Analysis of the goals conceded against West Brom (23/4)


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Odemwingie’s goal – Assou-Ekotto’s injury allows Odemwingie time to get a shot away after an excellent cross-field pass from Vela

Carlos Vela has the ball on West Brom’s left, and William Gallas has pulled over to cover for Kaboul. The gap between our centre backs is already ominous…

Gallas backs off as Vela spots Odemwingie’s run.

It is a fantastic ball and, although Odemwingie’s first touch takes him a little wide, he has time as Assou-Ekotto has been caught up field.

Assou-Ekotto makes a great effort to get back at him but…

…in going shoulder to shoulder, he collapses, having seemingly pulled a hamstring. Odemwingie touches the ball around him as Dawson closes.

Dawson throws himself at the ball, but Odemwingie gets his shot away, and buries it beyond Gomes in the far corner.

Cox’s goal – Wonderful curled finish as Gallas stands off.

It’s 2-1 with 80 minutes on the clock. West Brom have possession high up the pitch, with Shorey on the ball.

Shorey passes back to Brunt under pressure from Kaboul, who is pressing hard to try to force them back.

Brunt feeds the ball into Cox, who makes a run off Gallas.  

Gallas snaps at his heels, and forces Cox to play back out to Shorey. 

As Kaboul is chasing shadows, Shorey zips a pass into Cox’s feet – he has stayed in his deeper position, but Gallas has dropped back to keep the defensive line.

Cox takes a touch and turns in one motion, and as Gallas backs off, he shimmies to make a yard. Notice how many Spurs defenders are in the shot, but also how many of them are not behind the ball. At this stage of the game we should have two banks of four, and should also be making it much more difficult for West Brom to get a shot away.

Cox takes one more touch to shift the ball slightly more to his right before letting fly.

It’s an exquisite finish – right into the top corner.

Join the conversation

  1. Maybe I'm being a bit simple, but if we take the lead then we should be denying them space and then hit them on the counterattack. I don't understand why Sandro is not starting. Anyway, BAE is probably out for the rest of the season, which means Bale will be at left back.
    And Torres just broke his duck in time for us!
    Gomes
    Kaboul Gallas Dawson Bale
    Sandro
    VDV Huddlestone Modric Pienaar
    Pav

    Sweetsman
  2. In this case I don't think it was about how and why the goals were conceded (tho' as always the analysis is much appreciated) this loss of points was down to poor team selection and poor substitutions. We weren't helped by the injury to BAE but why was JD playing? Why no Lenny (who was very poor when he came on - but he was on the left...) Why was Hudd taken off? VDV has been great in the last two games but I don't buy 'Arry's analysis that says he has to play on the right, he needs a free role behind one striker if the team is to have balance. The poor form of certain players at the moment (Bale in particular) is not the manager's fault but plenty of our current problems are down to poor tactics.
  3. You're not being simple at all - spot on. Jenas should have come on for one of the strikers, and we should have been compact and organised. Absolutely unacceptable for Redknapp to say "What can you do about a strike like that?".

    I would like to see that team too, but with Lennon for Pienaar, and VDV on the left (and Corluka in if fit). However, I think he will go either 3-5-2:

    Gomes
    Kaboul Gallas Dawson
    Lennon Sandro Huddlestone Modric Bale
    VDV Crouch

    Or 4-4-1-1:

    Gomes
    Kaboul Gallas Dawson Bale
    Lennon Sandro Huddlestone Modric
    VDV Crouch
  4. Please please no Pienaar (preferably ever.... We have a real problem against a team of any talent with Bale at full back, he is way out of form and even in form I don't think he can defend. If Charlie is injured I'd go with your 3-5-2 Windy but definitely Pav not Crouch. If Charlie is fit I'd go with him at RB Kaboul at LB Lennon, Hudd, Modric and Bale with VDV and Pav. (Unless of course King is really going to be fit - I can dream can't I??) I think your recent analyses of goals conceded is showing errors from Gallas becoming a bit too frequent again.
  5. Can we just sell all of our strikers and get three new ones? I know Pav and Defoe scored today, but they did absolutely nothing else between them. I contributed more to the game than them (bar the goals) and I was in the stand.
  6. Was Carlos Vela who put the crossfield ball over for Odemwingie by the way.
  7. Can I just point one thing out? What you didnt pick up on Windy was the fact that at no stage during that attack, did VDV make any effort to help out his defence. He coasted back from the halfway line and even when the ball comes back to Cox, VDV still has a chance to get stuck in and make the WBA player's life difficult. Instead he stands there and watches the guy curl it into the top corner. I am sick to death of watching the wingless wonders of Tottenham, with all these midfielders coming off the flanks and standing in the same 20 yards in the middle of the park. It's not hard. Bale on the left. Lennon on the right. Keep the width and help the full-backs. Anyone else thing VDV has a little clause in his contract stating that he must start every game? Why do we sacrifice our entire shape and tactics to accomodate this ugy? We do not deserve to be in the top 4 this year, as we defend like morons. Redknapp won't take us any further. He's had his moment.
  8. Jill - I agree with you first comments and am equally frustrated by Redknapp's seemingly simplistic comments about van der Vaart's position.

    Anon @ 21:52 - agree. Pavlyuchenko's movement was decent, but he was poor on the ball. Defoe scored a great goal, but was a total passenger for the rest of the game. Awful!

    Anon @ 00:21 - you are right, apologies. I went on to the Spurs site to confirm and they said Thomas... hmm!

    Anon @ 01:15 - good point on VDV, and that was the point I was making when I talked about lack of players behind the ball. Also agree about the tactics - we're not as good when we don't stretch the pitch and, if it means playing one up front, so be it.
  9. We will have to play a five man midfield against Chelsea, otherwise we will get murdered. I hope we don't start with Crouch as he will be meat and drink to Terry. I think that Hudd as a sweeper may be worthwhile with three behind him. I am worried about the runs of Luiz and Ramires on our left. I would put VDV at the front as he can cause less damage to us at the back if he is not involved and Lennon will provide greater cover against marauding runs by Cole on our right. Please, Harry, I am interested in seeing the Spurs that took three points against AC Milan, not the hole-in-the-wall gang that played against Arsenal.
    As for strikers, sell Crouch, Defoe and probably Pav; get in Odemwinge, Sturridge (unlikely) and Drogba.
    Sweetsman
  10. Sweetsman - like the sound of your targets, but think Sturridge and Drogba are probably out of our reach.

    In terms of tactics, I hope we go 4-4-1-1 with VDV off Pavlyuchenko. By far our best set up IMO.
  11. Apparently, we may be going back for Berba, but as Jol used to say I hope that he starts playing before Christmas.
    Sweetsman
  12. You can borrow Odemwinge and Cox for the Chelsea game if you like-I hate Chelsea
  13. Goal 1
    Dawson left Odemwinge ands pulled a long way to the right, when there was no need. If he'd stayed in position, he would have benn able to close him down.

    Goal 2
    Kabouls was chargin in and out to the wing, trying to maek two players, while VdV stood doing nothing. THAT@s wht Gallas had to come out.

    General
    Why do we keep playing VdV instead of Lennon?
  14. both well taken goals. teams seem to be more deadly in front of us this season. doesn't feel like we've got out of jail as much as we could hope.
    the big difference for me is the lack of realism by our strikers. pav had two very good chances, and you would expect (not just hope) that he would put one of them away.
    if we're going to keep conceding we have to take our chances to cancel that out

    cheers for the analysis (and lack of finger pointing)

    Flyblown
  15. A lot has been said about Redknapp recently, much of it utter tripe. Yes, I don't understand why he picks some of the teams he does and there is the nagging suspicion that there is favouritism; there may even be a hint of backstabbing of players that annoy him. However, this Spurs team has won or drawn matches that in all my years following them I would have expected to lose. The game that sticks in my mind was the display against AC Milan away: I sat there open-mouthed at the sheer professionalism. Now, if people are throwing brickbats at Redknapp they should remind themselves about what we were and what we are.
    Sweetsman

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