Tottenham’s slump in form hasn’t exactly begun with the loss of Clint Dempsey to a niggling calf injury but it would be no surprise to see AVB rushing the American straight back into the starting XI as soon as he is fit.
Clint could well return for the Swansea match next weekend providing the American comes through this international week unscathed. The midfielder has been included in the USA squad for their forthcoming match with Costa Rica and Jurgen Klinsmann seems set to use him in such an important World Cup qualifier.
Many players split opinion down the middle but Dempsey tends to polarise views more than most. After arriving in August and taking his early run in the side, the various stats suggested that he was one of the busiest players in the Premier League with regard to miles covered but did his contribution match that effort?
Clint then started to chip in with goals to be met with the criticism that they were against weaker opposition – until that late, late equaliser against Manchester United.
As Spurs look to recover from two straight league defeats has your opinion of Clint Dempsey altered? Quite simply, is he missed?
No Spurs are not missing Dempsey. They are missing creative spark. Players like Dempsey, Sigurdsson and Livermore offer nothing different. Need to bring in Tom Carroll and Lewis Holtby into the midfield immediately. Play them in front of Dembele whose best attributes are defending and keeping possession. Move Bale back to the left wing until Spurs get a winger to replace him. Lennon on the right.
Lloris
Smith Vertonghen Kaboul B.A.E
Dembele
Lennon Carroll Holtby Bale
Coulthirst
interesting lineup. This would be neat at a friendly, or FA cup game against weaker comp. I get the frustration up top, but that is tooo much.
I was on the Holtby train at first too! Holtby is a very skilled player, but appears to be a bit of a project. He will be better than Bentley, but right now he is a quicker, more skillful version of him; hot headed, aiming to impress, but not really gelling yet. He is living up to his reputation of not being consistent…
I’ll take Carroll for Parker— any day.
Ade up top too. He should come back from break as fit as he has been all season. He just worked his ax off last week, and he hopefully will build on that. I’m going with the spirit of the article and adding Demps to the mix. His intelligence and work rate is needed on the pitch to unlock the goal
Holtby and Bentley are completely different players. Bentley is best on the right wing where he can supply crosses. Holtby is best in central midfield where he can make quick incisive passes.
Stupidity, you are not Matthew Harris in disguise are you?
Dembele is a link player who dribbles past opponents not a defensive player. You can’t let him do that with no defensive midfielder playing, that’s just asking for trouble.
Thankfully AVB can read a player far better than you.
What games have you been watching?? Of course Dembele is a defence minded midfield player with dribbling skills. Even Dembele himself says that he enjoys defending. He makes loads of saving tackles. There is no point in him playing mainly as an attacking midfielder because he hardly ever scores and doesn’t create any assists. He can still make his runs at the right times and when he does it, Holtby can drop back to defend.
He was good for Fulham but he is no Van Der Vaart or Teddy Sheringham. Sell him back in the summer.
he was missing in the second half when he came on sunday as he always is, he is pants and we should never have signed him. We are missing LENNON…
The idiotic author hasn’t got any better I see.
Are we missing Clint Dempsey? I hope this is a joke..All that’s happened is that we lost to liverpool unluckily, didn’t go to Milan in the right frame of mind, thinking it was already won and lost to Fulham due to being a bit jaded and some under-par performances.
This is down to some players not playing at 100% fit, AVB playing certain players out of position and the game on Thursday did have some impact.
Bale need to return to the left wing and offer some real pace and width, particularly with Lennon out. I’d also agree that it’s time to give Parker a break and let Holtby play alongaside Dembele.
Bale needs to go to Real Madrid…
Was expecting us to lose or at least draw the fulham game after most of the team played inter midweek…tired legs and what not. The liverpool game was not the one we should have lost, 2 costly mistakes and the buffer between the chasing pack is no more. The next game will be a gauge on our top four credentials.
Carroll should be given a start now, that lad can see a pass. Dembele in the centre please, he owns that part of the patch.
I can only hope the current blip plays in AVBs mind and he learns to use the players we have to their strength. Loaning out Townsend was a mistake, he could have been crucial to the close season run in.
COYS!
RE my last post… the Liverpool game was the one we should NOT have lost.
No. Next?
Ya let’s hate on the American a little more, he’s wonderful at keeping possession and allowing runs to be made off of him. Plus let’s not act like the current midfield core is doing any better without him. With such a lack of depth, how aren’t we missing Dempsey?