Spurs (a)

[dalglish2rush]

i know its only tuesday but i cant seem to think about anything else,massive massive game this one for us.if we lose i think loads of people will be throwing their toys out the pram,and the media will be on our backs already.also the table wont look too pretty.possibly 8 points behind the mancs after 5 games.

 

spurs have loads of players injured at the moment, dawson,van der vaht ,lennon

to name a few. hopefully ledley king wont be able to play.

 

if we play like we did at arsenal and at stoke i think we will win, we can play much better than we did at stoke,but if we have the same amount of possesion i think we will get the 3 points.

 

reina

flanagan,carra,agger,enrique

bellamy,lucas,adam,downing

suarez , carroll

 

1-2 LFC

[Skidfingers McGonical]

We'll snot them 10-0.

[Gym Beglin]

For me, Flanno is our number 1 full back and the injury to Johnson is now a blessing.

We need that bite.

 

But for Christ's sake we need to start putting chances away, is Maxi fit yet?

My preferred starting XI would be:

 

Reina (Must we even bother mentioning it?)

 

Flanno

Coates

Agger

Enrique

 

Lucas

Spearing

 

Maxi

Adam

Downing

 

Suarez

 

Subs: Doni, Carra, Robinson, Shelvey, Henderson, Bellamy, Carroll.

 

 

 

I think Adam needs to be more advanced, he's a goal threat and isn't afraid to pull the trigger, but can also play them flat, slide-rule balls into gaps for Suarez to pull into.

Spurs are going to see us as a chance to get 3 points on the board, there's no hiding that, we've just come off a loss to Stoke and Spurs have just registered their first win after that mauling by United and will want to keep it up.

They will target Suarez, they know he's by far their biggest problem, and I can imagine he may get a bit of man-marking to deny him space to turn, and to rile him.

 

Parker will snap into tackles, we need someone to counter that and that man is Jay Spearing, who will smile and give it back. Parker also needs to be closed down when in possession, and again that's Jay to plaster himself all over him.

 

Yes, Coates.

Why not? You've got to learn sometime, and there are no easy games in this division, it may just as well be Spurs than Swansea.

Carragher needs a shot across the bow, it's not one mistake so far, it's a few, and two of them have directly cost us points.

Club legend or not, doesn't matter, he's haemohorraging points for us, and club legend status won't hold much water with the fitter, young, quicker opposition.

Coates' height will also give us a bit of leverage when defending corners, in an otherwise quite short team.

 

Is Gerrard ready for the bench yet?

Personally, I'd be sticking Sterling on the bench.

People will say he's not ready, but he's so quick and direct that there's very little more developing to come from him via reserve team or Next Gen football, he needs to get accustomed to taking some whacks from bigger lads, and there's only one way that's going to happen.

He's a menace, and without him our bench looks ponderous, perhaps Bellamy aside. He takes players with him, when he's got the ball it means that defenders have to crowd him out before he can get running, because they can't catch him after that.

 

I've liked the look of Shelvey more and more in recent viewings of him. I don't think he's disciplined enough to be a defensive mid, but if Adam started flagging then I'd try him behind the striker.

 

Carroll needs splinters in his arse until he 'gets it'. The lad needs to want his place at this club more than he's currently shown.

[PestiRed]

They suffered after European games last season & they've got a trip to Greece this week which could be a factor.

 

We are better than them though. Lucas can stifle Modric & we could do with a RB to make sure that Bale's pace doesn't cause us problems. Otherwise,their defence is shit & Suarez can have a lot of fun there.

 

More importantly, who's gonna twat 'Arry in the tunnel? I think we need Carroll to sit on bodyguard Joe Jordan, whilst Bellamy gets his golf clubs & Luis bites him

[Unrighteous]

Dawson is injured.

[silverlining]

----------------Reina----------------

 

Flanagan----Carra-------Agger----------Enrique

 

--------Henderson------Adam----------

 

Bellamy--------Suarez---------Downing

 

---------------Carroll-----------------

[silverlining]

 

For me, Flanno is our number 1 full back and the injury to Johnson is now a blessing.

 

 

Johnson, Kelly and Enrique are all better full-backs than Flanagan, but two of them are injured, which is the only reason Flanno might play in the Spurs game.

[cmuller]

I'd play Carroll on Sunday. This is the type of game he should stand a fair chance of being able to dominate the opposition defence, especially with Dawson out.

 

So same team as started at Stoke apart from Carroll in for either Kuyt or Henderson (with Kuyt moving to right midfield).

[Kevin D]

I hope we get beat 7-0 and Carragher is at fault for the goals.

[PestiRed]

----------------Reina----------------

 

Flanagan----Carra-------Agger----------Enrique

 

--------Henderson------Adam----------

 

Bellamy--------Suarez---------Downing

 

---------------Carroll-----------------

 

If we've got Flanagan at RB, then I'd like a bit of support for him. Maybe Kuyt or Downing inverted on the right to track back or possibly Lucas in front of the defence

[silverlining]

If we've got Flanagan at RB, then I'd like a bit of support for him. Maybe Kuyt or Downing inverted on the right to track back or possibly Lucas in front of the defence

 

Yes, it hurts to leave Kuyt on the bench, but Bellamy looked our best player against Stoke when he came on. It does leave Flanno a bit exposed (and he was dreadful against Sunderland) but Henderson can drop back and help, and Bellamy isn't afraid of a defensive shift either.

 

And Lucas gets dropped because he gets his arse handed to him by Parker every fucking time they meet. Henderson was appalling against Stoke on the right, so he can't play there again, but he can use his energy legging it around in the middle and just give the ball to Adam, that way he won't need to panic about what the do with the ball every time he gets it.

 

Carroll starting is a risk, but we can't get the big Grock on the bench forever, not at £35m. He needs to be playing games and Suarez needs a bit of the goal-scoring pressure lifted off him, because he's not the msot clinical in front of goal.

 

My team has lots of pace and movement, and more attacking options and goal threat.

[Xherdan]

We must start Carroll this weekend. The Spurs defence is soft and this could be a perfect game for Carroll to bully them.

[PestiRed]

Yes, it hurts to leave Kuyt on the bench, but Bellamy looked our best player against Stoke when he came on. It does leave Flanno a bit exposed (and he was dreadful against Sunderland) but Henderson can drop back and help, and Bellamy isn't afraid of a defensive shift either.

 

And Lucas gets dropped because he gets his arse handed to him by Parker every fucking time they meet. Henderson was appalling against Stoke on the right, so he can't play there again, but he can use his energy legging it around in the middle and just give the ball to Adam, that way he won't need to panic about what the do with the ball every time he gets it.

 

Carroll starting is a risk, but we can't get the big Grock on the bench forever, not at £35m. He needs to be playing games and Suarez needs a bit of the goal-scoring pressure lifted off him, because he's not the msot clinical in front of goal.

 

My team has lots of pace and movement, and more attacking options and goal threat.

 

I can see your logic but I'm not 100% convinced that Henderson has the confidence yet for the central role. Adam won't get near Modric so he'd have to handle him & keep an eye on Flanagan which is quite a big ask.

If we're struggling for RBs then we could put Carra there. Phil Neville demonstrated last season that you don't need pace to subdue Bale

[PestiRed]

Posted on Van Der Vaart's website

They could at least have consulted me on this' Rafael comments after being excluded for the first European League games up till December. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp decided not to enlist Rafael because of his injury and expected recovery time of 6 to 8 weeks. The decision subscribes the earlier statements made by Redknapp that he finds the Premier League of more importance than the EL-games. Not expecting Rafael to be fit again so soon Redknapp can now count on an eager player for the game against Liverpool. Rafael on the other hand doesn't want to go in-depth on the situation. Rafael: 'I still think it's a peculiar situation. Spurs could at least have consulted me. Anyway it's up to the point of no return. I will be focusing on the game against Liverpool. I'm pretty convinced I will be fit by then thanks to Dick van Toorn.'

 

And so it starts. There's a reason why major clubs struggled with him & he was off-loaded for just £8m. Him & Adebayor are capable of making that dressing room a miserable place to be

[silverlining]

Posted on Van Der Vaart's website

 

 

And so it starts. There's a reason why major clubs struggled with him & he was off-loaded for just £8m. Him & Adebayor are capable of making that dressing room a miserable place to be

 

Modric isn't exactly Mr Happy right now, either.

 

I think Adebayor will be fine this season, and score lots, because he has a lot to prove.

 

After that, though. Hmmm.

[Gym Beglin]

I don't think we should go into the match looking to keep Spurs out.

I think our first instinct, away from home, should be to score a goal from the off.

 

We only worry about the counter because historically we've always asked for it by playing too fucking deep and having defenders unable to deal with a striker running through the defensive line from the halfway line.

With Flanno and Enrique, I'm confident they can catch any of the Spurs lot in a footrace from the halfway line.

And Coates has a much better chance of helping them out than Carragher, who would prefer we defended the D on the edge of our box.

 

It's about time we took a leaf out of the Mancs' book, get the first punch in and the opposition usually crumble.

Last season the Mancs scored within 10 minutes of the start on 13 occassions in all competitions.

 

Fulham (a) Scholes 11'

West Brom (a) Rooney 3'

Wolves (a) Nani 3'

West Brom (h) Hernandez 5'

Bursaspor (h) Nani 7'

Blackburn (h) Berbatov 2'

Sunderland (h) Berbatov 5'

Liverpool (h) Giggs 2'

Birmingham (h) Berbatov 2'

Aston Villa (h) Rooney 1'

Marseille (h) Hernandez 5'

Fulham (h) Berbatov 12'

Chelsea (h) Hernandez 1'

 

In fact, in 33% of the Mancs home games they scored within 10 minutes of the start.

 

 

It's ok to lose or draw games away from home, the Mancs lost or drew 17 out of 29 games away from home in all competitions. But they at least scored in 21 of those 29 games.

 

 

Already this season we've seen it as well, up inside 5 minutes against Bolton, and within 13 minutes against West Brom.

You don't do that by playing a deep line, you get on the front foot and you start attacking, and have players who can enable you to do that.

With Carragher we cannot do that.

 

Man City are now following suit, it's no coincidence that Mancini's new attacking emphasis is yielding improved results, in fact it's ever so simple.

But the key is having a defence good enough to enable the rest of the team to do that, and that's why someone like Carragher would not get near the United or City teams.

The reason why the rest of the league cannot do it is also because of their defence, they'd just end up drawing 4-4 every game if they tried it.

I just find it frustrating that we've got quicker centre backs on the bench and yet we continue to pretend it's alright. It's not.

[Il Fenomeno]

I would play the same line up from Stoke but have Kelly in for Carragher, Maxi in for Henderson and Bellamy in for Kuyt.

[shaunstrudwick]

----------------Reina----------------

 

Flanagan----Carra-------Agger----------Enrique

 

--------Henderson------Adam----------

 

Bellamy--------Suarez---------Downing

 

---------------Carroll-----------------

 

like

[TheHitman]

I would not be surprised to see 3 at the back for this game, it is more suited to a team like spurs who will probably play two out and out strikers in Adebayor and Defoe.

[rubberduckstyle]

----------------Reina---------------

Flannagan--Coates--Agger---Enrique

Downing----Lucas---Adam---Bellamy

------------Kuyt----Suarez---------

 

Probably a bit early in the week to be naming teams but looks like Johnson and Kelly will miss it so I'd bring back Flanno. Time to throw Coates in for me. Agger has done well so far and Carragher needs to know what it feels like to be dropped when you are playing shit, might cut out the stupid mistakes he has been making.

 

Already 5pts off the pace and I don't think we have been particularly lucky so far so, although we are well capable of going there and winning this one, I'm not sure if we will. Massive game between the mancs and chelshit. To think we could be 2pts behind them come the weekend with a defeat to Stoke and a home draw against a shit Sunderland team already under our belts is unbelievable but stranger things have happened I suppose.

[Red Banjo]

Ledley King can get to fuck. The perennially crocked shithouse. He plays about 5 games a year and atleast 2 of them are always against us - and he usually ends up getting man of the match. I have to conclude he is a secret blueshite. It would be nice if his knee injury flared up again this weekend - but i wouldn't expect it.

[Guest TK-421]

Silverlinings line up hahahahahahahahah.

[janmolby]

VDV seems to think he will be fit

[Gym Beglin]

Agree about King, I hope Suarez pulversises his knee.

He doesn't make miraculous recoveries for games against United, it's all a bit odd.

 

I think Dawson's face is one of the most punchable in the World.

[Paco]

Yes, it hurts to leave Kuyt on the bench, but Bellamy looked our best player against Stoke when he came on. It does leave Flanno a bit exposed (and he was dreadful against Sunderland) but Henderson can drop back and help, and Bellamy isn't afraid of a defensive shift either.

 

And Lucas gets dropped because he gets his arse handed to him by Parker every fucking time they meet. Henderson was appalling against Stoke on the right, so he can't play there again, but he can use his energy legging it around in the middle and just give the ball to Adam, that way he won't need to panic about what the do with the ball every time he gets it.

 

Carroll starting is a risk, but we can't get the big Grock on the bench forever, not at £35m. He needs to be playing games and Suarez needs a bit of the goal-scoring pressure lifted off him, because he's not the msot clinical in front of goal.

 

My team has lots of pace and movement, and more attacking options and goal threat.

 

Lucas will start unless he gets injured between now and the weekend. he's the midfield lynchpin in kennys line ups.

 

who plays right back is a big question. does he drop carra after his mistakes have led to us conceding against bolton and more expensively against stoke?

does carroll come back in for kuyt who was poor against stoke? do either bellamy or maxi start in place of henderson or even downing who has been just ok so far this season?

 

Carroll in for kuyt might be the only change.