Whilst Crystal Palace aren’t exactly the staunchest opposition, they have added a little more steel to their squad since the installation of Tony Pulis as manager.
So Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over the Eagles, is further evidence that Tim Sherwood has put his club on the right track. I’m sure that fans will point to the recent defeat to their North London rivals, Arsenal, and suggest that there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s clear that Spurs are now heading in the right direction.
I can’t help but feel that Spurs have struggled because of the high level of expectation and the inordinate amount of pressure on player’s shoulders. Think how stressful it must be to be Roberto Soldado at this moment in time. And think how bizarre it is that people were talking about Tottenham being title contenders before the start of the season.
It was always going to take a while for these players to gel together. It would have been a minor miracle if this new look Spurs side had managed to hit the ground running. But now that the performances are improving and the club is starting to put a series of wins together, it’s time to start building towards the future.
Whilst Spurs need to sign another striker, they also need to assess their midfield. Andre Villas-Boas spent a lot of money on this part of the pitch during the summer, but many of his new recruits have struggled to make their mark.
Erik Lamela has struggled and his huge £30m price-tag has made things worse. Then there’s the combative Frenchman, Etienne Capoue, who has yet to adjust to the pace of the Premier League. The 25-year-old is a French international, but he looks a little overawed each time he pulls on a Spurs shirt.
He’s sluggish on the ball, clumsy in the tackle and he doesn’t seem to read the game as well as Scott Parker did whilst he was still at the club. It’s hard to understand why he was signed, when Sandro is a more gifted footballer and fits into Tottenham’s system better.
This has led to speculation that he could be shipped off to Napoli on loan (Source: The Mirror). Whilst it may hurt the player’s feeling to send him packing already, this is beginning to look like a necessity. Spurs need to make room in their midfield for players like Christian Eriksen and Nabil Bentaleb. As such, Etienne Capoue isn’t going to get much game time over the coming months.
Getting regular game time at another club (in a slower, slightly less demanding League, no less), would be a smart move. If he returns to White Hart Lane with a little more swagger in his step, then all the better.
What’s your take? Should Spurs send Etienne Capoue out on loan?
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Absolute rubbish. This is just massaging the reports the media want everyone to believe. Capoue needs to play in the premiership if he is going to get up to speed. There has been no falling out between him and Sherwood as the press would love us to swallow. He was suffering from an injury and it wasn’t the right time to bring him back, even as a substitute, because of the way the matches ‘played out’. Stop wtiting untrue articles please.
Has this author watched Spurs this season? With the exception of the first match against Arsenal(where he got injured) and his matches at CB Capoue has looked solid, and was arguably MOTM in his last game which was at Old Trafford. He’s a massive upgrade on Scott Parker and though not as good as the injury prone Sandro(who is) Capoue was clearly signed as a rotation/backup option as football is about the strongest squad not starting XI now.
I’m not against selling Capoue but let’s not lie about his contribution to the team to try and justify it, especially as he’s in no way competing with Eriksen for a place in the starting XI.
Exactly so.
I’m pretty certain this has not got much to do with Capoue’s performances or abilities on the football pitch.
Good player, would prefer him to stay. But, Sherwood has to stand or fall by his decisions, just as AVB did. We have a lot of very good central midfielders, and if Sherwood believes we can let, say, him and Holtby go and replace them with Bentaleb and Carroll (for instance), without it significantly lessening our options or weakening the squad, then that is his call to make.
Yeah, Holtby is frustrating as he is caught out of position wherever he plays as he chases down whatever player has the ball meaning he doesn’t properly exploit the space around him sometimes when a team mate is better placed to win the ball. So I think Carrol offers a better back up to Eriksen than he does.
It’s a shame as I love Holtby’s personality off the pitch and he clearly has lots of technical ability but his decision making and too much effort make him frustrating.
Agree about Sherwood having to stand by his decisions though and if he thinks Bentaleb or Livermore after his season at Hull can replace Capoue then I hope he’s right.
I just objected to this article as it tries to paint Capoue as not playing well which is clearly not the case and he was initially the most promising looking of th new signings before he was injured.
That letting go of Holtby would be a great mistake.
Holtby is the only midfield player in our ranks who offers everything he has for the team.he gives 100% thus getting tired quickly.Nabil and carroll still have a lot to prove and I wouldn’t risk getting rid of the young German.
Sherwood has his good judgements so are the wrong also.hopefully this won’t be one he makes on the wrong side.
I see Holtby as someone who can change games from the bench quite rapidly. He’s got great energy and a good shot on him. But it’s true that his performances have been patchy… possibly because he doesn’t get a run in the side (however, our targets are so high we have no margin for error and can’t develop guys who aren’t quite firing, like Lewis – it’s a shame, but there it is). Capoue is another fine player. I’d hesitate before selling him because Sandro is injured so much as a result of his gung ho style. Bentaleb needs space to grow and has done well, but you know how it is at Spurs, the minute we think we’ve got too many players another injury crisis comes along and it’s all hands to the pump. Loaning Capoue might be the best option, especially to a good team like Napoli. If loaning Lewis means Arsenal get Draxler, then no way.
No way will Levy let Holtby go to Schalke for the goons to get Draxler. Selling or loaning Holtby, Capoue or Lamela without them ever having a real look in is crazy. Sherwood is probably just holding fort until the summer so no dice.
It amazes me that Manchester United fans seemed to be more impressed with Capoue than Tottenham fans. Something to do with nullifying that Rooney chap I believe. That´s the same chap who held Manu together for the 2-2 draw at WHL. do you think maybe they would like to buy him?
When Capoue was taken off the ground that day, wasn´t that the time Manu started to overrun us? except they did a Tottenham on us (everything but score) His reward for that effort has been not given any playing time since. Absolutely amazing.