...and is back upto match fitness, surely a dose of Kyle Naughton at right back?!
The young lad's been mighty reliable on his unfavoured left-side...both in defence and going forward. I certainly don't get that nasty anxious feeling that can crop up when Kyle Walker has the ball.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not one for player-bashing and hate campaigns against any Spur. They all wear the Lilywhite. But Kyle Walker looks like he could do with a break. Mentally as much as anything. He's played almost all of our games for God-knows-how-long and we can forget how young he is. He has all the raw talent in the world, but lapses in concentration, lack of quick-thinking / positional nous have let him down time and again this season. I'd like to see him take some time to work on his game and come back a better, cleverer player.
Kyle Naughton, while he may not have the brutish power, size and speed of KW, does strike me as more of a thinking man's full back. He does still possess speed and strength and it's been interesting how many fewer crosses are coming into our box from that wing now we have a genuine full back out there. Jan V did a great job in the short-term, but there's been marked improvement since KN has put a string of games together.
Going forward too the lad has shown lots of guts and drive. Lovely deft through-ball for Defoe's opener against Villa...really unlocked the game (and their defence) with that quick ball. And it was a delicate, crafty, weighted ball. The sort Kyle Walker perhaps struggles with...
Hopefully not too long til we can see these boys line up - strong team.
Lloris
Naughton Kaboul Vertonghen Benny A-E
Sandro Dembele
Lennon Dempsey Bale
Defoe
To improve on this XI looks tough, but certainly not impossible!! I would say the areas Daniel Levy / AVB might want to address this window are:
- extra striker as a MUST. If we are playing 2 up top, how can we have nobody as back-up for injuries, suspensions, ACON etc..? Adebayor has looked rubbish quite frankly. And while Defoe's in a rich vein of form, we know him too well to think that will last week-in week-out for the rest of the season. Damiao please, for me. Llorente a good 2nd.
- back-up / rotational winger for Bale and Lennon cover and to keep them on their toes. Townsend looks promising but he's not close to top 4 standard yet. Talk of Zaha...he look's good, but will demand inflated price. Dare I say someone like Pienaar...he looks on fire for Everton, haha!! Any other suggestions???
- Finally, and while this is possibly the least urgent...it is the area that could make the most difference to our team's play at this moment in time. The central AM role. Dempsey has looked better and better of recent weeks. He's clever, loses his man and finds space to create bits & bobs. Yet I know, no matter how well he's performing, he's never going to be a Champions League quality playmaker. Siggy has time on his side, but I'm not certain he will ever turn out to be one of the top, top, "triffic" players. So I'm pleased there are rumours of Willian, Eriksen, Sneijder and the like doing the rounds. If any of those 3 were to come off, I'd probably pee myself.
No real theme to this thread anymore - just some ramblings.
Anyone for rambling...?
When BAE comes back...
posted on 30/12/12
Not for me. Yes the right foot is his strongest. However his best postion is left back imo.
At right back Naughton inexplicably moves towards the central defender leaving space in behind him. It is a fault with his game he has had for years and seemingly cannot get knocked out of him. At left back his positioning is significantly better.
I would play one of the youth boys in resting Walker, we have a stupid amount of potential right backs coming through Barthram, Smith (who is regarded as first team despite being on loan), Byrne, Mcqueen,etc.
Interesting to note that Walker and Naughton can play anywhere across the backline, Naughton can also play anywhere across midfield=Versatility.
posted on 30/12/12
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posted on 30/12/12
i assume BAE will have to wait for his chance..
he will no doubt play v Coventry, but in the league i expect Naughton to hold his place for the time being. he deserves to.
posted on 30/12/12
I watched a bit of Blackpool the other day just to see what all the fuss is about with young Ince.. he's a lot like Lennon but with a larger build. Certainly a level above the championship. I'd like him at Spurs but I'm not sure if he's an AVB player..
Agree we need to freshen up the squad, Livermore and Carroll look certain to be frozen out, and Hudd.. especially if we make any kind of signing in midfield.
I'd like to see a young striker come in who'll shake things up but won't mind being benched occasionally.. Bony..
posted on 30/12/12
i am not sure about frozen out... they are just squad men...
not sure what the deal is with carroll.. i really like the young man.. but he hasn't convinced anywhere he has been... even at Derby although i gather the problem there was physique not technique. i don't think he will make it at spurs, which is a shame, but hopefully we can get a decent fee for him eventually.
as for livermore, i am amazed that he has made as many appearances as he has, as he is a totally limited player imo. again i have no problem with him, but he is just not good enough for spurs..
if we can get 5 mill for him then that is good business.
hudd... dunno what is wrong there... he's a class act, but maybe he needs a change. he looked poor whenever he played this season really...
i wouldn't sell though.
i would keep this season, then maybe loan him out next season and monitor him closely before making a decision. not sure how long he has left on his contract, but when levy is about its safe to assume that most of the players are on long term deals.
posted on 30/12/12
Fair, "frozen out" probably was a harsh way of putting it but they're not going to be playing first team football. Weird how you'd rather keep hold of Hudd than the kids though.. Carroll especially has tons of potential if he eats his greens
The only youngster I see as definitely below par is Kane.. Naughton went to Norwich last season and was a solid first team regular, Harry's done nothing and looked shocking in the Europa last season.
I know you don't rate Livermore but for me his performances last season warrant one more go at the first team at least.. he's also handy for cover at the back.
posted on 30/12/12
bales... i would like to give carroll a loan... but somewhere where he plays. same with townsend actually.
look at danny rose this season. walker two seasons ago. caulker and naughton last season.
tbh maybe a loan to QPR would be the best thing for livermore, see how he copes playing every game.
i am always willing to give a kid another try before selling them, so i can't really argue with you on that one..
however hudd is a proven premier league class player.
if dembele got injured for the rest of the season, i would feel better knowing that hudd will have to play 15 games, rather than relying on carroll for those 15... if you see what i mean
posted on 30/12/12
I do see what you mean, it makes sense.
posted on 30/12/12
posted on 31/12/12
Kaboul back in 1 month avb said today
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here we go......he was supposed to be back in december