Meh
Well, I didn't expect that. After a loss against Spurs in the league - a game dominated by the guys in Red for 70 minutes - we get a 4-2 hyding at White Hart Lane. Shades of our Carling Cup/FA Cup embarrassment two seasons ago courtesy of l'Arse (Julio Baptista - four goals, including a missed PK - are you fucking kidding me?), only this time it was to the Gunners' annoying little brother.
I know, I know - it's the Careless Cup, the Mickeyest of Mouses Trophy, a tournament about half as meaningful as the Club World Cup. The Intertoto is more glamorous. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for some late-game heroics or screaming for a 75th minute penalty that our good friend Mike Riley blatantly missed. A few points:
- El-Zhar is the best thing to come out of Morocco since, um, the tangerine. Ok, he's French, but of Moroccan descent. Brie w/ tangerine? Nice.
He's a beast in the making - a tricky dribbler with a really good shot and seemingly very two-footed. Should, knock on wood, Stevie MBE get injured, I think he's the most like-for-like in that CAM role we play in the 4-2-3-1. High praise, I realize, but I really rate this kid.
- Torres: 55 minutes, not injured. I'll take that over a win in this tournament any day.
- Dossena: merely communication issues with Cav or is he just plain horrible? Too early to tell but one thing's for sure - Aurelio has a firm grip on that LB position. Let's just hope we get some stability at that position and pray that Pepe doesn't get hurt. Cavalieri was rusty and just plain terrible for one 15 minute stretch.
- Hyypia is inconsistent, to be expected at his age, but he looked slow and overconfident and contributed to a very poor performance from our backline. I love the guy but he can't get any meaningful action if he's going to have the occasional game like he had yesterday.
- N'Gog looks like a very good striker in the making. He holds the ball up well and has a very nice touch. We didn't see many shots from him yesterday, but he scored a couple screamers in the pre-season so he's got that in his repertoire. If he didn't play while Torres was injured, I can't imagine we see him in the first-team much the rest of the year, but he's one to keep an eye on.
So while I'd like to chalk this up as our C Team v. Spurs' A team, I'm frustrated by the fact that this was a team comprised mostly of fringe players, not reserves players. And Spurs played a watered-down lineup as well. I'm not going to get too down for this loss, because at some point the Careless adds to fixture congestion, but I'm disappointed by our second team, who should have done better. Our midfield got bossed around, we only got meaningful possession in the second half, and we give up a goal immediately following our first (nice to see some goals from corners, finally).
And not to take anything away from Spurs, who've now won five of six, with only one draw, but this is Spurs' Champions League, their only realistic chance at winning any silverware, so let's let them have their fun.
League action this weekend against Bolton and that remains our real focus this season. Kuyt, Keane, Stevie G, Riera, and Carra all got some much-deserved rest yesterday, so we should be fresh. Bolton are a tough team to break down, and very physical, but the full three is a must.
And so on and so forth.
I know, I know - it's the Careless Cup, the Mickeyest of Mouses Trophy, a tournament about half as meaningful as the Club World Cup. The Intertoto is more glamorous. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for some late-game heroics or screaming for a 75th minute penalty that our good friend Mike Riley blatantly missed. A few points:
- El-Zhar is the best thing to come out of Morocco since, um, the tangerine. Ok, he's French, but of Moroccan descent. Brie w/ tangerine? Nice.
He's a beast in the making - a tricky dribbler with a really good shot and seemingly very two-footed. Should, knock on wood, Stevie MBE get injured, I think he's the most like-for-like in that CAM role we play in the 4-2-3-1. High praise, I realize, but I really rate this kid.
- Torres: 55 minutes, not injured. I'll take that over a win in this tournament any day.
- Dossena: merely communication issues with Cav or is he just plain horrible? Too early to tell but one thing's for sure - Aurelio has a firm grip on that LB position. Let's just hope we get some stability at that position and pray that Pepe doesn't get hurt. Cavalieri was rusty and just plain terrible for one 15 minute stretch.
- Hyypia is inconsistent, to be expected at his age, but he looked slow and overconfident and contributed to a very poor performance from our backline. I love the guy but he can't get any meaningful action if he's going to have the occasional game like he had yesterday.
- N'Gog looks like a very good striker in the making. He holds the ball up well and has a very nice touch. We didn't see many shots from him yesterday, but he scored a couple screamers in the pre-season so he's got that in his repertoire. If he didn't play while Torres was injured, I can't imagine we see him in the first-team much the rest of the year, but he's one to keep an eye on.
So while I'd like to chalk this up as our C Team v. Spurs' A team, I'm frustrated by the fact that this was a team comprised mostly of fringe players, not reserves players. And Spurs played a watered-down lineup as well. I'm not going to get too down for this loss, because at some point the Careless adds to fixture congestion, but I'm disappointed by our second team, who should have done better. Our midfield got bossed around, we only got meaningful possession in the second half, and we give up a goal immediately following our first (nice to see some goals from corners, finally).
And not to take anything away from Spurs, who've now won five of six, with only one draw, but this is Spurs' Champions League, their only realistic chance at winning any silverware, so let's let them have their fun.
League action this weekend against Bolton and that remains our real focus this season. Kuyt, Keane, Stevie G, Riera, and Carra all got some much-deserved rest yesterday, so we should be fresh. Bolton are a tough team to break down, and very physical, but the full three is a must.
And so on and so forth.
posted by stephen at 9:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home