Football News: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - A Neutral's Perspective
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Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs23 requested this article so I sat down and watched the game again, this time to see why it ended in a win for Man Utd, rather than just to watch the match. I thought I would be looking for some piece of tactical expertise that had caught Spurs out or something along those lines, but it was clear that there were two issues that plagued Tottenham and they are the same old ones that make them go all 'Spursy', as it has become known.
The big one is belief, the moment United scored their first, belief drained out of the Spurs team and the whole team lost their way, you could see how they all had this 'oh not again' look and everything they did became forced. Added to that, their ill-discipline reared its head with silly little niggly needless fouls being given away. Not the Manchester City type of fouls, where fouls are used as a tactic to break up play and stop teams catching them out. That would be fine. It is the type of fouls that are not needed due to the player who is fouled being under pressure rather than bursting away to run at the defence.
All it does is put the defence under pressure dealing with dead ball situations they should not have to face. That ill-discipline, in my opinion, stems from Mauricio Pochettino. Not as in he tells them to do it or wants them to do it, but from his management style being too friendly and not giving them that distance between players and manager needed to maintain discipline.
Man Utd, on the other hand, have total belief in their own, and their manager's, ability to win trophies. Even when things are going against them, they feel they just have to keep going and they can turn it around. They hold their discipline and they keep plugging away expecting it to happen for them. The so-called winning mentality that Spurs and Pochettino have yet to discover.
Man Utd
Mourinho - I was reminded of the comments made by Juventus after they put Spurs out of the Champions League watching the game. The way they said they felt they could just go out and play because Spurs have a tendency to find a way to lose the game, so they never felt under pressure. That seemed to me what Mourinho was thinking when he sent his team out yesterday. It was so unlike him to go so open and leave so many gaps for an opponent to exploit but he seemed full of confidence that his team would win in what became a bit of a slugfest.
He left the bus out in the car park and instead let his team go out and beat the opponents in open play and it worked. By the end of the game his team had taken almost complete control and it never felt like Spurs had anything in the tank to pull it out of the bag.
Valencia - struggled against Son early on and could very easily have picked up a red rather than a yellow for his rash jump challenge. After that though, he seemed to settle down and did much better though his crossing is still not at the level it was when he first joined United.
Smalling - while I am not sure he had Harry Kane in his pocket, despite the FA's tweet, he did have a very good game. This is the kind of game that suits him, when he is not being asked to play football, just defend and get the ball away to a team mate.
Jones - also had a very good game. Like Smalling the tactics suited him, no high line and passing around the back for the pair of them as they just are not good enough on the ball. Let them drop off and deal with attacks and they are much better players.
Young - did get caught out badly on the Spurs goal. There was absolutely no need to chase that high up the pitch, he should have been the one tracking Eriksen back, while Pogba went forward to apply the press. Other than that he was ok, but a major error like that is always going to ruin any performance that does not involved multiple goals and/or assists.
Herrera - I have to be honest, I have been very surprised he has not played more this season. United always look better when he is in the side. He gives Pogba more freedom.
Matic - considering he is meant to be protecting the defence and the Spurs attack were able to bypass the middle repeatedly (as were the United one for that matter) there have to be questions about his contribution. He did start the season well, but he has faded badly and he looked slower than Charlie Adam in a race with Galapagos Tortoise.
Pogba - he did exactly what he always does, flashes of skill intertwined with long periods of not much at all, but what mattered is that he was effective. That is what has been missing most of the season, he was doing some lovely things at times, but they were not going anywhere. He does not need to play like N'Golo Kante, he just needed to be more effective with his work.
Lingard - there are a few things you can always rely on with Lingard, he will work hard, run around a lot, get in good positions and is always a threat. Yes, he can quite often give the ball away, but it is because he is trying to make things happen, to create chances creates risk. Was not his best day but he works defenders hard and never gives them a moment to rest.
Lukaku - subtlety is not a word to be associated with Lukaku, he is a big bull in a china shop smashing things up, including the ball when he attempts to control it a lot of the time. However he has brute force that there are few, if any, other players that can match it and pace to match. This season his play with the ball has come on in leaps and bounds as well, his touch is still rough as a hen party in Blackpool, but he has become much better at passing and crossing the ball, which showed with a good cross for one of the goals.
Sanchez - he has finally started to show why Mourinho wanted him. Great header for the first goal and he is also a thorn in the side to the defence. Still nowhere his best, but a decent game and signs he is settling in to the team.
Subs:
Darmian - replaced Valencia in the 80th minute but the game was bitty and broken up by that point and he never really got the chance to do much.
Rashford - came on in the 83rd minute in place of Lingard but it was too late to really have much effect on the game.
Fellaini - was brought on in the 90th+6 minute as a time wasting exercise.
Spurs
Pochettino - Pochettino has disappointed me this season, all his signings are athletes, rather than footballers. So long as they can run fast, preferably being strong as well, he seems to sign them. It is why the team is regressing so badly and why the freezing out of Alderweireld is costing so badly. He does not seem to know what to do to just get a team over the line to win when it matters.
Vorm - poor but then Lloris has been poor in recent weeks so I doubt it would have mattered much if Poch had decided to make the change.
Trippier - when he is not delivering good quality crosses into the box he does not have a lot to offer. He is not the best positionally and does not have the pace to get up and down the pitch the way Kyle Walker did. He is a real weak link in the air and lacks strength. However, the alternative is the rash, wild and generally awful Aurier, so it is not much of a choice!
Sanchez - I know people love him because he is often racing back to get a challenge in, but it is that which bothers me about him. He is always racing back because he is out of position or just caught ball watching and not covering a run. It reminds me of a Johan Cruyff quote every time I see him play, as he is always chasing after the play: "Because you play football with your head, and your legs are there to help you. If you don't use your head, using your feet won't be sufficient. Why does a player have to chase the ball? Because he started running too late. You have to pay attention, use your brain and find the right position. If you get to the ball late, it means you chose the wrong position." - Johan Cruyff. That is Davinson Sanchez to a tee, always chasing after the ball instead of being there already.
Vertonghen - decent game, though there are times he can get drawn too far forward chasing the ball, he has been excellent this season.
Davies - he is just not good enough in my opinion. There is nothing about him that is top level, everything is so average, both in his on and off the ball play, his pace, strength, workrate, passing, crossing, tackling, positioning, none of it is outstanding. He should be a back up.
Dier - in midfield I used to like him, but this season he has regressed and provided a lot less protection for the defence than previously. He is trying far too hard to offer more than protection and that is beyond him. He should sit down and watch videos of Makalele play and realise you do not have to be an attacking threat to be a great player.
Dembele - not a good game for one of my favourite players. Allowed himself to be robbed of the ball, ok he was played into trouble but still he normally finds a way out, and struggled all game. Does not look at full fitness to me, whether it is age, injury or exhaustion I do not know, but he does not look right. The glide across the ground is just not the same at the moment. I would not be surprised if he is carrying a slight niggle.
Eriksen - when given time and space, as he was for the goal, he is devastating, however he goes missing when he does not get it, as he did for large portions of the game yesterday. I think he might be better dropping into a deeper role as an alternative to Dembele to give him more time and space to pick his passes.
Alli - he is really not doing himself justice this season, goes down too easy, snaps at nothing but he is still heavily involved in all Spurs do, which is a problem with him not being at his best. Looks like he needs a break to me.
Son - started off well but then faded as the game went on.
Kane - I do not care what Kane himself says, there is absolutely no way he is fully fit. Whether that is physically fit or mentally fit is the only real question. He might be physically whole but the constant ankle problems weighing on his mind affecting him, but he is not moving freely. He has that tightness of movement of someone who is not entirely comfortable.
Subs:
Lucas Moura - well he does run very fast and can hit a shot hard but everything is directionless. I really do not get the point in him being brought on to replace Davies on 68 minutes. He offers so little as he gives the ball away constantly.
Wanyama - replaced the struggling Dembele on 78 minutes and provided a physical presence but little else.
Lamela - came on for Son in the 86th minute with the game petering out as Spurs were getting more and more desperate in their attempts to take the game to United. Never really had a chance to do anything.
Written by Tris Burke April 23 2018 16:28:40