Sunday, October 02, 2005
Sunday reflections
Still second, thanks to Bolton's inability to overcome Wigan, but the pack are closing and ninth placed West Ham are just three points behind us.
So what went wrong yesterday? Why did we throw away a two-goal lead against Spurs? Who did well and who didn't? What's the Pedro45 view?
This match was probably our biggest test of the season so far; the spotlight was on us, second versus fourth was the biggest game of the day in England. Lots of media interviews - Powell on Sky for instance - may have proved a distraction, as did Hermann's injury late in the week. Right from the start, our defence looked shakier than it has done all season, even against Chelsea! Young, Powell, ElK and Perry all whacked clearances away when they may have had a little more time than they realised; the confidence seemed low surprisingly.
After twenty minutes or so, Smertin started to influence, and Murphy stopped trying too hard (the pressure imposed due to Sven watching from the stand): Through ball to Dazza - one nil! We settled back and played very well. Dazza messed up a chance after Smert's had danced around Robinson, much as Kish had done a little earlier, but it didn't matter at the time. We played very well in the first half, and but for the fussy, over zealous referee, we would have dominated more.
Bent's second, five minutes after half time, should have allowed Charlton to settle down and kill the game. The joke reply from King, courtesy of another poor decision by Ref Dowd who deemed that Davids boot coming off constituted a foul, unsettled the Addicks, and galvanised the visiting fans.
Charlton continued to press, with the midfield still (just) dominant, but missed chances by both sides followed in an increasingly open game.
Mido scored with a swing, via Andersen's legs and the post, and you knew that there was probably only one winner after that. Keane duly came on, and his movement caused more problems. Does he ever not score against Charlton? - goals for Leeds and Spurs stick in the memory, but he may have scored for Wolves and Coventry too if we have played them during his time with them.
We still had chances to even things up but snatched or mis-hit efforts went wide or over.
For Spurs, Davids looks over priced and did little running. I was surprised to see him stuck on the left side of midfield, but I guess Jenas is more mobile than the old Dutchman these days. The forwards are dangerous, and the defence fairly solid if static. I was surprised at how many times Bent won the ball in the air over the taller King.
Player profiles:
Andersen - No real outstanding saves; solid rather than spectacular. Disappointing that he didn't stop any of the three goals, as none of them were unsaveable. Needs to improve if he wants to keep his place.
Young - Tried very hard, and got forward well. Will be remembered for the two late chances he missed rather than the good all round performance. Booked for (very) late tackle.
Perry - OK game. Competed with Mido in the air, but won little. Better when marking Defoe.
El Karkouri - Nervous start, but solid game. Poor long free kicks mostly. Will get better with more games.
Powell - Not his best of the season by a long way. Tired again late on; at fault with the third goal. Chrissy may have played one of his last Premiership matches for us yesterday.
Smertin - Awesome first half, he also tired and lost influence (maybe as Spurs missed out the midfield later in the game?). He's a winner for sure, and we are lucky to have him.
Kishishev - Another iffy game. Caught in possession once or twice and Curbs will have to think about replacing him for home games if this continues. Booked again.
Murphy - Tried hard, too hard early on. Imposed himself once he'd settled into the match, and showed why he's a great player. Urged the team on even when behind; didn't deserve to lose. Booked near the end through frustration.
Thomas - Average game from the wide man. Passed well and often (surprisingly) but couldn't get behind the full back and didn't try to very much.
Rommedahl - Looks more dangerous than he actually is; didn't beat his man all day, but passed and linked up well.
Bent - Three chances, two goals. I'll take that. Once injured, Charlton lost all potency (and Spurs knew it!). Probably his best game so far in a Charlton shirt.
Subs:
Hughes - Did little once on for Thomas except miss a chance at the end.
Bartlett - Did nothing to show he wants to win his place back in the side. Missed a couple of chances through lack of anticipation and composure. I'm not sure where Shaun goes from here - he doesn't deserve to be in this squad at the moment - any takers?
Spector - Pushed up front; tried hard but with Bartlett going AWOL his efforts were wasted. Nice to know that this one-time forward will still give it a go should the need arise.
Overall, we shouldn't be too worried by the result. I expect to see a couple more changes for the Fulham game - Hermann back hopefully, at left back, and Bothroyd and Ambrose pushing for bench warming duties. We may see Deano, Sam, Holland and Fuller trying hard to impress Curbs over the next couple of weeks, as they could win places in the final 16 too. We are still second, with game in hand, and if we ignore the disappeared into the distance leaders, that's a pretty good position to be in come mid-October.
So what went wrong yesterday? Why did we throw away a two-goal lead against Spurs? Who did well and who didn't? What's the Pedro45 view?
This match was probably our biggest test of the season so far; the spotlight was on us, second versus fourth was the biggest game of the day in England. Lots of media interviews - Powell on Sky for instance - may have proved a distraction, as did Hermann's injury late in the week. Right from the start, our defence looked shakier than it has done all season, even against Chelsea! Young, Powell, ElK and Perry all whacked clearances away when they may have had a little more time than they realised; the confidence seemed low surprisingly.
After twenty minutes or so, Smertin started to influence, and Murphy stopped trying too hard (the pressure imposed due to Sven watching from the stand): Through ball to Dazza - one nil! We settled back and played very well. Dazza messed up a chance after Smert's had danced around Robinson, much as Kish had done a little earlier, but it didn't matter at the time. We played very well in the first half, and but for the fussy, over zealous referee, we would have dominated more.
Bent's second, five minutes after half time, should have allowed Charlton to settle down and kill the game. The joke reply from King, courtesy of another poor decision by Ref Dowd who deemed that Davids boot coming off constituted a foul, unsettled the Addicks, and galvanised the visiting fans.
Charlton continued to press, with the midfield still (just) dominant, but missed chances by both sides followed in an increasingly open game.
Mido scored with a swing, via Andersen's legs and the post, and you knew that there was probably only one winner after that. Keane duly came on, and his movement caused more problems. Does he ever not score against Charlton? - goals for Leeds and Spurs stick in the memory, but he may have scored for Wolves and Coventry too if we have played them during his time with them.
We still had chances to even things up but snatched or mis-hit efforts went wide or over.
For Spurs, Davids looks over priced and did little running. I was surprised to see him stuck on the left side of midfield, but I guess Jenas is more mobile than the old Dutchman these days. The forwards are dangerous, and the defence fairly solid if static. I was surprised at how many times Bent won the ball in the air over the taller King.
Player profiles:
Andersen - No real outstanding saves; solid rather than spectacular. Disappointing that he didn't stop any of the three goals, as none of them were unsaveable. Needs to improve if he wants to keep his place.
Young - Tried very hard, and got forward well. Will be remembered for the two late chances he missed rather than the good all round performance. Booked for (very) late tackle.
Perry - OK game. Competed with Mido in the air, but won little. Better when marking Defoe.
El Karkouri - Nervous start, but solid game. Poor long free kicks mostly. Will get better with more games.
Powell - Not his best of the season by a long way. Tired again late on; at fault with the third goal. Chrissy may have played one of his last Premiership matches for us yesterday.
Smertin - Awesome first half, he also tired and lost influence (maybe as Spurs missed out the midfield later in the game?). He's a winner for sure, and we are lucky to have him.
Kishishev - Another iffy game. Caught in possession once or twice and Curbs will have to think about replacing him for home games if this continues. Booked again.
Murphy - Tried hard, too hard early on. Imposed himself once he'd settled into the match, and showed why he's a great player. Urged the team on even when behind; didn't deserve to lose. Booked near the end through frustration.
Thomas - Average game from the wide man. Passed well and often (surprisingly) but couldn't get behind the full back and didn't try to very much.
Rommedahl - Looks more dangerous than he actually is; didn't beat his man all day, but passed and linked up well.
Bent - Three chances, two goals. I'll take that. Once injured, Charlton lost all potency (and Spurs knew it!). Probably his best game so far in a Charlton shirt.
Subs:
Hughes - Did little once on for Thomas except miss a chance at the end.
Bartlett - Did nothing to show he wants to win his place back in the side. Missed a couple of chances through lack of anticipation and composure. I'm not sure where Shaun goes from here - he doesn't deserve to be in this squad at the moment - any takers?
Spector - Pushed up front; tried hard but with Bartlett going AWOL his efforts were wasted. Nice to know that this one-time forward will still give it a go should the need arise.
Overall, we shouldn't be too worried by the result. I expect to see a couple more changes for the Fulham game - Hermann back hopefully, at left back, and Bothroyd and Ambrose pushing for bench warming duties. We may see Deano, Sam, Holland and Fuller trying hard to impress Curbs over the next couple of weeks, as they could win places in the final 16 too. We are still second, with game in hand, and if we ignore the disappeared into the distance leaders, that's a pretty good position to be in come mid-October.
