Mails: Tottenham are officially in crisis

Mails: Tottenham are officially in crisis

You know what to do: Mail your thoughts – especially on the final question of the mailbox – to theeditor@football365.com

Tottenham = England
A terrible performance.

Players looking completely lost in a 85,000 seater stadium void of atmosphere. .

Last night was like going to an England game.
Jamie, Colchester

Oh dear Tottenham
It looks like Spurs are getting homesick and are planning a trip to the more familiar Europa League.
Dan, Afc

Tottenham are now officially in crisis
Is it a crisis? No win in six matches, no goal from open play in five. The North London Derby next? Yes, it is a crisis for Spurs.

Another record home attendance with over 85,000 fans at Wembley? Check. An other dreadful performance at Wembley? Check. Is it the pitch’s fault? Hell no. It’s the players’ fault. What on Earth was that? Almost as bad as the 5-1 lost against Newcastle last season. Davies was awful. Walker was back at his pre-Poch self. Son running around not doing anything. Eriksen being average at best at all level, only able to shoot slightly wide or directly at the keeper. Dele okay, but overwhelemed by his teammates being p*** poor. Dier was making mistake after mistake. At least Vertonghen saved some certain goals for Leverkusen, but looked so shaky in the opening 20 mins. The subs tried their best despite that so I can’t slate them for it. But the main shocker was Sissoko, who played 90 mins…£30m for Sissoko. A cross-country runner at best. Newcastle fans were right all along. £30m…Mané signed for £34m by comparison. Laugh at us.

Either that loss kicks some desire and cohesion back into this Spurs team or Arsenal are going to run over them like that truck did to the toe cutter in the original Mad Max.

When Dier hit that post at the end with his free-kick, it felt like someone just told you some good news to then announce he was kidding. “Why do you do this to me?” Didn’t deserve anything from the game anyways. Poch better sort it out and quickly. He has three days.
John Blakeway

F**k you, Spurs
Here comes the bashing from rivals saying we’re in some sort of shade and got too big for our boots when we had reason to be optimistic for a bit. The unfounded comments people made about Spurs being good for just the one season have happened. Not because they predicted it using reasoning but just hate for the club but now they can (rightly) gloat. And fair enough. We’ve been dogsh*t for 80% of our games.

I truly regret thinking maybe we’d turned a corner. I won’t let that happen again.
Sad spud (I always preferred Southampton anyway) Kent

Toon fans warned you…
Between the warnings we gave Palace fans about Pardew, and the warnings we gave Spurs (and briefly Everton) fans about Sissoko, can we all now agree that (1) occasionally Newcastle fans do actually know their onions; and (2) we’re not always just embittered, entitled northerners whinging about players and managers we expect too much from?

Whilst I have your attention though, Mr Levy, do you fancy Emmanuel Riviere for £15m to bolster your attacking options at all?
Andrew

Leicester thoughts
Well that wasn’t very pretty was it?

Firstly, the first club to keep four clean sheets in their first four games in the CL. This is partly due to how tight we keep it, but also due to the profligacy of Copenhagen – their shooting was really poor when presented with decent half chances.

Having said that, just one point needed from remaining two games, which includes Brugge at home next. What a stunning achievement it will be to reach the knockouts. It might not win any beauty contests but you would struggle to find a (sane) Leicester fan who is complaining about our European tour this season.

We are still looking a bit short up front. There is just a lack of pep about Vardy and Mahrez at times. They don’t seem to be on the same wavelength and passes/runs between them that would have led to a goal last season are now finding defenders instead. Ranieri was clearly rotating a few players tonight, but anything beyond the first XI (same side as last season plus A N Other instead of Kante) and we look a bit disjointed and lack fluency going forward that was our hallmark last year.

There is all this talk of Arsenal getting all the luck of finally winning their group and drawing Real/Bayern in the last 16. Spare a thought for us should this scenario happen to Leicester (nb – I did call Barcelona v Leicester in the last 16 after predicting all three of our group opponents in the mailbox and I could still be right!). I am being pessimistic here, but I think a side like that will rip us to shreds by getting in between our midfield and defence and actually hitting the target occasionally.

I’m nit-picking here, this is still a joyful occasion and I am in no mood to see our CL adventure end anytime soon but I am a greedy so and so and would love it if we could turn on the style v Brugge in three weeks’ time.
Rob (apologies to all for lowering our European co-efficient with a draw) Leicester

What has Klopp done?
Looking at the nominations for Fifa Men’s Coach of the Year, I couldn’t help but wonder which criteria exactly is used for nominations. The likes of Santos and Zidane are obvious choices and are likely to be the top two but what are Klopp and Pochettino doing on this list? On the FIFA website, they insinuate that Klopp was nominated because he took Liverpool to two cup finals. One of those finals was of course the Europa League final. The guy who actually won the thing, Unai Emery, is not even on the list. Given that Emery also guided Sevilla to the Copa Del Rey final last season, you wonder how exactly Klopp was nominated over Emery. Then we have Pochettino, who was selected because he challenged Leicester to the very end.

That’s all well and good but what about Allegri who won a double with Juventus? Or Blanc who won a domestic treble with PSG? Critics may say those are one-horse leagues but that really should not matter in the tiniest bit. Also, why isn’t there a coach from Asia/Africa/The Americas? The list looks more like a UEFA list than one supposed to represent managerial achievements from across the entire planet.

*As a sidenote, Danny Ings is one unlucky guy with injuries.
Greg Tric, Nairobi

Why do we yearn for the Champions League?
As a Liverpool fan, the Benitez era was glorious for European memories. We won the Champions League, got to a final, a semi and a quarter in those years. It wasn’t all about winning, it was about great nights, beating Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Juventus. It was about getting goosebumps hearing the music before kick off and thinking – this is the highest stage. And we’re right in with a chance.

It’s only in the last season or two that I’ve thought – why do we yearn for Champions League football? Since Chelsea in 2012, no English team has come close to glory. The memories aren’t made in the group stages, they’re made in the knockout matches against the elite. And English teams are suffering in those matches. The Premier League is so bloody hard nowadays, there’s no room for coming back from Madrid or Munich or Turin at 70% and thinking you’ll beat Watford away.

Leicester took absolute advantage of no Champions league last year, we all know that – they’re now putting everything into the CL and falling behind in the league. Liverpool are thriving with no European football. If you offered me a spot in the Champions league right now – this season – I would decline. Liverpool are playing at a level and tempo that the big teams are struggling to reach, they focus on one game per week and are absolutely ravenous when they come out on the pitch – this could be our year. I’ve said it.

I welcome Arsenal fans to tell me what they would like? It’s been 12 years without a win in either the league or Champions League – is constant participation part in the CL their problem? When Liverpool won the Champions league, they finished fifth. Chelsea finished sixth when they won it. Leicester are doing a damn good job at the Champions League but look at their league position now.

Here’s the bottom line, Europe has a big four now: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid. Getting in to that group will be a huge task. The Premier League no longer has a big four. It’s a big 6-10 depending on the season. Leicester weren’t even considered in the top eight and they won the damn thing.
Damo, Dublin

Disputing the Man United optimism
In response to Chris MUFC. I think United’s statistics are slightly skewed by three games.

If you’ll allow me to elaborate…

Remove the Stoke (24 shots) Burnley (37 shots) and Hull (29 shots, last minute 1-0 win) games I think you’d find United further behind. That’s 90 of their shots out of 133 (68%) in three games leaving 43 shots spread over seven other games.

*you can obviously add on an average shots per game for the other three matches because I’ve currently dropped them to zero.

Admittedly I haven’t looked to see how uneven the other teams’ shots are when you factor in dominant games but it does feel like United are either overwhelming teams or farting their way through games.

One of the biggest shames is United obviously played very well (Pogba influential and I thought should have had three assists) but all that has gone out the window with Jose’s half time tantrum stealing the show.

I saw somebody write in saying they had three penalty shouts. Well, three “shouts” doesn’t equal a penalty. They are individually assessed and NONE of them were penalties.

For the one where Jose is sent off, Flanagan goes to grab Darmian’s arm, thinks better of it and lets go, Darmian then falls over, aka dives!

The truth is, the best Mourinho teams had an incredible team spirit and I’d say squad unity but it’s hard to have that when you freeze out Schweini (a respected member by the players) limit Schneidi, Martial, and Mikhi and favour players like Young, Lingaard and Fellaini.

If you’re in the team who would you prefer to play with? I know what my answer would be, and players aren’t stupid, If we can see who’s clearly better so can they…

I’m not even a United fan, and having said all this, I’m still expecting you to turn us (Arsenal) over in a few weeks because we lost to a dour Moyes led team and we lost to a Van Gaal side with most of their back four missing – ending our title push.

Factor in Wenger’s record vs Mourinho and I’d say you’ll be alright, besides, you’re playing Swansea next…
Strevs, Afc, Canada

…I haven’t read the mailbox for a while but the recent defence of Jose Mourinho from the press, former players and managers has me in so much ire, I had to vent to somebody. I’ve seen reports from various places, stating that ‘he can’t work miracles’, ‘needs more backing from the board’, and ‘needs time to mould this Utd squad into his own’ to name but a few. I even read an article from Jamie Carragher praising his ‘tactical’ 0-0 draw with Liverpool. What?? I’m sorry, but any Utd fan that is happy to have a team with the world’s most expensive signing and a host of other world-class players go away to any ground and play a 6-3-1 formation is, well, I’m sorry to say this, but they’re deluded.

He’s got potentially one of the best squads in the league if you include players like Martial, Schweinsteiger and Mkhitaryan. Not to mention talented younger players like Depay and Darmain. He inherited a team that had the best defensive record in the league last season and finished level on points with fourth-place City. Then he’s sprinkled a further £150m on top and you’re telling me he needs to be given time and that current results are not his fault? Sorry, but that’s bull.

Considering Pep Guardiola took over a City team that finished level with Utd last season and has spent £141m on players who are currently at the club, how come his team aren’t struggling (let’s forget about the horrible media agendas that tried to convince us they ever were). They are top of the league and have just comprehensively beat one of the best teams in the world.

Or what about Antonio Conte, a manager who inherited Jose Mourinho’s squad and I believe is currently 10pt or so better off than Jose was with more or less the same team last season. Why does Mourinho get a constant pass from the press? I’ve even noticed F365’s digs at him have been most subtle. It’s as if everyone is afraid to upset him.

Being an Arsenal fan, I’ve never taking a liking to Jose Mourinho because of his obvious obsession with Arsene Wenger. However, remove that from the equation and you have got horrible little man that has been a poor manager results-wise for at least the last year. Most managers have a shelf life as an absolute elite for around 10-15 years. Is it possible Jose’s finally been found out and football has moved on without him? If that’s the case, I really wish the press would stop making excuses for ‘poor and lonely’ Jose, in his £1,000 a night hotel. Seriously, it’s a joke.

Rant over.
Simon Banks

No poppy love
Is anyone else absolutely fed up of this poppy nonsense? When did poppies on football shirts become such a big deal? From the way people talk about it you would think that poppies on shirts had a grand tradition that stretched back a hundred years. As far as I can make out from the brief research I did, the first football shirt poppy wasn’t until 2001 and its certainly within the last decade that every team started wearing one.

Wearing a poppy should be a respectful symbol of remembrance, not something that clubs and teams are desperate to get on board with. I hate seeing poppies on football shirts. To me it has taken something meaningful and turned it into good PR. Players don’t wear them out of respect, they wear them because a PR manager has organised for it to be done for the good of the brand.

None of us stitch on poppies when we play sport. You don’t see 10 lads playing 5-a-side witch poppies stuck to their chest. Where did this need come from for the professionals to do it?

If teams want to show respect to armistice day, let the players wear poppies on the way to match, if they choose to. That is what happened for the first 80 years of armistice day. Have collections and sell poppies after the game. That is respectful But this faux-moral outrage directed at FIFA just smacks of brand awareness from clubs (and newspapers) and frankly, makes me sick.
Mike, LFC, Dubai

Stop playing the blame game
I hate the way football matches or more specifically goals, are reported/described.It seems as if too little credit is awarded to the attacking players.

Nearly every time a goal is scored you will hear the commentator saying something like “for me the defender has got to get tighter to his man” or “you can’t afford to give a man of his quality so much time”.

I understand that a significant amount of goals occur as a result of an error, but is it not possible that the reason the attacking player found space is more a result of his quality rather than the deficiency of the defensive team. The Spuds v Bournemouth game although it ended 0-0 was a high octane high-quality spectacle where Bournemouth played out of their skins, and probably deserved more than the draw that they got.

Were they championed for their valiant efforts? No instead spuds were vilified for their perceived lack of invention and creativity. As an Arsenal fan, plenty games where the opponent played with guile and quality come to mind and thus deservedly gained a favorable result to our disdain. Do their achievements get acknowledged? You are more likely to find a articles and pundits criticizing the “mental strength” of the team or the performance of a player based on a few moments in the game.

It makes me wonder whether this is not a symptom of society in general where we find it easier to find fault and criticize than to give credit where credit is due…
BlackManAFC (brackets for what)

Do fans even celebrate anymore?
Watching City the other night with grudging praise, I noticed that when De Bruyne scored, there wasn’t much noticeable celebration.

It’s weird. When the camera pans across the crowd most are just standing smiling and clapping a bit. It’s not just City. I’ve seen it a lot recently.

I don’t go to games anymore but where are the totally batsh*t mental celebrations. Thousands going ape.

So the question is, do fans at games actually celebrate goals properly anymore?
Nez, Kent

Watching Zidane
Another excellent Portrait of an Icon by Mr Storey. He captured Zidane well, and the reference to his movements as a ballet dance is something l can easily relate to.

You opened with a reference to Zidane: A 21st Century Portait. The film is not exactly gripping, but it is a watch that any fan of his should undertake. Mogwai provide the music while Zidane’s quotes are narrated over the images of multiple cinematic cameras which follow the great man for the entire 90 minutes of a football match.

I remember watching, waiting for moments of genius. Instead I became well acquainted with the more subtle aspects of Zidane. As Storey mentions, it’s the gestures, the facial expressions, and the casual stroll that fills up most of the time.

My favourite moment was when he approached the referee after he gave a free kick to the opposition. Zidane disagreed with the call, “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he whispered into the official’s ear.

But this isn’t what has stuck in my memory the most. I feel Storey missed out on one of the most intriguing quotes Zidane has ever said. It came, if I remember correctly, sometime in the first half. I’ll do my best to quote it from memory:

“When I play football I don’t think, I just play. But once in my career, I saw a vision flash in my mind of what is going to happen before the ball came to me. When the ball came it played out exactly as I had seen it. It happened perfectly. It never happened again.”

If that doesn’t hint toward divine intervention playing a part in the brilliance of Zidane’s play, then God surely does not exist.
Nick, LFC

Love Zidane; let’s get nostalgic
Daniel Storey’s piece on Zidane is a thing of beauty (like many others in the Portrait of an Icon series). I have grown up watching and admiring Zidane. My first World Cup that I watched was 1998 (I was nine and due to poor TV coverage, couldn’t watch a lot of football in Pakistan so wasn’t introduced to the beauty of league football). While the football fervor was around Brazil at that time, I was particularly struck by this half bald fellow who seem so good on the ball. As an 8 year old, I didn’t fully understand the game but Zidane’s two goals in the final were enough to convince me that I was witnessing someone special. I started following club football around 2000 and always nursed a soft spot for the teams that Zidane played for.

I am an Arsenal fan and have had the pleasure of watching some of the most complete players to have played the game. I watched the brilliance of Bergkamp, the leadership of Vieira, and sublime skill of Henry. I watched every single minute of the invincible season and have rarely missed a game since 2001. However, despite witnessing all these great moments that I have experienced as a fan, my favorite ever individual performance in a game is Zidane against the mighty Brazil in 2006 World Cup quarter final. France won the game 1-0 and Zidane provided the assist from a FK. But it was his control of the midfield that was so brilliant – Brazil boasted some of the most fearsome names in their team. Yet it was Zidane controlling the tempo, taking players out of the game with just one deft touch, the drop of shoulder and little flick ons that kept the Brazilian team on their toes. All that at the age of 36 is just incredibly amazing!

It was a beautiful performance. Storey’s piece has brought back the nostalgia of those good ol’ days. I think I am going to watch a re-run of that game.

Can other mailboxers pinpoint their favorite individual performance? What comes to mind?
Ahmed, Pakistani Gooner