Sounding us out
Spurs News 24/7I didn't watch our game against the Seattle Sounders live, although have since caught up with the highlights. Pretty much like any recent pre-season game, I have rendered them null and void in every which way possible aside from the hope nobody gets injured. Sure, I might look for the subtle clues that will not be invisible to all the tactical geniuses amongst us relating to Pochettino and his players edging slowly towards structure and another new philosophy. Blink and you might miss it.
What is pre-season if it's not the first set of matches where players attempt to claim back full fitness and touch? I've seen some attempts to analyse the game as if it can provide certified answers to all known questions. Are we that starved? Was the World Cup not enough to quench your thirst?
Regardless, nice to see Ceballos and Falque involved. Nice to see a fair few others that probably need to be shifted on once our rested (alleged) better players return from their extended holidays. Soldado looking pretty tasty on Instagram up against Lamela on FIFA. Kane just might be our 'third striker' if Franco Baldini doesn't deliver on Bony or Destro (I have no idea if there is truth in either of these targets but I'd lean towards Bony as a player we are looking at - but at the cost of what? Selling one that we already have?)
So the game was pretty much a condensed goals package for me that included a couple of penalties for us and a nicely assisted Harry Kane goal (for Holtby). We also conceded three. Steffan Freund apparently answered a question about Lewis and his future with 'next question' (social media reported it). Other than that, Pochettino cited the new buzz word of the moment (philosophy) a dozen times in what what was pretty much decent croak-free English. His way of saying 'be patient' without actually saying it.
My sentiments with the seasons preparation is that Poch has been appointed fully aware he has to work with the squad assembled from last season before deciding whether some are surplus to requirements. Any new blood to be injected into our needle infested veins will have to rejuvenate the flow and remove any clots (I got a C in biology). Specifically the clusterf*ck that is the left-back. Not that I'm going to sit here and slate Danny Rose but the lad is clearly not at the required level to own that position and might never be. Is Ben Davies the answer or just another question? He's raw, young and perhaps not the most dynamic but for sure he has displayed far better composure and intelligence than a number of our offspring (adopted or otherwise). Faith completely with Pochettino and his deployment and development skills.
I do think any other club signing him would welcome Davies with open arms and hype him up accordingly but our lot prefer the cynicism because, let's face it, the end result isn't always the one we get giddy about when the new arrival first dons the shirt.
Michel Vorm is a solid back-up keeper, youthful at the age of 30 compared to Brad, so has that extra bit of juice and spring-ability in him for the Europa games. Does this mean Hugo Lloris is leaving next summer? Seriously? If you're asking that question, walk very fast into a brick wall a couple of times. Who cares about NEXT summer when this summer hasn't even departed along with all the pollen and thunder.
I don't care about pre-season like I said (still recovering from the psychological impact in the aftermath of the 5-0 pasting of Roma) but that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see us playing again, even if it means very little outside of the training sessions that take place before and after these PR exercises in the States.
This summer might have been a tad more exciting had we appointed van Gaal (who would have wanted to attract more high profile players) but then again we'd have to sell a fair few to raise the funds to do so. Hence the lack of sexy movement in the past month or two. It's all very 'doing the robot at a salsa night' at the moment.
Selling to buy might still be the case for Pochettino. Danny Rose £6M? Best accountancy in the league. Fiscal Army!
So welcome back Tottenham. Give us a kiss. Let's not make it sloppy.
