Biggest Problem: Defence or Attack?

As things stand the defence worries me more, less from a view that i think they are all bad players but more from a it seems like we are badly in need of getting to a settled set of starting centre backs who are in tune with eachother. That coupled with rumours of Targett leaving, meaning left back cover would be weaker & he's the one player to look ok at cover right back too.

 

Striking, Austin looks our settled first choice. Good to see Gabbi back & more involved. Also think Gallagher has tonnes of potential if we actually have the bravery to give him opportunities. My one qualm is the rumours surrounding us selling him when it seems obvious to me that if we want to lose an attacker it plainly should be long. Can't Elyounessi play up there too?

I've come around to the point where I would actively be shopping Long around (unless Sparky has other uses for him). I'd rather go into the season with Gallagher as the 3rd striker. I think he has shown that he has potential, and looks to be a better fit in our system. We also have Mo Ely as a 4th striker if needed.

My Spurs-supporting work colleague took his lad to SMS last night. He's a youth coach so I was interested in his feedback, having read the comments on the match thread that the defence looked shaky. His comment was that the defence was sound, the problem was the midfield which was hopeless, allowing the oppo to attack our defence at will. Said the "bald headed lad seemed to playing on his own" and that "once your attack broke down, no-one seemed to challenge the oppo" until they were around our penalty box. Always interesting to get a neutral's view.

My Spurs-supporting work colleague took his lad to SMS last night. He's a youth coach so I was interested in his feedback, having read the comments on the match thread that the defence looked shaky. His comment was that the defence was sound, the problem was the midfield which was hopeless, allowing the oppo to attack our defence at will. Said the "bald headed lad seemed to playing on his own" and that "once your attack broke down, no-one seemed to challenge the oppo" until they were around our penalty box. Always interesting to get a neutral's view.

that is going to be huge for us this season.

it is a bit like england. 3 at t he back with just 1 sat in front with everyone else fairly high up the pitch

My Spurs-supporting work colleague took his lad to SMS last night. He's a youth coach so I was interested in his feedback, having read the comments on the match thread that the defence looked shaky. His comment was that the defence was sound, the problem was the midfield which was hopeless, allowing the oppo to attack our defence at will. Said the "bald headed lad seemed to playing on his own" and that "once your attack broke down, no-one seemed to challenge the oppo" until they were around our penalty box. Always interesting to get a neutral's view.

Interesting idea that even Spurs supporters are clever enough to see the problem. It's true, it certainly was last season, but all the Saints board intelligentsia think the problem is the defenders, Stephens in particular or the attack. The problem has been so much the midfield, the attacking ones, cannot hold the ball, give it away in stupid places, lead to situations where the defence have no way of recovering the situation. Tadic, Boufal and Redmond specifically were all guilty as sin last season, and only Boufal had the balls to get back and put a shift in defensively. Last night the same thing appeared to be happening, firstly with Davis/McQueen and then with Long. Players like this will.always give the ball away, it's part of their job, trying to create, it carries a high level of risk, but we need to have a strategy/someone to deal with it. It used to be Morgan and then Wanyama. Romeu is a good player but he is not of their stature and he gets overwhelmed and also has to cover for calamities from Hoedt, in particular. The plan has to be to have Lemina in there, and that was what was missing last night. Trouble is the jury is still out on Lemina. Until we solve that problem we will probably continue to struggle and the Saints Forum gurus will continue to blame individuals because they need someone to blame. I'm positive in as much as I think Armstrong will not be as dangerous to us as Boufal, Tadic and Redmond, but not convinced yet on the basis of 75 minutes in a preseason friendly and clearly we need someone else in there as well. I should have added as well that things were better when we also had VvD who would step up and support Romeu, his brains from the CB role helped paper over the cracks in the MF to some extent. Will Vestergaard develop this was as well, only time will tell, only Stephens of our other CBs seems to show these qualities, but of course Stephens is **** and cannot head the ball according to some of the learned few, the legends in their own minds, that haunt this place.

Interesting idea that even Spurs supporters are clever enough to see the problem. It's true, it certainly was last season, but all the Saints board intelligentsia think the problem is the defenders, Stephens in particular or the attack. The problem has been so much the midfield, the attacking ones, cannot hold the ball, give it away in stupid places, lead to situations where the defence have no way of recovering the situation. Tadic, Boufal and Redmond specifically were all guilty as sin last season, and only Boufal had the balls to get back and put a shift in defensively. Last night the same thing appeared to be happening, firstly with Davis/McQueen and then with Long. Players like this will.always give the ball away, it's part of their job, trying to create, it carries a high level of risk, but we need to have a strategy/someone to deal with it. It used to be Morgan and then Wanyama. Romeu is a good player but he is not of their stature and he gets overwhelmed and also has to cover for calamities from Hoedt, in particular. The plan has to be to have Lemina in there, and that was what was missing last night. Trouble is the jury is still out on Lemina. Until we solve that problem we will probably continue to struggle and the Saints Forum gurus will continue to blame individuals because they need someone to blame. I'm positive in as much as I think Armstrong will not be as dangerous to us as Boufal, Tadic and Redmond, but not convinced yet on the basis of 75 minutes in a preseason friendly and clearly we need someone else in there as well. I should have added as well that things were better when we also had VvD who would step up and support Romeu, his brains from the CB role helped paper over the cracks in the MF to some extent. Will Vestergaard develop this was as well, only time will tell, only Stephens of our other CBs seems to show these qualities, but of course Stephens is **** and cannot head the ball according to some of the learned few, the legends in their own minds, that haunt this place.

I noticed that too. When Long gave the ball away, instead of trying to get it back he just stopped and looked to the sky. This left Bednarek 1-on-1 with the striker. Not really Bednarek's fault, he actually did ok.

Biggest Problem: Defence or Attack?

Yes.

Both and something in the middle too!

So after pre-season 11 scored 13 conceded?

I noticed that too. When Long gave the ball away, instead of trying to get it back he just stopped and looked to the sky. This left Bednarek 1-on-1 with the striker. Not really Bednarek's fault, he actually did ok.

Clear demonstration again today, our CBs may not be great but they are being exposed time and again by our midfield players. Only Romeu comes.close to providing the shield. Hoj and Lemina are hopeless in that role, Lemina gave the ball away in dangerous positions so many times today. The focus on this thread on blaming the attack or the defence simply highlights how simplistic so many of our self opinionated forum experts are. That said Vestergaard is horrendously slow, and Hoedt continues to make dreadful mistakes, I was hoping he would start to learn and cut out the nonsense. Bednarek also has been given a chance by Hughes after showing well when asked to in our run in, but he is demonstrating now why he was not previously getting close to the 1st team. Seems to me that we haven't improved on our longest serving CBs, Yoshida and Stephens still the best we have.

Biggest problem is Mark Hughes...

Yeah Im sticking with defence being the problem (combined with our poor midfield)..

Biggest problem is Mark Hughes...

We've got multiple problems but yeah Hughes is up there.