favourites' tag?
Red-top reading neutrals will have casually flicked onto Sunday's derby expecting a home win. Maybe not just a home win but a white-and-blue-wash of epic proportions. Total domination from Tottenham, and complete annihilation of arsenal.
In contrast, as a spurs fan, the emotional build-up was confusing. Going into the game as the bookies' favourites was unfamiliar territory, so used are we to the mantle of "the underdogs", but could the players cope with the extra pressure?
Total annihilation of our neighbours was always going to be cloud cuckoo talk, but that didn't stop the nagging feeling that nothing except a win would really satisfy..
Despite the billing of Potent Attack vs Shaky Defence, the reality was quite different. We reverted to the nervy derby-game default setting and failed to capitalise on Arsenal's shortcomings.
Our movement was disjointed, passes went astray and we struggled to assert authority over the midfield. Jermain Defoe and Adebayor were less of a partnership up front and more just two players playing near one another, Rafa van der Vaart seemed out of his element on the right hand side and Modric was finding little space to manoeuvre.
The noticeable difference our side, tellingly, wasn't anything to do with going forward, it was our organisation at the back, helped in no small part by our two newest players. Scott Parker and Brad Friedel are everything we've been lacking a the back. Focused and enterprising the pair provided a protective sandwich for a back four that has at times looked like, well,like Arsenal's.
Parker plugged away, never gaining control of the game but always hassling Arsenal as they knocked on our back door, tirelessly re-bolting any locks that Ramsay and co attempted to pick. Friedel meanwhile stood firm, coming to claim crosses and stopping straightforward shots with no trouble.
Younes Kaboul's game is also benefitting from a renewed confidence in those around him. The picture he tries to paint of this cultured European centre-back is still completely transparent but he's getting to the balls that matter and involving himself in less dreaded defensive mix-ups..
Even Ledley King seems ready to play a lot more often these days, maybe with Scott Parker as a shield, the pressure on big Led's knee may have been lightened.
The captain is back in the side today, which has got to be some sort of record. Once again, the fear of a slip-up looms large. Newcastle have started well and once again, we go in as favourites - finger crossed we deal with it as well as we did against Arsenal.
In contrast, as a spurs fan, the emotional build-up was confusing. Going into the game as the bookies' favourites was unfamiliar territory, so used are we to the mantle of "the underdogs", but could the players cope with the extra pressure?
Total annihilation of our neighbours was always going to be cloud cuckoo talk, but that didn't stop the nagging feeling that nothing except a win would really satisfy..
Despite the billing of Potent Attack vs Shaky Defence, the reality was quite different. We reverted to the nervy derby-game default setting and failed to capitalise on Arsenal's shortcomings.
Our movement was disjointed, passes went astray and we struggled to assert authority over the midfield. Jermain Defoe and Adebayor were less of a partnership up front and more just two players playing near one another, Rafa van der Vaart seemed out of his element on the right hand side and Modric was finding little space to manoeuvre.
The noticeable difference our side, tellingly, wasn't anything to do with going forward, it was our organisation at the back, helped in no small part by our two newest players. Scott Parker and Brad Friedel are everything we've been lacking a the back. Focused and enterprising the pair provided a protective sandwich for a back four that has at times looked like, well,like Arsenal's.
Parker plugged away, never gaining control of the game but always hassling Arsenal as they knocked on our back door, tirelessly re-bolting any locks that Ramsay and co attempted to pick. Friedel meanwhile stood firm, coming to claim crosses and stopping straightforward shots with no trouble.
Younes Kaboul's game is also benefitting from a renewed confidence in those around him. The picture he tries to paint of this cultured European centre-back is still completely transparent but he's getting to the balls that matter and involving himself in less dreaded defensive mix-ups..
Even Ledley King seems ready to play a lot more often these days, maybe with Scott Parker as a shield, the pressure on big Led's knee may have been lightened.
The captain is back in the side today, which has got to be some sort of record. Once again, the fear of a slip-up looms large. Newcastle have started well and once again, we go in as favourites - finger crossed we deal with it as well as we did against Arsenal.
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