Match report : Spurs 1-0 Basel

We won.
The details ?? Not for plastics like you lot !!!

The RDBD didn't watch the game.
While all the anoracks were pestering VDV all game for his signature, the RDBD spent the time talking to Sylvie. Meanwhile ...


1. Miles 2. Barthram 3. Stewart 4. Luongo 5. Veljkovic 6. Nicholson 7. Pritchard 8. Domaxe 9. Coulibaly 10. Kane 11. Oyenuga

The goal came for Veljkovic heading in a cross in from the right.


For those feeble-minded pop-culture pap amongst us, the Spurs game can be summarised as :

1. How to solve a problem like everyone thinking they are Bale and Walker

2. I'm an empty midfield, get me Spurs players into here !!!


#1 was illustrated by Stewarts' continual runs down the left in the 1st half, losing possession there, and then being miles out of position with no cover. To prove football is a game of two halves, Barthram then did the same down the right.

#2 was across the 90 mins.
Nearly all the Basel attacking started with no central MF opposition and then the eventual outlet to the right/left (see #1) .


Basel changed tact in the 2nd half, and their No. 13 was a real handful.
More attacks started to come down the left (courtesy of Barthram and problem 1) . Surprisingly given his height advantage, Basel did not play the high ball at all.

Coulibaly showed his nuisance value throughout the match, but not the shots. My questions are whether he can survive the attentions of the PL thugs like Terry et al.

Pritchard IMHO is a good MF, but he needs to go back to basics.
Running across the MF from left to right after the ball is not the playmaker way. Like lovely Luka he must learn to stay in the centre, act as the conduit, and then follow the play left/right as needs dictate.

The keeper was sound. Two good saves in the 2nd half when Basel raised their game.

Weirdness of the day was Harry Kane.
For some reason Spurcat (sorry Tim Sherwood) decided that Coulibaly and Oyenuga should lead the line. And to be fair Kudos was a real nuisance in that role.

But Kane was completely playing out of his position in the MF.
The 1st half was horrible for him, the 2nd half much better, but still not his thing.

Luongo was the stand-out player.
Much like Gazza of old in his dribbling and sturdiness.
A real box to box display today from the boy.
His spatial awareness was also superb (the number of times my head was screaming "Man on" when the Basel players were coming from behind, but not once did they get him before he had moved the ball on) .

And a nice Gazza-esque run in the 1st half that deserved at least a shot on goal from him, rather than looking for a team-mate.